"Coming to market around the same time as the Emu Emax and the Ensoniq Mirage, the X7000 is a 12 bit keyboard sampler that met a more approachable price point for 1986. This sampler has been tested, samples fine and all functions check out. Unfortunately, we are unable to test the disk drive for loading and saving samples."
Another sombre one from me for #Jamuary2025 , current mood I guess.
So a little bit of background. I grew up in a village in the middle of nowhere in Lincolnshire UK during the 80s. Out of boredom sometimes I would sometimes tune through the dial on my little radio and see what I could hear from around the world. I would occasionally pick up really strange transmissions including morse code and what I now know to be 'Number Stations'. They were supposedly used to transmit information to operatives behind enemy lines and would often be sent on the shortwave band as it was capable of transmitting over very long distances due to being able to bounce off the atmosphere around the curvature of the earth. The long distance nature of short wave transmission leads to all sorts of strange distortion. These have been used since the first world war but were most common during the cold war."
"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.
đ„ 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.
đ§ Perfect for synth enthusiasts, sound designers, and fans of hardware vs. VST comparisons."
"This is a long form series which documents the full design process of a Eurorack module.
The trĂ igh was the second module I designed as InstruĆ 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 InstruĆ."
"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."
"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.
"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."
