Yorick Tech The Beast is an “overpowered” Synthesizer with functions in excess, but the developer will never release the beast, it remains a project.
I usually report on new synthesizers that are coming out soon. There are also cases where you see super exciting projects that never become a finished product. The Beast by Yorick Tech is such a case. The company is known for the Low-Frequency-Expander (LFE) for the Sequential Prophet 6 or OB-6 with which you can add more modulation to both synths.
The Beast is a prototype/project that should only serve as a basis for upcoming synthesizers. The look and number of knobs alone are impressive, but also the built-in features. Reminds a bit of the GRP synthesizers from Italy.
I am Yorick Tech Ltd, maker of the Low Frequency Expander (LFE) for OB-6 and Prophet 6. This is a prototype / test bed for a mono synth project which will be a cut-down version of this, using the best bits. Possible poly version too….
Features
Most of Yorick Tech’s developments are inspired by vintage synthesizers and includes features that recreate these sounds. For example, the Beast features two CEM 3340 VCOs, one with supersaw and one with double-wavefolder. Each has its own PWM LFO and pitch ADSR and sub-oscillator. A third LFO (LFO3) is from the LFE section and contains a hidden LFO, sampling the main LFO but with clever sync so that patterns repeat in a musical way. It also includes a ring modulator and massive 6 ADSR envelopes: 2 Minimoog clones, 2 digital and 2 CEM-based envelopes making the envelope section very deep. This is topped by 7 LFOs and many VCAs, 2 mixers each equipped with a stereo panner.
The same diversity also applies to the filters. It comes with 4 filters: an Oberheim SEM doubled with 12/24 dB slope, a Roland SH-1 based filter (12/24dB), 904a Moog Modular clone, and unique miniKorg Traveller-based design filters can be set in series, parallel, and are fed from 2 mixers s 2 pairs. The modulation is made via a 4×5 modulation matrix. To round off the sound, it includes a spring reverb. Notes can be played in via MIDI or CV in. A sound demo is available here
Definitely an exciting “beast” Synthesizer with a lot of features. A bit of a shame that The Beast is just a project and won’t become an official product. With this number of functions, it would certainly not have been cheap. Nonetheless, one can be curious about which monophonic or polyphonic synthesizer Yoric Tech will create from it.
More information here: Yoric Tech FB
“The Beast is a prototype/project that should only serve as a basis for upcoming synthesizers.”
This type of prototyping is an important component of what people now call “Design Thinking”. Most Music Tech companies do it in a very linear “R&D” process. The assumption there is that you know what you want to achieve and you make sure you achieve it. Maybe you asked users at the beginning or you used sales data. Either way, your mind is set before you start designing.
Opening up your prototype in early stages makes it closer to what we call “Human-Centred Design”. You make different decisions, based on usage. Will it be a poly? Maybe, we’ll check how this works as a poly. Which features will you take away? Depends on your experimentations.
Of course, it’s very common to open up this process a lot more, eventually making it co-design. That’s rare in Music Tech, for some reason. Maybe because it’s a tiny niche of a market and the whole idea is to protect what you already have?