Conductive Labs Terrain Synth Is the First of its Kind: Discover Terrain Synthesis
Conductive Labs Terrain Synth offers an all-new synthesis type called terrain synthesis, which moves over a 3D landscape like a wavetable with an extra dimension. And it sounds amazing!
Conductive Labs Terrain Synth
It’s not often a brand-new synthesis type comes along. Usually, it’s a variation on an existing style, like virtual analog or a new way to morph wavetables. However, manufacturer Conductive Labs has gone a different route with its upcoming instrument, Terrain Synth, developing an all-new type of synthesis called terrain synthesis for the promising instrument.
What Is Terrain Synthesis?
Terrain synthesis features a new type of digital sound generation that behaves somewhat like a wavetable but in three dimensions rather than just two. A wavetable allows for back-and-forth playback across the many waves. But what if you could also go up and down along a Z axis?
“A classic wavetable has a playhead that reads the waveform repeatedly in a straight line from left to right,” Conductive Labs explains on its Kickstarter page. “Now, what happens if you rotate the playhead and cut across multiple waveforms at an angle? Or, make the playhead follow a circle or triangle? Now you’re getting the idea!”
Imagine the terrain as a wireframe recreation of a landscape with hills and valleys. The playhead moves across this in a preset path, from simple ones like ellipse and square to complex shapes like Lissajous, flower petals, and cardioids. This combination generates a waveform that you can hear, from basic analog-style wave shapes like sawtooth and square to wild, complex ones.
The new synthesizer includes a variety of terrains. You can also create your own based on image files. The terrain controls enable morphing between grayscale, red, green, or blue color channels to determine the terrain elevation. You can also load wavetables to make terrains. You can even morph between terrains in the synth.
Once you start modulating all of these parameters, things can reportedly get pretty crazy.
Parameters and Hardware
Terrain Synth is more than just its terrains, though. Each voice features two morphable terrains and up to seven times unison with full polyphony, two sub oscillators, and four noise types. You also get a digital filter with eight types, including three Ladders, SEM, Diode, Comb, and two Formants, plus additional modifiers. There are “virtually unlimited modulators” including LFOs and envelopes, as well as onboard effects, and a sequencer and arpeggiator. Oh, and did I mention it’s four-part multitimbral with splits and layers?
The desktop Terrain Synth features a large, seven-inch screen to see everything happening, infinite encoders, a jog wheel, five-pin DIN MIDI in and out, USB host and USB device ports, six CV/Gates, and three expression pedal jacks, as well as left/right balanced stereo and headphone ports.
Price and Availability
Terrain Synth looks like an exciting new development in synthesis. And, most importantly, it sounds really good.
The synthesizer is currently available for pre-order on Conductive Labs’ Kickstarter page. Although the campaign just started, it’s already completely funded, with the $899 Early Bird price tier sold out. The regular price is $949. Conductive Labs is hoping to ship in May 2026.
Conductive Labs products are available at Thomann*.
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