Future Sound Systems Cric Synthesizer - Greyscale Limited Edition - PREORDER

Future Sound Systems Cric Synthesizer - Greyscale Limited Edition For Sale

Limited run of 30 units of Tony's favourite modern synth.

Preorder now! Expected delivery June/July 2026.

Old school circuitry, new school synthesis. This neatly sums up the Cric from which you can conjure up the beguiling rich timbres, tones and textures that are reminiscent of Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarre and many other greats of seventies synthesizer music. In my experience no other modern synths get as close, and yet Cric is also capable of being decidedly modern and very original (and completely 'bonkers' as Sarah Belle Reid finds below).

FSS is proud to present Cric Greyscale  - a new edition of our fully analogue matrix-patchable sound synthesiser. Given the demand of the Brunel edition, we decided it was only right to continue to offer an alternative to the original Cric’s bright and bombastic hues. The Greyscale aesthetic takes cues from classic American synthesisers of the 1970s, coupled with a new colourway of Mirrl-clad HIMACS, to produce a completely achromatic finish. Four red LEDs, one per CFG, is the only hint of colour here, as even the matrix pins supplied follow a black, white and grey colour scheme.

 See Sarah Belle Reid's excellent and detailed walkthrough below to get an idea of the immensity of sound design possibilties that dwell within Cric.

Talking synthesis, Cric Greyscale is still the no-compromise analogue playground that those in the know have come to love. Three super-stable SSI2131-based VCOs can be used independently, or in our Recombination configuration to achieve harmonically rich, evolving timbres. The filter section presents a flexible state-mixable 18dB/octave analogue filter, based around the SSI2164, coupled with a wave-folder. A stand-alone VCA gives further flexibility to the nine VCAs already present in the filter and DNA oscillator. Four Cyclical Function Generators afford plenty of modulation capabilities when routed through the 768-point active pin matrix. Four inputs and four outputs allow for routing external equipment to and from Cric, allowing for modular-esque treatment of your favourite outboard, guitar pedals, etc. There’s even a microphone pre-amp on the first input channel.

As always, each Cric Greyscale unit is hand-assembled and -tested at Future Sound Systems HQ in Bristol to ensure sonic joy straight out of the box. Rock on!

A user manual for Cric can be found here.