The US-based company WMD has today released Kraken, a versatile physical-modeling snare drum Eurorack module for Superbooth 21.
Release the Kraken, yes, many know this sentence. However, this fits exactly on a new product that is coming to Superbooth 21.
Ok, WMD is not physically represented with a booth at SB 21 (travel restrictions) but they are showing the Kraken, an exciting new drum module.
Superbooth 21 WMD Kraken
Kraken is a snare drum voice module that is completely synthesized. Instead of samples, it uses a hands-on, flexible physical modeling engine to create realistic drum sounds. The big advantage is that you don’t need to step through endless snare samples but can design your own from scratch. Plus, add variations thanks to full CV automation.
The physical modeling core uses filters, delay, and feedback networks to create sound of two heads and a resonant cavity. And this is fully controllable with various parameters directly on the interface. Shell, Low Tune, Pitch, and Overtone knobs all interact with each other, creating the physical model of the drum itself. This resonator then acts as an exciter for a network of noise generation to provide the sound of the snare springs rattling on the bottom head.
3 Snare Models
In the middle of the module, you have a model switch that provides three distinct modeling sounds. The first uses digital noise to create the sound of the “snares”, providing a repeatable, sample-like sound. The second uses analog noise for a more realistic snare sound and the third use again digital noise. But this time, it engages a pitch shifter on the output that transforms the sound to a vintage pitched up or down style sound.
Further, you have three unique distortion characters (analog-style, wavefolder, bit depth reduction) via the Wreck switch with which you can colorize your snare sound once again.
I/O
On the connection side, you have CV inputs for every parameter, main output, and stick & rim inputs. The latter gives the user two gate inputs for hitting the head of the drum or the rim. When both inputs receive a trigger simultaneously, a realistic “rimshot” sound is generated, offering even more ability to sequence a realistic-sounding snare pattern.
At first glance a very tempting module. Probably one of the best snare modules I’ve seen so far on the market. A rich feature-set paired with a hands-on interface in a compact module. Well done.
WMD Kraken is available now for $299 USD.
More information here: WMD
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