Demystifying Zynthian

Zynthian is essentially a Raspberry Pi-based audio device. Adopting a DIY, open-source ethic, the Zynthian hardware is now in it's 5th revision - but what does it actually do? It's a keyboard expander, no, a groove-box, err, but it's also a MOD-Audio compatible effects host, a MIDI processor, a multi-track recorder - in short, it's pretty much everything!

Now, the open-source thing will either make you very excited or fill you with dread. Inside there's a Pi 5 and, from the looks of it, the instrument possesses a clean and tangible UI - there's undeniably a lot of power on board, endless exploration. However, the community of developers - though talented and resourceful, do not possess the manpower of a musical corporation. So some of Zynthian's elements are further along than others, and the team admit that their development effort is much bigger than their documentation one.

Before I receive mine later in the month, I really wanted to grasp the scope of the machine; it's strengths and limitations, so I went about asking the team a series of layman's questions. The team were gracious and patient, answering them in detail; so now I have a good idea of what to expect.

Hardware Considerations

Zynthian v5 is a looker! The anodized aluminum case (larger than previous revisions) features Elektron-like silicone buttons, 4 knobs, 5" touch screen and an array of I/O. The device is sent as a solder-less kit; some screws and a few tiny ribbon cables to watch out for, so I'll report back on the build process in the new year.

Software Availability

The Linux-based operating system Oram, is a 64-bit affair and fairly pleasing to look at. A new beta - Vangelis, promises context-based help, a snazzy envelope display and a number of other features. A Pi-based Linux system has, of course, a tonne of software available, but not all of it works as is - an amount of UI-integration work must be done, and this varies from plugin to plugin.

Jofemodo, a patient gentleman, sent me a list of all of the plugins which can be fully tweaked on Zynthian itself, including:

+ amsynth
+ calf monosynth
+ dexed
+ helm
+ dx10
+ jx10
+ mimid
+ obxd
+ noisemaker
+ padthv1
+ synthv1
+ vex
+ setBfree
+ aeolus

A notable engines that deserves attention and it's "almost" fully integrated is:

+ pianoteq

And you should not forget the 3 ROMpler engines:

+ fluidsynth => SF2 / SF3
+ linuxsampler => GIG & SFZ
+ sfizz => SFZ

In the "audio processing" side, there are so many ...

+ argotlunar => a granular delay with lot of options
+ dragonfly reverb collection
+ bollie delay
+ sooperlooper => very well integrated!
+ zynsampler => not curated, but full of potential!
+ YK-chorus
+ etc.

So the reality of the situation is that there is a great amount of synthesis to be done in the box. I noted that other engines, like the mighty Odin2, were only partially integrated and others, like the hideously complex & fun ZynSubAddFX had minimal integration - you may playback presets made elsewhere and tweak minimal parameters, but that's it.

If you needed to install those same plugins onto your laptop, edit the sound & then upload - it would have felt clunky; diminishing the excitement of real hardware. Thankfully, Zynthian's way is much easier. Zynthian connects to WiFi - and via a virtual machine web thingy (very technical), you may bring up the full UI on any modern web browser. You can also manage your plugins, patches & settings using this web configuration tool. The Mod-Audio user interface also works like this, so you can set up your effects chains.

For some folks, I suspect that this product is so adjacent to computers that they may feel "just get a computer" - and that's a fair enough point. Even with the team's herculean integration effort, you're still going to be relying on the old beige box for certain things.

But I feel that there's more than enough here to warrant Zynthian's existence. It's not particularly costly, you get that real mad-scientist playing with hardware feeling and what's more, you get to feel like you're on the bleeding edge of something. I've so far lurked for a couple of days, but I've discovered a pleasant and brainy community forum. You can see more of Zynthian, the UI, plugins and the Mod-Audio concept in the video below. Thanks to the Zynthian team for allowing me to grasp the intricacies of this instrument before I made the order!

Zynthian is available now for €360.00 - €452.00 depending on choice of Pi & PSU.

Posted by MagicalSynthAdventure an expert in synthesis technology from last Century and Amiga enthusiast.

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