NAMM 2017 News: StudioElectronics announced TONESTAR 8106 Eurorack Module

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At NAMM 2017, StudioElectronics announced some very interesting new Eurorack modules. More informations check below. Also at NAMM, the company announced the 8106 Filter module and other modules. Unfortunately, I don’t find any informations about these modules on their website. 


TONESTAR 8106, an ARP® 2600-inspired complete synth, infuses Tim Caswell’s “Jupiter to Juno” filter alchemy—a 6db/oct hi-pass filter followed by a recreation of the Roland IR3109 module—into our Tonestar 2600 platform; this chirpy yet full-bodied 8106 model is also fully #OutsToOuts modular featuring 27 pots—one more that the 2600 model for the high-pass filter, 6 switches—one less, sacrificing resonance modulation for that high-pass filtering, and 21 jacks. If the Tone☆ 8106 thins somewhat with resonance excess, route the triangle wave ’round the VCF with the “NO VCF” switch setting, and keep this juicy reimagining of the Roland® IR3109 module boomin’ and gloomin’.

“The VCO is the same affair as the Oscillation, the Boomstar, and the Omega. It’s kind of a combination of Arp®, Oberheim® and Moog® circuits (sort of a greatest hits), time-tested, very stable—very good tracking over a very large range; certain parts have to be hand selected to achieve that level of exacting performance. 

Envelope FYI: The Tonestar Sustain control replicates the behavior of the 2600 and Odyssey: after the initial Decay, it continues to move (sink) very slowly, adding a little extra texture to the sound. It’s technically a flaw, but after digging out my Odyssey, it is for sure a desirable “quirk”, and the perfect companion to the 4072 filter (which we mistakenly titled a 4075 in the Boomstar Modular line).

Another bit of fun: The LFO is voltage controlled, so you can envelope, LFO, or otherwise modulate both the rate and the depth; the ADSR amount is also voltage controlled, so it can be manipulated by MIDI dynamics, MIDI volume, an LFO, etc. Greg [St. Regis] has decreed that anything must be patchable to anything, so some technically wrong patchings (for example, pulse wave out to ADSR out) may often produce unexpectedly interesting, x-mod/notch filtering—quite pleasing effects.

The Tonestar was Greg’s concept, but as I understood it, the goal was a single oscillator, 2600 VCF (initially), pre-patched and yet fully modular classic synth voice, at a specific size, wielding every trick we could cram in. Main use would be as a go-to bassline/lead tool, or a premium quality, entry-level, complete synth module, for root-to-leaf sound design, and multiform analog exploration/expression.”

More Informations here: StudioElectronics TONESTAR 8106 

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