Modal Electornics SKULPT synthesiser: compact but powerful

Modal Electronics is famous for its products amongst the musicians, especially synthesisers, and they are adding the latest model to their collection, the SKULPT synthesiser. Ever since the idea started in December last year, the company has worked on developing a portable synthesiser that can be taken anywhere, unlike the usually much bigger devices that are not easily transported. Even just within a month, Modal Electronics has developed a 3D design and until July have tweaked both hardware and software to provide features of a big synthesiser in a smaller packaging.

The SKULPT synthesiser features 4 true voices of polyphony, with 8 oscillators per voice as well as 2 different waveforms that can be morphed between the oscillators. It also has other modulators such as a step sequencer or arpeggiator which would turn your cords into arpeggios, also allowing you to select the divisions, swings, direction and also octave range. And for such as small synthesiser, it is a bit of a surprise that it can produce sound to fill the whole studio and to get a bigger sound, you have the spread option instead of unison that would detune the 32 oscillators.

The panel of encoders on the top of the synthesisers can be used to control an external MIDI software and hardware. The keyboard has the multi-touch option that allows you to achieve all 4 polyphonic voices at the same time, but in case you use it as a MIDI keyboard, then you can hear notes from all 16 keys on the SKULPT synthesiser. There are three modes available, monophonic, duophonic and polyphonic and 2 effects, delay, and distortion.

As one of the features that the SKULPT synthesiser accentuates is the portability of the device, it is not a surprise that it can work on batteries. With six AA batteries, you get around 12 hours of usage out of the synthesiser which is pretty good. Another option is to power the device using the USB port. The device weighs less than one kilo, even with the batteries.

The SKULPT synthesiser additionally comes with an additional software editor for both MacOS and Windows, but it also works on iOS and Android operating systems. The software gives you a better overview of the SKULPT and its features, but it also allows you to tweak them and fine-tune them for more precisely required results. The SKULPT synthesiser has a device memory that can store up to 64 different sequences at the time. Talking about the outputs, you can find headphones 3.5mm jack, sync in and out, 5-pin DIN for MIDI in and out and finally Class Compliant USB.

Quickly paying attention to the design, the SKULPT synthesiser on the front panel has 13 encoders that you can use to tweak the parameters, in addition to the 16 keys. It comes in a combination of black and white housing, but one of the stretch goals that might be reached before the end of the campaign is the full black option of the synthesiser. It comes with a protective cover that compliments its portability, which you can also use as a flat based stand.

The SKULPT synthesiser is available over crowdfunding website Kickstarter and its campaign lasts for 6 more days. From the small rewards, you can get stickers or a t-shirt, while in order to get a synthesiser, you are required to pledge $271 or $324 (non-EU and EU countries respectively). The highest reward tier is gained by pledging $356 for non-EU or $428 for EU countries, and you get the SKULPT synthesiser as well as a CRAFTrhythm Drum Sampler kit. The product is expected to be shipped by November this year.