GRP A1, new desktop analog Synthesizer unveiled at Roma Modulare - 585€

GRP A1 is a new monophonic Synthesizer that packs an oscillator from the big A2 and A4 synths into a compact, affordable instrument.

The wonderful thing about the Synthesizer market is that you can find instruments for every budget. From affordable ones like Arturia, Behringer… but also small Boutique manufacturers like Black Corp or GRP Synthesizer. The latter are known for their hand-built fat-sounding analog synths. If you don’t have the budget or the space for one of these big beauties, GRP Synthesizer now also offers an affordable and compact entry.

The A1 is the smallest GRP Synthesizer product to date. For a long time, there were only drawings, now, it was shown for the first time at the Roma Modulare at the weekend. It is a new monophonic analog Synthesizer based on the design of its big brothers A2 and A4. The design is very compact and angular. It reminds me a lot of the popular Doepfer Dark Energy. Technically, both are very similar, but not in terms of sound.

A1 features a single VCO with selectable sawtooth, square, and triangle waveforms with PWM and FM options. There is also a sub-oscillator and noise generator. Then, you get an 18dB ladder lowpass filter with built-in distortion and key tracking.

Modulation side, you get two multi-wave LFOs, each with symmetry control over the sawtooth and triangular. Plus, you get sample & hold with random waveforms on LFO 1. So you can quickly bring movement into sounds or do wild FM.

Then, you get an ADSR envelope for the VCA with a three-stage speed control. The latter also has a drone mode with which you can leave the VCA constantly open and make drone sounds. On the bottom, A1 has a 12-point patch point for the VCO, LFOs, filter, pulse-width, VCA, envelope, and external input. Further, you get a MIDI to CV interface as well as a USB port for MIDI. The audio signal goes out in the patch bay via the main output or via the headphone socket.

There is currently no sound demo of the A1 Synthesizer. I like such small synth boxes with which you can quickly get results. I’m a big fan of the Dark Energy and I’m curious if the A1 can keep up. The features are very similar and the workflow is also so brilliantly simple as with the Dieter Doepfer mono synth. It’s not a dark energy but maybe it has italian energy.

GRP A1 Synthesizer is available now for pre-order for 585€ from retailers like Schneidersladen. Release and shipping date TBA.
More information here: www.grpsynthesizer.it/index.php/en/