This is the virtual recreation of the legendary Schmidt Synthesizer—one of the most remarkable analog instruments ever conceived.
When we introduced the Schmidt Synthesizer at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt in 2012, the response was overwhelming. It had been many years since an analog synthesizer of this size- one that was polyphonic and featured so many controls - had been available. The Schmidt was also admired with awe at the 2013 NAMM Show in Los Angeles. The decision was made to build an initial production of 25 units. But soon we realized, that this wouldn`t be the end of the story. The rest is history...
From the very beginning, we decided to have the instrument manufactured entirely in Germany, even at the risk of incurring high production costs. Now, after 14 years and a great success story, we will soon be discontinuing production of the hardware. From the very beginning, we decided to build this synthesizer in a distinctly non-compromise “old school” way - that is, without specialized components and using a through-hole construction method. This ensures that the instrument will remain easy to repair over the long term. However, due to technological developments and the rising costs associated with manufacturing complex devices worldwide, the way we build this instrument is no longer viable in the long run.
For some time now, we’ve considered whether we should have a digital copy of our instrument created. Thanks to a long-standing friendship with members of UJAM’s leadership team, we were able to have a productive discussion with the company. Founded by Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams, among others, UJAM is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of virtual instruments.
This was the start of our latest journey - bringing one of the finest analog synthesizers ever built into the future of music production. Its analog signal path has been meticulously analyzed at the deepest possible level and recreated through an entirely new modeling process. Every circuit behavior, every subtile interaction and every sonic nuance has been studied with extraordinary precision.
For the first time, the unmistakable character of the Schmidt can become an integral part of your digital production environment. Factory sounds, performance behavior and the instrument’s unique sonic personality are transferred seamlessly into your DAW, preserving the emotional impact, warmth and dimensionality of the original analog synthesizer with an unprecedented level of authenticity.
When an early prototype of the plugin was unveiled at Superbooth in May 2026, it received a great response and a lot of praise. That made it clear to us that we were on the right track. The final result is the continuation of an extraordinary instrument’s legacy.
Having the virtual plugin some features are now possible that weren’t available in the hardware, such as the knob position representing the actual value, as well as a randomizer function that generates sounds at random and often produces surprisingly great results.
We are very pleased that everyone can now enjoy the authentic sounds of the Schmidt Synthesizer and integrate them in the digital music production environment.
