Showing posts sorted by date for query Bad Music. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Bad Music. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Friday, August 15, 2025
Bad Gear - Too Expensive to feel SO CHEAP
video upload by AudioPilz
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. The analog tones of Roland’s SH-101 have been a staple in electronic music production since the 80s.
However, those who didn’t buy the dip in the 90s will have to make do with oversized fridge magnets, Uli’s homage to plastic, blasphemous plugins or - in this case - Donner’s brand-new L1 which has no reason to be that expensive while feeling so cheap.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:48 Overview Donner L1
01:29 Oscillator Section
01:59 Filter Section
02:14 Envelopes, Drone, Gate
02:44 LFO, Analog FM
02:59 Sequencer
03:20 Menus, Screen
03:35 Digital Bleed from the Screen
03:56 The Detachable Keyboard and its Limitations
04:07 Connectivity (or lack thereof)
04:17 Midi, Arpeggiator
04:42 What else? (Many weird Flaws,...)
05:12 H*te Screen
05:40 Jam 1 ( Techno )
06:26 Jam 2 ( Elektro )
07:31 Finale ( Techno - All Sounds including Drums )
08:00 Verdict"
Friday, August 08, 2025
Bad Gear - 80s are for NERDS!!!
video upload by AudioPilz
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. The 80s are oftentimes associated with Hollywood-worthy heroism, impeccable style and epic synth music that aged great - as long as it was played on instruments designed in the 70s.
Today, however, we are going to talk about K4. This digital synth , Kawai’s answer to Roland’s answer to Yamaha’s DX7 and more upscale successor to the K1 demonstrates impressively that the 80s were - first and foremost - VERY, VERY nerdy.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:54 Overview Kawai K4 Synth
01:49 Oscillators, Waves
02:36 Drum Kit
02:47 Synth Architecture, Pitch Envelope, Ring Mod
03:14 Filter Section, Envs, LFOs
03:41 FX Section
03:54 Differences Keyboard vs. Rack Version
04:05 Sound Examples
04:43 Multitimbrality
04:56 Workflow, Pricing, Technical Background
05:25 H*te Screen
05:54 Jam 1 ( Nerd House )
06:47 Jam 2 ( Nerd Elektro )
08:53 Finale ( Nerd Techno )
08:17 Verdict"
Friday, July 18, 2025
Bad Gear - Why did I BUY THIS???
video upload by AudioPilz
[Side Note: The main reason to get a DX200 is for how the knobs are mapped to multiple parameters. Each FM synth maps their controllers differently. You can morph sound in ways you can't easily with other FM synths. The DX200 makes for some intersting Buchla-esque sound morphing and exploration. The groovebox rhythm section is just a distraction, but neverless a tool if you choose to use it.]
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. As a professional music technology clown I have become immune to gear acquisition syndrome, all my purchases are meticulously planned out, based on quantifiable parameters like resale value, repairability and actual utility in music production.
However, today we are going to talk about the 2001 Yamaha DX200, an overpriced contraption notorious for its questionable build quality, sonically surpassed by freeware plugins and riddled with more UI limitations than a Volca. Why did I buy this?
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:59 Overview DX200
01:29 Yamaha DX200 vs. Elektron Digitone, DX7 Patches
01:52 Front Panel UI
02:54 A DX7 with a Filter ???
03:12 FX Section, Distortion
03:26 Scenes
03:47 Software Editors
03:57 Sample Player, AWM Engine
04:27 Groovebox Functionality
05:09 Free EG (Automation)
05:35 Build Quality Issues, Workflow Quirks
06:12 DX200 vs. AN200 , Pricing
06:28 H*te Screen
06:56 Jam 1 ( Microhouse )
07:51 Jam 2 ( DnB )
08:53 Finale ( FM Organ Funk )
09:21 Verdict"
Friday, July 11, 2025
Roland Jupiter 8 8-voice DCB Analog Synthesizer
Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this eBay listing

via this eBay listing
Monday, June 23, 2025
Music Thing Workshop System modular synth demo.
video upload by mylarmelodies
"Explanation begins 2:25 - This is a demo of the Music Thing Workshop System: A tiny affordable self-contained desktop modular synth with 13 modules which you can DIY (or buy pre-built, see below). It explains the device and is stuffed with examples of it doing interesting things. The video is also a celebration of modular synths in general. It’s full of ideas, things I hope you'll try yourself."
CHAPTERS
00:00 - What's this music thing?
00:14 - Montage of Moments in this Video
02:25 - The sound making superpower of a modular synth
03:42 - The good and bad things about modular synths
07:19 - What ARE the 13 modules in Workshop?
14:54 - The recommended first patch on Workshop
16:05 - What adding delay, DAW or sampler does (Frippertronics!)
17:39 - Introducing FM
18:56 - The Filters
19:56 - Combining Filters!
20:36 - Slopes - To animate sounds
21:43 - A 2 osc sound, WITH sequencer!
22:11 - The Turing Machine sequences
23:28 - Suddenly, it makes a whole track
25:01 - How hard is Workshop to DIY?
25:56 - Introducing Twists, a digital oscillator
27:41 - Instant French House (with Twists)
29:12 - Meet Backyard Rain - the most bonkers noise source
31:11 - An ambient jam using Utility Pair
34:06 - Externally processing an 808
36:52 - The insanity of the RYK 910 card
41:04 - The Reverb card and contact mic madness
42:08 - Techno Footwork Jam!
43:45 - Breaky Techno with Twists & Deluge
45:51 - Propertechno with Twists
46:51 - Finally, we Rave.
48:22 - Postscript: Good luck
Friday, June 13, 2025
Bad Gear - OverPriced-1
video upload by AudioPilz
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. In light of recent events we are going to talk about OP-1 Field.
While other manufacturers either “pass on savings from process optimization” or relentlessly jack up prices once people are actually buying their music making toys, our favorite interior design company/copyright agency/nepo baby cult just flexed their monstrous marketing muscle and - did both at the same time.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:50 Overview Teenage Engineering OP1
01:09 Choose your Price ( $ 1399 or $ 9999 )
01:45 Teenage Engineering OP-1 vs. OP-1 Field
02:13 The Synth
02:36 Drum Sampler / Drum Synth
02:45 How to play the OP-1 Field ( Sequencers )
03:30 LFO
03:37 Tape Machines , Upgrade to 32 Bit Stereo
04:14 New Reverb
04:20 Mixer, Master FX, Output Options ( Radio Transmitter , Bluetooth )
04:51 Build Quality , Thanks
05:03 Hate Screen
05:28 Jam 1 ( PostModern Jam )
06:25 Jam 2 ( Analog Drums Jam )
07:35 Finale ( LoFi 2-Step )
08:05 Verdict"
Monday, May 26, 2025
Only 16 Samples?! This Minimal Eurorack Techno Slaps!
video upload by Electronisounds Audio
"I wanted to see what I could create using ONLY 16 samples.
This is a really basic setup with triggers and modulation only, no pitch sequencing.
This setup also does not allow for any velocity programming, every sound triggers at 100% max velocity - making it almost impossible to program build ups to help with the ebb and flow of the track.
I also did not have any room for riser or impact sounds which really help with keeping the intensity level a bit higher.
All things considered though, it's not a half bad track - just a little basic, perhaps... ;)
-----------------------
Whatever kind of music you are making - KEEP IT UP, Friends!
Don't stop making *YOUR MUSIC*!!
---
▼CONNECT with me / SUPPORT creativity and good content▼
WEBSTORE ► https://www.electronisounds.com/
PATREON ► https://www.patreon.com/DeanDaughters"
Friday, May 23, 2025
Was this the WORST PURCHASE ever???
video upload by AudioPilz
"A few years back I reviewed what was probably the most underwhelming piece of gear at the time - the original Arturia Drumbrute. This 2016 drum machine seemed like a dream come true: fully analog, great sequencer, one-knob-per-function UI and a design that pleases the eye of normal people and satisfies the basic instincts of synth nerds.
The problem with this instrument: it sounded almost comically bad and might be the only Bad Gear protagonist I didn’t make any real music with.
Although I sent it back after reviewing it, this cursed drum machine kept on haunting me and when I found one on Reverb for the price of a Volca I might have been hovering over the BUY button a little too hard. Was this the worst purchase ever?
00:00 Introduction
00:53 The underwhelming Sounds of the Drum Brute
02:24 Filter, Outputs
02:50 Sequencer, Step Repeat ( Fills ), Midi Control Center
03:33 Analysing the Drum Sounds
05:54 Jam without Effects
06:38 My attempt to make the DrumBrute sound decent
07:41 Jam with Effects
08:12 Outro"
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Decadent Atmospheric Pads & Soundscapes on Roland XP-30
video upload by gstormelectro
"Audio + Video by G-Storm Electro c. 2025
The Roland XP-30. Loaded w/ tons of decadent atmospheric pads and soundscape presets. Still relevant after all this time. Yes, yes, I hear using presets = bad. But sometimes you just want to kick back and let the imagination ride and give the left brain much needed rest. Headphones, dim lighting and candles recommended.
0:00 | XP-A-015 | Silky Filter
0:30 | XP-A-070 | Nylon & Str
0:52 | XP-A-017 | Slow Str Sect
1:34 | XP-A-050 | Legato Flute
2:03 | XP-C-147 | Dense Floor
2:41 | XP-C-146 | Liquid Sky
3:18 | PR-E-097 | Analog Drama
3:48 | PR-E-099 | Silky Way
4:12 | PR-C-091 | Dawn to Dusk
4:51 | XP-A-058 | Cosmic Flute"
G-Storm Electro:
REVERB https://reverb.com/shop/gstormelectro
MUSIC https://gstormelectro.bandcamp.com/
BLOG http://gstormelectronica.blogspot.com/
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD http://soundcloud.com/gstormelectro
Friday, April 25, 2025
Bad Gear - SERUM for OLD PEOPLE
video upload by AudioPilz
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. In times like these when normal people try to steer clear of questionable spending habits, true synth nerds are still stockpiling esoteric Eurorack modules, vintage restoration projects and overpriced VST plugins in a box.
Speaking of which, today we are going to talk about the Waldorf Iridium range. While young producers with an actual history of releasing music are currently benchmarking a Serum 2 torrent, these futurist top shelf instruments based on German technology seem to be the last missing piece in every middle-aged synthesist collection before their careers are destined to take off.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:03 Overview Waldorf Iridium Core
01:59 Iridium Core vs. Iridium Desktop vs. Iridium Keyboard
02:22 Wavetable Synth Engine
02:32 Virtual Analog Synth Engine
02:49 Particle ( Sampler , Granular Synth )
03:15 Resonator ( Physical Modeling Synth Engine )
03:26 Kernel ( FM , Modular )
04:05 Filters, Digiformer
04:43 FX Section
04:52 LFOs, Envelopes, Mod Matrix
05:20 Bitimbrality, Touch Screen, Buttons
05:53 Sequencers, Arpeggiator
06:05 Connectivity, Pricing
06:25 Hate Screen
06:51 Jam 1 ( Fast Techno )
07:43 Jam 2 ( Drum'n'Bass )
08:52 Finale ( Melodic Techno )
09:23 Verdict
10:34 Patreon Sound Design Shoutout"
Wednesday, April 02, 2025
The Generator - A Modular Live Performance
video upload by The 5th Volt
"I had prepared and practiced this performance to play live at a music festival nearby. Unfortunately the gig got cancelled due to bad weather, so I decided to perform it in my home office instead so that at least I would get a video out of it. I hope you like it."
"All sounds from the AE Modular from tangible waves and Synthstrom Deluge recorded using the Zoom H6 recorder and processed in Davinci Resolve."
"If you're interested how this all works, then watch my other video where I'm explaining everything about this setup:"
Modular Synth Live Performance - The Setup
video upload by The 5th Volt
"Here I'm explaining the complete setup which I prepared for a live performance which unfortunately got cancelled at the last minute. It was still a lot of fun to rise to the challenge of preparing a 40 minute live set, which I have never done before."
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Alfa AS3109 VS IR3109N Quick Comparison
video upload by gstormelectro
"Audio + Video by G-Storm Electro c. 2025
Many have commented about my last video [posted here] why I fool around w/ reclaiming the old chips when Alfa has some remakes on the market. So here's a quick comparison of the Alfa AS3109 remakes vs. IR3109N OTA chips in my 101-VCF tester module. For me the Alfa behaves quite differently with regard to signal clipping and output magnitude. Enough as to not recommend them as a 1-to-1 replacement in vintage synths and the reason I don't use them in my own modules. It's too bad, I enjoy using other kinds of Alfa chips 3320/3340/3350 in other filters and my 101-VCO.
G-Storm Electro:
MUSIC https://gstormelectro.bandcamp.com/
BLOG http://gstormelectronica.blogspot.com/
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD http://soundcloud.com/gstormelectro
REVERB https://reverb.com/shop/gstormelectro"
Friday, February 28, 2025
Bree6 Custom Factory Patches by SYNTH_NYC
via SYNTH_NYC
"GS Music commissioned me to create 64 Custom Factory Presets for their new discreet analog polyphonic synthesizer, the Bree6.
Those presets are available for free as a factory bank coming up with the synth.
You can listen to them in high resolution (24bit 96kHz PCM WAV masters, FLAC encoded) on my site (optimized for Chrome on MacOS and Windows).
All presets have PB, MW, AT/PAT and Velocity configured, except the last one which has MPE configured additionally (Bree6 should be in MPE mode for this one) for the best possible expressivity.
It's impossible to make a bad patch with the Bree6! With or without subtractive synthesis knowledge, you can make a great sounding patch in no time. The Bree6 is the 2nd discreet analog polyphonic synthesizer released by GS Music (following the e7), it has those notable improvements:
- Poly Aftertouch (it responds to Channel AT as well without having to change anything on the synth, and MPE by configuration change)
- Detune (voice detune)
- Poly Stereo (hard panning per voice on L/R channels), Poly ('center' on both L/R channels) output modes
- Larger display
- Only 1 'Shift' parameter (the Sub Oscillator On/Off feature)
- Very few 'Menu' parameters (only the MW, Velocity, AT/PAT and MPE sources / targets / amounts in the Control Menu; and Transpose, PB Range, Preset Level, Unison Interval in the Preset Menu), so it's really WYSIWYH (What You See Is What You Hear).
It was a pleasure crafting those 64 FREE Custom Factory Presets for the Bree6, I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them and that they will bring value and inspiration to yours music."
See the announcement post for the Bree6 here.
Saturday, February 08, 2025
It's all Voltage | The Modular Classroom | Lesson 1 (feat. Serge DUSG and GTS)
video upload by Cinematic Laboratory
"OK, here's episode 1 of my modular classroom series. Again. I had to reupload due to editing errors. So I worked on it some more, added some stuff and removed a segment that went to Lesson 2.
I had to pick a reference because we all own different case layouts. I assume everyone can follow and try some of it if you own a Maths, Falistri, Rampage or Abacus. I'll be using Serge DUSG and GTS for most of this video. I did not include the 281T quad function generator because it will get its own lesson.
We're going to be taking about rise and falls a lot. They're the foundation for modular sound generation and movement. It's all voltage. When we think of a triangle wave as a basic waveform, we can break it apart and see it as a rising voltage, a falling voltage in a repeating cycle over periods of time. Time will determine if it's a VCO or LFO."
Slope Language | The Modular Classroom | Lesson 2 (feat. Maths, Rings and Clouds)
video upload by Cinematic Laboratory
"In Lesson 1 I introduced a hidden sonic world of rise and falls, a foundation for making sounds and movement and for interaction with other sounds and movements. I realized it's hard to make lessons without reference gear and I picked Maths as the No. 1 module to explain the core concepts of low level synthesis. While making this lesson, I figured out this 'slope language' which could be an alternative to patch diagrams. Diagrams only work on a system with a fixed layout and modules. In modular this just doesn't work because all modulars are different and personal.
I also needed to find a way to combine high level music making with low level modular techniques and explain why it's worth it to dive a bit deeper. I used Rings and Clouds as a methaphor for 'fastfood' because it's really easy to make great music. This often sounds like a bad thing but it's not. Too easy is good. It confirms that modular synths can be cool. But it's even cooler to hear what happens when we add a bit of low level movement. Sticking to the metaphor of cooking with sound, it becomes a Chef's kitchen, where Rings/Clouds are the signature ingredients, and Maths is the secret sauce.
The goal for these classes is to learn how to think in voltage slopes (rise and falls) and these 'slope language' diagrams seem to work for lots of module combinations. I was able to 'translate' a Maths patch to Tides and Blinds. It works because we're taking a step back from the panel layout, and focus on what the voltage is doing. The recipe. For me, it felt like a missing link that really helps me to explain things. Now let's hope this works for you too."
LABELS/MORE:
eurorack,
Make Noise,
Mutable Instruments,
Qu-bit Electronix,
Random Source,
Serge,
synth tutorials
Friday, February 07, 2025
Bad Gear - The Game Changer
video upload by AudioPilz
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. Back in the day when synth nerds had to walk 10 miles in the snow uphill both ways to get wasted and find a place for music production the term game changer had a completely different meaning.
Today we are going to talk about the very first E-mu Proteus. This 80s synth and dumbed-down offspring of the Emulator sampler range not only made their iconic tones more accessible, its presets also burned themselves into the global pop cultural consciousness.
Bad Gear - The Game Changer
The Gamechanger
Emu Proteus
E-mu Proteus 1
E-mu Proteus/1
meme video
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:52 Overview Emu Proteus 1
01:22 Famous Sounds and Samples
02:14 How does Proteus Work?
02:38 Envelopes and LFOs
02:52 Pseudo-Chorus
03:06 Why Proteus was a Game Changer back in the day
03:32 Modulation Section, Midi Implementation, Studio Integration
04:00 What else??? (Pricing, Proteus Generations,...)
04:45 Hate Screen
05:12 Jam 1 ( Retro Console Game Music )
06:08 Jam 2 ( 90s Jungle , Drum'n'Bass , Whatever... )
07:04 Finale ( Synthwave , 90s TV Show Soundtrack )
07:34 Verdict"
Friday, January 31, 2025
Bad Gear - Texture Lab
video upload by AudioPilz
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. If sound synthesis in general was a family, granular synthesis would be the basement-dwelling and terminally online distant music producer cousin who listens to the sounds of humpback whales and lives off a diet of - depending on the moon phase - stone age keto or vegan MREs.
Today we are going to talk about Liven Texture Lab. This 2023 Sonicware synth and sibling of the Sonicware Liven Ambient takes granular synthesizer out of its natural software synthesizer habitat, its UI is devoid of any proper visual cues to make the technique somewhat controllable for music production and comes with two goldfish brains of sample memory."
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:59 Overview Liven Texture Lab
01:46 Short Granular Synthesis Tutorial
03:12 LFOs, Envelopes
03:24 Resonant Filter
03:33 Reverb Effect ( Shimmer Reverb )
03:52 Lack of USB
04:08 Processing of External Audio, Freeze Effect
04:17 What else? ( Sequencer , Internal Speaker , Arpeggiator , Thanks!!!)
04:52 Hate Screen
05:18 Jam 1 ( Downtempo Weirdness )
06:07 Jam 2 ( More Downtempo Weirdness )
07:05 Finale ( 128 BPM Weirdness )
07:35 Verdict
06:46 Patreon Granular Shoutout
Sunday, January 19, 2025
432 vs 440Hz concert pitch | Love never dies, but Math never lies.
video upload by Cinematic Laboratory
"I am aware this is a controversial subject, but I've been intrigued by it for a long time. First, I was open for it, then I became doubtful and ended up in 'it makes no difference' camp. It's just a frequency like any other.
Honestly, this was supposed to be a 'fun' video where I'd investigate the subject like a mad scientist would, without jumping to conclusions.
From a numerologic perspective, 432 is a fun number. When you add all digits, you'd end up with 4+3+2 = 9. If you tune A to 432, the next A would be 864. Again, 8+6+4 = 1+8 = 9. If you'd use equal temperament, all notes in your scale would be integer (whole) numbers with no decimals, and the digits of all frequencies would add up to 9. A440 would have eight 'broken' frequencies in the scale. But that's numerology, it doesn't make music any better or worse. A VCO runs perfectly stable on 345.6701 Hz and it will probably drift all over the place when it's analog. Does 432 make any sense from the perspective of the Universe? Quite. The number constantly turns up in time and space. Ofcourse it also returns in the Great Pyramid and the lightspeed constant.
Again, that's just numerology and it has nothing to do with frequency. That's like apples, oranges or cows. Or is it? Frequency is cycles per second. Cycles are circles moving in time and phase is expressed in numbers like 45, 90, 180 and 360. There's that number 9 again. How about time? There are 4320 seconds in 12 hours. So maybe, just maybe, 432 Hz is not like 432 cows. The number 9 is a funny number.
Mr Spock would say 'fascinating' and raise an eyebrow.
I've set my Mordax Data to 432 and 440 Hz on 'wave generator' so I could play both with a sequence. Sure it sounds different, because it's tuned a tiny bit lower (98,18 of 100%). By itself this would have a psychological effect of relief, of closure. When you start A440 and play A432, it's relaxing.
But this also happens when you move a semitone or note down.
I ran my Mordax raw sinewaves through Joranalogue's Collide 4 and used it as a resonating body (with the filter and the quadrature ring mod).
I ran a sequence spanning a wide range of notes, with plenty of reverb to make the notes interact, blur and sustain. Then, suddenly the differences between A440 and A432 wasn't subtle anymore. It was huge.
Better? I think so, but that's personal taste. Healing? Nah. More natural? I think so too. But there's nothing magical about it, it's math. I figured that a frequency doubles for each octave, so the range of A0 to A9 would sound completely different for 432 and 440. In fact, the high notes in 440 end up 256 Hz higher than in 432. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but A3 (220 Hz) is already one octave below A4 (440).
So my 'conclusion' is that A432 sounds much lower over the full range of 88 piano keys and the highs are less high. Pitch quality is different, it sounds different, and interaction with other complex frequencies will be different. Resonance and FM will be different. It's up to you to determine what sounds best. Please share your experience in the comments, and please note I am just having fun. I don't believe in the 440 conspiracy and I don't think it's bad for your health. I believe ALL music can support a healing process, but always listen to your doctor first."
Friday, January 10, 2025
Bad Gear - The Y2K Bug
video upload by AudioPilz
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. While we - the inhabitants of this post-everything dystopia - live in the best times for being a synth nerd, our ancestors and younger selves who just survived the Y2K Bug had to deal with a much bleaker market for electronic musical instruments .
Today we are going to talk about the SH-32. This unholy offspring of a JP-8000 and an MC-303, 2002 not-a- synth not-yet-a groovebox and Buchla Easel for kids design abomination is not only peak Roland Music but also seems to be the blueprint for the Roland SH-4D .
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:02 Overview Roland SH-32 Synthesizer
01:24 Oscillators
02:24 Filter
02:51 FX Section
03:10 Groovebox Features
03:29 Drum Samples
03:43 Performance Mode, Multitimbrality
03:54 Pros & Cons of Performance Mode (mostly cons)
04:09 Arpeggiator / Sequencer / Chord Mode
04:55 What else? (Polyphony, Presets, Low Boost)
05:56 Hate Screen
06:23 Jam 1 ( DIY Trance )
07:23 Jam 2 ( Downtempo )
08:24 Finale ( Retro Techno )
08:54 Verdict"
Thursday, January 09, 2025
How A Place to Bury Strangers made an LP into a DIY synth
Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
"We've got to get this on every track": How A Place to Bury Strangers made an LP into a DIY synth
video upload by MusicRadar Tech
User demo below.
"Between his noise rock outfit A Place To Bury Strangers – dubbed 'the loudest band in New York' – and his pedal company Death By Audio, Oliver Ackermann is no stranger to DIY noisemaking. The band's latest album, Synthesizer, takes things a step further though. Not only did Ackermann design and build his own DIY synth, which is featured on every track of the album, but the instrument's circuit design also provides the cover art for the vinyl LP, allowing fans to recreate the synth at home – albeit with a substantial amount of DIY required.
Synthesizer by A Place to Bury Strangers is out now:
https://www.aplacetoburystrangers.com/
Find out more about Death By Audio:
https://deathbyaudio.com/
In this video:
00:25 – How did the idea for Synthesizer come about?
01:22 – How does the synth function?
01:59 – Synthesizer demo
03:17 – Background to the synth's design
04:02 – How easy is the DIY project?
04:42 – Influences behind the synth
05:45 – Recording the album
06:36 – Capturing the energy of the live shows
07:50 – Founding Death By Audio
09:35 – Designing pedals
11:55 – How has technology changed DIY music?
13:07 – More Synthesizer demos"
A Place To Bury Strangers / Synthesizer Album Cover / Death By Audio
video upload by GizmoMusicJapan
"Death by audio's synth for the new album "A place to bury strangers". Complete with assembly instruction manual" via this listing.
The original kit went for $202.99.
You can find the album minus the parts on Amazon and Discogs.
Note there are multiple versions of the vinyl on Discogs. As always, do your research before buying.
"We've got to get this on every track": How A Place to Bury Strangers made an LP into a DIY synth
video upload by MusicRadar Tech
User demo below.
"Between his noise rock outfit A Place To Bury Strangers – dubbed 'the loudest band in New York' – and his pedal company Death By Audio, Oliver Ackermann is no stranger to DIY noisemaking. The band's latest album, Synthesizer, takes things a step further though. Not only did Ackermann design and build his own DIY synth, which is featured on every track of the album, but the instrument's circuit design also provides the cover art for the vinyl LP, allowing fans to recreate the synth at home – albeit with a substantial amount of DIY required.
Synthesizer by A Place to Bury Strangers is out now:
https://www.aplacetoburystrangers.com/
Find out more about Death By Audio:
https://deathbyaudio.com/
In this video:
00:25 – How did the idea for Synthesizer come about?
01:22 – How does the synth function?
01:59 – Synthesizer demo
03:17 – Background to the synth's design
04:02 – How easy is the DIY project?
04:42 – Influences behind the synth
05:45 – Recording the album
06:36 – Capturing the energy of the live shows
07:50 – Founding Death By Audio
09:35 – Designing pedals
11:55 – How has technology changed DIY music?
13:07 – More Synthesizer demos"
A Place To Bury Strangers / Synthesizer Album Cover / Death By Audio
video upload by GizmoMusicJapan
"Death by audio's synth for the new album "A place to bury strangers". Complete with assembly instruction manual" via this listing.
The original kit went for $202.99.
You can find the album minus the parts on Amazon and Discogs.
Note there are multiple versions of the vinyl on Discogs. As always, do your research before buying.
Wednesday, January 08, 2025
X1L3 - YM 300 - Sanxion 🕹📺 - YM2149F - eurorack module
video upload by X1L3
"Brave attempt at the Sanxion loader music from the C64 by Rob Hubbard.
Chip used - YM2149F.....
Lots of modulator abuse and tracking to get it where it is. I even almost managed to nail the DJ record scratch just before the chill melodic part kicks in 🤣
YM 300, a 4XVCF and a 4XVCA set up for amplitude control, additional filtering and mixing of the three sound channels. The filters give the AY/YM an almost SID character. Especially when you sweep them on a channel with the on chip modulator active.
Very tricky one to cover on the YM due to the limited sound palette of the chip. It's incredibly hard to do anything with a long melodic structure without it sounding square wave basic, as is the vanilla nature of the chip. With the filters and some creative use of the modulator tracking things you can work around this. Without the additional filters this would have been impossible to do without it sounding too cute or like a dogs dinner.
The set up with filters is basically how an Atari ST or ZX spectrum might have sounded back in the day if their sound chips had filters.
Not a bad attempt. Not as neat as the C64 original. As close as i could get for a bit of fun with what i'm using. If only the AY and YM could do PWM 🙂"
X1L3 - YM 300 - Sanxion - oscilloscope view
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© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH