Released in 2023, Pittsburgh Modular’s Taiga is a semi-modular synthesizer that can function as a standalone instrument, or serve as part of a larger Eurorack system. It gained praise for its unique sound, which is thanks in no small part to a three-oscillator design that features the company’s renowned Pittsburgh Filter and Dynamics Controller. Now, there’s a keyboard version.
Pittsburgh Modular haven’t simply attached a keybed to the module and called it quits, though: the new instrument also boasts some additional features that include enhanced modulation capabilities, MIDI I/O and a 24HP Eurorack expansion bay. We put Taiga to the test in the July 2023 issue of SOS, so you can check out our in-depth review for more information on the original features. Here, we’ll concentrate on what’s new.
Taiga Keyboard is kitted out with a premium 37-note keybed that offers both velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, dedicated pitch and mod wheels, and also benefits from a more spacious control layout thanks to its increased size. As well as manual control, the mod wheel offers access to features such as clock-sync’ed LFO, envelope and random source modulation, and thanks to the increased case size, there’s now a second analogue LFO.
The instrument’s I/O has been expanded, with left and right outputs now available on quarter-inch TRS connectors, and MIDI connectivity provided by a pair of five-pin DIN sockets, all of which are located on the rear panel. Speaking of expansion, Pittsburgh Modular have fitted a 24HP bay in the instrument’s top panel, allowing users to add additional Eurorack modules to create their own, customised version of the instrument. Thanks to its modular design, the extra modules can be inserted anywhere in the Taiga Keyboard’s signal path, so the bay can be used to host just about any module the user desires.
Pricing & Availability
The Taiga Keyboard is available now, priced at $1299.
