Knobcon number ten, the one-of-a-kind synthesizer convention that ran from September 9 to 11, 2022, saw several announcements. The 2022 event was held just outside Chicago, Ill., at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, with everything under one roof. Vendors and exhibitors for the event included the likes of Analogue Solutions, Bjooks, Buchla USA, Dreadbox, IK Multimedia, Novation, and many others. 

Inspire The Music - 50 Years of Roland History by Bjooks

Bjooks used Knobcon to announce the latest entry in their line of visual guides to electronic music. It is titled Inspire The Music - 50 Years of Roland History and will feature over sixty articles covering 50 years of music tech history. Also included are more than 90 interviews, stories with artists and engineers, and hundreds of instruments with detailed insights. The book includes a foreword by legendary hitmakers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and consists of 400 colorful pages printed on high-quality certified-ecofriendly paper. 

Roland has been around since 1972, and Inspire The Music tells the story of how it became one of the most influential music brands in modern history. It details the creation of the new instruments that they created and the true stories behind some of their most iconic instruments. Fans will also enjoy reading about the innovators that made use of Roland instruments during their illustrious careers. Along with stories about Elton John, Butch Vig, and Joni Mitchell, the book also features contributions by industry experts like Peter Kirn, Alex Ball, Scott Harper, Gordon Reid, and many others. According to Bjooks, it will even cover some of the Roland ideas that didn’t quite work, like surround sound that didn’t surround and a keyboard that made noise whenever you moved your head. 

Inspire The Music was created by Kim Bjørn with Roland’s full cooperation and assistance. It is available to pre-order from the Bjooks website (https://bjooks.com/products/inspire-the-music-50-years-of-roland-history) at the cost of $68.00, with a release of late September expected. 

Trinity by Modbap Modular

Also announced at Knobcon is Trinity, a 3-channel digital drum synth array that is packed into a 20hp Eurorack synthesizer. According to Modbap Modular, Trinity performs as three powerful drum voices packed into one drum module and has a few tricks up its sleeve. The name Trinity doesn’t just refer to the three drum channels, but it is also a clever nod at the core elements of any modern beat-driven composition, namely Kick, Snare, and Hat. While it is a simple idea, Trinity builds on it with three channels and an array of drum synth algorithms making use of various types of synthesis. This means Trinity is able to offer a lot more than just the conventional kick, snare, and hat. 

Modbap Modular promises Trinity is very malleable thanks to seven knobs and four mini-pots. Each of these is capable of controlling a specific parameter and characteristic, such as Pitch, Sweet, Time, Shape, Grid, etc. Trinity has eleven knobs, three drum channels, three trigger buttons, four drum synth algorithms based on four types of synthesis, 24 CV inputs, a three-way output switch with three individual outputs, a mix output, and a MIDI over USB connection. 

For more information about Trinity, including audio demos and a quick reference guide, visit the official website (https://www.modbap.com/products/trinity). Trinity can be pre-ordered for $549.00 or in four interest-free installments of $137.25. According to Modbap Modular, the hardware is expected to ship in October 2022. 

Deluge by Synthrom

While the Deluge is not a new product, Synthstrom did announce that all of them shipping from now on will feature a new OLED display. This display replaces the rudimentary 7-segment display found on all current model Deluges. However, Synthstrom has acknowledged that the old display has shortcomings, especially when managing large sample collections. According to Synthstrom, they also realized that the Deluge is a far more complex beast than they anticipated, which makes the new screen that can show more complexity a nice feature. Although Synthstrom also announced that existing Deluges could be retrofitted with an OLED screen, it is not an upgrade that users will be able to perform themselves. Instead, it is something that they will offer as a paid service to users. For more information on how this will be done and the costs, owners should keep an eye on the Synthstrom social media channels. 

Unfortunately, the announcement of the new OLED display was coupled with news that Synthstrom will be raising the price of the Deluge incrementally over the next nine months. These prize changes are expected to be as follows:

Deluge by Synthstrom Audible (includes free custom case) 

Sept 9th, 2022: $1249USD + shipping

From Jan 1, 2023: $1329USD+shipping

From April 1, 2023: $1399USD + shipping

For more information or to purchase the Deluge, visit the official website (https://synthstrom.com/product/deluge/).