Each owner of 20 Synthesizer will have to pay €20 000 – that’s how much the gorgeous unit costs: the series comes as a limited edition (20+20 instruments) rendered in black or silver, the body is milled from a massive aluminum block.
Technically the keyboard is based on the Waldorf Blofeld synth engine, or rather its modified version which is the core of Studiologic Sledge structure, so it was modified for the third time and now - specially for 20 Synthesizer. The main difference of the latest version is in featuring that very sample set the ingenious Neuron offered – an unfinished creation of Axel Hartmann. It also sports a Hi-End signal path including the Supra Op-Amp technology version specially designed by German audio manufacturer SPL. Though it’s not really clear why PPG 8 bit samples would need to go through a topnotch operational amplifier. Anyway 20 Synthesizer is an art object, sort of a show-off instrument which offers the sounds created not only by Axel Hartmann but also by some other renowned sound designers: Wolfram Franke (PPG, Waldorf), Peter Gorges (KAWAI, NORD, Steinberg, AVID, Wizoo and UJAM), Kurt Ader (KORG, E-mu). Is there any point in criticizing art objects? Barely. It’s not the matter of finding truth anyway. That’s why let’s just watch the good reviews on it instead of mocking the technology and caviling at the discrepancies.
As for the controllers Axel Hartmann picked only the exclusive components here as well: a 5-octave Fatar TP-8 keybed with monophonic aftertouch (all the keys are black in both of the versions – whether it’s black or silver); collapsable, milled ultra thin aluminum panel, custom-built pure aluminum knobs and wheels, acrylic-glass switches.