The latest Miles Away video takes a look at the Erica Synths SYNTRX 2 – a modern modular synthesizer inspired by the EMS Synthi.
While the Syntrx II takes inspiration from the classic EMS Synthi AKS design, it features stable oscillators, new synthesis options, a digital patch matrix, patch recall, a built-in sequencer, effects and more.
The video offers a review of the SYNTRX 2, some synth history as background, a sound demo and tutorial/walkthrough.
Does the SYTRYX 2 earn the title ‘the best modular synth of the year’? Check out the video and then share your thoughts in the comments!
Topics covered:
0:00 – intro jam and what is SYNTRX 2?
1:15 – synth history of the EMS Synthi
4:22 – jam 1: heavy midtempo techno
5:59 – experimental noise sound demos
7:55 – jam 2: lush analog retrowave
9:24 – patching tutorial and how it works
18:26 – review with pros and cons
20:02 – jam 3: ambient tape outro
best of the year. lol.
Lovely synth and a great improvement over the first one, In todays world it doesn’t seem too expensive for what you get (especially in the modular world sans Behringer). I wish them well with this! (I sort of mix the speaker though!)
I’d really need more time hands on to tell for sure.
What about a head to head battle royale snakepit cage match between your potential ‘The Best Modular Synth Of The Year’ and the synth in your previous post, the potential ‘The Synth Of The Decade’? Who will take the title? I’m thinking Bastl’s Softpop II (“Synth of the Month – Jan. 22′?”) will sneak into the ring and hit the other two over the head with a metal chair and steal the belt…and the hearts of millions of synthesists the world over.
I’m having trouble naming other modular synths that have come out within a year. Cascadia is semi-modular?
That said I own a Syntrix II and it has been great! The patching is fun and I love the big surface with full sized knobs. It makes all of the bread-and-butter mono synth sounds and wonderfully goes off the rails into alien raccoon-fight territory. Between the nice knobs and the wonderful joystick it is really very “playable” as an instrument.
A lovely new take on the Syntrx / Synthi! I am not going to sell my Syntrx to get a II though. I like how they’ve become different beasts; the II is not making the I obsolete, due to having taken away quite a bit and having added quite a bit. They’re just different; a new synth for a somewhat different crowd. I respect Erica’s way of doing this, and would love to see other manufacturers aim to do the same: don’t just make the follow-up better; make it different, so the synths can live next to each other. Jokingly, I would call the II the vanilla version, compared to the first, but that’d be a bit silly. But it’s clear that the original was a bit too strange to sell well. This one should have less problems.
Just like your mom.
:’)
it’s not a modular synth.
Yes, patchable, but not modular.
You’re confused as to what a modular synthesizer is.
The SYNTRX is an all-in-one, fully modular synthesizer. All synthesis elements are fully patchable, as you see fit.
A semi-modular synthesizer would be internally normalized, with limited ability to override the default patching.
It consists of multiple modules that can be freely patched to each other. In my book, that’s a modular synth.
This book of yours, would it define it has Modular or semi-modular?
This synth has no predefined routings and doesn’t make any sounds until you start patching modules to the output. It’s modular 100%.
It isn’t a modular synth. There are no individual modules.It is a variable architecture hardware synth. FIFY.