Modal Release Skulpt SE Portable Analogue Synth

The Modal Skulpt SE is a portable, yet powerful battery or USB-powered synth with a unique 32-oscillator virtual analogue sound engine, two WAVE groups and four oscillators per voice. It’s got a wide range of controls on board that allow you to shape the sound exactly how you want it, though it does come shipped with 128 presets on board that make it easy for any type of musician to get a great synth sound instantly. 

The new Modal Skulpt SE builds on its previous incarnation, resulting in a versatile and powerful synthesiser that can easily be taken on the road - it’s also got a headphone output, so you can make music whilst you’re on the move. On board, you’ve also got a morphable two-pole resonant filter, 8-slot modulation matrix, a range of great sounding digital effects and 256-note sequencer. 

What makes the Skulpt SE a little different from its previous incarnation, aside from it being one of the most affordable MPE synths out there, is that the front panel is incredibly easy to read and understand, particularly for those that might be new to the world of synthesisers. There’s also the familiar black and white layout of a traditional keyboard, as opposed to the previous all black design. The Skulpt SE has a range of connectivity options too - there’s full size MIDI in and out, USB, 3.5mm jack sync in and out, plus a headphone and line out. It also supports MPE - MIDI Polyphonic Expression, so if you’ve got an MPE compatible keyboard, like the one of the ROLIs, then you can hook it up and enjoy the next-generation expression that it allows.

There’s also a free Modal app and plugin that you can use alongside the Skulpt SE. These allows you to dive deeper into creating and tweaking the sounds and allow you to create your own presets.