GS Music shared this video demo of the Bree6, a polyphonic analog synthesizer that features six voices of polyphony, each equipped with a single voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), and a sub oscillator.
The signal path includes a mixer, a 4-pole low-pass voltage-controlled ladder filter (VCF), and a voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA). The control signals are digitally generated, incorporating one low-frequency oscillator (LFO) and two ADSR-type envelope generators. Additionally, the Bree6 integrates an effects processor with chorus and delay.
Features:
- Polyphony: 6 voices.
- Oscillator (VCO): Single Analog oscillator per voice.
- Filter (VCF): 24dB/Oct Low-pass ladder filter with resonance control.
- Envelope Generators: 2 ADSR type.
- LFO: Triangular, Ramp up, Ramp down, Square, Sample and hold.
- Effects: Delay, Chorus (DSP: 32 bits, 48kHz, DAC/ADC:24 bits).
- Presets: 512
- Connections: MIDI In, MIDI Out, Thru, L/Mono Audio Output (Balanced, 1/4″ TRS), R Audio Output (Balanced, 1/4″ TRS), Headphone Output (Stereo, 1/4″ TRS), USB.
- Power Supply: Input: 100 –240V 50/60 Hz 1.2 A. Output: DC 12V 3A
- Power Consumption: 3W
- Dimensions: 360 mm x 126 mm x 67 mm / 14.17” x 4.96” x 2.64”
- Weight: 1.5 kg / 3.31 lbs.
- Dimensions with packaging: 460 mm x 200 mm x 140 mm / 18.11” x 7.87” x 5.51”.
- Weight with packaging: 2.1 kg / 4.63 lbs.
Pricing and Availability:
The GS Music Bree6 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer is available now for $999 USD.
Lovely design and fairly priced.
Man this sounds good! This could be the product for folks that want a synth like a Nymphes but with a more robust interface yet without breaking the bank as much as a Prophet 6 or OB-6 module. This instrument might hit a real sweet spot. Wish it used an IEC connector but you can always order backup power supplies later.
Wow, that’s a good price for something like this.
Please elaborate your opinion, thanks! I can find several analog polysynths, with more/better features, at a much lover price?
Actually, can you elaborate too? I’ve been shopping around for a modern / minimal polyphonic synth, very much like this.
Oh YES baby!!! This is just totally AWESOME! Can’t think of anything else, at this pricepoint, that can compete with BREE6!! It’s a STEAL!!
I can see this being a great partner with two or three others like it. It has a full voice for a sensible price. I’m generally a stubborn 2-3-oscillator type, but the sub-osc. helps a lot here. If you’re drawn to modulars but the price is too daunting, a couple of synths like this can get you close to some of the more useful sound categories. Nice, solid design that brings the beef. It has “tabletop rig warrior” written all over it.
Any technical guy willing to explain to this ol’ fart, how you can have one single oscillator for six different notes/voices at the same time?. Thanks in advance . sid
> … six voices of polyphony, each equipped with a single voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), and a sub oscillator.
> Single Analog oscillator per voice.
Thanks mate..i really appreciate you taking the time.
divide-down architecture would be another example of a single osc providing multiple voices, but in this case it’s just 6 oscillators, with 1 oscillator dedicated per voice
Thanks Cody….so indeed there is the technology to have polyphony (i.e 6 different notes) with only one single vco?….thanks again mate!
No, it will be paraphonic, since each note will be summed to a single output
Part of a single output
Looks like it’s paraphonic :/
Indeed. They market it as six voices consisting of just the oscillator and sub, and the rest shared…So, sextophonic? Their E7 voice is full polyphonic and, with the specs listed quite differently (“Each voice has two voltage controlled oscillators (VCO), a noise source, a mixer, a voltage controlled filter (VCF) and a voltage controlled amplifier (VCA).”) – I can’t be bothered to listen to the demo op the 6 to hear what it does. Though it admittedly is a unique synth if this is how they designed.
Also, weird comment section. Too optimistic compared to other sources. Especially the price, which is about 300,- more than I expected. Fun if you want to support your country’s first synth, I suppose. Dreadbox seems to become the logical choice if budget is concerned.
I was also surprised, I expected more commenters to complain about the fact that it only has one oscillator. But I’m even more surprised that no one seemed to notice the 90-degree phase issue in the demo video. It’s also strange that people don’t believe a company when they claim their synth is truly polyphonic.
As for the price, considering it hasn’t compromised on anything except the number of oscillators per voice and maybe the LFOs, it’s still a solid deal. It’s about three times the size of the Nymphes, with full-size controls, a promise of no menu diving, an OLED screen, stereo balanced TRS outputs, 512 presets, and a high-quality effects section. They could have cut corners by offering only USB power, leaving out MIDI thru, or skipping a headphone amplifier like many others do, but they didn’t. Good for GS! It also seems to be of much higher quality compared to other mass-produced products.
Not a matter of trust, in this case, at least for me. It’s just that the word polyphonic is used loosely at times (the Poly D!) and the marketing material is being unclear.
I owned an E7, and had no problem with the company. At the time, that synth had some issue with env range & jumpy pots in the digital sections, but it sounded great. I think the Bree here is well into the boutique-premium price range. A minilogue at half the price is a more obvious budget pick.
As far as I recall, the only time a brand referred to a synthesizer as “polyphonic” when it was actually paraphonic was with the Poly-D. Given the brand, it’s not surprising.
Still, I’m surprised that people prefer to guess incorrectly in the comments rather than simply sending an email if they’re truly interested in the topic.
I wouldn’t consider a $1,000 synth to be premium, If the only contender for this synth is mass-produced with significantly lower build quality and 50% fewer voices, I think GS’s pricing is pretty great. but to each their own.
To be fair, I did reach out to the several days ago, but received no response.
It specifically says “Polyphony: 6 voices,” so that’s 1 oscillator, 1 filter, and 1 VCA per voice. However, I wonder what made you think it’s paraphonic. Is it because they wrote “Filter” and not “Filters”? I’m asking out of curiosity, as someone else also seemed confused about the number of oscillators
I may be mistaken. I was given that impression by how all of the material calls out the VCO’s as “per voice” but never does this with the filters and uses the singular version of the word. Looking into it a bit further, their page for the E7 is also written this way, and that synth definitely has per voice filters.
Interesting choice of controller. I thought the T8 was like the Pro800 architecture… That aside, it does look and sound very nice, and including effects is an interesting choice.
If I recall correctly, does this company’s country have an exorbitant export tax that basically doubles the price?
Did Milei maybe do away with the export tax?
I’m not sure about this, as I’ve never heard of export tax for the buyer. However, it seems that many shops around the world sell it for about $999/€1000 plus your local import tax—Perfect Circuit, Schneidersladen, KMR, Noisebug, Juno and others.