SynthFest France 2025: Pylobolus Alkohol is a new digital, 9×2 voice binaural polyphonic Synthesizer (prototype) with VOSIM oscillators, and more.
Anyone who follows Synth Anatomy daily may remember the secret Pylolobus Synthesizer I wrote about last year after SynthFest France. Back then, developer Lionel Gély didn’t want to talk about the project because he wasn’t too happy with the prototype. This time, things were different.
At SynthFest France, Pylobolus unveiled Alkohol, a new digital polyphonic Synthesizer. As of now, it’s unclear whether the synth will ever move beyond prototype status or even released. Time will tell.
Pylobolus Alkohol
This “Alkohol” is highly dangerous for Synthesizer players. It has a 95% guarantee if you deal with it. Name jokes besides. Pylobolus Alkohol is a prototype of a new intruiging digital polyphonic Synthesizer. As side info: 40 years ago, Lionel Gély worked for RSF and developed the preset expander for the Kobol.
The synth name and concept of the engine didn’t come from a preference for alcoholic drinks, but from a feeling you get when you’ve had too much of it. Then, you tend to see things twice. That’s why the synth has 9×2 voices, giving you two independent 9 voice synths, one on the left and another on the right with binaural sound option.
The engine is digital and features four oscillators. The first is a VOSIM core or known as a voice simulator consisting of two VOISM oscillators, each with different parameters that can be morphed. This is suitable for generating delicate, thinner sounds that resemble human voices or acoustic instruments.
Then, Pylolobus Alkohol features three traditional oscillators that follows a virtual analog feature set with various waveforms. From here, it goes into a filter section with a ladder, multimode and a noise combo filter.
On the modulation side, it has three envelopes, two of them are fully assignable and LFOs. The special thing about LFOs is that you can switch the phase of both sides. Since there are nine voices on each side, you can create stereo modulation.
Further, it also offers an arpeggiator, a web-based editor and full MPE support. The current prototype is in a desktop case. It’s not certain whether it will stay that way. One thing is sure. Pylobolus plans to color-code the knobs of the Alkohol synth like on the prototype.
First Impression
Lionel is currently developing an intruiging Synthesizer. One thing is certain: it won’t be a massive fat-sounding Synthesizer. It will be more of a synth for delicate, thinner, more organic sounds. This characteristic is found in very few synthesizers these days.
I find it welcome that instruments with other characteristics are also being created. It doesn’t always have to be the fattest analog-like sound.I hope the Alkohol will move beyond prototype stage and make it to market. Good luck for this.
Pylobolus Alkohol availability and price are TBA. The developer don’t have a website so I link to the SynthFest France.
More information here: SFF 2025
i thought it was a car entertainment console at first.
From 2003!
Don’t know if I would buy a synth called “Alkohol”.