The Synth Yamaha Wants You to Forget | The V50

video upload by Espen Kraft

"My sound patches: https://espenkraft.com
In 1989, while Korg's M1 and the sampling boom were rewriting the charts, Yamaha reached into the parts bin and handed us the V50 — a 4-operator FM workstation synth almost nobody asked for.

The V50 wrapped Yamaha's 4-operator FM engine (the same one in the DX11 and TX81Z) in a full workstation shell: an 8-track sequencer, a PCM drum machine, dual digital effects and a built-in floppy drive. On paper, a tidy package. In practice, in a year that wanted fat organs, realistic pianos and new dance sounds, it landed as a warmed-over fossil. I disliked it then, and I dislike it now — but I'll show you what it can and can't do.

All effects in the video are from the V50 internally. No external processing.

Yamaha V50 — key specs:

Released 1989
4-operator, 8-algorithm, 8-waveform FM synthesis (DX11 / TX81Z engine)
16-note polyphony, 8-part multitimbral
100 preset + 100 user voices
Built-in 8-track sequencer — 8 songs, 16,000 notes
PCM drum machine with 61 sampled drum sounds
Dual digital effects (reverb, delay, distortion)
3.5" floppy disk drive
61-key keyboard with velocity + aftertouch
US list price when new: ~$1,895

00:00 M1 ruled the world
00:35 Yamaha's answer: the V50
01:23 What you got for your money
02:14 FM Pianos again
02:52 PCM drums
04:18 A flop
05:00 Various sounds from the V50"

The Drum Machine That Was Too Big to Handle | Oberheim Stretch DX

video upload by Nostalgic Explorer

"There's a drum machine from 1983 that was intended to sound like a real drum similar to the Linndum — rolls, flams, off-the-beat feel. But the real story is bolted to its side, and most people have never seen one.

The Oberheim Stretch DX is the machine almost nobody talks about — the expansion that turned a 6-voice box into something else entirely. Here's how it happened, and what it can still do.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 — The drum machine that didn't want to be a machine
00:38 — Oberheim DMX: the little brother that came first
01:20 — 18 sounds, EPROM cards & the idea that predicted sample packs
02:00 — Inside the DX: sequences, quantize & the swing mode
02:40 — Rear-panel tuning & individual outputs (why 6 voices matters)
03:10 — The Stretch DX: the bolt-on nobody expected
03:40 — Installing a Stretch: soldering irons & ribbon cables
04:00 — Why the DX & Stretch DX faded — and what they left behind
04:20 — Let's make some beats

🎛️ Gear in this video: Oberheim DX, Oberheim Stretch DX"

SinTH2 - answers to your questions (subtitles on, please))

video upload by SinTH2

Click CC for subtitles.

Transcript:

0:022 secondsGood morning. Hello everyone. Tom Horn, that is Tomasz Rożek. Greeting you from my

0:077 secondsmodest little studio. As you can see, behind me are two finished instruments. This

0:1313 secondsis the folding panel version, as you already know, the fixed panel version, and the third version, which is behind me, which is still being built. The enclosure, as you can see, is

0:2323 secondsalready finished, but this is the desktop version. I think it's a really nice one. It will be finished in about two weeks. And that's exactly what I wanted to

0:3131 secondstalk to you about, to tell you how things look at the moment, because I'm getting a lot of questions, a lot of emails and messages about when you'll be able to order

CLICK FOR MORE »

The Gritty 80s Digital Synth Nobody Talks About | Kawai K1m

video upload by Ian Dixon

"The Kawai K1m is a 1988 digital synth module with no resonant filters and no built-in effects, but it still has a distinctive late-80s character that makes it much more interesting than the spec sheet suggests.

In this video I take a first look at my Kawai K1m, explore the four-source sound architecture, PCM samples, additive-style wave building, joystick control, factory presets, multi mode and external effects, then try building a new patch from scratch.

Chapters:
00:00 Why the Kawai K1m is interesting
00:24 K1m overview and why I bought it
01:38 Dry sound and synth architecture
02:28 Four-source patches and muting parts
03:20 Waves, PCM samples and additive-style synthesis
05:10 Drum samples and looped waveforms
06:55 Programming controls, envelopes and joystick
07:59 Polyphony and the gritty K1m character
08:56 Factory sounds and D-50-style bells
09:59 Vocal sounds, effects and Miami Vice references
12:56 Editing patches with the software editor
14:10 Multi mode and layered performances
15:02 Building a new K1m patch
17:57 Is the Kawai K1m worth buying today?
19:08 What should I do next with the K1m?"

video upload by jami.m

"Yazoo mix no 2 - Goodbye 70's / Nobody's Diary - Prophet 6"

Nobody Wants to Admit the JX-3P Sounds This Close to a Jupiter-8

video upload by Espen Kraft

"This is another ridiculously comparisons video that serves no other purpose than to fetishise old gear."

Kawai Q-80EX | One of the best 80s sequencers that nobody talks about

video upload by Espen Kraft

"The Kawai Q-80EX midi sequencer from 1989.
An absolute beast of a sequencer yet nobody seems to know it exist or what it can do.
How does it compare to two cherished competitors of the time?

Check out the TG100 plugin here: https://www.martinic.com/tg100-reverb

Big thanks to Anders E. Jensen for letting me have his Q-80EX for almost a decade.

00:00 Intro
00:08 The competitors
00:22 Kawai Q-80EX (with battery backup)
01:15 Repeat individual tracks
01:58 Recording
03:36 Sponsored plugin
04:48 Quantizing
05:36 Motifs
06:53 Which sequencer is the best?"

Asking manufacturers what nobody knows about their synths

video upload by mylarmelodies

"Want some random synth facts? At London Synth & Pedal Expo, I asked Music Thing, Korg, ASM, Arturia, Genki, Elektron, Embodme and ALM Busycircuits - what does nobody know about your machine? 👀"

00:00 - Today's Video
00:13 - Tom Whitwell doesn't know how the slopes work
00:48 - Korg Minilogue's Hidden Arcade Game
01:16 - Leviasynth's Ergonomic Notch
01:46 - Keystep 37's Sneaky LFOs
02:04 - RYK's Hidden Defender Game
03:05 - KATLA's Audio Replacement Trick
04:03 - Elektron's Octatrack Fails
04:49 - Erae Touch's Secret Sequencer
05:22 - ALM's Many Easter Eggs

Novation Peak on Drums — How to Turn a Peak (or Summit) into a Drum Machine (with free soundbank)

video upload by TheGuacamoleXplosion

"This no-talking video explores 7 different methods of using the Novation Peak as a drum synthesizer, a drum machine or even a groovebox.

A soundbank for the Novation Peak (should also be mostly compatible with the Novation Summit) with all stuff from this video and some more, as well as the individual Peak patches, can be downloaded here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folder...

00:00 - Intro
01:06 - Peak Drum Jam #1: Fake Trance for Drake Fans
03:13 - Kraftwerk — Autobahn throwback
03:36 - How to turn your Peak into a drum machine? The Autobahn beats
05:10 - Peak as a Groovebox: The Streets — Blinded By The Lights
06:22 - 'What if?' break: AFX mode for the Peak now!
07:02 - Simulating AFX mode by sending MIDI PCs to the Peak
08:32 - Surrogate Multitimbrality: Marvin Gaye — Sexual Healing
09:15 - 6 Methods for Peak beatmaking — Drummer from yet another Mother
09:55 - JMJ — Oxygène IV throwback
10:38 - 'Played' drums
11:28 - Arpeggiator 'played' mode — how it works
11:59 - Pink Floyd — On The Run throwback
12:08 - Feeding 'played' mode from an external sequencer
12:18 - Testing the limits of 'played' mode: Elbow — Grace Under Pressure
13:05 - Patch from scratch: Four-to-the-floor beat with rumble
19:24 - Changing the master tempo (impact on LFOs vs. Envelopes)
20:12 - Peak Drum Jam #2 (with the patch just made from Scratch)
22:39 - Making a drum template patch (with random Peak Spa Meditation background music)
26:02 - LFOs vs. Envelopes: Creating an early 80s beat from our drum template patch
36:14 - Final Peak Drum Jam #3 (1983/84 throwback)

All Peak Patches in this video were created from scratch. All Peak tracks were recorded through RME audio interfaces (Babyface Pro and Fireface UC) directly into Cubase stereo tracks. There are absolutely no effects on the individual Peak stereo tracks, not even panning, and levels are set to unity gain, to give an as-clear-as-possible impression of the Peak’s sonic potential and limits. On most parts (except intro), there is brickwall limiting on the stereo master, and on most multitrack parts also additional compression and EQ on the stereo master. Guitar parts recorded D.I. into the Fireface UC with a 1973 Stratocaster, several track and send FX on those.

Disclaimer:
I bought the Peak at regular price in 2020. Nobody paid me to make this video or compensated me in any other way, and it’s not monetized. No generative AI was used in the making of this video.
All songs © by their original writers and publishing companies; covered here in the framework of fair use for educational purposes.

Autobahn — written by Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider and Emil Schult
Blinded by the Lights — written by Mike Skinner
Sexual Healing — written by Marvin Gaye, Odell Brown and possibly David Ritz
Oxygène (Part IV) — written by Jean-Michel Jarre
On The Run — written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters
Grace Under Pressure — written by Guy Garvey, Craig Potter, Mark Potter, Pete Turner and Richard Jupp

Everything else © 2026 TheGuacamoleXplosion"

New product reveal: A physical control surface for MIDISID.

video upload by MIDI IN

"Nobody likes menu-diving, right? This is an add-on for MIDISID which gives you physical controls (analogue pots and sliders plus prophet-style buttons) for most of MIDISID's functionality.
This is an expensive thing to build, and I don't know how many to plan to make. Therefore, I'll be running a 'threshold pre-order campaign' over the next couple of weeks.

Pre-order campaign:
https://lectronz.com/seller/campaigns...

General MIDISID info:
https://peacockmedia.software/midisid

0:00 Intro
0:22 Nobody likes menu diving
1:32 Presentation
3:34 The tour
8:45 Conclusion"

SUPERBOOTH 2026 WAS MENTAL

video upload by Gray Contrast

"2 hours through FEZ Berlin on the final day of Superbooth 2026. Synths, controllers, AI tools, quick conversations, a few things nobody has on YouTube yet — and Loopy Pro live in the wild."

0:00 Intro
0:56 Neuzeit Instruments — https://www.neuzeit-instruments.com w/ / jan0ritter
6:05 Dato Musical Instruments — https://dato.mu
8:34 True Cuckoo Interview — https://www.truecuckoo.com
10:44 Roland Future Design Lab – Tone Explorer — https://articles.roland.com/tone-expl...
16:15 Roland Future Design Lab – Project LYDIA — https://articles.roland.com/introduci...
23:53 True Cuckoo Live Gig — / truecuckoo
24:09 BoBeats on the Circuits — / @bobeats
25:46 Expressive E Osmose CE — https://www.expressivee.com (played by Tomasz Bura: https://linktr.ee/tomaszbura)
37:50 BLEASS — https://www.bleass.com
48:47 Exquis Controller (Intuitive Instruments) — https://dualo.com/en/exquis/
1:00:00 Entonal Studio (Node Audio) — https://entonal.studio
1:08:12 Tonebank (Node Audio) — https://node.audio
1:16:39 Mõnai by VOID9 — https://void9.com
1:27:12 Showing Loopy Pro — https://loopypro.com
1:27:51 Microrack — https://microrack.org
1:33:01 El Tigre Soundsystem — / eltigresoundsystem
1:33:58 Nord Electro 7 — https://www.nordkeyboards.com/product...
1:47:00 Zoom LiveTrak L-12 Next — https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/digital-mi...
1:50:29 Zoom LiveTrak L-6 Max — https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/digital-mi...
1:52:40 Focusrite ISA C8X — https://us.focusrite.com/products/isa...
1:55:02 Modular Audio Tools MAT 16X8 — https://www.modularaudiotools.com

Genki's CEO On How The €4990 KATLA Synthesizer Was Made

video upload by mylarmelodies

"Here's how KATLA was made - recorded at the Synth & Pedal Expo London (plus sounds at the end!). Katla is a unique synth - inspired by a titanic volcano in Iceland, with a huge gritty vibey sound. It literally has volcano in it(!) And after this interview, I thought about it a lot. Because behind the scenes, I've been working on a product and so much of what Óli said here resonated with my own experiences. I was really struck by how open, candid and frank Óli was, and I think there's huge value in learning from their journey. Hope you find this interesting!

Note that there was the Hackney half marathon happening in the background with people shouting and whooping constantly throughout the chat - but Izotope RX to the rescue!"

MORE ON KATLA
▶︎ It's since sold out, but there is a waitlist! https://genki.is/katla

VISIT THE LONDON SYNTH & PEDAL EXPO NEXT YEAR?
▶︎ https://synthandpedalexpo.com/london-...

CHAPTERS
0:00 A Volcano In A Synthesizer?
01:03 Depression, Iceland & A Big Idea
02:11 Nobody Knew What They Were Building
04:31 Fake Deadlines & Soccer Moms
06:09 The Godfather Of The Project
08:00 How Do You Sound Like A Volcano?
09:32 Spending Big & Hoping It Works
11:20 Linux, ARM Chips & Why Digital?
12:45 Who Actually Has Final Say?
15:50 4:30am Hack Sessions In Iceland
18:16 Trusting Creatives When Life Hits
21:28 We Were Beginners. We Didn't Know.
23:48 The Secret Ingredient: Grease
26:16 Where Does The Lava Come From?
29:23 Why Does This Cost £5,000?
34:11 Two Years, 100 Units, A Baby
36:50 Mylar Playing Katla Afterwards

Roland Juno 106 Synthesizer - Serviced - New Voice Chips - Signed by Kip Winger

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Dead Roland Juno 106 Repair - Synthchaser #178 video upload by Synthchaser

via this eBay listing

CLICK FOR MORE »

JMT SYNTH / SRV-1b

video upload by beatsville store

https://beatsville.jp



A desktop spring reverb unit featuring a built-in miniature spring.

You can use its high-quality, authentic spring to achieve a beautiful, classic reverb—or you can dive headfirst into the lush, vibrant resonance of a wildly oscillating spring, letting yourself drift and drown in its saturated wetness. It gets absolutely drenched.

And while nobody explicitly told you to shake it, smack it around, or slam it against the table... well, naturally, you’re going to do it. After all, there’s a real spring inside that actually shakes! It’s the thrill of the authentic.

Mix the clean-boosted signal (GAIN) with the spring-reverb-processed signal (REVERB), then adjust the overall output volume using the LEVEL control.

When the switch is in the down position, the signal bypasses the effect, passing directly from IN to OUT. The LED illuminates when the effect is active.

*Powered by a DC 9V power adapter (center-negative / Tip = -); sold separately.

Behringer BMX - What the F...lol

video upload by Noir Et Blanc Vie - After Hours

"Subjective opinions within, those who do not understand subjective opinion may be excused lol

So the Behringer BMX, honestly, do you really care what I think? WELL, here's my thoughts, it's IMPOSSIBLE to freaking use something like this on the floor of a convention without help and NOBODY was trying to help me haha. That said, sound wise, oh for sure, it's solid, 100%. Dare I say "good", BUT, dang, everything is good these days. Gear is just a tool, but I think this could be useful, more useful than the Linn from the B. Would I buy the BMX, absolutely not, never hahaha. That's becasue I'm FLUSH with drum machines, and straight up, if I'm working with an artist or my own albums for drums specifically I'm ITB. Tempest is still the absolute king, if you have a TR-8s, Tempest, uhhh, Drumlogue, Alphabase, I mean geez a number of other drum machines you're good, you don't need to buy more space fillter, you can make music without this, TRUST me. BUT, it does sound good, the bass drum is no Alphabase though, no freakin way.

#BehringerJN80 #NAMM2026 #BehringerBMX"

The Casio FZ-1 Is the Hardest-Hitting Vintage Sampler Nobody Talks About

video upload by Espen Kraft

"The Casio FZ-1 sampler from 1987. Here represented with its module version FZ-10M.
This demo song is made with only custom samples from it.
Some of the screenshots are from my in-depth video tutorial no longer available on my channel.
If you're interested in any of my older long video tutorials they can be purchased from me directly on email or Patreon."

New England Digital Synclavier Brochures

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

New England Digital Synclavier 9600 Polyphonic Sampling System Brochure

via this eBay listing

"RARE! New England Digital Synclavier 9600 Polyphonic Sampling System Brochure

Yes, this is the 9600, and yes, this is in English.

This is THE RAREST and MOST SOUGHT AFTER of the 1989 new system brochures that that fake foreign website scanned the photos from 25+ years ago to show fake systems on the website (instead of real ones like Synclav com has shown for 20+ years). This is the original source of the scan, at least for the Synclavier 9600 model. Those photos show empty boxes. Uhm, what's holding that beige door closed (no locks)? And exactly what software generates that screen image?

This incredibly rare brochure gives all the information, and shows all the specs of the Synclavier 9600. And surprise! The maximum polyphonic sampling memory is not "1.5GB", lulz.

And, lastly, Synhouse has the Synclavier 9600 in stock (two kinds, actually). Nobody else does."

New England Digital Synclavier Brochure VPK Sample-to-Disk VT640

via this eBay listing

"This is an incredibly rare brochure from the summer of 1984 (when NED was working on polyphonic sampling Synclavier to be shown October 1984 and there was no actual system in production, the few shipped were hybrids of the Synclavier V/PK retrofitted to a Synclavier II Control Unit) that shows things that NED didn't exactly make, ever.

This was their first---and last---mention of "The Tapeless Studio" meaning the sequencer (later that meant the Direct-to-Disk system). It describes the SMPTE Reader Option without using that term because it wasn't yet available and they hadn't figured out how it would be done yet (similar to the 1987 discussion of the not-yet-released 3rd party SMPTE reader for the Linn 9000, saying they weren't sure whether or not it would require additional hardware to be added to the Linn 9000....that's the sound of someone who hasn't ever used SMPTE and doesn't know what it is), and it shows a graphical flow chart showing polyphonic sampling and multi-channel outputs (neither available then as building blocks), and is intentionally vague about the "floppy disk system" and "Winchester disks", as they didn't really have the set offering for that (high density Superfloppy, not out until 1985, and 5mb and 10mb IMI MFM Winchester drives being common, neither with SCSI until 9/1985).

It describes the Stereo Option, Sample-to-Disk, SCRIPT/MAX, and different Control Unit enclosures.

Most strangely, it shows a V/PK that never existed, with a back panel that wasn't made, with Synclavier II connectors that were never used and, sadly, an on/off power switch that they never put on this $11,000 machine.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Organ demo 19/20: Elgam Ringo and Hohner bass pedals

video upload by organfairy

"Some people might argue that the Elgam Ringo is not exactly an organ, but it was sold as such, though back in 1978 everything that was polyphonic and had a divider based tone generator was generally considered an organ. (I will probably get mutilated by a mob of angry Polymoog owners now.)

It doesn't have a bass section, which I find quite odd given that it has a drum machine. I would rather have had a bass section. Therefore I am using it together with the mysterious Hohner bass pedals - mysterious because I seem to be the only person in the universe who has this set: Nobody seems to know anything about it.

Because this organ is very basic - five rhythms and four voices - I have made this demo shorter than the others, so there are only 5 songs against the usual 6-8.

The songs are:
Pennies from heaven (John Burke / Arthur Johnston)
Den rige og den fattige (Gustav Winckler / Bent Werther)
Mormors kolonihavehus (Erik Clausen / Leif Sylvester Petersen)
Tanze mit mir in den Morgen (Kurt Hertha / Kurt Göetz)
Wolgalied (Franz Lehar)"

The story of INVENTING Eurorack: DIETER DOEPFER // Why We Bleep 55

video upload by mylarmelodies

"A podcast about creating Eurorack modular synths in the 90s, collaborations with Kraftwerk, the 'red stripe' controversy (if you know you know). We meet from Dieter Doepfer & new Doepfer managing director Holger Zapf, in an interview at Machina Bristronica 2024, on how Eurorack Modular format went from "Nobody wants that sh*t" to a blossoming and diverse industry 30 years later. 👉 / mylarmelodies 🙌

This was filmed at the mighty https://machinabristronica.uk/" Chapters:
00:00 - In this episode of Why We Bleep...
01:30 - A word from Why We Bleep's Sponsors
04:38 - Introduction to Dieter Doepfer and Holger Zapf
06:14 - Early life, education, introduction to music & technology
16:47 - First encounters with synths - analogue vs the era of digital
21:49 - MAQ16/3 - a little collaboration with Kraftwerk
25:31 - The early developement of Eurorack ("Nobody wants that sh!t!")
31:16 - Holger's involvement, perspectives on Eurorack and favourite modules
36:53 - Doepfer's development and design process
41:55 - Eurorack's evolution - parallels and adopters of the format
45:55 - The 'Red Stripe' controversy and voltage standards
51:49 - How it feels to have started the Eurorack Industry
53:07 - What is the future of Doepfer, and of Music Technology?
58:14 - A question from the audience - Eurorack's Birthday?
59:07 - Thank you Doepfer! Final thoughts

If you enjoyed the episode, please share it and consider contributing on Patreon!

DOEPFER ONLINE:
▶︎ https://www.doepfer.de/home.htm

THANKS TO SPONSORS:
▶︎ SIGNAL SOUNDS http://signalsounds.com
▶︎ POINT BLANK MUSIC SCHOOL: https://bit.ly/pbopenday25

SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:
▶︎ Patreon: / mylarmelodies (Help fund more podcast episodes, videos, join a community of music makers and ask me questions directly!)"

This is the best sound design tool nobody's heard of (and it's free)

video upload by mylarmelodies

"Prepare to meet SoundThread - capable of the most insane sound mangling imaginable - and it's completely free. You might know of Composer's Desktop Project, used by our old pal Aphex Twin on Drukqs. CDP is one of the most powerful software sound design tools on Earth, and is free. It can do things you just can't do elsewhere. Problem is, CDP has never been especially easy to use. Enter SoundThread - a new, beginner friendly Mac/Windows/Linux "front end" for CDP. SoundThread gives you access to lots of CDP's power, but in a simple drag-and-drop modular way. It makes it fun and quick to explore, even if you have very limited experience - that's a big deal. CDP has never been this easy before.

This video was made completely independently of SoundThread & CDP - if I find something cool, I just want to spread the word.

SOUNDTHREAD LINKS TO TRY IT YOURSELF
▶ Get SoundThread: https://github.com/j-p-higgins/SoundT... (Note: This will also tell you how to install CDP. Follow the install instructions precisely. It's not hard, but you mustn't miss a step.)
▶ ...Then learn SoundThread: Soundthread's maker has made a really clear and straightforward video tutorial series for it, watch these: [SoundThread videos below]

▶ SoundThread Discord community: / discord

COMPOSERS DESKTOP PROJECT INFO
▶ Main site for CDP: https://www.composersdesktop.com/ ▶ Watch this video where lovely chap BT shows you how command line CDP works: [video further below]"

SoundThread


Sound Design Tutorial w/ BT Pt. 1: Digital Signal Processing Using Mac OS X Terminal

video upload by Dubspot