Lifeforms SV-2 - Pittsburgh Modular's Redesigned Semi-Modular

Pittsburgh Modular's original Lifeforms SV-1, which appeared in 2016 is a favourite of ours, just hs a certain something about it and hasd often shown up in our occasional Friday jams.

Its successor, the Lifeforms SV-2, is a complete architectural redesign that keeps the semi-modular format  and the same case as the Taiga keyboard, while reworking the oscillator core, filter and envelope sections and adding a spring reverb.

We have a review underway so stay tuned...

The redesigned triangle-core oscillators add thru-zero FM and phase modulation, which Pittsburgh Modular says keeps them in tune even under extreme frequency modulation. A Pulse Symmetry waveform adds a second modulation dimension to pulse waves, and the proprietary Blade Wave is a sawtooth variant the company says produces a dense, natural chorus effect through harmonic manipulation.

• Oscillators: Two thru-zero triangle-core oscillators with Pulse Symmetry, Blade, Sine, Triangle, Saw and Random waveforms, thru-zero FM, phase modulation, linear FM and hard sync. Two triangle-core LFOs reach audio rates and can serve as a third and fourth oscillator, plus a sub-oscillator with -1 and -2 octave outputs and analog noise.
• Filter: Dual state-variable filters with highpass, bandpass, lowpass, combo and random responses. Warped character mode reshapes the waveform without changing harmonic content; Warped and Rectified slices the wave in half and rebuilds it, turning a sine into a double-frequency sine and a saw into a triangle. Variable overdrive offers up to 5x boost (15dB).
• Overdrive: Six saturation and overdrive stages across the signal path, including switchable saturation on the dual mixer, a variable preamp with up to 30x boost (28dB), a pair of pre-filter overdrives and a saturation circuit in the spring reverb.
• Voice: Monophonic, one-button paraphonic and patchable full duophonic modes; dual ADSR envelopes with short and long range modes; dual VCAs; an arpeggiator with multiple responses, octaves and random; sample and hold.
• Patching: An 84-point patch bay plus a 24hp Eurorack expansion bay with three power headers, so external modules can be integrated at any point in the signal path. The internally normalized signal path means the SV-2 makes sound without patch cables.
• Interface: Custom 37-key keybed with pitch and mod wheels; spring reverb with tonal tilt EQ, feedback up to self-oscillation and preamp saturation; a digital modulation tool with manual control, clock-synced LFO, decay envelope and random level.

The SV-2 replaces the SV-1, which Pittsburgh Modular says was its most successful synthesizer. The company describes the new instrument as balancing classic East Coast subtractive synthesis with modern ideas, and it follows the same open architecture: the pre-defined signal path gets you started without patching, while the expansion bay turns it into a fully modular system.

The Lifeforms SV-2 is available now through Pittsburgh Modular's website and its authorized reseller network. We have a review in the pipe - stay tuned!

Priced at: €1599/$1499

More Info: https://pittsburghmodular.com

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