Futuresonus, a new company from Austin, TX, seems to fall in this category with their latest announcement. Parva is their first analog polyphonic synthesizer, “designed from the ground up with the intention of producing a completely new synth while still maintaining the character of the classics from the ‘70s and ‘80s,” said Futuresonus founder Brad Ferguson.
What do we know so far about Parva:
- Tabletop format, with an aluminum enclosure, hand-assembled in Austin.
- 8 voices with 3 digitally-controlled analog oscillators, producing sawtooth, triangle, and PWM waveforms.
- A pair of two-pole state-variable filters can be configured for a 12dB or 24dB low-pass or high-pass response, or split for bandpass or notch filtering. Four four-stage envelope generators and four multi-waveform low-frequency oscillators feed a flexible modulation matrix, allowing for virtually limitless sound design options.
- A USB Master port, which enables the user to connect any class-compliant USB MIDI keyboard — or other controllers — directly, without the need for a computer. Analog potentiometers provide immediate access to the most commonly used parameters, while the high visibility OLED displays on the front panel show additional settings, making it simple to dial in the perfect patch.
- Ships in summer 2015. Pre-orders will begin in February
- Price: under $1000 for the polyphonic Parva. Under $500 for the expandable monophonic version
How does it sound? Here’s some early (and quite clean) samples…
We’ll definitely keep an eye on Futuresonus and Parva, stay tuned…
