Did Moog ruin synths? Suzanne Ciani reveals analog's original sin.

video upload by SpectreVision Radio and Phantom Power Podcast

"Today we talk to modular synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani and MIT Spatial Sound Lab researcher Kamran V. Suzanne and Kamran both love quadraphonic sound, and they have a new quad release coming out on June 4th called Ciani/Orkest. They are on a mission to make quadraphonic music accessible to both musicians and to listeners, and in this interview, Kamran will explain how, you, with no special equipment, can listen to their new album in quad.
We'll also get into how analog synthesizers actually work, the early history of Buchla synths versus Moog synths, why Suzanne thinks keyboards diminish the potential of synths, and how Suzanne designed some of the most recognizable sounds of the 1980s.
Suzanne Ciani is a Grammy Award nominated composer, electronic musician, and neoclassical recording artist who has released over 20 solo albums, including Seven Waves and The Velocity of Love. Her work has been featured in Hollywood films, video games, and countless commercials. She was inducted into the first class of keyboard magazine's Hall of Fame, alongside Bob Moog, Don Buchla, and Dave Smith. And she was the subject of the feature documentary, A Life in Waves.
Kamran V is an arts technologist and MIT Spatial Sound Lab researcher, and he's a National Endowment for the Arts grant recipient. He's worked at Interscope Records, produced immersive music releases for Nine Inch Nails, Sting, and Beck, and he ran the music tech fest, Moogfest. He's also on the board of Dub Lab.

Cited Media:

Music & Albums:
⁠Suzanne Ciani - Ciani/Orkest (2025)⁠⁠Suzanne Ciani - Live Quadraphonic (2016)⁠⁠Suzanne Ciani - The Velocity of Love (1986)⁠⁠Suzanne Ciani - Seven Waves (1982)⁠⁠Wendy Carlos - Switched-On Bach (1968)⁠⁠Stevie Wonder - Talking Book (1972)⁠⁠The Rentals⁠
Film & TV:
⁠3-2-1 Contact, PBS (1980–1988)⁠⁠Brett Whitcomb - A Life in Waves (2017)⁠⁠Suzanne Ciani on David Letterman (1980)⁠
Events & Festivals:
⁠Moogfest⁠⁠AES Convention⁠⁠Amsterdam Dance Event⁠⁠NAMM⁠
Tools & Plugins:
⁠Kamran V - QUARK Plugin (free)⁠
Record Labels & Archives:
⁠Finders Keepers Records⁠

Chapters:

0:00 Intro
5:45 Meet the Guests
6:28 Sound Design & Commercials
13:45 High Art vs Low Culture
19:03 Ciani Orkest
24:42 Moog vs Buchla
26:36 How Modular Synths Work
36:15 Quadrophonic Sound
45:13 The QUARK Plugin
50:24 Seven Waves"

Korg USA Mourns the Passing of Jack Hotop, Legendary Sound Designer and Innovator

Some sad news in via Korg.

You can find posts on MATRIXSYNTH featuring Jack Hotop here for a look back on his influence in the synthesizer community. The first post was a simple pic back in 2006.

Press release from Korg follows:

Over a 40-Year Career, the Influential Synthesist and Accomplished Touring Keyboardist Shaped the Sonic Architecture of More Than 100 Landmark Instruments, Including the Historic M1 Workstation

MELVILLE, N.Y. - Korg USA announces with deep sadness the passing of longtime employee, celebrated sound designer, and musical instrument industry icon Jack Hotop. Joining Korg USA (then Unicord) in 1983, Hotop started as Senior Voicing Manager and spent over four decades driving the development, sound design, programming, voicing, and product demonstrations for more than 100 Korg products. As a pioneering engineer and exceptionally skilled performer, his extensive contributions helped guide the evolution of synthesizers and digital workstations from the early 1980s through the modern era, leaving an indelible imprint on instruments used by musicians around the world and for generations to come.

Hotop’s foundational expertise was anchored in a rigorous musical and technical background. Raised in a musical family, he began piano lessons at age seven, inspired by his father, a musician featured on several Broadway cast recordings, and numerous pianists on his mother’s side. By age 14, he was actively performing in local bands on a Gibson 101 organ. He pursued formal training at the Berklee College of Music, majoring in arranging, composition, and accompaniment, before expanding into emerging music technology at the Boston School of Electronic Music under Roger Powell. It was there that Hotop established his core synthesis fundamentals using early hardware including the ARP Odyssey, 2600, 2500, and EMS Synthi, building a deep understanding of waveforms, envelopes, low-frequency oscillators, and modulators.

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SUPERBOOTH 2026: Buchla Ziggy

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company’s complex oscillator architecture, combining analogue sound generation with digital control in a self-contained, patch-free design."

SUPERBOOTH 2026: Supercritical Synthesizers Redshift 6

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Supercritical Synthesizers have introduced an array of new features for the Redshift 6, and are currently working on a new oscillator engine that'll be available in a future update."

SUPERBOOTH 2026: Erica Synths Resonant Filterbank

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Erica Synths debuted the Resonant Filterbank at this year's Superbooth show in Berlin, their new performance and studio production-friendly FX unit."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Melbourne Instruments Roto-Control

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Melbourne Instruments show us some new features for the Roto Control which will become available via an update in around a week’s time.

https://www.melbourneinstruments.com/..."

SUPERBOOTH 2026: Plinky 12 Toadstep

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Plinky talk us through their new range of compact synths, controllers and sequencers, and show how users can edit the underlying code to create their own custom devices."

SUPERBOOTH 2026: UDO Audio DMNO

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Announced back in November 2025, the UDO Audio DMNO is now shipping. We get a quick recap of its key features and take a listen to some patches!"

SUPERBOOTH 2026: Modal Electronics Element One

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"The Element One is a new keyboard-equipped synth that draws on Modal Electronics' existing instruments, but with a streamlined, performance-focused set of controls."

SUPERBOOTH 26: PWM OSCar Rebirth

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"PWM Instruments give us a demo of the latest prototype of the OSCar Rebirth, a meticulous recreation of the original OSCar synth."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Knif Audio Knifonium

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Knif Audio are making their debut Superbooth appearance with a range of valve processors that are based on their Knifonium modular synth system."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Oddment Audio ODD-1

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"The ODD-1 from Oddment Audio is a sample-based synth that boasts granular processing across up to eight stereo samples, features two independent layers and includes a whole host of onboard modulation and effects."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave - Spatial Audio

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Groove Synthesis are showing off the 3rd Wave’s spatial audio capabilities at Superbooth 2026, as well as previewing and upcoming user-created librarian, patch and wavetable editor application."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Cyma Forma RND Synth & ALT

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"The Cyma Forma RND Synth, or Random Synth, features just a single button that generates an entirely random patch with each press."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Cyma Forma ALT

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Cyma Forma talk us through the ALT, an interesting new analogue synth that’s been designed with evolving ambient soundscapes in mind."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Expressive E Osmose CE

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Expressive E talk us through the Osmose CE, a MIDI controller version of the Osmose that comes bundled with an array of MPE-capable software instruments."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Enjoy Electronics Memento

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Enjoy Electronics are about to launch the Memento, a new audio processor that offers up to eight independent virtual playback heads and includes a whole host of onboard filtering, modulation and effects."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Audio.Computer Machine No. 2

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Audio.Computer have been busy working on a new instrument that aims to take time-stretching to new heights. We take a look and listen to a very early prototype, which is currently known as the Machine 2."

"A multi-loop time stretcher for textural soundscapes"

SUPERBOOTH 26: 1010music blackbox 2

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"1010music have just announced the blackbox 2, a new and improved version of their compact sampler that now features a built-in battery."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Erica Synths Bullfrog Drums

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"The Bullfrog Drums is the latest collaboration between Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin, and delivers an educational instrument that's easy to use, but still packs in enough pro features to satisfy serious users."

SUPERBOOTH 26: Polyend Drums

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Polyend's big announcement for Superbooth 2026 is the Drums, a new drum machine that features both analogue and digital voices and boasts some powerful sequencing capabilities."