Carving out a lot of functionality in a 12HP module is the Ballista Blast from Shakmat. It’s a hybrid synthesizer voice that lets you play with three synthesis engines, four analogue filter types and an analogue processing chain through an overdriven VCA or LPG. It has a built‑in envelope that can control four things at once, some interesting parameter randomisation, and you can store up to 256 of your favourite sounds and configurations.
The three oscillator engines are Classic (subtractive), Wavetable and FM. They all have a decent level of detail you can drill down into via the very small screen and accompanying buttons. There are dedicated knobs for Pitch, envelope Attack and Decay, while Harmonics and Emphasis knobs control the filter in the Classic and Wavetable engines, and Modulation Depth and Feedback in the FM engine. The most powerful knob is the Parameter control in the middle, and that does different things depending on where you are.
In the Classic engine, you have a choice of sawtooth or square wave, and seven modes, all of which redefine the Parameter control. Sub mode adds a sub‑oscillator, and Parameter acts as a crossfade. In Dual mode, we get relative tuning; in Unison we get detuning of supersaws or supersquares. Sync mode gives us tuning, Width mode gives us PWM and sawtooth variable shaping, and Noise adds noise. Chord mode gives us four notes and the Parameter knob dials through predefined harmonic structures. It’s great for little stabs, but once you employ some of the modulation, it can really soar as pads and drones.
The Wavetable engine has 32 tables of eight waveforms covering a nicely diverse range of sounds, and you can add your own via the SD card. The mode buttons step through the wavetables while the Parameter knob lets you scan the waveforms.
The FM engine is particularly lively, offering an interesting range of algorithms that only give you a couple of controls, and it feels all the more fun for it. In most cases, the Harmonics knob is piling on the FM depth, while Emphasis folds and shapes, and the Parameter knob pushes into the tuning. It’s really easy to find sounds that punch through the rest of your modular and add a splash of metallic, twinkly, harmonic colour.
The screen is bright and very clear. The writing and graphics are well chosen to express what you’re currently working on. It is, however, very fiddly, and once you’ve chosen your oscillator, there are two more screen‑based aspects to wade through. The Analog menu lets you choose filter types, tracking, VCA mode, distortion type and amount, and output level. The Modulation menu lets you choose between several useful envelope types. These are all mode and feature choices that tend to fall away once you’re using the front‑panel knobs.
There’s a dedicated modulation Depth knob with the option to direct the envelope to up to four destinations. This uses LEDs rather than the screen, and you can set the depth individually for each destination and cycle through them. This gets very powerful in making sounds animate away from their usual, familiar territory. You also have a Randomiser that can influence most of the parameters on a gate signal, and a Velocity control that will scale whatever you patch it to in response to incoming CV. You can add further modulation with up to two Ballista Blast Expansion modules, which inject a very shapeable LFO into the fray. Sadly, none of the internal modulation can be routed to the preset selection — that would have been fun, but you can do that externally.
Functionality
This much functionality in a compact module is always going to be a challenge for the interface. Crafting sounds on that screen and buttons is a bit fiddly; there’s no way around it. However, the sounds you find in here are really fabulous. As an analogue‑sounding voice, it’s really thick and gooey, with unison modes giving you something tasty for the filter to bite down upon. The wavetables are fine, but not the most interesting thing in here, whereas the FM is great fun with minimal but lively control.
It sounds great, the controls feel brilliant, and the front‑panel action is very playful and intuitive.
The biggest reward for patiently working through the screen and menu system is that you can save the preset and come back to it without having to touch the buttons ever again. In performance, it sounds great, the controls feel brilliant, and the front‑panel action is very playful and intuitive. Through the CV scannable preset system, the Ballista Blast has the ability to bring instant tonal changes, and once you’ve made a selection, it becomes a hotbed of variation that will have you playing and fiddling endlessly.