Chimera Synthesis is a new UK/U.S. company that focuses on building innovative user-friendly synthesizers. According to the company, the name "chimera" was chosen because of "its 'genetic' meaning - a single organism with genetically distinct cells from two different zygotes."

The concept behind the bC16 is not new, as it is reminiscent of TechnoMage's Little Infinite Frequency Expander ("Life"). Still, the bC16 has the advantages of being portable, thanks to its miniature size.

The bC16 is equipped with a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), an LFO, a 24dBvoltage controlled filter(VCF), a voltage controlled amplifier (VCA), an envelopegenerator (ADSR), a noise source, and ring modulator. Key functions are controlled via sixteen color coded potentiometers. Thirty 2mm mini-banana sockets connect the different synthesizer sections.

bC16 can be used either on its own or with a MIDI-CV converter. It can also be combined with other bC16 devices in order to process signals, as it responds to control signals from other synthesizers and audio kits. Chimera Synthesis is also developing a sixteen-step analog sequencer called SM16 to be used with the bC16.

According to Chimera, the bC16 should be available for purchase for around $230 sometime around January 2008.

TFOT recently covered an innovative control device, called the Audiopad. Developed by two students from MIT, the Audiopad is a tool for composing electronic music, creating music by tracking the positions of objects on a tabletop surface and converting their motion into music. TFOT also recently covered the Blackbird Rider Guitar – a unique carbon fiber guitar.

More information on the bC16 is available on the company's website.