At Sonar Festival 2023, Erica Synths showcased Bullfrog, a new educational-focused semi-modular Synthesizer with swappable voice cards.
Good news: the Bullfrog Synthesizer from Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin is ready for pre-order for 500€ + VAT + shipping. At Thomann, it’s 585€ and Perfect Circuit $609.
It’s now also confirmed that it will be analog synth, and there is also a full sound demo.
Feature Summary
- Synthesizer designed in collaboration with Richie Hawtin
- Educational instrument enjoyable by beginners and experts alike
- Fully analog design
- analog VCO with 8-octave tracking, voltage-controlled waveshapes and PWM
- noise generator
- resonant lowpass filter
- VCA with offset
- Audio delay effect with time and feedback controls
- 2x ASR envelopes with looping function
- Sample + Hold circuit
- Manual gate trigger button
- Voice card slot with three included cards: Acid Bassline, Sequencer, Sampler Looper
- Internal speaker
- Audio and headphones output
- 5-PIN MIDI input
- USB-C connector
- 10 patch cables and patch note stencils included
For a beginner Synthesizer, this looks like a very nice overall package. You have the analog synthesis in very accessible. You can patch to go deeper and the possibility to expand with cards.
Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin Bullfrog will be available in late September for 500€ + VAT + shipping.
Available at my partners
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Update: I was too quick; here are the full official details.
Bullfrog is a new educational electronic music instrument from Erica Synths made in collaboration with Richie Hawtin. It’s made to captivate and inspire both youth and professionals alike. According to Erica Synths, it is based on a classic subtractive Synthesizer voice and layout.
Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin Bullfrog
The synth voice consists of an audio-rate oscillator with shape control and FM, noise generator, mixer, filter, VCA + delay, a modulation section with two loopable envelopes, and an s&h generator. All of these features are patchable, making it a semi-modular synth.
Bullfrog makes no sound of itself. You have to patch it first. Or you put in one of the swappable voices cards. There are also built-in speakers and a divider section.
Richie Hawtin says
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.
Swappable Voice Cards
It’s not just a semi-modular synth with classic design. Erica Synth has hidden another engine in the semi-modular engine. Via swappable voice cards, you can turn bullfrog into a different instrument.
This goes from adding functions like a high-pass filter or a 5-step sequencer, or a complete transformation. You can turn it into a sampler, a wild acid bassline synth, or a groovebox with drum sounds. And only by changing voice cards.
According to Girts by Erica Synths, these should cost around €20, depending on the functionality. It will come with some voice cards, including:
- sampler/looper: it allows you to sample via a microphone or the internal synth. Then, you can playback it with the characteristics of tape, including loop/gate functions and ring mod.
- groovebox turns bullfrog into a groovebox with drum sounds
- acid bassline transforms your synth into an acid bassline Synthesizer
- sequencer: it adds an analog-style 5-step sequencer to the engine
- electric organ: with this, you can get a mini drawbar organ.
- highpass filter
- and more
On the backside, you have an on/off switch, a 12V/DC input, CV/gate inputs, phones output, an audio output, a MIDI in, and a USB-C port.
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Article Before The Press Release
It’s never too early to start letting your kids play synthesizers. Some companies have already taken up the topic and sell synthesizers for kids and education. See Playtime Engineering’s Blipblox synthesizers or the Data DUO from the Netherlands.
Now Erica Synths also seems to be entering this market. Erica Synths unveiled the Bullfrog Synthesizer at the Sonar Festival today. The synth is not official yet, but Loopop, currently at the festival, has published a story about it on Instagram.
Erica Synths Bullfrog
According to current information, Bullfrog is an instrument designed for education. Visually, it reminds me of a lovely childish EMS VCS-3. What the base of the Bullfrog is, analog, digital, or hybrid, is not known until now. You can see that the synth has big SSL-style knobs, in many different colors.
In Loopop’s story video, you can see that it has an audio-rate VCO section in blue, a filter (VCF) in green, a VCA/delay (red), and modulation with two loopable envelopes, and a sample & hold in black. There is also a mixer in black on the bottom. Interestingly, each function also has Eurorack patch points making it a semi-modular synth—an easy way to learn how to patch a Synthesizer.
First Impression
This is a surprise from Erica Synths. You’d think they were busy with their Superbooth 23 news. They had something else up their sleeves that they didn’t show yet at Superbooth. A fascinating new product in collaboration with Richie Hawtin. I like the idea of the voice cards very much, and I’m curious how the synth sounds.
Erica Synths Bullfrog will be available via ericasynths.lv and the best electronic music retailers across the globe on the 10th of August, 2023.
More information here: Erica Synths
With it’s modules the Bullfrog looks like an Atari 2600 video game console 😉
Oh, ok, it’s targeted to “a younger audience”…
Cool product. As an analog synth it’s sure doesn’t sound like 585€. But those voice cards and sampler/ experimental features looks really interesting.
It seems a bit expensive for an “educational tool”. Appreciate that it’s expandable etc, but you can get a moog Mavis for £250 and it sounds better than this.