Dreadbox Alecto: a two-voice analog drum synth with a polymetric sequencer
Dreadbox launches Alecto, a two-voice analog percussion synth with polymetric sequencing in a 42HP Eurorack format, at €250 excl. VAT as a kit or €315 assembled.
Dreadbox launched Alecto on November 3: a two-voice analog percussion synthesizer that works on a desk or inside a Eurorack system. The Greek manufacturer is selling it now from its own store in two versions: €250 excl. VAT as a solderless DIY kit and €315 excl. VAT assembled. This article is based on the official Alecto page and its store listing.
Two identical voices, built for kicks and beyond
Alecto is not a sixteen-sound drum machine. It is an instrument with two identical analog voices, each able to produce a kick, a tom, metallic percussion, a bassline or a drone. According to the spec sheet, each voice has:
- two analog oscillators with several waveforms and frequency modulation (FM: one oscillator varies the pitch of the other, which gives metallic or bell-like tones);
- a white noise generator with a balance control against the oscillators, for snares and hats;
- two analog filters plus a high-pass filter with a three-position switch;
- two envelope generators, including a pitch envelope set by the BEND knob: this is what makes a kick drum’s pitch drop;
- a CLICK switch that adds an attack transient, an ATTACK switch that softens it, and a DRONE switch that disables the VCA envelope so the voice sounds continuously.
Three knobs handle most of the tone: TUNE sets both pitch and filter, TIMBRE detunes the second oscillator and offsets the filter, and MORPH changes how the two oscillators combine. Envelopes here are mostly about their DECAY; for the vocabulary, our guide to the ADSR envelope explains attack, decay, sustain and release.
A sequencer that lets rhythms drift
Each voice has its own trigger sequencer, with a LENGTH control, a clock divider (DIV) and a TRIG/RST button that fires the voice by hand or resets the sequence. Because the two sequencers have independent lengths and divisions, they drift against each other: this is polymeter, two cycles of different lengths that only line up again after a number of beats (a 3-step sequence against a 4-step one realigns every 12 steps). Tempo ranges from 30 to 7,680 BPM, which also lets triggers run up into audio rates.
An LFO (low-frequency oscillator, used to modulate a parameter over time) with two waveforms rounds out the panel, with rate and depth controls.
The patch bay
| Item | Details from Dreadbox |
|---|---|
| Patch points | 21 in total |
| Inputs per voice | TRIGGER, VELOCITY, TUNE, TIMBRE, MORPH |
| Outputs per voice | BEND (pitch envelope), individual audio output |
| Clock | CLOCK in, START, RESET, clock out |
| LFO | full-level square output, attenuated triangle |
| Audio | one master output and two individual outputs |
| Format and power | 42HP Eurorack, USB powered; +12V 180mA / -12V 80mA in a rack |
The trigger and velocity inputs let you drive Alecto from another sequencer or a Eurorack module with control voltage: our guide CV and Gate explained covers how that works. In the box, Dreadbox supplies the module, a 42HP case and a power ribbon cable; you need to add a 5V USB-A power adapter rated at 1,000mA or more. For rack use, Eurorack explained: choosing your first case explains what HP and current draw in milliamps mean.
The official Dreadbox walkthrough:
Who it is for, what it costs, what it competes with
Who it is for. Techno and experimental musicians who want hand-shaped analog percussion rather than a full kit, and Eurorack owners looking for a kick and percussion source with its own sequencer. With only two voices, Alecto does not replace a general-purpose drum machine: it complements one.
What it costs. €250 excl. VAT as a solderless kit and €315 excl. VAT assembled, as listed on the Dreadbox store. Available now, with shipping quoted at two to four working days.
What it competes with.
- Moog DFAM: the benchmark semi-modular analog percussion synth, but with a single voice and an 8-step sequencer; Alecto offers two voices with independent sequences;
- Behringer Edge: the budget, DFAM-inspired alternative, built on the same single-voice, step-sequencer idea;
- Erica Synths LXR-02: a multi-voice digital drum machine with a full sequencer, more versatile but built on a different philosophy (see its open-source firmware release).
Alecto’s strength is its pair of voices and its polymetric sequencer, which create movement without step programming. The trade-off: the spec sheet lists no preset memory and no MIDI, and sync goes through the clock jacks. On the same day, Dreadbox put three earlier models back on sale, assembled, in the same 42HP format. All our drum machine coverage is in the Drum Machines section.
View at Thomann
