Your Passage to Deeper, More Powerful Expression – Synth Journal
5,0 / 5,0 | 
Billy Joel's Minimoog · Source: Bob Moog Foundation
Old Blood Noise Endeavours Iota Pedal · Source: Old Blood Noise Endeavours
This week, we look at the new plugin expression tool, Passage, from Keysolutions Sounds, hardware controllers for vintage synths and a pedal that thinks it’s a synth!
It’s another week in the world of synths and another week where news of new firmware for all manner of instruments, both software and hardware, is showing no signs of letting up. Rather than add to that noise, I thought we’d look at some of the other news that may have slipped through the cracks of the editor’s desk this week!
A Passage to Greater Expression – Synth Journal
Passage by Keysolutions Sounds
Mike Martin of Keysolutions Sounds has been a busy boy indeed! Having recently released one of the best synth plugins of 2026, in the form of Traveler, he has now turned his attention to something quite different. Passage is a MIDI tool that takes your performance and drastically enhances its expressive capability via its four transformer modules.
The modules in Passage take data from an incoming MIDI controller and turn it into a very specific piece of expressive control. For example, you can assign the Mod Wheel CC to control the panning of your instrument’s voice. You can then dial in how much the input affects the output from Passage via the transform curve and set minimum and maximum output ranges.
You can set up to four of these transformers in Passage, along with a separate control for aftertouch and how that can shape your sound. Put simply, Passage can take any synth and any sound and give it a level of expression that it never had in the first place. It’s a brilliant little tool and only costs ¢29. I expect more great things from Mike soon!
UJAM Acquire Virharmonic
I’ve been a huge fan of Virharmonic and their excellent sound libraries for many years. From their early days, developing content on the UVI platform, to their move to the Gorilla platform, which allowed them to expand their products even further, Virharmonic have consistently produced some of the most expressive and clever instruments that I have ever played.
Their Bohemian range makes me sound 100 times better than I actually am, and I have actually had people ask me if I’m playing the real thing. That’s how good their libraries are. Having covered the violin, viola and cello, they recently moved on to woodwind with the release of Bohemian Clarinet. And once again, their attention to detail and brilliant scripting delivered a fantastically expressive instrument.
Some of you may know that the Gorilla engine is owned by UJAM so it wasn’t too much of a surprise when both companies announced that Virharmonic would be fully acquired by the German outfit. This acquisition covers the entirety of Virharmonic’s IP and the good news is that the entire Virharmonic team, including their founder, Ondřej Švec, will remain to continue the great work they already do.
Ondřej has assumed the new position of Creative Director and will lead the Virharmonic brand in the coming months and years as they continue to expand their superb portfolio, with a new Bohemian instrument coming soon! This union is a very positive one, and I am excited to see what happens, as well as excited to be able to play their new creations!
INARA Controllers for Vintage Synths by Five Lined Engineering
I’ve always been in two minds about 3rd party hardware controllers for synths, whether they be for software or hardware instruments, it can often be a significant outlay for just one use. However, if the synth you wish to have expanded control over is important to you and the music you make, then I guess the investment is more than worth it.
However, these new controllers from Five Lined Engineering have definitely caught my eye. Called INARA, there are currently three units that are designed to control three classic synths of yesteryear: the KORG DW-8000, the Yamaha DX7 and the Roland Alpha Juno. As well as being control surfaces to enable more intuitive programming of said synths, they also contain storage for extra sounds, making them more than just a control surface.
No host computer is required, and each unit delivers an extra MIDI interface to the deal. The DX7 unit will soon be able to work with later models in the range, including the Mk.II DX7, DX7S and TX802 as well as the bigger and more powerful DX synths such as the DX1, DX5 and TX816! The Alpha Juno unit also promises MKS-50 compatibility coming soon.
Aside from the solid build, these units are assembled in the USA and feature Prophet-5 style buttons and illuminated sliders plus a bright LED screen. Each unit retails for just $299, making this an affordable and solid investment. Check out CatSynth TV’s interview with them at this year’s KnobCon in Chicago.
Billy Joel’s Minimoog Acquired by the Bob Moog Foundation
News just in from the Bob Moog Foundation this week as they have announced the acquisition of Billy Joel’s Minimoog to add to their collection. The synth has been donated to them by its previous owner, Eric Crawley, who purchased the synth in 2000. Eric would show the instrument at various synth events and gatherings but decided to entrust it to the BMF for preservation and inspiration to others.
“I’m delighted to have a special instrument that I have enjoyed and shared at synthesizer events in the Northeast, now part of the Bob Moog Foundation Archives to be enjoyed by more people,” Crawley said. “The Bob Moog Foundation’s mission to inspire and educate people of all ages about the instruments that Bob created and the principles of sound and technology resonates with me, and I hope this legendary Minimoog will help inspire that in others.”
The unit came with a letter of provenance from Mr Joel himself, along with two vintage manuals and an Anvil flight case. Interestingly, the unit has been fitted with a Linntronics MIDI converter by a previous owner. This modification was manufactured by Big Briar Inc., the company that Bob Moog founded in 1978 after his departure from his original company.
This Minimoog will go on display with others as part of the BMF’s “Minimoog Through the Ages” exhibit, starting on November 12th, running through November 16th, 2026 at the Moogseum in Asheville, NC.
Iota by Old Blood Noise Endeavours
Rounding us off this week is a bit of a crossover that you might expect to see in our Guitar Journal instead, and it was, in fact, our very own Jef Stone who brought this to my attention. This new pedal, from the brilliantly named Old Blood Noise Endeavours, is called Iota and is, in fact, a synthesizer! I could sit here and make jokes about guitarists and synthesizers, but I won’t, mainly because Jef is bigger than me and is a huge synth nerd himself!
Unlike most guitar pedals, this has no audio input, so it’s not for processing your guitar sound; rather, it is designed to add to your sonic palette and give you something to play along with and enhance your performance. It comes with a bunch of presets, but we all know that the real fun begins when you start making your own sounds. The controls are simple, and you can choose from a variety of root notes, scale intervals and envelope settings.
Every parameter can be controlled via MIDI and you can plug an expression pedal into the unit so that you can control every knob via that. It’s a fun thing and can certainly be a compelling companion to a plank-spanker’s sonic arsenal. There are three colours available (Zenith Silver, Vintage Yellow and Groovy Blue) and the pedal costs $329.
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