Two New Erica Synths Modules

US Sample Drum and Plasma Drive eurorack modules announced 22/01/19

Erica Synths tells us that this time last year the buzz was all around the Graphic VCO, a powerful euro-rack oscillator that was released on February 23rd - birthday of Erica Synths founder and visionary Girts Ozolins. This year for February 23rd they have scheduled the release of what they say is probably the most impatiently waited and the last one to join the drum series modules - the Sample Drum. However, before that there's another release scheduled - a collaboration with another Latvian company working within the field of music electronics - the Gamechanger Audio - Plasma Drive module. Release date of which is scheduled for 20th of February. Here's the details direct from Erica Synths...

Sample Drum
Sample Drum is 14HP eurorack sample player/sampler module with straight-forward, intuitive interface, functionality and great sound quality, designed with live performance use in mind.

It is composed of two identical parts and allows you to play back, record and slice up samples or loops directly in your modular system. For processing there are different play modes, tuning functions (including 1 V/Oct pitch tracking), virtual VCAs plus AD envelopes and realtime effects. Three freely assignable CV inputs per channel guarantee a lot of expression during performance. 16bit mono wav samples are loaded into RAM (32MB / ~ 5 minutes of sampling time) from SD card (16 GB SD card with factory preset samples comes with the module) for instantaneous playback response. All settings can be saved and recalled during live performance.

Features:

Sample playback with fast trigger response
Various effects for real time sample processing
Sample recording functionality
Manual and automatic sample slicing
Cue point loading from WAV files
1V/Oct tracking
3 assignable CV inputs per channel
Preset memory
User-friendly interface
Performance mode
16 GB SD card with factory preset samples included

Plasma Drive
Plasma Drive is the Erica Fusion Series module developed in collaboration with Gamechanger Audio.

Gamechanger Audio is Latvian company committed to exploring the uncharted territories of music electronics and creating devices that provide real value while stretching the imagination of both musicians and engineers. In their Plasma Pedal they managed to combine Tesla coil with a lots of Rock and Roll and the result is one of the worlds heaviest sounds with plenty of unique features and the potential to become the new standard of distortion.

Similar as Plasma Pedal, Plasma Drive gives you a new and previously unexplored method of achieving signal clipping in 16HP. Instead of using LED circuits, transistors or vacuum tubes to produce overdrive, the Plasma Drive boosts audio signal to 3000V and transforms it into a series of continuous high-voltage discharges in a xenon-filled tube. In essence – you are playing a lightning bolt of electricity, and the electrical discharges produced by your instrument are instantly converted back into an analogue audio signal, producing a quick, responsive, and extremely heavy distortion with tons of unique character!

The eurorack module Plasma Drive brings sounds of the Plasma Pedal to the next level. As per eurorack standards we added CV control over distortion level and dry/wet mix, as well as octave up and 1 and 2 octaves down tracking oscillators that add even more harmonics to the original signal. Tracking oscillators can be switched on/off manually or via trigger signals. The Plasma Drive module is powered via conventional eurorack PSU ribbon cable and the power consumption is around 150mA.

Features:

Unique distortion flavour
CV control over distortion and dry/wet mix
Assignable equalizer (pre- and post effect)
1 octave up & 1 and 2 octaved down tracking oscillators

Pricing and Availability:
Sample Drum: 300€. Release date 23rd of February 2019
Plasma Drive: 310€. Release date 20th of February 2019

More information:

Erica Synths

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