Hampshire Electronics Vulcan MK2 Packs Two Synths in 37 HP
Hampshire Electronics Vulcan MK2 is a 37 HP Eurorack poly from £549, pairing eight analog voices with dual digital engines. Pre-order specs and who it is for.
Hampshire Electronics has the Vulcan MK2 on pre-order. It is an 8-voice analog Eurorack polysynth with two 8-voice digital synth blocks beside it, squeezed into 37 HP. The official store starts at £549 without the stereo effects card, or £679 with the card. A £50 pre-order discount applies at checkout, and Hampshire takes a £200 deposit with the balance due on despatch. Estimated shipping is the end of August 2026. This is a first look at the MK2 product page and the current MK2 manual. We have not used one in a session.
At a glance: From £549, or £679 with the effects card. 37 HP. Eight analog voices plus dual 8-voice digital engines. Full modulation matrix. Pre-order now, ships end of August 2026. Buy it from Hampshire Electronics.
What Vulcan MK2 is, and what it is not
Hampshire's line on the MK2 is blunt. It is not a hybrid voice. It is a fully analog polysynth and a modern digital synth sharing a panel, a modulation system, and a performance framework, with separate audio paths. The analog engine is analog from end to end, through to the output, with no digital stage in that path. The digital engines are complete synths of their own: FM, wavetable, noise, modal, and Karplus-Strong physical modelling.
That is a different machine from the original Vulcan, the 56 HP analog poly Hampshire still lists as sold out at £449. The MK1 was 4-voice or 8-voice analog, with dual-oscillator stacking in the 4-voice mode. The MK2 keeps the analog poly idea, cuts the width to 37 HP, and parks two digital 8-voice blocks next to it.
It is also a different job from Hampshire's Cerberus, the £329 single hybrid analog/digital voice in the same shop. Cerberus is one voice you patch into a case. Vulcan MK2 is the case's polysynth.
If you are still choosing a first hardware synth rather than a Eurorack flagship, start with the 2026 hardware synthesizer guide. MK2 is a module for people who already have a powered case and a plan for 37 HP and the current draw.
Analog voices, digital blocks, and the panel
Dedicated analog controls
The analog voice stays on the panel. Hampshire lists permanent controls for both oscillators:
- Per oscillator: Level, Sub mix, Pulse Width, Filter Cutoff, Resonance
- Tuning: Master Tune and Osc 2 Tune
- Waveform: dedicated wave-select buttons per oscillator
- Three encoders for presets, modulation sources, and envelopes
An OLED display sits with those encoders. Macros and knob / CV binding cover the deep parameters so a performance still happens on the knobs. Hampshire also describes control pickup: after a preset recall, each pot picks up its stored value when you sweep through it, instead of jumping.
Voice structure
The analog array is not locked to one topology. Oscillators per voice set the polyphony:
- 1 osc/voice — 8-note polyphony (16 with the second card)
- 2 osc/voice — 4-note polyphony, independent Osc 2 tuning
- 4 osc/voice — 2-note stacked unison
- 8 osc/voice — one monophonic lead
That is the same hardware becoming a wide poly, a fat 4-voice, or a single mono, chosen per patch.
Analog plus digital layering
Every note can fire the analog and digital engines together. Official examples are an FM bell over an analog pad, a digital sub under an analog bass, or the two engines detuned against each other. Tune Defeat locks the analog voice to its calibrated pitch so it sits in tune with the digital side.
The digital blocks are the second instrument. Homepage copy calls them two 8-voice digital synth blocks you can assign to FM, wavetable, noise, modal, or Karplus-Strong engines. They share the modulation matrix and the performance layer system. They do not share the analog audio path.
Layers, MIDI, and CV
MK2 is multitimbral. Layers get their own full patch — analog parameters, digital engine type, and matrix — and you address them three ways:
- MIDI channel
- Keyboard split
- CV/Gate instance
The layer you are holding is the one you edit. The others keep playing their stored presets.
CV I/O is built for a hardware rig:
- 4 × CV/Gate inputs, each tied to a fixed pair of analog voices (CV 1 → voices 1 & 5, CV 2 → 2 & 6, CV 3 → 3 & 7, CV 4 → 4 & 8)
- 4 × analog modulation CV inputs hardwired to analog VCF, VCO, and VCA, staying in the analog domain
- 3 × assignable pots and 3 × assignable CV jacks into the matrix or the macros
MIDI covers notes, velocity as a mod source, independent channels per engine, program change, configurable pitch bend, and standard CCs: cutoff 74, resonance 71, VCA attack 73, decay 75, release 72, LFO rate 76, LFO depth 77, mod wheel 1.
Modulation, calibration, and the effects card
Both engines get a modulation matrix stored per layer and per preset. Six shared bipolar mod sources — LFOs, envelopes, random, and more — plus two assignable ADSR envelopes per voice with true inverting. Hardwired VCA and filter envelopes stay on the essentials.
Age adds fixed vintage-style tuning inconsistency. Auto-tune maps each analog voice across the keyboard. Quick Tune re-references the voices after a temperature swing.
The optional stereo effects card is the £679 configuration. Effects ride with the patch. Hampshire's power figures assume that card is installed and fully loaded.
Current draw in the full configuration, all voices and effects active:
- +12 V — 520 mA
- −12 V — 380 mA
Hampshire wants a well-regulated supply and at least 25% extra headroom. 37 HP is small. The rails are not.
Vulcan MK2 specifications
| Spec | Official detail |
|---|---|
| Maker | Hampshire Electronics |
| Type | 8-voice analog Eurorack poly plus dual digital synths |
| Width | 37 HP |
| Analog voices | 8, reconfigurable 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 osc per voice |
| Digital | Two 8-voice blocks: FM, wavetable, noise, modal, Karplus-Strong |
| Timbrality | Multitimbral layers by MIDI channel, keyboard split, or CV/Gate |
| Modulation | Full matrix; 6 shared sources; 2 assignable ADSRs per voice |
| Panel | Dedicated analog osc controls; OLED; 3 encoders; macros; pickup |
| CV | 4 CV/Gate, 4 analog mod CV, 3 assignable CV, 3 assignable pots |
| MIDI | Note, velocity, program change, per-engine channels, standard CCs |
| Effects | Optional stereo effects card |
| Power (full load, effects in) | +12 V 520 mA / −12 V 380 mA |
| Manual | Vulcan MK2 PDF |
| Price | £549 without effects card; £679 with card |
| Pre-order | £50 off at checkout; £200 deposit, balance on despatch |
| Shipping | End of August 2026 |
| Buy | Hampshire Electronics |
Vulcan MK2 vs original Vulcan vs Cerberus
The MK1 page is the sold-out 56 HP analog poly. Cerberus is the current single-voice hybrid in the same catalog.
| Vulcan MK2 | Original Vulcan | Hampshire Cerberus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job | Analog poly + dual digital synths in one module | Analog poly only | One hybrid analog/digital voice |
| Width | 37 HP | 56 HP | Single-voice module |
| Analog polyphony | 8 voices, reconfigurable | 4-voice or 8-voice switch | One voice |
| Digital | Two 8-voice engines | None | Digital side of the hybrid voice |
| Street / list | From £549 / £679 with effects | £449, sold out | £329 |
| Status | Pre-order, ships end of August 2026 | Sold out | Current |
| Reach for it when | You want a case-center poly with a digital twin | You already own the MK1 | You need one hybrid voice, not a poly |
Which to pick. Choose MK2 if 37 HP in the case is the slot you have for a polysynth and you will actually use the digital blocks. Stay on the original Vulcan if you already have the 56 HP analog-only module and you do not need FM or physical modelling in the same panel. Choose Cerberus if the case wants one fat hybrid voice and you will sequence it as a mono.
Against the wider hardware field, MK2 is not a keyboard. If you want a self-contained analog poly with keys, look at the compact end of the hardware synthesizer guide or at something like the MiniBrute / MicroBrute lane. If the case also needs a mixer that accepts Eurorack levels, the Korg NTS-4 is the small hub, not a synth. For a digital Eurorack utility already in the catalog, u-he CVilization is a different job — four-channel processor, not an 8-voice analog poly.
Who Vulcan MK2 is for
Consider it if you already run Eurorack, you have 37 HP free, and your supply can spare 520 mA on the +12 V rail with headroom. The analog panel is the daily driver. The digital blocks are the second instrument.
Consider it if you want CV and MIDI on the same poly: four dedicated CV/Gate voices, analog-domain mod CV, and standard CCs.
Consider it if the £549 configuration is the one you will actually order. Add the effects card when you want the processing stored with the preset.
Skip it if you do not have a case. This is not a desktop synth.
Skip it if 520 / 380 mA at full load is more than the bus will give. Hampshire is explicit about a stable supply and 25% headroom.
Skip it if you want an analog-only 56 HP poly and you can still find a used MK1. The MK2 is the smaller hybrid system.
Skip it if you need a unit on a shelf this week. Pre-order shipping is the end of August 2026, with a £200 deposit.
How much Vulcan MK2 costs
£549 without the effects card. £679 with the stereo effects card. Both figures are on the official MK2 page. Hampshire applies a £50 pre-order discount at checkout and collects a £200 deposit, balance payable on despatch.
Buy it from Hampshire Electronics. Estimated shipping is the end of August 2026.
FAQ
Is Vulcan MK2 a hybrid voice?
Hampshire says no. Analog and digital are complete synths with separate audio paths that can layer, split, or run alone.
How wide is it, and what does it draw?
37 HP. In the full configuration with the effects card and every voice loaded: +12 V 520 mA, −12 V 380 mA. Leave headroom.
MK2 vs the original Vulcan?
MK1 is 56 HP, analog only, 4- or 8-voice, sold out at £449. MK2 is 37 HP, 8 analog voices plus dual 8-voice digital blocks, from £549. Different width, different architecture.
When does it ship?
Hampshire's estimate is the end of August 2026. Pre-order takes a £200 deposit.
Where do I buy Vulcan MK2?
Pre-order on the official MK2 page. That is the current Hampshire storefront for this module, not the sold-out original Vulcan.
The bottom line
Vulcan MK2 is Hampshire's 37 HP analog poly with two digital synths riding along. £549 is the starting pre-order. £679 adds the effects card. Eight analog voices, dual 8-voice digital blocks, a matrix, and a current draw that will humble a thin busboard.
This is a first look, not a scored review. We have not tuned the analog voices or layered an FM engine over a pad. Read the MK2 manual, check your +12 V rail, and pre-order from hampshireelectronics.co.uk if 37 HP is the slot you have been saving for a poly.
