Based on lessons learned from the SYNTRX, Erica Synths decided to create an instrument that would integrate even deeper into contemporary electronic and experimental music setups and cover sonic territory from daunting drones to powerful basslines and glitched noisescapes – the SYNTRX II is a new dark horse for experimental sonic rides.
The SYNTRX II is the culmination of their analogue sound design circuits – two perfectly stable main oscillators with waveshapers, a modulation oscillator with 1V/oct tracking, a versatile multimode filter, supercharged external instrument inputs with an envelope follower, a unique, great-sounding ring modulator, a recordable joystick, built-in piano roll sequencer and stepped modulation sources, all arranged around our signature matrix mixer and topped off with powerful FX on our new DSP platform.
Peter Zinovieff himself approved of Erica Synths’ re-imagination of his legendary Synthi AKS in the form of the SYNTRX which was produced in a limited run of 1056 units.
The SYNTRX II, like most synthesizers built around a patch matrix, is somewhat similar to a modular synthesizer – here you can modulate any available “module” with another and possible connections are almost limitless (it does not mean, however, that every connection will produce sound). The mixer/splitter matrix allows for mixing of up to 16 signals to one output and likewise – because all inputs and outputs are buffered – splitting one signal to 16 destinations.
The SYNTRX 2 is awesome, a very different instrument from V1. My first synths were the VCS3 and the AKS and are still among my favorites today. The Syntrx 2 is pushing the boundaries of possibilities & experimentations much beyond the original analog version. The Syntrx 2 is an instant classic.
Jean Michel Jarre