Supercritical Redshift 6
Supercritical is a young development team from Finland. With the launch of Redshift 6, they introduce their first fully analog synthesizer. The technology behind this instrument is surprisingly powerful, capable of emulating the rich tonal character of high-end, well-known analog synthesizers in a breathtaking way—and also allows for easy manipulation of the fundamental sound character with dramatic results.
For this instrument, we’ve designed a look that’s bold enough to establish the brand in a fiercely competitive market. The hexagon (the 6-sided shape) was chosen as a central design motif, developed in collaboration with the Supercritical team. This shape appears in key elements of the control panel and as a structural honeycomb pattern on the side endcaps of the housing. The endcaps are made of translucent red injection-molded plastic, which, through integrated backlighting, gives the synthesizer a unique, almost utopian aesthetic, standing in stark contrast to the monolithic form of the body.
Every visible component of the Redshift 6 has been custom-designed for this instrument. This means that Supercritical now has its own matching family of knobs, which we were thrilled to design in harmony with the brand's evolving product language. Additionally, all the buttons are specially crafted for the Redshift 6.
The overall housing structure consists of four main parts: the two translucent side panels mentioned earlier, a simple metal base plate, and an aluminum front panel. The execution of this front panel is particularly intricate. Using a 3D milling process, we achieve a relief-like surface that we’ve leveraged to logically structure the synthesizer's modules. The front panel also integrates both the front and rear of the housing, with a special process that bends the metal at a tight 90° angle. By employing an innovative UV printing technique, we’ve managed to apply the product graphics with incredible precision—something not possible with traditional screen printing. Working closely with HMT Rüffel, we were able to perfectly align the industrial design with their manufacturing capabilities.