Cicada Pro Essential

The Ultimate Sound Design Generator

Cicada’s unique feature is the system’s ability to transform electrical signals into precise mechanical vibrations capable of generating acoustic modulation.
 
Our system allows you to control and interact with acoustic synthesis in a spontaneous and playful way.

Tip-Surface Modulation

At the core of Cicada is our patented tip-surface interaction between the bridge and the soundboard. Vibrations generated by the voice-coil motors in the actuator are transmitted and amplified by the bridge, causing intermittent interaction with the soundboard.
 
This intermittent and periodic interaction results in modulation. The precision of Cicada allows for these modulation effects to be controllable and repeatable through touch and CV input. It elevates a simple linear transducer interaction with a surface into a nonlinear, controllable, musical interface.

Playful Sound Exploration

Cicada offers rich customization of sound through a variety of soundboards and bridges.
 
Depending on the resonator and filter properties of each material, the resulting sound is dramatically transformed. 

Hard materials, like the wood soundboard, produce brighter and more distorted sounds, whereas softer materials, like the EVA foam soundboard, result in low-pass filtered sounds emphasizing bass frequencies. The weight, density, and shape all affect the sound, leading endless possibilities and configurations.

Cicada Pro Essential is the basic setup to get you started with acoustic synthesis. The AMP Pro and Actuator Pro turns your electronic audio signals into vibrations, which are transmitted over the Bridge and into the Soundboard and PRE Pro. If you're curious about how Cicada will work with your setup, then this system is for you.

Made in Brooklyn, USA

Bundle (included)

• One (1) AMP Pro
  
• One (1) Actuator Pro
  
• One (1) Bridge
  
• One (1) Soundboard
  
• One (1) PRE Pro
  
• 2 Meanwell 9V 2.5A power supplies (universal medical-grade power adapter)
  
• Custom 3D printed bridge case

Accessories (included)

• 3 Custom grey SATA cables (11.8 inches) 
  
• 2 Meanwell 9V 2.5A power supplies (universal medical-grade power adapter)
  
• Custom 3D printed bridge case

Design Features

• Expandable system
• Interchangeable, hot-swappable Soundboards and Bridges
  
• 1/8 Inch unbalanced inputs/outputs
  
• Gain and DC offset control
  
• Force Sensitive Resistor output to Control Voltages
  
• Compatibility with digital and analog synths as well as electronic instruments (essentially, any gear you already use)
  

Inputs (AMP Pro)

• Two 3.5 mm mono audio inputs accepting Eurorack audio signals at 10V pp
  
• One 3.5 mm input to Control DC offset 10V pp (-5V to 5V range)

Outputs (PRE Pro)

• One 3.5 mm mono audio output
  
• Four 3.5 mm CV outputs from the soundboard force sensitive resistors (0 to +5V)

Specifications

Power Requirements: DC 9V 2.5A

Frequency Range (input): 0.001 Hz to 30,000 Hz

Frequency Range(output): 1 Hz to 30,000 Hz

Materials

• Milled acetal
  
• Milled aluminum
  
• Silicone
  
• Neoprene foam
  
• Nylon 12
  
• Neodymium magnets
  
• Glass-filled nylon 12
  
• Steel
  
• Wood
  
• Polycarbonate
  
• Piezoelectric elements
  
• Electronic components

More details here: https://www.physical-synthesis.com/cicada

Final sale. This product has been discontinued by the manufacturer.