According to reports that surfaced over the weekend, Synclavier Digital is working on a new, retro-styled keyboard version of its Regen desktop synthesizer that looks remarkably similar to the original Synclavier II ORK.
Pictured in a brochure distributed at London's Synth & Pedal Expo over the weekend, the Synclavier ORK II builds on the legacy of New England Digital's pioneering and stupendously expensive '80s synth, sampler and music workstation, and is named after that instrument's ORK keyboard controller.
After ceasing operations in 1993, Synclavier returned in 2019 with an iOS version of the instrument, before the newly-founded Synclavier Digital released Regen, a desktop synth equipped with an enhanced version of the Synclavier II's DSP engine, in 2022.
ORK II has yet to be officially announced and appears to still be in development, but the brochure suggests that the instrument will combine FM, additive and subtractive synthesis with a sophisticated sequencer that offers multi-track recording of ORK II's synth engines, external MIDI instruments and audio. A variety of onboard effects offer reverb, delay and a range of modulation effects that includes flangers and phase shifters.
Like the original ORK, the instrument will feature a full-size 61-key keyboard, ribbon controllers and a large silver encoder on the interface's left-hand side, bringing things into the 21st-century with a touch-screen display. A bank of 16 sockets on the right-hand panel suggest that ORK II will have extensive connectivity options and may have semi-modular capabilities.
"The ORK Il is envisioned as a groundbreaking instrument that builds on the acclaimed capabilities of Synclavier Il and Regen," reads the brochure. "Designed for professional musicians, producers, and sound designers, this keyboard fuses cutting-edge technology with legendary Synclavier sound quality to deliver an unparalleled creative tool."
We've no word yet on pricing or availability; when we know more, so will you.
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