Erica Synths and Dutch developer 112dB present the Razornator, a desktop effect unlike anything else in their catalogue: five chromatically tuned delay lines capable of turning a simple percussion hit, a pad or a drum machine into a swarm of plucked strings and metallic resonances. Behind the brutalist aesthetic lies an old idea from computer music, brought back up to date. Available since 3 July 2026, it is aimed at producers and sound recordists looking for a character that no generic plug‑in offers.
The return of Karplus–Strong, in hardware form
The heart of the Razornator is an algorithm many people know without naming it: Karplus–Strong synthesis, formalised in 1983 to model plucked strings and percussive sounds. The principle is strikingly elegant: you feed an excitation signal into a very short delay line, looped back into itself with filtering, and the resonance frequency depends directly on the delay time. The shorter the delay, the higher the note. It is exactly the physical mechanism of shortening a string.
Where most physical‑modelling tools generate their own excitation, the Razornator does the opposite: your input signal acts as the exciter. A kick drum, a hi‑hat hit, a synth transient: anything that goes in will “pluck” the resonators. The result is as much an effect as it is an instrument, since the five tuned lines can form a chord or an interval from a completely atonal rhythmic source.
Five resonators, and everything you need around them
Calling it “five resonators” is shorthand: as the unit is fully stereo, you actually get ten delay lines, i.e. five pairs. A global transposition parameter (shift) moves the whole set, while four offset controls (Pitch 1 to 4) let you spread each resonator to build chords, dissonant clusters or coherent harmonic beds. But the real strength of the Razornator is that Erica Synths did not stop at the resonators: they built a full processing chain around them.
- Analogue gain stage up to +24 dB, which can be driven hard into overdrive to saturate the exciter before it hits the resonators.
- Resonant low‑pass filter at the input, to shape the material feeding the delay lines.
- Envelope follower that keeps the response dynamic and reactive to your playing.
- Compressor and equaliser on the output, essential to tame resonances that can quickly head into controlled feedback.
- Dry/wet mix and balanced output, for clean integration in the studio as well as on stage.
The twelve parameters can be saved and recalled, with a morphing function between presets that opens the door to real‑time sonic transitions — a decisive argument for performance.
Connectivity designed for stage and studio
The Razornator comes in a rugged aluminium chassis, true to Erica Synths’ visual identity. The connectivity is minimal yet complete: stereo input and output on 3.5 mm mini‑jacks, 5‑pin DIN MIDI in and out, a USB port, and crucially a footswitch input. That last detail gives the game away: lock a preset, trigger a morph or mute the effect with your foot, mid‑set, without letting go of your instrument.
Full MIDI automation of all parameters puts the Razornator in the same camp as the brand’s other desktop effects, such as the Zen Delay: a tangible hardware object, but fully controllable from a DAW or hardware sequencer. This dual nature — hands‑on performance and programmed recall — is what separates proper stage‑worthy effects from gadgets.
A collaboration that makes sense
The partnership with 112dB is no coincidence. The developer has made a name for itself with particularly refined reverb and processing algorithms, and it is clearly bringing the finesse of the resonance engine here, while Erica Synths handles the hardware ergonomics and analogue stage. The table below sums up what you actually have in your hands.
| Feature | Razornator |
|---|---|
| Engine | 5 stereo resonators (10 delay lines) using Karplus–Strong type synthesis |
| Tuning | Global shift + 4 offsets (Pitch 1–4), chords and clusters |
| Input stage | Analogue gain up to +24 dB (overdrive) |
| Filtering | Resonant low‑pass at the input |
| Dynamics | Envelope follower, compressor, EQ on the output |
| Connectivity | 3.5 mm stereo I/O, DIN MIDI in/out, USB, footswitch |
| Control | 12 parameters, presets, morphing, full MIDI automation |
| Price | €490 ex. VAT (≈ €579 inc. VAT) |
It inevitably brings to mind performance effect processors such as the Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 or touch‑based units like the Korg Kaoss Pad V. But the Razornator plays a different game: it does not try to do everything; it does one thing, and pushes it far.
My opinion
I have spent enough years in control rooms and running studios to be wary of single‑purpose boxes: you buy them on impulse, and they end up buried in the rack. The Razornator, however, has an angle I take seriously. Physical string modelling in software has been around for twenty years; what changes here is the analogue front end and the fact you manipulate it with your hands, footswitch underfoot. On a kick or a field recording, this kind of tool pulls out textures no plug‑in preset will give you, because it is your source that sculpts the result. At €490 ex. VAT, it is not an impulse buy: it is a sound‑signature tool for those who know what to do with it — and a gadget trap for everyone else.
Availability
The Razornator has been shipping since 3 July 2026 at a price of €490 before tax (around €579 inc. VAT depending on the retailer). It rounds out a range of desktop effects which, from the Zen Delay to solutions designed for live electronic performance and Eurorack, confirms Erica Synths’ strategy: specialised hardware objects, built for the stage as much as for the studio. Full specifications can be found on the manufacturer’s product page.
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