Knobcon 2026: Frequency Factory Dreamcatcher

Sean from Frequency Factory gave us a look at Dreamcatcher Synthesizer, his first prototype as a hardware granular synth with sample-based operation, FM and wavetable oscillators, onboard effects and direct recording.

The synth comes preloaded with samples, and it can also capture external instruments or process incoming audio for real-time granulation. The granular engine takes small pieces of a sample, overlaps and layers them, arpeggiates grains across octaves, and reverses playback. Controls include density, grain size, position and spread, with randomisation for density, size and position. Grains can play forward, backward, or switch direction randomly.

The effects section includes comb, band-pass, low-pass, high-pass and notch filtering, plus reverb and delay. The comb filter self-resonates with feedback, and key tracking ties delay time to keyboard pitch. The wavetable oscillator reads from the same sample bank, with variable frame cycling and frequency modulation.

More Info: https://frequencyfactorysynths.com