Black Corporation has introduced Deckard’s Dream mkII, a sleeker and lighter version of the original Deckard’s Dream synthesizer.
The Deckard’s Dream is a modern synth design, inspired by the classic Yamaha CS-80 and the Vangelis score of the movie Blade Runner. The MK2 delivers everything the previous versions of DDRM have done, plus it adds additional controls over Sustain modes and length.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
DECKARD’S DREAM (DDRM), features eight voices, each with two identical layered parts consisting of a completely analog voltage controlled oscillator made with discrete waveshapers, analog lowpass and highpass filter, each with their own cutoff and resonance settings, noise generator, unique multisegment filter envelope, and VCA + ADSR envelope. Each layer also features its own independent programming section for MPE-based velocity and polyphonic aftertouch control of its filter cutoff and amplifier settings.
DDRM’s perfomance section features global pitch control with coarse & fine-tuning sliders, layer 2 detune slider, independent keyboard range control for each layer, mix balancing between layer 1 and layer 2, global filter cutoff and resonance offsets, and a global LFO to control both layers’ filter/pitch/amplifiers simultaneously.
DDRM was created with full expressive performance control in mind, boasting programming sections with global MPE-based control over LFO parameters + pitchbend, as well as global key tracking control over the filter and amplifier settings of both layers. Finally, there is a global portamento/glissando slider affecting both layers simultaneously. The level of expressive control these parameters give over performance is something found in very few synthesizers, and the results are stunning!
DDRM features full MIDI control and the ability to store 128 presets per bank across 3 banks, integrating this classic synth concept seamlessly into the future of your modern studio needs.
Pricing and Availability
The Deckard’s Dream mkII is priced at $3749. It’s available to pre-order now, with delivery expected in June 2020.
What does ‘waveshapers’ mean in this context: “completely analog voltage controlled oscillator made with discrete waveshapers”?
Hadn’t noticed the price on this synth before, $1,000-ish is pretty good. Thought it was priced out of reach. The euro module is interesting, anyone try that one?
$1,000 is for the DIY build.
This synth pre-built is almost $3,800.
Yeah got that. They should list the total price on the front page, not just unqualified negative prices. It was confusing. The price on the euro module preorder is decent though.
The waveshapers they’re referring to are the part of the circuit that derive the sine and pulse shapes from the saw core oscillator.
I believe the price is actually $3749 … o.O
Oooooooo I missed the minus sign (deposits) in front of the price on the website. Geeeeeez.
Not sure what’s special about this waveshaper copy. Some analog synth quirk gone bad?
Admin: You’re using multiple names to comment with (TimS, Crapola, etc), so your comments are automatically being handled as spam.
Using a single name and posting relevant, constructive comments will avoid this.
this Mk2 is beautiful, wow. i got to play with one for a few days, it’s as amazing as everyone says it is.
For that much you’d think a keyboard would be attached. Holy cow.
Nice, but it’s too expensive for my budget. I’ll have to wait for the Behringer BS-80.
Apparently they could not be bothered to include the stuff that is in the expander, without which it really is only part of a cs80 (ring mod, reverb, chorus). The expander is a real device, so how one is expected to combine that with a desktop module…
I’m not sure that the ring mod in the expander is what I would want for a ring mod. It should be integral to the voice VCO circuit, prior to the VCF. I also noticed that Black Corporation doesn’t have its product manuals available online.
I agree that the unique ring mod is definitely important. But the chorus is not known to be that great, and CS-80 doesn’t have reverb.
Eeww, those wooden end cheeks ruined the wicked black design of the original.
If I’d had one of these when I was 20, they would have been forced to surgically remove me from the chair in front of it. With tranq darts, too, because I would have fought them hard.
I wonder if you can route the Hydrasynth ribbon to this thing? That’s a few thousand dollars in a pile, but it would make creative sense. Buying a 30-year-old synth on ebay is really asking for it, but people who own real CS-80s treat them like their kids, maybe even better! If that synth makes you quiver enough, the sub-$4k assembled price holds up pretty well against the original. Only you can decide if you’re that synth-crazy. Magic 8-Ball says “Most likely.”
upper-middle-class dream mk2, redux prequel electric boogaloo.
Why not slap some wood against it that puts in an angle? This really looks terrible.