Frap Tools Brenso, New Complex Analog Oscillator For Eurorack

Frap Tools will announce at NAMM 2020 Brenso, a new complex analog oscillator for the Eurorack format with a refreshing new approach.

One should not say that NAMM is no longer interesting for Eurorack synthesizers. FrapTools from Italy will show at NAMM 2020 Brenso, a new analog complex oscillator for the Eurorack format. However, Brenso is not another classic complex oscillator à la Buchla 261e, but one with an updated concept. It does not rely on a classic operating concept (modulator, carrier…) but offers the user individual control elements with which you can intuitively craft your personal complex sound.

The developers say that this improves the clarity, manageability and offer more sonic options to the artist. This starts with the interface design, which less reminiscent of a Buchla-inspired oscillator. If it sounds as gorgeous as it looks, this will be pretty sure one of the synth highlights of this NAMM show. Bella Italia!

28 Knobs, 2 Buttons & 3 Switches For Full Control

Frap Tools doesn’t save on knobs and has installed a total of 28 knobs, 2 buttons, and 3 switches to give musician full control over the timbre. Brenso consists of three sections: two for the analog ‘thru-zero’ triangle-core oscillators, and one for sound processing (white and red). The oscillators can be modulated from external sources and can modulate each other’s frequency too. Plus, frequency modulation (FM) can be any combination of exponential and/or linear thru zero. In total are eight waveform outputs available, four per oscillator.

You can also control their amount of deviation through two separate knobs or CV inputs. The green oscillator can also work at a sub-audio rate, and can then become a super complex LFO if you want. That quite a big feature amount even before the sound processing section. Clever is also the additional coarse frequency lock function with which you will never get tuning issues during a performance.

Even More Shaping Options

That was just the beginning. Both oscillator can then be processed further in two additional sound processing stages colored in white and red. These are grouped in four modulation buses: two for modulation frequencies, one for modulating timbres and one for AM and RM. The green oscillator is always the semi-normalized modulator, but any other source can be used.

The timbre modulation section has been designed from scratch and offers a versatile blend of two wave folders, a waveshaper, and a PWM circuit. A dedicated VCA controls the global amount of modulation to be sent to each modulation section, but the semi-normalization can be broken anytime.

One More Thing, Pluckable Wavefolder

Brenso also features a newly designed analog pluckable wavefolder that activates itself by the excitation of external trigger. If this is happening, it opens the wavefolder above its maximum level and then closes it down with a non-linear slope, whose length can be manually regulated. With this, you can create percussive tones with a very organic decay. So, Brenso quickly becomes a percussive complex oscillator.