We have made a little video walkthrough covering the basics of Clank's new Uranograph synth! According to its maker, the Uranograph is “an electronic musical instrument that merges the expressive depth of classical instruments with the limitless possibilities of synthesis. A complete, self-contained world designed for live experimental performance, where every gesture, touch, and modulation is sculpted in real time.”

Sound wise, the Uranograph features a powerful and somewhat unusual digital synthesis engine based on additive phase-distortion. The core sound engine, which also includes a sub oscillator, is shaped by three main controls. “Size”, which controls the character and body of the tone, “Tilt”, which shapes the spectral balance of the sound, and “Wave Folding”, which adds harmonic complexity and distortion-like textures. These three parameters then feed into a low-pass filter with a resonance control, followed by a stereo pan position knob and classic bread and butter elements like LFOs, envelopes and digital effects. 

One of the Uranograph’s most distinct features is its keyboard, which does not feature a standard keybed, but a pressure-sensitive touch plate design. The pressure applied while playing can be assigned to control virtually any synth parameter (per note),  allowing for an almost infinite variety of different playing expressions. 

Beyond just modulation, the Uranograph’s keyboard also offers extreme control in its tuning system. The instrument supports over 50 scales out of the box and even allows for the construction of newly invented microtonal tuning systems by dialing in the raw frequency values of every note with fine precision.

Another interesting experimental feature is the Uranograph's dual “tape” looper. Two independent loop tracks can be recorded and played back simultaneously. The loops can be transposed, resampled and rearranged in real time, easily transforming captured audio into melodic phrases or rhythmic variations with ease. 

These are just the basics, for a full run-down of all features, see the Uranograph's manual here!

For more information, check out the Clank Website and see its product listing over at SchneidersLaden.