Pittsburgh Modular have announced the upcoming release of Taiga, a semi-modular three-oscillator paraphonic synthesizer. Capable of functioning as a standalone desktop instrument, or as part of a larger Eurorack modular setup, the instrument aims to provide users with a versatile range of unique analogue sounds.
Oscillators & Filter
Taiga is equipped with three oscillators that the company say stretch beyond the basic shapes and sounds typically associated with analogue synthesis. The instrument’s waveforms are passed through up to three cascading waveshapers which manipulate their symmetry and harmonic content, and each individual oscillator also utilises a six-stage wave folder which serves to introduce yet more complexity and depth to the signal.
The instrument’s filter is based upon the same design used in the company’s previous offerings, a part which has played a major role in defining the overall sound of Pittsburgh’s instruments. The generation of the filter employed here has been specifically designed to pair up with Taiga’s oscillators, and promises to offer a smooth sweep through the entire frequency range without rolling off in the lower frequencies.
Pittsburgh Dynamics Controller
Taiga also features a newly developed technology in the form of the Pittsburgh Dynamics Controller, which is said to expand on the capabilities of VCAs by controlling both amplitude and harmonic content simultaneously. A low-pass gate mode causes sounds to lose high-frequency harmonic content as they decrease in volume, a characteristic which Pittsburgh Modular say allows Taiga to offer a more complex sound compared to other instruments.
Taiga is kitted out with 60 patch points, allowing users to re-route the modules or integrate the instrument with a larger modular rig.
Mixer, MIDI & More
There is no shortage of helpful utilities or modulation features here, with Taiga boasting a range of facilities that include built-in MIDI to CV conversion, an on-board mixer, a preamp with a soft-clipping overdrive circuit, and an analogue bucket-brigade delay. Dual envelope generators are provided, along with an LFO and a digital multi-modulation tool, and an on-board clock-synced arpeggiator (there is an internal clock with a tap tempo function, and external syncing is also possible).
Taiga can be played straight away with no patching required, or users are free to get stuck in and use the 60 patch points to re-route the instrument’s internal patching, or use its components as separate modules with the rest of their modular rig.
Pricing & Availability
Taiga is available to pre-order now, priced at $799.99€799.99.
