Starsky Carr’s Syntrx II Review: Vintage Vibes, Modern Mayhem

Starsky Carr wastes no time setting the record straight: the Syntrx II isn’t a clone, but a full-throttle homage to the EMS Synthi and VCS3 – minus the need to sell your kidney. We’re talking three oscillators, a looping trapezoid envelope, and that infamous pin matrix, now digital and ready to save your patching from the abyss. The price? A fraction of the original’s vintage madness, making this a synth for the people, not just the museum crowd.

But don’t get it twisted – this isn’t just a nostalgia trip. The Syntrx II brings a three-channel sequencer, DSP effects, and a much friendlier tuning system to the party. Gone are the days of wrestling with vernier pots and spring reverbs. Starsky’s review is all about showing how these new features make the Syntrx II not just more usable, but actually more fun. It’s a proper rave bunker upgrade, not a dusty reissue.

If you think the Syntrx II is just for cosmic drones and Doctor Who FX, think again. Starsky Carr demonstrates that this beast can handle classic monosynth duties with ease – fat basses, leads, and all the bread-and-butter sounds you’d expect from a three-oscillator monster. The all-analog signal path keeps things punchy, while the looping envelope and joystick modulation open up wild performance territory.

He doesn’t just talk the talk – there are demo tracks and practical sound design breakdowns that show the Syntrx II flexing across genres. Whether you’re after techno grit, synthwave nostalgia, or just want to annoy your neighbours with some filter FM, this box delivers. The takeaway? It’s not just an ambient machine – it’s a proper sonic street weapon.

Let’s talk about the 16×16 digital pin matrix – the feature that scares off casuals and makes synth nerds drool. Starsky Carr is quick to bust the myth: it’s not complicated, it’s just powerful. You can save your routing (no more lost pins), set levels per connection, and patch up wild modulation chains without a spaghetti mess of cables. It’s like a modular system, but without the chaos – unless you want it.

He walks through patches that sound massive but are actually dead simple to set up. The matrix lets you dial in everything from basic monosynth flows to FM feedback insanity, all with a few button presses. If you’re still scared of the matrix, you’re missing out – this is the kind of interface that makes you want to experiment, not run for the manual.