Published
Sat, Jul 1, 2023, 11:00
- The Regen is a desktop version of the classic Synclavier II digital keyboard.
Synclaviers are available again.
The US company Synclavier Digital has released a new hardware synth, the Regen, which blends FM, additive and subtractive synthesis.
It is the first new hardware synth to bear the name Synclavier since the early '80s, when the Synclavier II came out. At the time, it was a revolutionary piece of high-end equipment that pioneered a lot of new music-making technology.
The Regen adopts the same approach to creating sound, where a complex waveform is created by stacking sine waves on top of each other. To this, the Regen adds subtractive synthesis, plus new features such as support for MPE, the new MIDI protocol; support for polyphonic aftertouch; a multimode filter; a built-in arpeggiator and FX section; an SD card interface; USB power and hundreds of built-in sounds from musicians such as Anthony Marinelli and Jamie Lidell.
The Synclavier II was used extensively in the early '80s and can be heard all over classic albums such as Michael Jackson's Thriller and Neil Young's Trans. It was also used on film soundtracks such as Risky Business, War Games, Star Man and Apocalypse Now. Since then, Synclavier has released digital emulations of its original instrument, one as part of Arturia's V collection of vintage synths, and another iOS device in 2019.
Watch a video about the Synclavier Regen.
Synclavier Regens are available now, priced €2,324 plus taxes.