Synth Anatomy Showcases Kaona Sisyphus: The Glitchy Geezer of the Eurorack Scene

Kaona has dropped a bit of a bombshell in the Eurorack universe with the Sisyphus, shattering preconceptions about what a stereo granular filter could be. At SynthFest France 2025, visitors got to feast their eyes on this marvel. This isn’t your everyday filter; it’s a wild blend of digital ingenuity and organic sound processing. By combining granular processing with a palette of eight innovative filters, the Sisyphus challenges the norm. Traditionalists, beware – this isn’t going to be your cup of tea.

What makes the Kaona Sisyphus stand out is its unconventional approach to sound manipulation. A concoction of eight unique filters paired with granular manipulation transforms ordinary sounds into something you’d expect from a glitchy parallel universe. The module doesn’t sequence like your familiar analog hardware; it thrives on digital chaos. If you’re imagining textbook granular pitches and textures, throw that idea out the window. In Synth Anatomy’s chat with the creative mind behind it, it became clear – this isn’t a mass milkshake of grains but a sophisticated cascade of granular-filter incidences.

The Sisyphus slaps a granular processor over each sound grain, using spectral analysis for a wild pattern generation, marching to the beat of its unscripted drum. You won’t get your usual drones; instead, prepare for sonic trips where each grain is smoothed by what they call ‘organic anomalies’. As Synth Anatomy phrases it, the outcome is as refreshing as it is esoteric – shaking up the room with variability and randomisation. Whether for ambient explorations or chaotic sound designs, Sisyphus provides a juggling act of grains morphing into an unpredictable auditory saga. It’s like slicing waveforms with digital razors only to bind them with a peculiar spectral glue.

Peeking into the interface of Sisyphus, it’s as straightforward as any puzzle of this calibre can get. The 24HP module lays out a traditional journey for sound sculpting with a twist—a digital twist that never misses the opportunity to surprise. The system invites the tinkerer in you to go wild, with options to switch between classic low-pass, high-pass, comb, and more avant-garde filter types. Simplicity is deceptive here; beneath its clean layout lies a digital beast, ready to weave soundscapes that ordinary setups only dream of.

In Synth Anatomy’s showcase, the walkthrough allows an appreciation for its user-friendly albeit deceptively complex design, mergeable with any Eurorack setup. The granules of sound and filters can be organically synced, making the user experience a mad scientist’s dream. Though it appears simple, every knob twist promises different realms of sonic experimentations—a playground for those devoted to modular synthesis.

With all its innovative potentials, the Kaona Sisyphus is more than just a one-trick pony. Sporting a powerful CPU at its core, it’s built for longevity, ensuring it can handle future updates and expansions like a pro modulating Jedi. With plans for a broader ecosystem involving more modules, your modular rig may find itself hooked on Kaona’s unique approach to sound creation.

The Sisyphus is freshly out of the gate, with units starting to ship, marking its debut on the market at a sweet price of €480. While the module offers a playground for the brave, its polarising nature isn’t for everyone. Yet, in a world of predictable synthesizers, sometimes a bit of chaos is just what you need to invigorate your creativity. As the module stretches its roots into the market, it’s set to capture the hearts of those who see art in the unstructured. With Synth Anatomy singing its praises yet again, the Sisyphus may just be that quirky star shining brightly amidst the Eurorack universe.