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Sonicware's ELZ_1 core Strips the Keys Off an 18-Engine Synth and Adds a USB Host Port

Same engines, same Waldorf wavetables, same 49 effects, now in a desktop box at $499 — built to order, with no looper and no keyboard.

2 min read

Sonicware’s ELZ_1 play is one of the odder instruments in circulation: a compact synth with a stack of unusual digital engines and a small keyboard. The keyboard is also the reason a lot of people skipped it, because if you already own a controller you’re paying for keys you won’t touch.

The ELZ_1 core, announced September 16, is the answer. Same engine set, no keyboard, in a desktop module at $499 / £449 / €539 including VAT.

What’s inside

  • 18 oscillator engines, stackable up to three layers, including a wavetable engine with Waldorf-licensed wavetables, a super saw, granular engines with sampling, 8-bit oscillators, noise and physical modeling
  • Multimode filter, four envelope modes and LFOs
  • 49 multi-FX algorithms: delays, reverbs, granular processors, formant filters
  • 2.4-inch color LCD, five encoders, and 25 full-color LED buttons (six navigation, 18 function)

The I/O is where the module earns its place

  • Stereo outputs on 6.3mm jacks, a line input, and a 3.5mm headphone output with its own volume knob
  • 5-pin MIDI in and out
  • USB-C for data, audio and power
  • A USB host port for MIDI controllers, with bus power

The USB host port is the addition that isn’t on the ELZ_1 play, and it’s the right one for a keyboard-less box: plug a controller straight in, no computer and no adapter. Paired with 5-pin MIDI and USB audio in one unit, the core fits either a desk or a live rig without a hub.

The tradeoff is that the core drops the four-track audio looper from the play. If looping was how you performed with the ELZ_1, the play is still the one to buy.

Made to order

Sonicware says the core is produced on a made-to-order basis, citing component costs and supply constraints. That means waiting rather than grabbing one off a shelf, and it’s a sensible way for a small manufacturer to ship an unusual instrument without gambling on inventory. It also means this probably won’t be discounted.

Released the same day: firmware 3.0 for the ELZ_1 play, adding a redesigned patch browser with sound categories and favorites, plus three performance macros. Existing owners get the software improvements even if they skip the new hardware.

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