MATRIXSYNTH

YAMAHA CS80 vs XILS-LAB THE EIGHTY | Showdown Revisited, Now Perfected

video upload by Andy Whitmore

Follow-up to this post.

"In this video, I revisit the legendary Yamaha CS80 hardware synth versus the Xils-Lab The Eighty VST emulation for the ultimate sound comparison. After correcting a critical setting on the CS80 (thanks to your feedback!), this revamped video delivers an accurate showdown, highlighting resonance, filter settings, and aftertouch quirks.

🔥 What’s New in This Showdown?
✔️ Corrected settings for the most precise comparison.
✔️ Dry sound demos followed by FX processing.
✔️ Key insights: reversed bank selection, confusing filter controls, and aftertouch behavior.

🎧 Perfect for synth enthusiasts, sound designers, and fans of hardware vs. VST comparisons."

Instruō tràigh Design

video uploads by Instruō

"This is a long form series which documents the full design process of a Eurorack module.
The tràigh was the second module I designed as Instruō back in 2016.
I revisited the module, added some features and produced a limited batch to serve as a fundraiser in aid a surgery and radiation therapy treatments for my dog Winston.
He's a very larger greyhound who has been at my side for most of the time I have been running Instruō."

Hell Modular 5U Synthesizer/Synth-Bass Session

video upload by Cornel Hecht

"Synth-Bass Session with 2 VCOs, fast Envelopes, Lowpass-Filter and VCA #hellmodular #modularsynth #analogsynth #5usynth"

Behringer BX1 | NAMM25

video upload by Bonedo Synthesizers

See the Behringer label below for more.

Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave | NAMM 2025

video upload by Under the Big Tree

"We talk once again to Bob Coover, enthusiastic audio engineer extraordinaire, about the latest features and updates to the Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave synthesizer. In addition to PPG-style wavetable synthesis and superb analog emulation, 3rd Wave now features Prophet VS-style synthesis, as well as sampling. An excellent synth just keeps on getting better.

https://www.groovesynthesis.com/

Under the Big Tree is Nicolas Peck's YouTube channel, focused on esoteric electronic music, modular and vintage synthesizers, sound design equipment and techniques, and the composition, production and performance of music."

Synthesizers.com | NAMM 2025

video upload by Under the Big Tree

"We discuss the mighty 5U modular paradigm with Mike Graham of Synthesizers.com. This company has been around for 25 years, providing affordable, expandable, beautiful modules and systems inspired by the synthesizer that started it all: The Moog Modular.

synthesizers.com

Under the Big Tree is Nicolas Peck's YouTube channel, focused on esoteric electronic music, modular and vintage synthesizers, sound design equipment and techniques, and the composition, production and performance of music.

http://www.underthebigtree.com"

NAMM 2025: Musonics Vanilla Synth TVS

video upload by sonicstate

"We caught up with Mr. Suit-and-Tie-Guy from Musonics*, who revisited the hand-built *synthesizer they showcased last year. Due to positive feedback, they transitioned from hand-built components to surface-mount technology, making production more manageable. This synthesizer, now mature, features one of the most stable oscillators available, although admittedly, Musonics enjoys a bit of wobble traditionally.

Significant updates include a wire-free design, normalled on the inside, but allowing for patching if you wish, and offering connections for power, voltage, gate, balanced XLR, quarter-inch unbalanced, and MIDI interfaces. Innovations were packed into the synthesizer platform, evolving it into a development platform for Musonics' new standalone arpeggiator and sequencer, the *Continuo*. This sequencer is inspired by the classic Roland arpeggiators seen in models like the SH-101 and Jupiter-8, offering multiple time control options, pitch sorting, and octave staggering."

NAMM 2025: Native Instruments Akai Partnership

video upload by sonicstate

"At this year's NAMM, Native Instruments made waves with their collaboration with Akai*, creating a seamless way for you to access NI sounds on MPC devices. We caught up with *Simon from Native Instruments who detailed this initiative. This partnership debuted with the release of five Play Series instruments and five expansions compatible with MPC, making NI's renowned sounds more accessible. Simon further explained that the integration process is straightforward--you purchase Native Instruments content online and activate it with a serial number on the MPC.

Additionally, Simon introduced the Tools and Leap SDKs for *Kontakt 8*, allowing developers to build compositional assistance tools in the same way you would build instruments. The conversation also delved into the broader adoption of NKS integration, expanding to devices from Akai, M-Audio, Nektar, Novation, and Korg. By mapping MIDI CC parameters, existing hardware can now utilize the vast NKS ecosystem, with further integrations planned, paving the way for deeper collaboration in the future."

NAMM 2025: Roli Airwave + Piano

video upload by sonicstate

"At NAMM 2025 we met up with Heen from Roli who introduced us to Roli Airwave and Roli Piano, the bigger brighter version of the Lumikeys, with full sized keys, velocity, release velocity, vibrato, glide and polyphonic aftertouch which provides an enormous amount of expressivity to the player.

Roli Airwave is the new hand-tracking MIDI controller which is able to register 6 dimensions of control effectively making it able to recognize gestures like grasp and tilt allowing for huge possibilities of expressive playing."