BUZZ ZONE Review
Toybox Audio sent me a copy of their latest synth Buzz Zone, the successor and synthesizer version of the free Thump One. Buzz Zone is a simple wavetable synth/ sample player with a minimalistic UI and some neat effects. The synth engine has six main controls each with an attached MSEG, while the sampler allows for pitch, filter, and level, also with MSEGs. Buzz Zone also has a single dial effect slot that gives you over a dozen various effects options, ranging from reverb, to modulation, to distortions and an echo.
The primary synth engine, while simple, is actually quite robust, the default wavetable has a variety of fun shapes to blend between. There is some basic FM with a ratio control, and a filter that can double as a variety of effects including wavefolder, crush, and frequency shifting. The second oscillator can be used for AM, FM, ring modulation, of even filter FM. These various effects, FM, and oscillator options allow for a surprising amount of depth and cross modulation. I found myself making some rather complex sounds with just a few controls.
The MSEG is fun, but not quite my taste, it is marketed as a selling point that it curves by default, allowing you to avoid bezier handles, but personally I prefer the extra control and design classic MSEGs allow. For example, creating a triangle wave required making extra points that I had to treat almost like inverse bezier handles. I’d have also liked some tempo grid lines to create rhythmic patterns. On a positive note, the MSEGs in Buzz Zone offer some unique features, there is a “pitch” mode, which links the MSEG up to the keyboard range making it into an audio rate modifier. Additionally there is a chaos mode where the “playhead” of the mseg travels forward and backwards randomly at various speeds, great for some random modulation.
I’m beginning to love some of these simpler synths like Tela or Abyss, it’s a nice change of pace from crazy modular machines that can seemingly do everything. Don’t get me wrong, I love Reaktor, Phaseplant, VCV, Myth, and other powerhouses, but these minimalistic designs really force you to make the most out of what’s right in front of you. You begin to really explore every possible knob position and combination. It feels like you’re squeezing every bit of creativity out of these tools and often times they force you to stop before you’ve gone too far. I hope to see more developers explore this simpler side of tool creation.