SuperBooth 2025 Report

Although Superbooth’s roots stretch back more than two decades, this year was KVR's first official visit, and we loved it. Born from a small group of friends and synth devotees, the SuperBooth initiative began at Frankfurt MusikMesse and evolved into a gathering space for boutique builders and electronic instrument creators—makers of the rare, the strange, and the beautiful. Although many major developers are participating now, the focus has never been on branding or polished marketing—it has been about discovery, collaboration, and the shared passion for making sound.

Since the initial scene at Musikmesse, the Superbooth concept packed up its patch cables and taken the show on the road—appearing in London, Poland, and lighting up Berlin’s club scene with live modular performances. What began as a niche counterpoint has since grown into one of the world’s most celebrated synth gatherings.

Although there was a map of the vendor locations, to us it seemed like a virtual labyrinth of delights as we wove our way from location to location inside and out, all the while passing performances and training sessions. The atmosphere was quite pleasant at the venue as one could wander through the forest in search of another group of booths, which might be in cabins or under tents.

Software Companies

In the u-he booth we had a good look at Zebra 3, which is increasing our excitement about the upcoming upgrade. Zebra 3 will bring a huge number of benefits, while retaining it's original look and feel. Urs Heckmann, who occasionally sleeps, has re-written the plugin from the ground up. The code is brand new so it takes advantage of all the latest tools and technologies. Existing Zebra users will enjoy the bargain upgrade price of $30. Users can expect the upgrade this year. They were also showing an upcoming beta update for Uhbik 2, their suite of effects processors.

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BMF Vox Humana

UJAM was there in the form of founder, Peter Gorges. In March they released a recreation of the legendary Polymoog called Vox Humana. It utilizes the UJAM Gorilla Engine and 100% of the profit will go to the Bob Moog Foundation as they strive to rebuild from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. For a mere $19 you can get a cool sounding softsynth and feel really good about it. Bravo to UJAM..

Zynaptiq Punch

Zynaptiq were showing three of their latest releases: Their enhancer, Intensity, their EQ Balance and Punch, which is their intelligent dynamics contouring plugin.

Zynaptiq was once again thrilled to exhibit at Superbooth and we want to thank the event organizers, fellow exhibitors, performers, and attendees for contributing to a successful show. The response to our latest software plugins was phenomenal and we’re looking forward to exhibiting again next year.

Jason Davies - Zynaptiq

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Hardware Companies

Moog Messenger

One huge product announcement at the show was the Moog Messenger. The announcement drew so much interest that it was hard to get in and out of their space. Any outsider must acknowledge that they are working hard to represent one of synthesis' most legendary brands. The Messenger is a fully analog monosynth that blends classic Moog sound with more modern and innovative features. It comes with continuously morphing oscillators waveforms which extend all the way into wavefolding for complex, harmonic textures. The Messenger also features a re-imagined multi-mode ladder filter, offering different filter responses, and it includes a bass compensation switch, which is ported from the flagship Muse, to maintain low-end punch even when you crank up the resonance. Messenger is positioned as a more accessible entry-level option for Moog, coming in at $899 USD, making it an extremely compelling choice for those wanting the classic Moog sound with some fresh sonic capabilities.

Superbooth 2025 was a fantastic event for Moog and inMusic with the unveiling of the Messenger, our first Moog synthesizer designed wholly under the inMusic umbrella. Our booth was packed throughout the show, and we were delighted to see so many enjoying the performances of the Messenger in the masterful hands of our friends, Lisa Bella Donna and Mylar Melodies. This is really only the beginning … stay tuned.

Erik Norlander - Moog Music

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Instruo Seashell

Instruō Modular’s booth was abuzz with attendees queuing up to spend some time with their "Seashell" compact semi-modular system. This system is designed to pair hands-on hardware control with software integration. The analog module has a distinct west coast flair featuring two oscillators with cross-FM modulation and a wavefolder. There's also a resonant low-pass filter, and a stereo diffusion effect.

There were far too many fantastic boutique manufacturers on display to cover in this show report, but one that did stand out was the monstrous Magnolia Synth from Frap.Tools. It will support 8 voices with 2 analogue oscillators each, acting as a carrier and a modulator and capable of through-zero FM. It will also feature a Fatar keybed with poly aftertouch and some clever modulation options inspired by Frap.Tools' modular history.

Waldorf Quantum MK2

Digital synths were out and about in full force. Korg's latest offering, the Multi-Poly virtual analogue was on display in the main hall. Upstairs, we spent a good while checking out the new 3rd Wave 8M from Groove Synthesis. The 8M is an 8 voice, 2 part multi-timbral variant of the 3rd Wave in a more accessible, compact package featuring the same sound engine and analog filters and synthesis. While Groove Synthesis were scaling things down, Modal Electronics were scaling up with their new 61 key Carbon 8X. ASM's Hydrasynth line up was on display showing off the latest firmware and manager app and Waldorf was showcasing their incredible Iridium and Quantum range.

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Elysia XMax 500

On the pro audio front, some great high end gear was on display from Elysia including their new Xmax master bus processor. Freqport was showing their new FreqInOut FO1 which allows you to essentially use outboard hardware as a perfectly latency compensated plugin, along with a clever mobile app which can be used scan the front panel of external gear and save them as snapshot or preset within the plugin.

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Software › Hardware

SSL18s

SSL, one of the most respected brands in pro audio, has I/O for less than what one might expect. They were demonstrating the SSL18 and Alpha 8 audio interface and convertors. They have SSL level premium DACs, but for incredibly competitive pricing.

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A new software company with hardware is Bitwig, primarily a DAW creative environment that integrated with modular hardware, they have closed the loop with their Bitwig Connect. Bitwig connect also has tight integration in Bitwig, functioning as a controller, providing transport controls and easy management of the I/O. Did we mention it's lovely shade of orange?

This Superbooth was fantastic for us. It‘s for us so essential to have the opportunity to connect with partners and customers alike, in real life, and it servers as a great reminder/refresher that we are all part of the music technology ecosystem and community.

A huge thank you, of course, to the great Superbooth team for their great work. We‘re looking forward to the next year.

Mea Lindl - Bitwig

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Much like Bitwig, Presonus has taken steps to implement modular integration capabilities, particularly with its own line of audio interfaces. A key feature is the "CV Instrument" in Studio One 7, which allows direct control of analog modular synthesizers and other external gear through compatible multi-output audio interfaces. This eliminates the need for separate MIDI/CV hardware interfaces, translating note trigger and pitch information directly from Studio One's Instrument Tracks into analog control voltages, bridging the gap between digital convenience and the tactile, organic sound of analog synthesis.

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Ableton Move now plays well with others

Speaking of inter connectivity Ableton was showing the new software update for their highly portable Move workstation. Although Move was designed as a standalone device, the most requested feature has been MIDI connectivity, and they have addressed it. They were showing the Move sending and receiving Beat Clock with several synthesizers. They have also added a Slicing function, another nod to a their traditional Live users. Although the LCD is small, the results are effective.

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Reflecting their influence Native Instruments had a both for themselves, iZotope and Plugin Alliance. They had the new Circular Sequencer instrument for Kontakt 8 being demo'd, alongside the upcoming NKS standard support for Arturia hardware controllers. For those with deep pockets, the PPG 1002 mk2 was on display. It is a brand new version of Wolfgang Palm's original analogue mono synth, hand-built to order from Wolfgang's original circuit diagrams and schematics and comes with a whopping €9999.00 price tag.

Speaking of Arturia, they had a full complement of their hardware on display including the gorgeous Polybrute 12. We got a look at a few new updates behind closed doors too... more on that soon.

Performances

Superbooth isn't just about showing off new gear; it's also a vibrant hub for live performances and engaging workshops. Artists and performers included the likes of Surgeon, Lisa Bella Donna and Dasha Rush to name but a few. And, of course, no Superbooth would be complete without a Modular Synthesizer Ensemble, always a crowd-pleaser for those who love the intricate dance of patch cables and blinking lights. It's not all just watching either though with plenty of hands-on stuff on offer including a number of DIY workshops.

Developers have noticed the crowds getting larger. SuperBooth attracts a diverse collection of old synth aficionados from the early days of Moog, Oberheim, Buchla, and a new group who may appreciate their elders but are following newer Eurorack and boutiques brands like...

6 Reasons to go to SuperBooth next year

Fortunately nobody tried...

If you like synthesizers and creative tech products it's like going to Disneyland, or you favorite candy store.

At SuperBooth you hang out with a very diverse yet like-minded community that is staying hip.

Of course there's lots of cool stuff to look at and listen to, and it is an indoor outdoor idyllic setting

It didn't rain

There was a coffee booth with really good coffee AND excellent Chocolate Cookies

Check out the SuperBooth page for various roundup videos from the 2025 show at www.superbooth.com/en/videos

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