Knas discontinues the Ekdahl Polygamist synthesizer

September 12, 2024 · 1 sources

Knas announced on September 12, 2024 that the Ekdahl Polygamist synthesizer has been discontinued in its current form. The maker wrote on the product page that the decision was driven by build difficulty and weak returns, and left open a possible future version.

The maker's stated reasons were that "the Polygamist in its current form is much too complicated to build, takes too long, have too many things that can go wrong with it, is nowhere near generating enough cash." The same page says "there might be another Ekdahl Polygamist in the future if i can change production methods."

The Polygamist is described by Knas as a synthesizer built on a classic VCO/VCF/VCA architecture, with building blocks intended for more chaotic sounds than a conventional synth. Knas lists a VCO1 with a "Tilt" output that shifts a triangle wave from sawtooth to triangle to ramp, and a VCO2 "Pitch multiplying oscillator" made of a fundamental and three sub harmonics. The ADSR is loopable and can be paused in its transition, and the three LFOs reach audio range, with two going down to about 4 minutes per waveform period. It also has a duophonic, pressure sensitive ribbon controller that sends MIDI data, and two independent MIDI/USB-to-CV converters that can be ganged in duophonic mode.

The list price was $1,450. Knas said the price was higher than anticipated and that it would introduce a tiered pricing system for musicians with limited income some time after initial sales. The page also described a waiting list requiring a $700 PayPal deposit to cover parts, with buyers asked to contact Knas before paying.

Knas framed the instrument as aimed at experimental, drone, noise and improv playing. The maker wrote that the design grew out of boredom with analog synths that "just sounding nice" and frustration with circuit-bent gear that was not reliably repeatable or controllable.