Leipzig-S

[Gringo Starr]

I just talked to a guy at Noisebug and he said that the Leipzig-S should be shipping out next week. Is anyone here interested in this? Well that's a stupid question considering where I'm at. I should say if anyone here is interested in this to this to the point where they're thinking about buying one. I heard a demo that sounded really good. I think I'll be taking the trip to Noisebug next week and checking this out.

[massimo]

Based on what I heard and read over the net, I have come to believe the Leipzig S and the Vermona Mono Lancet are now the two strongest contenders in the budget-priced, 2VCO's analogs monosynths. The Lancet is especially tempting, as it costs much less and is so gig-friendly with its small footprint, which is a strong point for me as I am not always willing to bring racked stuff with me (I am a guitarist). Based (unfortunately...) on youtube demos, I got the idea that while the Leipzig has more features, thence its pricetag, the basic sound of the Lancet is not inferior, and compares well to the more expensive contenders. Not at all a toy- and I guess I know how a good analog must sound like as I have had an SE1 for the last 16 years. Does anyone know if these synths have discrete guts?

Thank you
best regards
Massimo

[SWAN808]

yeah I think they are both discrete...the Leipzig S looks interesting Ive had my eye on it...it does sound a little bright and modern tho...but seems solid sounding...sequencer is a nice bonus...beefy Sub Osc too...

[Acid Hazard]

I would love the Leipzig S. But just blew all my extra money on an SEM and an Oberkorn =o] I was hoping it was gonna come in at under $1000, but it doesn't look like it.

[Dudley]

I got a Leipzig-S recently - it's very cool. there's no way you'd regret getting one.
it sounds very moog like, but with a modern edge that i love - the mod. possibilities are really advanced and imaginative ( eg: the sequencer can be used as an oscillator for modulation OR as an audio output); it's very good for drums and percussion.

[pointsource]

It's the next one on my wishlist.

I just ordered a SEM patch panel and Kenton's USB solo combo, i'm broke now for a couple of months lol.


The next gear i wanted to buy is an Oberkorn, but now i don't know if i get the Leipzig-S first and the Oberkorn afterwards...

[Gringo Starr]

Originally Posted by Dudley

I got a Leipzig-S recently - it's very cool. there's no way you'd regret getting one.
it sounds very moog like, but with a modern edge that i love - the mod. possibilities are really advanced and imaginative ( eg: the sequencer can be used as an oscillator for modulation OR as an audio output); it's very good for drums and percussion.

How did you manage to get one already? They haven't even been released yet.

[Dudley]

Originally Posted by Gringo Starr

How did you manage to get one already? They haven't even been released yet.

then how come it's sitting on my desk?

i'm in the UK, think they've been available here for a little while, direct from A.S.

got a Telemark on order, too.

[Reptil]

Originally Posted by Dudley

then how come it's sitting on my desk?

i'm in the UK, think they've been available here for a little while, direct from A.S.

got a Telemark on order, too.

interesting! if you could write a little review, that would be appreciated.

[Dudley]

well, a brief one, perhaps. i'm no Paul White/Nagle

Leipzig-S Review

I should say first off that I am not a pure analogue fanboy - my studio does not consist of dusty jupiters and minimoogs. i mostly produce ITB these days, but I have owned/worked with my fair share of analogue synths over the last 20 years.

That said, this was my first experience with what you might call a 'Boutique Modern Analogue'. at least, that's how i think of it.

I bought it because i was looking for something interesting and analogue to make drum and percussion sounds with for an electronic drum sampling project. I contacted Tom at Analogue Solutions and he told me that the Leipzig -S had been designed with percussion partly in mind. So i took the plunge and ordered it.

When it turned up ,i loved the modernity, the newness of it. No dusty old ebay vintage analogue purchase, shiny, new, with MIDI etc on board.Nice.

So, i turned it on and immediately started to look for percussive sounds as a way of exploring it. i went straight to the modulation section, and found a variety of options for VCO 1, different options for VCO2 and the filter. they can all be routed to the LFO ( triangle or square), to either EG 1 or 2 as pitch mod, or to MIDI pitch.The two EGS are very fast, and very snappy. either one can be used as the final AMP eg, which is nice and flexible. Either can be used as the FEG, and you get one or the other as a pitch EG for each osc.

the filter itself is a moog ladder, and it sounds just like one. it's big and fat at one end, and very snappy and self-osciallting at the other end. it also has a tracking knob as wel as the EG mod control, which as i said, can be routed to either EG. you cannot invert the EG, however.

The Osc's are square or saw, there's a sub osc at -1 or -2 octaves, and you can switch in either noise, an external audio input or use the sequencer as an audible oscillator. in the latter mode you can use each step knob to tune harmonics of the signal. again, a very nice, modern touch.

Osc 1 has PW setting, and PW can be modded by EG 2 on both osc's, or you can use the triangle LFO. you can sync osc 2 to osc 1 as well.

So, enough features - The Sound : well, to me, it's like a New Moog. i don't mean a voyager, i mean it's like a new synth made by Moog if they weren't so hung up on their classics. It seems to want to sound modern, and you can get it clanging and banging nicely, as well as spitting and snapping, all at the same time. It makes some thumping 909 techno style kicks, and lots of mid-range klingklang percussion, blocks, snares, noise hats etc. Route the sequencer to Osc2 as a mod source and you can make shaking, wobbling 8-stage sounds, either fast and glitchy sounding, or long, vibrating bass hits, with different filter and pitch for each wobble.

the more you work with it, the more the cleverness and depth of the Mod possibilities open themselves up you - you certainly don't get bored after a couple of hours - rather, it keeps on surprising you.

If i have one critiscm, it's this. I'd not bought anything from A.S before, and i expected the buld quality to be extremely high, built like a tank type of thing.Well, that's not exactly the case : the build is 'ok', but not much more. i get the impression that maybe this is to keep the cost affordable though, so understandable, and not actually a problem.

It snarls, and it spits. the noise levels are low and it's tight, solid, fast and reliable. it's the Moog that Bob would have made if he'd moved to Berlin in 2000 and got into Techno.

[Reptil]

nice, I always wondered about this, I mean it looks like a moog type synth, but obviously isn't.

cheers

[rockmanrock]

Originally Posted by Dudley

If i have one critiscm, it's this. I'd not bought anything from A.S before, and i expected the buld quality to be extremely high, built like a tank type of thing.Well, that's not exactly the case : the build is 'ok', but not much more. i get the impression that maybe this is to keep the cost affordable though, so understandable, and not actually a problem.

Where would you say it's lacking in build?

[Dudley]

Originally Posted by rockmanrock

Where would you say it's lacking in build?

Well, i feel guilty now for saying it, because there's nothing wrong with the build quality at all. it's fine.

partly i felt i had to raise one negative point, and the only thing that disappointed me about the Leipzig at all was that it didn't feel quite as sturdy and stiff and meaty as i had expected. And the panel graphics aren't screen-printed on, it's a kind of printed laminated overlay. But then perhaps I was expecting £1500 synth build quality when in fact it's a £650 synth.

[SWAN808]

Originally Posted by Dudley

Well, i feel guilty now for saying it, because there's nothing wrong with the build quality at all. it's fine.

partly i felt i had to raise one negative point, and the only thing that disappointed me about the Leipzig at all was that it didn't feel quite as sturdy and stiff and meaty as i had expected. And the panel graphics aren't screen-printed on, it's a kind of printed laminated overlay. But then perhaps I was expecting £1500 synth build quality when in fact it's a £650 synth.

its £850 in VAT right?

[Dudley]

yes, but i'm VAT registered..

and of course, it's fair to say that A.S. do not charge VAT as part of the cost of the synth, the government charge it on the sale.
So, in terms of build costs, etc - the synth is selling for £649, and i guess A.S. are building them for around £150- £200 per unit?

[bloodsample]

Originally Posted by Dudley

well, a brief one, perhaps. i'm no Paul White/Nagle

Leipzig-S Review
*snip*
It makes some thumping 909 techno style kicks, and lots of mid-range klingklang percussion, blocks, snares, noise hats etc.
*snip*
It snarls, and it spits. the noise levels are low and it's tight
*snip*

When you get the chance can you post some audio and/or video examples? I'd be curious to hear these percussion sounds.

Thanks for the review.

[rockmanrock]

Originally Posted by Dudley

Well, i feel guilty now for saying it, because there's nothing wrong with the build quality at all. it's fine.

partly i felt i had to raise one negative point, and the only thing that disappointed me about the Leipzig at all was that it didn't feel quite as sturdy and stiff and meaty as i had expected. And the panel graphics aren't screen-printed on, it's a kind of printed laminated overlay. But then perhaps I was expecting £1500 synth build quality when in fact it's a £650 synth.

Interesting, I think the Leipzig keyboard pages used to boast that the panel didn't use a 'big sticker' (like M**G!). I don't mind either way though. Are the pots nutted to the panel or are they just poking through holes from the PCB?

[SWAN808]

thanks for the review - Im quite interested in this synth - although Im concerned about the 'modern' aspect as I seem to prefer more vintage sounding , dirtier analogue...but it does sound like it has some grunt - and I like the sound of the punchy envelopes...

[Dudley]

Originally Posted by SWAN808

thanks for the review - Im quite interested in this synth - although Im concerned about the 'modern' aspect as I seem to prefer more vintage sounding , dirtier analogue...but it does sound like it has some grunt - and I like the sound of the punchy envelopes...

i didn't say it sounds modern - i said it IS modern - in terms of functionality, etc. it sounds 'vintage' enough when you want it too. certainly nice and dirty if you want. - i mean, it's based on Moog circuitry.

[SWAN808]

Originally Posted by Dudley

i didn't say it sounds modern - i said it IS modern - in terms of functionality, etc. it sounds 'vintage' enough when you want it too. certainly nice and dirty if you want. - i mean, it's based on Moog circuitry.

ok cool...wish there were some better demos around...

[asynchro_nous]

Great little review -- the Telemetry looks like a fantastic synth, too.

[analoguefilter]

Originally Posted by SWAN808

ok cool...wish there were some better demos around...

...then you should check this one out:

Analogue Solutions Leipzig-s Synthesizer #01: Bass Detonation - YouTube

[Dudley]

Originally Posted by rockmanrock

Interesting, I think the Leipzig keyboard pages used to boast that the panel didn't use a 'big sticker' (like M**G!). I don't mind either way though. Are the pots nutted to the panel or are they just poking through holes from the PCB?

I should correct my review ; after chatting about the front panel over email with Tom at A.S. when i was ordering a Telemark, he told me this :

"The 'sticker' on the front panel is called an Overlay.
These are actually about twice the price of silk screening.
The main advantage is it will last longer than silk screening which
can scratch and wear off.
Also you can get options like LED windows.
Also bear in mind ALL the new Moogs and DSI synths use overlays. "


So, i stand corrected there - I would have assumed that screen-printing would be the higher quality method, but it seems this is not the case.

So, taking that into account, i have to say there's really nothing wrong with the build quality at all!

[PeteJames]

Built in sequencer is sweet Sounds good to me but I already have a FRXS so I'd probably get an oberkorn instead

[rockmanrock]

I've just found what the old Leipzig (rack and keyboard) pages used to state:

'Real' printed front panel. Quality silk screen printing. We do not use big stickers like M**g.

[ASUKLTD]

Originally Posted by rockmanrock

I've just found what the old Leipzig (rack and keyboard) pages used to state:

That's true, I used to say that before I started using some Overlays,
and before I appreciated what overlays really where and what advantages they have.
I used to say that as a sort of political 'spin'. I did believe they were a cop out.

But actually they are pretty good! I now use silk screening and overlays.

Overlays are much more expensive though than silk screening (at least in my applications and quantities),
both have their advantages

[Pschelfh]

How does the sequencer work?

In this demo the sequence runs once through the 8 leds and the next run though, it remains at the first 4 :



And how does the resonance knob react on this one? On the former one (Leipzig-R), resonance only seems to kick in when the knob is at 3/4.

Too bad there doesn't seem to be a pdf manual available, I would like some more detailed info before buying, it's almost 1000€ to ship it to Belgium (taxes! ).

Peter.

[lineofcontrol]

Good god, this thing sounds amaaaaazing....

[Rust Creep]

have a XS and SEM... and love the sound of this synth... but i'm starting to think that if i get any more monos... they have to be really special and different from what i own

this does have the sequencer and 24/db filter that i lack but i don't think it has the cv options i would be after in another rack synth

[Acid Hazard]

Originally Posted by Pschelfh

How does the sequencer work?

In this demo the sequence runs once through the 8 leds and the next run though, it remains at the first 4 :

It looks like its being retriggered with MIDI Note On events.