Cre8audio

Notes: Introducing Assembler, a synth-focused audio mixer meticulously engineered to deliver unmatched vintage mixing console sound and intuitive, hands-on control. Developed in partnership with the renowned Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers team, Assembler builds on the rich history and sonic warmth of classic analog audio mixers while embracing a modern workflow designed specifically for contemporary electronic artists.

The idea behind Assembler was not only to provide a super flexible tool for mixing live or in the studio, but also to provide a sound sculpting tool that could add depth, complexity, and with its special Pittsburgh-designed circuits, help you even to sound better!

Inspired by the sound of iconic analog consoles that shaped decades of music production, Assembler captures the essence of vintage mixers famed for their warmth, character, and dynamic response through tonal shaping and analog tape saturation emulation. These custom circuits, meticulously engineered for Assembler by Pittsburgh Modular utilize signal contouring and soft compression to unify the overall mix. This process emulates the signal chain cherished in vintage recordings, adding the warmth, cohesion, and character that other mixers often lack. The result is a better sounding modern electronic music mixer.

Assembler's ten audio inputs are split into three distinct mixer channel types to seamlessly integrate with various audio scenarios and workflows, however all ten channels have several features in common. Each input includes a powerful preamp capable of up to 20x gain boost, ideal for boosting line level signals, subtle clarity enhancement, or aggressive signal saturation. Three assignable aux sends add flexible audio processing options to each channel. Three segment LED meters, independent headphone Cue, and channel Mutes allow for precise and comprehensive monitoring. Channel 1 and 2 add extensive tonal control with vintage-inspired high and low EQ knobs, each offering i15 dB of boost or cut while all six mono inputs include a dedicated pan control. Two sets of stereo inputs take advantage of the powerful preamps and assignable aux sends to work with both Eurorack and line level signals. This allows for seamless integration of a wide variety of electronic instruments.

The Assembler offers significant flexibility with its three assignable aux send channels, allowing effortless integration of external effects like reverbs and delays or functioning as sub-mix channels. Specifically, two stereo returns and one mono return, each with independent gain adjustments (up to 2.7x gain), enable both creative experimentation and professional-grade signal blending.

Assembler prioritizes ease of use with its intuitive one-knob-per-function design. Every feature, EQ adjustment, auxiliary routing, panning, or level setting, is immediately accessible, providing a seamless, frustration-free mixing experience. Users new to audio mixers will appreciate its straightforward operation, while seasoned artists will instantly feel at home with familiar analog mixer functionalities clearly laid out.

Equally adept at managing both line-level instruments and modular signals, Assembler effortlessly integrates into any studio or live performance setup. A dedicated headphone output with a separate cue mix ensures detailed and reliable monitoring in live situations, enabling performers to preview and adjust their sounds confidently.

Assembler purposefully eliminates extraneous features found in many modern modular mixers, focusing solely on superior audio quality, intuitive user experience, and robust reliability. The result is a professional-quality audio mixer that offers an exceptional analog sound experience at a significantly accessible price point compared to competing products.

Assembler continues this tradition by seamlessly blending revered analog sound processing with modern modular flexibility, and it will also self-oscillate for all the noise artists, if that is important.

Notes: Introducing Boom Chick, a revolutionary analog drum machine built on the warmth and character of Pittsburgh Modular's newly designed analog drum circuits. These powerful, expressive percussion voices are paired with an advanced sequencer designed for intuitive creativity and deep rhythmic exploration. Inspired by the hands-on performability of iconic analog drum machines, Boom Chick redefines analog percussion with exceptional flexibility and sonic precision, tailored for modern musicians and producers.

Compact yet incredibly powerful, the Boom Chick ensures frustration-free jamming and tweaking through its intuitive knob-per-function layout and straightforward interface conventions. It's hands-on, immediate, and built for musicians who want a drum machine that feels alive. Turn up the dirt, push the limits, and make some serious noise.

Created by the Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers team, Boom Chick features five meticulously crafted drum voices, each designed for maximum flexibility and expressiveness. The sounds are raw, dynamic, and laser sharp, built to drive and slice through any mix. The electricity creating the analog sounds is directly shaped using the knob-per-function interface. No menus, no hassle, just pure, tactile beat-making analog magic at your fingertips. By focusing on creative, new analog designs, Pittsburgh Modular ensured that Boom Chick doesn't just mimic the past, but kick starts a new future of analog beats.

Every voice has been meticulously engineered for maximum sonic impact, making Boom Chick a true drum synthesizer, not just a drum machine. Starting with a massive bottom end, the Kick drum sculpts a specialized sine-wave oscillator using gritty overdrive, pitch manipulation, and a precise, percussive envelope allowing you to dial in everything from low and long or clean and punchy rhythms to aggressive, overdriven beats. The Snare drum showcases the power of modern analog with powerful snare hits that can mimic a physical snare drum or venture into creative new territories. Drum channels 1 and 2 offer even deeper sound-design possibilities. By utilizing two oscillators, wave shaping, frequency modulation, and noise you can generate everything from subtle nuanced percussion to wild, expressive sonic textures. Toms, claps, snares, kicks, cymbals, rim shots, cowbells, congas, claves, space sounds, and outer space sounds can all be dialed in and reimagined. Hats utilize a custom oscillator noise matrix to create crisp, bright metallic tones ideal for intricate rhythmic patterns.

Boom Chick's sequencer is designed to offer profound depth while maintaining intuitive simplicity. It features two powerful modes: Step Mode, for meticulous programming of each drum step, and Live Mode, allowing real-time rhythm creation and expressive performance. Tools such as Step Shift enable quick and precise timing adjustments for intricate rhythmic patterns, while Step Roll and Chance introduce engaging complexity and variation. Timing functions like Humanize, Swing, and Quantize provide refined control over groove and rhythm, allowing for perfectly locked or naturally loose-feeling sequences. Swing adds groove by shifting even steps slightly behind the beat, while Humanize introduces subtle timing variations to simulate natural playing styles. With up to 64-step sequences and polyrhythm capabilities, Boom Chick encourages experimentation by removing the boundaries to live performance and making beats.

At the heart of Boom Chick is a 6-track sequencer that gives you deep rhythmic control while staying easy to use. With design inspiration taken from Pittsburgh's Voltage Research Lab 2, Boom Chick's sequencer will take you from quick jams to mind-bending polyrhythms. This sequencer is not only designed to keep up with you, but also propel you to new territory.

Boom Chick is modular-friendly, MIDI-capable, and performance-ready. This makes it a perfect addition to any studio or live rig. Individual trigger inputs and individual drum outs allow each drum to be sent to a mixer or DAW separately for external processing or recording. MIDI in and out to send and receive clock, trigger drums, or sequence external percussion. Analog clock in and out allows Boom Chick to easily integrate with Eurorack setups and other gear. Separate Line and Headphone outputs make personal jams, recording, or live performances easy.

Notes: Amazing value from this little Eurorack-compatible analogue synth. Loosely Moog-inspired semi-modular East Coast subtractive design with MIDI control and great sound.

Supplier's Notes:
East Beast

Fully analogue East Coast style semi-modular synthesizer

What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word "synthesiser"? Close your eyes and think about.

Anyway, for a lot of people, the word synthesiser invokes visions of big filter cutoff knobs, envelope generators, and importantly, big fat-sounding voltage-controlled oscillators. These are the hallmarks of East Coast-style synthesis.

East Beast is a fresh take on these old-school concepts with a few beastly twists thrown in here and there.

Furthermore, you can pop East Beast out of its included enclosure and it transforms right into a 40HP eurorack module
East Beast's oscillator, designed in partnership with Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers, is a part of their 5th generation of analogue oscillators stemming from a super-serious 10 years of continued research into analogue oscillator development.

Its circuitry is not a clone or based on any outside designs. It is made with 100% modern components. This keeps it very stable, and giving it a super rich, and unique sound.

Most of the filters you are used to hearing are transistor ladder filters or copies of transistor ladder filters. East Beast's filter is not one of those. Pittsburgh's whole goal of making this filter for East Beast was to create a filter that's creamy smooth with no dead spots, a very common phenomenon in all filters, but check it out. This one's got no dead spots. From nasally to biting and elsewhere, it's all one large sweet spot.

East Beast's filter is a multi-mode filter, meaning it can be used as a low pass filter, high pass filter, bandpass filter, or a combination of the three for an even wider sonic palate.
Shape the beast in your own image
To further sculpt the sounds Cre8audio has included an envelope generator & LFO. The custom envelope circuit creates a snappy, percussive attack for expressive performance. The dual range LFO opens up a wide range of LFO and audio rate modulation possibilities.

Get patched.
Semi-modular means that the East Beast will work without any patch cables or anything. But what fun is that? Who doesn't want to have their own personal spaghetti mess of cables sticking out of their synthesizer to get wacky with?
East Beast has basically 9 different patchable modules (Oscillator, filter, envelope, VCA, LFO, multi-mod tool, sequencer, MIDI to CV converter, and button keyboard) with a whopping 18 Eurorack compatible patch points to plug into itself and your other gear. All for your patching pleasure.

As well as this, East Beast has MIDI in and a fancy MIDI thru so you can chain multiple MIDI monstrosities together- you can plug in a MIDI controller into East Beast and do as you wish.

But wait, there's more! East Beast includes quite a few additional performance features. You can dive in and dive in with its built-in tap tempo clock, arpeggiator, and sequencer. There's a lot of opportunities to inject in some randomness too.

Specifications for when used as a eurorack module

Width when used as a module = 40hp
Depth when used as a module = 25mm
213mA power draw when running +12V rail
151mA power draw when running -12V

Input voltage range of oscillator = 0-10V

Included in the box - 1x East Beast, 1x East Beast wall-wart power supply, 5x Amazing Nazca Noodles Patch Cables, 1x 3.5mm to 5 pin MIDI Din pigtail, and love (love's presence likely, but not guaranteed)