Sawtooth Stack Origin Story featuring Barry Schrader

video upload by Verbos Electronics GmbH

"A look at the Sawtooth Stack from inspiration to performance. Featuring interview footage with Barry Schrader and performance clips from ‪@OoraMusic‬ ‪@LucasMarchal‬ (DC11), Pietro Coquinati and Mark Verbos."

https://barryschrader.com
https://barryschrader.hearnow.com
https://barryschrader.bandcamp.com

Check out my exclusive interview with Barry Schrader here, and additional posts here.

Turning the Otamatone into a Trautonium

video upload by Sound Workshop

"In this video we look at the early history of #expressive synthesizers, and why #Trautonium is my favorite design. Then we make a #synthdiy Trautonium using an #otamatone as the oscillator. I also share a change in priority for Sound Workshop."

Featuring the Sound Workshop Wiggler.

Roland D-50 - first virtual analog synth?

video upload by Don Solaris

"Soundset available at: https://www.donsolaris.com/?page_id=4157
Compatible with: Roland Cloud D-50, V-Synth D-50, D-05, D-550 and D-50.

All music composed by Don Solaris unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2026 Don Solaris. All rights reserved."

Inside the ARP Factory: The Design Flaw That Destroyed America's Synth Empire

video upload by Industries from the Past

Update: looks this one was AI generated. Leaving it up for history's sake. Thanks goes to lfrancis in the comments for catching it.

"In the 1970s, ARP Instruments ruled the electronic music world. Founded by NASA engineer Alan R. Pearlman, ARP captured 40% of the global synthesizer market. Their legendary instruments gave a voice to R2-D2, communicated with aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and fueled hits by Stevie Wonder and David Bowie. Yet, by 1981, this American tech empire was bankrupt. What went wrong?

This video explores the incredible rise and devastating fall of ARP. We uncover how the company was destroyed from the inside out by a single disastrous bet: the Avatar. Pushed through by management over Pearlman's fierce objections, this flawed guitar synthesizer suffered from crippling latency and diverted crucial funds away from keyboard innovation. Discover the tragic story of how poor leadership and a 40-millisecond design flaw silenced a historic factory, leaving behind a musical legacy that outlived the company itself."

Expander: An Oberheim Retrospective

video upload by Alex Ball and Anthony Marinelli Music

"The story of the legendary synthesizer company, Oberheim electronics, founded by Tom Oberheim in 1969.

This film happened because of our collective love and passion for this story and was knocked together during evenings, weekends and spare hours over the course of many months. Thank you to all those who made it happen and a big thank you to my Patrons on Patreon for their ongoing support.

A special thanks to Tom Oberheim, Marcus Ryle, Anthony Marinelli, Dave Spiers and TC who gave up a lot of their personal time to give this film the material that it deserved.

0:00 Intro
1:31 Tom Oberheim
2:55 The 60s and 70s
24:08 The 80s
39:48 The Gibson Era
43:17 The Return
52:07 End Credits"

The Extraordinary EMS Synthi 100

video upload by Alex Ball

"A look at an incrediblY rare synthesizer from 1971.

Enormous thanks to the Townshend Studio and the University of West London for this opportunity.

https://www.uwl.ac.uk/study/study-fac...

Malcolm Clarke demonstrates the Synthi 100 sequencer as discussed in the video: [below]

0:00 Intro Performance
2:31 History of EMS
12:22 Music Interlude 1
13:46 Guided Tour of the Synthi 100
19:16 Music Interlude 2
21:48 The Vocoder 5000
24:59 The Digital Sequencer
25:49 The Townshend Studio
26:48 Summary & Thanks
27:36 Patreon Outro Performance"

The New Sound Of Music - 1979 - (Full Documentary) (BEATS T.V)

video upload by BEATS TV

From Thom Yorke to Vangelis — A Short History of Sequential (Dave Smith Instruments) | PlayJason

video upload by Jason Mays

"When musicians talk about revolutions in electronic instruments, certain names echo through time — and few are more influential than ‪@SequentialLLC‬ the company founded by the late, great Dave Smith. In today’s "History of" episode, we’re tracing the complete history of Sequential (formerly Dave Smith Instruments), from the world-changing arrival of the Prophet-5 to the modern renaissance that brought the Sequential name back into the spotlight. Whether you’re a synth enthusiast, a gear historian, a Prophet devotee, or just someone who loves the intersection of music and technology — this is the story you need to know."

Elektor Formant - The 70s DIY Synthesizer

video upload by Alex Ball

"A look at an Elektor Formant DIY synth built by Bruce Newman in the late 70s.

Big thank you to Bruce and Chris ‪@Cellar92Sessions‬ . Head to their channel to watch my synth live performance.

0:00 Intro Jam
1:20 What was the Elektor Formant?
3:38 Demo 1: Elektorial Spank
5:02 Interview with Bruce part 1
7:33 Demo 2: Key-Bored
8:44 Interview with Bruce part 2
10:49 Summary and Formant Reissue
11:46 Patron Outro Jam

With thanks to my Patrons
www.patreon.com/AlexBallMusic"

See the Elektor label below for additional posts.

AnalogFX SER-2020 analog monophonic Synthesizer deeper Review. The rise of the Synton Syrinx!

video upload by Knobs & Switches

"here is my deeper review about the AnalogFX SER-2020 analog Synthesizer. A recreation of the legendary and sought after Synton Syrinx together with some FX Pedals and other helpers. (Antonus Step Brother, Erica Synths Perkons HD-01, Korg Drumlogue, Stylophone Beat, Ryk Modular M185 Sequencer, Waldorf KB37, Arturia Keystep Pro, CB Lost&Found, GlouGlou Flancher9, Dreadbox Lethargy, Strymon DIGv2, Boss-RV5, Meris Polymoon,

https://www.analogfx.com/products/ser...

For Pedal Power i used the MyVolts CrazyChain MkII: https://myvolts.com/CrazyChainMKII/?a...

The fancy Audio Cables are the MyVolts Candycords: https://myvolts.com/CandyCords/?a=kas

CV and Clock Cables are MyVolts Halos: https://myvolts.de/Halo/?a=kas

00:00:00​ Intro
00:00:029 Title Track (Only made with the SER-2020 incl. Drums)
00:01:44 Epilogue
00:05:48 Music and Sound Demos
00:14:47 SER-2020 Roun Down
00:19:11 VCO`s, Sync & Ringmod
00:28:03 Formant Filter, LPF & ENV
00:39:46 VCF In
00:42:02 LFO 1 & 2
00:47:37 Bend Pad & Portamento
00:49:22 Speechmode
00:51:42 Conclusion
00:52:22 Outro (SER-2020 + Korg Drumlogue only playing SER-2020 Samples)

Image Sources:

Synton Syrinx: https://greatsynthesizers.com thanks to Theo Bloderer

https://www.synthforbreakfast.nl/inte...

Used Equipment: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple iPhone 12, Sony ZV-1, Rode Wireless ME, Universal Audio Apollo Twin Solo, Yamaha MG-06, Steinberg Cubase 14 and Final Cut Pro X"

See The Florian Schneider Collection here.

The Sounds of Tomorrow: China's Electronic Instrument Renaissance | Yukes 玉刻 | TEDxZizhu Park

video upload by TEDx Talks

Modular Commune gets a shout out at the end. You can find a playlist of Modular Commune performances here.

"Yukes 玉刻 uses an electronic organ to play 'the sound of the future.' He расскаnts how synthesizers have found new life within Chinese culture—moving from imitating the sounds of traditional instruments to creating entirely new auditory languages.

As he puts it: 'Technology shouldn’t replace tradition; it should become an extension of it.' In his eyes, every synthesized waveform is a rebirth of culture.

Today, Chinese musicians are using technology to reshape a 'sonic ethnography,' allowing tradition and the future to move forward side by side through electronic resonance. Yukes is a commercial video producer, multi-instrumentalist, and expert in electronic music equipment. Active at the intersection of traditional Chinese instruments and contemporary electronic music equipment, they have been instrumental in the development of 'Chinawave' and the growth of the electronic music production equipment industry in mainland China. With a background in commercial documentary video production, Yukes has expanded their practice into the exploration of audiovisual ethnomusicology. They regularly perform across China and are currently pursuing a master's degree in Market and Retail Science at NYU Shanghai. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx"

Synth Headz | Documentary Trailer

video upload by Danny Stygion

"Synth Headz | Documentary Trailer. Synth Headz explores three Houston musicians obsessed with making music with synthesizers. Featuring: Vertigo Blue, Spike the Percussionist, and August Befort. Directed and edited by Danny Stygion. Music by August Befort. Sponsored by Erica Synths. Drone footage by Schaef Shockley. Cinematography by Danny Stygion. Additional cinematography by Schaef Shockley and Cimmerian.

Music featured in trailer by Vertigo Blue, Spike the Percussionist, and August Befort."

Update: full doc now released. You can find it here.

Prophet~T8: The Luxury Synth

video upload by Alex Ball

"A look at the rare Prophet~T8 produced by Sequential Circuits between 1983 and 1985.

0:00 Intro
0:55 History
4:46 Demo 1: All Play
6:12 Features
9:42 Demo 2: It's Thursday, it's TOTP!
10:50 The Hits
12:11 Patron Outro

With thanks to the owner of this beautiful instrument.

Thanks to my Patrons for their support:
www.patreon.com/AlexBallMusic"

Recreating a Prince Sermon: LM-1, DX7 & Juno-60 Breakdown

video upload by Nostalgic Explorer

"Today I am exploring an amazing track and how Prince turned this song into a sermon—blending faith, message, and sound. The spiritual meaning behind the music and the production tools that shaped it. And I am recreating this track in my studio using the Yamaha DX7, Juno 60 and Linn LM-1 drum computer."

00:00 – Intro
00:21 – The Story Behind “Let’s Go Crazy”: A Song or a Sermon?
01:50 – Recreating “Let’s Go Crazy” Drums with the Linn LM-1
02:50 – Recording the Organ Parts on the Roland Juno-60
04:56 – Yamaha DX7 Breakdown: Recreating the Final Section
05:47 – Juno-60 Bassline: Building the Groove
07:09 – Final Mix: “Let’s Go Crazy” Recreation by Prince
09:02 – Final Thoughts: Why “Let’s Go Crazy” Still Matters

Source used for this video:
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/story-be...

the 90s synth behind one of Industrial’s best album

video upload by Tonepusher

"🔊Sounds, Presets & Templates🔊
Presets►https://www.tonepusher.com/
Patreon(synth presets,templates,store discounts)► / tonepusher

the 90s digital synth you don't know they used

Today we’re diving into the Kawai K4. This 90s digital synth played a quiet but important role in shaping the sound of early industrial music, heard in the work of bands like Front Line Assembly, Wumpscut, Intermix, Delerium, X-Fusion and Solitary Experiments . I’m putting the K4 to the test to see if it still delivers that unmistakable 90s industrial character. Decades later, it remains a cult favorite for music producers and sound designers chasing dark, mechanical atmospheres.

Chapters:
0:00 - intro
0:13 - Origins: From K1 to K4
2:54 - The K4 Sound
6:27 - The K4 in Industrial Music
9:19 - Front Line Assembly's Provision cover by Vulture Culture"

Was Acid House Invented in India?

video upload by Alex Ball

"A look at Charanjit Singh's outlying recording 'Synthesizing - Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat' from 1982.

0:00 Intro
0:41 History
3:21 Interview with Johanz Westerman
6:31 Why does it sound like Acid House?
9:20 Differences to Acid House
10:48 Conclusions
12:17 Patron Jam - One Raga to a 909 Beat

Huge thanks to Johanz Westerman
https://ballyhoostudio.nl
https://bandcamp.com/johanzwesterman

A tutorial on how to program Raga Bhairav on a 303 or equivalent is on Patreon
www.patreon.com/AlexBallMusic"

Behind The Drums Ep 22 - Siouxsie & The Banshees "Kiss Them For Me" Roland TR-909 - Schoolly D "PSK"

video upload by Controlled Voltage Sound Labs

"An in depth look at the making of Siouxsie & The Banshees classic single 'Kiss Them For Me.' Video includes a re-creation of the drum beat using the Roland TR-909, Technics 1200 turntables, and MPC 2000XL triggering tabla samples."

Luxembourg's Forgotten Electro-Monster: BME Rattlesnake

video upload by HAINBACH

"The BME Rattlesnake has haunted me for decades: Ever since I discovered its crispy claps on a magazine cover disc, I wanted to play with it IRL. When I got my hands on it, I was not disappointed: the Rattlesnake surprised with me with a heavy sound beyond the samples I knew. I was curious about its history, so I did a deep dive on BME. Check out my Patreon for a big sample pack: / hainbach

My Music: http://hainbach.bandcamp.com"

One Man's Trash: The Waldorf Microwave XT

video upload by Noir Et Blanc Vie

"Subjective opinions within, those who do not understand subjective opinion may be excused lol

*100% music in this video composed/produced by me.

The Waldorf Microwave XT is the past, present and future. Anyone who is telling you to buy a new instrument, especially a new synth in hopes that it's "better" than something like the XT is just here to be a salesman. 30 years old and still sits a top a trash heap of other digitals that came and went. Make music, share experiences. The End."

You can find the referenced musictrackjp demo of the XTk here.

MetaModule Tutorials: History of FM Synthesis

video upload by 4ms Company

Patch notes here: https://forum.4ms.info/t/history-of-f...

Roland VP-550: Still Brilliant After 20 Years

video upload by Alex Ball

"A look at a Roland instrument that I've wanted to cover for ages, this is the VP-550 from 2006.

(Yes, that was 20 years ago)

0:00 Intro
0:41 History
1:57 Vocal Designer
3:55 Ensemble / Bass & Percussion
4:36 Has this aged well?
5:47 Experiments
8:15 Summary
9:08 Patron Outro Jam

www.patreon.com/AlexBallMusic"

Also see The Roland VP-330: Why is it so sought after?