Befaco Lich is the future-proof version of the open-souce Rebel Technology Owl module with new hardware, more control, and options.
Analog designs initially dominated the Eurorack market. It is now drifting more and more into a welcome mixture of analog, digital, and also hybrid concepts. I see a lot of potentials, especially in digital. Rebel Technology’s Owl module shows early on what is possible in Eurorack on the digital side. Owl has open-source hardware, is fully programmable from the web, and can be anything. An oscillator, filter, complex effect processor…
Owl has two major weaknesses in my opinion: firstly, the hardware was too weak and the interface design was rather unpleasant. Befaco from Barcelona gives Rebel Technology’s powerful baby a second chance.
Befaco Rebel Lich
They have teamed up with Rebel Technologies for some new products. Their first module is called Lich and is an Owl with future-proof hardware, a new interface, and extended connections. Lich relies on the same Owl open-source hardware platform but with significantly more options. It has an STM32F4 processor with 8 MB of RAM and a 24 bits codec, providing enough power to realize complex ideas
It’s fully programable from a web browser and Pure Data, Faust, C ++, or Max Gen compilers make it easy for every programmer to create their own codes for it. If you’re more interested in the musical and less in the coding, the Lich has a lot to offer. There are more than 200 patches available for download an enthusiast community behind it, who regularly upload new creations. I guess with Lich this will be even bigger.
Connections
Lich has four pot controls, like the original, adding CV and Gate out, patch selection, and a display. Something that I’m very welcome is the USB host port, with which you can easily connect MIDI controllers. Why not more developers do that, especially in desktop synths is a mystery to me. And the features at a glance are:
- Stereo Audio IN and OUT 48k 24 bits.
- 4 CV controls (Pot + Attenuated CV in)
- 2 CV outputs.
- 2 Gate inputs + buttons
- 1 Gate Output.
- Patch selection and visualization via display.
- MIDI USB host and Device.
All in all, I’m very happy to see Owl eh Lich back in the Eurorack world. The concept was daring back then but in 2020 with the steadily growing number of great digital modules, it will fit perfectly.
Looks like you’re unaware that the same digital board was used for RebelTech’s second Kickstarter devices, which included the eurorack version of Magus. You’re writing like Owl is back from the dead, but it really existed for 1-2 years on the same hardware. The biggest news here is that now there’s an affordable DIY kit thanks to cooperation with Befaco.
it’s a new upgraded hardware. I was aware of the RebelTech Kickstarter devices but I focus on the concept of the module here 🙂