Description
You don’t have to go big to sound huge
Easily programmable.
Ultra-portable.
The ultimate real analog synth for everyone
UNO Synth is the ultimate portable, monophonic, true analog synthesizer and IK Multimedia’s entry in the hardware synthesizer world.
We combined our two decades of experience in software and hardware development with the expertise of Italian boutique synth-maker Soundmachines and IK’s synth guru, Erik Norlander (one of the brains behind acclaimed synths like the Alesis Andromeda). The result is a no-compromise instrument with massive analog sound that’s also easy to use with hands-on programmability and advanced features at an unbeatable price.
The days of compromise are over.
Now everyone can own a real analog synth with professional sound.
And UNO Synth is proudly made in IK’s own Italian manufacturing facility to ensure the highest quality standards. Like the majority of IK hardware products, UNO Synth is built using a combination of IK’s state-of-the-art, automated mounting machines and test systems and fine, renowned Italian craftsmanship.
Seasoned synth professionals and beginners alike will love UNO Synth’s high-quality, pure analog audio path and its ultra-compact form factor. With both classic and modern synth sounds instantly at hand, UNO will put a smile on the face of synth fans of every musical genre. All this in a synth module that can be easily carried anywhere.
Electronic music lovers or first-time synth users will get instant satisfaction from this affordable, easy-to-use instrument even if they are new to analog synths or synth programming. Thanks to its onboard presets and easy-to-play keyboard with selectable scales and arpeggiator, UNO Synth is the perfect gateway into the synthesizer world.
Great sounding true-analog audio path
Beneath its miniature exterior, UNO Synth packs a powerful, fat and rich-sounding synthesis engine with a full analog audio path on par with professional synthesizers costing much more.
- All-analog audio path with 2 VCOs, noise generator, resonant multimode VCF and VCA
- 2 independent VCOs with Saw, Triangle, Pulse waveforms with continuously variable shape including PWM of the square wave plus a separate white noise generator
- A 2-pole OTA-based analog resonant sweepable multimode filter with LPF, HPF and BPF
- Custom-designed, dual-stage overdrive that provides filter input overdrive for classic synth saturation tone, from subtle warming to aggressive distortion
- LFO with Sine, Triangle, Square, Up Saw, Down Saw, Random and Sample-and-Hold to modulate Pitch, Filter, Amp and continuous oscillator wave shapes including PWM
This highly flexible synthesis engine not only excels in producing the rich, warm, punchy, deep bass sounds that are the core of a high-quality monophonic synth, it’s also perfectly designed to bring a wide sonic palette of leads, drones, arps, sequences, sweeps and effects.
While UNO Synth is monophonic nature, its two independent oscillators can be tuned differently to also generate interesting pad-like interval sounds as well as octaves. Pulse width modulation of each oscillator provides the ability for a single oscillator to sound like two while the second oscillator can be tuned to an octave or interval for advanced modular-style timbres from the greatest classic synths.
The pure analog filter brings all the warmth and depth you expect from a real analog synth. The multimode resonant filter can be used for subtle tonal modification or screaming aggressive resonant sweeps. A custom-designed overdrive circuit lets you easily dial in modern saturated tones. And of course, you can modulate the filter with the filter envelope, LFO and performance buttons, as well as automate it in the sequencer and via external MIDI controllers.
The built-in delay effect, synchronized with UNO Synth tempo settings, further expands its sonic palette and the type of sounds it can generate, adding depth to repeating arpeggio or sequence patterns as filter and oscillator parameters are modulated and adjusted on the fly.
And thanks to its precision controlled self-tuning circuit, UNO Synth will always be ready for any performance, avoiding the hassle of manual tuning.
Ease-of-use with powerful programming
UNO Synth comes with 100 grab-and-go presets (80 fully rewritable), making it ready to play right out of the box. Each preset not only includes the sound programming, it also includes an associated arpeggio and sequence for even greater musical expression and portable sonic power.
This makes it easy for everyone to find the perfect sound, and beginners and professional producers alike will have great inspirational starting points to make working with the UNO Synth faster, more productive and more enjoyable.
Over 40 onboard controls are available on the UNO Synth’s top panel to give direct real-time access to its synth engine parameters, for immediate sound sculpting capability, with no deep menus to scroll through. for added power, a Mac/PC editor is available to fully control UNO Synth with a computer and program, store and manage an unlimited number of presets.
The UNO Synth’s generous 27-note on-board multi-touch keyboard offers over two octaves of sound control as both a chromatic keyboard or as a predefined scale keyboard. With a selection of 13 available scales, you can always be in tune with your performance with ease, or take inspiration from scales in a new style. The multimode built-in arpeggiator with 10 different arpeggio modes and a 4-octave range makes UNO Synth a joy to play for keyboardists and non-keyboardists alike.
The UNO Synth keyboard also doubles as a step-edit control for its built-in sequencer. Sequences can be programmed both in real-time or in steps and include up to 20 synth parameters for every step, making the UNO Synth sequencer among the most powerful in its class.
Five instant performance modulations are also available (Dive, Scoop, Vibrato, Wah and Tremolo) to further enhance UNO Synth’s real-time playability. These provide instant dynamic expression to bring your analog synth performances to life just like the most advanced players.
Ultra-portable, battery-powered, to make music everywhere
UNO Synth’s ultra-compact dimensions make it among the smallest monophonic synth available. With its light weight (only 400g) and its battery-power supply (4xAA included) or USB power-supply (for battery power banks), UNO Synth gives musicians of all kinds the freedom to make music everywhere without being tied to a location! Fully untethered, it’s the ideal analog synth to carry around all the time.
Use it standalone, live with your keyboard or with your DAW
Electronic music lovers or DJs can make music with UNO Synth whenever and wherever the inspiration strikes. The built-in audio input also allows for daisy chaining other external audio device (like drum machines) so they can be used together with UNO Synth without the need for an additional mixer, keeping the set up at minimum for the greatest portability.
Keyboard players and producers can connect it to their preferred master keyboard or any MIDI gear using the built-in MIDI In and Out ports and integrate UNO Synth into their live or studio rigs as a very powerful and versatile analog synth sound module. With the built-in USB MIDI port, UNO Synth also integrates directly with a DAW or other audio tools running on Mac/PC computers or mobile devices, without needing additional hardware such as MIDI interfaces.
Go deep. Take control.
The UNO Synth Editor is a plug-in and standalone app that lets you access all the parameters of IK’s groundbreaking UNO Synth, the real analog synthesizer for everyone. The Editor lets you go beyond the front panel controls and access deeper programming settings like full 4-stage ADSR envelopes for both filter and amplitude, pulse width and waveform shape modulation of the oscillators, modulation wheel assignments, velocity control and much more. The Editor does not make sound on its own. Rather, it is a controller for the UNO Synth hardware that gives you remote control of this innovative instrument from your computer or mobile device.
Features
- All-analog audio path with 2 VCOs with continuously variable waveshape, noise generator, resonant multimode VCF and VCA
- 2 independent analog VCOs with Saw, Triangle and Pulse waveforms with continuously variable shape including PWM of the square wave and a separate white noise generator
- A 2-pole multimode OTA-based sweepable analog resonant multimode filter with LPF, HPF, BPF
- LFO with Sine, Triangle, Square, Up Saw, Down Saw, Random and Sample-and-Hold to modulate Pitch, Filter and Amp
- AD (Filter) + AR (Amp) envelopes (full ADSR control available via MIDI CC or software editor)
- 40 onboard controls and LED display
- 100 onboard presets
- 10 mode, 4-octave arpeggiator
- Real-time and step edit 16-step sequencer with 20 automatable parameters
- Onboard multi-touch 27-note chromatic and scale keyboard with 13 scales
- Sync Delay audio effect and 5 performance effects
- Self-tuning with auto-tune calibration
- USB MIDI and 2.5 mm jack MIDI IN/OUT (cables included)
- Audio In to daisy chain other audio devices with no need for a mixer
- Mac/PC/iOS Editor
- Complete MIDI implementation with all parameters and clock can be controlled via MIDI CC
- Battery (4xAA Alkaline, Ni-Mh) or USB powered
- Ultra-portable and lightweight
- Designed and made in Italy
UNO SYNTH Specifications
Synthesis
- Type: Analog
- Polyphony: 1 voice
- Synthesis structure: 2 VCO, Noise generator, 1 VCF, 1 VCA, 2 EG, 1 LFO
- VCO variable shape waveforms: Triangle, Sawtooth, Pulse with variable pulse width
- VCF: 2-pole resonant multimode filter with Cutoff, Resonance, Env Amount, Drive
- LFO: 7 shapes (Sine, Triangle, Square, Saw Up, Saw Down, Random, Sample & Hold), Rate
- Modulation Destinations: Amp, Pitch, Filter, PWM, Waveshape (PWM and Waveshape via MIDI CC)
- EG: 2 for Filter and Amplitude (full ADSR is available via MIDI)
Preset
- 100 Presets (20 factory non-writable, 80 user)
Keyboard and controls
- 7 Knobs (4 matrix, 3 fixed)
- 13 Selectable scales (Chromatic, Major, Minor, Major Pentatonic, Minor Pentatonic, Major Blues, Minor Blues, Harmonic Minor, Mixolydian, Dorian, Klezmer, Hungarian Gypsy, Spanish Gypsy, Japanese, South-East Asian)
Sequencer
- 16-step sequencer
- Real-time and step recording with parameter recording
- Real-time parameter recording per-step
- 3 directions: Forward, Backward, Forward and Backward
- Selectable length between 1 and 16 steps
Arpeggiator
- 10 Mode Arpeggiator
- 4 octave range
- Hold control
Effects
- Delay
- Dive, Scoop, Vibrato, Wah, Tremolo
Connections
- Audio Out: Mini-jack 3.5mm stereo (mono summed)
- Audio In: Mini-jack 3.5mm stereo (mono summed)
- 2 x MIDI 2.5mm mini-jack to DIN cables (IN/OUT)
- 1 Micro USB*
Power
- 4x AA Batteries (Alkaline, Ni-Mh)
- Micro USB connector
- Optional UNO Synth Power Bank
Package includes
- UNO Synth
- 1x Micro USB to USB-A cable (60cm/23.62")
- 2x 2.5mm TRS male to MIDI female adapter (10cm / 3.9")
- 4x AA batteries (Alkaline)
Dimensions
- Size: 25.6cm/10.1" x 15cm/5.91" x 5cm/1.96"
- Weight: 400g/14.1oz (excluded batteries)
*USB power has inherent ground noise, so when connecting the UNO Synth directly to your computer via USB, you may hear more noise and interference than when the synth is connected to a USB wall charger or running via batteries. With the direct computer connection, you can reduce the USB ground noise and other interference by either using a USB isolator or a custom TRS cable into a balanced input on your preamp or audio interface where the ground is not connected at the balanced input side.
UNO Synth Editor Compatibility
UNO Synth Editor requires UNO Synth with firmware version 1.1.1 or later.
iOS devices
Compatible with 64-bit iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 10 or later is required.
Computers
64-bit application. Requires a 64 bit CPU and Operating System.
Mac® (64-bits)
Minimal: macOS 10.11 or later.
Windows® (64-bits)
Minimal: Windows 8 or later.