Intellijel Multigrain, Theremon+ and a Tease of the Upcoming SynthR10 – Synth Journal
Ephemera from this week in the world of synths
3,4 / 5,0 | 
The new Intellijel Multigrain leads the way in this week’s Synth Journal, but the SynthR10 might just steal the show!
We have well and truly entered the quiet zone ahead of Superbooth ’25, with everyone going quiet in anticipation of big announcements and launches at the show, but there are still plenty of interesting tidbits to pore over.
Table of Contents
Intellijel Multigrain
Sounding rather like a loaf of tasty bread, the new Multigrain from Intellijel brings us a very powerful granular sample in Eurorack form. Via the microSD Card slot, you can have up to eight sounds available at any one time, each freely assignable. You can also sample directly into the module.
Each sound has two scenes that can be morphed between using the horizontal crossfader, which can be used manually or automated. Sequencing of the sounds in Multigrain is also fully possible, and grains can be latched to be used as drones, or unlatched to enable glitchy percussive sounds.
I’m a big fan of granular synthesis, and, as always, Intellijel brings its own unique spin to this sample manipulation method and does it really well. Just check the demo! Unsurprisingly, at the time of going to press, the Multigrain was out of stock, but more stock is anticipated soon.
SynthR SynthR10
The French synthesizer revolution continues apace with the teasing of a new instrument from our friends across the Channel (or La Manche!). Having previously given us the splendid SynthR3 and Synth R4, the SynthR10 promises to be a real powerhouse. Sadly, all we have to go on right now is this excellent video from Kurtz Mindfields…
We don’t really get to see much and we certainly have no idea of specification, but given that the number in a SynthR synth betrays the number of oscillators and/or voices, we can possibly hope that this is a 10 voice polysynth. It certainly sounds that way in the demo!
We will bring you more news as we get it. In the meantime, check out their other work and bookmark that website to catch any new glimpses!
Groovesizer Theremon+
Waving your hands in the air like you just don’t care never seems to go out of fashion. Building on their previous product, the Theremon, Groovesizer bring us Theremon+, because + is always a good thing, right?
Theremon+ definitely brings more to the table in the form of a second, wavetable-based voice. There’s also an arpeggiator and a drum section that features four kits! The OG Theremon was a kit-build affair, but Groovesizer plans to sell the Theremon+ fully built and are now canvassing support for a future Kickstarter campaign.
The plan is to offer the Theremon+ at the same price as the original, i.e. $130 USD so if this tickles your fancy, hop on over to their website and indicate your support for a Kickstarter!
Knobula Monumatic
I love chords. It’s one of the (many) reasons why modular doesn’t particularly appeal to me. However, increasingly, more polyphonic modules seem to be entering the fray as if to try and tempt me into the murky world of spaghetti cables and no presets! (trust me, there are plenty of other reasons why I haven’t yet succumbed!)
Knobula’s latest module is one such module that packs an eight-voice polyphonic synth AND a mono synth into its tiny 12HP frame. The main reason it can do this is because it’s a virtual analog synth, but do not let that put you off!
The 16 oscillator modes include such VA algorithms as a Roland Super Saw, Polymoog Vox Humana, Casio Phase Distortion, Solina String Synth, Percussive drawbar organs, PWM and more! No samples were harmed (or used) in the process with each oscillator being fully VA.
There are also six filter types, all of which can be overdriven, and the whole shebang can be controlled via CV/gate and MIDI. It also features micro-tuning for those of you who dabble in that particular area of the dark arts!
Passepartout Duo Breeze Block
More innovative stuff from Passepartout Duo now in the shape of Breeze Block. Following on from their intriguing Chromaplane, Breeze Block continues in the same magnetic field (see what I did there?) as its predecessor, but in a slightly different way.
Breeze Block is a granular synth as well as a MIDI CC controller. The perforated surface is divided up into eight, independently sensitive zones that respond to permanent magnetic fields. Audio is split into grains and manipulated by moving a pair of neodymium magnets around the zones.
Each zone effects pitch, grain density and character in different ways, resulting in some very interesting tones and outcomes. In the demo, we hear it manipulating flute and piano samples as well as the human voice. It is certainly a very interesting device.
Keep an eye on their website for more information as it comes out!
Buchla Music Easel Aux Card
Rounding off this week’s Synth Journal is an add-on for the mighty but baffling Buchla Easel, an instrument that baffles me to this day but one I’ve always thought at least looks pretty!
The new Easel AUX Expander card slots into the card slot at the top of the Easel and provides additional functions, including an auxiliary modulation CV source, a low-range noise source and a high range CV/Audio oscillator, mixable with the noise source.
All parameters are CV controllable, and there are more inputs on the module to give you more overall control over your Easel. I am certain Easel users will appreciate the extra functionality it provides, but for now, i will just sit back and admire the lovely looking gear and the interesting sounds it makes!
You can purchase the Easel AUX Expander from authorised Buchla dealers or online direct from Buchla.
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