UNO Synth From IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia debuts its new mono analogue hardware synthesizer, UNO Synth. The portable, battery-powered instrument was developed as a collaboration between Italian boutique synth maker Soundmachines and IK’s synth guru Erik Norlander. IK says UNO Synth will deliver everything from classic to modern sounds to create music in any genre. First-time synth users get instant gratification from 100 presets along with an easy-to-play 27-key keyboard with selectable scales and an arpeggiator. The synth’s full analogue audio path includes two VCOs, noise generator, resonant multimode VCF and VCA, two independent VCOs with saw, triangle and pulse waveforms with continuously variable shape including PWM of the square wave plus a separate white noise generator. Seven LFO waveforms are available. Pulse width modulation of each oscillator offers advanced modular-style timbres from classic synths. The UNO Synth is made in IK’s own manufacturing facility in Italy.

This highly flexible engine excels in producing the rich, warm, punchy, deep bass sounds that are the core of a high-quality monophonic synth, and brings a wide sonic palette of leads, drones, arps, sequences, sweeps and effects.

The pure analogue filter brings all the warmth, depth and fatness expected from a real analogue synth. The multimode resonant filter can be used for subtle tonal modification or screaming, aggressive resonant sweeps. The filter can also be modulated with the filter envelope, LFO and performance buttons.

More than 40 onboard controls are available on the top panel to give real-time access to synth engine parameters, for immediate sound sculpting capability with no deep menus to scroll through. For added control, a Mac/PC editor is also available.

The UNO Synth’s generous 27-note onboard multi-touch keyboard offers over two octaves of sound control as a chromatic keyboard or as a predefined scale keyboard with 13 available scales. The built-in arpeggiator has 10 arpeggio modes and a four-octave range.

The UNO Synth keyboard also doubles as a step-edit control for its built-in, 100-pattern sequencer. Sequences can be programmed in real-time or in steps (with modulatable synth parameters per step), making the UNO Synth sequencer among the most powerful in its class.

In addition to a built-in delay effect, five instant performance modulations are also available (Dive, Scoop, Vibrato, Wah and Tremolo) for added real-time playability and instant dynamic expression during performances.

Ultra-portable, battery-powered, for on-the-go music

UNO Synth’s ultra-compact dimensions make it among the smallest monophonic synths available. Its light weight (only 400g) and battery power (4 x AA included) or USB power-supply (for battery power banks) give you the freedom to make music anywhere. The built-in audio input also allows for daisy chaining other external audio devices (like drum machines) with no additional mixer, for a small footprint and extreme portability.

MIDI IN and OUT enables connection to a master keyboard or any MIDI gear for use in a live or studio rig as a sound module. Via USB MIDI, UNO Synth also conveniently integrates directly with a DAW running on Mac/PC computers or mobile devices, without additional hardware interfaces.