Modal Electronics’ Intros 008 8-voice Analog Monster Synth

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At Musikmesse 2015, Modal Electronics has introduced the Modal 008, an 8-voice, 16-VCO and 16-sub-oscillator analog monster synth, scheduled to be released Summer 2015.

The Modal 008 offers 100% analog VCOs, 16 multi-mode filters, two LFOs, fast envelopes, extensive modulation options and more.

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Features:

  • 008 provides eight discrete voices of analog polyphony
  • Two 100% analogue VCO’s per voice with two sub oscillators, providing sawtooth, triangle, square with PWM and noise. Each of the waveforms can be blended together to provide completely new complex wave shapes
  • Flexible 16 multi-mode filter, consisting of traditional modes such as low-pass, band-pass and high-pass as well as more unusual notch, phase and combination modes.
  • Filter overdrive enables the sound to be driven to sonic extremes
  • A range of classic analogue polysynth features such as oscillator and filter FM bringing amazing sonic power
  • Two LFO’s, both capable of reaching audio rates with multiple wave shapes and midi sync
  • 11 modulation sources with unlimited destinations. Each destination can be set it’s own unique depth, a super smooth sample rate of 10kHz and all accessible from the front panel – no menu diving
  • 008 features a range of sequencing options – a built in 2 Track, 12 row, 32 step sequencer with 16 dedicated step time editing knobs on the front panel and MIDI sync capabilities. Sequences can also be transposed dynamically while running
  • Arpeggiator with a wide range of different modes, including ‘hold’ mode, enabling arpeggiator-based sequences to be created
  • The Modal Electronics Animator, which enables any control parameter on the 008 to be sequenced, enabling very complex filter transisitions, wave form changes and modulation matrix changes to be sequenced
  • Ethernet port to connect your 008 to your network and enable updates via the internet (no more midi sysex dumps) and access to the Modal Electronics cloud features
  • Two part multi-timbral (bi timbral) allowing splits across the keyboard or stacks to create amazingly complex sounds
  • Superb UI, a great departure from the norm of synthesisers, featuring a very high quality 4.3″ screen with wide viewing angle, display is context sensitive where the control parameters of any control knob that is touched by the user, is immediately displayed
  • Eight ‘quick recall banks’ are accessible directly from the front panel, enabling performing musicians to get rid of their set sheets and build set lists of presets, sequences and animations, all quickly accessible from dedicated front panel buttons. Up to ten banks of quick recalls can be created, making live performance a doddle
  • Ultra fast (1ms) VCF and VCA envelope generators. VCF-EG is one of the 11 modulation sources that can be freely assigned to any parameter by it’s own unique amount
  • Four Key Modes – Polyphonic, Monophonic, Unison and Stack
  • Very high quality construction, uses a premium FATAR semi-weighted five octave key mechanism with aftertouch
  • All voice control parameters are accessible from a well designed and intuitive front panel, that follows a traditional synthesiser work flow
  • Combined XLR/TRS sockets for balanced / unbalanced outputs. Further, each of the eight outputs can be brought out individually via a dedicated d-sub socket.
  • Optional Digital Output board providing multi voice outputs over USB (Class Compliant) with FX available Q2 2015.
  • Two audio inputs enabling audio processing from the VCF onwards plus external MIDI in and out
  • XY joystick and Sustain and Expression pedal inputs for performance controls – any control parameter can be assigned to any joystick axis (X+, X-, Y+, Y-) by pressing the dedicated front panel selector button

Pricing and Availability:

Modal Electronics’ 008 is expected to begin shipping Summer 2015 at a suggested retail price of $5495 US. For more information, product specs, and dealer locations, check out the Modal Electronics website.

29 thoughts on “Modal Electronics’ Intros 008 8-voice Analog Monster Synth

  1. Wow, that’s a lot of money. On the other hand, that’s a lot of synthesizer! I personally prefer simpler and smaller boxes that do one thing well, but if I could only have one synth, this would be a contender. 🙂

  2. This synth sounds fantastic. Too bad for the chumps that pay for it that 99.99999% of people listening to their music won’t be able to tell the difference between this synth and a cheap softsynth.

  3. wow, first the Prophet 6, and now this!?!?!? How is this possible. NO ONE except DSI/Sequential has been able to produce a poly VCO (or even DCO) till now. This seems like it could be amazing.

    1. I think it was at NAMM, when Dave Smith was asked about the difficultly of making analogue poly synths. He said it wasn’t a hard task to complete and do the electrics to sync them, he seemed to think cost was the main reason we don’t see more of it – and I guess he is right.

  4. Not of my paygrade but so good to see. Hopefully the proliferation of this sort of thing trickles down to those of us in the Plastic case / Minikey set :p

  5. I remember Jd 800s coming out and Juno 106’s. the price on this is very high and it is a shame.
    I have sneaky suspicion moogs sub 37, made sense to them to shift units and get steady income stream. The good thing is the likes of Dominion etc and of course Dave Smth , give the punters what we want at a credible price point. Being into synths now for me is a 30 year passion and it is interesting to see companies come and go, and trends rise and fall.
    Great to see a company making synths but not when they are out of reach of most people.
    I spend enough on synths and studio gear , so it is not a case of can’t afford ,its a case of doesn’t make sense. Will Nord ever make a budget unit?

  6. Ohhh… Very nice. Just out of interest be great to hear a side-by-side with the DCO version and this. I don’t really like side-by-sides, if you need to put a Korg ARP next to a vintage ARP to see how close it sounds then it likely sounds that close that you shouldn’t be wasting your time comparing a new ARP to a vintage warped sound that will sound like nothing else anyway – pointless waste of time. But here, I am thinking, as the same company is doing a VCO and DCO of the same machine, at the same time, it would give everyone a great VCO vs DCO reference point.

  7. I am thinking that the only thing this seems to be missing is poly aftertouch, and it is in the league of being a modern CS-80 with digital control. I wonder if the hardware and software can take a poly aftertouch signal, like splitting the midi channel aftertouch to the VCO structure.

  8. Let me get this straight, you can get both a Prophet 12 and a Prophet 6 for the price of one of these? Hmmm? Yeah, no thanks Modal Electronics. In this day and age, your products are too expensive for mere mortals.

  9. First off I have to say that I far prefer the look of this black beauty to their other white offerings. It looks lovely.

    Most of us mortals will have to scrimp and save for a P6. I would never be able to afford this.

    If I have any use for a polysynth I think I have my bases covered with the KingKorg. I am sure this 008 will sound fab, but I couldn’t afford it in 100 years.

  10. I’m having a little trouble understanding the practical differences between the 008 and the 002, both of which seem to have similar price points. Can somebody summarize for me?

    1. the difference is the 008 has totally analog signal path VCO VCF VCA, the oscillators are real VCO’s while the 002 is an hybrid with digital oscillators ( like the dave smith prophet 12 ) and analog vcf and vca.

    2. The 002 has high resolution NCO’s a type of aliasing free digital Oscilator so it has many more waveforms than Analog Oscillators. The 008 has analog VCOs. Also the filters seem to be different. The 002 has pole morphing transistor ladder filters that move from LP to BP (I don’t think it has a real HP mode) and the 008 has a multi mode filter with hard selections between types and a whole lot of types.

      1. The other difference is the 002 is 12 voices and 12 part multi-timbral with and the 008 is and 8 voices with 2 part multi-timbral, as far as I can gather. The sequencer on the 002 is 12 track and the 008 is 2 track.

        You could stack 2 voices on the 002 and still have 6 not polyphony with 4 oscillators per voice. I think the 002 has 50+ waveforms since the developer says he is a big PPG Wave fan.

        The 002 has the variable filter which is one of the things I liked in the demo because you can modulate filter shape just as you can modulate filter cutoff. It seemed to be another parameter for instant editing to change the sound in a neat way by turning the filter shape knob, just as you can just get a great sound sometimes just by tweaking the cutoff knob. I liked that.

        For me in the UK, maybe it makes sense to have a UK manufacturer, perhaps for such high end gear, just in case you ever hit a problem.

  11. I can’t go to the comment section of almost any post on Synthtopia without seeing the words “Dave Smith Dave Smith”, even when the original post had nothing to do with Dave Smith. Do I smell paid trolls???

    1. There are very reasonable comparisons to be made here. Perhaps it is because DSI/Sequential are filling the right holes in the market?
      On a financial level, would a valid question be an 008 or a vintage Minimoog?
      Or to illustrate how reasonable the price might be, does it sound as good as 8 SEMs? (Or at least half as good?) I bet Tom Oberheim’s Son of Four Voice will be much more expensive than this (if it ever surfaces)!

  12. I have tested not one but two 001 synths both had software issues encoder jitter and loose screws that fell out of the body. Also entering data sometimes isn’t as reliable or problem free with the endless encoders. Lots of time is wasted trying just to save a patch in a machine that has no save button.but the bottom line is for two thousand dollars NONE of the above should have occurred.so I just sent back the second one as well.the folks at that company impress me more than the 001 did.peace christo

  13. I demoed th Modal 008 yesterday at Andy Thomas’s yesterday.
    It’s a monster sounding synth, which can sound like a Moog or PPG and for the first time a Yamaha CS80.
    The sub Osc on the vco and choice of all those filters take it into another league.
    I have played both models and confirm,you get what you pay for .
    I agree, if these synths had polyphonic aftertouch and a Cs ribbon strip I would by them both in a NY minute.
    Come on Fatar,manufacture these keyboards.

  14. It seems to me that the Modal 008 is trying to be a modern day Roland Jupiter 8. I’m looking to get a Jupiter 8 but the 008 seems to be better. Can anyone out there explain the differences to me?

  15. It seems to me that the Modal 008 is trying to be a modern day Roland Jupiter 8. Since the Jupiter 8 is THE most notable synth, I kind of think Modal wants the Jupiter 8 lovers to buy their 008 since the price of a used Jupiter 8 is $8000-$12,000. I thought about getting a Jupiter 8 but now that I see the 008, I don’t know now. Can anyone help?

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