Inside Tokyo’s Boutique Music Hardware: Light Reft

video upload by Light Reft [Sasha DZA]

"We run a tiny hardware company in Tokyo and made this short film about why we’re obsessed with noise. We’re thinking about filming a longer documentary about Japan’s small independent instrument makers.

With this video, we want to open a door into the world of Japan’s independent music hardware scene, a world that usually remains outside the attention of a wider audience.

We are Light Reft, a small company founded by a group of enthusiasts in Tokyo. Over the past few years, we have developed and released two instruments of our own - monolit and concrete. You can learn about us on our web-site www.lightreft.jp

But we are far from alone.

In Tokyo and across Japan, there are many small independent companies, workshops, and individual makers creating unusual musical instruments, effects, and electronic devices. Many of them remain virtually unknown outside a small circle of musicians, even though this is where some genuinely interesting things are happening.

This video is only the beginning.

If you would like to see a full-length film about Japan’s independent music hardware scene, meet the people who design and build instruments themselves, visit their workshops, and find out why they do what they do - let us know in the comments.

And please share this video. If we see that people are genuinely interested in this world, we’ll continue and try to show this scene from the inside.

Video & Editing - Evgeny Joy
Sound - Sasha DZA (Light Reft)"

All-New for Behringer JN-80: 222 Ultimate Patches, Plus Free Patch Pack

video upload by ULTIMATE PATCHES

"Ultimate Patches created the popular factory presets that ship in JN-80's Banks A-E as heard in the video above, and now, Ultimate Patches releases the next level JN-80 Ultimate Patches: Volumes 1+2. 222 all-new premium quality sounds from the past, present and future: Classic polys, leads, basses as well as classic non-synth instruments including electric guitars, electric basses, strings, brass, percussion, acoustic pianos, wurlitzer electric piano, classic 60's/70s organs, voices, world & orchestral and more!

The collection spans the genres of 70s, 80s & 90s synth classics as well as modern pop, retrowave, R&B, orchestral, cinematic, hiphop, vintage pop+rock, vaporwave, trance, retrocade, latin, reggae, jazz, chiptune, reggaeton, dubstep, and tech / deep / retro house.

Pricing & Availability:
Available now as an instant digital download at ultimatepatches.com starting at just $19.99 per 100-Patch Volume or $29.99 for all 222 Patches.

In addition, a Free 15-Patch Taster Pack from the collection is now available (no registration required): https://www.ultimatepatches.com/free-synth-presets-patches.html"

Leviasynth With The Tonverk Is Almost TOO MUCH Synth

video upload by EZBOT

"The ASM Leviasynth is the next big synth from ASM Synthesizers, the company that brought the incredibly popular Hydrasynth. The company is also host to popular sound designers and the CFO is none other than the Daniel Troberg, the "Octafather" formerly from Elektron. The Leviasynth is the deepest synth in my collection, offering more customization and shortcuts than any other synth I've picked up. Today, we will discuss it a bit and jam with it via the Elektron Tonverk."

EZBOT resources: https://www.patreon.com/ezbot, https://ko-fi.com/ezbot/, https://www.modbang.com

Sonicware Deconstruct Minimal Review

video upload by Digiphex Electronics

Hypercube Quadriphonique

video upload by Valmont

"Hypercube Quadriphonique", October 2024. This installation was part of a larger practical exercise at the ENS Louis Lumière master's degree.
Two meters above ground, inclined at an ominous angle, the cube generated four sets of textures layered into a quadriphonic speaker setup. A master OSC patch controlled all the devices in the exposition room ; on my end for my cube I was running MIDI and CV.
I first built a 16-channels 12-bits controller to get everything in harmony, but ended up simplifying the equation to use 4-states inputs and 4 audio outputs, traveling back and forth through the cube in a massive cable liana. The room environment was cyclically controlled by the master patch, and my cube would reconfigure its instruments to play along with the other creations. All sounds were made on a dozen oscillators, a handful of sample players and some Live processing. There was some random breakbeat chops too lmao I loved it, but I lost the session, so I only got some raw cube recordings, which I edited/mixed into this video. Additional black tiles were made to close off the bottom of the cube (just blank PCBs actually!)
Thanks again to Mains d'Œuvres, Franck for the safety tips, my father who helped me cut & paint the wood, and Neurotypic who lent me half the modules. I don't know anyone else who would just say yes to putting laboratory-grade devices into this... thing, suspended with fishing wire!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
My name is Valmont, I'm 24 from Paris! I compose/produce music, repair instruments and take sound on movie sets :) After a double bachelor in musicology and mechanics in Sorbonne, I ended up doing the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Louis-Lumière.
I wrote my thesis on Publison and Early Digital, which ultimately tied together my long-standing fascination in vintage machines, servicing and technical demystification with my personal attraction to these instruments.
I tend to hope for a unified low-level approach to music production guided by DIY values. This Youtube channel is a form of its realization!
Join the gang : / valmont_naudin
Listen to my stuff : https://iconism.io/frame/valmont"

Sequential Fourm Preset Demo Without Talking or Effects

video upload by B&H Pro Audio

0:00 A New Legend (Program 1, Factory bank 1)
0:32 Hard Synch (Program 93, Factory bank 2)
0:45 Mini Prophet (Program 42, Factory bank 1)
1:31 Sawyer Vibez (Program 45, Factory bank 1)
2:00 The Bassics (Program 3, Factory bank 1)
2:19 EEEE PEEEE (Program 4, Factory bank 1)
2:48 Syncing Pressure (Program 5, Factory bank 1)
3:04 Fourmer Brass (Program 8, Factory bank 1)
3:19 Petite Sweeper (Program 9, Factory bank 1)
3:42 Hollo Legato (Program 10, Factory bank 1)

CLICK FOR MORE »

Matrix Vol 2 - Oberheim TEO-5 - Patches 33 to 64 (of 128)

video upload by GEOSynths

"This Video demonstrates Patches 33 to 64. There will be 2 more Videos and when the 4th is uploaded, they will be available for purchase."

00:00 - 33. Shorelines GEO 01:21 - 34. Focal Point GEO 02:31 - 35. 60's Gibson GEO 02:57 - 36. Countdown GEO 04:09 - 37. 80's Chorus GEO 04:39 - 38. Mystic Call GEO 05:38 - 39. Busy Bee GEO 06:04 - 40. Geisha GEO 06:57 - 41. Love Lost GEO 08:13 - 42. Who Dares GEO 09:11 - 43. Mini Model GEO 09:43 - 44. Tape Strings GEO 10:52 - 45. Story Blox GEO 11:30 - 46. Disco Bass GEO 12:13 - 47. Shiny Brass GEO 13:02 - 48. Clockworks GEO 14:10 - 49. Tube Rhodes GEO 14:43 - 50. Alpha Zone GEO 15:45 - 51. Ensoniq Bass GEO 16:24 - 52. Zipline GEO 16:41 - 53. Daft Junk GEO 17:27 - 54. Notch Strings GEO 18:34 - 55. Ambient Steel GEO 19:23 - 56. Head Band GEO 19:47 - 57. SETI Calls GEO 20:34 - 58. Zen States GEO 21:19 - 59. Tech Stab GEO 22:06 - 60. Fake Pass GEO 22:52 - 61. Layerz GEO 23:38 - 62. Concussion GEO 24:20 - 63. Frozen Over GEO 25:00 - 64. Shamisen GEO

You can find patches 1-32 here.

DSI Poly Evolver PE: Sound Exploration

video upload by Freaky Tweaky

Soft Cell - Tainted Love | 80s Synthpop Cover | Maxi-Korg 800DV, PPG Wave & Emulator II

video upload by RetroSound

"My cover of the iconic 1981 Soft Cell synthpop classic “Tainted Love”, recreated with authentic vintage synthesizers and samplers from the 80s electronic music era.

For this version, I used:

🎹 Maxi-Korg 800DV – analog bass and fx synthesizer sounds
🎹 PPG Wave 2.2 – main theme and pads
🎹 E-MU Emulator II – CR-78 drum and additional sampling sounds

The goal was to capture the atmosphere, character and raw electronic aesthetic of classic 1980s synthpop, while giving the song my own production and sound approach.

' Tainted Love ' became one of Soft Cell’s defining songs after its release in 1981. The duo Marc Almond and Dave Ball transformed the earlier soul song into a minimalist, dark and highly influential synthpop classic. The song was originally written by Ed Cobb and first recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964.

Soft Cell’s version became a major international hit and helped define the sound of early-1980s electronic pop, with synthesizers, electronic rhythms and a distinctive minimalist arrangement.

For me, recreating this track with vintage hardware is also a journey back to the analog and early digital sound of the 1980s — before modern software instruments became the standard. Dave Ball wrote me he used the Korg Bass and the Synclavier in the original song."

synth tees: https://retrosound.creator-spring.com

0-Coast by MakeNoise | 10 years later

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"I am not sure when I saw the 0-Coast for the first time. I had no idea it was already around for two years when I started modular in 2018. The 0-Coast became my 'tiny teacher' after getting lost in the Shared System first. It turned out to be crucial to fully understand that everything is voltage, and every circuit can make sound even when the circuit is intended for something else. The 0-Coast combines Buchla, Serge and Moog philosophies in one tabletop unit. By itself, it provides endless possibilities provided by its confined option space. I can safely say it gets better as your own skills develop. And don't forget to use stackables or a mult."