Back in the April 2014 edition we reviewed the Synth Kit, a collaboration between littleBits, the makers of electronic module that can be temporarily magnetically linked for prototyping and educational purposes, and Japanese synth experts Korg.
The kit brought key elements of Korg's synthesizers into the littleBits ecosystem and some have described it as "analogue synth lego". While the original Synth Kit was certainly fun to play with adn had educational value for learning about synthesis, it was not particularly easy to incorporate it, in any meaningful way, into a modern recording setup. That looks set to change with the introduction of three new modules launched by the companies behind the Synth Kit.
The first is a MIDI module that allows you to control the Synth Kit from a DAW and other MIDI-enabled instruments. Also, it will let you make your own MIDI controllers with littleBits modules by converting littleBits control voltages directly into MIDI messages.
Then, for integrating the Synth Kit with other analogue synths, there's the CV module. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, is the USB I/O module, a USB audio interface that enables recording stright into your DAW from the Synth Kit, or alternatively the sending of audio from your DAW to the Synth Kit for processing. This combined with the other two Bits will permit integration of the Synth Kit with your recording setup.
They are set for release in the fourth quarter of this year, and pricing is yet to be announced.
