Roma Modulare 2026 | International Synthesizers & Music Production Expo Set for September 2026

video upload by Roma Modulare

"⚡ Roma Modulare 2026 is here! The ultimate Expo in Italy for synthesizers and music production welcomes you to Rome! Explore 1200 square meters of indoor exhibition space to touch and test synth and pro audio products, enjoy captivating live music, and discover the latest trends and innovations in music tech. Get your tickets now!"

L'Opificio Italiacamp - THE LOCATION | Roma Modulare 2026

video upload by Roma Modulare

"We're warming up the engines for Roma Modulare 2026 at L'Opificio Italiacamp, happening September 18-19!
Let's explore the main exhibition area dedicated to synthesizer and music production. Get ready for an immersive experience with pro audio gear, eurorack setups, and captivating live music, all part of our meticulous event planning."

Press Release follows:

Roma Modulare 2026 announced as international synth and pro audio fair at unique new location in central Rome with early bird tickets already available

ROME, ITALY: organisers of Roma Modulare 2026 are proud to announce that the international synth and pro audio fair in question is to be held on September 18-19, 2026 as an unmissable two-day expo in central Rome, representing a journey into electronic music devices where creativity, passion, and experimentation meet at a unique new location — L’Opificio Italiacamp itself being billed as a centre for culture and education, born out of an urban regeneration project in the Ostiense-Marconi district that is one of the most vibrant areas of the capital city — boasting 900 square metres of exhibition space swarming with leading manufacturers of synthesizers and professional audio gear keen to show their latest wares, while early bird tickets are already available for anyone wishing to attend…

Organisers of Roma Modulare 2026 are on record as collectively stating: 'We live in an age where division is the norm, but making music requires unity. Today, the word ‘unity’ takes on a meaning that can profoundly shake and transform our roots and our habits. We want to continue strengthening the community of artists and creatives, who, together, make a valuable contribution to Italian and international music production everyday.'

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Moog Music Joins the inMusic Family

inMusic brands include Akai, Alesis & M-Audio as well as Sonivox, AIR, Alto Professional, ArKaos, BFD, Denon DJ, Denon Professional, dngine dj, Head Rush, ION, Marantz, MixMeister, Numark Rane, SoundSwitch, and Stanton.

via Moog Music

"To our friends, artists, partners, collaborators, and community:

It is my pleasure and privilege to bring you the exciting news that Moog Music has joined the inMusic family.

With its diverse roster of innovative companies across the music technology space, inMusic is known for its dedication to developing quality performance and production instruments for musicians across the globe. We are thrilled to join this group of talented, like-minded people who support our mission as we continue to design and build the world’s best-sounding electronic musical instruments.

Devoted to maintaining the sound, quality, and manufacturing philosophy that Moog is known for, inMusic is able to offer solutions to support the areas that have been ongoing challenges for our company as a small manufacturing business. This new partnership will enable us access to inMusic's efficient global distribution and supply chain network while providing inMusic and its affiliated brands with deep expertise in analog synthesis.

With product development continuing to be led by Steve Dunnington, a long-time Moog engineer and former student of Bob Moog, we are proud to keep engineering, designing, and building instruments in our hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, USA.

Our new partners at inMusic, based in Cumberland, Rhode Island, will bring an extraordinary wealth of knowledge and experience to help bolster our efforts and build upon our 70-year legacy.

The recent conversations that I've had with inMusic CEO Jack O'Donnell have been inspiring, to say the least. Jack shared with me the stories of his first synthesizer, a Moog modular system, and the impact this instrument and Bob's vision have had on his career. We had the opportunity to host Jack at the Moog factory recently and share with him the passion and dedication our small team brings to our work daily.

We are excited to introduce you to the many innovative hardware and software instruments our team has on the horizon. This partnership with inMusic will allow us to reach new communities and continue to push the boundaries of music technology. Finding a partner that honors our values, mission, and legacy is a great boon for our company and community.

The future is bright for Moog and the incredible community that has embraced our instruments and all we stand for. We’re grateful for your loyalty and support along the way, and we can’t wait for you to see (and hear) all that’s ahead.

Sincerely,

Joe Richardson
President, Moog Music"

Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH! - A Look Back at 2014

Happy New Year everyone!

I want to start by thanking everyone that comes to MATRIXSYNTH and helps make it what it is - the readers, the supporters, and of course all the sponsors on the right.

THANK YOU and have a GREAT 2015!!!

This site is a labor of love and a ton of work. This site is ultimately meant to be an testament to everything synth in the making. We have over nine years of daily synth history captured here, 119,983 published posts. I can't wait to see what the future brings us in 2015!

That said, here are a few interesting bits from 2014 in the longest post of the year. ;)

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Akai EWI3000 with Modded 3000m and Speak and Math

via this auction.

See the video at the end of this post.

"complete akai ewi3000 wind controller system with all the extras and then some

the 3000m analog synth module is a 4 oscillator analog monster. the synthesizer responds via direct analog with the controller for smooth response. something you will never feel with midi or any other non analog breath controller. there is alot of options with the synthesizer such as detuning, oscillator synch, filter options, lfos to modulate things. the editing is done on the module itself and is easy to get around if are familiar with subtractive synthesis and study the block diagrams that are in the included manuals. for those not wishing to do their own editing, the module is loaded with patchman's bank of the finest sounds done by a professional. patchman is the man when it comes to wind controller related things. the banks on this one super responsive and range from moog basses, oberheim brasses, analog reeds and strings... amazing!

the analog module also has midi in/out. an external in for routing into the modules internal filter and amplifiers. this external in is a great solution for older or newer synths that don't implement midi breath. there's alot of options onboard the module itself with plenty of knobs to fine tune to anyone's playing style.

the module itself was modified in many ways. first is nyle steiner's deglitch chip that was not available commercially installed into the unit. the deglitch chip adds a response to the fingerings for extra smooth playability. next is the battery clip modification. the battery is a fresh battery installed with a battery clip so that the owner can easily replace the lithium battery in the future without any hassle.

the final mod on the 3000m analog synth is the cv outputs. if you are using cv out on the unit it doesn't affect the synth's performance. the cv for various functions include outputs for ground, bend, bite, breath, vibrato, pitch octave, picth fingering, and combined output. some outputs do not quite get to +5 volts but many of the main paramaters such as pitch, bend, breath, etc do go to 5 volts. a template will be provided to explain outputs and a drawn up chart of the voltage ratings from each output will be detailed. this will be great for people into modular synthesis but if you are going to mess with cv it assumes you know what voltage your inputs on your gear is capable of. for example this system will work really nice with moog gear, synths, and moogerfoogers that accept cv controllers. a breath controlled cv modular synthesizer of your own design. the possibilities are amazing and truly unique,

i also am including a cv control box with 4 heavy duty banana plugs approximately 8 feet in length. the cv control box accepts the banana plugs routed from the ewi3000m. on the other end it has TS 1/4" as well as two that can be used as trs 1/4" outputs to hook up to your other cv gear. the stomp switches will toggle on and off the cv you send from the ewi to your cv gear. there are also bright blue leds installed so you can tell what's on and off. i will also provide a file emailed to the winner to show how the cv control box works. the cv control box also runs on 9v battery and clips easily to the box.. the 9v is used for the led light indication if you need to send the 9 volts to an output for cv gate. two of the 1/4" outputs are also trs so there are ways to patch via banana cables from one banana to the other as well as having banana jacks for ground connecting and for the battery itself.

also included is a circuit bent speak and math. it accepts cv for pitch control and midi that you can send from the 3000m. the 3000m also has inputs for routing into the filter and VCA of the ewi so you could run the speak and math for expressive control of the speak and math. the midi is a kit that i purchased from highlyliquid. there is full documentation on how it is used in midi and is available on the highly liquid website. the speak and math also has loop function on a stomp switch, a photo theremin with a foot switch for foot control of pitch as well as a knob for fine tuning the threshold of the pitch. led light indicators for envelope information and on/off for both stomp switches,.. 1/4" cv ins for pitch. 1/4" switched jack for output. power on/off push switch.

included in this auction is:
-one of a kind ewi3000 like new wind controller with custom metallic white finish and deep chrome.
-custom made one of a kind dedicated case for controller by akai with keys, extra compartments and zipper pouch on outside. protective case covering for case
-certificate of authenticity by akai
-ewi3000 module with cv mods on banana jacks, nyle steiner's deglitch chip installed in unit, battery clip modification with fresh battery
-custom cv control box
-4 planet waves high quality professional banana cables 8 feet each
-4 banana jumper cables 1 feet each
-2 connecting cables for ewi to module. one still in factory packaging
-polishing cloth
-two brand new replacement rubber tip mouthpiece in addition to rubber tip installed
-ewi strap
-two yamaha recorder cream for conditioning and care of rubber gaskets
-6 foot midi cable
-2 trs 2' cables
-manual printout of both ewi3000m and ewi3000
-professional patchman music pro bank installed in unit with backup copy on cd rom
-circuit bent speak and math with midi and cv ins, specially made for this setup"



akai ewi with circuit bent speak and math cv midi synth - YouTube via spunkytoofers.

previously posted here. Also see this video.

"the akai ewi 3000 uses control voltages and has an all analog signal path with it's dedicated module. in this example the ewi 3000m module sends midi to the speak and math as well as control voltages brought to the surface of the 3000m on banana jacks. the banana jacks are sent to a cv control box which is essentially a foot switch box with various logic functions and and open ended patchable interface. ewi controls overall pitch of the speak and math based on pitch fingering cv output in conjunction with octave key cv output. the midi is a retrofit kit available by highly liquid and accesses the speak and math's rom by triggering key commands. this modification gives the user a wealth of circuit bent sounds accessed by midi note triggering. the speak and math's output is sent back to the 3000m's analog amplifiers and filters via breath control on the ewi. there are various note sustain loops and a photo theremin available on the surface of the speak and math via stomp switches. the stomp switches activate leds to indicate on/off. also a big knob with a rubber boot that can be played with the feet.. this is my first run through of my speak and math cv midi synth"

Synths in TV and Film

Note: some of the videos below have been pulled from YouTube, but I'm keeping mention of them up as a reference that they are out there.

Let the page load before scrolling - it's a long one.
Be sure to see the Synth Movies list and see the Synth Movies and Synth TV and Film labels for more.

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Synths: ARP 2500 played by Phillip Dodds, head of ARP Engineering, Yamaha CS-?.


2. Fame Synths: ARP 2600, MOOG Minimoog

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MPK Mini IV | Studio Instrument Collection Plugin Virtual Instrument Presets Tour

video upload by Akai Professional

"The Studio Instrument Collection is exclusively available with the purchase of an Akai Professional MPK Mini IV. This powerful software suite brings together over 1,000+ premium instruments and presets from Akai Professional, AIR Music Tech, and Moog Music in one intuitive interface, designed to elevate your creativity the moment you plug in your controller.

At its core is an eight-knob macro system that mirrors the MPK Mini IV's hardware, making control immediate and tactile. With dedicated Keys and Pads libraries, a powerful sound browser, and randomized inspiration tools, this collection is as fun as it is functional."

Moog Messenger x Akai Pro MPC Sample | Building Layers with a Sampler Pt. 1

video upload by Moog Music and Akai Professional

"Jun 26, 2026 #Moog #AkaiPro #Messenger
Join us as we explore how a sampler can expand the musical possibilities of a monophonic synth.

In this new series, we dive into sound design on the Moog Messenger, then move into sampling and arrangement with the ‪@Akai_Pro‬ MPC Sample. By combining the expressive character of analog synthesis with the flexibility of modern sampling workflows, these two instruments come together as a complete production ecosystem.

Whether you’re shaping tones from scratch or building full arrangements, this setup shows how far a focused rig can go."

Introducing Ocean Swift Wavetable Creator - Craft Custom Wavetables for Any Synth!

video upload by Ocean Swift / Faxi Nadu

Follow-up to this post. The editor is now available at https://oceanswift.net/product/wavetable-creator/

Ocean Swift - Wavetable Creator | Overview and Demonstration

video upload by Ocean Swift / Faxi Nadu

Press Release follows:

Create, Customize, and Export Wavetables Like Never Before!

Save 40% - just €25 (normal €40) , until January 10, 2025

Ocean Swift is excited to announce the launch of the Wavetable Creator, a powerful tool that empowers everyone to create custom wavetables for high-end synthesizers, modular environments, and audio production tools.

The Problem:
Today's wavetable synths, modules, and apps often require wavetables with specific frame sizes and cycle counts, making cross synth compatibility difficult. No existing app or wavetable pack guarantees seamless compatibility across all platforms.

The Solution:
Ocean Swift’s Wavetable Creator – a powerful tool to design morphing wavetables that work anywhere! From Serum to Eurorack, this tool lets you craft wavetables with innovative crossfade, morphing, and blending techniques, and robust compatibility export options. Whether you're producing music, designing game audio, or developing synth plugins, this app is built to unleash your creativity with an easy intuitive interface.

Pricing and Availability
The Ocean Swift Wavetable Creator is available now at a regular price of €40. As a special introductory offer, you can purchase it at €25, a limited-time price valid through the Black Friday, Christmas, and Winter Holiday season until January 10, 2025. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your sound design toolkit at an unbeatable price, with a unique product!


Grab the Wavetable Creator here: https://oceanswift.net/product/wavetable-creator/

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Retronyms Phase84 for iPad Released & an Update on Wej

Phase84 Available Now Published on Dec 16, 2014 Retronyms

Phase84 has arrived. iTunes: Phase84 - Retronyms Inc - details captured further below.

Be sure to see the overview video by MATRIXSYNTH Patreon supporter Tim Webb of discchord below!

"Phase84 is a next generation phase distortion synthesizer. It fuses gritty digital sounds with traditional analog punch.

Phase84 is an extremely capable synthesizer and features over 110 presets, containing all sorts of basses, leads, pads, bell tones, sweeps, atmospheric sounds, pseudo-realistic tones, and more. While you don't need to know much about synthesizers to get a lot out of Phase84, experienced synth tweakers will be thrilled at the sheer variety of unique sounds that can be produced with this incredibly versatile synth.

*All synth sounds (bassline, chords, lead) were created with Phase84 with no external effects or post manipulation.

This video also features Wej — rugged performance base and wireless MIDI bridge: preorder.retronyms.com"

Quick update on Wej: Since Oct hundreds of people have preordered Wej and Retronyms is steadily approaching 90% of their preorder goal. They have just announced a Wej preorder bundle with Akai Professional — people can get a good deal on one or two compatible USB Midi controllers (MPK Mini and MPC Element) plus a Wej preorder. They're calling it the Mobile Producer Bundle.

And Tim Webb's overview video on Phase84:

Let's Play with Phase84 (Patch Design & Commentary)

Published on Dec 16, 2014 Tim Webb

"Retronyms has released their first synthesizer! This combines Phase Modulation, Frequency Modulation, and Subtractive synthesis for a very unique sound. It has qualities of 80s synths, but with a very modern tone. Here I explore the whole gamut! If you enjoyed this please consider supporting this series by sponsoring them on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/user?u=107612

Be sure to visit http://discchord.com for the latest music app news!"

iTunes: Phase84 - Retronyms Inc

"Phase84 is a next generation phase distortion synthesizer. It fuses gritty digital sounds with traditional analog punch.

+++++
Phase84 is a Tabletop Ready App. Combine Phase84 with drum machines, sequencers, effects, and more inside Tabletop — a free modular music app for iPad.
+++++

Phase84 is an extremely capable synthesizer and features over 110 presets, containing all sorts of basses, leads, pads, bell tones, sweeps, atmospheric sounds, pseudo-realistic tones, and more. While you don't need to know much about synthesizers to get a lot out of Phase84, experienced synth tweakers will be thrilled at the sheer variety of unique sounds that can be produced with this incredibly versatile synth.

So What's Phase84 All About?

Phase84 is what's known as a Phase Distortion synthesizer. This form of waveshaping synthesis has its roots in Casio’s brilliant CZ line of digital synthesizers from the 80s. It is designed to have the warmth of a subtractive (analog) synthesizer, yet be capable of the squelchy tones and sharp attacks of an FM synth. Phase84 in particular can create warm pads, glitchy sounds, dirty basses, filthy sweeps, screaming leads, and anything in-between.

For those familiar with the typical Moog-like (or iMini-like!) synthesis, think of the "shaper" as being synonymous with "brightness" or "filter cutoff”.

Features:
More than 100 presets.
MIDI support.
inter-App Audio support.
Advanced Keyboard section.
Expressive Perform Mode with Groove Gate.
Tabletop Ready App.
Precision Knob mode.
Phat, naturalistic unison feature for super thick pads and sweeps.
Oscillator Section: 9 Params, 2 General-Purpose Oscillators, 1 Formant Oscillator.
Mix Section: 8 Params including Delay Amount and Pulse Width.
Envelope Section: Amplitude and Shaper Envelopes. Fully visualized and interactive ADSR plus special Fade Param.
Delay/Filter Section: Stereo delay with loss modeling and a punchy overdriven analog-style filter.
3 LFOs: More flexible than your average LFO, this has 4 waveforms, optional delay and repeat count, and can go into the audible frequency range."

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Roger Linn on Bob Moog - Electronic Voyager TESTIMONIAL #1

Roger Linn on Bob Moog - Electronic Voyager TESTIMONIAL #1 from Electronic Voyager on Vimeo.

"We are down to the FINAL 6 days of our Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for our Bob Moog history. Roger Linn appreciates the importance of telling Bob Moog's crucial chapter in electronic music history, and offered to share his feelings about Bob for the Electronic Voyager cause.

Electronic Voyager: Retracing Bob Moog’s Sonic Journey…

Support us on Kickstarter April 25 to May 25, 2016

http://tinyurl.com/ElectronicVoyagerKickstarter

Roger Linn is a legendary electronic music instrument designer, best known for his groundbreaking LinnDrum and Akai MPC sampling drum machines, both of which revolutionized the music industry. Bob Moog directly inspired Roger’s career path into electronic instrument design, and the two became colleagues and friends.

Roger not only enthusiastically agreed to be interviewed about Bob for Electronic Voyager, he also offered to film this testimonial about his professional and personal admiration for Bob Moog. Thank you Roger!"

The Very Rare 1969 R. A. MOOG 1502 Stereo Analog Tape Recorder

video by Round and Wound tape transfers

This one is in via Brian Kehew.
Never knew this existed. Just when you think you've seen it all, something new but old appears. Giving this one the exclusive label as well.

"At Round and Wound, we have over 100 vintage tape machines, many formats needed to transfer people's old tapes into digital files. But this one holds a special place for us: it's possibly the last of its kind, and with an incredible pedigree. This was built circa 1969 by the Moog synthesizer company as part of a never-successful push to create full electronic music studios. Afterwards, this machine toured the world with Chris Swansen's group, Badger - as playback for difficult parts recorded previously in the Moog factory studio. It's not comparable, sonically, to our more modern/professional machines - so we don't use it for transfers. But it has a place of pride among our many machines, as a custom creation from the team at Moog!"

And some info on Round And Wound:

Round And Wound audio tape transfers, digitizing, conversion;

video by Round and Wound tape transfers

"Round and Wound is a professional tape and media transfer facility in North Hollywood, CA. We have numerous machines and formats to access your old recordings and convert them to digital files.

Please go to our website for more info: www.roundandwound.com
or call (818) 856-8701 afternoons and evenings.

Analog Machines:
1" 8-track: AMPEX MM1100, SCULLY 280
2" 24-track and 16-track: 3M M79, SONY APR24, Studer A800
1" 16-track: OTARI MX70
1" 24-track: TASCAM MSR24
16-channel: FOSTEX E16, TASCAM MSR16
8-channel: OTARI MX5050, TASCAM TSR8, FOSTEX 80, FOSTEX R8, TASCAM 38
4-channel: OTARI MX5050, MCI JH110C, Tascam 424
2-channel: MCI JH110C, Ampex 800, Ampex ATR102
Cassette: TASCAM 122 MkIII, Denon DN730R, SONY
Microcassette: SONY

Digital Machines:
DAT: Panasonic SV3700, 3800, TASCAM DA30, DA40
Alesis ADAT (x4)
Mitsubishi X-86
TASCAM DA88 DA98 DA98HR (x4)
SONY F1
SONY Minidisc

Vinyl:
MAZE Turntable, mono 78 rpm
AKAI AP-207 Turntable stereo 33rpm, 45rpm

Noise Reduction:
Dolby A, dBX I and II, Dolby SR

Computer Media:
CD
ZIP drive
JAZ drive
3.5" floppy
5.25: floppy
Magneto Optical drive"

Erica Synths Sample Drum Nominated for NAMM TEC Awards

"The Sample Drum - eurorack module has received a nomination for the 35th Annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards in the category of Outstanding Technical Achievement. Presented by The NAMM Foundation, The NAMM TEC Awards are bestowed annually in celebration of the pro audio community by recognizing the individuals, companies and technical innovations behind today’s sound recordings, live performances, films, and other media.

The nomination announcement follows a two-month call for entries of standout technical and creative products and projects that have made a significant impact on modern sound and music. A panel of respected industry voters from pro audio publications as well as members of professional music, technical and creative organizations, along with select NAMM members carefully evaluated each entry before selecting the Erica Synths Sample Drum for the nomination.

The Erica Synths Sample Drum is nominated within the Musical Instrument Hardware category along with Moog Matriarch, Moog One, Nord Grande, Akai Professional Force & Presonus Atom: Pad Controller"

Kraftwork (Kraftwerk) Moog CZ-101 (Casio CZ-1) Review

Published on Oct 19, 2012 TR0LLreviews·5 videos

http://www.facebook.com/pages/T-Roll-...

via Nate Litz on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

Playlist:
Kraftwork (Kraftwerk) Moog CZ-101 (Casio CZ-1) Review - Published on Oct 19, 2012
T-Roll does another hands-on synthesizer review! This time he showcases the Kraftwork Moog CZ-101 stereo synthesizer, the world's longest keyboard.

Korg JP8000 JP-8000 Review (Technics WSA1 WSA-1) - Uploaded on Sep 13, 2011
T-Roll reviews the Korg JP8000 all analog monophonic synthesizer. He showcases the features of this device, shows how to create original sounds, and explains the difference between computer software and professional music equipment.

Roland SY99 SY-99 Artificial Piano (Clavia Nord Lead 1) - Uploaded on Sep 14, 2011
T-Roll gives an in depth review of the Roland SY-99 artificial piano. He shows the unique features like front panel tuning adjuster, brightness and darkness controls, etc. It also has a comprehensive listing of all red synthesizers. This is the best review of the SY-99 on youtube.

Alesis AirSynth SLAUGHTERS Korg Kaossilator in Shootout - Uploaded on Sep 17, 2011
T-Roll puts the Alesis AirSynth and the Korg Kaossilator in the ring together for the ultimate face-off. The Alesis AirSynth motion-controlled synthesizer meets the Korg Kaossilator lame-controlled disappointment.

Dave Smith Instruments (DSI) Tetra Ambient Sequencer and Akai Miniak - Published on Feb 2, 2013
In this episode, T-Roll demonstrates Dave Smith's Instrument Tetra Ambient Sequencer using an Akai Miniak and Mopho Keyboard

Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH! - A Look Back at 2015

Happy New Year everyone!  I want to thank you all for a great 2015 and I wish you all the best in 2016!

The following is my yearly round up for the year.  Feel free to dig into this post as much you like, or skip it and leave a comment at the bottom of the post. I'd be curious to hear what stood out for you in 2015. Do you like the direction the synthesizer world is headed in, or would you rather see more or less of any type of product?

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