Superbooth 2022: Cre8audio unveils East Beast, a quirky, affordable East Coast-style semi-modular synth
It boasts 20 patch points and six individual synthesizer modules
Superbooth 2022: Cre8audio has uncovered the East Beast – a subtractive Eurorack-format semi-modular synthesizer made in collaboration with Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers. It’s heavily inspired by East Coast synthesis – a subcategory of subtractive synthesis.
The East Beast can be pre-ordered now and is set to start shipping before the end of May, according to the brand’s website.
It’s a quirky device that combines the functionality of six individual synthesizer modules – an oscillator, LFO, filter, envelope, controller and VCA. The East Beast also has 20 patch points for modulation.
According to Cre8audio, a stand-out feature of the synth is its analogue circuitry, which is an evolution of the Pittsburgh Modular SV1’s architecture. The Pittsburgh-designed analogue oscillator offers four rich geometric waveforms and linear effects. Plus, it sports FM and pulse width modulation (PWM) capabilities.
East Beast’s raw sound comes courtesy of a multi-mode filter, which is the fundamental component in East Coast synthesis. Cre8audio says East Beast’s filter is “buttery smooth”. It’s a variable filter, named the PGH Zero Dead Spot, with voltage control for low-pass, high-pass and band-pass responses.
The Zero Dead Spot filter has been designed by Pittsburgh founder Richard Nicol and chief of R&D Michael Johnsen, and is “the product of years of research into analogue filter design,” Cre8audio says. Their research has resulted in a filter that does not distort as readily as a Ladder filter and boasts zero sonic dead spots – an aptly named feature, indeed.
East Beast has a total of nine patchable modules and 18 patch points for connecting to other Eurorack devices. The machine is fully patchable, which means each module can be used to affect an external device.
The East Beast is compatible with MIDI control, CV, and has an integrated button keyboard. In addition, there’s a 32 step sequencer that can hold up to 13 presets as well as an in-built clock sync. The synth can be removed from its casing to use as a 40hp Eurorack module, and Cre8audio has included a set of Nazca Noodles cables to get patching up sounds instantly.
Check out Cre8audio’s launch video below.
Crea8audio’s East Beast is available now for preorder with an estimated street price of £215.
Learn more at cre8audio.com
