Cre8Audio has made a reputation for itself by constructing dirt-cheap Eurorack gear, placing what has historically be an awfully costly endeavor — constructing modular synth — within the attain of mere mortals. Now it is branching out to self-contained semi-modular synthesizers with the East Beast.

As the identify implies, the East Beast is an east coast model synthesizer, that means it incorporates a large sounding oscillator and a resonant filter for tone shaping. Those two explicit elements have been constructed with assist of the analog weirdos over at Pittsburgh Modular. The filter is a multi-mode design with excessive, low and bandpass choices. The PGH filter can be lauded for its lack of “dead zones”. And the oscillator has sine, triangle, noticed, and sq. waves, together with pitched noise, that may be mixed. 

Of course and filter and oscillator alone don’t a synth make. There’s additionally a VCA, an envelope generator, an LFO, a 32 step sequencer and a digital multi-mode software that may be an additional envelop, LFO or a random generator. It additionally has an arpeggiator and even a playable (however rudimentary) keyboard. 

Of course, a an analog synth with all these options is not that remarkable. What makes the East Beast thrilling is that it contains all of that, and a 20 level patch bay, for simply $250. Being in a position to get one thing that, not less than on paper, looks as if a shrunken Moog Mother 32 for lower than half the value is beautiful.

There are nonetheless quite a lot of unanswered questions. But, contemplating that you would be able to additionally take the East Beast out of its case and slap it in a Eurorack case, means this probably the most reasonably priced methods to get into modular synthesis. 

The Cre8Audio East Beast is accessible to pre-order now and may begin transport by the top of May.