Mayer EMI MD900 XVA Desktop Synthesizer

With the MD900, Mayer-EMI has achieved a great success. The desktop synthesizer with expanded virtual analog sound generation is the first synthesizer of the young company and ranks right next to the big top dogs. The MD900's high-quality aluminum case with walnut front and back gives it an elegant and timeless look. The 16 voices of the polyphonic instrument are divided into four equal parts, which can be played multitimbrally. Besides the many easy-to-grip knobs and faders, the 5" touch display is one of the central control elements of this synthesizer. For a better overview, the two oscillators, the noise oscillator and the LFO section are equipped with additional small displays. The audio input allows you to process external audio signals with the two multimode filters and the versatile effects processor. Thanks to two USB host ports, for example, a USB master keyboard and external synthesizer can be connected via, leaving the MIDI ports free for other tasks. The MD900's extensive sequencer also supports external instruments. In terms of flexibility, sound creation possibilities and sequencer features, this desktop synthesizer can certainly speak for itself.

The powerful sound generator

At the heart of the MD900 are its two oscillators, for each tone generator you can choose separately whether to use the Wavetable or Algorithm model. The Wavetable oscillator has 256 waveforms and can be morphed as usual. The Algorithm oscillator is ideal for classic synthesizer sounds, offering traditional waveforms with pulse width, hardsync, formant shift and even phase distortion in various combinations. The third sound-building element is the sample-based noise oscillator, which provides various filtering and noise source variations. The mixer section not only brings the sound-generating elements together, it also handles the cross-modulation between the two oscillators and the signal routing that feeds the oscillators into the two multimode filters as well as the mix portion of the filters. Each of the filters has different filter models that have a slope of 12dB or 24dB and cover lowpass, bandpass, Highpass and notch in different variations. The filter is followed by the VCA, which has no controls of its own on the cabinet surface. The final link in the consistently stereo signal path is the effects processor, which can handle a selection of delay, Reverb flanger, chorus, EQ, compressor and distortion effects.