A Look at the new SynQuaNon Studio Case

In the early days of SynQuaNon research, many different Eurorack modular cases were employed to house the myriad of commercially available modules (6 of each type!) used for the first experiments in hexaphonic, single-string processing. As you can imagine, having six separate effects processing chains took up a lot of room: the entire system covered eight 3U rows and two 1U rows of 104HP each!

Many new discoveries were made during this time, the most important of which include: 1) creation of dedicated hexaphonic modules with significant space and power savings, 2) having master controls over all six channels, and 3) moving permanent patch cable connections out of the way to the rear of the modules. All of these (and more) have been incorporated in SynQuaNon's current product line.

The new studio research case contains all of the modules presently available on the website and a number of commercially available modules to support on-going research and design of SynQuaNon products for 2021 and beyond.

The Case: I built this case out of Padauk, a beautiful wood from Africa with deep brown and orange highlights. The 12U case templates were obtained from Matthew Goike Designs - check out his cases, they are works of art! Other details include a Konstant Lab ZDROJ High End Linear Power supply Bundle and TipTop Audio Black Z-Rails with 3mm Threaded Nut Strips . The case was finished using five layers of Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil Gun Stock Finish, a process I've used successfully on my custom exotic wood guitars.

The Modules: All SynQuaNon hexaphonic modules are present in the top two rows, with the 13-pin Output Breakout at the far left of row three. The rest consist of three studio-quality stereo Compressors, three studio-quality stereo Send/return modules, three stereo voltage-controlled Cross-faders, Hex VCA, Hex LFO, Hex Parametric EQ Mixer with Hexpander and Hex VCA, Recordable Vector Joystick, Stereo DSP Effects, Dual Expression Pedal Interface, 16-IN/16-Out USB Audio Interface, and Multifunction Data Oscilloscope. Finally, the one I'm most excited about - the Rossum Electro-Music Panharmonium. Most of these will be replaced by equivalent hexaphonic SynQuaNon modules in 2021 and beyond.

The Guitar: SynQuaNon will be providing different hexaphonic guitars in the future! While completely custom guitars are available, the focus will be on name-brand guitars retrofitted with hexaphonic pickups.

The first SynQuaNon modern hexaphonic guitar prototype has been completed: meet the beautiful hexaphonic .strandberg* Boden Classic 6 in Malta Blue, ready for single-string processing as well as driving GK synths.

Features include:

> Cycfi Research Nu Multi 6 v2 and EMG Maverick Five RA-5 active pickups > SynQuaNon 19-pin LEMO-compatible jack, jack plate and cable, right angle or straight plug > Master Volume, Master Tone, and 5-Way Switch for EMG active pickups > Master Synth Volume CV Pot and SynQuaNon custom GK Mix Switch for synth control

This guitar was developed as a modern alternative to the aging GK 13-pin guitars, with superior pickup performance, both hexaphonic and traditional. In addition to pitch tracking it is ideal for single-string (hexaphonic, multichannel) guitar processing, an exciting new technology that enables sounds and tones never before possible.

Update: a great resource for selecting pickups is The Best Guitar Pickups for Each Playing Style by Beginner Guitar HQ Staff. Check it out!

The guitar should be paired with a SynQuaNon Eurorack 19-pin Breakout Module (which can be combined with the SynQuaNon 13-pin Output Breakout Module to drive Roland/BOSS guitar synths) or Cycfi Research Nexus GK breakout box.

Contact us directly via the SynQuaNon Facebook page or website for pricing and availability.