Developed in collaboration with Dutch company 112dB.com, Steampipe is a true physical modeling synthesizer that Erica Synths have been busy teasing in pre-release showcases since 2023. Finally set for release in January 2025, Steampipe is an 8-voice polyphonic synthesizer with no conventional oscillators.
Instead, Steampipe mimics the way sound is created in wind and string instruments and can be fine-tuned to create a wide variety of sounds. Steampipe is optimized for performance with wind-based MIDI controllers and also works well with any MIDI keyboard. Loaded with detailed presets, the overtones Steampipe produces are said to sound ‘highly organic and rich’.
Due to detailed controls over multiple physical modeling parameters, Steampipe is capable of generating very organic emulations of real instruments, but goes well beyond the conventional pitch and dynamic ranges they can produce- imagine how a flute or clarinet would sound in C1 or C7! Built around nuanced sonic exploration, Steampipe is a versatile instrument, which Erica Synths says is able to conjure sonic imagery ranging from from ‘wisps of cloud’ to ‘fairground band organs’, then to ‘industrial horns of the railroad’ and finally, to massive, ‘otherworldly ambiences’.
Features
- 8-voice polyphony
- Physical modeling engine with 32 adjustable parameters
- 5 assignable LFOs with delay and sync
- Extensive modulation matrix with MIDI controller-specific configurations
- 64 factory presets and 192 user preset memory
- Preset export and import via USB
- DIN5 MIDI Input
- MIDI Thru/Out
- All parameters are MIDI CC controllable
- Stereo line level output
- Headphone output
- Dimensions:45.5cm x 27cm x 7cm
- Weight: 3kg
Visit the Erica Synths website for more.
