Nonlinear Labs - C15 (Black) w/Flight Case

The team at Nonlinear Labs, the current company of Stephan Schmitt, who founded Native Instruments in the 1990s and developed Reaktor, a radically modular software synthesizer platform, has delivered an absolutely exceptional synthesizer with the C15. 

The C15 is designed for playability. As a dedicated real-time instrument, it offers high-resolution dynamic response and extensive sound manipulation capabilities.

The digital synthesis engine is based on sine-wave oscillators with wave shaping and phase modulation, a comb filter, a state variable filter, a feedback structure, and up to 10 effects. This allows it to generate clear, organic, and complex sounds, giving the C15 a unique character.

Here are a few more key features:

48-voice polyphony, bi-timbral, 61-key TP/8S premium keyboard from Fatar, 8 hardware controllers (4 pedal inputs, two long ribbons, pitch bend stick, and aftertouch) that can affect up to 185 parameters via 6 macro controls, an editing panel with 96 buttons for quick access to all parameters, two displays, unlimited number of presets and banks, an additional graphical user interface that can be opened on any WiFi-enabled device with a browser, an internal audio recorder, unlimited undo for all operations, polyphonic aftertouch via MIDI, transformer-balanced TRS and XLR outputs.

Unlike many new releases on the synthesizer market, the C15 does not come with a rehash of an old concept, but offers a completely unique synthesis engine with a signal chain that is unlike any other architecture.

At first glance, the basic components of this engine seem simple: two sine-wave oscillators with shapers, three envelopes, a comb filter, a state variable filter, a feedback section, and effects. However, the integration of shapers, the comb filter, and the feedback suggests that this is not a conventional subtractive synthesizer, although that does not preclude using it as such.

Let's take a closer look at the engine to discover its special features:

Oscillators:

The primary signal sources of the C15 are two oscillators that generate pure sine waves, which can be modulated in phase by various signals: their own output, the other oscillator, or the feedback signal. Phase modulation is closely related to linear FM. This produces a lot of harmonic and inharmonic overtones. Self-modulation can turn the sine wave into a sawtooth wave, for example. When both oscillators modulate each other, the spectrum often becomes complex and metallic.

The Fluctuation parameter can be used to make the oscillations irregular, which adds a flexible noise component to the signal. Behind each oscillator is a wave shaper that uses the Drive, Fold, and Asymmetry parameters to enable waveforms rich in overtones, including West Coast sounds à la Buchla. A ring modulator can also be activated. With these oscillators alone, you can create incredibly expressive and unusual sounds - even wild dissonances - without even touching the other components of the engine.

Envelopes:

Three very powerful ADBDSR envelopes are available, each with two decay phases and a breakpoint in between, allowing for significantly more complex curves than conventional envelopes. Envelopes A and B are assigned to oscillators A and B. Envelope C can be assigned to a variety of modulation targets and also allows negative values when setting the breakpoint and sustain levels. In addition, envelope C can be looped and then functions as a very flexible polyphonic LFO.

Filters:

You can route the oscillator signals to either the State Variable Filter or the Comb Filter. The results are extremely different! The State Variable Filter is a highly variable filter that can be blended between low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass. The signal passes through two filters, each with a 12 dB slope. These can be connected in series or in parallel. The Spread parameter determines the distance between the two cutoff frequencies. The Comb Filter, the ultimate physical modeling tool, catapults even the simplest clicks into new spheres. With it, you can create beautiful resonances and venture into the realm of string or wind instruments.

Mixer:

A special feature is the Output Mixer, which combines the signals from Oscillator A and B, the Comb Filter, and the State Variable Filter. The signals from the filters can therefore be mixed with the unfiltered oscillator signals as desired. Depending on the polarity, this allows you to cancel or amplify certain frequencies. In addition, the output signal of the Comb Filter can be routed through the State Variable Filter.

Feedback:

Another special component of the C15 is the Feedback Mixer. Here you can feed back the output signals of the filters and effects as a source for phase modulation of the oscillators or to set the filters into self-oscillation. Feedback has the potential to create unexpected, complex sounds that behave organically.

Effects:

At the end of the signal chain, a whole range of effects are available: Flanger (also flexible for use as chorus and phaser), Cabinet (amp distortion), Gap Filter, Echo (stereo delay), and Reverb. The effects section is thoroughly convincing, both as a sonic cherry on top (velvety chorus with tasteful reverb tail) and as a tool for the wildest sound bending.

Bi-timbrality:

The C15 is bi-timbral, meaning that all components are available for two parts. With dual sounds (splits and layers), the two parts share the total number of 48 voices, so that each part has 24 voices. There are also options for routing signals between the two parts, enabling, for example, 4-operator FM or the serial use of two effect chains.

Quality and sustainability:

Nonlinear Labs sees itself as a sustainable manufacturer of high-quality instruments designed for longevity. Production takes place in Berlin and focuses on the use of materials and components that originate mainly from Germany and Europe. The instrument, and in particular its firmware, has been continuously developed since its market launch in 2016.

So if you're looking for a synthesizer with extremely good playability and numerous options for live performance, with quick access to all parameters for sound design and the potential for unique and unusual sounds, the Nonlinear Labs C15 is a great choice.

Features:

• 2 oscillators with sine waves and...
  • Phase modulation
  • Wavefolding
  • State Variable Filter
  • Comb Filter
  • Feedback
• 61 keys keyboard with aftertouch
• Base unit can be used without parameter panel
• Infinite Undo
• 3 ADBDSR envelopes
• Effects (flanger, cabinet distortion, gap filter, delay, reverb)
• Output Mixer
• Feedback Mixer
• Bender for pitch bending and the like
• 2 ribbon controllers with 800mm
• 4 inputs for sustain pedals
• WiFi capable
• USB-MIDI (MIDI bridge for host-to-host connections, optional)