8 analogue voices | 2 independent digital engines | 12 synthesis types | 37 HP

This product comes complete with the optional effects board pre-installed.

Please note that orders to the USA and Germany include pre-paid import taxes / tariffs in the postage cost so that is the total cost you will pay. Buyers from other countries may need to pay additional fees to the carrier depending on their location and specific tax / tariff rules.

TWO COMPLETE SYNTHESIZERS. ONE INSTRUMENT.

Vulcan brings together two complete synthesizers in just 37 HP: a fully analogue, eight-voice polyphonic synthesizer and two independent eight-voice digital synthesis engines.

This is not a hybrid voice with analogue and digital stages mixed into a single signal path. The analogue engine is a genuine, end-to-end analogue synthesizer, with no digital processing anywhere in its audio path. The digital engines are complete synthesizers in their own right, offering twelve different synthesis types.

Run them independently, together or layered. Combine the warmth, movement and character of true analogue synthesis with the precision and versatility of digital sound generation. Neither engine compromises the other.

Vulcan is designed as a performance instrument. Dedicated panel controls keep the essential analogue parameters under your fingers, while a bright OLED display and three encoders provide access to the deeper architecture. Configurable macros and assignable knobs and CV inputs let you control complex groups of parameters without navigating menus.

TWO COMPLETE SYNTHESIZERS, NOT A HYBRID VOICE

The analogue engine is a genuine eight-voice analogue synthesizer, with two oscillators per voice, analogue filtering and amplification. Its signal path remains entirely analogue from oscillator to output.

Alongside it are two independent digital engines, each with eight voices and access to twelve synthesis types. They share Vulcan's control surface, modulation system and performance architecture, but their audio paths remain separate.

Use the analogue and digital engines as independent instruments, layer them together, or build complex multitimbral arrangements. Vulcan gives you the flexibility of two complete synthesizers without the footprint of two separate modules.

DEDICATED ANALOGUE PANEL CONTROLS

The essential analogue sound-shaping controls are always available directly from the panel. No menu diving is needed to shape the core voice.

Each oscillator has dedicated controls for:

Level

Sub-oscillator mix

Pulse width

Filter cutoff

Filter resonance

Waveform selection

Additional tuning controls provide Master Tune and independent Oscillator 2 Tune.

Three encoders provide fast access to presets, modulation sources and envelopes.

It's a knob-per-function interface over a much deeper architecture. Adjust the filter, balance the sub-oscillator, change the pulse width or dial in oscillator detuning in real time, just as you would on a classic analogue polysynth.

TWELVE KINDS OF SYNTHESIS

The two digital engines operate independently, each with eight voices and access to all twelve synthesis types.

FM — six-operator, DX-compatible FM synthesis with the full DX-format algorithm bank.

Wavetable — 32 wavetable sets with position modulation.

Modal — physical resonator modelling with 12 materials and 10 exciters.

Karplus–Strong — plucked, bowed and blown string synthesis.

Drums — nine different tuned drum synthesis types.

Tonewheel — a nine-drawbar organ with percussion.

Virtual Analogue — two oscillators with sync, sub-oscillator and unison.

Additive — harmonic synthesis with control over partials, tilt, odd/even balance and comb structures.

Phase Distortion — classic CZ-style phase distortion synthesis.

Formant — vowel and voice synthesis.

Waves — the four classic waveforms.

Noise — white and pink noise through the engine filter.

Every engine type is loudness-matched by measurement, so changing synthesis type is a musical decision rather than a trip to the output knob.

TOTAL ANALOGUE VOICE FLEXIBILITY

The analogue oscillator array isn't locked into a single voice structure. Choose how many oscillators make up each voice and the available polyphony reconfigures instantly.

1 oscillator per voice — 8-note polyphony.

2 oscillators per voice — 4-note polyphony, with independent Oscillator 2 tuning.

4 oscillators per voice — 2-note polyphony with huge stacked unison sounds.

8 oscillators per voice — one colossal monophonic lead.

The same hardware can become a wide eight-voice polysynth, a powerful four-voice instrument or a single massive mono synth. Choose the configuration for each patch in seconds.

ANALOGUE AND DIGITAL LAYERING

Every note can trigger the analogue and digital engines simultaneously, allowing two complete synthesizers to sound together as one instrument.

Layer a glassy FM bell over an analogue pad, reinforce an analogue bass with a digital sub, or detune the two engines against each other to create movement and complexity that a single oscillator architecture cannot produce.

A dedicated Tune Defeat mode locks the analogue voices to their calibrated pitch, allowing them to sit accurately alongside the digital engines without having to dial the tuning knob flat by ear.

TRUE POLYTIMBRAL OPERATION

Vulcan's performance-layer system allows different voices to play different sounds simultaneously. You choose how each part is addressed:

MIDI channel — assign layers to separate MIDI channels for independent multitimbral operation.

Keyboard segment — split a MIDI keyboard into zones, each playing its own sound.

CV/Gate input — drive separate parts from individual CV/Gate inputs.

Each layer has its own complete patch, including analogue parameters, digital engine types and modulation settings. The active layer is always the one being edited from the panel, while the other layers continue playing from their stored presets.

Each layer can also be assigned to one of the four individual analogue outputs, and configured to play the analogue engine, digital engines or both. A digital-only part uses no analogue voices, leaving the entire analogue array available for other parts.

PER-VOICE PITCH CONTROL AND DETUNING

Vulcan provides detailed pitch control right down to the individual oscillator.

Master tuning, Oscillator 2 octave and semitone offsets, and per-voice mirror-group detuning are all note-aware. Calibration data is used to ensure octave shifts remain accurate across the entire keyboard rather than drifting at the extremes.

The Age control adds the character of a well-used instrument: drifting tuning, gradually closing bandwidth and a little noise riding on the signal. From subtle movement to a properly loose vintage character, it adds another dimension to the analogue sound.

COMPREHENSIVE CV AND CONTROL CONNECTIONS

Vulcan is designed to sit at the centre of a hardware modular system, with extensive analogue and digital control connectivity.

Four CV/Gate inputs, each with a dedicated two-oscillator analogue voice.

Each CV/Gate input controls its own fixed pair of analogue voices:

CV 1 — voices 1 and 5

CV 2 — voices 2 and 6

CV 3 — voices 3 and 7

CV 4 — voices 4 and 8

This provides four independent CV-controlled analogue voices, each with its own individual analogue output.

Twelve analogue modulation CV inputs.

Each CV/Gate channel has three dedicated analogue modulation inputs:

FM

VCF

VCA

These are hardwired directly to the analogue oscillators, filters and amplifiers. They remain entirely in the analogue domain and never pass through the digital control layer. They can also be patched at audio rate for FM, waveshaping and dynamic effects.

Three assignable pots and three assignable CV inputs.

These can be routed to destinations throughout the modulation matrix or assigned to macros. Control cutoff, FM depth, wavetable position, pitch, modulation amount and much more. All assignments are stored with the preset.

OUTPUTS

Vulcan provides a main mixed output, stereo effects outputs and four individual analogue outputs.

OUT — the main output, carrying the combined analogue and digital sound.

EFFECTS L/R — the full stereo effects output when the optional effects board is installed.

OUT 1–4 — four individual analogue outputs, one for each CV/Gate channel. These are dry analogue signals taken directly from the voices, allowing each part to be processed separately elsewhere in your system.

UNDERSTANDING VOICE ALLOCATION AND OUTPUTS

This is worth understanding before buying, particularly if you intend to use Vulcan in a multitimbral modular setup.

Vulcan has eight analogue voices shared by everything playing through the analogue engine. When playing over MIDI, voices are allocated as they become available. This is ideal when using the main output, where the physical voice playing a particular note is unimportant.

If you need a part to appear at its own individual output, you can pin its performance layer to one of the four dedicated outputs. That part then always uses the voices connected to that output. In the standard eight-voice configuration, each output provides a dedicated two-oscillator voice. In the other oscillator configurations, the available polyphony changes accordingly.

The CV/Gate inputs work this way automatically. CV 1 always controls voices 1 and 5, and its signal appears at OUT 1.

The individual outputs are connected to fixed analogue voices. Vulcan does not provide arbitrary routing of any voice to any output. This keeps the design compact and avoids the additional circuitry, panel space and cost of a fully configurable switching matrix.

The distinction between the outputs is important:

OUT carries the complete analogue and digital mix, including effects.

OUT 1–4 carry individual dry analogue signals directly from the voices.

MIDI IMPLEMENTATION

Vulcan provides comprehensive MIDI control, including note handling, velocity as a modulation source and independent MIDI channel assignment for each engine.

Standard MIDI CC assignments provide immediate control from keyboards, hardware controllers and DAWs:

Filter Cutoff — CC 74

Filter Resonance — CC 71

VCA Envelope Attack — CC 73

VCA Envelope Decay — CC 75

VCA Envelope Release — CC 72

LFO Rate — CC 76

LFO Depth — CC 77

Mod Wheel — CC 1, assignable as a modulation source

Program Change provides instant preset recall, allowing sounds to be changed hands-free from a controller, sequencer or set list.

Pitch Bend has a configurable range, adjustable in octaves and semitones to suit the patch.

Vulcan supports both Omni and per-channel operation, with the analogue and digital engines addressable together on one channel or independently as separate parts.

DEEP, PER-LAYER MODULATION

Both the analogue and digital engines have their own full modulation matrix, stored independently for each layer and preset.

Six shared modulation sources, including LFOs, envelopes and random sources, provide bipolar modulation, allowing destinations to be moved in either direction.

Two assignable ADSR envelopes per voice can be routed anywhere in the matrix, including true inverted modulation that pulls a destination down from its resting value.

The essential VCA and filter envelopes remain hardwired for immediate access, while the modulation matrix provides control over the rest of the instrument.

KNOBS THAT NEVER JUMP

When you recall a preset, the physical panel knobs may no longer match the stored parameter values. Vulcan handles this with smooth parameter takeover.

Turn a knob and it gradually takes control of the parameter, scaling smoothly towards the direction you're turning. Once the physical knob reaches the stored value, it locks to the true parameter position.

No sudden jumps, no zippering and no unexpected changes to your sound when you reach for a control during a performance.

Every potentiometer can also be calibrated to your individual hardware for accurate end-to-end travel.

SELF-CALIBRATING ANALOGUE TUNING

Vulcan automatically measures and calibrates every analogue voice.

A full Auto Tune procedure maps every note on every voice, providing accurate pitch tracking across the keyboard. Quick Tune re-references the voices in seconds, making it easy to retune before a performance or after a significant temperature change.

The result is an analogue engine that stays accurately in tune with itself and the digital engines, without manual trimming or continual adjustment.

WITH OR WITHOUT THE STEREO EFFECTS BOARD

Vulcan is available with or without the optional stereo effects board. The board can also be fitted later as an upgrade.

With the effects board installed, Vulcan includes a complete stereo processing chain running on its own dedicated processor:

Stereo Width

Distortion

Bitcrusher

Phaser

Granular

Chorus

Delay

Reverb

The effects are integrated directly into Vulcan's patch system, so processing settings are stored and recalled with every preset. Every effects parameter is also available as a modulation destination.

The granular processor deserves particular mention. It provides control over position, size, density, pitch, spray, per-grain pitch jitter, spawn randomisation and grain arpeggiation. Freeze holds the captured audio buffer indefinitely, allowing you to continue playing over a frozen granular texture.

Without the effects board, all other Vulcan functionality remains unchanged. The effects and granular pages are simply unavailable, and the EFFECTS L/R outputs are inactive.

POWER REQUIREMENTS

Vulcan is a powerful, fully featured analogue and digital polyphonic synthesizer. It requires a stable Eurorack power supply with sufficient capacity on both rails.

Maximum current consumption in the full configuration, with the optional effects board installed and all voices and effects active:

+12 V — 520 mA

−12 V — 380 mA

Vulcan contains eight complete analogue synthesizer voices, additional digital synthesis engines, an optional effects processor and extensive analogue mixing, modulation and digital control circuitry.

We recommend allowing at least 25% additional power-supply headroom.

All of this in a compact 37 HP Eurorack module.

Free firmware updates for life.