About Mayer EMI

Three People. One Workshop in Austria.
Every Instrument Built by Hand.

35 years of industrial automation. Co-founded nxtControl, acquired by Schneider Electric. Now building synthesizers.

Mayer EMI is an Austrian synthesizer manufacturer based in Bad Vöslau. We design, engineer, and hand-assemble every unit ourselves with the same standards we applied in decades of building industrial control systems.

The Founder

Horst Mayer

CEO & Hardware Engineer

Horst built his first analog synthesizer at 17 — driven by equal parts curiosity and frustration with what was available. That hobby shaped a 35-year career in industrial automation: hardware engineering, embedded systems, control platforms.

In 2005, he co-founded nxtControl — a building and industrial automation company that was later acquired by Schneider Electric. The same engineering discipline that built mission-critical control systems now builds every Vibes synthesizer.
In 2012, encouraged by his two sons, Horst returned to his first love: synthesis. Eurorack prototypes followed. The response at Superbooth 2019 (Berlin — the world’s largest modular and boutique-synth exhibition) convinced him to go full-time. The MD900 shipped in 2021. The Vibes MD850 followed in 2024.
“I decided to convert my passion into my full-time job. After 35 years of industrial automation, I knew how to build things that don’t break. Now I build things that make music.”
— Horst Mayer, Founder
Horst Mayer, founder and CEO of Mayer EMI, Austrian synthesizer manufacturer

Designed and Assembled in Bad Vöslau, Austria

30 minutes south of Vienna  where vineyards meet precision engineering. Every Vibes is assembled, tested, and inspected here before shipping.

Mayer EMI workshop and headquarters in Bad Vöslau, Austria
The Team

One Vision. Three Obsessions.

Horst had the vision. But making it real took a team. Today, Mayer EMI is three people — each with one thing they refuse to compromise on.
Horst Mayer, Founder and CEO of Mayer EMI

Horst Mayer

Founder & CEO
Hardware engineering, XVA engine design, circuit and PCB design. 35+ years of industrial engineering. Co-founded nxtControl (acquired by Schneider Electric).
Ricardo Herrklotz, Software and Systems Engineer at Mayer EMI

Ricardo Herrklotz

Software & Systems
Firmware, XVAOS operating system, VibesConnect browser DAW, touchscreen UI. Ricardo turns hardware into a living instrument that evolves with every update.
Gernot Kollegger, Product and Operations at Mayer EMI
Product & Operations

Gernot Kollegger

Production, quality control, supply chain, manufacturing partnerships. Gernot ensures every unit that reaches a customer meets the standard the team set.
Our Story

Shipping Synths Since 2021. Building Them Since 1984.

1984

The First Synth

At 17, Horst builds his first analog synthesizer. A hobby that would quietly shape the next four decades.
1985–2020

Industrial Precision

A career in industrial automation — culminating in co-founding nxtControl (acquired by Schneider Electric).
2012

The Spark Returns

Encouraged by his sons, Horst begins developing electronic music instruments again.
2019

Superbooth Debut

First Eurorack prototypes at Superbooth Berlin — the world’s largest boutique-synth exhibition.
2021

MD900 Launches

The MD900 desktop synthesizer ships. Four-part multitimbral, wavetable + VA, clip launcher, full effects.
2024

Vibes MD850 & GmbH

The Vibes launches. VibesConnect. Mayer EMI GmbH formalized after 12 years of development.
Why This Price

Built Where It Matters. Not Where It’s Cheapest.

€1,899 is not an impulse purchase. We know that. Here’s what you’re paying for: Austrian and German manufacturing partners. Hand-assembly and individual testing in Bad Vöslau. A powdered metal chassis precision-machined by HMT Rüffel in Germany. Walnut panels hand-finished and inspected before mounting. PCBs manufactured and assembled by Rauch Elektronik in Austria.

You’re not paying for a brand name or a marketing budget. You’re paying for a small team that builds one instrument and builds it right. We don’t have a product line of 40 devices. We have one. And every unit gets the same attention.

Made in Europe

Our Manufacturing Partners

We design everything in-house. Manufacturing is done with trusted partners across Austria, Germany, and Poland — each chosen for a specific reason.
Rauch Elektronik logo – Austrian PCB manufacturing partner for Mayer EMI

Rauch Elektronik

Austria
PCB manufacturing and electronics assembly. The MDX mainboard and all circuit boards are produced, assembled, and tested here.
Why them: ISO 9001 certified. 20-minute drive from our workshop. We can walk in and inspect any batch same-day.
HMT Rüffel logo – German precision enclosure manufacturer for Mayer EMI

HMT Rüffel

Germany
Precision enclosure manufacturing. The powdered metal chassis that defines the instrument’s feel and durability.
Why them: Tolerances below 0.1mm. 15-year relationship from Horst’s industrial automation career.
Grawart logo – Polish manufacturing partner for Mayer EMI

Grawart

Poland
Specialized components and production support. European supply chain, short lead times, consistent quality.
Why them: Flexible batch sizes from 50 units. Critical for a company that ships hundreds, not thousands.
What We Believe

Our Philosophy

We Do the Engineering. You Make the Music.

Our job is to build the best tool we can. Your job is to make music with it. We don’t tell you what genres to play or how to use the instrument. We give you the deepest, most flexible synth engine we can build, and we get out of the way.

Industrial Standards, Musical Soul.

35 years of building industrial-grade control systems taught us how to make things that don’t crash, don’t overheat, and don’t fail on stage. We apply those standards to every synth we ship. Reliability is not a feature, it’s the baseline.

Built to Evolve.

Every Vibes receives firmware updates for as long as we exist as a company. Not “for the first year” or “until the next model.” The instrument you buy today will be better in six months  and better again in a year. VibesConnect, the resonator oscillator, the arpeggiator, SFZ Import, all came as free updates to existing owners.

Not for Everyone. On Purpose.

We don’t build synths for the mass market. We build one instrument, for producers and performers who value engineering over marketing, depth over presets, and longevity over hype cycles. If you want plug-and-play simplicity, there are excellent options from larger companies. If you want a tool that grows with you, we built the Vibes for you.

Get in Touch

Questions? We Reply Personally.

We’re three people. No support tiers, no ticket queues, no chatbots, just us, reading every email that comes in and writing back within 48 hours. And if it helps, Horst, our CEO, will hop on the phone with you personally.

Questions about fit, compatibility, or whether the Vibes is right for your workflow? Ask before you buy.