Roland D-50 - first virtual analog synth?

video upload by Don Solaris

"Soundset available at: https://www.donsolaris.com/?page_id=4157
Compatible with: Roland Cloud D-50, V-Synth D-50, D-05, D-550 and D-50.

All music composed by Don Solaris unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2026 Don Solaris. All rights reserved."

Casio CZ-101-1000-3000-5000 - "Cassiopeia" Soundset 64 Presets

video upload by LFOstore

"!! This soundset is completely re-worked previously released 'Mosaic Tones' soundset which is no more avaliable.

BUY: https://lfo.sellfy.store/p/casio-cz-1...

If you bought 'Mosaic Tones' please write to us with payment history and we will send you this one for free!

Casio CZ-101 aka. Cosmosynthesizer is here!

Soundset working with hardware CZ-101 Model & Plugin Boutique Virtual CZ!
Working with CZ-101,CZ1000,3000,5000!

As description says:
The CZ-101 is a state-of-the-art musical instrument which incorporates the latest electronics technology to make its operation as easy as possible.

Exceptional sound quality backed up by a host of sophisticated features and functions makes the CZ-101 a truly unique musical instrument.

Thanks for Injapan.ru - we've got 36 years old CZ-3000 in mint condition.
Introducing "Cassiopeia" Soundset with 64 organic sounds for CZ-101!

Mellow Leads
Beautiful Pads
Sweeping Strings
Bells & Plucks
Poly's & Brass

A PDF booklet is included with description to every patch in the soundset.
From Ambient & Electronica to SynthWave & SynthPop with benefits of phazeDistortion synthesis.

Made by Nick Klimenko aka Chronos, a creator of 'Organica' for Waldorf Blofeld & 'WS Universe' for Korg Wavestation

Enjoy and may the music come with you!"

A "JP-8000" in your DAW for FREE

video upload by mylarmelodies

"Meet the DSP6300 crew and 'JE-8086', part their amazing ongoing project to make the firmware in 90's virtual analogue synths run in a modern DAW as a VST plugin. FOR FREE. 🔗 https://dsp56300.wordpress.com/ 👉 / mylarmelodies 🙌 MORE LINKS BELOW

Thanks to those who sent me the lecture - it's really interesting if you'd like to understand how this was achieved!

MORE INFO
▶︎ DSP56300 Site (the plugin is called "JE-8086"): https://dsp56300.wordpress.com/
▶︎ Roland's Official JP-8000 Firmware is here: https://www.roland.com/global/support..
. ▶︎ Lecture video by the creators on how it was done: • 39C3 - From Silicon to Darude Sand-storm: ... [video below]
▶︎ The DSP56300 donation link from the app: https://paypal.me/dsp56300
▶︎ More talks from them: https://media.ccc.de/search?p=giulioz


CHAPTERS:
00:00 This sounds familiar.
00:42 The sound, the feat
02:07 How it was done
03:41 Legal implications of ROMs
04:27 A quick fiddle
06:49 How to install & support it

39C3 - From Silicon to Darude Sand-storm: breaking famous synthesizer DSPs

video upload by media.ccc.de

"https://media.ccc.de/v/39c3-from-sili...

Have you ever wondered how the chips and algorithms that made all those electronic music hits work? Us too!

At The Usual Suspects we create open source emulations of famous music hardware, synthesizers and effect units. After releasing some emulations of devices around the Motorola 563xx DSP chip, we made further steps into reverse engineering custom silicon chips to achieve what no one has done before: a real low-level emulation of the JP-8000. This famous synthesizer featured a special "SuperSaw" oscillator algorithm, which defined an entire generation of electronic and trance music. The main obstacle was emulating the 4 custom DSP chips the device used, which ran software written with a completely undocumented instruction set. In this talk I will go through the story of how we overcame that obstacle, using a mixture of automated silicon reverse engineering, probing the chip with an Arduino, statistical analysis of the opcodes and fuzzing. Finally, I will talk about how we made the emulator run in real-time using JIT, and what we found by looking at the SuperSaw code.

This talk is a sequel to my last year's talk Proprietary silicon ICs and dubious marketing claims? Let's fight those with a microscope!", where I showed how I reverse engineered a pretty old device (1986) by looking at microscope silicon pics alone, with manual tracing and some custom tools. Back then I claimed that taking a look at a more modern device would be way more challenging, due to the increased complexity.

This time, in fact, I've reverse engineered a much modern chip: the custom Roland/Toshiba TC170C140 ESP chip (1995). Completing this task required a different approach, as doing it manually would have required too much time. We used a guided automated approach that combines clever microscopy with computer vision to automatically classify standard cells in the chip, saving us most of the manual work.

The biggest win though came from directly probing the chip: by exploiting test routines and sending random data to the chip we figured out how the internal registers worked, slowly giving us insights about the encoding of the chip ISA. By combining those two approaches we managed to create a bit-accurate emulator, that also is able to run in real-time using JIT.

In this talk I want to cover the following topics:
What I learned since my previous talk by looking at more complicated chips
Towards automating the silicon reverse engineering process
How to find and exploit test modes to understand how stuff works
How we tricked the chips into spilling its own secrets
How the ESP chip works, compared to existing DSP chips
How the SuperSaw oscillator turned out to work


giulioz

https://events.ccc.de/congress/2025/h..."

DiscoDSP Releases Retromulator Based on The Usual Suspects dsp56300 Engine

via DiscoDSP

[Note: although DiscoDSP gives credit to The Usual Suspects, it's my understanding TUS is not happy about it. From a forum:

"He basically took our source, put his own wrapper on it and is trying to sell it and use it to promote his own business. Can't prevent it, but frankly this is reprehensible IMHO.

Yes. He knows he cannot legally "sell" it due to the licensing model our code is published under. Therefore he sells "support" of "his development efforts" to include difficult things like "git clone" and other Arcane and extremely difficult stuff. sigh... I'd strongly advise anyone using it not to actually pay him for it, but that is just my opinion.]

What isn't clear is whether the UI is just the player above or includes the full editors by The Usual Suspects. I'm hearing it's just the player, which in effect might be an upsell for the full editors by The Usual Suspects.

That said:

"Retromulator brings legendary hardware cores back to life through authentic low-level emulation. The virtual analog synths are powered by a faithful recreation of the Motorola DSP 56300 processor, the Yamaha DX7 runs a full emulation of its original chip set, and the Akai S1000 sampler plays your SF2, SFZ, and Bliss sample banks with studio-quality interpolation. Each core runs its actual firmware or sample data — delivering the unmistakable character of hardware that defined electronic music from the early 80s through the 2000s.

Unlike traditional software emulations that recreate synthesizer behavior by approximation, Retromulator emulates the original integrated circuits at the hardware level. The virtual analog synths run on a cycle-accurate Motorola DSP 56300, the Yamaha DX7 runs a full emulation of its Hitachi HD6303R sub-CPU and Yamaha YM21280/YM21290 EGS/OPS chip set, and the Akai S1000 sampler runs on the SFZero v3.0.0 engine with 8-point sinc interpolation supporting SF2, SFZ, ZBP, and ZBB sample banks. Each core executes its authentic firmware or sample data exactly as intended.

Load the ROM firmware from your own hardware or sample banks from your library, place them in the designated folder, and Retromulator takes care of the rest. The result is not an approximation — it is the real hardware running inside your DAW.

Retromulator is built on Gearmulator, an open-source synthesizer emulation project by the dsp56300 team. We are grateful for their extraordinary work in bringing these classic instruments back to life."

You can find demos of the dsp56300 engines in previous posts here.

Featured synths:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Follow the Sound I

video upload by Todd Barton

"Todd Barton with Buchla Music Easel and Eurorack

Making this public, my OSU Soundbox 4 virtual performance from 2021. Eager to perform live for Soundbox 9 in May 29-30.

The original post:

Dear Patrons, I'm so glad to share this little improvisation with you. It premiered last night at SoundBox4 https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/s... That festival is still going on today and tomorrow and it is free, you might like to check it out.
I surely miss performing live but when I turn on the video and audio recorders and imagine an audience it is an exciting alternative. I hope you enjoy this. All best wishes, Todd"

FREE SYNTH: OB-Xf (Oberheim OB-X Emulation) - No talking demo

video upload by ADL-MusicLab

"Hi, everyone!

OB-Xf is a continuation and modernization of the last open source version of OB-Xd by 2DaT and later discoDSP, bringing together several efforts going on in the audio space and combining them inside the Surge Synth Team infrastructure.

It is an amazing freely downloadable virtual synthesizer inspired by the venerable Oberheim OB-X.

The original Oberheim OB-X is one of the best analog poly-synths ever, used by Rush, Van Halen, Queen, Japan, Eurythmics, Ultravox, Tangerine Dream and many others.

It is a classic synthesizer with a timeless sound that continues to captivate musicians and producers alike. With its rich, full-bodied tones and expansive sound design capabilities, the OB-Xf is the perfect choice for those looking to add a vintage touch to their music.

The OB-Xf is a synthesizer that has been designed to recreate the sound and behavior of the Oberheim OB-X, OB-Xa and OB-8. However, the architecture of the original instruments was limited in some ways, so the OB-Xf includes a number of additional or altered features. Overall, the OB-Xf has been designed to produce a sound that is as good and as rich as the original OB-X.

Also, like many synths of the OB-X's generation, the OB-Xf has no internal effects so its sounds and textures can be greatly enhanced by the use of additional processing like chorus, reverb, delay, etc.

In this demo I will just let you hear what some amazing sound designers have made for this stunning synth simply by scrolling and playing some beautiful presets.

No additional effects or outboard processing here. What you listen is what you get!

More info here:
https://surge-synth-team.org/ob-xf/
https://github.com/surge-synthesizer/..."

Deeply Flawed, Utterly Charming: RMIF TI-5 Synthesizer

video upload by HAINBACH

"The RMIF TI-5 "Digital Keyboard", an 8-Voice analog/digital hybrid synth, is little known, even in former Soviet countries. As they did on the ES-2-5 drum machine I covered here before, it seems that the engineers in Riga took a look at what Roland was doing, taking inspiration from the Juno-line. Unlike the famously sturdy Japanese instruments, the TI-5 was built rather haphazardly, with bad clones of western chips managing the voices and processing. That is why only few survived the test of time. Yet despite its shortcomings it sounds utterly charming, managing both deep Moog-basses, vast evolving pads and chiptune leads.

Music & TI-5 Sample Instrument: / hainbach
My Music: http://hainbach.bandcamp.com"

You can find additional videos of the RMIF TI-5 including a virtual version in previous posts here.

Equations: Graphing Calculator Synthesizer by Decent Samples

Playing around with the Equations Synth video upload by Peter Kirn

"I am not going to write a Kraftwerk reference here.

This is too awesome. Review -- and more on the TI calculator hardware and how it's been used for music:

https://cdm.link/making-music-on-the-..."

via https://www.decentsamples.com

Where mathematics meets music: a unique synthesizer plugin that puts the power of mathematical expression directly at your fingertips. Instead of selecting from preset waveforms, you write your own equations to generate completely unique sounds.

Equation Synth is a unique synthesizer plugin that puts the power of mathematical expression directly at your fingertips. Instead of selecting from preset waveforms, you write your own equations to generate completely unique sounds. Whether you’re a sound designer seeking unprecedented sonic possibilities or a music producer looking for fresh, distinctive textures, Equation Synth opens up an infinite universe of waveforms limited only by your imagination.

Comprehensive Modulation System

Bring your equations to life with an extensive modulation matrix featuring:

Modulation Sources:

3 Envelopes (ADSR) with tempo sync options
3 LFOs with multiple waveform shapes (sine, square, saw), tempo sync, and delay
Note Velocity for dynamic expression
Modwheel for performance control
MPE Support: Timbre and Pressure for expressive multi-dimensional control
Modulation Destinations:

Route modulation to virtually any parameter including:

Volume, Pitch (Coarse/Fine)
All Equation Parameters (A, B, C, D)
Graph parameters (Scale X/Y, Offset X)
Filter Cutoff and Resonance
Noise Level
Effect parameters (Chorus, Delay, Reverb, and more)

Effects Chain

Polish your equation-based sounds with a professional effects suite:

Delay: Stereo offset, feedback, tempo-synced timing
Harmonic Reverb: Room size, damping, and mix controls
Chorus: Modulation depth and rate
Tape Simulator: Wow, Flutter, Saturation, as well as various tape player emulations
Intuitive Interface Design

Inspired by classic calculator aesthetics, Equation Synth features:

LCD-style display showing equation input and real-time waveform visualization
Tabbed interface organizing Equation, Synth, Modulation, Effects, and Note settings
Integrated help system with context-sensitive guidance
Virtual MIDI keyboard for quick auditioning
Scalable, resizable window
Preset management system for saving and recalling your creations
Advanced MIDI & MPE Capabilities

CLICK FOR MORE »

Access Virus A + Novation Drumstation: The Sound of Early Reflections

video upload by Insect O.

"On Early Reflections, Insect O. built a sonic world using two key machines: the Access Virus A and the Novation Drumstation.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:39 Novation Drumstation
01:59 Access Virus A
02:35 Live Session with both instruments
06:11 Outro

Music intro & outtro:
Insect O. - Deep Blue

This video explores how those two pieces of hardware shaped the emotional depth and mechanical pulse of the LP — from evolving Virus pads and saturated basslines to sharp 909-style drums programmed on the Drumstation. By limiting the setup to a focused hardware workflow, Insect O. crafted a cohesive, raw sound that defines Early Reflections.

We break down:
Technical aspects of the Access Virus A and Novation Drumstation
Drum programming techniques on the Drumstation
How the Virus A was used for pads, bass, and textured atmospheres
Hands-on control for live performance

CLICK FOR MORE »

RetroSound Studio Tour: Vintage Digital Synthesizers

video upload by RetroSound

"RetroSound Studio Tour:
Legendary Vintage Digital & Hybrid Synthesizers of the 80s and early 90s

In this episode of RetroSound Studio, I explore classic digital synthesizers that revolutionized electronic music production during the 80s and early 90s. From FM synthesis and wavetable synthesis to vector synthesis, PD synthesis, vitual analog and Roland’s LA synthesis, these instruments introduced a new generation of sound design and defined the sonic identity of an era.

The Yamaha DX7 became one of the best-selling synthesizers of all time, defining FM electric pianos and metallic digital textures. The PPG Wave pioneered wavetable synthesis, laying the foundation for modern digital sound engines. The Sequential Prophet VS introduced vector synthesis, allowing dynamic blending between digital waveforms. The Roland D-50 shaped late-80s pop and film scoring with its LA synthesis architecture, while the Roland JD-800 brought hands-on control back to digital synthesis in the 1990s.

These digital synthesizers shaped genres such as synth-pop, new wave, ambient, house, techno, trance, and film music. Today, they remain highly sought after by producers, collectors, and sound designers researching vintage digital synthesizers, 80s keyboard sounds, virtual analog, classic FM synthesis, and wavetable history."

The Digital & Hybrid Synths:
0:07 Sequential Prophet VS
4:39 PPG wave 2.2
10:36 Yamaha DX7 II FD
14:56 Yamaha DX11
16:39 Casio CZ-101
19:29 Casio VZ-1
21:21 Roland JD-800
26:40 Roland D-50 / D-550
28:00 Korg Wavestation EX / SR
31:24 Korg DW-8000 / EX-8000
32:42 Roland M-VS1
35:57 Kawai K5000R
38:57 Waldorf Microwave
39:44 Waldorf Microwave II XT
41:15 Clavia Nord Modular
41:59 Yamaha AN1x
44:36 Roland JV-1080
45:33 Ensoniq SQ-80
46:23 Quasimidi Raven Max
47:42 Korg Z1

Full Studio Tour playlist:

Casio CZ-1 - "Cassiopeia" Soundset 64 Presets

video upload by LFOstore

"Casio CZ-1 aka. Cosmosynthesizer is here!

BUY: https://lfo.sellfy.store/p/casio-cz-1...

Soundset working with hardware CZ-1 Model & Plugin Boutique Virtual CZ!
NOT working with CZ-101,CZ1000,3000,5000!

As description from 1986 says:
The CZ-1 is a state-of-the-art musical instrument which incorporates the latest electronics technology to make its operation as easy as possible.

Exceptional sound quality backed up by a host of sophisticated features andfunctions makes the CZ-1 a truly unique musical instrument.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Cherry Audio Fuses Three Classic Synths into New SH-MAX Powerhouse

video uploads by Cherry Audio

Playlist: [Use the player controls to skip around.]


1. Cherry Audio | SH-MAX Synthesizer - NEW!
2. Cherry Audio | Preset Walkthrough with Andrew Longhurst
3. Cherry Audio | MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE Preset Pack for SH-MAX Synthesizer by James Dyson
4. NEW! Cherry Audio LIVE PREMIERE Tuesday, February 10 at 10 AM PST
5. Cherry Audio SH-MAX - Roland's SH series reimagined! (Demo / Tutorial) - CatSynth TV

Press release follows:


Cherry Audio has announced SH-MAX, an innovative software synthesizer that integrates three legendary SH-series synths from the '70s: the SH-5, SH-7, and SH-3A.

Cherry Audio has announced the launch of SH-MAX, an innovative software synthesizer that integrates three legendary SH-series synthesizers from the 1970s: the SH-5, SH-7, and SH-3A. SH-MAX captures the bold sound of the SH-5 while incorporating features and aesthetics from the other models, enhancing the original designs with greater power, versatility, and essential tools for modern music production. Musicians and vintage synth enthusiasts can start using SH-MAX today for the incredibly low price of just $59, available at cherryaudio.com and authorized resellers worldwide.

SH-MAX faithfully recreates the vibrant tones and workflow of the original SH hardware. It features powerful dual oscillators, two LFOs and ADSR envelopes, the dual-parallel multimode and bandpass filter sections, and the five-channel mixer of the SH-5 (1976), plus a ring modulator and sample/hold capability. Also included are autobend, duophony, filter FM, and the syncable VCOs with additional waveforms found in the SH-7 (1978). The extra additive-style oscillator from the SH-3A (1975) further enhances sound design flexibility. Moreover, SH-MAX incorporates and expands upon the expressive touch performance of the SH-2000 (1973) and features an onboard sequencer inspired by the Model 104 of the legendary System 100 semi-modular synthesizer from 1975.

SH-MAX honors its lineage while taking full advantage of modern software capabilities, supporting mono, duophonic, and 16-voice polyphonic operation for rich chords as well as earthshaking unison timbres. It features three unique retro interface themes that pay homage to the aesthetic of the SH-3A, SH-5, and SH-7, providing a visually immersive experience for true vintage synth enthusiasts. Additionally, optional drift and slop controls for the oscillators, filters, amp, and dual envelope generators introduce authentic analog character and warmth to every sound patch.

The highly flexible SH-style stereo mixer and its varied workflow options allow for modular-style signal routing. Each sound source -- VCO-1, VCO-2A, VCO-2B, the ring modulator, and noise -- can be independently routed to the VCF, BPF, or VCA, with each path enhanced with its own chain of studio-quality effects. With 20 effects available to arrange and reuse within its four chains, SH-MAX provides an exceptionally wide sonic palette. Additional features include a four-channel step sequencer capable of parallel playback or extended chaining, along with a touch effects panel that supports channel and polyphonic aftertouch with compatible MIDI controllers.

SH-MAX's legacy traces back to over five decades of synthesizer and electronic music innovation. The SH-series synthesizers have been used by a diverse range of artists, including Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, Brian Eno, Gary Numan, Throbbing Gristle, Skinny Puppy, Aphex Twin, Orbital, Mathew Jonson, Pink Floyd, Nine Inch Nails, Kitaro, MGMT, Vangelis, The Human League, Blondie, Yello, and more.

With SH-MAX, users can create everything from massive leads and thick basses to lush pads and exceptional sound effects, making it a true synthesis powerhouse at their fingertips. To inspire musicians right out of the box, SH-MAX includes over 300 expertly crafted presets that showcase its broad capabilities. For those wanting even more, the Maximum Overdrive Preset Pack by sound designer James Dyson is available from Cherry Audio for $9.99, offering 100 additional presets that highlight SH-MAX's raw analog tone, advanced modulation, four-channel step sequencer, and abundant effects.

Furthermore, until February 22nd, customers can take advantage of Cherry Audio's "Build Your Own Bundle" promotion at cherryaudio.com. Choose the Pick 3 bundle for $99 (regularly $129) or the Pick 6 bundle for $149 (regularly $169) to mix and match any of Cherry Audio's award-winning instruments for as low as $25 per plugin.

Cherry Audio's SH-MAX synthesizer is now available for $59 at cherryaudio.com and authorized resellers worldwide. SH-MAX is a virtual instrument for macOS (10.13 and later) and Windows (7 and later), provided as AU, VST, VST3, and AAX plugins, as well as a standalone application. A free 30-day demo is available. For in-depth product details, an introductory video, extensive demos, and system requirements, visit cherryaudio.com.

CROW HILL Introduces Vaults GLASS BEAKER - Free

video upload by CROW HILL

"In this video Theo takes us through the next instalment in our FREE plugin range called Vaults - Beaker. Can a big old bit of glass from a homewares shop really make a beautiful sounding instrument. It can if it's recorded at Gorbals Sound in Glasgow and performed by our founder Christian Henson. A testament to what sampling enables us and you to do, make beautiful sounds and music with nothing more than a bit of imagination and care."

Press release follows:

The Crow Hill Company creates …GLASS BEAKER as latest …VAULTS virtual instrument, free for all to download and make music with no formal training

EDINBURGH, UK: The Crow Hill Company is proud to announce availability of VAULTS - GLASS BEAKER as the latest downloadable drop in its free virtual instrument collection, created from thecnotion that music need not necessarily begin with formal training, specialist instruments, or expensive tools but instead it comes from working directly with sound — specifically, placing a microphone in front of a simple object and exploring what happens through touch, movement, and experimentation, the resulting tone of which feels familiar but resists easy identification, sitting somewhere between a glockenspiel and a celeste without being either — as of February 2…

CLICK FOR MORE »

Viscount LEGEND ‘70s MODULAR STAGE PIANO w/ SYNTH-8, FM SYNTH, & Additional Modules

video uploads by Viscount International

Playlist:

1. Introducing Legend '70s MKII | Viscount
2. Introducing FM Synth Module | Viscount Legend '70s MKII
3. A.Piano Module 2G + FM Synth Module #1 | Viscount Legend '70s MKII
4. Legend 70's MKII | A. Piano 2G Module
5. FM Synth Module Sounds Demo | Viscount Legend '70s MKII
6. A. Piano Module 2G | Legend '70s MKII
7. A.Piano Module 2G + FM Synth Module #2 | Viscount Legend '70s MKII



via Viscount

LEGEND ‘70s introduces, for the first time, the concept of MODULAR STAGE PIANO. According to your needs, you can now choose the right combination of sound generating modules with dedicated knobs and buttons. Currently the modules ELECTRIC PIANO, ACOUSTIC PIANO, CLAVI and SOUND COLLECTION are available, while many others will be available in the future, within the “ALWAYS GROWING” family. Moreover to the standard PROGRAM and EFFECTS modules an optional EXTERNAL module is available to making the instrument flexible and very powerful. The design of LEGEND ‘70s Hammer Action Keyboard perfectly matches the instrument’s sound generators. The 3 contact sensors, under each key, are able to detect the corresponding movement with the highest precision.

For the more demanding musician the LEGEND ‘70s Artist-W also offers a graded hammer arrangement where their weight becomes lighter as you climb up the keyboard.

In addition, as with the traditional acoustic grand piano, the Legend Artist-W keyboard is enhanced with real wood piano keys. These keys are made of carefully selected and seasoned wood to eliminate any defect or deformation and provide maximum uniformity and stability over time.

SYNTH-8

"A real polyphonic synthesizer with character.

Synth-8 is a two-oscillators eight-voices synthesizer with a faithful reproduction of a classic American multimode analog filter with saturation, 12dB and 24dB roll off and gritty resonance. The synth architecture is easy to understand and operate but has unique features: classical waveforms with wave shaping and detuned doubling of the oscillators with “Fat” modes, dedicated envelope for the noise, Ring Mod, Hard Sync for all oscillator modes, velocity controls for filters and envelopes. Finally, the Unison modes allow stacking up to 8 voices: with “Fat” oscillators this makes a total of 32 detuned oscillators at once! The module panel provides quick access to user’s preferred parameters by four assignable knobs. These can be also used to tweak many other parameters arranged in rows that can be navigated through dedicated buttons.

The Legend ’70s Editor has a whole screen to control the synthesizer in real-time and make the editing of new patches simple as having a real panel in your hands. The synthesizer comes with lots of pre-sets that can be selected and tweaked and stored in the Legend ’70s programs.

Last but not least, the Synth-8 module also offers a dedicated arpeggiator section, capable of cyclically playing the notes in the desired order, and 4×16 sequences that can be assigned to the generation parameters."

CLICK FOR MORE »

The Crow Hill Company Introduces VAULTS - TUNED GONGS

video upload by CROW HILL

"There is a cave, near Rome, Italy, and in that cave they make gongs. In this video Christian unveils the latest free offering as part of our vault range. An extraordinary quartet of tuned gongs, designed and used by meditation gurus as part of gong bath setups we decided, in this "first pancake" to leather them. Much to their sonic distress."

Press release follows:


The Crow Hill Company brings beautiful set of tuned gongs to free VAULTS… VI collection as …TUNED GONGS, a downloadable drop with a difference

EDINBURGH, UK: The Crow Hill Company is proud to bring a beautiful set of tuned gongs to its free VAULTS… VI (Virtual Instrument) collection as …TUNED GONGS — germinated as a downloadable drop with a difference, effectively enabling anyone to play an extraordinary quartet of harmonised gongs designed and used by meditation gurus as part of gong bath setups in a way that was never intended by their Italian creator after being bought and sampled by composer Christian Henson, original founder of the Edinburgh-based enterprise, abiding, as always, by its Make Music, Your Music motto — as of January 8…

It is sometimes said — quite often, truth be told — that All roads lead to Rome. And although that popular proverb does not apply to The Crow Hill Company’s VAULTS - TUNED GONGS in the true sense of those words’ intended meaning, Italy’s capital city could be said to have played a passing part in the VI in question’s road to reality. Composer Christian Henson picks up the tentative thread, teasing, “There is a cave, just outside Rome, and in that cave they make gongs; we’re not sponsored by them — they don’t even know we’re making this thing. They do more than you’d expect out of a big cymbal.”

Changing tact, Christian Henson clarifies: “Ask any member of The Crow Hill team about my attention span and they will say that whilst, like most of us musos, I have the capacity for hyper-focus, I’m also easily distracted — especially when it comes to something new. We’re meant to be working on a fascinating new addition to the Origins… series, but, unfortunately, I’m easy prey for an Instagram post featuring an instrument I hadn’t heard before. Correction: I’d heard gongs before; I’ve even had the chance to play one, but none that sounded like these ones. Or rather this one. The big one. So I bought a whole tree of them! That’s what’s so fulfilling about this Crow Hill project; we get to make investments on behalf of the composing fraternity, so we all get a go.”

Get this, though. “This VAULTS… features four incredible-sounding tuned gongs that were designed, I suspect, for gong bath therapy,” theorises The Crow Hill Company’s original founder, following up with some characteristically vibrant verbiage: “Beautiful, bold fundamentals; mystical, engaging harmonics; and also a bottom end that shakes the room. I very much get the feeling that these gongs are not designed to be whacked. They really do complain when they’re abused in this way. The big one… well, she growls like a distant dragon, while the smallest protests in the shape of a scoop up an entire perfect fifth before it reluctantly settles into its fundamental. We’ve basically overlapped them and layered them to give you a quite rudimentary piano-style, chromatic instrument.”

It is fair to say, then, that the sometimes badly behaving VAULTS - TUNED GONGS sounds somewhat different to any of its software siblings. Saying that, though, its intuitive GUI (Graphical User Interface) is comfortingly familiar to anyone who has laid eyes on any VAULTS… release, identical in (almost) all aspects — bar its distinguishing background colour change — to all of The Crow Hill Company’s current collection. “Front end-wise, we’ve got EXPRESSION on CC11,” continues Christian Henson. “On the gongs that are higher in pitch you do get a kind of rumble, so I would recommend being very cautious about the SUB BASS control — particularly when you close the LPF [Low Pass Filter], when there’s a super-wide low end, which is so difficult to achieve; getting that kind of fatness, but also having that stereo width is pretty incredible. If you’re confident with your bass response in your studio or on your headphones, then go for it, but this thing really does shake the room. Then we’ve got some DELAY. You can make it even wider with the REVERB, and, because we’re naughty, there’s a little bit of CRYSTALLIZER in there, which is just incredible. As always with the VAULTS… macros, they’re designed so that you can’t make it sound terrible — everything has a subtle musical quality to it.”

Concludes Christian Henson: “We’re doing something incredibly exciting; a new way of sampling, but also treating these gongs with utmost respect, appreciating their soft, infinitely nuanced harmonics that change on every hit. The distraction has become a serious one, taking weeks as they’re not easy to record. When something is shaking the room and all the air inside it, what do you mic? So we needed a test recording. What better way of ushering in 2026 than with a shuddering tree of room-shaking gongs? There are some lower dynamics in there, which will give you a sense of where we’re headed with this project — a useful tuned metallophone that’s difficult to place, but, really, the purpose of this VAULTS… is to gong these! For that odd time you need a gong for a cue, these are pure class. I also found turning my speakers up and playing at full velocity to be an excellent way of getting my teenagers down for breakfast; they don’t like them at all.”

VAULTS… releases from The Crow Hill Company — including …TUNED GONGS — are free for all to download and make music with for the rest of their lives from here: https://thecrowhillcompany.com/vaults/

For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated VAULTS - TUNED GONGS webpage here: https://thecrowhillcompany.com/tuned-gongs/"

Modal Electronics Cobalt 8M - No talking demo

video upload by ADL-MusicLab

"Hi, everyone!

Here's to you my 'No talking demo' of the amazing Cobalt 8M by Modal Electronics.

Cobalt 8 is an 8 voice extended Virtual Analog synthesiser that unlocks the full creative potential of analogue waveforms. This powerful, inspiring instrument reinvents the aesthetics of analogue sounds and invites musicians, producers and sound designers to explore a new era of virtual-analogue synthesiser textures, far beyond the limits of its analogue forefathers.

On top of the innovative oscillator engine of COBALT8, it also has a massive arsenal of inspiring morphable and static filters. Combined with Modal’s unparalleled modulation options, an inspiring real-time / step sequencer, the energising arpeggiator, MPE, studio-quality effects and MODALapp integration, COBALT8 is the perfect synth for everyone who wants a versatile electronic music instrument to play vintage synth sounds and is eager to enter new sound dimensions.

Eight true polyphonic voices tempt players to lay out wide string or rich synth pad chords, while a monophonic bass or lead patch, played with 64 oscillators can shake the walls of every stadium. And with the avant-garde sound forming features, every synth enthusiast can refine his performance with sounds that no other synthesiser is able to generate."

Nick Klimenko - Synthesizer Museum Live (full album)

video upload by LFOstore

"LISTEN: https://cosmicleaf.gr/releases/1136/s...

Welcome to the 25th full-length album by Chronos. With this release, Nick Klimenko celebrates the opening of his personal synth museum!

In this unique space, you’ll find 190 hardware and 160 virtual instruments spanning the years 1978–2025. Chronos returns with a third live-played album, exploring the full depth of both analog and digital synthesizers. Everything was performed and recorded live in one take, inside the new museum space - https://nksynthmuseum.com/en/

Nick devoted countless hours practicing live playing, sequencing patterns and harmonies, and shaping rhythms and atmospheres for every single piece on this release.

When the time came, he simply hit the 'record' button — and played each track straight through.
This approach echoes the spirit of the 1970s, when Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream performed concerts entirely without computers or music software.

Musically, this album overflows with ambient and cosmic atmospheres, cinematic movements, and unique soundscapes

Tracklist:
001. Chronos - Soviet Analog Synthesizer Ambient
002. Chronos - Silentium Universi
003. Chronos - Inner Odyssey
004. Chronos - Summer Trio
005. Chronos - Alien Lights Above My Head
006. Chronos - Gamma Tauri
007. Chronos - Stellar Vector
008. Chronos - Interlude
009. Chronos - Velvet Trip

Mixed and mastered by Nick Klimenko
Cover art: Nick Klimenko / Cosmicleaf"

CONDUCTIVE LABS NDLR DESKTOP SEQUENCER

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

via this listing

Additional Signal Sounds listings

"A pre-owned Conductive Labs NDLR in good condition. It comes with original packaging and accessories.

Manufacturer's description
A MIDI Four-track, Sequenced Arpeggiator, Chord and Drone Player

We’ve turned complex music theory into a killer synthesizer jamming MIDI controller. With four parts that can play up to 8 synths, you can make fantastic electronic music, such as soundscapes, electronica, ambient, electro, or techno to name a few. Whether noodling in your music space after work or jamming with friends, The NDLR can take your music to amazing places!

Press one of the seven chord buttons, and the two arpeggiators and drone follow the chord notes while your polyphonic synth sings with pads.

There are start and stop buttons for each of the four parts, and a button to start/stop all parts. And there’s a “panic” button to stop all MIDI notes.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Cherry Audio Introduces Mercury-8 - Virtual Roland JUPITER-8 Soft Synth

video uploads by Cherry Audio

"Mercury-8 synthesizer builds on Cherry Audio's renowned Mercury legacy with a passionate focus on detail and modern technical advancements. Every aspect of the original hardware has been carefully modeled to capture the sound and behavior that made the JP-8 so legendary. Furthermore, Mercury-8 goes "beyond Jupiter" by offering expanded polyphony, versatile modulation options, studio-quality effects, and expressive performance capabilities. It not only captures the distinctive essence of a JP-8 but can even exchange SysEx data with MIDI-modified hardware.

https://cherryaudio.com/products/merc...

Cherry Audio and @TimShoebridge have collaborated once again to share an in-depth introductory video for Mercury-8. This comprehensive guide demonstrates how simple it is to create powerful sounds from scratch, maximize the modulation matrix, and get the most out of splits and dual layers. Additionally, the video highlights the new effects and Mercury-8's remarkable capability to import original JP-8 patch bank SysEx data via a drag-and-drop feature.

00:00 - Mission Mercury! by Mal Meehan, James Terris, and Robert Saint John
01:16 - Introducing Mercury-8 with Tim Shoebridge
02:48 - A Little Experiment
05:20 - Music: "From Scratch"
07:26 - Front Panel: VCOs and LFO
11:45 - Music: "Two Notes"
12:05 - Filters and Envelopes
15:00 - Music: "Plucks"
15:20 - Mod Matrix
16:35 - Layers, Dual and Split
18:05 - Effects
25:45 - Music: "Lo-Fi"
26:27 - Quick Tour: Sequencer, Arp, Performance, Assign Mode, and the Digital Display
27:43 - Digital Display and Expanded Settings
34:41 - Mercury-8 and JP-8: Factory Presets and SysEx Data Exchange
37:37 - Conclusion and Music: 'Timeline'"

Playlist of videos (note the desciption above is for the first video):

1. Cherry Audio | Introduction to Mercury-8 with Tim Shoebridge
2. Cherry Audio | Mercury-8 Synthesizer - NEW! - Cherry Audio and Michael Oakley Official
3. Cherry Audio | The Grid Preset Pack for Mercury-8 by Michael Oakley
4. Cherry Audio | Mercury-8: A Tour of the Presets with Mike Martin
5. Cherry Audio | JUPITER-8 x MERCURY-8 - Factory Presets Compared
6. Cherry Audio Mercury-8: Artist Demo - James Dyson
7. Cherry Audio Mercury-8: Artist Demo - Jezz Woodroffe

And two user videos:

Cherry Audio Mercury-8 Jupiter-8 Strings Pads FX VST Virtual Analog Synthesizer Rik Marston

video upload by Rik Marston Official

"My Etsy store: AhnyxianSoundDesign
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AhnyxianSou..."

Cherry Audio Mercury 8 Synthesizer 'Mercury Sunset Riders'

video upload by James Dyson

"Cherry Audio Mercury 8 Synthesizer 'Mercury Sunset Riders'

Composed with just handful of the included 'James Dyson Collection' Factory Presets that come with Mercury 8. 'More than just a Jupiter 8'

All played live and multi track recorded.

Checkout Mercury 8 here https://cherryaudio.com/products/merc..."

microKORG2 vs GAIA 2: Which synth is best?

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Its time for a synth 2 synth showdown... what is better: The Roland GAIA 2 or the new KORG MicroKORG2? They are both very similar virtual analog subtractive synthesizers designed around portability, so why pick one over the other??

Im not sure I can answer that question but I can share some experience on what I like best about each keyboard and what I feel really stands out feature-wise and what you might even consider against them.

As usual this is an extremely impromptu and casual chat in the studio-- no script, no plan, just some good old fashioned #synthtalk

Let me know what one you'd buy or what you think is the better value!"