Synthetic Sound Labs Soleil Lo-Fi MIDI String Synth Pod

Inspired by the early vintage string synths of the ‘70s such as the Elka Rhapsody and ARP Solina, the Soleil POD is a tiny low-cost Lo-Fi MIDI String Synth table-top box.

Capable of playing 4 paraphonic notes with 2 oscillator ranks per note. Waveforms are continuously variable from thick sawtooth thru variable pulse widths for more reedy sounds. The second rank is detunable for lush pads and honky-tonk riffs.

The Soleil contains built-in modulation / vibrato LFO, the depth of which can be controlled by MIDI. Attack and release envelope times are individually adjustable and share a single VCA making this a “paraphonic” instrument. A gate output jack allows convenient triggering of external effects and synth equipment, and its state is displayed by an LED.

MIDI is input via a 3.5mm TRS Type “A” jack, and responds to keyboard running status as well as pitch bend and modulation. An LED MIDI displays MIDI activity.

MIDI channel defaults to channel 1 but can be easily reset to other channels using a unique sequence from your controller keyboard at power-up, which is retained in non-volatile memory.

A fine tune control allows accurate tuning to other instruments, and an output volume control is provided. MIDI, Gate Out and Audio Out are standard 3.5mm (1/8”) jacks.