Studio Electronics Boomstar MS20: The Analog Mono Now Has the Screamiest Filter
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You wanted the best, you got the best: Studio Electronics is back with the Boomstar MS20, a juicy and squelchy analog monosynth with the sound that you expect from that classic filter circuit.
Studio Electronics Boomstar MS20
Buchla & Friends 2026 was only a few weeks ago but it already feels like a distant memory, such is the relentless speed of the news cycle. One of the standouts of the show was Studio Electronics’ gorgeous custom green CODE Luxe polysynth with MS-20-style filter inside. SE was also showing a new MS20 version of its long-running Boomstar line, and the good folks at America’s finest analog synth company are finally ready to share it.
The Boomstar MS20 is part of the Boomstar MKII lineup. Basically, it’s a drop-dead gorgeous two-oscillator monosynth with two snappy envelopes (one for the amp and the other for the filter), oscillator crossmod, an LFO, and a whole lot of attitude in terms of ringmod, feedback, and more. You’ll notice I didn’t mention the filter. That’s because each model – and there are six of them – has a different filter circuit inspired by classic analog synths. There’s the Jupiter-style 8106, SEM, ARP 2600-inspired 4072, 24dB/Oct Moog Ladder 5089, Yamaha CS-80-alike SE80, and now Boomstar MS20, which takes inspiration from the KORG MS-20, of course.
Studio Electronics Boomstar MS20: Gimme That Filter
Studio Electronics worked long and hard on the filter to get the cutoff and resonant bite just right.
“After way too many hours of frustration and aggravation, we are now happy with the results and performance of this filter,” SE’s Greg St. Regis said in an Instagram post. “Our high standards have been met, so we now welcome this gem into the SE filter family.”
Boomstar MS20 offers a lowpass with cutoff and resonance, an additional resonant highpass (located across the top of the unit), a switch for full and half tracking, a Contour knob for filter envelope amount, and modulation via oscillator two or the LFO.
“We put our trademark Analogia Inc. spin on this venerated creation, as it had to work within our system,” they say on their homepage. “Hours of tweaking (and sometimes the throwing of things) produced a more feral, but controlled oscillation.”
You can hear it in action here.
Studio Electronics Boomstar MS20: Connectivity
In terms of connects, the new Boomstar offers DIN MIDI in and out, plus a mono out on the back, with CV and Gate ins on the front, along with inputs for filter FM, amp FM, and a direct oscillator out port.
Studio Electronics Boomstar MS20: Pricing and Availability
Studio Electronics Boomstar MS20 is available now through SE for $1849. You can also get the filter circuit in the CODE Luxe, should you really want to splash out.
If the Boomstar is beyond your means right now, KORG’s MS-20 Mini is still available.
More Information
- Studio Electronics Boomstar MS20 homepage
- More about Studio Electronics
- More about synthesizers
- Buy synthesizers at Thomann*
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