A few brands recently released new hardware and firmware updates for their synthesizers. Here’s a quick recap of what owners of these synths can gain by installing the updates. 

 

Roland Aerophone Pro Version 3.00 Update

Following the release of the 2.11 firmware update last year, Roland has released a much more substantial version 3.0 update for the Aerophone Pro AE-30 system. The new update features some functionality improvements along with additional functions for the hardware.

In terms of improvements, Roland has added “AE La Seine” sounds, along with sounds using the Scale Tune function and sounds using the Harmony function. The list of additional features is a bit more extensive and includes being able to display the on/off status of the S1 and S2 buttons. Roland also added a Scale Tune function that lets users set the tuning method and adjust the pitch for individual note names. In addition, the Aerophone Pro AE-30 now has an Intelligent Harmony function for layering harmonies according to the key that has been set. This function also allows users to change the pitch of layered sounds to just intonation. Finally, after installing the update, user scenes can be imported and exported, and user scenes created on the FANTOM-6/7/8 and FANTOM-06/07/08 can also be imported and exported. The Version 3.00 update is available now to download from the official website (https://www.roland.com/global/products/aerophone_pro/downloads/). 

 

Moog Matriarch Firmware v1.3.0

Moog has announced that the v1.3.0 firmware for the Matriarch synth is now available. In addition to bug fixes, the update also includes new features based on customer requests, an exploratory patch book, instructional videos, and more. 

Amongst the highlights listed by Moog is the new global settings, which allow users to switch between four different velocity curves. Moving the pitch wheel while holding a note will now also modulate the delay time in addition to adjusting the pitch. Some of the changes since the previous update include PPQN IN and OUT improvements, CC94 added to allow switching voice modes over MIDI, and the KB GATE OUT will now follow MULTI TRIG selections. The Octave Transpose controls are also now more responsive and much more. For the complete list of features, visit the official website (https://www.moogmusic.com/news/matriarch-firmware-v130-now-available). In addition, Moog has released a new custom supplication for updating the Matriarch firmware, which should make the process more seamless for owners. 

 

Waldorf M 16Voice

Waldorf has announced that their popular M synth, which was released in 2021, is now available in a 16-voice version. This is a significant upgrade from the original, which only featured eight voices of polyphony. Unfortunately, as this is a hardware update and not firmware, it means that owners of the original Waldorf M will have to pay if they want to upgrade to the new 16-voice version. The process is relatively simple, as can be seen in the video instructions below, but the expansion does come with a 699,00 € price tag.