Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths’ Bullfrog will teach you more about synthesis
“our goal is to both nurture a passion for electronically produced sounds and promote a fun easy learning path into basic sound synthesis”
Techno pioneer Richie Hawtin and Latvian synth manufacturer Erica Synths have teamed up to announce a collaborative synthesizer called Bullfrog.
The driving intention behind Bullfrog is to educate you on the fundamentals of synthesis in a “hands-on” way, Hawtin says in a press release. “Unlock musicality while combining the thrill of electronic music production with a comprehensive learning experience”, Erica Synths states.
The instrument is a classic subtractive synthesizer and is made up of eight sound generation and treatment modules: VCO, noise generator, VCF, VCA/delay, two envelope generators, and a Sample & Hold section. There’s also the mixer section, where you can control sine, pulse and noise levels.
To generate sound, the Bullfrog requires patch cables to interconnect the modules, or it needs to use voice cards to establish internal connections and add extra functionality like the sampler/looper, sequencer and groovebox. This approach enhances the user’s learning of subtractive synthesizers’ functionality and sound design principles with synths.
In the press release, Hawtin says: ”Electronic Music is as popular as ever and its traditions and frequencies now stretch around the world, uniting people across language and cultures. For me, one of the most exciting parts of creating with a synthesizer is the playful experimentation that inspires and pushes the imagination. Whether the intention is to create abstract frequencies or sounds inspired by real-life, the route one takes is personal and often surprising. It is within these investigations where the beauty of synthesis really comes alive, and which often unlocks a new sense of creative purpose.
“This journey of discovery is what originally pulled me deep into the world of electronic music,” he says, “and continues to be part of the fascination I find when working in the studio or performing on stage. As a teenager, I felt like I was searching for the right outlet to transit my creativity and in synthesis I found a path.
“These memories and concepts are at the heart of our Bullfrog synthesizer. Whether someone’s experience with Bullfrog points them down a career in electronic music or not, our goal is to both nurture a passion for electronically produced sounds and promote a fun easy learning path into basic sound synthesis.
“We believe that the hands-on approach and problem solving that is innate to synthesis on a semi-modular synth like the Bullfrog, contains life lessons that go beyond what we can hear. The Bullfrog encapsulates the foundations of synthesis and is built with an immediate, intuitive design and a unique expandable architecture that grows and expands together with our user’s imagination.”
Bullfrog is set to release on 13 August. Find out more information at bullfrog.ericasynths.lv.
