Modal Electronics Carbon8, a new digital multi-algorithm polyphonic Synthesizer is shipping now but without an official release and a broken website.
Good news from Modal Electronics. The new Carbon8 Synthesizer is shipping now to European retailers and is ready for pre-order for 989€ with shipping in a week. Here are the official features:
- 8-voice digital polyphonic Synthesizer
- two high-resolution oscillators with 56 complex waveforms, including 18 algorithms and 38 wavetables
- advanced Xcore modifiers
- 34 resonant filter types, including morphable and static filters
- three envelopes for filter, mod, and amp and three multi-wave audio-rate LFOs with 15+ shapes and sync
- multi-FX processor with three FX slots and 26 different algorithms
- polyphonic real-time and step sequencer with 512 notes and parameter animations
- 500 editable patch memory locations and 100 sequencer presets
- FATAR 37-key keyboard with velocity sensitivity, 4-axis joystick for modulations
- Robust steel and aluminum housing with bamboo side panels and 1.54-inch OLED display
- Free MODALapp software for Mac, PC, iOS, Android and as a plug-in (AU/VST3)
Modal Electronics Carbon8 is shipping now and will be available next week in Europe for 989€.
Available here:
Update: October 2, 2024
Modal Electronics announced its comeback at Superbooth 24. It is now under the new ownership of Alltronics Holding Ltd, which is based in China and has offices in the UK.
A year earlier, Modal announced the Carbon8, a new digital Synthesizer with the same Argon8/Cobalt8 clothes but with a new, more powerful engine. Until recently, there was no information about when the Carbon8 would be launched. Now, I have news that is a bit strange.
Out of nowhere, the first US retailers (Kraft Music) are shipping the first batch of the Carbon8 now. One is in stock. This is very odd, considering that Modal Electronics has neither announced it on social media nor listed it on the still-broken website.
I tried to access the official site. Sometimes, it works with slow loading times, and sometimes, it pings my Google Chrome browser to various scamy websites. The first videos of the Carbon8 are already online.
It’s very bizarre if you ask me. The C8 is not yet listed in Europe; Thomann doesn’t even list Modal as a brand and Musicstore.de as leftovers. There seems to have been a glitch in the release/supply chain matrix.
It hasn’t made a good impression on me so far. Hopefully, there will be an explanation for it and we will have a complete Modal reboot very soon.
Update From August 16, 2023
Back in May, Modal Electronics showed the prototype of the Carbon8, a new digital Synthesizer with an experimental-flavored engine. Modal did not want to reveal the complete feature list at the booth because the synth was still under development.
A reader drew my attention to the fact that Kraft Music’s online retailer lists the Carbon8 on the website with the features and a price.
Carbon8 Features
According to Kraft Music, Carbon8 has eight digital voices and features two oscillators per voice. Each offers over 40 complex digital algorithms with cross-modulation, including phase mod, phase distortion, waveshaping, wave folding, and more.
Then, you shape the raw oscillator sounds with a multi-mode morphable filter featuring 34 different filter types, a crazy amount of filters. You can find morphable Modal classics with 2 or 4 poles, modern notch, phase, peaking, vocal filters, and vintage multi-pole filters (LP/HP/BP) with or without filter drive.
Modulation side, you get three envelopes (filter with inversion, amp, mod) and three LFOs with shapeable waveforms. This is managed by a modulation matrix with 12 slots where four are fixed, and eight are freely assignable.
There are also three effects slots. In each, you can choose one effect from 26 available effects algorithms. Further, it features a “Premium” 37-note Fatar TP9/S keyboard with an aftertouch and the classic Modal X/Y joystick with four assignable axes.
It also includes a 512-note real-time/step sequencer with four animation lanes as well as a programmable arpeggiator. Both the arp and sequencer has different play modes. And the Carbon8 also ships with the ModalApp with macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS support.
Kraft Music says the Carbon8 will cost $1099. Modal confirmed me the information.
Article From May 17th, 2023
I’m reporting live from Superbooth 23. Due to time constraints, there are no full articles during the show.
Modal Electronics previews a new digital polyphonic Synthesizer with different synthesis types.
Modal Electronics Carbon8
Carbon8 will be a new “experimental” flavored digital Synthesizer with two oscillators, each packed with 40 unique waveform algorithms. According to Christian of Moda, these will cover a more aggressive, harsh, or dirty side of digital synthesis. It includes phase distortion, wave folding, waveshaping, FM, and more
Like on the Modal Argon8 and Cobalt8, each oscillator will have a minimal amount of oscillator parameters, allowing you to explore a maximum of different timbres. Unlike in the previous synth, the mixing stage for the oscillators is not a balance out, but it gives you an independent output level.
Then, it has a multi-type filter with different flavors. You will find the great Cobalt8 ladder filter, a state variable filter, morphable, or a new vocal filter here. Plus, there will also be various static and combinations available.
You get a multi-effects section with reverbs, delays, chorus, and more to refine your sounds. So basically the effects we know from the Argon8 and Cobalt8. Plus, you get the same powerful arpeggiator, sequencer, and joystick.
All this comes in the same box and layout as their previous synths. Including the FATAR keybed with velocity and aftertouch.
Modal Electronics Carbon8 First Impression
An exciting Synthesizer that Modal presented here at Superbooth 23. I really like the modal synths and so I’m curious how different it is from the others. However, I find it a pity that they use again the same hardware design. It’s easy to confuse them if you’re not that deep into the synths. And I prefer that each synth has its own design.
Modal Electronics Carbon8 will be available in September 2023, and the price is TBA.
More information will follow here: Modal Electronics
Just hoping it has some nice character, otherwise I really love the keybeds and overall feel of their synths. None of their engines have won me over though yet.
Same price as Zzounds. I’ve been going back to the listing all weekend. This feels like a nice blend of the Big Fancy Modal and the Small Affordable Modal. Powerful features, small appealing form.
Cannot wait to hear some sounds. Especially the morphing filter. It’s about time someone brought a morpheus style vcf to a modern poly synth. Hopefully it has some mod matrix morphing capabilities and keyboard tracking.
Being an owner of the Argon, can say the buy will be a nobrainer for the sound that is digital but sounds if tweaked right like an analogue beast.
Owned the Cobalt 8 but sold it becasue the oscillator section was not really intuitive to use, the FX where meh and the filter used steppy 128 midi values.
On the Carbon 8 the osc section looks much more straight forward, the FX might be updated as well. The latter issue might still be persisting tho – 128 steps is not enough for manual filter sweeps.
I’m interested, but will try before i buy.
If the price is confirmed, the most important question for me is: why does this cost twice as much as the Argon and Cobalt? Layout and hardware components look exactly the same.
Just all have become greedier and trying to bring 1000 reasons why it costs so much, trying to justify that with the war, the economic crisis, the aliens etc. and trying to convince you it’s the reason why, when they just want bigger profits. Nothing to do with anything else. The cheaper it is, the more units they’ll sale and the bigger profit they’ll make.
greedy is not the term to be used. I would imagine building synths is not a goldmine for companies like modal
“Why did you lower the price?! We’re losing money on every sale!”
“Don’t worry! We’ll make it up in volume!”
(I think Capcha was invented to deter people from commenting on anything.)
Maybe because they went bankrupt..
When someone won’t answer even the simple question “What IS it?” I have to wonder what is going through the mind of anyone who would order one this early. Not even a whisper on their own web site. Experimental is not a flavor, it is a message to stand back and observe carefully before throwing your money. Particular since Carbon8 is 60% more expensive than either Argon8 or Cobalt8. Modal make superb machines but forewarned is forearmed.
I really like my Cobalt 8m. It’s a very well-built synthesizer with a modern sound, good workflow and a powerful synth engine. I hope it will stay in my studio for a long time. But: to be honest, I don’t have much hope for the company, which is sad. It will be surprising – and I wish them all the best – that the concept they presented at Superbooth 2024 will be successful. And the behavior Tom describes above seems to confirm my doubts.
I wish they would combine all 3 of their digital synths into one and add a larger screen and maybe even do a 61 key version along with a desktop.
Hi,
For the website, it seems that you have to manually type their adress :
http://www.modalelectronics.com
Google for instance has kept previous adresses that point to scam content.
that could be a reason
website not broken but also not updated for a long time … no carbon8
I tried over Google and it linked me twice to a scamer website instead of Modal. This was also report by multiple users in the past months. It also worked but was super slow. So it seams that Google still links to a weird version of it.