Sovage Engineering has introduced La Reine Du Chaos, Oxymoron, and Binôme Mk2, three new experimental synth voices for all kinds of colorful noises
I first reported on the young French Eurorack company Sovage Engineering almost a year ago. At that time, the company announced the first four modules, which offered tons of features and hardware control. They left a very good impression.
Today, there are two new modules, and a new version of one was released in 2023.
Sovage Engineering La Reine Du Chaos
The first new module is called “La Reine du Chaos,” or, in English, the Chaos Queen. It is a new 32HP full analog Synthesizer voice for Eurorack built around the concept of chaos. Sovage Engineering describes it as an analog chaotic rhythmic Synthesizer.
Reine Du Chaos has an oscillator that can track stable up to 6 octaves. There is an alternation knob with which you can dive into the six analog waveform banks: ridge, odd, and surge in full or limited mode, giving you a wide range o wilder results. You can add juice and character to the waveforms with the additional wave clipping.
Then, it hosts two envelopes and two LFOs that offer deep internal modulation routing options. In the Reine Du Chaos, the LFOs can be turned into six-octave stable oscillators linked to the main 1V/oct input using a switch or their respective FM inputs.
This hidden oscillator trick lets you flip the module into a 3-oscillator cross-FM monster. Additionally, you can sync the oscillators to the 1V/oct and reset by a trig or a gate.
However, instead of resetting their cycle on the positive or negative, they are recycled after a little fast attack and decayed shape when triggered, perfect for rhythmic composition! Besides this, it also has a built-in VCA with bias control.
Sova Engineering has given the Reine du Chaos a variety of inputs and outputs so that the functions can also be used independently.
Sovage Engineering Oxymoron
Besides La Reine Du Chaos, Sovage Engineering also has another new module called Oxymoron. This one feels at home in the same area as the Queen. It’s a very unique and experimental 18HP module.
Oxymoron is described as an analog cross-modulator noise and noise machine for Eurorack. At its core, it hosts six independent modulators connected in a cascade. Each modulator features both sinus and square waveform outputs and works as a wide-range LFO or as an oscillator.
Then, it also offers a mixer with three channels (A, B, C), each with a mix output of two modulators, an FM option, and a 1v/octave input. The developers say this results in incredibly detuned tones, powerful synced bass, leads, and chords, or chaotic modulation when used as an LFO.
As with the Reine du Chaos, Sovage Engineering also implemented many inputs and outputs here, making the module very versatile. So you can use it as a six-channel modulator or synth voice with advanced cross-modulation possibilities.
Sovage Engineering Le Binôme Mk2
The trio completes the Binôme Mk2, a successor to the Binôme from 2023, with twice the power of the original module. Like the Mk1, it is not your average analog synth voice, so it is in the same field as the Sovage Engineering La Reine Du Chaos or Oxymoron modules.
It does not have classic oscillators. Instead, the module consists of two independent channels, each with its own filter, envelopes, and other functions.
To archive the percussive synth voice face, you can turn the filters (highpass/bandpass) into oscillators using their self-oscillation capabilities. A unique part of them is their character. They act more like resonators than classic filters, giving you interesting timbres and more options to work with.
So you can use them as independent VCOs or as sound sources for bass drums, toms, or FM percussions. They can also interact with the ZONE master function, controlling the frequency of both filters at the same time. Choke and fade functionality and parallel mixing option are also onboard.
Further, each channel also hosts a dynamic voltage-controlled AD or ASR envelope generator with special custom shapes with seamless change from exponential to linear and logarithmic.
Two modes give you either fast responses (SHARP) or nice punchy, smooth pseudo-LPG-style responses (BLUNT). Plus, there is CV control over the amp and length (decay).
Sovage Engineering Le Binôme Mk2 is very versatile thanks to its many inputs and outputs and many interaction tweaks. So, it can be your dual analog percussive synth voice, a stereo oscillator, or even a dual filter processor.
First Impression
An exciting synth voice trio with original designs. Each module is packed with features and offers tons to explore. Hope they go down well in the Eurorack community because they look great.
Sovage Engineering La Reine Du Chaos will be available for 500€ + VAT, Oxymoron for 400€ + VAT, and Binôme MK2 for 450€ + VAT. All three modules will start shipping in July 2024.
More information here: Sovage Engineering
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