What is it?
Bastl’s Neo Trinity takes its cue from the brand's earlier CV Trinity Eurorack module, a 6-channel modulation generator. Neo Trinity however eschews its forebear's more spacious front panel (in wood or white metal) and goes slim and dark. The 6-channel core remains, but there has been a reduction in both the number of controls and patchable ins and outs. Despite the smaller footprint, its feature set has been expanded to include an array of LFO, Envelope, CV and trigger options. So what really is the Neo Trinity?
Bastl describes it as an ‘Automatable Modulation Hub’, and that is certainly true, but once you delve deeper you will find that as well as some quite conventional LFO and Envelope generation options it throws in recordable trigger generation (with algorithmic fill) and complex CV record and playback options (with scale quantisation). All this can be clocked externally (or clock other units itself), with clock division and multiplication per channel. Impressive – and there’s more…
Pricing
- Full price: $320 / €290 (excl. VAT) / £315
The Neo Trinity was first announced in January 2024. The price hasn't varied much since its release, but there are some bargains to be had. In the UK, both Music Store (formerly DV247) and Thomann seem to have the lowest price at just £279.
Performance
On first use the Neo Trinity can seem a bit overwhelming. However, setting up the basics was pretty easy. Press a channel selector (A-F) and then choose its function with the Mode button. The large Rate knob adjusts its primary parameter (LFO Rate, Envelope Time etc). CV automation is as simple as pressing the REC button and twiddling the Rate knob. In fact, just using these was a lot of fun and massively expands the possibilities of our existing setup.
Diving deeper however, and the Neo made for an excellent problem solver and ideas generator especially when combining channels. For example we got three channels going as drum triggers (ready populated with patterns), whilst using another to record and playback a trigger pattern for a synth bassline, and the next for a recorded CV pattern quantised to play notes in a minor key… and we still had one channel left.
To add further complexity, alongside the CV input to channels E and F there’s the ‘Meta In’ patch point that allows you to map external CV to multiple channel parameters.
We have to admit though that once we had all channels firing with different functions, making purposeful changes became harder due to the limited visual feedback (apart from the plentiful coloured LEDs). Modules with integrated screens (like ALM’s Squid Sample, which is also a great CV shape generator) or RYK’s Envy Machine (with a sparser interface) can make the process a little easier, but if you like to embrace serendipity alongside a big feature list, then the Bastl Neo Trinity is hard to beat.
Verdict
Once you get your head around the layout of the Neo it is pretty straightforward to use. Those who prefer a more spacious approach to module design might be frustrated by this squeezed interface and the reliance on button combos to get to all the functions – especially with elements of text that is hard to read in some lighting conditions.
However, many users do appreciate the mini-powerhouse approach, and as always Bastl does an excellent job of providing a high-quality crib sheet to refer to. If you fall in the latter camp, then you might not be able to resist the urge to add one to your rack.
