The Crow Hill Company Introduces the THE SH*T SYNTH

The Sh*t Synth - Walkthrough video upload by CROW HILL XTRAS

Press release follows:


The Crow Hill Company turns to extensive and rare collection to turn out THE SH*T SYNTH as compendium of 48 circuit-, wave- and sample-bent instruments

EDINBURGH, UK: The Crow Hill Company is proud to turn to its own extensive and rare collection of hardware to turn out THE SH*T SYNTH — available as a compendium of 48 circuit-, wave- and sample-bent instruments inspired by some of the Edinburgh-based enterprise’s eclectic musical favourites (spanning the likes of Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Joe Maus, Jon Brion, Laurie Spiegel, Radiohead, Throbbing Gristle, and Yazoo) to create something that they collectively ask: is it just shit or ‘the shit’? — as of April 7…

Whatever way anyone chooses to read into the titling of THE SH*T SYNTH as the latest entry into The Crow Hill’s ongoing ORIGINS series of sample-based virtual instrument plug-ins, one thing is for sure: it readily represents a broad selection of three categories of 16 workhorse instruments each, effectively wrapped up into a single plug-in designed to bring a cohesive approach to making music more edgy, lo-fi, retro, and — swimming against the technological tide of so-called progress — decidedly AI (Artificial Intelligence) slop-free. From pianos to strings, plucks, beeps, bass, and pads, the compendium that is THE SH*T SYNTH has been lovingly sculpted by the Edinburgh-based enterprise’s media composer and ‘samplist-in-residence’ Christian Henson to take the hassle out of making existing sounds less refined, catering to those looking for an entirely new bank of Mellotron-style sounds as well as synths that have been long forgotten — for good reason, too!

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What the fork is Waveshaping? | Modular Classroom | Lesson 05

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"I've been doing modular since 2018 and now I finally think I may have figured out what waveshaping could be. So by all means this is not some 'masterclass' where I teach you, it's learning as I go and recording it on video. The main takeaway from all this, is that waveshaping is not a module or something you'd do, it's something that happens when certain circumstances align. By definition, waveshaping is 'a non-linear transfer producing new harmonics' which kind of sums up nicely why it's so hard to put your head around it. It becomes much easier once you realize you need to listen for it, it's the result. Not the tech, process or recipe.

And how about 'folding'? As far as I know, wavefolding belongs to the waveshaping family, but instead of clipping the tops off, you'd mirror them back into the waveform. In waveshaping, 'transfer functions' are called 'shaper functions' because a 'transfer' is hijacked by systems theory and we're doing music and synthesis while leaving science in its own domain.

I'll mostly be using Serge gear in the classroom series, but you can already start shaping with a pre-amp with plenty of gain. Just push a sound to a loudness your case or ADC can't handle. Then you can figure out if it's cool to get dedicated tech for it. Hopefully you'll learn that waveshaping is not just distortion :)."

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."

Roland D-05, Make Noise Strega & Ableton MODE

video upload by Akihiko Matsumoto

"Sound: Ambient Drone (Sample Pack) https://akihikomatsumoto.sellfy.store...

Make Noise Modular Synth Sample Pack: https://akihikomatsumoto.sellfy.store...

Sequencer: Ableton Mode https://akihikomatsumoto.sellfy.store..."

Sounds like a video game! #yamahasynth #synthesizers #synthjam

video upload by Soundscapes of Johann🎶

"Fun little jam!
Roland D-05, Yamaha Reface CS and CS01
Enjoy"

Roland D-05 Demo

video upload by Panu M Savolainen

"Multitracked demo of Roland D-05 Boutique. I have owned D-550 long time ago so I tried this one. Sound was great and there is additional patches as well. All the sounds are factory patches and effects are in "clean"-mode. No additional fx used.

Demo at Bandcamp:"

Eb Mixolydian Jam for a rainy day *Yamaha Reface CS & Roland D-05 Boutique*

video upload by Soundscapes of Johann🎶

E minor JAM in 5 *Yamaha Reface CS & Roland D-05 Boutique* Ambient Vibes

video upload by Soundscapes of Johann🎶

"Cozy vibes on a stormy day using the SOFT FOCUS patch by Legowelt on the D-05 coupled with the looper on the CS."

Loop Samples Without Clicks on Syntakt 1.40, Digitakt & Every Sampler

video upload by Sineway

"Loop points that click are one of the most frustrating things in sampling - and one of the easiest to fix once you know how. In this video I show you a simple crossfade technique in Audacity that produces seamless, click-free loops every single time. No plugins, no special tools - just a free tool and a workflow that works.

I record the source sound straight from the Novation Peak into Audacity, build the loop, and then export in the right format for each device - mono/16-bit/48kHz for Syntakt 1.40 and the original Digitakt, and stereo/24-bit/48kHz for Digitakt II. The difference in the final result is exactly what you'd expect - and worth hearing.

The technique itself is sampler-agnostic. Whether you're on an Elektron box, an SP-404, an MPC, or anything else, the principle is the same: get the loop right before it ever reaches the hardware.

Chapters:
0:00 The problem
0:27 Recording the source on Novation Peak
2:00 Finding the loop region
3:17 The crossfade technique in Audacity
4:49 Don't forget to normalize the audio
5:28 Exporting .wav files for Syntakt, Digitakt & Digitakt II
6:05 Importing via Transfer + playback on Syntakt 1.40
6:38 Digitakt II - stereo playback

The two sample files used in this video (mono and stereo version) are available for free download on my Patreon."

Turing Machine, Workshop System & Planet of the Apes! // Music Thing Modular at Machina Bristronica

video upload by DivKid

"It's a pleasure to look back at the last Machina Bristronica event (2025) and share this video with Tom Whitwell of Music Thing Modular from the DivKid Discussions stage. We talk about origins, Thonk acting like a record label, Turing Machines, Radio Music and the Workshop System which has inspired and built community and created collaborations, before rounding out on some unexpected connections to Planet of the Apes!

Machina Bristronica is taking a year off for 2026, but will be back in 2027. Check out videos from the DivKid Discussions stage, Machina news and updates and all about Music Thing Modular at the links.

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Sequential 02 : Oberheim OB-6 Sound Demo : " Massive Mod " user bank preview by I.H.R

video upload by I Hate Robots

"Sequential Oberheim OB-6 (module) - sound demo of few user programs, this is not a jam, and the video is a loop, not in realtime.

00:00 Duality
04:20 X-Rhodes
08:15 Gate 1
10:05 Lux
12:15 Alien 1
14:06 Sun
15:10 Coma
17:02 Gate 2
18:22 Nop
19:31 Dark Phaz
22:40 Omniarp
25:00 Alien 2
26:25 Berlin Mod
29:35 Crispy Pad

In practical terms, the OB-6 (keyboard or module version) is a modern and refined embodiment of all the experience and expertise of Dave Smith (Sequential) and Tom Oberheim. Its sound engine sits somewhere between the Sequential Prophet-6 and the Oberheim OB-Xa; it's essentially a fusion of the two!

It's high-end, old-school analog in the purest tradition—the sound is big, fat, deep, and powerful—but with modern digital assistance that allows it to fully exploit its capabilities and push its boundaries.

This is precisely the subject and purpose of this preset bank, which I designed entirely myself.

This is my main OB-6 bank, which I use very often for my sound design work in the studio or for my training sessions. User Bank #3 (Massive Mod), it contains a total of 96 custom presets. I'm not presenting them all here, the demo would have been far too long, but I've prepared this short demo with a few of them to give you a sonic preview of the synth and its modulation capabilities!
Sometimes I use a single preset with its modulations, either played directly on the keyboard or sequenced with a keyboard layer on top, and other times I mix two presets together (the OB-6 is monotimbral).

Everything you hear comes from the OB-6; there are no added effects, no post-production processing !

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Fragments Vol 2 - Arturia Minifreak V - Patches 33 to 64 (of 64)

video uploads by GEOSynths

"Out Now - https://www.geosynths.com/arturia-min...

Fragments Vol 2 contains 64 new Patches for both the Hardware and the Software Plug-In. In the Demo the Audio is coming from the Plug-In, not the Hardware, though there really is very little difference, if any.

All Controllers (where applicable) are being utilized and have mappings, so Macro Functions may have a single or multiple Functions, as well as the Mod Wheel.

There are lots of textured Pads and Strings, thanks to the added Samples and Granular functions, which I have used extensively, as well as the varied Synthesis methods/Oscillator types.

Bass and Lead, lots of Synth Keys and so much more, including Arpeggios and Sequences, most of which have Tempo synced LFO's etc. This is the 2nd Video demonstrating Patches 33 to 64.

The Patches are played in the order I made them, though in the software they are loaded alphabetically."

video 1
00:00 - 1. Waveguide GEO
01:24 - 2. Starry GEO
02:09 - 3. Freaky GEO
03:48 - 4. Harmony GEO
04:59 - 5. Pulsar GEO

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What the h_ll is a PLL? Digging in to the Doepfer A-196

video upload by Sound + Voltage

"This time we're diving deep - perhaps too deep - into the mysteries of the Phase-Locked Loop, which Doepfer improbably made a Eurorack module for. So if you want to learn what that loop is and why you'd want to lock it, this is for you. All four of you.

No AI content, though I do use it for research.

Timeline:

00:00 - Intro
01:42 - What PLLs do
03:05 - How they do it
08:47 - How the 'over the radio' effect works
10:51 - Building a PLL out of spare parts
13:31 - PLL as a frequency multiplier
19:36 - Lots of stuff to try

External Links:

Doepfer A-196 PLL manual: https://doepfer.de/a100_man/A196_man.pdf
CD74HC4046A data sheet: https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/cd7..."

Patch notes: Make your audio sound like an FM broadcast with a PLL

video upload by Sound + Voltage

"Apologies for the long absence, but I'm back - this time with a patch I've been trying to make work for years: the effect of audio coming over the radio.

It was a complete surprise that this worked, I was just playing around with a phase-locked loop module. I didn't think this would end up being a video about FM at all, but when I stumbled on it, I had to share.

Modules in use: Antumbra Fade, Radio Music, Cap'n Big-O VCO, Doepfer A-196 PLL, Steady State Fate's Quantum Rainbow 2, and Void Modular Hexagram.

If you'd like to hear more of the background music, I released in in 2025 on the NEUS-318 label, and you can find it here: https://neus318.bandcamp.com/album/he..."

MultiVERSE - New Multiversal Shared System | NUSS Episode 05

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"I got my MultiWAVE in december 2025, but got distracted by my January 2026 'musical holiday' and making the 'AI Survival Guide'. Meanwhile, MakeNoise has posted a wealth of videos and guides, and Red Means Jeremy did one of the best musical demos out there. There's no need to repeat any of those. I needed to do 'my own thing', but couldn't really figure out how this would look like.

My favorite modular will always remain the Shared System because this is what made me start modular in the first place, all the way back to 2018. The 'Shared' is my reference. So I wondered how MultiWAVE would sound as a shared guest and move my way to the full NUSS setup. NUSS is very much a new ecosystem and it's a bit 'closed' in the sense that you really need the combo of MultiWAVE, PoliMaths and the dual QXG to get started. Sure you can use them on their own (especially QXG) but you'd be in the unexplored territory of the MultiVERSE. However, this is where the happy accidents live. In the odd combinations and the bad patching.

So in this episode there's more noise than music. When the midi implementation firmware is available, this may change."

Can’t Believe How Good the MicroKorg Is

video upload by The Unperson

"In this video I revisit the legendary Korg MicroKorg — a synth that has remained one of the best-selling hardware instruments for over two decades.

Released in 2002, this compact virtual-analog powerhouse has appeared in countless studios, stages, and bedrooms around the world… but does it actually hold up today?

I explore the sound engine, presets, vocoder, arpeggiator, and hands-on controls, and put it through its paces in a modern setup to see whether the MicroKorg still deserves its iconic status — or whether nostalgia is doing the heavy lifting.

If you’ve ever wondered why this little synth refuses to disappear, this video should answer that question.

I have to admit that I was really blown away with the depth and quality of the MicroKorg. I think it's absolutely amazing! :D"

CONTENT
0:00 - Intro
1:39 - Basic Overview
3:06 - Osc 1
6:55 - Osc 2
8:36 - FX
11:44 - Mod Matrix
13:53 - Presets
22:05 - Vocoder
23:55 - Outro

PRESETS & SAMPLE PACKS
https://theunpers0n.gumroad.com/
https://theunperson.bandcamp.com/

Mars Attack: 50 Cinematic Patches for Waldorf Iridium & Quantum (Sci-Fi & Ambient)

video upload by MrSynthmania

"Immerse yourself in dystopian soundscapes: Mars Attack is a specialized sound set for the Waldorf Iridium (and Quantum) that focuses on dark textures, cinematic pads, and evolutionary soundscapes. Whether for sci-fi scoring, ambient productions, or experimental sound design, these 50 presets harness the full power of the Iridium engine and the poly aftertouch.

🚀 Highlights:

50 handcrafted patches for Waldorf Iridium & Quantum
Focus on: Cinematic pads, SFX, bass textures, and arpeggios
Mod wheel and poly aftertouch assignments for maximum expressiveness
Instant Play: 100% Internal Synthesis – No Sample Import Required!
Zero Setup: Just load the Patches and play. No hassle with external WAV-files or folder structures

Get your soundset here: https://synthmania.de/produkt/waldorf..."

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Polyend Synth / Dirt Multi-Mode Waveshaper Engine

video upload by Polyend

"Explore the Dirt Synth Engine added to the Polyend Synth firmware 2.0. [announced here]

Download the latest firmware, 2.0.1 now - https://polyend.com/downloads/synth-d...

0:00 - Dirt Features
0:35 - Polyphonic Aftertouch
1:00 - Sound demo: Lofi, 3 Synths in One
1:33 - Sound demo: Saturated Arp + Pluck
2:05 - Sound demo: Single grid Pad
2:49 - Sound demo: Techno"

Rhythmic Filter Sequencing With Oxi One MkII

video upload by Alec Sea

"Inspired by Anthony Marinelli's great video on rhythmic filter sequencing, I thought I'd show how to do a similar thing using the Oxi One MkII and my eurorack modular synth.

00:00 - Intro jam
01:34 - The purpose of this video
02:22 - Explaining the patch
05:12 - Settings on the Oxi One
07:25 - Demo
12:25 - Conclusion

Gear used in this video:

Oxi One MkII
Oxi Pipe
Native Instruments Kontrol S61 MkIII
Korg multi/poly module
DF Audio Minibay v2
ART MX822 Line Mixer
Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD
Kenton MIDI Thru-12
Rode Wireless ME Microphone
Meris Mercury X
CIOKS DC7 Power Supply

Eurorack:
DIY Case
Intellijel: Quadra and Expander, Quad VCA, Triplatt
Befaco: DivKid Output Bus, ST Mix
Doepfer: A-111-4 Quad VCO
Joranalogue: Filter 8
Erica Synths Pico Input
4MS Row Power 45"

FM Drift Demo - Ableton Move/Live Sound Pack by A Force Truly Evil

video upload by A Force Truly Evil

"Available here: https://sci-fiaudio.com/?product=fm-d...

FM DRIFT IS A DEEP EXPLORATION OF FM SYNTHESIS INSIDE ABLETON DRIFT, DELIVERING FOUR NEW POWERFUL FM INSTRUMENTS THAT RIVAL — AND SOMETIMES SURPASS — SYNTHS LIKE OPERATOR

FM Drift is a sound pack focused exclusively on FM synthesis within Ableton Drift, and designed to demonstrate that Drift’s FM engine is powerful, flexible, and very expressive.

Fully compatible with Ableton Live and Push.

FM Drift delivers four complete FM instruments, each built on a clear FM architecture and fully controlled via eight carefully designed macros. All the sounds in the pack have been created exclusively using these FM instruments (Ableton Instrument Racks built with Drift).

Drift’s FM capabilities are on par with classic synthesizers like Operator, and even surpass it in certain aspects.

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Serendipity L-Thing vs D-Thing+: Upgrades for Moog DFAM & Labyrinth

video upload by Noisegate and Sam Stosuur

"We patch both modules together, sync them via Mother-32, and explore how they interact with DFAM, Labyrinth, and Teenage Engineering Rhythm for a wild semi-modular jam.

The D-Thing+ transforms the Moog DFAM, adding reset, swing, step control, micro-timing, shuffle, reverse, random modes, and MIDI/CV clocking — turning a brilliant but limited sequencer into a powerful performance instrument.

The L-Thing is built to pair with Moog’s Labyrinth, providing dual clocks, polymeter and polyrhythm modes, Euclidean rhythm options, and generative sequencing that pushes Labyrinth far beyond its stock behavior — while still working with any CV-capable synth.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — Intro: Serendipity + what we’re testing
0:23 — Why DFAM needs this (no reset, studio workflow)
2:23 — D-Thing+ reset explained (DFAM’s biggest quirk)
2:52 — Step length control (1–8 steps)
3:43 — Multi menu: step loops beyond 8 steps
4:58 — Micro menu: per-step microtiming / swing feel
5:02 — Sequencer modes overview (normal, reverse, bounce, odd/even, shuffle)
6:34 — Random mode + MIDI/CV modes
8:35 — L-Thing intro + what it unlocks on Labyrinth
10:03 — Patching L-Thing to Labyrinth (clock + bit flip)
11:06 — Sync setup: D-Thing+ clocking L-Thing + reset in sync
11:34 — LFOs + using it with other Moog (Grandmother/Matriarch)
12:44 — Polymeter setup: beats/bar + length tricks
13:42 — Polyrhythm mode (firmware note + chaos)
14:59 — Fast performance tweaks / weirdness
17:56 — Wrap-up: who these are for + closing

👉 Check out Serendipity Synths for more: https://thewessens.net/Serendipity/ma..."

The D-Thing is a device that adds significant capabilities to the DFAM (or Edge) sequencer, such as:

MIDI integration — clocking and individual step play,
Reset — manual, via CV or via MIDI,
Variations in the step order — Forward, Reverse, Bounce, Odds & Evens, Shuffle, Random and Custom,
Changing the sequence length — 1 to 8 steps (up to 16 steps for a custom step order),
Step repeat — assign a play count of up to 8 times to any step,
Off-grid timing — swing beat as well as arbitrary shifts away from the beat.

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