The Superbooth 2024 award-winner from Iceland's LOVE Synthesizers is up for pre-order, with shipping due in October.
First Love, the FM synthesizer that took the Best Innovation Award at Superbooth 2024, is now up for pre-order ahead of shipping in October. Built by Reykjavik outfit LOVE Synthesizers, it’s a standalone, portable instrument that puts FM synthesis behind a touchscreen and a set of physical controls, rather than a maze of menus.
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Programming FM synths has always been fiddly, and First Love is built to get around that. An animated touchscreen handles the visual side of building a sound, from wave shaping to morphing envelopes, while the knobs and buttons cover the hands-on tweaks. A newcomer can get a sound going straight away, and there’s plenty left for experienced players to explore.
At its heart is a four-part multitimbral engine that runs poly or mono, with effects and modulation built in. Everything you need is on the one instrument, including live looping, riff sequencing, scale creation and microtonal tuning, the last of which won over film composer Úlfur Hansson: “No other hardware I know of that lets you tune your own microtonal scales in such a tactile, fast and intuitive way.”
Pressure-sensitive pads with velocity and aftertouch handle the playing, and the connections cover most rigs, with DIN5 MIDI, sync and USB plus 1/4″ line and TRS outputs set up as two stereo or four mono. Built-in speakers and a battery option mean you can use it away from the studio.
Kári Halldórsson started LOVE Synthesizers in Reykjavik in 2023, and First Love is its first instrument. “We wanted to create an instrument that welcomes newcomers while continuing to surprise experienced musicians for years to come,” he says. “Opening pre-orders marks the beginning of that journey.”
Pre-orders are open now through international retailers including SchneidersLaden, Perfect Circuit, Tónastöðin and Woodbrass, with a limited first run shipping in October.
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