Dreadbox Nymphes Review – “It’s A Wee Synthesizer…That Sounds Superb”

In his latest allmyfriendsaresynths video, synthesist Stephen McLeod shares his thoughts on the new Dreadbox Nymphes polyphonic analog synthesizer.

The Nymphes is a compact 6-voice analog synthesizer that they say is inspired by the chthonic demi-goddesses.

Video Summary:

“I’ve owned or used a lot of Dreadbox synthesizers, from the early incarnations of the Erebus when I spotted it in a modular synth shop and it blew my mind. I blame both Dreadbox and Jason from Signal Sounds for bankrupting me since then with my slide into Eurorack.

Anyway, I wasn’t convinced about the Nymphes when I first saw it advertised, as the menu control seemed a bit confusing and the synth lacking some features. However, when I saw the price was ‘just’ £449, I decided to take the plunge, and I am glad I did.

Here’s my take on the Dreadbox Nymphes. What its features are, its strengths, whether or not that menu system actually is a problem or not… and my general experience using it so far. All of it is entwined with some wee bits and pieces of sounds direct from the synth itself. Don’t take my slagging of Americans too seriously… it’s what you all deserve for regularly abusing me for my accent. :*”

Topics covered:

00:00 – Intro
02:55 – Form Factor & Build
04:09 – Connectivity
04:50 – Features
07:03 – Musical Interlude
07:31 – The Sound
08:33 – Menu System
11:40 – Mono Output
12:14 – Musical Interlude
12:40 – Final Thoughts
14:30 – Musical Outro

Check it out and share your thoughts on the Nymphes in the comments!

14 thoughts on “Dreadbox Nymphes Review – “It’s A Wee Synthesizer…That Sounds Superb”

  1. It’s nice to see that Frankie Boyle has used the lockdowns wisely and gotten into synthesis!

    On a serious note, great overview and another excellent sounding synth for the money from Erebus.

  2. Bob, Robert, Bobby, my boy, it isn’t very manly nor funny to comment the same nonsense under each post about the Dreadbox Nymphes. You come across as rather insecure about your own masculinity and as ignorant and someone who can’t comprehend what they read.
    You might want to let go already.

  3. After looking over UI closely, I am really impressed with how much control they were able to pack into such a small synth. It actually does look very simple and straight-forward to use. Also, you really can’t beat the price. High-five, for the Dreadbox Nymphes

    1. That price can easily be beaten. I don’t get why people think a Nymphes is a cheap deal. You can buy a lot more synth with way beter hands-on control for that kind of money.

      1. Can you please list all 100% analog 6-voice polyphonic synths for 400 euro or less? Genuinely interested to find out about the ones I don’t know of yet. Thanks!

        1. The whole charm about the Nymphes is the size, not the hands-on control. The sound is nice but there’s no point in denying that the controls are cumbersome. It may look easy but as videos point out you quickly have no idea what the settings are when you start tweaking with the faders that control multiple things. This could be fixed by adding a MIDI controller if the implementation is done right. This way you don’t need the shift function on the Nymphes as much and have a decent overview on what’s going on. Hopefully they add MPE and change the reverb algorithm.

      2. You shouldn’t select instruments based on price. They’re not late night post-clubbing cheeseburgers.

        My favourite synths have a distinctive (or extremely useful) sound and a good UI.

        1. “You shouldn’t select instruments based on price”

          In that case I’ll take a Schmidt, a Moog One and a Prophet-10. And a Hydrasynth deluxe for a bit of polyphonic aftertouch + ribbon controller. 😉

  4. Seems like this could go really well with a decent MIDI controller. On its own, I think I’d go crazy trying to program it.

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