French company Eowave is re-thinking instruments from the past with smart sensor technology and will be launching a duophonic ribbon synthesizer at Winter NAMM show 2010.
The Persephone is a new innovative instrument with real analogue oscillators, a duophonic ribbon, fully compatible with the computer environment with a USB I/O, MIDI I/O and 4 CV out. “We’re exploring ideas from the past and re-thinking them with new technology to create new interfaces for musical expression”, says Marc Sirguy, designer of the Persephone markII.
Sensor technology now enables to recreate controls like ribbons with a new accuracy and a new duophonic process. The ribbon enables to play glissando like on a Theremin, les Ondes Martenots or a Trautonium. The addition of one oscillator takes all its dimension with the new duophonic ribbon which extends the instrument sonorities spectral to play simple chords, but also enables numberless modulations, like frequency modulation of one oscillator on the second one.
The Persephone markII has two analogue oscillators with a waveform from triangle to saw, going from 1 Hz to more than 20 000 Hz. An analogue resonant 12dB low-pass filter inspired from the filters from the 70s and 80s enables to shape the sound. With its entire analogue audio signal path, the Persephone markII can generate notes with a continuous variable range up to ten octaves to create deep and resonant cello tones on the lowest notes to ultrasonic frequencies on the highest pitches. An optical modulation key will transmit the slightest vibration for expressive modulations.
 16 routing presets enable to select different routing architectures between the sound parameters and the 7 controls available (ribbon pressure, ribbon position1 and 2, key, pedals 1 and 2, LFO) for 8 destinations (lo pitch, hi pitch, filter, VCA lo, VCA hi, filter mod1, filter mod2 and VCA). Eight presets are fixed and eight are editable users presets configurable by a free software. Users routing presets will be stored in the Persephone2 internal memory. This new section significantly increases the instrument control and modulation possibilities.
The A/D conversion is made with Eowave ESS DSP. This process assures a 12 bits resolution (4096 values) conversion for an accurate musical gesture. It’s MIDI compatible and uses USB speed of 12 Mb/s. This makes the Persephone2 usable with all MIDI compatible software whilst the latency is reduced to less than 1,5ms.
With a complete I/O section featuring 4 CV out, 2 pedals in, MIDI in /out, audio out, USB (MIDI), the Persephone markII can be turned into a powerful and unique controller to control most of your analogue or digital synths. |
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