The Viennese tech startup Birdkids has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of their new 100% analog, semi-modular, synthesizer voice, RAVEN.

RAVEN’s system-architectural idea was about going back to the basics of subtractive, modular synthesis. “We wanted to capture the raw, non-linearity and honesty of a 100% analog circuit,” Birdkids says. “The main engineering challenge of RAVEN was consolidating a highly complex conglomerate of modular, discrete designs into a slim 3U/42HP (Eurorack) form-factor resulting in a uniquely sounding subtractive, semi-modular, high-performance, musical instrument.”

RAVEN combines the simplicity of a performance-friendly, semi-modular synthesizer voice with fully-modular, infinitely flexible, workflow possibilities by assigning Control Voltage I/O’s at (almost) every point in the signal workflow. Each modular component can be seen as a standalone, self-sufficient entity. The synthesizer-components are comprised of dual, wide-range Voltage Controlled Oscillators, the original The Bateleur Voltage Controlled Filter, two Voltage Controlled Amplifier outputs: a high-performance THAT 2162 Blackmer VCA and an Optocoupler VCA reminiscent of legendary West Coast designs.

You can back the project at Birdkids’ Kickstarter.

Watch the promo video of RAVEN below.