Erica Synths Steampipe: features, release date, price and all the details you need to knowAfter introducing it earlier this year at Superbooth, Erica Synths has officially launched the Steampipe, a synth which mimics wind instruments.
Dubbed an “eight-voice polyphonic synthesizer like no other”, the Steampipe is the result of a collaboration with Dutch company 112dB.com, and uses physical modelling to “mimic the rich, organic overtones of wind and string instruments”.

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It’s an interesting prospect. Here’s everything you need to know:
Features
Eschewing conventional oscillators, the Steampipe is designed to recreate the sound of a range of wind instruments, but can also mimic strings, pipe organs and more. Erica Synths says it can also “conjure sonic imagery ranging from wisps of clouds to fairground band organs to industrial horns of the railroad”. That paints quite the picture, so let’s dive deeper into some specs.

As previously mentioned, the Steampipe features eight-voice polyphony, and is powered by a physical modelling engine with 32 adjustable parameters. There’s also five assignable LFOs with delay and sync, an extensive modulation matrix, 192 user preset memory slots and if you want to get straight down to business, 64 factory presets.
You can also plug in a MIDI keyboard via a DIN5 MIDI input and MIDI Thru/out, and all parameters are MIDI CC controllable.
Credit: Erica Synths
In terms of form factor, the Steampipe weighs a modest 3kg, and measures up at 45.5cm x 27cm x 7cm.
What Erica Synths says about the Steampipe
“Due to detailed controls over multiple physical modeling parameters, the Steampipe is capable of generating very organic emulations of real instruments, but it goes well beyond the pitch and dynamic ranges conventional instruments can produce – for instance, imagine how a flute or clarinet would sound in C1 or C7,” the company says.
What creators are saying about the Erica Synths Steampipe

“As a physical modelling synth, this is the most hands-on one I’ve ever used,” says YouTuber loopop. “The fact that it gives you so many direct on-panel touch points into the exciter and resonator, lets you truly dig in and experiment in ways that just aren’t possible in synths where physical modelling is yet another engine among many others and you only get to control a handful of parameters in the menu somewhere…”
“The second pro, in my opinion – and you can easily include this pro as a con, is just how unpredictable and surprising this synth is. The feedback loop is very different from how traditional synths work, and Steampipe is a refreshing change from how other synths sound.”
Release date and pricing
Credit: Erica Synths
The Erica Synths Steampipe will be available from 17 December priced at €990, with orders expected to ship from 7 January 2025.
For more information, head to Erica Synths.
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