The Syntrx II from Erica Synths is the improved version of the predecessor Syntrx from the same company and at the same time a descendant in the best sense of the famous EMS Synthi AKS from the 1970s. Soundwise as well as functionally close to the original of that time, the Syntrx II is nevertheless capable of much more. A closer look at the storable patch matrix reveals that pretty much everything can be modulated and a maximum of flexibility is given. Typical analog sounds, but also a lot of experimental sounds can be expected here. The usual high quality instrument comes across very structured and orderly and looks really premium with the anthracite-colored case including dark wood side panels. The final vintage touch is provided by an analog VU meter that can optionally display the output level or control voltages.
The two analog oscillators 1 and 2 are tuning stable and largely similar in design. They cover a wide range of over seven octaves and differ in the selection of waveforms and or oscillator 1 can also be animated with PWM. Oscillator 3 is less extensive than the others, but can also be used as an LFO. However, all three oscillators are equipped with variable waveforms. The filter combines
Modulation is an extensive topic in the Syntrx II. First of all, almost every connection must be made via the patch matrix. This also applies to standards such as envelope modulated VCA. Intensities are set in three steps in the patch matrix and via the level controls of all sources. In this way, a host of classic analogue sounds with 1-3 oscillators, powerful bass lines, complex FM sounds and especially those sounds that one would place in the experimental realm: noisy tremolo sounds that end in a dense reverb trail, Dalek-SciFi sounds, meandering sounds that push and slow each other down because different components interlock, drone-like clusters full of life of their own...
One would not do justice to the Syntrx II to reduce its modulation sources to oscillator 3, random and the trapezoid generator, as almost every section of this synthesizer is capable of generating an event. A highlight here might also be the joystick, whose movements can be recorded and can affect almost every parameter. At the latest this predestines the Syntrx II for performance-oriented experimental musicians who appreciate the haptics of an EMS synthesizer or harbor desires for it.
Even the two audio inputs can be quickly and easily integrated into the sound shaping, so that an input guitar and a drum machine are ring modulated with each other, while one of the two signals opens the VCA and the overall work is garnished with the delay effect.
The digital patch matrix is the heart of the Syntrx II, in contrast to the forefather Synthi AKS there is no longer a mechanical PIN matrix. On 254 memory locations all connections between the 16 sources and destinations can be stored; by the way ONLY the connections are stored, not the parameter settings. Here you can define if an oscillator should be routed directly to the mixer and/or at the same time be an FM source for the filter and be routed to the ring modulator. Or or oscillator 3 modulates the PWM from the other two oscillators. In addition, it is possible to temporarily overwrite the memory locations and with the next call you have the previous state again.