AudioPilz - Synths - Bad/Better Gear

Bad Gear - Yamaha CS1x - Not Exactly My Thing video by AudioPilz

Just discovered this series. Above is the latest video featuring the Yamaha CS1x. Below is a playlist of previous videos in the series. I'm guessing the CS1x will be added. P.S. I actually own a CS1x and SU10 so it's kind of fun seeing them paired in this video. The CS1x is all ROMpler but it does have some nice icy strings. It has a bright digital character about it - like it's permanently run through a glassy sounding reverb.



Playlist (enjoy, or not - use the controls on the bottom left or upper right of the player to skip around):
Bad Gear - Roland TB-3 - A Touchscreen TB-303 Nightmare???
How To Control The Microkorg Using Midi Controllers??? (Tutorial)
Bad Gear - Microkorg - A Hipster Synth???
Bad Gear - Am I Too Bad For This Synth???
Bad Gear - Akai Timbre Wolf - Weakest Poly Synth???
Bad Gear - Korg Electribe EA-1 - Worst Of The Tribe???
Bad Gear - Red Sound Darkstar - Worst Synth Of All Time???
Bad Gear - M-Audio Venom - Biggest Software Dongle Of All Time???
Better Gear - DIY Yamaha DX7 Realtime Controller (Tutorial)
Bad Gear - Roland JX-305 - Pub Gig MC-505???
Bad Gear - Arturia Minibrute - The Tutorial Synth???
Bad Gear - Roland D-110 - 80s Sound In A Box???
Bad Gear - Yamaha FB-01 - Second Worst FM Synth???
Bad Gear - Yamaha SHS-10 Keytar - Most Embarrassing Synth Of All Time???
Bad Gear - Quasimidi Sirius - 90s Techno Machine???
Bad Gear - Korg Kaossilator Pro - The Synth of Christmas Past???
Bad Gear - Nintendo Korg DS-10 - Game Boy MS-20???
Roland U-110 - Yet Another Boring 80s Synthesizer???
Bad Gear - Roland Sound Canvas SC-55 - Vintage Gamers Synth???
Bad Gear - Yamaha DJX - Kid’s Keyboard???
Bad Gear - Roland SH-201 - The MP3 Synth??? (feat. Alex Ball)
Bad Gear - Casio SK-1 - The Original Fart Sampler
Bad Gear - Waldorf Blofeld - Vintage Sound of the Future???

AudioPilz Bad Gear posts

DSC - DIGITAL SOUND CHIPS OPUS MAX BOARD

DSC - DIGITAL SOUND CHIPS

From the creators of the Bluebox synthesizer comes a new project for DIYers. Currently on Kickstarter here.

"A short introduction to the OPUS MAX BOARD music computer and development board for making music gear with the STM32H750 micro controller. https://digitalsoundchips.com It will come with a profession grade synthesizer and audio effects unit to loop sounds through the board externally. And with information on how to make your own music gear like synthesizers and audio effect units."

"Back in 2011 the worlds smallest synthesizer DSC Bluebox was made, but vent by unnoticed. This time Digital Soundchips that made the synthesizer is back, and want to solve the problems that they once went through for you and others.

Now we a ready to present a single-board computer for audio plugins and music gear. And with one profession grade synthesizer plugin, and a multi effects unit to loop audio through. That uses a open plugin standard with plugins on microSD card.

Imagine making professional music hardware gear, based on a super simple audio plugin format. And develop music gear that can use several plugins simultaneously.

We want to make a pre-configured scalable solution, so you can start writing your audio code and run ready-made plugins. And lower the development time for new music gear from years or month's, to weeks.

Lets make it faster and fun to develop commercially viable professional music gear.

CLICK FOR MORE »

The Teenage Engineering OP-1 has been dethroned: The best-selling electronic gear on Reverb in 2024

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via Reverb

"Each year, Reverb takes stock of what musicians across the globe are buying and selling as a way to keep players up to date on the latest gear trends. Today, we're sharing a big one: The best-selling electronic gear on Reverb this year.

The headline: After five years, the Teenage Engineering Op-1 has been dethroned. That's right -- the TE OP-1 is no longer the best-selling piece of electronic gear for the first time in half a decade...and oh how the mighty have fallen, with the OP-1 coming in at #5. However, it's not all bad for the Swedish synth brand.

Teenage Engineering had three pieces of gear -- the OP-1 (#5), the EP-133 K.O. II (#6), and the OP-1 Field (#11) -- in the top-10, as the brand continues to expand. Point and case: Teenage Engineering debuted the OP-XY just last month.

Both the OP-1 (#3) and the OP-1 Field (#19) finished inside of the top-20 best-selling used synths and electronic gear.

Elektron's Digitakt topped the list, largely due to the release of the Digitakt II and Digitone II models earlier this year. The brand's 2024 debuts helped propel Elektron's Digitone to #9 -- and you can get both the Digitone and Digitakt for a great price thanks to a $160+ drop in the cost of used models for both.

The Digitakt topped the list of best-selling used synths and electronic gear this year, further proving its popularity.

The Ableton Push 2 (#2) and the Korg Drumlogue (#4) both jumped into the top-five thanks to great deals from the brands' respective official Reverb shops.

Korg finished as second on the list of the best-selling electronic gear brands, while Roland took home the gold, Yamaha took home silver, and Akai and Arturia rounded out the top-five.

While Ableton's Push 2 was a best-seller, the standalone Push 3 was beat out by Native Instruments' Maschine+, which finished #11 on the list of the overall best-selling drum machines, samplers, and controllers.

To view all of the electronic gear that made this year's best-selling lists on Reverb, visit https://reverb.com/news/best-selling-electronic-gear-of-2024"

Reverb to Become Privately Held Again

Press release follows:

Two new investors with ties to the music industry—Creator Partners and Servco—have entered an agreement to purchase Reverb from Etsy

Tuesday, April 22—Today, music gear marketplace Reverb announced that two new investors—Creator Partners and Servco—have entered an agreement to purchase Reverb from Etsy. Once the deal closes, Reverb will be a privately-held, independently operated company backed by two investors that share Reverb’s experience in the music industry and focus on supporting musicians.

“Creator Partners and Servco share our passion for the musical instruments industry and a community-first approach, plus a deep desire to strengthen creative industries,” said David Mandelbrot, CEO at Reverb. “The musicians, shops, and brands who use Reverb have always been at the center of all that we do, and these two partners will help us support our music-making community in new and better ways.”

Known for their focus on the digital transformation of creative industries, Creator Partners is an investment company currently investing in music companies including BMI, SoundCloud, Color Studios and Mogul.

“Reverb is the #1 global marketplace for musicians, and a one-of-a-kind platform that has transformed access to quality used gear for creators of all levels” said Kerry Trainor, Creator Partners Founder and former CEO of SoundCloud and Vimeo, “We are thrilled to join the Reverb mission to make the world more musical, and grow the entire industry through seamless secondhand commerce.”

Servco has been involved in the musical instrument industry since 1937, including a long history with Fender—first as a dealer of Fender music gear in the 1950s, then as part of the group that bought the company from CBS in 1985 and now as the majority owner of the company, as well as an active investor in other musical instruments businesses.

“We are thrilled and honored to be a part of Reverb’s continued success,” said Executive Chair of Servco, Mark Fukunaga. “For nearly 90 years, Servco has been deeply involved in musical instruments and music education programs. And we remain committed to being good stewards of leading musical instrument companies, like Reverb, and supporting players everywhere in pursuing their passion to create music.”

When the deal closes in the coming months, Reverb will return to being an independent business. According to Mandelbrot, buyers and sellers won’t notice any disruption as a result of this news, but he does expect the Reverb community to notice positive changes and new innovations in the coming months as the team continues to focus on making Reverb the best place to buy and sell music gear.

“We’ve got a lot of exciting changes in the works. We’re expanding access to music-making software on Reverb and we’re getting ready to pilot a new option for selling that allows musicians to get paid faster, while skipping the listing and shipping process. Our teams are working on improving our search functionality, making it easier to ship, and shortening the time it takes to resolve support issues,” said Mandelbrot. “All and all, there’s a lot for our community to look forward to and I’m very excited about what’s coming as we move forward as an independent company again.”

About Reverb
Reverb is the largest online marketplace dedicated to music gear. Since launching in 2013, Reverb has helped millions of music makers find the perfect piece of gear from its trusted community of music shops, top brands, and other music makers around the world. Built by musicians and gear lovers, Reverb combines one of the largest selections of musical instruments with tools to help music makers find music gear that inspires them and a passionate musical community to connect with. Sales on Reverb help support Reverb Gives, which provides youth music programs with musical instruments.

myVolts Gear Swap at Dublin Culture Night 2019

via myVolts

"Got any music gear gathering dust? Sure you do, so bring it along to the myVolts Gear Swap at Dublin Culture Night 2019! Whatever you're looking to offload: Eurorack modules, synths, effects pedals, MIDI controllers, drum machines, audio interfaces - or anything else!

When? Friday 20th September 2019 from 5pm to 9pm

Where? Dublin City, Ireland: The Ampitheatre, in the Liberties and Historic Quarter, Wood Quay, Dublin 2

Stop by, have a hang - we'll be talking gear, power, and giving away freebies! Alleviate your Gear Acquisition Syndrome guilt at the friendliest environmentally-friendly event of Culture Night.
Everyone who stops by and has a chat will get a free myVolts Hot Tip power tester, and anyone who swaps gear will get a free myVolts Ripcord USB to DC power cable! We'll be set up for testing, playing, and noise-making too.

Got gear? There's loads of ways to show it off:

Just post it on this myVolts forum thread - click the "Answer" button. You can exchange Instagram, Twitter details if you like, or link to your posts on socials.

Post pics and description to your socials with tag #myVoltsCultureNight

Tag myVolts accounts into your posts, we'll repost and put it about!

myVolts Instagram: @myvolts https://www.instagram.com/myvolts

myVolts Twitter: @myvoltsTweets https://twitter.com/myvoltstweets

Or just bring gear along on the night!

Any questions? Mail Caroline from myVolts, email address caroline AT myvolts DOT com or get in touch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolinezoids"

Interview with Hexfix93 of VAC

The following is an interview I just wrapped up with hexfix93 of Velvet Acid Christ. As you know, this site is about the gear, namely synths, and the gear that helps drive and enhance synths, but ultimately the focus is on synths.

I was chatting a bit with hexfix93 and asked him if he would be interested in a slightly different take on an interview, one focused on synths and their impact to his world. We all have our story regarding how our obsession with synths first started, how we see and approach synths and what they mean to us. I thought it would be interesting to hear his story. The following is the interview.

Before it begins, I want to thank hexfix93 for taking the time out for this. We all have a different approach and a different story when it comes to our synths. This is his. For more of his music check out VAC and don't miss Toxic Coma. Cheers, matrix.


1. What was your first synthesizer, how old were you when you picked it up, and why did you pick it up?

"It was some kind of old yamaha cheap thing. i got it for my atari st, so when i played games like leisure suit larry that the music wouldn't come from the wimpy fm built in sound, but a general midi synth instead. it really didn't sound all that great. i wasn’t really a keyboard player at this point.

The first synth i got as a keyboard player was a roland w30 sampler workstation. And we made like 3 records with that keyboard. i remember gary slaughter an x vac member, spilled orange vodka drink on it. and i had to take it apart and clean every part of it by hand slowly, it took weeks. it was a pure nightmare.

CLICK FOR MORE »

New AudioPilz Bad Gear Episodes

Playlist:
Bad Gear - Korg Poly-800 - 80s Throwback Synth
Bad Gear - Roland MT-32 - The OG Retro Gamers Synth
Bad Gear - Roland A-01 - Most Useless Piece of Gear???
Bad Gear - Dave Smith Instruments Mopho - Giving the Pro-1 a Bad Name???

AudioPilz Bad Gear posts

Touch the Gear 2019 (Outsound New Music Summit)

Published on Jul 25, 2019 CatSynth TV

"Scenes from the Touch the Gear event at the Community Music Center in San Francisco, part of the 2019 Outsound New Music Summit.

"Outsound's original public event Touch the Gear is a hands-on, family-friendly exposition open to the public. During the evening attendees get to roam among inventors and musicians while experiencing sound producing gear, computers, instruments and inventors with their various different configurations of “gear”--everything from oscillators and electronics, to planks of wood with strings attached. All attendees get to ask questions, make sound and experience how the instruments work, in an environment that demystifies technology while inspiring creativity.

Gear Presenters: Amanda Chaudhary, Bryan Day, Cheryl E. Leonard, Colleen Kelly, David Leikam, David Molina, David Samas, Hugh Behm-Steinberg, J. Lee, Jeff Klukowski, Johny Radio, Jorge Bachmann, Michael Mersereau, Peter Whitehead, R. Duck, Stephen Paris, Tom Duff"
http://www.outsound.org/summit

For more unusual and adventurous musical instruments, please subscribe to CatSynth TV and check out www.catsynth.com"

See the Touch the Gear and Outsound Music Summit labels directly below for more.

Synths for Silly Prices?

Posted by Ivan on AH:
"I've seen quite a few comments here regarding people selling synths for silly prices. My mildy warm mini-rant follows:

Regarding high-end dealers like Mini and others - They provide a service selling vintage but good condition product that has been refurbished. I've done this type of work, and it is very time consuming. Their reputation will determine their market value to a large extent. If something is priced ridiculously and doesn't sell, then the price has to come down to a point where it does sell. If the repair work is done poorly, the value will be less. Yes, it might be purchased by someone with more money than brains, but that in itself determines the market value for that product at that time. I have a local guitar dealer that specializes in vintage guitars. They get insanely high prices for guitars but they are known for having quality product. And people are willing to pay for it. Thus a free market system where they price product based on what the customer will pay.

I've found deals on old gear and have fixed it up and sold it in the past. I sold it for top dollar. But considering the time invested I wasn't making a huge profit. I've also recently sold 'fixer uppers' for no profit and because I felt they were going to a good home. But if I can I try to make as much money on a deal as possible. It would be nice to help out people who can't afford vintage gear, but I am in no position to be a benefactor for less fortunate synth lovers. So this idea of profiteering, as some have put it, is pretty silly in my opinion. If and when I sell my house I will be trying to get top dollar for it as well. Is that profiteering? Last time I checked it was known as how to stay afloat and actually afford to keep a roof over my head. I don't want 30 years of mortgage payments, and I don't want bank loans to fund new gear purchases. Unfortunately I don't have time anymore to do much gear fixing up and selling. But when I do have that time again I intend to sell items for what I can get. If someone else wants to start a synth charity business then that is great. If I become independently wealthy I'll consider a home for wayward synthesists and donate vintage synths like some people loan out their Stradivarius. But until then, it is good old fashioned work and the resultant profit for me.

My final point is that nobody is getting rich in this business. I'm VERY glad that people like Paul Schreiber and Ken Macbeth decided to go into business and provide us with great products. Neither of them are likely to hit the Forbes list any time soon. And the same applies to Mini, or Shawn Cleary, or any of the other synth-sellers out there. If they can't sell products then they don't make money, and they don't survive as a business. It's just that simple. So complain if you want, but don't expect for people to give away gear in the name of our art. There are enough people self-righteously ripping off software and getting something for nothing. If you want a deal on vintage synths, learn how to fix gear and then cruise pawn shops, garage sales, and Craigslist. Otherwise be prepared to pay market value just like the rest of us poor afflicted gear addicts.

Ivan"

How to make electronic dance music (with drum machine & synth)

video upload by mylarmelodies

"This is an absolute beginner's introduction to making & performing music with a drum machine and a synth, plus setup and gear recommendations. I'm using the very excellent Roland TR-8 drum machine and T-8 "TB-303-style" synth. I'll explain the very basics of how to compose and perform on these machines, explain how they're connected, whether you need a mixer, and suggest other starter gear you might consider if you want to begin exploring computer-free music making."

▶︎ Buy music on Bandcamp: https://mylarmelodies.bandcamp.com/
▶︎ Here's some info on the Deer Shed Festival (family friendly festival that I do drop in workshops at the Science Tent at!): https://deershedfestival.com/

00:00 Anyone can make music!
00:49 Making a Beat
5:15 Introducing the Synth
5:57 Explaining Cutoff & Resonance
7:11 Explaining Env Mod/Decay (aka Envelope)
8:22 Adding Delay
8:51 Counting 8 Bars & Creating Contrasts
11:10 Faders In and Out!
11:43 Summary & Importance of Listening
13:23 Audio Connection Explained
15:36 Sync Connection Explained
17:40 Do I need a Mixer?
18:58 Beginner Gear: Roland T-8
21:51 Beginner Gear: Korg Volcas/Samplers
22:51 Beginner Gear: Roland TR-8
23:55 Beginner Gear: Arturia MicroFreak
24:49 Beginner Gear: Elektron Digitakt
25:14 Why you should try this

JLR Live On KSER.org 90.7 FM - March 6 2020

Published on Mar 21, 2020 John L Rice

"This was basically a random collection of some old and new ideas I had been working on and 'arranged' in real-time live on air. ;-)

If you found this or any of my other videos helpful or entertaining, please consider tipping? Thank You! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JohnLRice

Gear Used:
32" Paiste Earth gong with AKG C411 contact mic and processed with the following gear:
Hotone A-Station mic pre pedal with effects loop
MXR 10 Band EQ pedal
Electro Harmonix Ravish Sitar pedal
TC Electronic Flashback delay pedal
TC Electronic Hall Of Fame reverb pedal
Mackie 402-VLZ3 mixer

Rav Vast Onoleo B steel tongue drum with AKG C411 contact mic and processed with the following gear:
Mackie 1202-VLZ4 mixer
Walrus Audio Julia tremolo/chorus pedal
MXR Octave Fuzz pedal
Strymon DIG delay pedal

Vermona PerFOURmer MkII quad analog synthesizer processed with the following gear:
Mackie 1202-VLZ4 mixer
Meris Mercury7 reverb pedal

Roland RD-64 piano/synth keyboard processed with the following gear:
Mackie 1202-VLZ4 mixer
Meris Mercury7 reverb pedal

Mellotron Micro keyboard processed with the following gear:
Mackie 1202-VLZ4 mixer
Meris Mercury7 reverb pedal

Synthetic Sound Labs Radio Music module processed with the following gear:
Mackie 1202-VLZ4 mixer
Walrus Audio SLO reverb pedal

#JohnLRice #electronicmusic #experimentalmusic"

BOSS LAUNCHES LOOP STATION WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

"Los Angeles, CA, June 1, 2010 — Guitarists, bassists, keyboard players, beatboxers, looping musicians of all sorts: BOSS® wants you to bring it on. BOSS Corporation is pleased to launch the Loop Station World Championship. Start by submitting a video performance with any BOSS RC-Series looping product, and the result could be a trip to the U.S. Finals in Hollywood, California. Or, better yet, $3,000 in BOSS gear and a trip to the International Championship at Winter NAMM 2011 in Anaheim, California.

Open Competition — June 1, 2010 — August 31, 2010
* Upload a video performance using any BOSS RC-Series Looper to Youtube.com that is five minutes or less.
* Visit www.BossUS.com/LoopStation to fill out entry form.
* Entries will be judged and selected by BOSS, who will be looking at the creativity, musicianship, stage presence, and technical skill of the looping performance.

U.S. Finals — October 23, 2010

* Top six entries will be flown in to compete at the BOSS U.S. Loop Station Finals at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA.
* Performances will be judged by a panel of music industry insiders, including:
o Jeff Baxter (The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan)
o Michael Molenda (Editorial Director — Guitar Player, Bass Player, EQ, Keyboard Magazines)
o Paul Youngblood (Vice-President of BOSS U.S., Director of BOSS Japan)
* Prizes include:
o 1st Prize - $3,000 in BOSS Gear; trip to the International Championship
o 2nd Prize - $2,000 in BOSS Gear
o 3rd Prize - $1,000 in BOSS Gear

International World Championship — Winter NAMM, January 13-16, 2011

* Winner of the U.S. Finals will represent the United States in the BOSS International Loop Station Championship in Anaheim, CA.
* Performances will be judged by a panel of music industry insiders and celebrities.
* Prizes include:
o 1st Prize - $3,000 in BOSS Gear (2,500 EU)
o 2nd Prize - $2,000 in BOSS Gear (1,500 EU)
o 3rd Prize - $1,000 in BOSS Gear (750 EU)

To enter the U.S. division of the BOSS Loop Station World Championship, please visit: www.BossUS.com/LoopStation."

United Plugins Introduces JMG Sound Retronaut - LoFi Nostalgia Machine Multi-effect Plug-in

video upload by United Plugins

Press release follows:

United Plugins puts past into present with JMG Sound Retronaut, realised as LoFi Nostalgia Machine multi-effect plug-in

“I hate to overuse superlatives, but, it has to be said, within a minute of trying out the amazing features of the Retronaut plug-in, I was astounded. Its versatility will work across all manner of instruments, from guitars to drums; I even tried some of the effects on a piano piece, and the results were extraordinary. This is going to be a great asset for film and media compositions, as well as my commercial recordings.”

- Chris Payne, orchestral composer for film and television/synthpop pioneer (co-writer of Visage's 1981 hit single ‘Fade to Grey’/former Gary Numan backing band member), 2023

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: independent development teams federation United Plugins is proud to announce availability of Retronaut from founding partner JMG Sound — swinging back into action and putting the (analogue) past into the (DAW-driven) present as a so-called LoFi Nostalgia Machine multi-effect plug-in, perfectly capturing the vibe of old analogue gear by mixing bucket brigade chips, cassette tapes, VCFs (Voltage-Controlled Filters), vintage choruses, vinyl records, and more to transport its users back in time to explore their magical (musical) memories — as of February 15...

Explore the past
History has it that mankind has not only travelled the world and the ‘Seven Seas’ but beyond that to take one giant leap to touch down on the Moon, meaning the sky is not the limit. Steps still need to be taken to literally leave future footprints further away from the natural satellite of Earth, yet reality reasons that humanity cannot physically step back in time to explore the past in person, however, rather relying on history to tell its story. Saying that, Retronaut, JMG Sound’s so-called LoFi Nostalgia Machine, musically transports those interested in exploring their magical (musical) memories from where they originated; after all, music has a miraculous ability to transport anyone back in time. Therefore, seatbelts should be securely fastened in readiness for an ‘analogue’ expedition through history!

LoFi Nostalgia Machine
Make sure, then, that those seatbelts are securely fastened, for an ‘analogue’ expedition through history awaits as Retronaut is assuredly announced as a multi-voice vibrato and chorus plug-in, pulsating with lo-fi effects. Indeed, it is inspired by old analogue gear with which wisened ears welcoming warmth will already be familiar — think bucket brigade chips, cassette tapes, VCFs, vintage choruses, and vinyl records... Retronaut revisits that nostalgic musical magic of the past, putting it into the (DAW-driven) present with multiple ways to age and DEGRADE the signal being processed, thanks to controls for FLUTTER (adds random fluctuations to the modulation shape, simulating tape flutter); DUST (adds noise to the modulation shape); FAIL (adds random glitches of pitch and level drops to simulate old failing gear); WARP (adds pitch drift and a little tremolo at half-rate to all the VOICES globally); DIRT (controls the amount of tape-style saturation); FEED (controls the amount of cross-feedback by taking the outputs of the VOICES and feeding them into each other); and MONO (switches the signal to mono, simulating old gear with only one speaker, such as radios).

DIVERGE, MOD, MIX, and more
Meanwhile, it is possible to offset the multi-voice engine — enabling users to MIX from a single vibrato voice up to 4 VOICES, resulting in a rich chorus — in various ways to create organic and evolving movements via the DIVERGE section: SPREAD (offsets the LFO phase in the left and right channels); LAG (introduces a time delay for each voice); PHASE (offsets the LFO phase for each voice); V2 SCALE (offsets the voice 2 modulation rate from the main modulation rate); V3 SCALE (offsets the voice 3 modulation rate from the main modulation rate); V4 SCALE (offsets the voice 4 modulation rate from the main modulation rate); and RESYNC (resets the LFO phases). But beating at the musical heart of Retronaut is its MOD (modulation) section with HP MOD (controls the modulation depth of the virtual analogue high-pass filter in both positive and negative polarity) and LP MOD (controls the modulation depth of the virtual analogue low-pass filter in both positive and negative polarity); dialling down the modulation depth for the vibrato effect with the associated VIBE control and then using other effects encourages that warm, woolly, and compressed tape sound. Shape the tone with the VCF section — anchored around those virtual analogue high-pass and low-pass filters, switchable between 2 (12dB per octave) and 4 (24dB per octave) POLE slopes, with RESO (resonance) control — and MIX to perfection. Possibilities are endless, almost: add lo-fi to drums, rich chorus to synths, and lush reverb to anything... ask orchestral composer for film and television/synthpop pioneer Chris Payne (Visage, Gary Numan), who was well versed in working with original analogue gear — of the kind that inspired Retronaut — on a number of historic hit records. “I particularly love the DEGRADE section, which can add a huge amount of expression to any sound you use,” he enthuses, ending on an equally high note: “I’ll certainly be building up a huge library of sounds using Retronaut over the coming months, and cannot wait to get started with it on my forthcoming projects.”

Key features:
Captures the vibe of old analogue gear, mixing bucket brigade chips, cassette tapes, vintage choruses, and more in one powerful multi- effect plug-in
Smoothly mix from a single vibrato voice up to four, resulting in a rich chorus
Add that nostalgic lo-fi (musical) magic with the DEGRADE section — age sound from gentle dust and warmth to old, broken gear
Control each voice independently with the DIVERGE section — offset them in various ways to create organic and evolving movements

JMG Sound’s Retronaut is available to purchase for a time-limited introductory promo price of only €24.00 EUR until March 19, 2023 — rising thereafter to its regular price of €89.00 EUR — as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in (using internal 64-bit audio processing capable of handling any sample rate) directly from its dedicated webpage (https://unitedplugins.com/Retronaut/), where a 15-day, fully-functional trial version for macOS 10.10 and newer and Windows 8/10/11 can also be downloaded for free.

Note that no iLok, dongle, or internet access is required for Retronaut activation. (All United Plugins software uses license files for activation and owners can freely use purchased software — with free-for-life updates — on all their computers, as long as they are the user.)

Reverb's Most Popular Electronic Gear in the US by State in 2025

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via Reverb

"You might've seen our recently published list of the best-selling electronic gear on Reverb in 2024... but what about the most popular electronic gear in every state?

While plenty of mainstays made the list—like the ever-popular Teenage Engineering OP-1—there are some state-specific preferences I thought you might enjoy:

Viva Las Vegas: Nevada's most popular piece of electronic gear is an Akai Force Standalone Music Production / DJ Performance System, likely a product of all the electronic shows that take place in Sin City.


More surprising? Alabama and Kentucky, neither of which are typically known for electronic music, love their DJ gear. Maybe the latter is the Jack Harlow effect?

The Eurorack Reigns Supreme: As modular synthesis becomes more popular, Arizona, Iowa, and South Dakota proved their love for Euroracks above all else.

The Postal Service: Washington, home to Death Cab for Cutie, was won by the Dirtywave M8 Portable Tracker Sequencer. The irony of The Postal Service's revival, 20-plus-years after Death Cab's Ben Gibbard sent digital audio tapes to Jimmy Tamborello via USPS, isn't lost on us!

The Border War: Much has been made of regional music over the past few decades, from southern rap to the Pacific Northwest's indie roots...but nowhere was that more strongly displayed than Kansas and Missouri, infamous "Border War" rivals, both of which chose variations of the Akai MPK.

You can check out every state's favorite piece of electronic gear here."

9 Odd Questions for Music Gear Makers SuperBooth 2023 Interviews

video uploads by Martin Yam Moller

Playlist:
Interview Tatsuya Takahashi CEO Korg Berlin SuperBooth 2023 / 9 Odd Questions for Music Gear Makers
Interview Marcus Söderberg Jansson Teenage Engineering SuperBooth 9Odd Questions 4 Music Gear Makers
SuperBooth Interview with Gur Milstein from TipTop Audio | 9 Odd Questions for Music Gear Makers
Polyend Interview Wojtek Jakobczyk || 9 Odd Questions for Music Gear Makers
Interview with Novation's Lead Hardware Designer Danny Nugent | 9 Odd Questions 4 Music Gear Makers

Soundtoys SuperPlate Styles

video uploads by soundtoys

The 5 styles of the new SuperPlate by Soundtoys.

Available now at www.soundtoys.com

See the announcement post here

"Take a look at all five plate reverb styles included in SuperPlate – each was inspired by an iconic plate. In the development of SuperPlate, Soundtoys added nine plates to their gear collection and spent seven years immersed in reverb, dreaming up the modern features that would reinvent this classic effect.

The reverb you hear in each video is entirely one of SuperPlate's styles. Explore the unique sonic character of each individual plate style."

Playlist:

1. Soundtoys SuperPlate: E. Plate III Style

The EcoPlate III (c. 1982) was the third and smallest version of the EcoPlate series of reverbs designed by Jim Cunningham. All three plates in the EcoPlate series use a stainless steel alloy to create its reverberation and all three versions have an exceptionally bright and spacious sound. Soundtoys studied and added an EcoPlate III to our gear collection for the development of SuperPlate. E. Plate III is just one of the five plate styles and many features included in Soundtoys' SuperPlate reverb plug-in.

Sound design by Laura Wolf – @laurawolfmusic • www.laurawolfmusic.com

2. Soundtoys SuperPlate: Classic 140 Style

SuperPlate's Classic 140 plate style is based on the EMT 140 (1957), the most well-known and the first commercially successful plate reverb. It was made by hanging a plate of cold-rolled steel in a metal frame, and as legend has it, the steel came from one specific Welsh ore mine. The EMT 140 was a studio standard for decades, and is what most people reference when they talk about plate reverb. Soundtoys studied and added five EMT 140 units to our gear collection for the development of SuperPlate. Classic 140 is just one of the five plate styles and many features included in Soundtoys' SuperPlate reverb plug-in.

Sound design by Hannah Tobias – www.hannah-tobias.com

3. Soundtoys SuperPlate: Audicon Style

“The Plate” (c. 1971) also known as the “Lawson Plate” was designed by Gene Lawson (Lawson Microphones) in Nashville to be a more economical plate reverb for those who couldn’t afford an original EMT 140. It was manufactured by console manufacturer Auditronics out of Memphis, Tennessee. Soundtoys studied and added "The Plate" to our gear collection for the development of SuperPlate. Audicon is just one of the five plate styles and many features included in Soundtoys' SuperPlate reverb plug-in.

Sound design by Hannah Tobias – www.hannah-tobias.com

4. Soundtoys SuperPlate: Stocktronics Style

The Stocktronics RX4000 (1978) is the only Swedish plate we know of, and it uses a steel alloy plate with low internal crystallic damping characteristics, which gives it a very distinctive extended high-frequency response. In other words, this plate has zing! While Soundtoys was unable to add the Stocktronics RX4000 to our gear collection, our study of the RX4000 was made possible by proud Stocktronics owners spanning two continents (if anyone is keen to sell, please call us!). Stocktronics is just one of the five plate styles and many features included in Soundtoys' SuperPlate reverb plug-in.

Sound design by Bryn Bliska – @brynbliska • www.brynbliska.com
Special thanks to Mattias Olsson at Roth Händle Studio for letting us access this impeccable Stocktronics RX4000 – @RothHandle

5. Soundtoys SuperPlate: Goldfoil 240 Style

SuperPlate's Goldfoil 240 plate style is based on the EMT 240 (1970). While technically not a plate at all, it was designed to create a more compact and portable reverb. Instead of a steel plate, the EMT 240 used a thin foil of 24-karat gold to create its distinctive darker and tighter sound. Soundtoys studied and added two EMT 240 units to our gear collection for the development of SuperPlate. Goldfoil 240 is just one of the five plate styles and many features included in Soundtoys' SuperPlate reverb plug-in.

Sound design by Meg Toohey – www.megtoohey.com

Available now at www.soundtoys.com

Interview with Novation's Lead Hardware Designer Danny Nugent | 9 Odd Questions 4 Music Gear Makers

video upload by Martin Yam Moller

Don't miss 2:02 for the most surprising tip or trick on a piece of music gear. You can find additional videos in the series here.

"In this interview, Novation's Lead Hardware Designer Danny Nugent answers 9 odd questions about the company, their synth range, and the gear that music gear makers use.

If you're interested in electronic music and synthesizers, then this interview is a must-watch! You'll learn everything you need to know about @NovationTV ​, their synth range, and the gear that music gear makers use."

Robert Rich, Talks About Sampling And Old Gear Finding New Life

Part two of the interview is up on Gearwire.

"In part two we discuss "gear fetishism"-- where old-time complaints and technical limitations turn into benefits in the mind of the musician. Everyone who has made music for any amount of time is familiar with the phenomenon. Think of some piece of gear that had severe limitations; new gear came along amd eclipse that piece of gear. Later, sometimes years later, a funny thing happens--people start seeking out this old, sometimes shoddy gear."

Part 1.

Sofia Synth Symposium - The First Music Gear Expo in Eastern Europe Coming to

The event is set for June 14-15, 2025, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Details follow:

https://www.synthsymposium.com

PIONEERING THE FUTURE OF SOUND IN EASTERN EUROPE
Тhe first dedicated music gear exhibition in Eastern Europe – where innovation meets tradition, and manufacturers connect with a vibrant, untapped market of musicians, producers, and audio enthusiasts.

Why S//S//S – Exhibitors

Regional pioneers
The first comprehensive music gear exhibition in Eastern Europe, creating a unique bridge between global manufacturers and the region's thriving music community.

Innovation hub
Housed in a cutting-edge R&D center with onsite prototyping facilities, allowing exhibitors to test ideas and get immediate feedback from potential customers.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH!

Happy New Year everyone!

First I want to thank everyone who takes the time out of their busy schedules to come visit the site. I want to give an extra thanks to everyone who supports this site, including the sponsors you see above and on the right. Without them this site would not be possible.

As many of you know, running MATRIXSYNTH is a labor of love. The site has been running for over 13 years and hopefully will continue on for many years to come. Every single post goes up by hand, seven days a week, including holidays and "vacations." Some of you may not know this, but MATRIXSYNTH is a one man shop by me, matrix. I have not missed a single day of posting since back on August 6 of 2005 when I first launched this format of the site. I say "this format of the site" because I actually registered matrixsynth.com back in October of 1997. You can still see the old site here. On the left were links to sites I visited back in the day. It's actually a pretty neat snapshot of what was around on the web back then before the days of YouTube and social media. I launched this version of the site back on July 20 of 2005. As of this post there have been 175,117 posts on the site. We had 13,302 posts in 2018. Every single one went up by hand. I am extremely humbled and grateful of those who choose to support the site. Thank you so much!!!

Now, for some numbers. I haven't shared them in a while as they started to feel a little redundant year after year, but I figured why not? The image above is a map of visitors to the site in 2018. We had 540,712 users visit for a total of 3,418,064 pageviews. We finally have a visitor from North Korea this year! The numbers are from Google Analytics and should filter out bots. BTW if you look at this all time map, the only country to not have visited MATRIXSYNTH to date is the Central African Republic. It's pretty amazing to think someone from every single other country in the world has visited the site.

The following are the top 10 countries to visit by traffic:

1 United States 4,564(35.30%)
2 United Kingdom 1,070(8.28%)
3 Germany 866(6.70%)
4 France 653(5.05%)
5 Canada 544(4.21%)
6 Italy 512(3.96%)
7 Japan 464(3.59%)
8 Netherlands 357(2.76%)
9 Poland 331(2.56%)
10 Norway 314

(Update: I originally had the list by language which duplicated DE and FR. The list has been updated for country only).

A couple of years ago I started tracking new gear for the year with "new gear" labels. For 2018 we had the following:

695 new items never featured before on the site. This includes 49 posts on older gear never featured before.
111 new makers
92 new synths
63 new soft synths
67 new sound/noise machines
36 new synth effects
266 new modules
42 new mobile apps
11 new drum machines
111 new DIY projects
26 new controllers
40 new tools
7 new cases

And finally we had 52 posts to get the exclusive label for the year. These are the rarest of the rare featured on the site.

Note there is some overlap and the primary focus of MATRIXSYNTH is hardware synthesis. Rather than go into a top 10 list (which I never was into because all gear has its use imo), click through any of the links above to see what came in by category.

On the mega synth front, we saw the release of the Sequential Prophet X and XL (DSI changed names to Sequential as well), the Moog One and Grandmother, Yamaha MODX, Korg Prologue, and the Waldorf Quantum finally made it to release. You can also recap what was featured at NAMM 2018, SUPERBOOTH18, Knobcon, and SoundMit and other events.

This year we lost the following in the synth world. Note this does not include discontinued gear, although with Erthenvar being featured as a company, I may include gear in the the future.

Erthenvar Closes Shop
RIP John Leimseider
RIP Shirleigh Moog
The Candlelight Vigil: A Synth Cover in Memory of Jóhann Jóhannsson (From Prisoners)
David Van Koevering Has Passed Away

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And that's it for 2018. Happy New Year and onto 2019! Thank you to everyone that enjoys, contributes, and supports the site! I started MATRIXSYNTH to track everything synth. It's rewarding to know people out there still enjoy the site. MATRIXSYNTH is my gift to you.