Cerberus - Full Hybrid Analogue / Digital Voice

Introductory launch price: £449 for the first production batch. Regular price £499.

Full user manual: Download Cerberus Hybrid Voice Manual PDF

Cerberus is a complete hybrid analogue/digital synthesiser voice in 16HP — built for people who want the electricity and movement of a real analogue oscillator, without giving up the precision, memory and scale of a modern digital instrument.

At its heart is a genuine analogue through-zero VCO built around the SSI2130. It is not a model, not a wavetable pretending to be voltage-controlled, and not a sample behind a panel. It is a real analogue core: alive, immediate, physical, and fully patchable.

But Cerberus does not leave that analogue core to drift alone.

A high-speed digital control system works with the oscillator, keeping the instrument musically centred. The analogue core can be quickly auto-calibrated whenever required, with no trim pots and no case-opening ritual. Pitch tracking and oscillator biasing are handled inside the instrument, so the analogue voice stays accurate, stable and ready to play.

Around that core sit two assignable digital engines. Each engine can independently run as a six-operator FM voice, a wavetable/chord engine, or a tuned noise source. Run two different FM patches at different intervals. Stack two wavetable chord engines with separate voicings. Pair a chord progression with a tuned noise layer. Or combine FM, wavetable and analogue tone into one locked, playable voice.

The digital engines are tied to the analogue pitch and musical structure, so they do not feel like separate sound sources bolted on afterwards. They behave like extensions of the same instrument.

Start with an analogue lead. Add an FM engine an octave below. Place a wavetable chord a fifth above. Strum a progression from a single pitch input. Blend in tuned noise for air, bite or instability. Cerberus keeps the whole patch moving together: in tune, in key and in time.

Cerberus is also mixed as a complete voice. The two assignable digital engines are routed internally to an onboard mixer, with adjustable levels for balancing FM, wavetable, chord or noise layers. Two analogue insert inputs let you bring waveforms from the analogue core into the same mix path, so the raw VCO can sit alongside the digital engines without needing an external mixer.

The digital engines can also be sent from their own dedicated stereo output jacks, with full pan control for each engine. Use Cerberus as a complete mixed hybrid voice, send the digital section out in stereo, or separate the analogue and digital layers for external processing.

The intent is simple: analogue gives you tone, touch and movement; digital gives you range, polyphony, recall and control. Cerberus brings them together without making you choose.

It can be a bass voice, a lead, a dual-FM stack, a chord machine, a tuned noise generator, a full melodic voice or the centre of an entire patch. It is designed to let ideas become finished sounds quickly — not by hiding depth, but by keeping the important things connected.

A built-in scale quantiser can pull the analogue oscillator into precise musical territory when you want it, while still letting it behave like a raw voltage-controlled oscillator when you do not. Every patch can be saved and recalled. The analogue core remains fully available to the rest of your rack, with dedicated waveform outputs, sync, FM and PWM inputs.

Cerberus is for building sounds that feel alive, stay playable, and can be recalled when inspiration comes back.

Features

Real analogue core
SSI2130 through-zero VCO with simultaneous saw, pulse, triangle and sine outputs, plus a CV-morphing mix output.

Digitally managed calibration and biasing
No trim pots. No manual adjustment. Cerberus can quickly auto-calibrate the analogue core whenever required, including pitch tracking and oscillator biasing, keeping the instrument accurate and ready to play.

Fully patchable VCO behaviour
Hard/soft sync, through-zero FM, exponential FM and PWM inputs let the analogue core work as a deep standalone oscillator inside a larger modular system.

Two assignable digital engines
Each engine can independently run as one of three types: six-operator FM, wavetable/chord, or tuned noise. Use two engines of the same type or mix engine types freely.

6-operator FM engine
Run one or two independent FM voices, each with its own patch, tuning offset and sound design controls.

Wavetable/chord engine
Run one or two wavetable engines, each with chord/progression sequencing, up to 12 notes, strum, voicing and retrigger control.

Tuned noise engine
Pitch-aware noise for breath, grit, percussion, attack, air and unstable textures. Can be used alone, doubled, or paired with FM or wavetable synthesis.

Pitch-locked layering
Both digital engines follow the analogue core, making intervals, harmonies, chords, FM layers and noise textures feel like one coherent instrument.

Built-in voice mixer
The two digital engines are internally routed to an onboard mixer, with adjustable output levels. Two analogue insert inputs let you add waveforms from the analogue core to the final voice path without requiring an external mixer.

Stereo digital outputs with pan control
The digital engines can also be sent from their own dedicated stereo output jacks, with full pan control for each engine. Use the internal mixed voice output, the stereo digital outputs, or both.

Per-engine filters and envelopes
Each digital engine includes its own resonant multimode filter with drive, plus dedicated envelope shaping.

Flexible modulation matrix
Two assignable modulation sources with LFO, random and envelope modes, plus external CV input.

Modulation CV outputs
Send internal modulation sources out to animate the rest of your rack.

Onboard effects
Reverb, chorus and delay across the digital voices.

Scale quantiser
Wide range of scales, roots, equal tuning and just tuning. The digital engines and chord engines follow the selected musical structure.

Patch save and recall
Store and recall the complete state of the instrument.

Single-encoder OLED interface
Clear, compact control with live tuning, note and CPU metering.

USB firmware updates
Built for long-term support and growth.

Specifications

Width: 16HP
Depth: 20mm, skiff friendly
Power: 120mA @ +12V, 60mA @ −12V, no +5V rail required
Designed and made in England