End of the Road for Chompi? – Synth Journal
We also mourn the passing of Roger Bolton...
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Chase Bliss admits defeat with Chompi, but might it live on? Also, we mourn the loss of Roger Bolton, and Isla Electronics teases a new plugin!
Synth Journal
Chase Bliss Discontinue Chompi Club But Is It The End?
When the Chompi Club first broke cover back in January of 2024, everyone, including us, got quite excited for this simple but hugely fun sampling instrument. It had a child-like quality that betrayed its creative potential.
Its crowdfunding campaign went crazy, with huge amounts of support, and Chompi Club seemed to strike a chord with a huge number of people, not least the folks at Chase Bliss. A collaboration soon ensued, and then Chase Bliss decided to buy up Chompi Club and IP to develop it further.
Chase Bliss made a commitment to not only keep producing the Chompi Club but to develop it further. But it seems it didn’t quite work out, with the hardware soon showing signs that it couldn’t quite deliver on what the firmware was asking of it. It also didn’t help that the original coder was no longer available to assist with making changes.
And so, it is with heavy hearts that Chase Bliss has taken the decision to pull the plug on Chompi Club, certainly as far as new product is concerned. As you will see in their video, they still have some stock left, which they will be selling, and they will continue to provide support for all existing Chompi Club owners.
But on the bright side, in the YouTube comments, Chase Bliss has seemingly made a commitment to open-source the Chompi code and make it available for people to go ahead and do some amazing things with it. They mention that their current developers are putting useful instructions in the code to help with this process.
So maybe we haven’t seen the last of Chompi Club just yet?!
Isla Electronics Tease Andromeda A6 Plugin for Caladan
Since returning to his native U.K., Brad Holland, the genius behind Kordbot and the amazing S2400, has been hard at work in his new studio, trying to get his new project, Caladan, ready for launch. Part of Caladan’s capabilities is the ability to host native plugins and broaden its palette in numerous ways.
So imagine my surprise when Brad sent me a short video of his latest creation, something which he then shared publicly today via his social media channels! As you can see, it is a software recreation of an Alesis Andromeda A6, which is destined for the Caladan!
The Andromeda A6 was probably Alesis’ finest synthesizer moment, using ASIC technology to deliver a truly epic analog synth with huge digital capabilities. It has been revered by many synthheads but sadly, ceased production many years ago and, due to its hugely custom internals, can ogten become an expensive doorstop if something fails.
Brad claims he has faithfully modelled the ASICs, and by the sneak peek he posted today, that interface looks pretty cool indeed! To help him in his work, he’s been using his own A6, previously owned and signed by Jamiroquai’s Matt Johnson!
And as many of you will be asking, Brad has strongly hinted at the possibility of wrapping this up as a VST plugin for use outside of a Caladan. All I can say is, “Take My Money!!”
Expressive E Noisy 2.6
Expressive E have been on a bit of a roll lately, introducing their Osmose CE controller keyboard earlier this year to much critical acclaim. The Osmose Synth was a slow burner, but has now established itself as one of the finest MPE hardware synths available.
The Osmose CE allows musicians who may not have the need for the powerful yet complex Haken Audio engine to have the Osmose keyboard and pair it with MPE instruments of their own choosing, and Expressive E have been busily fulfilling those needs to, with numerous tie-ins with MPE instrument manufacturers.
But Expressive E also have a great MPE synth that is a perfect companion to their unique 3D key mechanism in the form of Noisy 2 and now we have Noisy 2.6, which boasts five powerful synthesis techniques: Analog, Acoustic, FM, Harmonic and Wavetable.
Noisy generates sound through a noise-through-resonance engine (hence its name!) which really lends itself to the MPE/gestural control of an Osmose keybed, as well as other MPE controllers. All of MPE’s expressive controls can be utilised in Noisy 2.6, offering unparalleled dynamism, expression and response.
And if you don’t have an Osmose or other similar MPE controller, fret ye not as Noisy plays very nicely with traditional MIDI keyboards too. They too can benefit from the new Unison, FM, Harmonics and Wave map engines as well as the nine new effects, five new noise sources and the new LFO shape.
Noisy 2.6 comes with a massive preset collection that covers a multitude of styles. The upgrade is free for all existing Noisy 2 users, and will retail at an introductory price of €/$89, a 40% discount off the full price of €/$149 for a limited time.
Roger Bolton, Composer and Fairlight Advocate to the Stars, Passes
It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing of my friend, composer and Fairlight aficionado Roger Bolton. Roger was a supremely talented musician who composed numerous works for film and TV, including themes for many David Attenborough documentaries, as well as classic reality series like the BBC’s ‘999’ programme.
Ever the visionary, Roger saw the Fairlight in the very early days and immediately saw its potential for allowing individuals to compose entire pieces on their own, as well as its groundbreaking sampling ability. Roger was soon snapped up by Peter Gabriel’s Syco Systems as an Audio Product Specialist, servicing the requirements of their superstar-laden client list!
I first met Roger many years ago through our shared passion for the Fairlight, and he was a mine of information and teller of tall tales of his experiences in the music industry. In his latter years, he could be found at Real World Studios, helping Peter Gabriel out and educating the staff there on the ways of the Fairlight CMI.
Sadly, Roger was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, but he never let it define him and continued to throw himself into an insane number of projects, most recently helping Peter Gabriel facilitate a very special event at Real World, celebrating 40 years since ‘So’ was released, putting on Fairlight demos for the attendees!
Roger finally succumbed to his illness on Thursday 16th July, 2026 but leaves behind a huge legacy. Peter Gabriel wrote a very touching tribute to him, which you can read here.
SynTesla JARRE Lab One – Custom Hybrid Poly Synth
This is an interesting one that came to our attention from our friend Tom over at Synth Anatomy! SynTesla, you may recall, made a big splash a while back with their custom mega-modular synth that they built for Hans Zimmer.
Well, it seems another synth legend has commissioned SynTesla’s Pierre Jean Tardiveau to design a synth for him, too! Bearing more than a striking resemblance to SynTesla’s VII ‘Red Episcopate’, a synth that was based around KORG’s ‘Logue’ technology, the JARRE Lab One draws much from this instrument.
The JARRE Lab One sports a bigger keybed and more custom controls and is, presumably, a limited edition of 1 of 1, but boy, it is something to marvel at. Sadly there are no specific audio demos of this unique creation, but it probably bears more than a resemblance to the VII, so check out this video…
Specifications are limited, but it seems to be four-voice polyphonic, with two VCOs per voice, a multi-FX processor and a stereo analogue saturations stage, along with a 3-band EQ and a 16-step sequencer and multimode arpeggiator.
Whether we see one of these for sale remains to be seen, but the chances are we won’t. Either way, I’m sure Monsieur Jarre will be seen on stage with his soon!
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