After two years in development we’re delighted that Trails is ready for its first release into the world!
Pre-orders for this limited first batch are now open on our website, with shipping scheduled for June 2026.
bela.io/trails or link in bio.
Trails is a polyphonic touch recorder for Eurorack that allows melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and control elements to be composed through gesture and shape. A single movement can span four independent channels, creating interlocking musical structures that evolve across time and space.
Gestures can be stretched, rotated, pinched, offset, phased, or left fluid and continuous. They can also be quantised into tempo-synced melodic material, with up to 16 scenes stored and recalled for performance. With both CV and MIDI outputs, Trails can sit at the centre of a modular system while also driving hardware and software instruments. More info at bela.io/trails.
If Trails has been on your radar, now’s a good moment to reserve one from the first run.
bela.io/trails or link in bio.
Sounds and music by @mark.klon.dump
#bela #gesturecontrol #eurorack #modularsynth #instrumentdesign
@belaplatform describes it best: “the platform for creating beautiful interaction”. They make excellent tools for hacker/makers like myself, and they execute their own outstandingly slick designs like the brand new Trails pictured here. Super nice people too!
Come and find us at @superbooth_berlin Try out Trails and come and chat with the team who designed it.
Find us in the Forest Z127
#Belaplatform #Superbooth26 #Synthesizers #AnalogSynth #sdiy
@blush_response is a modular synth performer both solo as well as in the trio Front Line Assembly. Gestural control has played a key role in his modular set-up, allowing the Berlin-based industrial and EBM techno producer to infuse his live sets with physicality and movement in a way that most modular setups don’t. On our blog, he reflects on how Gliss entered his workflow, from touring constraints to improvisational performance. Link in bio 🔗
#blushresponse #industrial #modularsynthesizer #bela #gesturalcontrol
Trails is a ground-breaking module. Here are five unique features that prove it.
A limited first run is available to pre-order at bela.io/trails or link in bio.
Bishop"s Miscellany mk2 external recording"
Whether using an Arturia Keystep, Make Noise Pressure Points, or Bela Gliss, the Bishop's Miscellany MK2 is a great tool for recording sequences.
Video 1 : recording a bassline on channel 1 and a melody on channel 2
Video 2 : dub stabs with Bishop's Miscellany in link mode, second CV controls the filter of the Ballista Blast
Video 3 : still in link mode, it's alway fun to apply a gate length process and a remember regen to spice up sine melodies
#cvrecoder #sequencer #eurorack
Even though we’re already a few weeks into 2026, we wanted to reflect on what has been an unusually dense and thoughtful period for Bela.
2025 marked the biggest update to Bela hardware in nine years with the introduction of Bela Gem - shipping imminently. Built around PocketBeagle 2 and available in Stereo and Multi versions, Gem represents a significant step forward in power and embeddable design, opening new possibilities for real-time machine learning on embedded systems and playable, responsive instruments.
Alongside this, we shared early glimpses of our new instrument, Trails. With four channels of recordable gestures, Trails allows musicians to draw, transform, and reshape control paths, bringing these ideas into conversation with modular communities through first public presentations. Pre-orders coming very soon!
Bela Gliss continued to play a central role throughout the year, highlighted by in-depth explorations of how it functions not just as a controller, but as an expressive instrument shaped by the hands and habits of those who use it.
Across hardware, research, and artistic practice, what stands out most is how Bela continues to be used in ways we couldn’t fully predict.
Thank you to everyone building, testing, researching, performing, documenting, and thinking with Bela. We’re heading into 2026 committed to developing tools that invite deep
interaction rather than prescribed outcomes.
What will you build? What will you compose?
#belagem #modularsynth #instrumentdesign #trails #electronicmusic #belagliss #augmentedinstruments
Here’s a clip from our recent conversation with DivKid during Bristronica, introducing some of the functionality of Trails. Full video is up now on YouTube, exciting news on Trails coming very soon!
#bela #belaio #eurorack #instrumentdesign #modularsynth #augmentedinstruments #synthesizer #multichannelaudio #trails #bristronica2025 #gliss
It's a total pleasure to host a stage of Discussions at @machinabristronica each year and this year I was joined by @belaplatform
We discuss their origins, borrowing gear from @instruomodular for their first @superbooth_berlin getting into Eurorack and lessons learnt leading them to their upcoming (and fascinating) TRAILS!!
Check out the full session on the @divkidvideo YouTube channel.
#eurorack #euroracksynth #eurorackmodular #modular #modularsynth #synth #synthesizer #touch #bela #queenmaryuniversityoflondon #controller #sequence #sounddesign #machinabristronica #bristol #sounddesign #musictech #musicmaking #gliss #trails #4d
