Did Jacob Brashears Reinvent the Synthesizer? — THE RELIC

video upload by Anthony Marinelli Music

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"THIS SYNTH IS NEXT LEVEL!
A few years ago, I first met Jacob Brashears at NAMM, where he debuted an extraordinary new synthesizer called the Relic. Now, the Relic is finished and after spending time with it, I think it’s worth asking:

Is this the most impressive synthesizer made in the last 40 years?

In this video, Jacob takes me through the Relic’s front panel and shows how this remarkable instrument works. Then I get behind the keyboard and play sounds that I created in just a few hours. The Relic has an incredibly expressive character that seems to combine the best qualities of classic vintage Oberheim, Moog, and ARP synthesizers with some very sophisticated modern technology.

It has the immediacy and character of the great analog instruments of the past, while incorporating modern advancements, routing and expression…and even the ability to continue evolving through future firmware updates. One of the things that really surprised me is the Relic’s distortion. I demonstrate sounds with distortion that feels remarkably organic and nonlinear, much more like the behavior of a great guitar amplifier than conventional synthesizer distortion.

I’ll also play expressive keyboard sounds, leads, basses, and other patches I created while exploring the instrument, so you can hear what the Relic is capable of in the hands of a musician. Jacob has clearly put an enormous amount of thought into this synthesizer, and the result is an instrument that feels both deeply connected to synthesizer history and genuinely forward-looking.

Watch Jacob take you through the Relic and hear what happens when I get my hands on it."