Knobula Pianophonic

8-voice polyphonic module from Knobula

Knobula's Pianophonic is a digital synth voice that combines the characteristics of Wavetable synthesis with the percussive details of sampled sounds. The voice architecture of the 8-voice polyphonic module is not limited to piano sounds but also brings a different approach to Wavetables. The module is versatile and has a high musical value. You can select 16 presets directly on the module and import additional sounds via a MicroSD card, including samples and wavetables that you have created yourself using the free online resynthesizer program Waveslicer. Each sound in the Pianoponic consists of the three sound components All, Hammer and Sides, so you can get more out of a sound/sample than you might initially think.

The most important parameters are directly accessible; the shift function is only required for a few secondary parameters and functions. In addition to the pitch, the detune control is used to set the detuning or intervals; with sweet spots for unison, 5th and sub-octave, you can quickly achieve the powerful feel-good sounds that give many a track the necessary fire. n order to breathe life into the Wavetables, Knobula has given the Pianophonic an attack/decay/release envelope and the Start Point and Morph Speed parameters. The tone generator is followed by Dynamics, which amplifies and tames the transients of the sound respectively. The balanced-sounding lowpass/highpass DJ-style filter shifts the overtone spectrum in the desired direction. The last element in the signal path is the incredibly deep and detailed-sounding 24-bit / 48 kHz Stereo reverb effect.

If you play the module via CV/Gate, the voices sound like a desktop or keyboard synthesizer. Handling the module via MIDI is ingeniously simple: on the one hand, the polyphony is fully supported, on the other hand, the Chords are entered via MIDI, which are then called up via control voltage. An extensive MIDI implementation has also been thought of, which enables control via MIDI CCs or a master sequencer. If you like dub techno, have a soft spot for sampled natural sounds, want to create new sounds in a polyphonic context and appreciate a great reverb effect or top, you should take a closer look at the Pianophonic.