Dreadbox - NYX RE

The NYX RE is a faithful return of Dreadbox's beloved compact analog synthesizer — a paraphonic, semi-modular instrument. Two analog oscillators feed into a dual state-variable filter section, followed by a VCA and a lush digital reverb. The whole thing runs on USB power, ships in its own case, and can be pulled out and mounted into a Eurorack system (42HP) via the included ribbon cable. Connect a MIDI keyboard, plug in headphones or a speaker, and you're set.

Nyx has quite a few routing tricks up its sleeve — three rotary switches determine how its oscillators reach the filters, how the filters are configured, and how the three modulators interact with them. The dual filter can run as two 12dB/oct stages in series for a steeper 24dB slope, or in parallel with independent low-pass and high-pass combinations. The oscillator routing lets you split each VCO into its own filter, run both through one, or bypass the filters entirely and head straight to the VCA. The modulators — three identical Rise/Fall generators that double as loopable LFOs — can be assigned in various combinations across the two filters and the amplifier.

All these routing options give the Nyx a surprising range of timbral possibilities for a synth this small. Eighteen patch points on the right side of the panel open things up further, with CV outputs for oscillator 2, noise, modulation wheel, gate and pitch, plus inputs for cutoff, pulse width, VCA, and individual filter audio inputs for processing external signals. A great and really affordable little analog synth with more depth than you might first assume at first glance!

Features:

• 2 analog oscillators (OSC1: Sawtooth/Square with pulse width; OSC2: Sawtooth/Triangle with detune)
• Paraphonic operation (Mono/Duo modes)
• Dual state-variable filter (12dB/oct each, 24dB/oct in series)
• 4 VCO routing options (NOR, SPLIT, HALF, VCA bypass)
• 4 VCF routing options (LPF, HPF, EVEN, ODD)
• 4 modulator routing options (SINGLE, DUAL, SPLIT, ODD)
• 3 identical modulators (AR/ASR envelope or loopable LFO)
• Hard sync (OSC2 to OSC1)
• Dedicated vibrato LFO with rate and level
• Individual glide and octave controls per oscillator
• Digital reverb with pre-delay, decay and mix
• 18 patch points (CV/Gate I/O, filter inputs, noise output, mod wheel output)
• 2 external audio inputs routed to each filter
• MIDI input via included DIN5-to-3.5mm adapter
• Legato mode and MIDI channel selection
• OTA VCA with dedicated modulator
• USB powered (1.5W), works with portable power banks
• 42HP, Eurorack compatible (200mA @ +12V / 110mA @ -12V)
• Includes 42HP case, MIDI adapter, and Eurorack ribbon cable