NAMM 2022: after the East, Cre8audio travels west with Pittsburgh Modular and intros the West Pest, a portable budget west-coast Synthesizer
The brother/sister from the west now follows the beast from the east. After the new firmware 1.5 for the East Beast, the West Pest, the semi-modular west-coast Synthesizer also gets the same firmware update 1.5.
The new features, improvements, and bug fixes are the same. This is because they use a similar or the same digital engine.
Cre8audio West Pest 1.5
Like the East Beast firmware 1.5, the new West Pest update is also free of charge. It starts with an updated arpeggiator that now benefits from a fourth octave, making it more flexible. Cre8audio also has rewritten the LED behavior for all settings, making it a more intuitive to use UI that communicates a bit better with the user.
There are also major changes to the MIDI CC/multi-functional tool behavior. It now fully uses all eight scales for each mod mode. Plus, they added MIDI CC control to the mod tool level.
The 0-5v mode in the new Cre8audioWest Pest 1.5 firmware adds voltage quantization to the mod tool value, which quantizes the incoming MIDI CC to a quantized level set with the multi-control setting. Seven different quantized options are available.
Then, they fixed the LFO phase relationship in the LFO mode. To make it more responsive at low frequencies, they made the LFO update after changing the rate rather than after finishing a full cycle. They also reconfigured the clock rates and gate MIDI CC control on the LFO amp.
The same update applies to the envelope and random mode. They rescaled the lengths for all eight values in the envelope and gave MIDI CC control of the envelope amp. For the random, they reconfigured the random generation timings for all the values and gave MIDI CC to the randomness amp.
It’s great that the West Pest also got this major 1.5 firmware update.
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Article From May 31, 2022
At Superbooth 22, Cre8audio presented the East Beast, a colorful semi-modular analog Synthesizer with a solid feature set for little money. Something called East Beast suggests there might be something from the West as well. Just like Pet Shop Boys sang Go West long ago, the Cre8audio devs are now oscillating and folding to the west too.
Pittsburg Modular will also be on the journey again under the direction of Richard Nicol and Michael Johnsen, who were responsible for the development. West Pest is a cute west-coast analog Synthesizer in the same compact format as its brother from the east.
Cre8audio West Pest
West Pest is an east-coast-style semi-modular Synthesizer that has a fixed signal flow. By patching it, you can break it in a matter of seconds. The structure consists of 8 individual blocks including an oscillator, wave contour, dynamics controller, LFO, multi-mod tool, MIDI to CV converter, sequencer, and button keyboard. Some of the features are the same as the East Beast but the built-in engine, the star of the synth is completely different.
While East-Coast synthesis is about shaping tones according to the subtractive concept, i.e. with filters, etc., the West-Coast area is about adding harmonic content. With wave folder, wave shaper, etc.
The West Pest consists of a 100% Pittsburgh Modular analog oscillator with sine, triangle, and saw waveforms. These can be shaped further using frequency modulation (FM) controllable with a dedicated knob. Then, there is a waveform contour section that let you infuse harmonic content into your waveforms. It has a built-in wave folder/shaper circuit with resonance that folds inputted waves back onto themselves to yield rich harmonic texture.
So no filter but a shaper to make the sound richer and wider.
The next step is a Pittsburgh Dynamics Controller section that is based on 100% modern circuitry designed to behave like a traditional filter, VCA, and envelope generator all at once. Or better known as the lowpass gate in the west coast synthesis. The circuit mimics the behavior of sound waves in the real world by dynamically altering the harmonic content with the loudness of the sound.
It also has a dual-range analog LFO onboard with square and triangle wave outputs. They range in the high setting from 2Hz to 500 Hz and in the low from 41s to 5Hz. And just like in the East Beast, it also comes with a digital multi-mod tool that can be either a random generator, an extra LFO, or a decay envelope generator. All controllable via CV.
Playability
West Pest works like a classic synth without a patch cable via MIDI or with the integrated button keyboard. Cre8audio has taken care of all those who want to plug it into their modular synth. Remove it from the case and it becomes a 40HP Eurorack fully-featured voice module with CV/gate inputs.
Further, it includes a clock-synced arpeggiator and a 32-step sequencer. The latter has memory for up to 13 presets and features a generative sequencing mode. It is powered by an internal clock controllable i.e. clockable via tap tempo. Plus you get a clock divider and the sequencer can be manipulated/transposed via MIDI or the internal keyboard.
The West Pest also has a patch matrix with 20 sockets on the right side making it a fully patchable Synthesizer. If you start patching here, it becomes a wild journey with many unusual sounds.
First Impression
At first glance, the West Pest looks like a very exciting Synthesizer. Personally, I like it much better than the East Beast. Above all, this little synth makes the still special, experimental west-coast synthesis accessible for very little money. Just like the Make Noise 0-Coast did in the past, but even cheaper and more comprehensive (digital mod, sequencer…). Great job Cre8audio and Pittsburgh Modular.
Cre8audio West Pest will be available in June 2022 for 249,99$/€ (retail) and 349,99€ (official developer price).
More information here: Cre8audio
Cre8audio West Pest is ready for pre-order at our partners
Thomann
sorry east beast, but west pest is like a must for me. lol. i really liked what i saw from east beast but man, this thing looks so damn wicked! 😀
That is wonderful! Never thought the East Beast/West Pest would have firmware updates. Excellent products, excellent companies involved, excellent support… Pittsburgh and Cre8audio have been on a roll. Kudos.