Meet the Apparatus Duophonic Tube Synthesizer

New independent Russian synthesizer manufacturer Eternal Engine, has released a very interesting video of its debut flagship synthesizer, the Apparatus, which drives its unique and powerful sound via gas-filled radio and vacuum tubes, in what the company says is: “in the spirit of the first half of the 20th century.” The acid 303 lines this thing can put out alone are something to be feared! It's got not just a very warm and complex sound, but it's also very aggressive and versatile at the same time.

Some key Features on the Apparatus are:

• Kenoton rectifier power supply

• Audio path based entirely on radio tubes

• Two independent thyratron oscillators with quartz frequency stabilization, which ensures frequency accuracy throughout the entire operating range

• Voltage-controlled second order vactrol filter with the possibility of self-oscillation and overdrive

• Voltage-controlled amplifier, based on the traditional schematic of tube opto compressors

• Triode asymmetric overdrive

• Velocity-sensitive ADSR envelope generator with two trigger modes

• MIDI Clock synchronizable low-frequency oscillator with retrigger option and smooth waveform morphing: saw-triangle-reverse saw in triangle mode or pulse width modulation in square wave mode, sample & hold

• Auto and continuous modes of portamento / legato

• Monophonic and duophonic mode

• Powerful headphone amplifier, compatible with low impedance load

• Analogue VU meter

For more information on the Apparatus, and other Eternal Engine projects, please visit their web page.

You can listen to other audio samples of the Apparatus below: