XILS-lab has announced its next product: polyKB, a recreation of a very rare, very powerful polyphonic synthesizer released in the '80s by a French company. It'll be released "soon" for Windows and Mac OS X in VST, AU and RTAS instrument plug-in formats. The price will be €146.

polyKB is a polyphonic subtractive synthesizer based on two waveform morphing, alias-free oscillators and a self-oscillating 4-pole low-pass filter.

The oscillators make a large part of the sound of this synthesizer but the filter, recreating a standard analog chip of the '80s, with the help of a very complete modulation section, allow the polyKB to create "incredible and warm sounds, from gorgeous bass to slow evolving pads, through aggressive leads and thin crystal keyboards, without forgetting a wide range of special effects".

The modulation section of polyKB acts like a matrix with five dedicated sources (LFO, ADSR, VCO, NOISE, VELOCITY) and five dedicated destinations (VCO 1 and 2 pitch, VCO 1 and 2 waveform, VCF frequency). To increase the sound design possibilities, six menus have being added, two for the sources, four for the destination, with which a wide range of modules can be chosen (Velocity, sequencer outputs, LFO freq, Filter res, VCO levels, to name but a few).

polyKB also features a powerful polyphonic sequencer. The sequencer can record and play 8 voices independently as well as the pitch and the velocity. To control the sequence, a 2 to 128 steps clock system allows a wide range of rhythms and patterns. Of course the sequencer outputs can be assigned as a source of modulation.

The polyKB offers:

• Two aliasing-free morphing oscillators: from triangle to pulse, through saw.
• One 4-poles, low-pass, self-oscillating filter.
• Two envelope generators (ADSR).
• Two MIDI-synced LFOs.
• One MIDI-synced Sample and Hold.
• One 128-steps polyphonic sequencer.
• One arpeggiator.
• Chorus and delay effects.
• Mono/Unison/Poly playing mode with up to 16 voices of polyphony.
• All parameters are MIDI controllable.