Strymon Superkar+ is a new 32-voice Karplus-Strong synthesizer voice for Eurorack, offering a range of advanced, acoustic-like sounds.
Strymon is one of the most renowned companies in the effects industry. Products like the BigSky reverb and TimeLine delay are all-time favorites among musicians, whether they are guitarists or synthesizer enthusiasts.
They’ve also already translated their effects expertise into Eurorack. Now, for the first time, they’re trying new things. The Superkar+ (Superkarplus) is Strymon’s first Synthesizer voice for the modular world.
Strymon Superkar+
Superkar+ is the company’s first non-dedicated effects module and its first-ever Synthesizer.
The Strymon Superkar+ is a 10HP, 32-voice Eurorack synth voice that utilizes Karplus-Strong synthesis, a widely used technique for achieving physical modeling sounds. It’s a form of delay feedback synthesis where every tone and texture is constantly in a state of varying tension.
It’s divided into two independent voice channels – solo voice and chord voice, each with up to 16-voice polyphony. As the name suggests, the solo voice is capable of playing single notes with the option to sustain them.
On the other side, the chord voice plays chord structures based on the root from the V/oct CV input. Each voice channel offers the same hands-on controls over the attack, decay, and damping, along with a switchable model for string or tube sounds.
The first two allow control over the envelope, which, however, works differently from a normal ADSR.
The attack gives you longer attack times that can produce bowed or blown sounds, while very short attack times give you plucked or struck sounds. All this without longer fade-ins of the sounds.
Then, the decay can generate super short and tight percussive sounds up to crazy, tuned self-oscillation ones at the maximum settings. Damping determines how freely the string or tube can vibrate.
More Controls
On the solo voice, you also have a detune knob that introduces random detuning to every note played. It’s a little feature that adds realism to the sounds. You can also use it for additional movement or to add a haunting aspect to a patch.
Another is the harmonic control that creates fat doubled notes, lower and higher octaves, and fifth harmonies from your note inputs. Alternatively, you can select the smart harmonies and combine them with the scale selection.
Strymon Superkar+ also includes an internal mixer with independent output levels for both voices.
On the connection side, it features multiple stereo and mono audio output modes, including wide & narrow stereo, split voice, and mono output. Further, you have a 1V/oct pitch input, a trigger input, and CV inputs for all the main controls on each side.
It’s great that it also features a TRS MIDI input, allowing you to play the solo voice with up to 16-voice polyphony, eight octaves, and velocity sensitivity. Thus, you can also use it as a standalone physical modeling synth in a Eurorack
The Superkar+ engine encompasses a wide range of classic physical modeling sounds, as well as others. You can generate plucked or bowed strings, struck or blown pipes or tubes, percussive tones, rich chords, and more experimental ones.
First Impression
The module came as a surprise. It’s even bigger because it comes from a company that’s usually only known for its excellent effects. It’s an exciting voice module that sounds very promising in the first demos.
I especially like the fact that you can also play it with MIDI, allowing you to build a standalone 16-voice physical modeling synth with a modular signal path. Bye-bye Rings into Clouds, hello Superkar+ into Starlab?
Strymon Superkar+ is available soon for $399.
More information here: Strymon
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that is a pretty cool. physical modeling is one of my favorites.
doesn’t sound as good as rings which is surprising.
pretty neat concept. I’ve been thinking for a year or so I’d love to see more synths designs for classical voices. would love to see dedicated brass modeling synths for example. I’m aware of how to patch brassy sounds, but I mean it would be nice to see the classical instruments as dedicated modules that can bring new synthesis concepts and add more than a monophonic synth would be capable of on its own