In this video, we look at the Michigan Synthworks SY0.5, the latest Syncussion clone and the first in the Eurorack format. It shows off the original's wide range of strange sounds while using the possibilities of modular synthesis to push things forward.
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By the end of the '70s, it was clear that synthesisers and drum machines were in the process of changing popular music forever, and as electronic sounds became increasingly prevalent, so too did the market for new electronic instruments. But while pure electronic music production was still relatively niche, the opportunity for augmenting preexisting popular instruments like drums and guitars with electronic capabilities proved an attractive option for some companies. Why venture into the unknown marketing new, strange instruments to the small minority of electronic artists when you can appeal to the far larger population of rock and pop musicians?
Pearl, a company known primarily for building drum kits, were one of the first to sell an electronic instrument designed specifically to compliment acoustic drums. The Syncussion SY-1, released in 1979, was meant to be triggered by a pair of toms sitting within a traditional drum kit. With its pewww-pewww sounds being endemic to the disco era, the Syncussion fell out of fashion, only to be repurposed by '90s producers like 808 State and Aphex Twin who used it to create alien percussion and big bass sounds. It has since become prohibitively expensive, leading small companies to create clones of the original design to meet demand.