FPGA Virtual Analog Synthesizer

Earlier this year, Waldorf Music, a German synthesizer company, introduced the first synthesizer based entirely on an FPGA, the Kyra. Past virtual analog synthesizers (digital synths with sound engines that model analog circuitry) were based on custom DSP chips which could still deliver good sound quality but lack the flexibility that the FPGA allows. The chip in the Kyra allows for the entire synth architecture to be reprogrammed and change to be something entirely new, letting developers model some classic design or come up with something entirely new. This enables a wide range of sonic possibilities beyond what the synth currently delivers and extends its feasible lifespan considerably.