Greetings from Signal Sounds HQ

Happy Friday! It’s peak summer holiday season, which means things are a little quieter than usual on the new products front, but we still have a few cool new toys to tell you about this week.

Luke and Tom have been beavering away on some new blog and video content, covering everything from Eurorack cases to ambient composition via a slightly bonkers experiment with 10 Distings! More details below.

We’ve also been getting ready for some events taking place across the autumn which we’ll tell you about over the coming weeks - there’s lots of exiting stuff coming up and we can’t wait to fill you in.

Until next time,

Jason, Aleks, Kyle, Luke, Molly, Rob & Tom

New arrivals

There was a surprise drop from Teenage Engineering last week in the form of the world’s first - and let’s face it, probably the last - medieval-themed electronic instrument. The EP-1320 is an enhanced version of their EP-133 KO II, with cocoa-scented pads (!) and a host of historically accurate sounds built in. Very limited stock available, so don’t wait 700 years if you want one!

Great news for anyone running out of analogue connections on their audio interface: Arturia have released two flavours of the all-new X8 - dedicated ADAT-based expanders that give you an extra eight high-quality line ins or outs via a handy optical connection. Keep an eye on our blog next week for a deep dive into the topic of ADAT interfaces and DAW connectivity.

Knobula’s Echo Cinematic turbo-charged delay module is inspired by dub mixing techniques with some modern twists. It includes a resonant filter, LFOs for EQ and delay modulation, a 30-second knob recorder capable of controlling every knob on the front panel, and two external CV inputs. Shipping now!

We’ve restocked a bunch of Frap Tools gear recently, and got our first batch of their recent Bagai and 411 modules at the same time. Bagai is a ‘multipurpose thingamabob’ (their words, not ours!) that has you covered for clock bursts, S&H, audio bitcrushing and random voltage generation, while the 411 is a bit of bargain: a quadruple linear VCA (you can never have too many, right?), mixer and multiple in 6HP.

New on our blog

We’ve posted not one but two new long reads since our last newsletter. Luke’s done a deep dive into the science of ambient, looking at what happens in our brains when we listen to calming music and how you can take advantage of these effects when you’re composing. Clever stuff!

We’ve also published the first in a new series of in-depth buyer’s guides, focusing on Eurorack cases and power. Whether you’re about to take the plunge for the first time or you need to upgrade your system, we’ve broken down everything you need to consider when shopping for a case.

New on our YouTube channel

It started as an idle office chat about whether you really could make an entire modular synth using nothing but Expert Sleepers Disting mk4s. Then Tom decided to put the theory to the test by sticking 10 of them in a case and creating a complete patch with drums, a sequenced subtractive synth voice and effects. Check out the ‘Deca-Disting’ in action!

And finally...

For all our Glasgow peeps - Attack Release is back at Bloc on 28th August. Erh’ya, Neo Geodesia and Éon are on the line-up this time round. Come on down and get your monthly fix of live experimental electronica!

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