Shruthi

Back in 2011, this little hybrid monosynth kicked off Mutable Instruments' legendary run of DIY kits, blending digital brains with swappable analog filters for sounds that punch way above its size.

At its core, dual digital oscillators handle wavetable, phase distortion, and subtractive synthesis, feeding into one of countless analog filter boards—like 24dB/oct lowpass, highpass, bandpass, notch, allpass, or even exotics like Polivoks. Two envelopes and LFOs route through a 12-slot modulation matrix, with a 16-step sequencer/arpeggiator for instant grooves. The XT edition brings all that to the surface with dedicated knobs for osc/mixer/filter params, plus a jam button to latch sequences, global volume, and an on/off switch; classic versions keep it compact with four knobs under a 2x16 LCD. Desktop-friendly with 1/8" audio in/out, full DIN MIDI in/out/thru, and CV/gate ports, it runs on 7.5-9V DC and processes external audio through its VCF/VCA.

Builders and players still geek out over its gritty basses, phase-y pads, FM weirdness, and polychaining for poly setups—super flexible for the price, though some wish for more hands-on tweaks in the base model. A true gateway to Mutable's world.