MATRIXSYNTH

Monday, May 18, 2026

They Replaced Steely Dan's Drummers With a $150,000 Computer

video upload by Nick Cesarz

Also see: RIP Roger Nichols - Creator of the Wendel Sampling Computer

"In 1980, Steely Dan put out Gaucho with Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Rick Marotta, and Bernard Purdie credited on drums. Four of the most recorded session drummers in history.

But three of the seven songs on that record weren't actually played by any of them. They were played by a $150,000 custom-built computer called the Wendel, programmed by their engineer Roger Nichols in hexadecimal code.

I grew up listening to this album and had no idea half the drums weren't real, so I went down the rabbit hole. Here's why Steely Dan built it, how it actually worked, and which Gaucho tracks are the Wendel vs. the real drummers.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:43 How Steely Dan made records
01:48 Hey Nineteen and the pitch
02:18 What the Wendel was
02:38 How it actually worked
03:42 Real tracks vs. Wendel
05:34 Wendel II and The Nightfly
06:35 Wendel Jr and the spread
07:09 Today's tech"

Hey Nineteen

video upload by Steely Dan

via Google AI: "The song's rhythm track is also famous for utilizing 'Wendel,' a pioneering, insanely precise drum machine custom-built by engineer Roger Nichols. Marotta recorded his drum part in a single afternoon, which was then perfectly recreated by the machine." via Expanding Dan

Erica Synths Bullfrog Drums Review Demo and Manual

video upload by Starsky Carr

"The Erica Synths Bullfrog Drums looks lie a toy but has hidden depths. In this video I give you a complete hands-on review, a live demo built from scratch, and a full manual walkthrough so you know exactly what this drum machine can do before you buy.

The Bullfrog Drums is the follow-up to the Bullfrog Synth — a collaboration between Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin, designed to be approachable for beginners but deep enough for professionals. Spoiler: it absolutely delivers on both fronts."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Aline - Tutorial 3: Working with engines

video upload by TATO

Aline tutorial posts.

Kloob - Fading Edges

video upload by - Kloob -

"A deep immersion into subterranean textures and slow-fading soundscapes. Fading Edges features a rhythmic, low-frequency tribal thrum that pulses like a distant heartbeat through empty stone corridors, merging into wall-shaking sub-bass swells and cold industrial grit. It captures a state of suspension—where the physical borders of reality slowly disintegrate into a surreal, shifting fog.

Gear used in this session:
• Maschine Plus (Standalone): The brain of the setup.
• Micromonsta 2: Pad played in real-time.
• Reverb FX: A combination of the ethereal Raum (internal) and the massive, cavernous acoustics of the Eventide Space (external).

Hope you like it!
Thanks for supporting my music!

Cheers,
Dani
kloob.bandcamp.com"

Modulaire Maritime Essaim Quick demo/review

video upload by Meska (Meska)

"quick demo/review of Essaim by modulaire maritime, 2hp VCO build around the SSI 2130 with TZFM/PM capability

Thank you for watching. My name is Meska of the statik collective . I've been making mostly 'dark and expérimental' music for more than ten years now, i'v learn so much online, now it's time for me to share my knoledge, my exploration and this channel is a place to talk about the tools, sound design and techniques to make music with. You can stream my albums and EPs at https://statikwave.bandcamp.com/. If you'd like to support the channel consider buying music from bandcamp ;) Contact/booking: meskastatik@gmail.com"

via Modulaire Maritime

https://www.modulaire-maritime.com/product-page/essaim-ѳ Voltage Controlled Oscillator

Provides:
'Thru-Zero' Frequency Modulation / Phase Modulation (selectable)
'SSaw' Wave (Swarm - SuperSaw) /Ramp Wave (selectable)
Sine Wave
Triangle Wave
Hard Sync
Tracks 1V/Octave thru 8 Octaves
Temperature stabilisation

CLICK FOR MORE »

WAMM — We Are the Music Makers Set for Brussels, June 6th 2026

Details follow:

"A new gathering dedicated to electronic lutherie, modular culture and musical experimentation is coming to Brussels this June.

Hosted by Shakmat & Beatsurfing and WAMM, the event will bring together more than 30 instrument makers, artists and performers for a full day of exhibitions, workshops, talks, DIY activities and live performances.

More than a traditional trade show, WAMM aims to create a space where electronic instruments are approached as living tools for artistic expression, experimentation and community building.

The program includes:
— a large exhibition space featuring independent synth and modular makers
— workshops around DIY electronics and VCV Rack
— talks and conferences hosted by Oscar from Underdog Music School
— opening and closing live performances
— a closing event at C12 featuring Tim Exile, Animistic Beliefs, ALEA(s) and more

WAMM will take place on June 6th 2026 in Brussels, with an opening evening happening on June 5th."

https://www.instagram.com/wamm.io/

More infos soon on Facebook."

#Superbooth | Kaona Fractaos - oscillator based on fractals

video upload by CatSynth TV

"Gilles from Kaona presents Fractaos, a new synthesizer voice based on fractals. The oscillators compute fractal functions in real time like Mandelbrot, Julia, Lorenz, Koch, etc., which can be played polyphonically and combined in pairs for modulation."

Patreon: / catsynth | https://shop.catsynth.com | https://ko-fi.com/catsynth

0:00 Introduction
0:17 Fractaos features and concept
2:20 Sound demos
4:43. Conclusion

See the introduction post here.

Towards a new WaveTerm?

video upload by WPalmWT

"My current work based on the CommBusTerm from Michael Indlekofer.
more about Michael Indlekofers project: https://sourceforge.net/projects/comm...

0:00 – Intro
2:29 – The Idea
3:18 – Keyboard on Waves
6:20 – Envelope on Waves"

Waldorf Protein - "Prism" Soundset 40 Presets

video upload by LFOstore

"Buy: https://kav-sound-explorer.sellfy.sto...

40 new presets for the Waldorf Protein synthesizer, built around its powerful wavetable architecture to deliver rich, layered, and evolving sounds.

Protein's unique approach to wavetable synthesis opens up a vast sonic palette - and "Prism" explores that space with a focus on texture, movement, and atmosphere.

'Prism' is tailored for ambient, cinematic, electronic, and experimental music production.

Whether you're sculpting immersive soundscapes or adding subtle movement to your compositions, these sounds bring depth and emotional weight to your work.

Synth leads, Pad , Arp, evolving textures, and hybrid tones,FX.

Designed for cinematic, ambient, and experimental contexts

Works seamlessly in both professional and creative production workflows

What's included:

40 Presets with detailed loading instructions.

All sounds are presented as dry demos - no external effects or post-processing applied - so you can accurately evaluate each preset using Waldorf Protein's own effects section.

by A.Kav"

Oberheim Matrix 6r unison patches

video upload by Andy Nichol

"Matrix 6r mainly in unison mode, this synth is like a modular in a box, hugely underrated sounds great for pads / strings etc too but just trying to show what this beast is capable of"

AAVA: new creative convolution reverb

video upload by DATABROTH

"Read my full review here: https://www.databroth.com/blog/aava-r...

check out my wavetables and presets at https://gumroad.com/databroth

join my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/databroth"

00:00 Piano
00:55 Synth
01:52 Percussion
02:59 Pluck

"Aava is a groundbreaking convolution plugin that allows you to adjust all IR parameters in real-time, even at audio rates.

Layer up to four IRs

Tempo sync rhythmic IRs

Key track pitched IRs

Record IRs in real time

Spectral compressor

Modulate everything

100+ creative presets

And more!"