Dreadbox Nymphes 6-Voice Analog Synthesizer Is ‘Stunning & Ethereal’

Dreadbox has officially introduced Nymphes, a compact 6-voice analog synthesizer.

Here’s what Dreadbox has to say about it:

“The Polyphonic Synthesizer N Y M P H E S was developed during the obscure pandemic times and we really hope that it will bring a pinch of happiness on your face.

We tried to condense an ambitious idea in a small and compact box, without any compromise in the quality of the final instrument.

The result is stunning and ethereal …”

Features:

  • Analog synth voice
  • 6 Voices Polyphony
  • Lush Digital Reverb (developed by Dreadbox)
  • 12 Envelopes and 7 LFOs (2 envelope/voice, 1LFO/voice + 1 generic LFO) > 6 different playing modes
  • 98 presets memory (49 factory and 49 user)
  • MIDI over USB or via DIN5 (with full CC In and Out documentation) > Compact , USB Powered for maximum portability
  • Durable, Metal Enclosure

Features per Voice:

  •  1x VCO with Wave Forming > 1x Sub Oscillator
  • Noise generator
  • 1x LFO per voice with: Key track, Fade In and Fade out, 5 waveforms and wide frequency (into the FM range)
  • 2x Envelope Generators
  • 24dB/octave Low Pass Resonant Filter with accurate tracking
  • 6dB/octave High Pass Non-Resonant Filter

Common Voice Features:

  • 1x common LFO (named LFO2) that can target any and multiple parameters with different amount to each one at the same time , with: Key track, Fade In and Fade out, 5 waveforms and Wide Frequency (into the FM range).
  • 7x active Chords that you can edit, modulate and store on each preset.
  • Modulation wheel, Velocity and Aftertouch (monophonic) can target any and multiple param- eters with different amount to each one at the same time.

Specifications & Connections:

  • USB powered (1.5 Watts)
  • 50 Playing hours with a 20,000mA power bank MIDI IN via USB or DIN5
  • 1/4″ MONO TS Jack Out
  • 1/8″ Headphones Out

Official Video Intro:

Dreadbox says that the Nymphes is inspired by the chthonic demi-goddesses, who not only personify nature, but are regularly associated with the wild; and is dedicated to all abused and oppressed women.

Pricing and Availability

The Dreadbox Nymphes is expected to be available in November 2021, priced at 499 € (incl. 24% VAT).

112 thoughts on “Dreadbox Nymphes 6-Voice Analog Synthesizer Is ‘Stunning & Ethereal’”

  1. “dedicated to all abused and oppressed women.”

    This type of marketing bs makes me not want to buy it. I hate it when companies try to capitalize on abuse.

    1. They don’t care what you think. It does not matter what you think. They are Dreadbox.

      The fact that you’re expressing butthurt over this this says more about you than anything else.

    2. Have you ever met anyone from Dreadbox in person? They are not the type of people that do anything for marketing purposes. They mean what they say, and if they dedicated this synth to oppressed women, then it’s from their heart. If you’re not okay with that, go buy something else, but don’t call something BS if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

      1. Although I agree with you in spirit and the founder of Dreadbox, Yannis Diakoumakos is a very kind and thoughtful individual, this is poorly executed and without a more meaningful engagement in support of such a important cause, it is a bit hollow.

        1. Have to agree, just took a look on their website and the statement on the bottom tastes really sour unless combined with an additional action, such as donating part of the revenue for the cause. I hope that’s what they’re up to.

          1. That’s a good point, I think in this climate that’s a pretty fair extension of the critique. I see how it has a “thoughts in prayers” as payment attached to a product with no materially beneficial support to victims of abuse and oppression.

            The video game industry with all of its problems gets this right with themed humble bundle w/ profits going towards causes.

            The synthesizer industry can also get this right. It’s cool of them to have this messaging if it’s part of their product inspiration, but there is a standard especially now that this messaging is backed with material support towards the issue.

            1. I don’t buy for one second Dreadbox designers were inspired by abused and oppressed women when they created a six voice analogue polysynth. How would that even work?
              “Oh, this soldering here was inspired by Natalee Holloway”
              “This fader came to me in a dream after I watched Afghani women being oppressed by the Taliban, its harsh design represents the way women are being treated under Sharia law.”
              “The filter’s cutoff point reflects the glass ceiling women face in the job market, but in a more conscious manner of course than the original Minimoog’s filter, which was part of the patriarchy”.

              Maybe, although very unlikely, they came up with the idea of dedicating the synth to oppressed women before they thought of the name “Nymphes” (a name usually associated with highly sexually voracious women who crave sex whenever they can, which is in itself an odd choice as a name for a synth dedicated to “smashing the patriarchy”.)

              I rather expect that the synth was fully made, the name was already on the product, and then they added some schtick about women’s rights to the product description before anouncing it to the world. I don’t have anything against that per se, but to claim the synth was “inpsired” by the oppression of women, is just silly. And that’s not because I’m not in favour of women’s rights, it’s just a criticism of the way this commercial enterprise tries to piggyback on a hot topic that their product has nothing to do with. I actually find that more tasteless and cynical than Behringer’s corksniffer shenanigans.

        2. I agree. Have loved Dreadbox in the past, and this is definitely not enough for me to “boycott” the company or anything, but I guarantee you there’s not a woman out there who has suffered abuse who is like, “thank you for dedicating this niche synthesizer to me! It almost made the abuse worth it!” Even if they were donating proceeds to an org. that supports women, a “dedication” is incredibly tacky, (although I imagine there may be something lost in Greek-English translation, as we sometimes see in Dreadbox literature).

      2. So the bit about this synth having 12 envelopes and 7 lfo’s, has nothing to do with marketing? “it is stunning and ethereal” again is not a marketing quote?

    4. Dimitra from Dreadbox here:

      The message regarding the abused women, is a vigilance, a shake to all of us, so that we don’t forget what is happening next to us EVERYDAY. Here in Greece the last year we had so many femicides that made us all frightened and disgusted. I guess that almost everywhere happens the same.

      The message, which I wrote btw, is not a marketing trick in order to monetise over abuse. If we wanted to use abuse for this reason, we would add that “We will offer a part of the proceeds to charities who help abused women”. THAT IS A MARKETING TRICK

      We do make donations at many organisations and there is no need to Shout out about this.
      We do not help minorities and oppressed humans, so that we tell the world that we are helping them.
      We help them because we feel that this is the correct thing to do when you care about people around you.

      I am really sad that my message brought such feelings to some people.
      I will continue talking and writing about my thoughts and beliefs, no matter what

      2. I think it is admirable of you to address the issue head on, however some of the criticism is valid. I have personally supported your products and will continue to do so, and your efforts to support such a worthy cause is more than commendable, yet even if you did not intend to use this cause as a marketing platform, the moment you invoked the cause and the plight of abused women, you had a responsibility to be more sensitive and ensure that the translation and vernacular used was appropriate in the context being presented.

        I personally believe that more companies, large and small must use their influence to bring about meaningful and substantive change.

      4. That’s all a bit vague, isn’t it?
        Make a clear statement, we donated to these charities (list) and will continue to do so.
        Without that it sounds like bs marketing 😉
        You are not communicating this well. 😉

      5. Please don’t feel like you have to explain and bow to these complainers, it doesn’t matter what you say, and the more you do say, the more they will aim to cancel you out regardless of what you said. Looking forward to the new synth ! Power to Dreadbox !

      6. “We will offer a part of the proceeds to charities who help abused women”. THAT IS A MARKETING TRICK”

        I don’t feel like that is a marketing trick. Agree to disagree. I am happy though that charities are getting support regardless of if you want to advertise it or not.

      7. @Dimitra: it distinctly leaves a worse impression to offer general platitudes about soothing pain and only vaguely committing to supporting charities or other causes without any specifics – it makes the former sound hollow. I would strongly encourage y’all to actually be full transparent about how you are donating or otherwise supporting the causes you believe in if you intend to use such strong language in your marketing copy. transparency, clarity, and specificity put weight behind your messaging and make it easier to believe that it’s the real deal and not just marketing.

        and to be sure, i take everything you have expressed in good faith. i think there might be a bit of a cultural difference in terms of viewing marketing, but it’s nota “trick” to be sincere and transparent. i believe in your company and thing you mean well, but the optics of this from the US are not ideal.

      9. “I guess that almost everywhere happens the same.”

        Well, you guess wrong. I mean, there is abuse everywhere, regardless gender, but think I might know, why you say that. I had conversations with some people from my country, who worked in Greece, and actually only thing I remember from those is – how bad women were treated in Greece. Every-single-time they told me about that. Twice they told me that they consider Greece not an European but middle-eastern culture because of that. I come from culture that very strongly punishes abuse of women, there might be verbal abuse, but that is also considered low life’s move, but hit a woman and you might be in trouble before police arrives. And news spread fast. Practically if you are – as we call them – woman boxer, word follows you like bad stink.

        Another one: suicides by males are far more common here, where I live and in neighbouring countries.

        For those interested: people that I mentioned, were working as captains at different yachts or catamarans. But they also worked in different parts of world and I met them during my cruising around Baltic Sea.

    5. This just in, toxic comment section features unsolicited negative opinion from random guy…
      At least Dreadbox is using their voice for something worthwhile

    6. Looks like my purchase of the Hypnosis a year or two ago was my only and now last foray in to Dreadbox gear – I’m not a big fan of abused women tbh.

      1. Right-wing cancel culture rears its ugly head yet again. Remember how Moog calling a synth ‘Matriarch’ freaked out the right-wingers?

        It would be sad to be so insecure that your prejudices keep you from enjoying a synth.

        1. No, I don’t remember anyone freaking out over the Matriarch name. Isn’t the Matriarch name supposed to denote an expanded, higher level Grandmother?

          1. Maybe you’re just comfortable with synth dudes freaking out about any intersection between synths and women?

            Synth dudes on ‘Matriarch’: “Does Moog imply with that name that their target customers are beta males? Because they are mostly men for sure and the emancipation of women argument doesn’t work.”

            Synth dudes on Gearslutz changing its name: “Just when I think the world has gone as soft, entitled and pathetic as it can get, this sort of snowflake convention pops up. Just go away, and stop focusing on every little microscopic opportunity to get your butterfly wing feelings bent out of shape.”

            Synth dudes on the documentary “Sisters with Transistors”: “If inclusion is so important then films aimed at any one gender should be stopped, and this should have men in it too.”

            Synth dudes on Dreadbox dedicating a synth to abused women: “Looks like my purchase of the Hypnosis a year or two ago was my only and now last foray in to Dreadbox gear.”

            Synth dudes in the ‘moan zone’, explaining why they are still single:

            https://gearspace.com/board/the-moan-zone/1339345-name-change-petition-6.html

            Angry, impotent gender-phobic comments are everywhere. If you’re in denial about this, you’re part of the problem, and most women can see it immediately.

            1. Or some of us actually desired a more meaningful engagement from Dreadbox. I have commended for their progressive stance on this issue.

            3. It’s the same kind of people bashing Behringer for chauvinist reasons (a German manufacturer producing in China like our American heroes? Outrageous!). Arguing with this kind of people is pointless. I don’t think I’ll ever need a Nymphes, but I’ll sure remember Dreadbox next time I’m looking into new hardware.

            4. I’m a massive gearslutz and a guy. Screw all (man or woman) that tries to shut me down.
              I’m not right wing or left wing, I don’t even vote! I’m just trying to be honest and I’m not a person that takes others hostage to get my own agenda going.

              Switching the name Gearslutz to Gearspace was all about the money. Only those with poor judgement still don’t see that. Why don’t they see it? Cause they have their agenda and are extremely biased. They got their news from social media aka a gigantic bubble of a complete screwed up fake baked reality. And companies are making profit on other people drama like never before!

              Dimitra can spin it all she wants. She knows this backfired hard and now she’s on websites trying to correct her actions. By the way what about the abused men, do they not count? Or does she live in a world where only the woman gets it?

              It’s all bs. I deleted my Gearslutz account the second after they announced it and will not buy this synth because of their poor marketing choice. If they keep continue, than I will keep calling them out on their bs. Just because a company makes some cool stuff doesn’t mean their ideology is.

              2. Just a head’s up: Just because you don’t know about politics / don’t vote does not mean your ideas and thoughts are not influenced by them. You make very clear political stances in your post that many would consider right-wing, not knowing they are doesn’t mean they’re not political stances. You are influenced by your surroundings / things you read & see, it’s good to be aware of this lest you out your political opinions as some non-political truthism that it’s not.

                1. Those many you talk about ain’t making this world a better place an destroy everything until nothing is fun anymore and nobody dares to speak up. They have no clue that they’re being played out and put against each other. Thinking i’m right wing because I go against the trend of some brainwashed teenagers that don’t see Dreadbox is using the abuse of women for their own marketing. Yeah I’m not a freakin hipster and I do my research buddy. I may be a radical but far from extreme right or left. I don’t vote because I know how politicians operate. Wake up! 😉

              3. “what about the abused men, do they not count?”
                Try not being so soft. ‘Women’ doesn’t mean ‘specifically not men’ just as it doesn’t mean ‘specifically not refugees’. It’s one product. They don’t bare the burden of making sure every group feels included in their dedication lmao. Also, who cares? It’s a fucking product. Again, try not being so soft.

    8. Some facts:
      – Dreadbox’s co-founder and creative director is a woman.
      – Dreadbox are based in Greece.
      – In Greece, a recent study showed that 1 in 4 women experience physical or sexual abuse.
      – 25 % of people in Greece knew a female victim of domestic violence within their circle of friends and family.
      – In Greece, when it came to human trafficking , women and girls made up 70% of people being trafficked.
      – Back in May, a bill to amend child custody provisions in Greece’s civil code disregarded risks for domestic violence victims that would put women and children in jeopardy.

      This topic clearly hits close to home for Dreadbox, hence them supporting women’s charities and raising awareness about the situation.

  3. It’s a small synth company not Kellogg’s. Don’t buy it if you don’t want one. It would be nice if some of the proceeds went to a women’s based charity.

  4. What an inspired colour choice and wonderful gesture to abused women, yet this is marketing at its worst! This is a direct quote from their site ‘Each time you play a note on this synthesizer, imagine you soothe their pain away’. https://www.dreadbox-fx.com/nymphes/

    That is awful, this is explorative at best, and at worst words fail me. Unless there is more to this where they intend to donate a certain percentage of proceeds or make a contribution, or perhaps they intend to donate synthsisers to various organisations and groups, this is unseemly. I want to be supportive, however at its current construct, it is disappointing.

    1. Oof, have to admit that’s a bit rough indeed. I hope there is more to this than the statement, otherwise it’s really just bad marketing.

    2. You have do be stoned crazy, the-Dude-style in order to be able to get away with quotes like that. Actually it feels more like a serial-ladies-man routine game than a thoughtful remark.

    3. Wow, that is cringe inducing. They could have at least prominently promoted a specific charity to truly help garner donations (such as the Sahar education fund for Afghan girls https://sahareducation.org/) instead of the generic statement at the bottom. Also, multi-function faders scare me.

  6. I have been told about abuses by women I’ve met so often that I am more surprised when it that is not an experience they have had. It has also been a part of my mother’s history I discovered from reconnecting with a cousin who got the information from my mom’s sister (I wasn’t surprised there either).

    Dreadbox’s creative director and co-founder Dimitra Manthou is a woman; with what is and has been going on in Afghanistan and around the world with regards to women’s rights and conflicts perhaps this is what is meant.

    Not that women can’t exploit women for profit, it’s just not the foot I would start off on in thinking about Dreadbox’s Nymphes messaging.

  7. Jesus, a probably great new synth is announced and all people can do is be the usual internet pissy pants about something or nothing unrelated to the synth. You’re all so freaking dull it makes me want to cry.

      1. They didn’t ‘bring up stuff’, the left a dedication to “abused and oppressed women.” I’m sure they thought they were doing something nice and meaningful to them as a company but no, the hysterical self righteous cancel culture babies jump on that one thing and decide it’s somehow offensive. I pity you people on the day you have to face something truly awful.

      2. If it came up during development then it’s related to the synth’s story. There’s nothing wrong with critiquing their choice, but framing it as an unrelated element is, at best, a misreading of the Nymphes description page.

        1. Well we don’t know if it came up in development or not though, and even if it did, who cares ? If they had dedicated it to Nazis around the world then fair point, but the fact the synth maker dedicates it to a really worth cause is certainly no cause for discontent among the millennial and hysterical masses, but then it doesn’t matter does it, as long as their ‘I’m more woke and righteous’ than you protest is registered online, it’s on to the next pathetic utterances.

          1. Please go read some history books asap as you clearly have no clue how people got divided before WWII started. Just because someone says something that sounds good doesn’t mean their intentions are. Have you ever watched/read a speech by a Nazi member or did you fall asleep during school?

            Let’s forget the Nazi’s and go fast forward towards today… Mr Uli.. such a nice man cause he only says these cute nice buzzwords and he even gives synthesizers away for free to poor little starving childern.

            LMAO Stop being so incredibly naive. It seems like nobody learned anything from the centuries of wars but they love to spread the word Nazi like they got a clue of what they’re talking about.

            1. “Just because someone says something that sounds good doesn’t mean their intentions are.”

              True, but it also doesn’t mean the opposite like every single person here assumed. That’s pure cynisism and misunderstanding the difference between a multi-billion conglomerate and small boutique operations who don’t focus-group something to death.

  8. If you do not buy this synth you are at least implicitly favoring women’s abuse, I guess.

    Black humor aside, how does nymphs (aka smashing the patriarchy) sound though?

  9. There has been a number of murders in Greece in the last year. Many women died. If you are Greek you will understand. They have a loyal customer base and do not need that kind of marketing nor are capitalising on anything. Women need to feel supported in this sewage that is the Greek society and I respect Dimitra for wanting to make that part of their product release.

      2. Seperate outs for oscs: certainly not. No poly synth i know of has those.
        Delay: Most likely! Looks like there is three different FX on the front panel.

        But most noticeably: “One Knob (slider) per Function!”

  11. > “we really hope that it will bring a
    > pinch of happiness on your face!”

    no, because it lacks two important things: multi-timbrality and a screen.

    2. I have to agree, I am still perplexed that synth designers still have not figured out how to incorporate a screen in a meaningful and constructive manner. Thus most will omit it and explain it as some sort of benefit. This could have used a long strip screen above the faders for instance. I am interested in hearing this eventually.

  12. I cant get to thinking about the synth without understanding more about the position / action Dreadbox is taking on this sensitive issue. How are Dreadbox leading front the front in terms of gender diversity within within their organization? What are they doing within their industry to promote gender diversity? How are they supporting anti-discriminatory organizations? This marketing event has opened up a number of questions that now require answers.

  13. Yet another beautiful synth from Dreadbox. I look forward to hearing some demos.

    I know I’ll probably get accused of virtue signalling but for what it’s worth, I took the statement about abused and oppressed women in the spirit in which it was intended. I didn’t see it as the cynical marketing trick that some have suggested, more as acknowledgement of the continued injustices towards women, from a boutique manufacturer with a female co-founder.

    1. I don’t think it’s virtue signaling, what you saw from the product page was the what made the most sense. Framing it in another light doesn’t pass the sniff test after basic research.

  16. Interesting. A polysynth without a display is an intriguing choice. I love the clean design, but not sure how the menu button and controls will work in the real world. I fear it could be one of those cases where the manufacturer saved $10 but made things too complicated to use.

  17. I think they have dedicated it to women because it could have started some opposite effect being the name of the synth Nymphes (the young women lovers of the gods). So marketing , but not for sale purpose, just to be clear as where they as stand. They re great guys

  19. I think the name should be BDSM.
    Other name ideas…….
    GODDESS
    or Maia
    or Get Laid
    or Ethereal
    or Gay(which means Happy)
    or The Dreadbox ( does it create reggae music?)

  20. Love the name and attitude. Sorry that dudebros will be dudebros.

    More importantly – more audio demos, please.

    In the intro video, I’m getting very CS-80/Vangelis vibes, which makes sense based on the Nymphes synth voice architecture.

    1. Agreed – the synth sounds in the first half of the promo video have a ‘Blade Runner’ Vangelis feel. The second half sounds like they’re aiming for more a synth wave sound.

      Fantastic sounding analog poly for the price!

    2. How much dudebroness is there in these comments, I thought in 2021 this was something of the past.
      Clearly not.

      And people complaining about the delivery def got too much time on their hand.
      Go and enjoy a new portable polysynth that Vangelis wishes he had when he was composing good music.

  21. Gender crimes and abuse is a real problem especially in Greece where I live. So I am glad that dreadbox raised this issue. If you are offended by this or think it is a marketing trick then maybe you are not a compassionate person. If you like the synth buy it. If you don’t like it, ok. But don’t blame them because they take the side of the oppressed.

  25. “Smash the patriarchy?” You know it’s 2021 when you can’t even look at a synthesizer without reminded that being a man/guy is borderline an insult to nature… I know that violence against women is a real thing, and I fully support helping spread the message, but how is putting men down helping in any way? It actually creates friction between the sexes… Anyway, my excitement over this synth has been replaced by a weird uneasy feeling that should have nothing to do with a cool new synth.

    1. It sounds like you have a very fragile ego if you think demanding gender equality = being “reminded that being a man/guy is borderline an insult to nature”.

      And how exactly do you think “Smash the patriarchy” is putting men down? A real man is 100% comfortable with treating everyone equitably.

      1. No need for a personal attack.

        Perhaps I don’t understand the word patriarchy but to me, it just represents men. In the past few years, the gender inequality has swung the other around. Men are walking on eggshells and have to be careful with every word where as women can say anything and it’s ok. Or if a man is a CEO or is in a position of power, then it’s automatically because he is a man, but if it’s a woman, then she has earned it through hard work.

        Anyway, regardless of all of that, this marketing is exploitative and Dreadbox can do a lot to support the cause without attaching it to a synth. Just look at this comment section, it should be about how cool the new synth is but instead, everyone is arguing about something unrelated to the synth itself. It was a bad decision.

        1. you have to imagine every single aspect of society from the perspective of being motherly and loving instead of fatherly and violent. it’s probably impossible for most to fathom because we haven’t had a society like that since the high priests killed akhenaten or whatever.

        2. “Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property.”

          So patriarchy does not ‘just represent men’. It represents the social system that gives men privilege because they’re men – like the way companies pay women 85% of what men make, for doing the same work.

          This privilege is not based on merit: women do better academically than men; women are more productive than men; women score higher on leadership abilities than men; and companies with representative work forces and leadership are more successful than traditional male-dominated companies.

          The fact that you are ignorant about what ‘patriarchy’ means, show no interest in understanding what it means and think that ‘men are walking on eggshells’ out of fear shows that:

          a) you are part of the problem, and

          b) your privilege tells you that you have an important opinion, without a need to be informed about what you are talking about.

          The fact that so many people have expressed ignorant comments about Dreadbox does not mean it was a bad decision to dedicate the Nyphes to abused women; it demonstrates why it is necessary to do things like this.

          Real men – men who think like rational adults – know that treating women equally is only frightening to those who have no confidence in their own strengths and abilities.

          1. @Sandy by continuing to define “real men” you use the language of historical oppression, which makes your comments more antagonising than constructive. Also, ‘rationality’ (not to mention ‘strength’ mentioned by Khan) is already historically attributed to men, as opposed to the so-called “hysteria” of women, so I don’t think you’re doing any of us a favour by echoing these traditional properties.
            Can’t we just settle on something like “decent human beings”, rather than defining specific genders with a narrow and limited description?

            One of the difficulties of discussing ‘the patriarchy’ without grotesquely generalising it out of proportion, is that it differs considerably per country and that, in some cases, a lot of it has been “smashed” already. Both my home country and the one I currently reside in (both EU) have many areas of its social plane where inequality has been removed, compensated for, or even overcompensated.
            One of the areas where I’d say overcompensation can be found in this country, is academia, where I work myself. The number of men that start/finish academic studies has been declining significantly over the last 15 years and in many fields women are a 70+% majority. In fields where we find the majority to be men (e.g. natural sciences), curriculum, PR and attitudes at the faculty are checked and altered to accommodate/attract women – which is obviously a good thing to keep track of in general. Still, this consideration is mostly based on the (often unarticulated assumption) that an unbiased situation will yield a 50/50 ratio – which is obviously questionable to say the least.

            However, ratio and accommodating efforts are sometimes just as easily dismissed if women are the majority. When a colleague of mine who raised the topic of student gender ratio at their faculty (85/15) and asked if they should check if PR was perhaps too much aimed at women, she was told that “men should suck it up and just deal with what is offered” – a sentiment that was subsequently echoed by most. Which is interesting, since exactly that remark also seems to imply at least remnants of a traditionalist attitude towards what we expect from men. Moreover, raising these issues – even as a woman, even in academia and even in places where women are the majority all the way to the top – is often responded to by questioning one’s status as an ‘ally’, rather than a willingness to rationally look at the numbers and discuss these topics.
            Ignorant as Frenchie’s comments may be about the patriarchy as such, I feel the ‘eggshell’ one does touch on something relevant – *at least in some countries and at least in some areas of society*. But then this is the kind of subtlety that is often absent these discussions, also in the comments of allies (which often seem more aimed at “reading” rather than recruiting).

            And agreed; there are definitely some ignorant comments here. Still much of the criticism seems to be aimed at ‘how it was done’, rather than ‘if’ this awareness should be raised about the subject. And I kind of agree about the former; the dedication without any concrete action that shows how (e.g.) our purchase helps to improve the situation for these women, rings hollow and may come across as lazy virtue signalling to some – which I’m sure is not the intention of Dreadbox, but clearly it is the result of *how* it was done.

            1. Also; I didn’t write all of that with the aim of antagonising you Sandy (or anyone for that matter), but rather as an effort to explore moderation and subtlety as a path to making the potentially ignorant more aware of inequality in areas where it matters.
              It is clearly an ongoing battle, but one that we have to fight together as people, which I think (and psychology backs me up here) is not facilitated by polarising a discussion with gross generalisations, nor with personal attacks.

        3. A stronger man would take all of the recent gender discourse as a compliment. More is expected of us. Start understanding it that way and you’ll realize how wonderful it is to be you. Or, of course, you could shrink from it and wish that we had some handicaps so that humans as a whole could have very little expected from them.

      2. @Sandy Hm interesting you should use a phrase like “real men”, which is exactly the kind of language that has been used to keep women “in their place” for ages.. which then indirectly proves the point he is trying to make (as in: imagine if a man were to say something about “real women” these days).

        Though a staunch feminist myself, I have to agree with Frenchie and say that yes, in the last couple of years we have also seen a lot of overcompensation. And it does cause unnecessary friction.

    2. How close is this to the voice architecture of a single voice of a CS-80? I’ve never played a CS synth, but the demo does sound very CS-ish, and at least on paper, the voice architecture seems pretty similar.

  27. And who says Synthtopia isn’t filled with a bunch of easily triggered, ignorant, libido-challenged neckbeards crying about a synth company co-founded by a woman raising awareness about their country that has a known issue of 1 in 4 women experiencing physical or sexual abuse, am I right? For all the triggered folk here, perhaps you should do more research before you mouth off.

  28. This sounds like the kind of synth you use to build a bigger total synth, in one sense. This would be good for poly duties, where other instruments do effects, sequencers or leads better. Its not a prog poly. Its an EDM/experimental item with a more focused role. You don’t get big workstations in this end of the pool; you build your own version of it, Lego-style. What little sound we get from this first demo does have a broad CS-80 flavor, so I look forward to more.

  29. I was gonna avoid posting to this one (feels toxic) but I couldn’t help but notice the feedback/comments of this synth announcement on another site and they were nothing but positive and supportive.

  30. You’re all so soft. Triggered by a product dedication. Maybe try not caring so much about some product. Don’t stake your personality on your consumerism ?

  31. Meh… make an album or soundtrack with it and dedicate that to whatever you want and sell it separately

    I honestly think that most people do not want this type of political statement (be it good or bad) being bundled in with an instrument they would like to buy

    1. That seems to be the main issue. There is no clear way to tie a political statement to a synth. Even though every tiny choice we make is political there are too many degrees of separation from the industrial design and production of a synthesizer to the very real issues of sexism and abuse.

      FWIW the synth looks quite interesting and will be one of the more affordable poly synths on the market. Let’s just make some music people, and not get too wrapped up in the airing of grievances.

  32. Jesus christ, only in today’s world of infatuation with social media, and obsession with getting your own opinion out there for all to see, would we see the lengthy debate/argument over a simple gesture that is supposed to give a little comfort to some of those oppressed in today’s ever-continuing masculine ruled society.

  33. Yeah dedications, am I right? As if writing ‘This thing is dedicated to that thing’ makes any difference. Let’s burn all the books and do away with all those cynical ‘dedications’ in literature, film, tv, art and now SYNTHS. I mean, it’s as if the person dedicating the thing wanted to start a conversation about the thing – right?

    Clearly no-one on this thread has given much thought to the thing beyond their reaction to how the thing was brought to their attention. AND no mention of the innovative thing that created the opportunity for the other thing to have its dedication.

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