Scoring films, recording synths & the advantages of hardware over software | Signal Flow Podcast Ep6

video upload by Signal Sounds, Tom Churchill, Luukke

"Luke and Tom are back with another chat about the world of synthesisers and electronic music, recorded at Signal Sounds HQ. This time, Luke discusses his work scoring short films, and the pair chat about their respective approaches to recording synths in the studio. They also cover some new arrivals at Signal Sounds HQ and discuss what hardware does better than software when it comes to making music.

Get in touch with questions, feedback and suggestions via signalflow@signalsounds.com

Gear discussed:
Fairfield Circuitry Placeholder: https://www.signalsounds.com/fairfiel...

Sixty Four Pixels CVOCD-X:
https://www.signalsounds.com/sixty-fo...

Earthlink Modular Trails:
https://www.signalsounds.com/earthlin...

00:00 Introduction
01:18 Luke on film scoring
10:46 Tom on moving his studio (and some new toys)
19:45 Luke on the Fairfield Circuitry Placeholder
21:59 Tom on the Sixty Four Pixels CVOCD-X
24:52 Tom on the Earthlink Modular Trails
27:33 Approaches to recording synths & hardware effects
36:55 Hardware vs software
49:37 Outro"

The Best Vintage Synth Expansion Board | Classic Sounds for JV & JD Synths

video upload by RetroSound

"Discover the sounds and demos of the legendary Roland SR-JV80-04 Vintage Synth Expansion Board, one of the most sought-after expansion cards for the Roland JV and JD series synthesizers. In this video, we take a look at the sounds and vintage demos songs that made this expansion board a favorite among synth enthusiasts, producers, and collectors.

0:06 Demo1 (Analog)
0:46 Demo2 (Analog)
1:19 Demo3 (Analog)
2:03 Demo4 (Analog)
2:46 Demo5 (Strings)
3:16 Demo6 (Strings)
3:40 Demo7 (Digital)
4:00 Demo8 (Lead)
4:17 Demo9 (Strings)
4:56 Demo10 (Mellotron)
5:19 Demo11 (FX)

The SR-JV80-04 Vintage Synth expansion features a carefully curated collection of classic analog and digital waveforms and patches inspired by iconic synthesizers from the 1970s and 1980s including Oberheim, PPG, Roland, Korg and analog stringmachines. Whether you're producing synthwave, electronic music, ambient soundscapes, cinematic scores, or classic dance tracks, this board delivers timeless vintage tones.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Korg PE-1000 Polyphonic Ensemble P Synthesizer — EXC Condition with lid and key SN 770697

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

via this eBay listing

"Up for sale is a beautiful Korg PE-1000 — a.k.a. Polyphonic Ensemble P — synthesizer from 1976. This one is in excellent condition and comes with the original lid and — a rarity! — the key for the lock. PLEASE NOTE: The stand shown here is not included. It's for display only.

Everything is working properly on this, and it sounds great. Note that the Glide feature — essentially note bend up or down — is activated by a foot switch plugged into the back of the synth. This is by design per the PE1000 owner’s manual on the Korg site. No pedal is provided, but any switching or damper pedal (which I’ve used) will work fine.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Roland Jupiter-8 12-bit final systematic test

video upload by tonetweakers

"Here’s the meticulously refurbished Roland Jupiter-8 vintage synthesizer we recently sold to our customer, undergoing its final systematic test. (We tested the back panel connections on the tech bench).

Buy vintage gear that works like new at tonetweakers.com

We buy sell trade refurbish vintage synths and electronic musical instruments.

Tone Tweakers Inc.
http://www.tonetweakers.com"

Simple Arpeggios, Endless Textures | Moog Minitaur Ambient Session

video upload by Hideo Nakasako

"Simple arpeggios, endless textures. 🌙

Tonight’s ambient session is centered around the Moog Minitaur. Starting with a simple arpeggiated phrase, I layered textures from the Yamaha SEQTRAK and Elektron Analog Four to create a warm and spacious soundscape.

Thanks for listening.

Gear:
• Moog Minitaur
• Yamaha SEQTRAK
• Elektron Analog Four
• Mutable Instruments Beads
• Strymon BlueSky

#ambientmusic #ambientsession #moogminitaur #seqtrak #analogfour"

Snipe Young Presents Titanium | Akai Pro MPC Expansion

video upload by Akai Professional

"As creative as he is prolific, Snipe Young has built a signature sound sought out by artists across genres and around the world.

The multi-platinum producer’s hard-hitting beats and atmospheric sensibilities combine hip-hop, trap, and R&B into a calling card that collects hits. Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Dr. Dre, and Justin Bieber have all brought Snipe Young into the studio with results that have been streamed hundreds of millions of times.

Pack Contents:
40 MPC-Ready Drum Kits
1 Full MPC Project
160 MPC Clips
40 Audio Previews
626 Samples

'Snipe Young Presents – Titanium' is a showcase of the Grammy Award-winning producer’s prowess, a victory lap in a sample pack that provides the jumpoff for you to create your signature sound. Chirpy hi-hats, battering ram basses, choppy rimshots, and snare hits that bounce like they’re on the hardcourt are all on deck. Every sample was run through high-end studio gear for added punch, depth, and dimension.

Titanium is included with MPC Live III and MPC XL. MPC3 OS / MPC3 Desktop required.

Learn more: https://inmusic.to/2p8mczud"

Befaco 7U Backpack

video upload by Befacosynth

"The Befaco Modular Backpack is designed specifically to carry your Befaco 7U Case safely and comfortably wherever your music takes you.

Built for modular musicians on the move, the backpack features a soft padded interior, ensuring your system stays protected during transport. Its expandable design gives you extra space when needed, while keeping a compact profile for everyday travel.

A dedicated laptop compartment lets you bring your computer along for live performances, studio sessions, or patching on the go. Multiple accessory pockets keep cables, headphones, power supplies and small gear neatly organized — including a hidden pocket for your knurlies and tiny essentials.

Sized to be cabin-friendly, the backpack is ready for flights, gigs, rehearsals, and studio hopping. Whether you’re travelling across the city or across the world, it’s the perfect companion for your Befaco 7U Case.

https://www.befaco.org/7u-case-backpack"

How Honeysmack jams live techno — 303, 808, modular & more

video upload by Noisegate and Honeysmack

"David Haberfeld — better known as Honeysmack — is a live techno improviser. That means the tracks in his sets are built and arranged in real time in front of an audience rather than pre-sequenced in a DAW. In this studio tour he walks through the hardware he performs with and puts a track together from scratch on the spot.

The rig spans vintage and modern boxes: the Roland TB-303 (the synth-with-a-sequencer that anchors a lot of his sound), Roland's TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines, a Mackie 16-channel mixer, a DJ mixer he's come to use as a performance instrument, Behringer's RD-8 MKII and RD-9 (clones of the 808 and 909, both of which he beta tested), the Behringer Syncussion SY1, a Pro-1 synth and a modular system. Along the way he gets into why the 808 and 909 ended up defining whole genres — and argues it had less to do with how they sounded and more to do with what was simply available at the time.

Honeysmack has a new Live Techno Masterclass coming up on Sunday 26 July at Collingwood Yards, Melbourne:

https://events.humanitix.com/honeysma...
/ dz1kazpuoma

CHAPTERS
0:00 live techno improvisation
0:36 studio reveal
0:59 Roland TB-303
1:42 building a track from scratch
3:47 808/909
5:43 Performance
7:08 Synths, modular & sequencers
8:45 jam

GEAR FEATURED
Roland TB-303 · Roland TR-808 · Roland TR-909 · Behringer RD-8 MKII · Behringer RD-9 · Behringer Syncussion SY1 · Pro-1 · Mackie 16-channel mixer · DJ mixer · modular synthesizer

https://noisegate.com.au/

Noisegate is an Australian based collective of working musicians, producers, DJs, and live audio professionals dedicated to bringing you the latest music gear news, tutorials, interviews and more. We cover a range of categories including guitars, bass, synths, keyboards, pro-audio, DJ gear, live audio, industry news and all the ways we make and interact with music and sound."

Sonicware - Unboxing some of them

video upload by Hunart©

"Hi Everyone,

A really short journey with some Sonicware gear for your interest. Nice "toys", hope to have a chance to upload more materials with them ;)

Starring: Liven Ambient, Bass & Beats, XFM, Texture Lab, 8bit warps, MEGA Synthesis and LoFi-12 XT, SmplTrek.

Enjoy,
Hunart©"

Roland Fantom XR Synthesizer Demo

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by John L Rice

"A quick simple demo for potential buyers on Reverb. This is not listed yet but I should have it up this week. Please keep an eye on my shop for this and other tasty music gear!
https://reverb.com/shop/johns-boutiqu...

Index:
0:00 - Beginning
0:20 - Power On Sequence
0:46 - Simple Sound Test And Features
4:03 - Factory Demo 1
5:18 - Factory Demo 2
7:07 - Factory Demo 3
8:32 - Factory Demo 4
9:48 - Factory Demo 5
11:03 - Factory Demo 6
12:42 - Factory Demo 7
15:08 - End"

Matt Barber - 80's in 80 seconds - Episode 5

video upload by Matt Barber - Sounds from The Sandbox

"Here is episode 5 of my series 80's in 80 seconds where I create an 80's synth themed track bed layering each part progressively in 80 seconds and then do a little improv jam along with it. I was able to integrate a few new pieces of gear on this one some of which I have been restoring and bringing back to life over the last few months including the Linndrum, Roland TR-727, Lexicon Model 200 reverb, and the Klark-Teknik DN780 reverb that is in the same vane as the AMS RMX16. I finish the jam with the Roland MKS-10 which was the first rackmount MIDI sound module released by Roland in 1984 that eventually led to the more infamous MKS-30, MKS-70 and, MKS-80. It is a 16 voice velocity sensitive EP/Clav/harpsichord type module with chorus, flanger, tremolo and a brilliance slider to control the tone of the 16 iconic Roland IR3109 filters it has on board. Sounded so good after I got it that I bought a second. Hopefully I can do a more in depth video on this in the future. For now enjoy episode 5!"

ELEKTRON MONOMACHINE [04 - 01] // LØSTLVLS

video uploads by LØSTLVLS

Playlist:

1. ELEKTRON MONOMACHINE [04] // LØSTLVLS
2. ELEKTRON MONOMACHINE [03] // LØSTLVLS
3. ELEKTRON MONOMACHINE [02] // LØSTLVLS
4. ELEKTRON MONOMACHINE [01] // LØSTLVLS

"Crafting kits and programming patterns into the venerable Elektron Monomachine which remains a unique and powerful electronic instrument from a bygone era.

Trying out the latest version of the unofficial Monomachine firmware created by the incredibly talented Emuyia - as well as a genius and saint, they happen to also be a great musician and performer - check them out here:

Instagram: / e.m.d.a.s.h
Bandcamp: https://tinyurl.com/mr293u2n

This community-led update to the Monomachine adds modern functionality such as control-all, trig conditions and track length/division settings as well as lots of little quality of life improvements. It was easy as pie to install and has greatly expanded the performative capabilities of Elektron's venerable synthesiser.

Check out my sample packs on Bandcamp - loads of vintage and modern gear (leaning towards drum machines) with kits, sample chains and presets. All ethically-sourced and locally-grown here in the lab in Bristol, UK: https://lostlvls.bandcamp.com/"

MOOG Memorymoog Plus Keyboard Synthesizer SN 3320

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

via this eBay listing

CLICK FOR MORE »

Dave Smith / Roger Linn Tempest Drum Synthesizer Performance with Joystick

video upload by Reuben Jones

"This is the complete performance that I recorded for Alex Ball's documentary on drum synthesizers ( • A Potted History of Drum Synthesizers [posted here] ). Cheers Alex!

I never truly unlocked the Tempest until I made this video. I always found the workflow tricky and the sound hard on my ears. I'm also not huge on drum machines due to their often-fixed time signatures, perfect timing, and the fact that real drums are so much better. But like with a lot of gear, putting in the time really does reap the rewards. The sound palate is very malleable and wide. If only it could import samples!

The joystick was a bit of an afterthought. I made it for my PolyEvolver, on which it can be routed to almost any parameter using the two expression/CV pedal inputs, and by assigning breath control and foot control each to one of the many destinations. Dave Smith is THE MAN, and he put two expression pedal inputs on the Tempest as well.

Drum machine
Drum synthesizer
Synthesizer
Dave Smith
Roger Linn"

He Got a 1974 Moog Minimoog Model D — And It's a Beast

video upload by Nostalgic Explorer

"This one is personal. I got my hands on a 1974 Moog Minimoog Model D — one of the most iconic synthesizers ever built — and I couldn't wait to share it with you. In this video I do an informal walkthrough of its sounds, explore its capabilities, and close with a live performance using the Elektron Digitakt. No script, no plan, just me and a 50-year-old beast of a synth.

🎹 GEAR IN THIS VIDEO
▸ Moog Minimoog Model D (1974 vintage)
▸ Elektron Digitakt

📀 ABOUT THE SYNTH
Moog Minimoog Model D
Manufactured: 1970–1981
The synthesizer that defined analog sound."

Bad Gear - The BEST and WORST Synth EVER

video upload by AudioPilz

"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the 1998 Yamaha FS1R which is simultaneously the best AND worst synth of all time."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:34 Overview Yamaha FS1R
01:40 Filters, FX
02:18 Software Editor
02:36 Why it is complex, Engine Deep Dive
03:14 Operators, Envelopes, LFOs, More Filter Stuff
03:43 UI Pain, Macros
03:58 Formant Synthesis, FSeqs
04:23 Multitimbrality, Patches
04:58 Price, Thanks
05:26 H*te Screen
05:56 Jam 1 ( Techno )
06:43 Jam 2 ( Drum'n'Bass )
07:56 Finale ( Retrofuturist Elektro )
08:25 VERDICT

when the sequencer starts, anything can happen | live improvisation

video upload by Julian "J3PO" Pollack

"In this video, I set a few sequences in motion, followed them where they wanted to go, and improvised along with them in real time.

Using the Arturia Keystep Pro as the central sequencer, I built a foundation of evolving patterns and then improvised freely around them. The result is a fully spontaneous performance where composition and improvisation begin to blur together. When I perform this way, the sequencer becomes less of a tool and more of an improvisational collaborator.

This is a DAW-less performance. No computer was used in the creation of the performance itself, aside from recording and creating the final mix, including some additional processing for levels, compression, and overall balance.

Thanks for listening.

Instruments & Gear:

• Oberheim Two Voice Pro
• Vintage Vibe Electric Piano
• Minimoog
• Roland TR-8S
• Arturia Keystep Pro
• Assorted pedals and effects
• Analog Cases XTS Stands"

Bandcamp: https://j3po.bandcamp.com

Phil Hartnoll of Long Range shows us his synths, including his TB-303 that he has had since forever.

video upload by Tomás Mulcahy

Phil Hartnoll (Orbital) studio tour.

"I had uploaded this years ago, and as someone said at the time 'It looks like it was shot on a potato' which was true :) I used Adobe Dialogue enhance to clean up the sound, and a free online video enhance for the picture all of which brought it out nicely. The bit about the TB-303 at 7:05 is my favourite part :) Can't believe it's been almost 20 years!

Original blurb
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Future Music Magazine, June 2007
Exclusive video of the gear in the Long Range studio

Phil runs through his synth collection detailing his best (and worst!), not forgetting the classic TB-303 on which some techno classics were written, complete with stickers for the tunes! We put him on the spot and ask which three pieces of gear he'd take to a desert island and then Nick runs through the band's bank of outboard gear. Fast!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
7:05 He finds the TB-303 on the floor :)
8:52 Nick runs through the band's bank of outboard gear"

Trilling Synths // Passaggio & MC2VQ Review

video upload by Alexandr - Sinesquares Music Gear Reviews

"Trilling Synths: https://www.trillingsynths.com/

Can a digital oscillator and MIDI-controlled quantizer transform your Eurorack system? In this review, I take a deep dive into the Trilling Synths Passaggio and MC2VQ. Discover Passaggio’s innovative waveform morphing and harmonic distortion engine, plus how the MC2VQ makes creating melodies, harmonies, arpeggios, and chord progressions easier than ever. Sound demos, patch ideas, and real-world impressions included."

GEMINI 2412 Dual SEM VCF Sequencer Tweaking #eurorack

video upload by AJH Synth Official

"Some 70's-inspired tweaking with the GEMINI 2412, SAMPLE & Hold, and a Sequencer.
Video & Performance by ‪@DreamsOfWires‬
The Gemini is based on the classic Oberheim SEM filter, but with expansive flexibility, including a unifying CV and Audio mixer section between the two multi-mode VCFs. There is a shared output for both filters in 'Dual' mode as used here, but also separate shared outputs for each VCF, through which filter mode can be selected, and individual outputs for LP, BP and HP filters on each.
Also, a jumper on the back alters the behaviour of both filters individually - standard SEM resonance range, or extended high resonance setting that'll allow the filter to self-oscillate. 1V/Oct inputs are present for both filters, so each can even be used as a simple sine wave oscillator over a few octaves.

AJH Synth Eurorack modules used:
Vintage Transistor Core VCO
Gemini 2412 Dual State Variable Filters
Discrete Cascaded VCA
Dual LFO + VCA
SAMPLE HOLD + SLEW
RING SM (Moog CP3 mixer/sub bass generator/ring modulator)
DH-ADSR (looping envelope generator)

Other gear:
‪@vermonagear‬ DSR-3 Stereo Spring Reverb
‪@solidstatelogic‬ BigSix Mixer & Audio Interface
Eurorack Case by @Casa_Modular_ (Instagram, Reverb, Etsy)
Case Power by ‪@konstantlab2976‬

#modularsynth #synth"