NAMM 2012: Studiologic Sledge synthesizer unveiled

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Studiologic Sledge: click the image for more product shots.
Studiologic Sledge: click the image for more product shots.

Studiologic Sledge


NAMM 2012: First we see Arturia, a company famed for modelling classic synths in software, releasing a hardware analogue synth of its own, and now it transpires that Studiologic, which has made its name producing MIDI controller keyboards, has come up with full on synth in the shape of the Sledge.

Based on Waldorf modelling technology, this promises an intuitive control interface that encourages you to dive right in. Read on for more info or head over to the Studiologic website.

Studiologic Sledge official product information

For many synthesizer enthusiasts, it is the particular interaction of the sound engine and user interface that makes a great instrument. A quick look at Sledge shows you the generous set of controls available to interact directly with the sound engine. When you touch the knobs and switches of the front panel, you will instantly be aware of the meticulous attention to detail our engineers have refined, during many decades building the best electronic keyboards.

You will experience the logical set-up of the synthesizer modules, mirroring the signal flow of a classic analogue synthesizer. But what really distinguishes any synthesizer is its sound. Fortunately, our friends at Waldorf Music have happily shared their experience and know-how on this crucial part of the Sledge Synthesizer.

So we implanted the DSP heart of the latest Waldorf modelling technology into Sledge. The result: enough power to put the foundations of your studio seriously at risk! And plenty of detail, to create the richest analogue pads you could ever want. Besides the classic analogue synthesizer waveforms, you will find a complete set of Wavetables, derived directly from the mother of all digital synthesizers, the PPG Wave.

The sum of three fat oscillators, plus a Noise generator, are fed into Sledge's powerful multimode filter with selectable 24 / 12 dB slope. The highly recognizable Waldorf filter algorithms enable a wide variety of sounds, from smooth to harsh, from fat to distinct, from pure HiFi to badass brutal. Ultra-fast, accurate envelope generators deliver ballsy punch. Two LFOs plus 1 extra Wheel-LFO are on board to offer huge, yet easy to understand, modulation capabilities. And two built-in Effect units deliver sophisticated synthesizer effects, such as Chorus, Phaser and Flanger, as well as a rich Reverb or an analogue style Delay.

And the best part - if you are familiar with the operation of a classic analogue synthesizer, you won't have to spend any of your precious time reading the manual. There are no double or multiple functions on any of the knobs or pushbuttons. All synthesizer parameters are clearly and ergonomically arranged in front of your eyes and directly accessible under your fingertips. This makes sound design a blast, and takes you back to the pure user experience which you'll soon realise you've been missing.

Specifications

  • 32 Pots
  • 3 chicken head rotary switches (7 positions)
  • 1 rotary encoder with push function
  • 2 x 16 digits backlit LCD
  • High Quality Pitch and Mod Wheel
  • up to 256 Sounds
  • fast and efficient sound selection via numeric keypad
  • 2 fast LFOs per voice, each with adjustable Speed and Depth
  • 1 extra modulation routing for Mod Wheel, with adjustable Speed and Depth
    - Shape: Sawtooth, Rectangular, Triangle, Sine, Sample & Hold, Ramp
    - Destination: Osc 1, Osc2, Ocs3, PWM / Wave / FM, Volume, Filter Cutoff
  • Monophonic mode with single or multiple trigger
  • 3 Oscillators per voice
    - Range from 64' to 1' each
    - Shapes: Sawtooth, Square, Triangle, Sine, Pulse (with Pulse Width Modulation)
    - Oscillator 1 with 66 Original PPG Wavetables
  • Frequency Modulation of sine and triangle
  • Oscillator Hardsync (Osc 2 to Osc 3)
  • Noise Generator with selectable white and pink noise
  • Mixer with Volume and On/Off switch for each Oscillator and Noise
  • 1 Multi Mode Filter per voice
    - 24 / 12dB
    - Lowpass
    - Highpass
    - Bandpass
    - Resonance up to Self-Oscillation and beyond
    - Adjustable Keytrack and Drive
  • 2 fast Envelopes per voice (filter / amplifier)
  • Powerful Arpeggiator
    - Latch mode
    - syncable to MIDI Clock
    - Direction Up, Down, Alternate
    - Range up to 10 Octaves
  • 2 simultaneuous Effects
    - Effect 1: Chorus / Phaser / Flanger
    - Effect 2: Reverb / Delay
  • sturdy, lightweight enclosure (less than 10 KG)
  • high quality, 5 octaves Fatar TP 9 keyboard
  • Master Volume Control Power Switch
  • Stereo line output
  • Headphone output
  • Expression pedal input
  • MIDI in and out
  • USB connector for MIDI in / out
    - uses standard USB MIDI driver provided by host computer OS
    - Windows ME minimum, Windows XP or newer recommended
    - Mac OS X 10.2 minimum, Mac OS X 10.3 or newer recommended
  • Built in power supply
Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson
Deputy Editor

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.