Xenophone

Back in 2015, this desktop analog synth burst onto the scene with a rare duophonic twist on monophonic design, letting you play two notes at once for thicker leads and basses that punch way above their weight.

Three digitally controlled oscillators deliver classic waveforms plus intriguing extras like sub-oscillators, white noise, digital noise, and three ring modulators for gritty cross-modulation mayhem. A standout multimode filter offers lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and notch in 12/18/24 dB/oct slopes, with filter FM from osc 1, keytracking, and smooth 12-bit resolution across 4096 steps for creamy sweeps. Three LFOs, three envelopes, an 8-slot mod matrix, arpeggiator that doubles as a step sequencer and mod source, plus analog distortion and 24-bit stereo FX like rooms, halls, delays, and gated reverbs—all packed into a compact 32.8 x 16.7 x 5 cm metal chassis weighing just 1.3 kg, with high-res endless encoders, wood side panels, balanced stereo outs, headphone jack, USB/DIN MIDI, CV/Gate, and external audio in.

Players loved its biting, acidic basses, screaming solos, and glitchy textures—perfect for detroit techno, industrial drones, or wonky patterns—often pairing it with classics like the Odyssey or Voyager. The filter and effects got endless praise for that "squelchy, produced" vibe straight out of the box, though some noted the stable DCOs trade a bit of raw analog quirk for precision. With 896 patch slots and a free editor, it sparked endless patch-tweaking sessions.