Black Corporation Xerxes MK2 :: Building a Pad from Scratch :: Sound Design

video upload by Harry van Mierloo

"Little sound design session on the Black Corporation Xerxes MK2 to test a lightweight recording setup directly to my phone.

No fancy post-processing, maximizing, review, just me building a pad from scratch on the wonderful Xerxes and exploring various variations of it, to give you an idea of the sound design freedom. The patch is initialized from a basic single saw wave patch and I play around with low pass and band pass filtering for the pads. Later in the recording I add some reverb from the @Strymon BigSky, which always helps on a pad.

Like most synths, a basic patch like this might not immediately sound '5K expensive' without effects, refinement and post-processing. Fortunately this versatile machine can do a lot more and is a real joy to use with all its hands-on control. Some typical Elka-features like Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM), sync phase control and oscillator self resonance, add to the unique character of this synth. It's a really enjoyable synth and I feel it's going to be one of my main workhorses.

I love how good a DCO-based synths can sound, and they are usually great for pads. Like on the Matrix-1000 and JX-8P, DCOs are super stable by nature, so imperfections need to be added manually. Apart from tuning tweaks/modulation, the Xerxes has a nice drift control for this.

Enjoy, and next time I'll clean the camera lens, I promise! 😅"

Minimal Synthwave with Flowing Melodies | Passing Train 2025-12-28 by atnr

video upload by atnr

"This piece was created using the ‪@KORG_INC‬ MS-20 and the ‪@teenageengineering‬ OP-1 field.
It is a minimal synthwave composition where steady harmonies are accompanied by an expansive, flowing synth melody.

On the MS-20, delay is applied using the ‪@strymon‬ TIMELINE, followed by reverb from the blueSky.
While performing, the filter cutoff and frequency modulation are adjusted in real time to shape the evolving tone.

On the OP-1 field, a single chord is looped using the ENDLESS sequencer, and the performance is transposed live from the keyboard.
The OP-1 field is connected to the ‪@ChaseBlissAudio‬ MOOD MKII, where reverb and micro-loop processing are used to create lingering, atmospheric tails."

“Antiquity” Brainwaves controlling a Buchla Morphagene CV/MIDI setup 🧠🎛️⏳✨

video upload by Stephano Gavilanes

"New biofeedback exploration using brainwaves to control a hybrid CV/MIDI Buchla setup with the Soundmachines BI1, Fake Noise - Morphagene, Magnetic Freak - Gaussian, and my own audio samples via MIDI👌🏽

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season!🤙🏼

Music composed and recorded by Stephano Gavilanes.© Copyright 2025. All rights reserved."

Patching @ 3am - End of Year House Party!!

video upload by justin3am

"In this episode we have performances from a number of my LA Synth Club Friends, starting at 2pm PST.

2:00 PM ???
2:30 PM Edmund Cosico
3:00 PM Just Jeff
3:30 PM Dusty Magroovy ‪@74tour‬ https://www.instagram.com/dusty.magroovy/
4:00 PM ‪@moodofspace‬ https://moodofspace.bandcamp.com/music
4:30 PM DMXWELL https://linktr.ee/DMAXWL
5:00 PM ‪@Marc_Laidlaw‬ https://linktr.ee/marclaidlaw
5:30 PM MyGhettoRomance https://myghettoromance.bandcamp.com/
6:00 PM Blanket Forts https://blanketforts.bandcamp.com/
6:30 PM ‪@EricBeam1313‬ https://ericbeam.com
7:00 PM Seachael
7:30 PM Plug
8:00 PM Zendeer https://www.instagram.com/jcarter_zendeer/ https://soundcloud.com/zendeer
8:30 PM ‪@bbartokk‬ https://bbartokk.com
9:00 PM ‪@HumongousFrog‬ https://hfrog.bandcamp.com
9:30 PM ‪@hansilamusic‬ https://hansila.bandcamp.com"

Cyma Forma ALT Rhythmic Experiment

video upload by Laboratory 0

"Some additional pads & synths were added in post"

PlantsSystem - Official Short Playlist 3

video uploads by plantssystem

Playlist:

1. PlantsSystem-ShelteringSky #ryuichisakamoto #covers #prophet5 #plantssystem #shelteringsky
2. PlantsSystem-DelikRealtime #plantssystem #livemusic #prophet5 #synth #techno
3. PlantsSystem-RedSkarf #plantssystem #prophet5 #electronicmusic #synth #techno
4. PlantsSystem-ChaosSync #plantssystem #prophet5 #duos #electronicmusic #synthesizer #techno
5. PlantsSystem-QuantumCircuits #plantssystem #electronicmusic #synth #prophet5 #techno #quantum
6. PlantsSystem-MindCubic #plantssystem #electronicmusic #synth #prophet5 #techno #ipad #polysequencer
7. PlantsSystem-Ignition #plantssystem #electronicmusic #synth #prophet5 #techno #ipad #polysequencer
8. PlantsSystem-November #plantssystem #electronicmusic #synth #prophet5 #ipad #polysequencer #techno
9. PlantsSystem-Vaiolation #akiramitake #reedit #plantssystem #mpc2000 #prophet5 #sampling

Bob Moog Foundation 2025 Year In Review!

video upload by moogfoundation

"Please support our important work by donating today! Every donation, no matter the size, makes a big difference: https://bit.ly/ContributeBMF

We are deeply honored to be working every day to achieve our mission of inspiring people of all ages through the intersection of science, music, technology, and innovation. Although 2025 was a challenging year due to the continuing financial aftermath of Hurricane Helene, effecting visitorship at the Moogseum, we have made many strides with our educational program, Dr. Bob's SoundSchool, and with the vast and growing Bob Moog Foundation Archives.

The Bob Moog Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) independent non-profit organization. We are not formally affiliated with the manufacturer Moog Music. Our support comes from donors like you."

CHROMAGENE - Waveforms

video upload by Gene Synths

"Sound recorded directly from the back of the synth (No added effects / eq / reverb etc)."

See this post for additional details.

Melbourne Instruments Nina | First Patches

video upload by Laboratory 0

"First few patches with the Nina - No external effects."

Melbourne Instruments Nina Round-Robin Experiment #1

video upload by Laboratory 0

"How close can the Nina get to the Vermona Perfourmer? Distributing MIDI notes evenly across three layers on the Nina, each with slight variations in filter and envelope settings. The track, originally made with the Perfourmer (ID: Samuel Yang - Skyward Bound), is now played on the Nina, and I’m amazed by how closely it replicates the original, with its round-robin arps.

Arps coming from Nina, everything else was pre-recorded / taken from the original track."

Studio Live Ambient Sessions | Vermona Perfourmer MKII

video uploads by Laboratory 0

Playlist:

1. “Echoes” - Studio Live Ambient Session | Vermona Perfourmer MKII, Chase Bliss Thermae
2. Vermona Perfourmer MKII + Hologram Chroma Console + Piano
3. Vermona Perfourmer MKII + Intellijel Sealegs Generative Ambient Sequence