ADDAC System 112S (2022–)

A handheld granular processor with a five-minute memory

Overview

The ADDAC System 112S starts with a waveform on a tiny OLED screen, which then breaks into a lot of small grains. It isn't a Eurorack module you tuck into a case. It's a standalone granular processor that fits in your hands, a portable version of the 45HP ADDAC112. It works on a desk, in live improvisation, or in a backpack on a train. The original 112 was the laboratory and the 112S is the field kit - stripped down and self-contained. It takes ambient noise, voice memos, or synth drones and turns them into something alien.

The 112S makes granular synthesis feel immediate. Most granular tools bury you in menus or demand a forest of patch cables. The 112S puts nearly everything under your fingers: record, overdub, scrub, pitch-shift, and disintegrate audio with a handful of knobs and a screen that shows where the grains are. You don't need a full modular system. Plug in a mic, a phone, a synth, or let it eat its own output, and within seconds you have evolving textures, glitchy stutters, or shimmering pads. The workflow is intuitive enough to feel like cheating, until you find out how deep it goes.

This is not a toy, though it’s easy to pick up like one. It’s a serious tool for sound design, built around a 5-minute stereo buffer that dwarfs most standalone samplers in its class. That buffer feeds both a traditional looper and a full-featured granular engine, letting you record a phrase and then slice it into microscopic grains, each controllable in size, pitch, position, and randomness. You can freeze a moment and stretch it into infinity, or scatter fragments across the stereo field like shrapnel. The screen doesn’t just display data—it’s a performance surface, showing the waveform, playhead, and individual grains in real time, so you can see the chaos you’re conducting. It’s rare for a piece of gear to be equally useful to ambient composers, noise artists, and experimental beat-makers, but the 112S pulls it off by refusing to pick a side.

Specifications

Key Features

Granular Engine with Real-Time Visual Feedback

The 112S lets you see the grains and shape them. Most granular processors work like black boxes: you tweak parameters and hope. The 112S has an OLED display that maps the entire audio buffer, showing the waveform, playhead, and individual grains as pulsing dots. Turn the grain position knob and the playhead crawls. Increase grain density and the screen fills with flickering points of light. The secondary deviation knobs for each parameter (grain size, pitch, position) let you dial in controlled chaos, from a subtle wobble to full stochastic mayhem.

Standalone Flexibility Without Compromise

The 112S is derived from the Eurorack 112, but it isn't a watered-down version. It keeps the full 5-minute buffer, the same granular engine, and nearly all the CV control options, repackaged into a self-contained unit. You don't need a case, a power supply, or a computer. Plug in headphones and a microphone and you're running. The dual audio inputs (1/4" and 3.5mm) connect anything from synths to smartphones, and the headphone output is clean and powerful enough for late-night use. The CV and trigger inputs mean it can still sit in a modular setup. The SD card slot is for saving presets, preloading samples, swapping banks mid-performance, or backing up your work.

Looper as Creative Catalyst

The looper is the foundation of the system. Unlike simple loop pedals that record and play back, the 112S looper is designed to feed the granular engine. You can record a phrase, pitch-shift it, overdub layers, and start granulating it right away without stopping. The loop can be triggered manually or via CV, and multiple loops can be stored in the buffer and selected on the fly. In live use you might build a drone, freeze it, and spend the next few minutes tearing it apart with granular processing. You can scrub through the loop manually, or have it advance via external clock. The dry input, the loop, and the granular output can be mixed independently, so source material blends with its fragmented echoes.

Historical Context

The 112S arrived in 2022. Modular synthesis had already taken up granular processing by then, but mostly through complex, menu-heavy modules like Mutable Instruments' Beads or Qu-Bit's Nebulae. These were powerful but often intimidating, and they rewarded deep study over immediate play. ADDAC System, a Portuguese company known for bold designs and an experimental ethos, saw an opening: granular synthesis that was as intuitive as turning a knob. The original 112, released in 2021, was their answer - a dual-module Eurorack unit built around hands-on control and visual feedback. The 112S took that concept and removed the need for a full modular system. It arrived alongside a growing interest in standalone, portable sound design tools, from Teenage Engineering's OP-Z to Critter & Guitari's ETC. It differed by focusing not on sequencing or synthesis, but on manipulating recorded audio in real time.

Collectibility & Value

The 112S isn't a vintage piece yet - production began in 2022 - but it's already finding a place among experimental musicians and sound designers. On the used market, prices hover around $550 - $650 depending on condition, with mint units that include the original box and power supply going closer to the high end. It's not a flipping item like some rare synths, but it isn't losing value either, since demand stays steady. The most common issues reported are firmware-related: occasional crashes, glitches during SD card access, or instability with certain CV combinations. These were noted in early firmware versions (pre-1.5), and many have been addressed in updates. Buyers should verify the unit is running the latest firmware before purchasing. The OLED screen is durable, but physical damage to the casing or input jacks is the most frequent repair need, especially on units used heavily in live settings. Maintenance is straightforward - no tubes to replace or belts to change - but keeping the firmware updated is essential.

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