The latest instrument to be released by Erica Synths is an educational synthesizer that has been developed in a collaboration with electronic musician Richie Hawtin. Bullfrog has been designed to offer an experience that will captivate and inspire those new to creating electronic music, whilst still being comprehensive enough to appeal to professional musicians.
The instrument is a classical subtractive synthesizer, and is organised into sections that work in the same way as a modular system, requiring users to manually patch them together in order to generate sounds. Interestingly, Bullfrog also features a Voicecard expansion slot at the top of its front panel which will accept a number of additional cards that are capable of creating internal connections between the instrument’s sections, and expanding its capabilities with features.
The main sections of the instrument itself contain an analogue VCO with CV-controlled waveshapes, as well as a noise generator and a mixer that also features external inputs. A VCF section provides a low-pass 24dB/octave resonant filter, whilst a VCA section follows, and also contains a built-in delay effect with dedicated control over its time and feedback parameters. A pair of envelope generators are also present, along with a sample and hold circuit that allows the creation of stepped control voltages.
Voicecards can be placed in the instrument's expansion slot in order to create pre-patched sounds or offer additional functionality.Those wishing to dig deeper into sound design — or create internal patches that allow the Bullfrog to be played without the need for any manual patching — can take advantage of a number of Voicecards. When placed in the instrument’s expansion slot, they are capable of creating preset patches, or delivering additional features that include a different (high-pass) filter, a step sequencer, a sampler and looper, groovebox-style functionality and more.
Bullfrog will include a comprehensive user manual that provides detailed explanations of its features and functions, as well as offering general information on synthesis to accompany the learning process for those starting from scratch.
“The Bullfrog is a synthesizer dreamed up by Erica Synths and I to inspire and welcome a younger audience into the world of electronic music. Although first considered for someone’s first steps into synthesis the final robust design will also fit comfortably into anyone’s studio and/or performance setup. I can’t wait to see where the Bullfrog leads a curious new generation.” - Richie Hawtin
The Bullfrog requires users to patch its sections together in order to generate sounds, whilst preset sounds and extra features can be accessed using additional Voicecards.
Pricing & Availability
The Bullfrog will be available to purchase directly from Erica Synths, and from retailers around the world on 10 August 2023. Pricing details are yet to be confirmed.
