Waldorf’s Kyra synth has completed its long journey into production, and is now available for pre-order. This ambitious virtual analogue instrument was previewed in 2018 and made its physical debut at the 2019 NAMM Show.
This is a multitimbral monster with eight independent parts, each of which is effectively a synth in itself. Each part can draw on two groups of oscillators and two sub oscillators, filters, modulation features (envelope generators, LFOs and a modulation matrix) and a multi-effects unit.
Each part can be sent to your DAW as 24-bit/96kHz audio and can host one of the 3,328 patches. There are also two modes: in Wave mode, Kyra works like a typical virtual analogue synth, but switch to Hypersaw mode and the two oscillator groups are replaced by a single sound source that can be adjusted with just two controls (Intensity and Spread).
Other features include an arpeggiator and an OLED display. There are four pairs of stereo audio outputs, alongside MIDI IN/Out/Thru and USB 2.0 ports.
On paper, Kyra is certainly a powerful synthesizer - in fact, Waldorf says that it’s one of the most powerful synths ever built - but it remains to be seen how well its workflow hangs together, and if it has its own sonic signature.
UK retailers are listing the Kyra for pre-order at £1,949, and you can find out more on the Waldorf website.
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