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Reviews (4)
Dec 31, 2015
Compact, well built and very powerful modular synthesizer!
1 of 1 found this helpful I've owned a couple of keyboard synths and a few different modular synths (MU, Euro and CGS/Serge) but the Phenol has impressed me the most out of all of them. It's not only very portable but well-built as well, it doesn't feel like a toy synth. It has a nice weight to it, the knobs turn nice and the banana jacks are solid feeling. Kilpatrick Audio didn't "cut corners" when designing this, they went all out and made a great sounding, well made modular synthesizer that's affordable. Try and do the same with another modular format and it'll cost you a lot more. I don't know how they did it for this price but I'm glad they did! It's a complete synthesizer voice with lots of cool extras. And how does it sound? To me, incredible! Don't rely too much on the sound of the online demos as once you play it in person it really does sound 10 times better, not that the demos do not sound good but it's just much better sounding once you play it in person. The sounds you can get out of it are flexible, it can do clean and clinical type of sounds or harsher tones. My favorite thing on it at the moment are the envelope generators. They do a lot more than just your typical ADSR and have two different modes (envelope or oscillator mode). The step mode on the envelope generator is extremely useful (check out the Phenol manual at Kilpatrick Audio websute for details). Besides the EG, the mini-sequencer and just the sound of the oscillators are my other favorites about this synth. To be honest, there isn't anything I do not like about this modular synthesizer. The modular is a "keeper" for me. I will NEVER sell. And honestly, I don't think I need much else as far as modular other than this, it's that complete. If you're thinking about getting yourself a modular synthesizer don't waste your time with other choices and buy a Phenol. You will not regret it, I sure haven't!
May 25, 2016
Deep machine, takes patience to learn but worth it
3 of 3 found this helpful Great sound (you just need to learn how to tweak it), powerful sequencer and great effects. There is a big learning curve but once to take the time to learn it, the value of this machine is much more than it's cost. Great for folks that do not have loads of cash to spend on equipment but want to make great electronic music. If you want to go out of the computer and into hardware Elektron machines are your ticket. Great value and powerful machine. I want all of them now!
Dec 04, 2019
It gives you the basic Elektron experience at a very low cost!
1 of 1 found this helpful The best things about this instrument is:
* It gives you the Elektron experience at a fraction of what you'd pay for the other machines.
* It's a sample playback machine, so it sounds as good as the samples you put into it.
* It feels well-built, even if the casing is plastic. It doesn't have a cheap feel to it.
* Loading samples into it is easy.
Things I don't care for is:
*You can't sample into it, so it's not a *real* sampler. If you need that, look elsewhere.
* It doesn't look like you can delete the 1GB Splice samples included on the Model:Samples, some people like to free up all of the space for their own samples. Most people will be happy that samples were included. The included Splice samples do sound good though.
Overall, I don't regret buying this. It's a no-brainer purchase. If you already have the bigger machines (Octatrack, A4, Rytm) you don't need this. Once I start adding other hardware the Model:Samples will probably play the role of drum machine. It will make an EXCELLENT dedicated drum machine!!! It's a smart buy for sure.