NAMM 2018: Doepfer Dark Energy III updates the original semi-modular desktop synth
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Doepfer has been at the forefront of much of the development re-emergence of cool and interesting synthesis. From pushing the Eurorack format to reigniting our love of analogue they have broken new ground. Their Dark Energy synthesizer brought us a cool, semi-modular desktop synth way before these were hip and groovy. 9 years since the original and 5 years since version 2 the Dark Energy is getting a refresh – welcome to Dark Energy III.
Dark Energy III
It’s a desktop, monophonic synthesizer built in the style of modular modules but with a single piece front panel. It’s clearly and very straightforwardly laid out as Doepfer gear always is. Version III brings an improved circuit design. The triangle VCO no longer needs time to warm up, it has a wider frequency range and an additional wave. A reset input has been added for the LFO’s and the envelope has had an upgrade. The filter, however, remains completely unchanged.
Apparently, they have deliberately laid out the internals to provide access points for DIY modifications. These include VCO outputs (triangle, sawtooth, square), hard sync, soft sync, linear frequency modulation, VCF (lowpass, highpass, bandpass) outputs, ADSR envelope output and ADS envelope CV inputs, and LFO outputs ( Triangle, rectangle).
The patch points have been rejigged, replacing the LFO and envelope outputs on the front panel with the 2 LFO reset inputs. Hopefully, the missing outputs have been relocated on the back.
Price and availability have not been announced. The Dark Matter II is still available in limited quantities for €449. As soon as we get more information we’ll let you know.
More information
- Doepfer website
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