Das Kleine Fusion, Erica Synths’ Fusion System II In Small, Without Effects & Cheaper

August 9, 2020 Synth Anatomy Eurorack, Hardware, News, Synthesizers 0

Erica Synths “Das Kleine Fusion” is a cheaper “Fusion System 2” without the Fusion Delay but with the same tasty analog saturated tube sound.

For Superbooth 20 Home Edition, Erica Synths showed the Fusion System II, an analog modular Synthesizer packed with rock-solid vacuum tube-based Eurorack modules for deeply, satisfying saturated sounds. Now they showing a younger sibling called Das Kleine Fusion (The Little Fusion) also full of tubes but smaller and cheaper. This makes the entry into the tasty vacuum tube world more affordable.

In order to lower the price (1600 € without VAT), Erica Synths removed the Fusion Delay module from the “Das Kleine Fusion” which has an 84HP one-row skiff case as the foundation. So it is intended to use with an external FX processor.

Overview

Everything starts with two fat-sounding Fusion VCO2s. These are fully analog with three simultaneously available waveforms, a transistor-based sub-oscillator and detune function. Two built-in BBD delay lines make the frequency shifter and are mixed back to the principal oscillator in order to emulate two detuned VCOs. A tube overdrive is added to the top of the mix. The result is fat, juicy oscillator sounds with a lot of character.

Next, we have one Fusion VCF3 which is a resonant 24db/oct lowpass filter that combines vacuum tubes and vactrols, providing distinct, soft filtering. The highlight is a built-in digital CV recorder, that records the motion of the potentiometer, so you can design sophisticated modulation patterns. Also onboard is the Fusion Modulator, a complex,all-analog CV source which is inspired by the EMS Synth modulators. It includes two EMS-style looping envelope generators with simultaneous unipolar (0V-10V) and bipolar (-5V-+5V), VCA, Noise generator, and Sample&Hold.

Last but not least, it also incorporates the Fusion VCA/Waveshaper/Ringmodulator module which is a modulation source based on two miniature pentodes that operate as VCA, waveshaper, and ring modulator. With two CVs applied simultaneously to different stages of the VCA, audio rate modulations, using ring modulator as a waveshaper it becomes a surprisingly versatile sound shaping module. Even if there is no built-in effects device, all of these modules can shape the sound very nicely. One thing is certain: the small vactum-tube Synthesizer will also sound as dirty, warm, and full of character as its big brother.

There is no sound demo of the “Das Kleine Fusion” available but here is one for the big brother which offers an additional F. Delay module.