The compact module blurs the lines between DJing, live performance and production.
After unveiling its first sampler last year, Pioneer DJ has made another leap into production instruments with an analog monosynth.
Made in collaboration with synthesizer legend Dave Smith, the Toraiz AS-1 uses the circuitry and on-board effects from Smith’s famed Prophet-6 synth.
Like Pioneer DJ’s Toraiz SP-16 sampler, also made with Smith, the unit is designed to bridge the gap between DJing, live performance and production.
Inside are two voltage controlled oscillators, a 4-pole low-pass and a 2-pole high-pass filter. These can be modulated with two envelopes and an LFO and sequenced on 64 steps with a sequence lock function. There are also dedicated controls for tap tempo and BPM, reflecting the unit’s hybrid live-DJing possibilities.
It also comes with Pioneer Link support so you can plug it into a CDJ and sync to that, which, with Pioneer’s dominance in the DJ booth, could be this instrument’s secret weapon.
The Toraiz AS-1 is set to go on sale in March for €549. Watch the demonstration video below. [via CDM]
