Mettalicum - XOR Logic Percussion Synth

video upload by Sid Rockett

"🔊 Exploring the Mettalicum: a new XOR-based percussion synthesizer built for harsh metallic hits, industrial rhythms, and unpredictable noise. Unlike traditional drum machines, the Mettalicum relies on logic gates to generate complex, inharmonic square-wave clusters that cut right through a mix. In this hardware demo, we run through the raw oscillators, tweak the parameters, and patch it into an experimental setup to hear what it can really do.

⚙️ Sponsored by PCBWay
Huge thanks to PCBWay for sponsoring this video! Whether you are prototyping a chaotic new noise box, building a custom MIDI controller, or ordering high-quality circuit boards for a full production run, PCBWay has you covered. They offer incredibly fast turnaround times on custom PCBs, 3D printing, and CNC machining. Bring your DIY audio projects to life: https://pcbway.com/g/1AhZrq

Ⓜ️ What makes the Mettalicum different?
Traditional subtractive synthesis uses standard waveforms and filters to create drum sounds. The Mettalicum takes a different approach by running multiple square waves through XOR (Exclusive OR) logic chips. When these frequencies interact, they create dense, metallic, and grinding textures perfect for noise music, industrial beats, and lo-fi soundscapes.

⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:20 - The Raw Sound of the Mettalicum
00:32 - PCBWay Sponsor Message
00:44 - Demo with Ampero Mini
02:42 - Hardware Jam: Mettalicum + Experimental Setup

🔗 Gear Used in this Video:
Mettalicum XOR Synthesizer
Tempest Kick Synthesizer
Korg Monotron Delay
Bastl Instruments Bestie
Hotone Ampero Mini
MyVolts CandyCords

✌️ I’m Sid Rockett, a designer and explorer of experimental synthesizers and custom noise-machines.

From boutique pocket synths to DIY Eurorack builds, this channel is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of compact hardware. Join me as we navigate through industrial soundscapes, deep cinematic reverbs, and the infinite feedback of outer-space delays.

🎛️ Shop here:
https://sidrockett.bandcamp.com
https://www.tindie.com/stores/sid_roc..."

Arena Digitalis

video upload by Sid Rockett

"🔊 Learn how to build the Arena Digitalis, a high-performance Arduino granular audio processor for real-time glitch, shimmer, and ambient textures.

In this deep dive, we explore the Arena Digitalis—an open-source Arduino audio project designed for experimental musicians and sound designers.
Granular synthesis is often gatekept by expensive hardware like the Mutable Instruments Clouds or Chase Bliss Mood.

The Arena Digitalis brings those "micro-looping" capabilities to the Arduino Nano/Uno platform using the new R4 processor.

⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
0:30 – PCBWay Ad
0:45 – Controls
3:20 – Sound demo with Kastle ARP

Thanks to @PCBWay for sponsoring this video! Check out all their services under the following link and get 5$ new user credit.
https://pcbway.com/g/1AhZrq

🔗 Resources & Links:
Get the Code/Schematics: [https://github.com/SidRockett/Arena_D...]

Key Features of Arena Digitalis:
Real-time Granular Processing: Low-latency audio manipulation.
Arduino-Based: Highly customizable and open-source.
Tactile Control: Manual knobs for grain size, spray, and pitch.
Compact Design: Perfect for pedalboards or tabletop synth rigs.

✌️ I’m Sid Rockett, a designer and explorer of experimental synthesizers and custom noise-machines.

From boutique pocket synths to DIY Eurorack builds, this channel is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of compact hardware. Join me as we navigate through industrial soundscapes, deep cinematic reverbs, and the infinite feedback of outer-space delays.

🎛️ You can buy my synths here:
https://sidrockett.bandcamp.com
https://www.tindie.com/stores/sid_roc..."

Klik - Pushbutton Matrix for the Bastl Kastle Synthesizers

video upload by Sid Rockett

"💡Discover the Klik module. Add a playable 4x4 button matrix to your Kastle or Volca synth for ultimate hands-on control and experimental patching.

⏱️ Chapters:
0:08 – Intro
0:20 – Controls
0:40– Sound demo with Kastle 2 Wave Bard

🗒️ How does it work?

There are 8 patch points connected to 4 rows (ABCD) and 4 columns (1234) of buttons. Pressing button A1 connects point A to point 1. A2 connects A to 2. B2 connects B to 2 and so on.
It is best used by dedicating rows to outputs and columns to inputs. In this configuration every possible combination of buttons will connect outputs to inputs and cause a change in the behaviour of the synthesizer.

Based on the Synapsis by Bastl Instruments ! (...hope the guys are ok with it).

✌️ I’m Sid Rockett, a designer and explorer of experimental synthesizers and custom noise-machines.

From boutique pocket synths to DIY Eurorack builds, this channel is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of compact hardware. Join me as we navigate through industrial soundscapes, deep cinematic reverbs, and the infinite feedback of outer-space delays.
🎛️ You can buy my synths here:
https://sidrockett.bandcamp.com
https://www.tindie.com/stores/sid_roc..."

Solton Programmer 24 - Sound exploration and composition of 80' Italo-disco tracks after repair

video upload by Davide Micheli

"In the video, I'm playing the newly repaired electronic instrument.

The Solton Programmer 24 was built by Solton-Ketron Lab around 1985 and it was the first completley and easy programmable music arranger in the history. Due to its structure, for someone is considered the father of Italo-Disco.

This Italian company built at that time this inspiring music electronic machine before any other big company in the word with electronic components available in the market, no dedicated or custom chip as later. In particular, in only 10 minutes I easily composed 3 music tracks in the '80 dance style living the machine inspires me.

The 3 tracks are titled:

1) DRAP; (it could be the base for a rap)
2) Happy track;
3) Past is past;

Hope you enjoy it
Davide"

Doboz DVNA Synth Custom Patches (No Talking)

video upload by Demover

"Hey everyone!

I thought I'd share some of the patches I created with the DVNA.

I didn't have any specific goal or sound in mind while making them. I just followed my ears and went with whatever felt right.

What do you think about the DVNA? What kind of sounds would you create with it, and how would you use it in your music?

Let me know in the comments! I'm really curious to hear your thoughts!"

Wheel Within the Wheel EP by Michael William Gilbert

A new release via supporting member Michael William Gilbert via Tall Dog Electronics (tindie)

Hello friends,

I am very happy to share this new project with you: an EP of original electronic/electroacoustic fusion music. There are six tracks, including the single "The Prayer Is The Road"(a)/"The Road Is The Prayer"(b). To be clear - prayer in my context is secular: "a practice focusing on gratitude, mindfulness, and reflection to foster positive change, connection, or resilience without appealing to a supernatural being".

"Wheel Within the Wheel", the title track, is influenced by a visit to Tibetan Buddhist monks while they werein the process of creating a sand painting and then destroying it. "Fractal Loup" is about a state of active and curious meditation, a metaphorical wolf mind interpreted with looping. "The Float" is a dream through the worlds of techno and Berlin school. All music recorded & mixed at Alibi’s Little Corner Studio by MWGilbert and mastered by Sean Magee.

Upcoming: thanks to my partners at ElasticStage, "Wheel Within the Wheel" will soon be available as both an LP and a CD! You can check out my previous album "Electronic Music": https://elasticstage.com/mwgilbert

Hope you enjoy "Wheel Within the Wheel". I'm always pleased and grateful to hear what you think, so please let me know!


Thanks for listening!

- MW Gilbert mwg@mwgilbert.com

OBERHEIM FVS w/ Custom Patch Panel by Analog Sweden

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

"Vintage Oberheim FVS-1 (Analog Sweden patchbay mod!!)
Fully functional.

It is a fully functional and—aside from the mod—completely original Oberheim 4-Voice FVS-1.
It was modified by the geniuses at Analog Sweden to be "fully patchable," but the original output board (including the faceplate) is tucked away inside the synth, so it can be restored to its original state if desired!"

BUCHLA 36 (Brutal dark IDM modular synth performance)

video upload by Kevin Rix

"Delve into the dark weirdness of the Buchla 200e. Easily the most interesting instrument I own. It challenges the user to explore new ways to express music and sound. The drums are created by self resonating the 291e triple filter module. Over the summer I explored more complex patching. All the random stereo ripping sounds are from a cross modded 258 classic into the bottom section of the 296 classic. The first batch created a fm like noise when opening the wide knob. Buchla USA recalled the first batch for a cleaner circuit, but I decided to keep it:) I'll be releasing many of these explorations over the next few months.

I'm planning to upload on a regular basis. This world we live in is becoming increasingly more complicated and is about to see a huge shift with the arrival of AI. I want this channel to showcase raw performances and celebrate the human aspect of art and music.

This is an anti-AI channel. Everything is composed and performed by me with no editing. Just raw performances created in the moment. My musical interests take my into strange and unpredictable areas. At the core, I'm a composer of epic cinematic music. Fortunately, it's what I do for work. The music on this channel represents the other curiosities I have with music and sound. AI just spits out sound a likes and has no real soul. I'm not trying to appeal to those who prefer AI playlists. In my opinion, those people are not true fans of music and art. AI isn't affected by culture, community and what's happening in the world, so it can never make a true artistic statement. "

Alesis NanoSynth - Rare Prototype Demo

video upload by John L Rice

"I thought I would document this prototype example of an Alesis NanoSynth I bought on eBay long ago, before I sell it. I didn't take the time to verify if the sounds are all the same as a production model or not, but I suspect there may be some differences? One thing not working as far as I can tell is the built in factory demo that all production versions of Alesis Nano synthesizers have. And yeah, that's not me talking, I wanted to learn how to use the AI text to voice feature in DaVinci Resolve. (sorry not sorry! 😁)

Index:
0:00 - Introduction
1:57 - Category Piano
4:09 - Category Chromatic
5:38 - Category Organ
7:32 - Category Guitar
8:34 - Category Bass
9:58 - Category Strings
11:35 - Category Ensemble
13:12 - Category Brass
14:16 - Category Reed
15:21 - Category Pipe
16:39 - Category SynthLead
18:29 - Category SynthPad
21:21 - Category SynthFX
23:57 - Category Ethnic
26:13 - Category DrumsPerc
28:37 - Category Effects
30:33 - Category Piano
30:54 - End"

Other Alesis Nano Demonstrations:

Alesis NanoTracker Demo

video upload by John L Rice

"This is a very brief demo of most of what I know how to do with the NanoTracker MIDI recorder. This is just for historical purposes and for when I put it up for sale on Reverb. ;-)"

Alesis NanoBass - Factory Demo

video upload by John L Rice

"I made this quick video for an Alesis NanoBass synth module that I'm going to be selling and decided to make it public just in case anyone is interested. I think all of the Alesis Nano synths are fantastic and very underrated and underestimated. I own a NanoPiano, NanoSynth, and two NanoBass units (that's why I am selling this one)"

COMPUTALKER SPEECH SYNTHESIZER

You can find a demo of COMPUTALKER in this previous post from back in 2008.

Here are some pics and additional info on the COMPUTALKER via this reddit thread where you'll find a dropbox link to additional docs including some source code. Note the poster on reddit is looking for help on gettig it going. If you can help, reach out there.

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me who also found some addtional info here.

From the reddit thread:

"The Computalker CT-1 was one of the earliest commercially available speech synthesizers for personal computers. Introduced in late 1976 and shipped beginning in 1977, it was developed by D. Lloyd Rice and Jim Cooper in Santa Monica, California through their company, Computalker Consultants.

Unlike simpler speech devices that played back recorded sounds, the CT-1 was a 9-parameter formant speech synthesizer. A host computer generated control data describing pitch, formant frequencies, fricatives, aspiration, and other speech characteristics, while the CT-1 generated the actual voice waveform in hardware."

"My goal, (which I do think may end up being completely impossible) is to get this up and running and hear it speak. Among the photos, there are some shots of the inside. I understand that this was originally designed for the S-100 bus going as far back as the Altair 8800. Serial number inside and out is 7001 and I can see that a previous owner likely replaced the older capacitors already.

This variant however, In all my searching I cannot seem to find a single reference to anywhere. My best guess with the information I have is that this could be a prototype version that was meant for later computers and perhaps it's missing some type of interface card for maybe an Apple II or TRS-80?

Here is a dropbox link to all of the information I have collected so far. I have found the manual, the software manual (With source code?!) and all sorts of little information. Also there's a lot more photos....

https://www.dropbox.com...

Maybe someone out there has seen this before? I am super excited to keep collecting information on this! Thank you for checking this out!"

Some pics of the inside below.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Roland Juno 60 vs Behringer JN 80 Clone | Can the Clone Really Match the Original?

video upload by Nicolas Melis

"Roland Juno 60 vs Behringer JN 80 Clone | Can the Clone Really Match the Original?

Roland Juno-60 vs Behringer JN-80 Clone — factory presets compared side by side. I’m playing original Juno-60 patches and their recreated versions on the Behringer. Can the clone really match the original? Let me know what you think in the comments."

boards of canada - the process (cover)

video upload by fischek

"A piano and synth cover of 'The Process' by the legendary Boards of Canada, from their incredible new album, 'Inferno'.

I've been captivated by the 'Inferno' album since its release and wanted to share my interpretation of this beautifully soothing and melancholic track. If you enjoy this, let me know in the comments! I'm planning to cover more from the album soon, with 'Naraka,' 'Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan,' and 'Blood in the Labyrinth' being next on my list.

What's your favorite track from the new album?

// GEAR & SOFTWARE
🎹 Synths & Keys:
Yamaha DX7 (as MIDI controller)
Pianoteq (Piano Sound)
Korg Wavestate (Pads)

🎛️ Effects (FX):
Eventide Blackhole (VST Reverb)

#boardsofcanada #boc #inferno #theprocess #synthcover #pianocover #ambient #idm #electronicmusic #yamahadx7 #korgwavestate #arturia"

Previously:

Boards of Canada New Seeds (short cover)

video upload by fischek

"► here's the Vital VST patch for the lead sound:
https://tinyurl.com/mwy63h5t

A gem from the Tomorrow's Harvest. Far from perfect, but kinda close. I hope to do a full cover at some point. Hope you like! :)"

Emu SP1200 & SP12 OTBElec SP MIDI Interface w/ Original Box

via this eBay listing

Here's an interesting device from the recent past. According to the listing details below the final batch came out in 2017. It's from OTBElec and this appears to be the first post to feature them on the site. The www.otbelec.com website is no longer live.

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me. via the listing: "I bought this new & it was part of the final batch made in 2017. I stored it away because my SP12 required servicing & the interface subsequently was never used (or even unwrapped).

This may be the only brand new OTB MIDI in existence.


"The SP MIDI converts non-standard MIDI messages from the SP-1200 to regular MIDI. One such message is note off, which is required to set the length or duration of sequenced notes. The SP MIDI also translates the pitches of bank D to a continuous range of notes to store and sequence external devices. When recording it is necessary to set rec mode.

Internal mode is used to select up to three samples which then have their 16 pitch levels mapped out over the keyboard. Now supporting note off you can play like you would normally expect, where the sample mutes when the key is released. Excellent for looped samples, i.e. bass lines.

External mode is used to sequence other instruments. It uses bank D1-D6 to record notes on one MIDI channel and D7-D8 on another channel. D1-D6 is mapped to a full note range by pad number and pitch, making it possible to play a melody using the pads. Also note off is sent as you hit the pads a second time, unless F1 oneshot is selected. D7-D8 is combined together to give a full range of note numbers and is best used with a keyboard.

Dynamic velocity is maintained, if not Full Level is selected.

The SP MIDI firmware can be updated using a computer with a MIDI interface.

These features also allow pitching and using the loop function on a S950."

CLICK FOR MORE »

AKAI MPC3000 SP Custom

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

via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

Also see this one with a custom Overdub button & wood frame.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Dreadbox Artemis #1 | Winterdagen

video upload by Winterdagen

"I'm a huge fan of Dreadbox synths, and lately I've been lucky enough to get my hands on their newest poly synth Artemis, which just got a really great update. To me, Artemis feels a bit like the best of their Murmux Adept and Typhon combined, but with its own character and unique synthesis possibilities.

For this droney piece, I used lots of the amazing (and newly updated) Sinevibes effects, mainly the super lush reverbs and BBD Playground. Both pretty heavily modulated, which adds to the detuned character of this patch.

Artemis is another incredible synth from Dreadbox and I cant wait to show you more patches and pieces I've been making with it!"

Vintage Yamaha DX7 Synthesizer Keyboard Keychain 1986

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

via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Doboz DVNA No talking (Only Sounds)

video upload by Demover

"Heyho!

I’m very grateful to my friend ‪@doboz.modular‬ for creating the DVNA with so much dedication and persistence. For me, it’s so addictive that it’s really hard to put down. ^ ^

It’s a chord synth with 12 touch sensitive keys, featuring 4 oscillators, effects, and lots of useful functions.

With this video, I’d like to show you some of the amazing things you can create with it, and I haven’t even demonstrated all of its useful features yet."

See the announcement post here.

Synth Stuff Ep. 92 - Modal Element One

video upload by tritonrecordings

"Fresh from Modal's oven is the Element One. I think the idea was to take their analog modeling engine and scale the programming side of things down for a sleeker interface, and instead focusing more on performance. Not a bad idea, and I can see this being useful in a live setting. The sound is great and covers a lot of ground beyond just analog emulation type sounds. It has some of the same UI quirks that irritate me about my Argon8X, but it's a great lightweight synth full of good sounds. I think Modal in general makes some underrated stuff, so check them out if you see one. The illuminated Modal logo does it for me too - I'm a sucker for that kind of thing..."

Oberheim DX Full Restoration: How to Add MIDI, Upgrade RAM & Play Live

video upload by Nostalgic Explorer

"If you want to see how the Oberheim DX looks from the inside, how to clean the buttons, how to upgrade the RAM, and how to add MIDI to this classic drum machine, you're in the right place.

This machine came to me in pretty bad shape. Dirty on the outside, with some faulty buttons, and in serious need of some love. But honestly? It's not that hard to bring one of these back to life if you're careful and you enjoy working with vintage gear. And if you don't — stick around anyway, because it's super interesting to see these machines from the inside.

I'm walking you through the full process: deep cleaning, how to remove and clean the button contacts the right way (spoiler: cleaning the surface does nothing — you need to go under them), installing the Electrongate MIDI board and RAM upgrade so you don't need a battery anymore, and swapping the plastic panels for the beautiful wooden ones from Electrongate.

Big shoutout to Paul White, whose Electrongate videos were a huge reference for this build. I'm just a student passing the knowledge forward — go check his page, I'll leave the links below.

Once everything was back together and fully working, I put on a jacket — because if I'm performing original music for you, you deserve some respect — and played a live jam using the restored Oberheim DX, the Oberheim DMX, Moog Voyager, Rhodes Mark I, Oberheim Matrix 6R, Elektron Digitakt, and the Roland Space Echo RE-201."

You Only Think Vintage Synths Sound Better

video upload by Noir Et Blanc Vie

"So I was playing my Waldorfs, just making some music and looking for inspiration, and a thought came to me... Am I only using my Waldorf XT because I 'like it' not because it's actually better in anyway? While there are so many videos comparing synths online, I keep wondering....WHY? Like, what's the actual goal with this. I personally wonder if there's psychology behind why some can't just move forward and make sound instead of thinking 'I wonder if X makes sounds like Y' when the shortest answer would easily be 'why not just get the X?'. When I think about music I'm often confused by the idea of all this... so maybe ask yourself this.... 'What's your goal'. When you see life as only one constant stream, you cannot go back, only forward, I think so many of the choices I make to create come from that. Rather than compare, rather than spend my time purchasing, why not be content, why not just create....? A question for you today."