The latest loopop video takes an in-depth look at the Erica Synths Pico System III – an all-in-one modular synthesizer.

The Erica Synths Pico System III is a patchable modular synth, but is a solid unit that does not let you swap out modules. It’s Eurorack compatible, though, so you can integrate it with a larger system or use it as a ‘starter system’.

It also includes a Buchla Easel style card slot, which essentially lets you create reusable patches on swapable cards. This is sort of like hardware presets for a modular synth, but the cards only capture connections between modules, not the settings of your knobs.

See the Erica Synths site for details.

Video Summary:

“PICO SYSTEM III from Erica Synths is a step away from the previous PICO systems. The cost has been reduced by creating one set of modules rather than individual swappable ones, and complex digital modules have been replaced with simpler analog ones. However, an interesting feature has been added: support for Buchla Easel-style preset cards.

This video is a full review of PICO System 3, and also includes a little hack for getting much more than just simple patch presets out of the voice cards.”

Topics covered:

0:00 Intro
0:50 Overview
2:55 Preset cards
4:10 DIY expansion – “hacking” a preset card
6:15 Sequencer
7:00 Oscillators
9:10 Mixers
10:20 Modulator
11:50 Envelopes
13:30 LPG/Filters
15:15 Analog delay
17:00 Pros & cons
19:45 Outro jam