The compact analogue synth reworks the 1971 EMS classic with three oscillators, a motion sequencer and USB-C power.
Behringer has finally opened pre-orders for the AKS Mini, its compact reworking of the EMS Synthi AKS, three years on from when the project was first shown. The synth went up for order this week through major retailers, taking the briefcase classic behind Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and Brian Eno’s early experiments and shrinking it.
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Behringer has stuck faithfully to the original circuitry, reproducing the AKS VCO and VCF, with three oscillators feeding variable saw and square waves into the AKS filter and the signal path staying analogue the whole way through. The 27 touch-sensitive keys are surprisingly nice to play for a synth this small, and the two-axis joystick, a faithful copy of the one on the original, can be assigned to whichever two parameters you fancy.
There’s plenty of modulation on board, including an LFO with four waveforms which takes care of pitch and filter cutoff, backed up by an envelope generator for the VCA and VCF. The digital spring reverb adds a bit of space, and the 16-step motion sequencer records your knob movements across 10 memory slots, so you can build a patch that shifts and evolves on its own. Poly and unison modes cover both tight chord work and fat unison leads.
USB-C powers it from a phone, power bank or computer, a sync connector ties it to other synths and drum machines, and the MIDI spec is thorough, with NRPN and CC control over every parameter plus bulk load and save.
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