MiniFreak Sound Design: 12 Tricks I Use All the Time

video upload by Sineway

"Three sounds from scratch on the Arturia MiniFreak 49: an arp, a pad and a bass. Along the way, I share the 10 sound design tricks I use all the time.

You don't need to be a sound design expert for any of this. The MiniFreak rewards exploration: try the engines, add a little movement, and dial things back until the sounds fit together. Everything except stereo spread and Filter FM also works on the original MiniFreak.

0:00 Preview of the Sounds
0:23 Tip 1: Let the Engines Do the Heavy Lifting
0:41 Tip 2: Add Subtle Movement
1:30 Tip 3: Vibrato as a Free Third LFO
1:59 Tip 4: Aftertouch for Energy and Expression
5:21 Tip 5: Make the Sound Pop
5:55 Tip 6: Morph the Sound With a Macro
7:03 Tip 7: A Unique Groove With Wave Shaper
8:43 Making a Pad
10:24 Exploring Filter FM
11:15 Tip 8: Make the Filter Drift With a Random LFO
13:47 Making a Bass
15:27 Tip 9: Let the Bass Drive the Rhythm
16:31 Tip 10: Make the Bass Pump With a Synced LFO
16:53 Tip 11: Add a Touch of Attack to Remove Clicks
17:23 Tip 12: Keep the Bass Clean When Adding Delay
18:11 All Three Sounds Together
18:34 Final Thoughts

🎛️ The three patches from this video are free on Patreon, no membership needed: / minifreak-sound-173862346"

Arturia Introduces the MiniFreak 49

Check with dealers on the right on pricing and availability.

Playlist:

1. MiniFreak 49 | Explore the unconventional | ARTURIA
2. MiniFreak 49 | Playthrough | ARTURIA
3. MiniFreak 49 | Overview | ARTURIA
4. Arturia MINIFREAK 49 is an Absolute BEAST! Sound Demo |No Talking| ⁨@ArturiaOfficial⁩ - Davide Puxeddu and Arturia
5. Arturia MiniFreak 49 - More Control - SonicLAB Presentation - sonicstate
6. MiniFreak 49 vs MiniFreak // There’s nothing mini about it // Review & tutorial - loopop
7. I Called the MiniFreak Synth of the Year in 2023. It Just Grew Up. - Vulture Culture
8. Arturia MINIFREAK 49 — An Almost Perfect Synthesizer - BoBeats
9. The not so Minifreak // Arturia Minifreak 49 - Starsky Carr
10. Arturia MINIFREAK 49 | MUSIC DEMO (No Talking) | Spontaneous SYNTH Patches played by Jalvac 🎹🔥 - FutureMusic.es
11. Arturia MiniFreak 49 Review: Still a Game Changer? - Sineway
12. The New Minifreak 49 Goes Hard! Exploring What Makes it Special - The Midlife Synthesist

Press release follows:

49 full-size semi-weighted keys, expanded panel controls, and a pressure-sensitive XYZ touch matrix bring a new physical dimension to the Freak architecture, while Audio-rate Filter FM and Voice Panning extend its sonic reach - making shaping a patch and playing it feel like the same act.

_Explore the unconventional

Two digital engines. Analog Filters and VCAs per voice. A restless appetite for experimentation. MiniFreak 49 puts the familiar and the unruly within reach, from rich polyphonic textures to fractured rhythms and abrasive harmonics. Play a chord, reach for a control, press into the matrix. Playing a patch is only the beginning.

_Touch, press, transform

The new XYZ touch matrix brings performance, modulation, and navigation onto one surface.

Assign modulation with direct, color-coded feedback, swipe through presets, or watch reactive visualizers follow your playing.

Switch to Freak Control and put the sound under your fingers.

Push a Macro further, tighten the Gate, or use Spice to introduce variation.

Bipolar and vector layouts let you move between contrasting settings and blend across four corners, with pressure adding a third dimension of expression.

_That's not all

Room to play

49 full-size semi-weighted keys with velocity and mono aftertouch give chords, melodic lines, and two-handed performances room to breathe. Aluminum pitch and modulation wheels keep expression under your left hand.

Push every sound further

Audio-rate Filter FM from either engine adds harmonics, grit, and vocal-like textures. Dedicated Type, Wave, Timbre, and Shape controls, plus three selection shortcuts per oscillator, make sound shaping more immediate.

Six voices in stereo

Voice Panning spreads individual voices across the stereo field, adding width to chords and spatial movement to sequences.

MiniFreak 49

Three FX slots, each with a dedicated access button and 13 algorithms, cover everything from chorus and reverb to distortion and vocoder processing.

The Freak architecture

Two digital engines offer 30+ oscillator modes, with algorithms from Arturia, Mutable Instruments and Noise Engineering. Blend their sounds or use Engine 2 to process Engine 1, then shape each voice through its own resonant analog filter.

Shape every step

A 64-step sequencer and four modulation lanes keep notes and timbres in motion. Long-press a step to adjust its length and velocity on the touch matrix. Add arpeggiator ratchets and repeats, or introduce fresh variations with Spice & Dice.

Your Freak in the DAW

Included MiniFreak V brings the hardware’s sound and architecture into your DAW, with preset management and bidirectional control. The MiniFreak 49-compatible version is exclusive to registered MiniFreak 49 hardware owners.

CLICK FOR MORE »

New 2.0 firmware for ARTURIA's AstroLab Introduces New Sound Edit View

video uploads by Arturia

Playlist:

1. AstroLab | New 2.0 firmware | ARTURIA
2. What's New | AstroLab 2.0 Update | ARTURIA
3. AstroLab 2.0 | Playthrough | ARTURIA

"AstroLab 2.0 expands what you can shape, play and perform directly from the hardware. Explore the new Sound Edit view, with dedicated parameter pages mapped to AstroLab’s four macro knobs, alongside new sample-based instruments and 60+ stage-ready sounds spanning piano, brass, strings, bass and more."

AstroLab 2.0: It's a Proper Synth Now?

video upload by Sineway

"AstroLab 2.0 goes straight at the biggest criticism of the AstroLab: that it's just a preset player, not a proper synth. The headline feature is Sound Edit, which gives you real synth parameters like envelopes, filter and glide right from the front panel, and you don't need a computer or the V Collection license to use it. So is the AstroLab still just a keyboard full of presets, or is it starting to become something else?

Arturia gave me early access to the update, so I've had time to dig into it before release. In this video I show how Sound Edit changes from preset to preset depending on the engine underneath, revisit the AstroLab vs MiniFreak question now that both instruments have changed, and play some of the presets in a musical context.

0:00 Intro
0:24 Sound Edit
3:11 AstroLab vs MiniFreak
4:29 Other Updates in 2.0
5:17 More Sound Edit Explorations
6:32 Final Thoughts"

Digitone 2 controlled by Faderfox UC4 - Full one-take performance

video upload by Sineway

"Solo Digitone II jam, mixed entirely off its own stereo outs, no other synth in the chain and no Overbridge this time. Made in the camper during summer vacation, controlled start to finish by the Faderfox UC4.

This is my first full performance running the UC4 as the only controller. I've shown it in passing before, but this is the first time it's carrying an entire jam on its own. The push-button encoders mean I don't lose the second row of controls I'm used to from the XL3, I just access them a different way. The crossfader is handling delay send throughout.

I also tried something new with track layering on this one: a couple of tracks aren't going to the main outs at all, they're routed straight into the delay and reverb sends. Same sequencer data as the dry pad and lead, just played back through a different sound on a shadow track. I'll have a short follow-up tutorial on that technique soon with a few more ways to use it."

Track Breakdown: Redshift 6 Paraphony, Digitakt 2, Chroma Console

video upload by Sineway

"This is the first proper track I've made with the Supercritical Redshift 6, and I wanted to take it apart properly. The chord stab you hear at the start is three notes coming out of a single analog voice, which is the thing I still find hard to believe.

The Redshift is multitimbral, so I used it as three instruments at once: a pad chord stab, an arp, and a three layer lead. Each one goes out of its own stereo output. The two aux outs are always dry, meaning they skip the internal FX section entirely, so the arp runs into a Chroma Console and the pad into a Microcosm. The lead keeps the synth's own delay.

Everything else melodic is sampled from the Redshift into the Digitakt II, which is also doing all the sequencing. Around 16 layers in total, so apart from the drums this is one synth.

I also skipped Overbridge this time and recorded four stems straight into a Zoom LiveTrak, which meant committing to the mix as I went. That's why the bass is split across two tracks.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:25 The chords - one voice, three notes
3:52 The arp - and what the Chroma Console does to it
4:46 Chrome Console overview
7:36 The lead - supersaw, macros, and four voices
10:57 I almost gave up on this track
12:41 Some of the Digitakt II layers
15:57 Digitakt trick: a trance click on a 909 kick"

This Analog Synth Is Cheating - Redshift 6 + Digitakt 2 Jam

video upload by Sineway

"This is the first proper track I've made with the Redshift 6 and Digitakt II combo.

The 3-note chord stab you hear at the start is using a single analog voice. The Redshift 6 can distribute the up to 16 oscillators inside a voice across several notes, so one voice plays the whole chord. The arp is another single voice. Then the lead takes the remaining four with unison stacking, around 16 oscillators in total, and I'm performing it with both the built-in macros and the Launch Control XL 3.

The Redshift 6 is six-part multitimbral, with three separate outputs. The main outs play the lead, run through the synth's internal delay, but Aux 1 and Aux 2 are always bypassing the digital FX section - which felt like an invitation to put both Hologram pedals to real work. The arp goes into the Chroma Console, and it completely transforms what was a fairly plain pluck sound I dialed in seconds. The chords go into the Microcosm to make them bigger.

Everything else melodic was sampled from the Redshift 6 into the Digitakt II, which is doing all the sequencing and drums.

No Overbridge this time. Just four stems into my Zoom LiveTrak L6max: the DT2, plus the Redshift's main outs, Aux 1 and Aux 2. Some sidechain ducking, glue compression and EQ in Ableton, and that's about it. Mostly raw hardware.

I originally sketched this in the camper van with just the DT2, and went through three or four lead melodies I wasn't happy with before landing on this one. All those attempts are still in the project file if you want to see the messy version.

There's no official patch export on the Redshift 6 yet, but Supercritical tells me it's coming and I'll upload the patch as soon as it does. The Digitakt II project is on my Patreon in the meantime."

Accidentally Made Ambient - Redshift 6

video upload by Sineway

"Got the Redshift 6 about a month ago, and I was just exploring it for a couple of hours when I accidentally made this. It's not really a complete track, more of a slow, floating texture that built itself while I was just poking at the built-in sequencer (new in firmware 1.6).

No external sequencing here - everything is the Redshift on its own, straight out of the stereo outs. About halfway into the jam, I route the audio into the Chroma Console and then the Microcosm.

Sometimes music just happens. This one moved me, so I wanted to share it here. As soon as Supercritical adds patch export support, I'll share this one on my Patreon."

Sineway Live Performance - Peak, Digitakt 2 & Microcosm

video upload by Sineway

"My first performance in front of a real audience - two tracks written to fit together, performed live on a small stage at a private event.

The first track is a reimagination of Obsidian (link below), with the Novation Peak taking the lead through the Hologram Microcosm. The second is an original track written specifically for this event, where the Peak switches to the bass role.

The Elektron Digitakt 2 handles all sequencing and arrangement, sampling heavily from the Peak and some from AstroLab 37. The ZOOM LiveTrak L6max makes its first appearance on the channel as my live mixer - more on that later."

Novation Peak Review: Still the Benchmark in 2026

video upload by Sineway

"Novation Peak review after nearly a year of real use - in tracks, in live performances, alongside the Digitakt II and Launch Control XL 3.

Novation sent me the Peak a year ago and I told them upfront that I might not review it, because I prefer to make music, not gear reviews. But after all these tracks, I think there are three things about this synth more people should know about, so I want to share my take on it.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:33 Discovery 1: Fidelity
01:42 Discovery 2: Drive
03:00 Build quality
03:55 Discovery 3: Touch
05:04 Who is it for?
07:13 Pros & cons
09:48 Final thoughts"

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."

Elektron Syntakt levels up. OS 1.40

video uploads by Elektron

Playlist:

1. Syntakt - OS Delivery Service

"Syntakt levels up. OS 1.40 introduces Twinshot - a dual sample player machine offering a playful and versatile complement to Syntakt’s existing digital and analog possibilities. And that’s not all. This OS also brings a range of features that offer extra fun, more control, deeper sound design, and greater personalisation. Explore Track Layering and Track Choking, Filter Pan, Control All Config, Prepare Mutes, Snap on Parameter Locks, Key Tracking, and lots more."

2. Explore Syntakt 1.40's New Features

Elin Piel takes you through some of the other features that arrive with Syntakt 1.40, on top of the Twinshot sample player machine.

3. Syntakt + Samples: Introducing Twinshot

Twinshot - arriving on OS 1.40 - is a machine that brings sample playback to Syntakt, with 64 global samples and dual-layer blending per track. The excellent Elin Piel explores how you can combine transient and body, reverse your sample, drive, and modulate them, opening up all kinds of new sonic possibilities on Syntakt.

4. How to Add Samples to Syntakt

Elin Piel guides you through upgrading your Syntakt OS and getting it ready for sample fun, courtesy of the new to 1.40 Twinshot machine.

Syntakt 1.40 – 7 Power-Ups That Completely Redefine It

video upload by Sineway

"Syntakt firmware 1.40 just dropped - and yes, it plays samples now. But that's not the real story.

After spending serious time with this firmware, I found 7 power-ups that completely change what this machine is capable of. We're talking new oscillator colors, evolving morph engines, harmonic stacking with real instrument samples, character layering that captures the soul of your synths, track linking with analog filter routing, stereo filter panning, and performance upgrades that make jamming more intuitive than ever.

This isn't about drum one-shots. This is about what sampling unlocks for sound design, harmony, and musicality on a machine that already had serious creative depth.

All sounds in this video come from my own sample library recorded from my synthesizers — including the Novation Peak, Sequential Fourm, and Arturia AstroLab 37. The full sample pack and project files are available on my Patreon.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:21 The new machine: SP Twin Shot
0:50 Power-Up 1: Oscillator Mode - Adding new colors to your sound
2:22 Using more traditional oscillators
3:06 How to make a static one-shot sample sound more animated
5:05 Power-Up 2: Morph Engine - Evolving, rich sounds
6:05 Macros make the morphing even more powerful
7:13 Power-Up 3: Harmonic Stacking - Play chords with one voice
9:21 Power-Up 4: Character Layering - Steal the soul of a synth
11:25 How to add sustain to one-shot sounds
12:18 How to fade in the sustained part of the sound
13:09 Power-Up 5: Track Linking - Insanely powerful
14:52 Kick triggering FX Block for lazy side-chaining
15:54 The most amazing part of Track Linking
17:17 How to combine rich digital oscillators with snappy analog filters
18:39 Power-Up 6: Filter Panning - Syntakt can sound WIDE!
20:41 Power-Up 7: Performance Upgrades - Starting with Key Tracking
22:52 Ctrl+All can now be configured
23:54 Choke Groups
24:24 Quick performance demo"

forever changed ... first track with Elektron Syntakt OS 1.40

video upload by substan

"Entirely new worlds have opened up for the already great Syntakt.

A performance on the Elektron Syntakt.
Recorded in one take into Zoom M4..
Mastered in post.

As always .. the project file, samples, music and Sound Pack are available for my patrons.
The great support from my patrons makes all of this possible ... thank you so much guys !! / substan

Substan Bandcamp Page: https://substan.bandcamp.com"

Launch Control XL 3 Got an Update – Still Missing One Thing

video upload by Sineway

"I’ve been refining my live performance setup with the Syntakt and the updated Launch Control XL 3, and this jam is the result.

The XL 3 recently received a firmware update, which got me thinking about how close this controller is to being perfect for Elektron gear - and the one feature I still wish it had.

In this performance, I’m using:
Elektron macros for more expressive changes across patterns
A second row of encoders for Syntakt track levels
Momentary Breath Control via the lower button row

What I’m still missing is aftertouch MIDI support - it would unlock a third row of Elektron macros, which are so much more powerful than direct CC mappings. This is one area where alternatives like Faderfox still have a massive edge. That said, I really like the XL 3.

Curious what you think - would aftertouch support change how you use the XL 3?

If you're interested in how I set the Launch Control XL 3 up, I've made a tutorial about it featuring the Digitone II. It works exactly the same on the Syntakt: • Digitone 2 + Launch Control XL 3: One Syst..." [posted here]

❤️ Join my Patreon for project files & more: / sineway"

How to Start Tracks: Fourm + Microcosm into Digitakt 2

video upload by Sineway

"Fourm into Microcosm into Digitakt II – how I built a beat from nothing, faster than I expected.

In this video I build a beat from scratch using a brand-new setup: Sequential Fourm into Hologram Microcosm, captured and shaped on the Digitakt II.

Instead of treating effects as something you add at the end, I’m using the Microcosm as an idea generator - letting it transform a simple init patch into something that suggests harmony, rhythm, and direction very early on.

This is the first time I’ve made a track with this exact setup, and I was honestly surprised by how quickly it led to usable musical ideas.

The goal here isn’t to finish a track. It’s to show how I like to start - how I go from nothing to a beat that feels worth exploring further.

If you’ve ever felt stuck looping the same pattern without knowing where to take it next, this video sets up the foundation for what comes after. I’ll continue from this exact loop in the next video, where I focus on breaking out of the single-loop deadlock and opening things up into multiple patterns and directions."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:35 My setup
00:56 Making a track from scratch
01:17 Quick overview of the Hologram Microcosm

CLICK FOR MORE »

Digitakt 2 is a Co-Producer – Track Breakdown

video upload by Sineway

"Obsidian is a track that emerged through working with the Digitakt II.

In this video, I break down the elements of the track, but more importantly how the ideas took shape. Not just what is happening, but how the Digitakt II actively shaped the music.

All synth sounds are sampled from the Arturia AstroLab 37. Rather than sequencing notes directly, full phrases and musical ideas were recorded into Digitakt II and then explored, reshaped and refined from there.

Drum sounds come from Digitone II, sampled and processed inside Digitakt II as part of the same workflow.

This isn’t just a track breakdown. It’s also the starting point for a short series of videos about how Digitakt II has changed the way I approach sample based music production, composition, and discovery. More on that very soon.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
00:31 Start of track breakdown
00:51 The arp track
02:02 Using the macros for performance
03:26 Wireless MIDI
03:57 The lead tracks
05:22 The bass track
06:38 Faster control breath control macros
07:36 How to make samples behave more like a synth
08:19 The pad tracks
09:26 How to make a chord wider
10:03 Sharing two sounds on the same track
10:57 Turning a loop into a granular pluck
13:32 The 303 track
14:30 Generating new ideas with random locks
16:37 Repurposing a drum loop from Digitone II
18:08 The kick track
18:21 A couple of stock samples to fill out the drums
18:51 Some momentary buttons for performance
20:05 Some AstroLab ear candy
21:49 Noise for atmosphere
23:19 Bringing it all together for the performance"

Digitakt 2 × AstroLab 37 – A Workflow Sineway Didn’t Expect

video upload by Sineway

"A Digitakt 2 performance built entirely from samples of the AstroLab 37.

Every synth sound in this track started on the AstroLab, then took on a new shape once chopped, pitched, and rebuilt inside the Digitakt 2. The workflow surprised me – the DT2 clicked as soon as I stopped trying to treat it like a sample-based Digitone 2 and leaned into what it really wants to be instead.

More Digitakt 2 content is coming – and more AstroLab-based stuff too. If you want a breakdown of this sample-chopping workflow, let me know in the comments."

ARTURIA Introduces AstroLab 37 | Avant-garde stage keyboard

video uploads by Arturia

Check with dealers on the right for availability and pricing.

"Imagine a compact keyboard uniting the most iconic sounds in a single instrument. Engineered for liftoff, AstroLab 37 redefines what a compact performance keyboard can be, combining an unrivalled sound palette, intuitive controls, and a seamless studio-to-stage workflow – play and create beyond limits."

Playlist:

1. AstroLab 37 | Avant-garde stage keyboard | ARTURIA
2. Overview | AstroLab 37
3. Is the Arturia AstroLab 37 the Best Compact Stage Keyboard? - Reverb (available here)
4. Arturia Astrolab 37 vs 61/88 // and a cheat to give it more hands-on control // Review, tutorial - loopop
5. Arturia AstroLab 37 Review – After 6 Weeks of Real Use - Sineway
6. Arturia Astrolab 37 Review - Molten Music Technology
7. Is this the Ultimate Portable Performance Synth? Arturia AstroLab 37 Review & Demo - Starsky Carr

"Arturia releases AstroLab 37, a compact stage keyboard that brings the full power of the AstroLab ecosystem into a portable, performance-ready format.

Completing the AstroLab line-up, it delivers the same deep sound engines, streamlined workflow, and studio-to-stage continuity as the 61- and 88-key models - now in a 37-key, road-ready design that makes it the ultimate creative companion on the move.

_Ignite your inspiration
Engineered for liftoff, AstroLab 37 redefines what a compact performance keyboard can be. Combining an unrivalled sound palette with intuitive controls and a seamless studio-to-stage experience - perform with confidence and limitless sonic freedom.

Featuring a 37-key slim keybed with aftertouch, a vocoder, and powerful creative tools, turn any idea into fast-moving solos, dynamic leads, and unforgettable hooks."



AstroLab 37 packs the power of the AstroLab range into a compact format.

Engineered for liftoff, AstroLab 37 redefines what a compact performance keyboard can be. Combining an unrivaled sound palette with intuitive controls and a seamless studio-to-stage experience, it empowers musicians to perform with confidence and limitless sonic freedom.

Built on 25 years of innovation, it frees keyboardists from constraints with 11 advanced sound engines, seamless workflow, and a playing experience that’s intuitive, expressive, and fearless.

This isn’t just a new keyboard. It’s a new era.

Ignite your inspiration.

Instantly access a universe of reference synths, classic keyboards, acoustic instruments, and cinematic hybrids - all deeply customizable via onboard controls. The 37 slim-key slim keyboard with aftertouch, vocoder, and performance modes turns ideas into fast-moving solos, dynamic leads, and unforgettable hooks.

Own the stage.

Purpose-built for live: rugged, responsive, and completely standalone. Power up, pick a sound, shape it in real-time and deliver pure musical expression wherever you play - ultra-low latency.

Compact by design.

From studios and stages to bedrooms and DJ booths, AstroLab 37 adapts to every space. Road-ready construction, expressive keys, and instant sound recall make it the ultimate creative companion on the move.

Made to explore.

Edit your presets on-the-fly or dive deeper with Analog Lab on desktop or AstroLab Connect on mobile. Seamlessly transition between studio and stage and let your creativity flow uninterrupted, exactly the way you want it.

AstroLab 37 is a versatile, lightweight companion for musicians who move between studio, stage, and multi-instrument setups — ideal as a second keyboard for band members, a flexible live instrument, or a portable tool for producers on the go.

● 44 instruments, 11 sound engines, 1.800+ presets
● 37 slim keys with aftertouch
● 10 instant-access preset buttons
● 4 macro knobs with LED feedback
● 4 FX knobs, including dedicated Delay & Reverb
● Vocoder-ready mono input
● Color screen + navigation encoder for fast browsing
● Software ecosystem: Analog Lab Pro + AstroLab Connect
● Extensive connectivity: MIDI I/O, USB-C, USB-A host, balanced
mono I/O, mic input, Bluetooth audio, WiFi, pedal input

CLICK FOR MORE »

This Synth Has Soul – Sequential Fourm Ambient Performance

video upload by Sineway

"I didn’t expect a dry, mono analog synth to sound alive. But the Sequential Fourm has something different - I'd go as far as saying it has a soul.

This performance is completely free-form: no tempo, no MIDI. I built a flute-like patch that reacts to touch in unpredictable, musical ways and just recorded it in one take. It's using polyphonic aftertouch, but there's something else going on that seems to come from the filter feedback and envelope.

Reverb and delay were added in Ableton to bring it all to life. I then recorded a couple of other layers in the same way, all from the Fourm.

❤️ Support my work and download the flute patch used in this jam by joining the Patreon community: / sineway

► Synth: Sequential Fourm
► Reverb and Delay: Ableton's Hybrid Reverb and Air Delay Pro
► Recorded live, no quantization, no midi
► Genre: Ambient? (Let me know if I'm off here - it's my first in this genre!)"

Digitone 2 + Launch Control XL 3: One System for EVERY Jam

video upload by Sineway

"Learn how to connect the Digitone 2 with the Novation Launch Control XL 3 for a consistent synth workflow that works across all your live performances.

🎛 What you’ll see:
My 8 column layout for drums, bass, leads, and more
How I map faders to mod wheel macros and encoders to breath control
Why one fader for all drums (mapped across multiple tracks) is often enough
Extra spice: direct MIDI CC mappings for reverb decay + delay feedback
How to configure the Launch Control XL 3 in Novation Components
How to assign MIDI channels on Digitone 2 for a stress-free synth workflow
Why this system also works with Digitakt 2, Syntakt, Digitone and even other synths like Peak or MiniFreak

💡 I still have unused encoders — what would you map them to? Let me know in the comments.

The software used to configure the Launch Control XL 3 is called Components and can be downloaded from here: https://novationmusic.com/components"

Digitone 2 Macros: 7 Reasons You Should Use Them

video upload by Sineway

Also see Digitone 2 controlled by Launch Control XL 3 - Full one-take performance

"Are Digitone 2 macros the most underrated feature in the Elektron world?

In this video, I show how you can use the mod wheel macro to create *smooth, relative control* over multiple parameters. The best part? These macros stay consistent across pattern changes, meaning your fader always reflects the actual sound, even across pattern switches.

In this tutorial, I'm using the Launch Control XL 3 (thank you Novation for sending it over!) to map a single fader to several parameters at once - no value jumping, no mess, just clean transitions and full performance control. You can use just about any other midi controller for this to work.

And yes, I know macros aren’t new. Digitone, Syntakt, Digitakt 2 - they all have them too. But let’s be honest - it’s probably the most buried and menu-divey feature there is and most of us either ignored them, forgot they existed, or assumed they’d break everything mid-jam.

Turns out: they’re absolutely brilliant! It’s the first time I’ve added more cables to my setup and felt zero regret.

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:26 - How the macros work
01:21 - Benefit 1: Guardrailing your performance
01:55 - Useful shortcut
02:10 - Benefit 2: Seamless sounds across live sets
04:36 - Benefit 3: Better mixes
06:06 - Benefit 4: Easy mode
07:48 - Benefit 5: No more sudden midi cc jumps
09:38 - Benefit 6: More creativity
11:03 - Benefit 7: No more ruined projects
12:09 - Next video: My live performance setup (midi, tracks, faders)

🛠️ Gear used:
Elektron Digitone 2 (OG Digitone, Digitakt 2 and Syntakt all work too)
Novation Launch Control XL 3 (any midi controller with faders or knobs will do)
MIDI cable (just one!)"

Digitone 2 controlled by Launch Control XL 3 - Full one-take performance

video upload by Sineway

"All sounds in this live jam come from the Elektron Digitone II, controlled via the Novation Launch Control XL 3.

I mapped the Digitone’s modulation wheel macros to the Launch Control’s faders for real-time modulation.

This one-take performance is part of an ongoing setup I’ve been refining, and I’ll be doing a full walkthrough soon: MIDI mapping, sound design, and how this setup makes jamming feel effortless."