3 analogue vcos (sawtooth, square, triangle waveforms)
2 envelope generators (adsr)
analogue 24 db lowpass filter with resonance (vcf)
2 lfos (sawtooth, square, triangle, random waveforms)
50 preset- and 49 user memories
integrated step sequencer

the mfb-synth ii is a monophonic synthesizer module. it uses analogue circuits that are voltage controlled for oscillators, filters and amplification. the synthesizer is controlled by midi, cv/gate or the integrated step sequencer that can hold up to 25 sequences with 32 steps each. here are the details:

the vco sections contains three individual oscillators that are scaled to the volt/octave standard. the selectable waveforms are sawtooth, square and triangle. vco ii offers an additional impulse wave and pulse width control for the square wave. the octave can be set between 4', 8' and 16' or 32'. an additional detune amount of plusminus one octave can be set for vco 2 and vco 3. the vcos can either be modulatied by an lfo or vco 3. vco1 can be set to sync and two digital ringmodulations are available as vco1+2 and vco2+3.

the mixer allows level control of all oscillators plus noise and the level of the external audio input. the lowpass filter is a resonant 24 db/octave design. emphasis (resonance) can be set up to self oscillation. the cutoff frequency can be automodulated by an lfo or by and vco. key controls the influence of the keyboard pitch on the cutoff parameter (keyboard scaling). both vcf and vca have their propietary envelope generators with attack, decay, sustain and release parameters. the vca can also be modulated by an lfo for characteristic tremolo effects.

there are lfos. the waveforms offered are sawtooth, rectangle, triangle and random. the can be set to �one shot� mode to be used as simple envelopes. the mfb-synth ii 50 preset- and 49 memory locations. the synthesizer will respond to incoming velocity data (midi). the velocity information can be used to control either vcf cutoff or vca level. pitch- and modulation wheel are both recognized. the step sequencer sends and receveives midi clock and responds to start and stop midi commands.

connectors: midi in/out, audio in/out , cv/gate in, power (power supply included)

the mfb synth ii measures 315 x 165 x 387 mm. it has the following connectors: midi in/out, audio in/out , cv/gate in, and power. a power supply is included. the user manual is available as a word document. you can find it here (part 1) and here (part 2).

michael goodin18 years agoAbsolutly fun synth.. easy as a toaster to use,, but the real reason i posted this comment is to mention one of its abilitys that sticks out to me... i love techno and have been using many of the newer beat boxes,, electribes, yamaha dx200 an200 etc.. great machines but you have 2 choices,as far a time sigs go, 4 on the floor or triplets,, with the mfb you have the ability to have a loop from 1 step to 32 steps cool stuff,, throw a little 5 step loop on top of a 16 step loop off another machine a little modulation COOL.. i hate software but missed the rebirth's ability to cut the steps well now i have it back and in all its analog goodness,, sorry to you VA lovers out there, but waves are better than 1000101010010101001010 .. yeah i admit i am a hypocrite i burn my tunes to cd.. oh well you get the idea. thanks for reading, my fellow sound tortures! michael 0 0Reply

• Dominik19 years agoI own the Synth Lite II which is monophonic and has digital oscs. What stands out for me too is its filter. 24db lp real analogue. Sounds awesome. Especially with the resonance cranked up. Self oscillating squeaky goodness and it doesnt thin out the lower frequencies as much as others do.Overall a big sound for little money. Envelopes are a little too slow for superpunchy percussive sounds but thats the only negative thing about it imho.

• Rich19 years ago

Pretty good description in the first review, so i'll focus on the sound. Oh my god! When I had first switched it on, I realised I had fantastic value for money. The sound straight out of the box blew me away. A little read of the manual to sus out the routing and ring mod etc.. and then some of the sounds I created were truly unique. Imagine a film score to a horror movie! Plenty of low end makes this ideal for bass but it don't touch my 101 so I don't personally use it for basslines. As for leads, pads and fx, it truly excels at these. It provides huge trance and techno leads and really does sound aggressive or smooth as you want. The analog oscillators beating against each other when detuned just sound lush. The filter just sounds fantastic, the only gripe I have is that it is only low pass. But to save the day, it has a filter input so you can mix external synths in with the mfb. Well worth experimenting with. Pad sounds are lush and everything you could hope for. Some more modulation options would be welcome but.... it sounds great anyway!
There are basic modulation options but it also has a few little tricks. You can modulate the oscillators against the 3rd oscillator for fm style sounds and you can modulate vcf against vco 1 for more madness. Then add ring mod and a distortion pedal and watch out! Other than that there are two lfo's for vibrato, pwm and filter mod. If you like pop music you will never use this synth, but if you like nasty sounds this is the one for you. On a final note the manual is awful, you will have fun trying to access the system settings initially!!!