Morphor ECHON 6 #4 | Winterdagen

video upload by Winterdagen

"New one on the amazing ECHON 6 :)! This piece starts with a gentle sine wave melody, before I slowly introduce the resonator section. I love synths that have extensive control over the envelope times and shapes and ECHON 6 does exactly that, you can chose 3 different modes for the envelopes, making sure you can make from very plucky sounds to long evolving ones. I love the click in this sound and it sounds great with the resonator section as well.

In the buildup of the piece I introduce some noise into the resonator, you can downsample the noise, and feeding that into the resonator reminds me of one of my favourite synth plugins, Tela from Fors. I never thought I'd be able to make those kind of sounds on an analogue hardware synth, but here we are!

This is such a rewarding synth to play around with, every time I find new sounds and new ways to combine the exciter and resonator sections. Hats off to Morphor!"

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."

AMYboard - the $29 DIY modular synth running Python.

video upload by Brian Whitman

via Brian Whitman of AMYboard

"Today, we’re launching a new music hardware platform! Meet the AMYboard, a 10HP modular-sized synthesizer brimming with inputs and outputs for digital and analog audio, MIDI, and two CV channels. The AMYboard firmware runs Micropython, and can be controlled and programmed over the web, where you can share your own creations with others. You can also use AMYboard in Arduino to create music devices of your own design. It’s only US$29.90 - a very inexpensive way to get started making your own modular-capable synths. It can be powered over USB or a 10-pin modular power cable, and comes with a 10HP laser-cut faceplate. You can buy one today!

AMYboard is powered by AMY, the synthesis and effects toolkit that DAn Ellis and I have been working on for the past few years. AMY is a beautiful-sounding, efficient re-creation of classic analog synths – like the Juno-6 – and FM synths – like the DX-7. It can also act as a sampler, play WAV files, or let you make your own synthesizer setups in code from bare oscillators, effects, and filters. AMY is open-source and runs on all sorts of hardware. It already powers some neat synths like the Diapasonix, the Spark, and our own Tulip Creative Computer. AMYboard is our “reference hardware” for AMY - running the same ESP32-S3 as Tulip with 8MB of RAM, but with new features including both analog and S/PDIF (digital) audio input and output, enabling live effects, sampling, and filters. We’ve also added an SD card for sample storage, and an I2C host port for connecting your own displays and knobs!"

AMYboard launches with AMYboard online – a web based simulator and control surface for the AMYboard. You can experience AMYboard online before even buying an AMYboard. AMYboard online runs the same core engine as the AMYboard hardware (ported to WebAssembly) so you can set up and interact with the synthesizer over the web. When you’re ready, you plug in your AMYboard, download your patch, or control it in real time over the web, including the capability to edit and store code on your hardware that will boot up the next time you turn it on. AMYboard’s default firmware allows anyone to code their synth creations in MicroPython running on the hardware; the AMY synthesis engine itself runs in bare-metal C, but you can load your own “sketches” onto the board to build complex environments. For example, here’s a generative house track with a Derrick May custom “WOODPIANO” FM patch. Or here’s a TB303 + 808 acid setup. Or add a filter and reverb to a DX7 patch. AMYboard online also comes with AMYboard World, an online community for AMYboard users to share sketches with each other. We’re really excited to see your cool creations, please do share them!

See Brian Whitman's full post on AMYboard for additional details and links.

Synth post-rock and ambient | Three songs with delay and reverb

video upload by Jay Hosking

"Please support my work on Patreon: / jayhosking
Three different songs focusing on the inspiration of delay and reverb.

MAS Distribution sent over the GFI Solis Ventus, a delay and reverb pedal, for me to try for free. Take that for what you will.

I've already used the Solis Ventus in other video here, so there was no particular need to create a video focused on it. However, I usually explore new gear by just placing it on the table and seeing what comes out. I thought maybe nothing would come of it, or maybe I'd make a single song. In the end, I kept writing more and more with it, all in different styles and genres. The reverbs in the Solis Ventus are fine, but there's some real weirdness and magic in the delays, and they kept delighting and surprising me. In the end, I decided to share three songs with you from these explorations, although there's some more on my Patreon.

00:00 - Post-rock with synths instead of guitar
03:52 - Pure ambient with Pluto
06:17 - Rock starting with L1

Ultimately, what I hope comes through is that effects aren't something simply to colour or smooth over a sound; effects can be the very thing that inspires the songwriting process. That's what happened in all of these instances, and more.

Gear used:
Arturia Astrolab 37 (keys)
GFI Solis Ventus (delay and reverb)
Squier Bass VI (bass-guitar hybrid)
Line 6 Pod Express Bass (for bass amp sim)
Moog Subsequent 37 (mono synth melody)
Novation AFX Station (mono synth lead)
Modern Sounds Pluto (mini euro synth sandbox)
Donner L1 (mono synth random arp)
Godin Session Custom '59 (guitar)
Strymon Iridium (for guitar amp sim)
Union Tone & Transistor Lab (compressor for guitar)
Electro-Voice RE-20 (vocal mic)
Probably more I'm forgetting

Multi-tracked, mixed in the box (except the Pluto song, which was live to stereo out, with EQ, compression, and limiting on the master).

https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com"

Modal Electronics Introduces Element One

video upload by Davide Puxeddu

"Put on your headphones 🎧. This is a pure, no-talking sound demo of the brand new Modal Electronics ELEMENT ONE synthesizer, an 8-voice virtual analog powerhouse.

I had the incredible honor of participating in the development and sound design of the Element One (created alongside the Hartmann Design team). In this video, I am jamming with the factory presets—which are actually the very patches I designed for this synth! I’m exploring random sounds, tweaking them on the fly to show you the true sonic potential of its 64 oscillators, morphable filters, and stereo FX. Everything is played live using the 37-key aftertouch keyboard and 4-axis joystick."

Modal Element One: a sophisticated synth 'repackaged' in an accessible keyboard – Sound demo

video upload by MusicRadar Tech



THE SYNTH FOR PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT TO PLAY

You’re a musician, not a computer programmer. Whether you’re a keyboard player who wants to fire up a searing solo, a guitarist looking for that perfect atmospheric pad, a drummer wanting to trigger massive electronic textures, or a vocalist needing a lush harmonic bed, you shouldn’t have to learn “synth science” just to get a great sound. Meet ELEMENT One—the 8-voice virtual-analog synthesizer designed to feel like an instrument, not a science project.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Native Instruments Introduces Komplete 26

video upload by Native Instruments

"Get everything you need to take your music from first idea to finished master, including instruments, effects, and sounds trusted by the pros. Komplete 26 gives you synths, sampled instruments, drums, sound design tools, and studio effects – all in one complete music production bundle.

Whether you're composing, producing, or designing sound, Komplete gives you the tools to follow your ideas wherever they lead."

Press release follows:


Berlin, May 05, 2026 – Native Instruments today released Komplete 26 — everything a music producer needs to take a first idea to a finished, release-ready track. With over 190 premium instruments, professional mixing tools from iZotope and Brainworx, and more than 180,000 sounds, it's the most definitive music production collection NI has ever made.

Trusted by the producers behind the records you know Komplete is used by millions of producers, composers, and musicians every month — from bedroom studios to Grammy-winning sessions. It's the instrument collection behind some of the most iconic tracks you know, and the ones you're about to make.

"I use Komplete in every single session. It lets me stay focused on the music instead of the tools, and whether I'm writing or tweaking, it's a fast way for me to transform my idea to something that feels finished." — Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth)

“Komplete has been part of my production journey since day one. I know I can open it and get exactly what I need, every time.” — Nick Hook (Run The Jewels, Hudson Mohawke)

"Komplete is a must-have for me in my studio. As someone who is always blending genres and pushing the edges of sound design, the versatility of Komplete allows me to have an entire sonic world at my fingertips at all times." — Malibu Babie (Megan Thee Stallion, Shania Twain, Sia)

New additions: sounds for every style and stage Newly added is the legendary semi-modular synth, Absynth 6, known for its evolving, otherworldly tones. Also included are Noire and Claire – sampled from rare grand pianos – and the ethereal vocal soundscapes of Moments: Vocal Clouds.

CLICK FOR MORE »

PolyFreq Introduces Phonon Plug-In Debut as Precision Granular Laboratory for Sonic Alchemy

video upload by PolyFreq

Press release follows:

PolyFreq pitches availability of Phonon plug-in debut as precision granular laboratory for sonic alchemy

BRISTOL, UK: boutique musical tools-maker PolyFreq is proud to announce availability of Phonon as its debut plug-in — pitched as a precision laboratory for sonic alchemy, built around a high-quality sample granulation engine with root note detection, four keyboard follow modes, and legato giving it real versatility as a playable instrument — as of May 5…

Acting as a musical synthesiser first and foremost, Phonon is designed for very intentional, controllable reconstruction of one source, leaning into synchronous granular or ‘graintable’ synthesis. Sub-sample grain scheduling and separate grain rate and density controls open new vistas of repeatable, controllable timbre and tempo across macro and micro parameter ranges. Reality dictates that where other granular synths default to randomisation or multiple sources, Phonon provides users with complete control over every grain — from classic textural clouds to malleable ‘grainwave’ synthesis. Indeed, it is equal parts laboratory and playground.

“Phonon’s development was inspired by the great creativity of early granular work from composers such as Wishart and Roads, and the deep listening of Oliveros, with a desire to make this wild, creative territory more accessible to electronic music production and sound design, without stripping away what makes it strange and inspirational.” So says PolyFreq founder Nick Mariette by way of an illuminating introduction. It aims for ease of use, with a simple drag-and-drop workflow for modulation, and most features are immediately visible, with minimal menus or hidden options. And a flexible array of audio-rate modulation sources provide huge scope for patches that respond and evolve, including LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators), envelopes, sample metadata, sequencers, MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) control data, and various noise flavours.

Features additionally worthy of the edited highlights treatment here include Phonon’s granular engine — eight voices of polyphony with up to 256 grains per voice and sub-sample precision that bridges the gap between classic textures and sharp ‘graintable’ synthesis; effects — shape sounds with a character-driven signal chain, from saturating drive to resonant filtering, as well as a utility reverb for glue or depth; presets — easily capture, export, evolve, and share sonic creations with sample embedding and eight-way snapshots; and drag-and-drop workflow in a resizeable interface for easy enjoyment as a standalone instrument or for plug-in-based DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) production.

Phonon’s uses are almost endless — think time stretching; pitch shifting; sample mangling; sound design; classic textural, granular clouds; synchronous, tuned granular tone creation; creating a synth from any sample; rhythmic grain generation, synced to host; beat retiming and timbre distortion; and more besides. Back to Nick Mariette: “Phonon is intended for reshaping beats and designing synth leads as much as for losing time in ethereal granular atmospheres; I hope it will connect people to listening differently, discovering the sounds within sounds.”

Anyone attending SUPERBOOTH26, May 7-9, FEZ-Berlin, Germany is hereby encouraged to swing by Booth H116 there, where PolyFreq will be showcasing Phonon to the musical masses assembled and Nick Mariette himself will be on hand to personally provide a warm welcome with an open invitation to discover those sounds within sounds. Spanning chaotic clouds to precise synthesis, controllable sonic alchemy is there for the taking so why not take this hands-on opportunity to discover and delight in vibrating matter differently with Phonon!

Phonon is available to buy as a standalone or VST3 plug-in for macOS (10.13 or later) and Windows (10 or later) at a 33% launch discount — duly rising thereafter to its full price of $89.00 USD (excluding tax)/€76.00 EUR (including tax)/£68.00 GBP (including tax) — directly from PolyFreq here: https://www.polyfreq.com/products

For more in-depth information, please visit the PolyFreq products webpage here: https://www.polyfreq.com/products

Antonus 2600 Meets Leviasynth

video upload by Tumeni Knobs

"I thought I should bring these two amazing synths together. It took about 4 minutes to make them sound awesome. Step Brother is running the 2600 and my fat fingers are mauling the Leviasynth. ;-) \m/"

Introducing Plinky 12 Blocks, Chords and Toadstep

video upload by Making Sound Machines

Additional videos below.

"We are super excited to introduce 3 new instruments today! Plinky 12 is a family of expressive polyphonic touch synthesizers. The three instruments are built around a shared synth engine. Designed by mmalex, it evokes the unmistakable melancholic sounds of the original Plinky. https://plinky12.com

Each instrument is designed in collaboration with a different synth maker, lending each panel a distinct playability and unique character.

Plinky 12 Chords is a harmonic inspiration machine. It lets you improvise melodies and chords, with expressive control over voicings, progressions, and immediate musical play. Created by Making Sound Machines, Chords is the panel for finding beautiful harmonic movement quickly.

Plinky 12 Toadstep is a 4-track step sequencer built for super funky riffs, experimental self-generative melodies, and good ol' Acid. Created by Toadstool Tech, the designer behind the Ectocore Eurorack module, Toadstep is fun, immediate and easy to jam with!

Plinky 12 Blocks is an open panel built for experimentation, with monome-grid compatibility, Plinky style touch synthesis, and a browser-based coding environment just a click away. While it comes with a fully playable design out of the gate, creator mmalex invites you to build your own adventure with this panel. If you can imagine it, you can make it!

In this video, Enrica and Roland from Making Sound Machines explore the three new Plinky 12 instruments: Blocks, Chords and Toadstep from left to right.

The track builds on a repeating loop created with the built-in sequencer on Plinky 12 Toadstep. The short sequence uses rhythmic step repeats, track step length and animated synth parameters to create an ostinato that keeps sonically evolving over the length of the track.

As the piece continues, Roland plays a progression of harmonies from the rainbow chord palette on Plinky 12 Chords, before launching a sequence that reharmonizes the loop heard from Toadstep. Enrica joins in playing sparkling arpeggios with her fingertips on Plinky 12 Blocks, the surface with the sunset colour-fade print.

As the track progresses, Roland plays a melodic line on Chords, then Enrica takes over with a melody on blocks. The Plinky 12 polyphonic play surface reads both play position and pressure of the touch. It enables bends and glides on the horizontal axis, while allowing for discrete arps in the vertical direction.

They end the piece with a tempo transition showcasing the septuplet feature on the internal sequencer."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Moog Muse: 64 Retro Cinematic Ambient Presets. Sound Demo

video upload by Anton Anru

🌃 'Echoes Of Machines' is a collection of 64 atmospheric cinematic presets for Moog Muse.
🗂 It includes: 19 Keys, 9 Leads, 5 Pads, 9 Strings, 12 Synths, 4 Drones, and 6 Textures.
📺 The soundset draws inspiration from sci-fi movies, cinematic soundtracks, dystopian worlds, urban landscapes, retro electronica, noise ambient albums, experimental modern art, and contemporary sound design.
📼 Built around the concept of imperfection, the collection blends gritty, lo-fi textures with constantly shifting timbres shaped through deep modulation.

📦 The download link: https://antonanru.sellfy.store/p/muse...

📻 The timbral range is wide and diverse, covering dark, noisy, lo-fi, warm, deep, retro/vintage, melancholic, atmospheric, detuned, cold, distant, dull, massive, epic, bright, distorted, metallic, tense, atonal, non-harmonic, FX-like, evolving, and sweeping textures.

🎛 All patches are Velocity-sensitive. The ModWheel enhances expressiveness by adding motion and tonal variation—brightening the sound, introducing vibrato, shifting timbre, or adding extra movement for dynamic and engaging performance.

Aftertouch introduces distortion, increases sustain, or speeds up modulations.
The Macro Knob introduces additional changes—it enhances the stereo effect or detuning, adds bright overtones, or adds modulation to the filter or oscillators.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Inside a Soviet Synth Collection – Rare Analog Sounds You’ve Never Heard

video upload by RetroSound

"In this video, I take you on a tour through my personal "Best Of" collection of rare Soviet Synths gathered over the past 30 years. These instruments are known for their distinctive sound character, shaped by unconventional engineering and vintage components.

Featured in this collection:
0:00 Rodina Alisa 1377
3:11 Formanta Polivoks
9:52 Elektronika EM-26
11:40 RMIF Opus

Each of these synthesizers offers a unique tonal palette – from raw and aggressive textures to warm analog pads and experimental sound design. Their unpredictable behavior and lo-fi charm make them especially inspiring for electronic music production.

If you're into analog synths, vintage gear, or experimental sounds, this collection showcases some of the most interesting and underrated instruments from the Soviet era.

(c)2007-26 by RetroSound
supported by UVI: http://bit.ly/retrosound-uvi

synth tees: https://retrosound.creator-spring.com
Donation: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/9N..."

East Block Synths playlist:

The Crow Hill Company Introduces the THE SH*T SYNTH

The Sh*t Synth - Walkthrough video upload by CROW HILL XTRAS

Press release follows:


The Crow Hill Company turns to extensive and rare collection to turn out THE SH*T SYNTH as compendium of 48 circuit-, wave- and sample-bent instruments

EDINBURGH, UK: The Crow Hill Company is proud to turn to its own extensive and rare collection of hardware to turn out THE SH*T SYNTH — available as a compendium of 48 circuit-, wave- and sample-bent instruments inspired by some of the Edinburgh-based enterprise’s eclectic musical favourites (spanning the likes of Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Joe Maus, Jon Brion, Laurie Spiegel, Radiohead, Throbbing Gristle, and Yazoo) to create something that they collectively ask: is it just shit or ‘the shit’? — as of April 7…

Whatever way anyone chooses to read into the titling of THE SH*T SYNTH as the latest entry into The Crow Hill’s ongoing ORIGINS series of sample-based virtual instrument plug-ins, one thing is for sure: it readily represents a broad selection of three categories of 16 workhorse instruments each, effectively wrapped up into a single plug-in designed to bring a cohesive approach to making music more edgy, lo-fi, retro, and — swimming against the technological tide of so-called progress — decidedly AI (Artificial Intelligence) slop-free. From pianos to strings, plucks, beeps, bass, and pads, the compendium that is THE SH*T SYNTH has been lovingly sculpted by the Edinburgh-based enterprise’s media composer and ‘samplist-in-residence’ Christian Henson to take the hassle out of making existing sounds less refined, catering to those looking for an entirely new bank of Mellotron-style sounds as well as synths that have been long forgotten — for good reason, too!

CLICK FOR MORE »

A Guide to Synthesizer Filters (and how to use them to make music)

video upload by The Unperson

"In today's guide to synthesizer filters I break down filters and show how you can use them to make music. Whether you’re working with eurorack, hardware, software, analog, or digital synths, this guide should help you further understand filters.

We start with the basics, looking at what filters do and how low pass, high pass, and band pass filters shape sound. From there, I move into modulation, showing how to use envelopes and LFOs to add movement, rhythm, and expression to your patches.

I also cover filter self oscillation and how filters can become sound sources in their own right. Towards the end, we get into more advanced techniques like filter banks and stereo filtering to create wider, more complex sounds and mixes.

If you’re into synthesis, sound design, or electronic music production, this will give you techniques you can immediately apply to your own tracks.

Topics covered include synthesizer filters, eurorack and modular synthesis, sound design, envelopes, LFO modulation, filter self oscillation, filter banks, stereo filters, and electronic music production.

Perfect for fans of synthesis, sound design, eurorack, modular systems, and electronic music production.

#filter #synth #eurorack #synthesizer #electronicmusic

CONTENT
0:00 - Intro
1:16 - Basics
3:22 - Envelopes
6:59 - LFO's
10:27 - Self-Oscillation
16:02 - Fliter Bank
20:24 - Smile Pass
24:23 - Outro"

New module! Dual Retro Vco

video upload by Radical Frequencies Modular

"Listen the new Radical Frequencies Dual Retro VCO playing an arpeggio , showing all waveforms and making Pulse with modulation and Hard Sync between the vcos . It goes through the RF Mixer and then to Diode Dream Vcf as it suits this oscillator perfectly! #eurorack #modularsynth #radicalfrequenciesmodular #dualretrovco #drvco #diodedreamvcf #analogsynth"

"Handmade Dual VCO of discrete core capable of internal FM cross modulations - Hard sync and Ring Modulator

• Analog discrete saw core oscillators with Saw, Pulse, Triangle and Ring Modulation wave outputs.The sound is warm and fat, emphasizing odd harmonics for this big retro sound. My purpose here is to approach the sound of classic synths from 70s, that we all loved.
• The SAW wave produces rich bass frequencies, sweet mids and smooth highs but overall, it is still well balanced across the full frequency range. The Triangle wave is almost perfect in shape with no buzzy hum sound. The pulse wave can produce that chorus-like phasing effect, when using an LFO to modulate the PWM input and does so in a very unique way, as it changes the phase of the signal as well.
• Two identical VCOs : VCO ALPHA and VCO BETA, with the ability of hard sync as each VCO syncs internally with the other. Using the attenuator knob for SYNC, you can go from zero to soft sync(11-12 o’clock) to hard sync when the knob is fully CW. For syncing you just need to turn CW, the sync knob of the VCO you want to be the slave. Don’t open both the sync knobs at the same time unless you want to make some weird sounds.
• There are external sync inputs for each VCO as well. External oscillators can be used as masters, just feed the output of the oscillator of your preference, into the sync input or either ALPHA or BETA. Just remember to feed a saw or a square wave, into the SYNC input. This is very important in order to sync the oscillator. A ramp wave it will not sync at all! (The RF DPVCO for example is a ramp out VCO and if you want to use it as master you must invert the signal first.)
• Both ALPHA and BETA track 5 octaves accurately, tempco resistors are attached to the tuning ICs CA3046 on both VCOs.
Separate voltage regulators for each oscillator can achieve the best sounding results without drift or bleed pitch, between VCOs.
• Both VCOs go from a relative fast LFO range with the coarse tuning knob fully CCW, up to high frequency oscillation.
• Octave Switches of 3 positions: 1 octave down - , zero , 1 octave up +, are available and make patching, fast and intuitive.
• There are internal normalisations for exponential as well as linear FM and both have independent EXP FM and LIN FM, attenuators.
• You can select the wave for the internal FM buss via the front panel switches .Options are Triangle and SAW. The internal FM wave, is independent per VCO as well.
• There are also internal normalisations for PWM, where each VCO modulates the pulse width, of the other and both use the triangle waveform.
• There is a PW offset, per VCO - negative phase pulse width at CCW to + positive phase at CW and 50-50 duty cycle square wave, in the middle of the knob.
• Ring Modulation section is a separate feature where X and Y inputs are internally connected with the VCOs as well. It has 2 inputs, X and Ψ and one out, RM. The inputs are internally connected to the internal FM buss switch of triangle - saw selector.
VCO ALPHA is internally connected into Ψ input and VCO BETA, into X input. You can feed the RM inputs any wave you desire from other VCOs as well .
• An external patch cable breaks the normalisation of all internal connections, via input jacks. (EXP FM, LIN FM, PWM, SYNC, X Ψ)

• Important note about tuning : The vcos need at least 30 minutes warm up before using it for good tracking. Also when you have to tune the vcos it’s better the octave switches to be in the middle position and all the fm and sync knobs must be closed (CCW)

• Large range of sounds with countless sweet spots - ultra stable tuning for FM sounds by using the FM and SYNC knobs simultaneously - fat basses, classic leads and drones. Feed the DRVCO into a good filter and you will enjoy it as it was meant to be! The VCF that I suggest is the RF Diode Dream VCF as it is a ladder filter and suits it perfectly! Of course any other filter of your taste can be used with great results."

Jupiter X vs Juno X... Which is best for you? Pros & Cons SYNTH TALK

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Today we are comparing the Roland Jupiter-X and the Roland Juno-X: Two of Roland's flagship ZEN-Core synthesizers that share a LOT of similarities and some important differences.

Both synths share the same core sound engine, thousands of presets, model expansions, and modern features like I-Arpeggio, but they differ significantly in build, feel, controls, and vibe. In this video we compare:

Keyboard feel and aftertouch
Build quality, weight & portability
Control layout and hands-on workflow
Speakers, connectivity, and size
Price and value for money
Who each synth is best for (stage, studio, live performance, etc.)

If you're deciding between the Jupiter-X and Juno-X, this comparison will help you make the right choice."

Compression & Dynamics Patching on Eurorack Modular Synths // Sump Pump by Robots Are Red

video upload by DivKid

"Here we have SUMP PUMP from Robots Are Red (with circuit design from Setonix Synth). It's a 6HP stereo Eurorack noise gate that can also invert its behaviour into a compressor and with the 'floor' control it can also be an expander. We've 3 umbrella sections in the video with compression, noise gate and sidechain ducking techniques. Check out the patches and let us know which is your favourite. There's also an exclusive run down of the dirty bass patch on / divkid"

*TIMING INDEX // CHAPTERS*
00:00 Intro & previews
01:00 What are we doing & feature run down

PATCHES // COMPRESSION
03:17 Setting up compression on beats
06:05 Adding excitement to thick distorted bass with expansion
08:17 Reshaping chords with compression

PATCHES // NOISE GATE
10:00 From basic to creative noise gates
13:56 “Beat density” with floor control (thanks to RAR for the idea!)

PATCHES // DUCKING & SIDECHAIN
17:48 Big dumb bass ducking - good fun & how to set it up
19:34 Creatively duck ambient FX - I love this mixing/production trick

It's a noise gate, it's a noise suppressor, it's a compressor, it's an expander, it's stereo.

The Specs and Stats:

Width: 6hp
- Attack and Release knob for envelope(s)

- Threshold for suppression/compression (0V - ~8V)

- Floor controls the amount of suppression/compression from -100dB to Unity and even up to +10dB for expanding the louds louder or make the quiets a bit louder.

- Level controls your overall output level

- Gate/Comp switch: When in "Gate" mode, whenever the input falls BELOW the threshold level, the envelope will engage towards the floor setting. When in "Comp" mode, the envelope will trigger when the input rises ABOVE the threshold setting.

-Stereo inputs and outputs. The envelope follower is assigned to the Left input, so the L input can also be used as a sidechain input for a mono signal (into In-R).

- Engage input. This is a gate input for manually engaging the envelope.

- Threshold CV input. This offsets from your knob position.

- Floor CV input. This also offsets from your knob position.

- Duck CV Input. This is an envelope follower input that applies and inverted envelope to the level of the signal. Send a simple pulse or trigger, an actual kick, an envelope, or anything else into this to duck your signal.

-Envelope Output. The envelope Output does not follow the "floor" settings and always outputs a full voltage envelope.

Special thanks to SetonixSynth and many others for really helping make this module a reality.

Genki KATLA - THE VOLCANO SYNTH!! Now Available

video upload by Starsky Carr

"What happens when a synthesizer completely breaks the rules?
In this video, we explore the Genki KATLA — a truly unique polysynth inspired by Icelandic volcanoes, featuring a rotating voice architecture, hybrid signal path, and some of the most unpredictable sound design possibilities I’ve come across.

This isn’t your typical analog polysynth. Each of the five voices can run independently with different waveforms, octaves, and modulation — creating evolving textures, harmonic movement, and generative-style sounds that feel closer to modular synthesis than traditional keyboards.

🎛️ What makes the KATLA special?
• Rotating voice polyphony (round robin-style synthesis)
• Independent per-voice oscillators & tuning
• Digital oscillators + analog filter signal path
• Looping envelopes reaching audio-rate modulation
• Phase distortion, wavefolding & multiple distortion types
• Tape-style wow, flutter & pitch instability effects
• Stereo voice movement & evolving spatial modulation
• External inputs for processing other gear

From lush ambient pads to aggressive, evolving sequences — this synth can go places most instruments simply can’t. It’s not about recreating vintage sounds… it’s about discovering entirely new ones.

💸 At around €5000, this is definitely not a beginner synth — but for sound designers, and anyone looking for something truly different, it well worth a look."

Genki Katla Sound Design: Making sounds from scratch and exploring
video upload by MR TUNA Music

Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:16 - Init patch 0:44 - Filter sounds 1:26 - Raising 1 voice 1:43 - Creating a basic pluck sound 2:24 - Aftertouch controls 2:45 - Bring in a little reverb 2:56 - LFO to filter cutoff 3:16 - LFO to reverb mix 3:46 - Keyboard cutoff 4:00 - Osc 3 Square wave 4:23 - Sub oscillator 4:54 - KATLA parameters 5:01 - Rústir wavefolder 6:08 - Rökkur stereospreader 6:37 - Skriða envelope randomizer 7:27 - Aska random modulations 7:57 - Glóð tape stops and flutters 8:35 - Skjálfti ??? 9:14 - Kvika slow tape modulations 9:38 - dark pads 10:20 - Móða voice detuning 11:20 - Katla sounds with aftertouch 13:28 - Thanks for watching

"Hey guys! Very very excited to be presenting the Genki Katla to you all... I am truly in awe of the sound of this very unique and powerful instrument.

I thought the best way to get to know the synth is to start from scratch so in this video we'll go full hands-on with the Genki Katla, exploring (almost) every parameter and building sounds from an initialized patch.

From some raw drone layers and gritty textures to evolving pads, rhythmic sequences, and atmospheric beds, we will see just what this instrument can do, discover new sounds, and maybe make some friends along the way 🙏

If you're into sound design, unique synths, or just love discovering new instruments, this one is for you!

HUGE thanks to Genki for letting me a part of this with them and showing off this super cool synth.

No money was paid, no agreements were made... these are my real thoughts on this very premium synthesizer and I will be sharing lots more."

Press release follows:


Genki Instruments announces availability of Katla as Voice Rotating Polyphonic Synthesizer inspired by its natural namesake

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND: having twice blown European musical minds thanks to show-stealing showcases at SUPERBOOTH25, May 8-10, Berlin, Germany and Machina Bristronica 2025, September 27-28, Bristol, UK, before adventuring across the pond for a repeat performance at Buchla & Friends 2026, January 24-25, LA, CA, USA, Reykjavik-based instrument developer Genki Instruments is proud to announce availability of the eagerly-awaited Katla as a Voice Rotating Polyphonic Synthesizer inspired by Iceland’s largest subglacial volcano as its natural namesake — readily representing the company’s first foray into analogue synthesis, albeit one that uniquely utilises a set of wildcard parameters to infuse it with organic, unpredictable behaviour as an instrument that is worthy of that legacy, excelling at generating rich, evolving, multi-layered textures, where each note stirs, swells, and erupts in its own distinct way — as of March 31…

Clearly Katla’s inspiration runs through its ‘volcanic’ veins. After all, it is framed by side panels and knobs forged from authentic Icelandic lava, giving each instrument a tangible connection to the volcanic forces that inspired it. That this synth should surely roar is a given. Genki Instruments inevitably chose, therefore, to kit Katla out with four independent distortion destinations, the most unruly of which is a stereo CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Drive effect — a characterful saturation stage, pushing tones from warm and rounded to fractured and snarling.

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Super JX and the MPG-7X

video upload by Starsky Carr

"The Roland Super JX (MKS-70 / JX-10) is one of Roland’s most underrated analogue polysynths. Released in 1986, it was effectively two JX-8P synth engines in one instrument, giving you 12 voices of DCO analogue synthesis, huge pads, powerful basses, and classic mid-80s Roland character.

In this video I take a deep dive into the Roland MKS-70 Super Jupiter rack synth, paired with the Retroaktiv MPG-7X programmer and the Vecoven PWM upgrade, which massively expands the capabilities of the original synth.

We explore how the controller transforms the experience compared with the original menu-driven interface, and look at the additional synthesis power introduced by the Vecoven upgrade including true PWM, additional envelopes, extra LFO, and expanded modulation routing.

Along the way I demonstrate a range of sounds including pads, basses, evolving textures and layered patches, showing why the Super JX became famous for its huge analogue pads and rich detuned sounds.

I also look at some of the performance features of the MPG-7X such as assignable controls, patch generation, chord mode, velocity crossfading and MIDI integration, which make this combination feel like a modern analogue synthesizer despite the vintage hardware.

If you're into vintage Roland synths, analogue polysynths, or classic 80s synthesis, the Super JX is a fascinating instrument sitting right at the transition between the analogue era and the rise of digital synths like the DX7.

In this video
Roland MKS-70 Super Jupiter overview
Retroaktiv MPG-7X controller deep dive
Vecoven PWM upgrade explained
Sound design examples and patch demos
Dual-layer patches and detuned pad sounds
Performance features and MIDI control

Gear used
Roland MKS-70 Super Jupiter
Retroaktiv MPG-7X controller
Vecoven PWM upgrade"

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..."

How Bands Make Any Synth Sound Evil Featuring the Iridium Core

video upload by Tonepusher

"🔊Sounds, Presets & Templates🔊
Drum Samples►https://www.tonepusher.com/samples
Presets►https://www.tonepusher.com/
Patreon(synth presets,templates,store discounts)► / tonepusher

Analog Cases ► https://analogcases.com/

In this video, I break down my favorite sound design tricks to make a synth sound evil, dark and meaner. From subtle detuning and dissonance to modulation and instability, these techniques can transform any synth into an industrial machine. If you’re into industrial, EBM, Nine Inch Nails–style sound design, or dark cinematic synths, these ideas will help you create heavier and more unsettling sounds in your productions.

How Bands Make Any Synth Sound Evil

Chapters:
0:00 - intro
0:14 - Instability
1:53 - The Chaos Layer
3:46 - Subtle Chaos
5:20 - Filter Corruptions
6:21 - FM Gone Wrong"