Synth Stuff Ep. 85 - Waldorf Blofeld

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"It may just be my perception, but Blofeld seem to be a bit under the radar for most people. Maybe it's just because they've been around so long now, but definitely consider taking one for a test drive if you come across one. Its palette is wide, but of course it excels at digital, metallic, and icy sounds and textures. Editing isn't very hard to do and the modulation matrix was surprisingly powerful. If you've got analog ground covered and want a new dimension in your arsenal, these are pretty cheap these days, so check it out! I also recommend the Modal Argon for a similar vibe. Follow me at www.funayureimusic.com"

Synth Stuff Ep. 84 - Korg DW-8000

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"Before hitting a home run with the M1, Korg had the DW series which combined digital oscillators with analog filters. Much like the Ensoniq ESQ-1 or Kawai K3, it resulted in a sound that was digital, yet warm while companies like Roland and Oberheim were still making analog stuff. Eventually the D-50 and M1 would take the spotlight, but the DW-8000 is an underrated little gem. The built-in delay section is really good at thickening the sound. Here, I go through a handful of presets, some of them slightly modified, and a bit of reverb to liven things up a bit. Definitely a synth worth investigating if you come across a good deal on one. It's also worth mentioning that the MS2000/Microkorg feature the DW waveforms in them."

Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave

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"I don't think we need any more proof that unabashedly digital synthesizers are back in style, but here we are with the 3rd Wave. While it's obviously very inspired by the PPG Wave, it goes much further in terms of capability. It sounds wonderfully digital, yet somehow warm and organic at the same time. I did some programming but barely scratched the surface. These are all patches I found while exploring that stood out to me, but there were far too many great sounds to do them all. The closest thing I have in my arsenal I can compare it to would be the Modal Argon8X. If you want a premium digital synthesizer to be beyond the limits of analog, I don't see any reason look any further than this, apart from something like a Waldorf Quantum."

Synth Stuff Ep. 80 - Korg Opsix

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"Is this the most editable, hand-on hardware FM synthesizer? I think so. Korg commissioned myself and another guy to do some custom presets for this. The day we had them ready to go is they day this was sadly discontinued. So...enjoy these sixteen presets I've made at the link below. It's a great synth, easy to edit once you get the hang of it, assuming you have a grasp on FM synthesis works. A 61-key version would be cool to see - or 49 at the very least. Maybe someday?

Patches: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aq2C..."

Synth Stuff (All Episodes)

Synth Stuff Ep. 69 - Moog Little Phatty

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"Episode 69...nice. Think back to the mid-2000s, a world dominated by Motif/ Triton/ Fantom/ workstations and virtual instruments. Moog arose from the ashes with the Voyager, but then came the Little Phatty as an affordable (comparatively speaking) analog synthesizer. It was also the final synth to have Bob Moog's hand in development before his passing. In time came the Microbrutes and Minilogues and etc. that we have now, but the Little Phatty was a hugely important milestone in the road that has led us to the abundance of analog synthesizers available today. I believe this white model is a 'Stage II' model. I recently got an Eventide Space pedal (highly recommended) and used it here for some liveliness."

100% PSS-570

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"A track by co-contributor Brendan Murphy using the Yamaha PSS-570 as the sole sound source. Yes, a little toy synth from the late 80's featuring an FM engine and PCM drum samples."

100% K1

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"A short track by Rob Parker featuring the Kawai K1 as the only sound source.

I tried shooting for an 80's EBM feel for this one. The K1 can be a difficult synth to work with but the sound is certainly unique. Like it sounds good until you try to use it in a mix, but when it does work, it's great."

More here

"100%" Series

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Playlist:

1. 100% DX7

A track by Rob Parker featuring the Yamaha DX7 as the sole sound source. Processed with an old Lexicon MX300. This was the first "100%" song I did in 2011 and was released on a short EP I did in 2014 called ""iMinimalist."

2. 100% Minimoog Voyager

A track by Rob Parker featuring the Moog Voyager as the sole sound source. NOTE: If you're listening on a phone or anything with a mono/summed mono device. Somehow, certain sounds like the snare are out of phase between left and right channels. I no longer have the multi-track files of this song so I can't correct it. Put in some earbuds, headphones, or best of all, some decent speakers on a desktop to get the best experience. It's Moog after all; you wanna hear that girth.

3. 100% MS-20 Mini

A track by Rob Parker featuring the Korg MS-20 Mini as the sole sound source. I'm not sure what I was going for here. Is it dubstep? Anyway, nothing will ever top the MS-2o Mini song by Koishistyle - check that out!

4. 100% Gaia SH-01

A track by Rob Parker featuring the Roland Gaia SH-01. What an awful name for a synth, let alone a song. I really should have left it out, but this was on the first trip-hop record I did called "Fathomer," which is here on the channel. This was my first knobby synth along with a blue SH-101.

5. 100% M1

A track by Rob Parker featuring the Korg M1 as the only sound source. When I think of the M1, I think of early 90's house/dance music. Thusly, I made the most stereotypical 90's dance track possible...

6. 100% K1

I tried shooting for an 80's EBM feel for this one. The K1 can be a difficult synth to work with but the sound is certainly unique. Like it sounds good until you try to use it in a mix, but when it does work, it's great."

Synth Stuff Ep. 67 - Korg Wavestate

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"I kinda blew off the Wavestate at first, thinking it was just a repackaged Wavestation. Which is cool, but vintage Wavestations are fairly cheap (especially the racks). However this thing is far beyond the original. While it has some of that sort of cheesy Wavestation vibe if you want it, it is certainly far more modern sounding. Not that it can't do other sounds, but it really excels at pads and soundscapes, which is most of what you'll hear on this episode. Far easier to edit on this as well, compared to the atrocious interface of the original. Personally, I really like strange sounds, so this synth is right up my alley."

Synth Stuff Ep. 66 - Tom Oberheim Two Voice Pro

Published on May 24, 2020 tritonrecordings

"Tom's masterpiece! The TVP is essentially a modern Oberheim Two Voice, but with tons of added functionality. I absolutely did not even scratch the surface of what it can do. Tons of low end, a nice fuzzy character, and the huge sound of panning the two SEMs apart is to die for. Definitely takes some getting used to when it comes to programming it. These aren't exactly easy to find but if you see one, consider it an investment."

Synth Stuff Ep. 65 - Kurzweil K2000

Published on Apr 5, 2020 tritonrecordings

"Hope everyone's staying safe and avoiding the 'ronies. Had a camera battery go bad on me, so pardon the delay. The K2000 was pretty advanced for it's time and hugely popular in the 90's, especially for composers and the few sound designers bold enough to learn the V.A.S.T. engine."

Synth Stuff Ep. 64 - Roland GAIA SH-01

Published on Jan 5, 2020 tritonrecordings

"A friend let me borrow this virtual analog synth to film for Synth Stuff and it's a bit of a nostalgia trip because I used to have one years ago. In fact, the announcement of the Korg MS-20 Mini in 2013 is what made me sell it to get some funds together. I dig the look of it - sort of NASA-like. The sound? Well, it's not my favorite VA out there but if you get past the awful dance/EDM presets, there are great sounds to be had here. The "three layer" architecture is really cool too. My biggest gripe with it is that it's incredibly overpriced...even after being on the market for so long now."

Synth Stuff Ep. 63 - Dave Smith Instruments OB-6

Published on Dec 15, 2019 tritonrecordings

"Boy did I ruffle some feathers when I mentioned this synth on my Matrix 6 video... Let's clear the air - this is an excellent synth. Sounds good, flexible, built well, and it's Oberheim-ish. My problem with it is that it doesn't sound as close to an actual OB series Oberheim as the name and blue-lines paint job would suggest. It's more like a polyphonic SEM, maybe? If I give my Matrix 6 a little chorus, I can get it to sound pretty close to an old OB8. The OB6, however, still sounds like a Dave Smith synth but with some Oberheim flavor added. In short, it didn't live up to the name. BUT...it's still a great synth. I always say I like the Prophet 6 better, but always reconsider when I spend time with one of these."

Update: That would be because the OB-6's filter is based on the multi-mode SEM filter, while the OB-Xa and OB-8 are the CEM3320 VCF. See this post for a good sonic comparison between the OB-6 and OB-Xa. They are pretty close, but definitely different. The OB-6 isn't supposed to be an OB-Xa or OB-8. The OB-6 has a 2-pole SEM multimode filter, while the Xa & OB-8 have a switchable 4-pole and 2-Pole filter. It's the 4-pole that "mellows out" the Xa and OB-8. You have to turn the mix levels down on the OB-6 to approximate that.  Because the Xa and 8 lack the multimode SEM filters so they are not capable of of what the OB-6 and SEMs can do. The OB-6 is likely closest to the OB-X which was closer to the SEM for its voice boards. So... they are all different, but overlap in some ways. After checking out the comparison video, check out this video. It's worth noting later renditions of Oberheim synths become more and more mellow sounding compared to the SEM, OB-X, and even OB-Xa. The OB-8 is considered more polite and the Matrix-6 and 1000 were considered budget versions with the same general character but lacking the heft that made the early Oberheims classics. The Matrix-12 is said to be somewhat lacking in girth as well, but it makes up for it with its nearly modular modulation matrix and VCOs compared to DCOs in the 6/6R and 10000. I've owned the Xa, Matrix-6 (hence the matrix alias), the Martrix-12, the OB-6, and a TVS Pro. They all sound fantastic. The OB-6 sizzles compared to the others.

Synth Stuff Ep. 61 - ASM Hydrasynth

Published on Oct 6, 2019 tritonrecordings

"From seemingly out of nowhere comes the Ashun Sound Machines Hydrasynth. What a beast. I sense an increase in appreciation for digital sounds as of late and that's awesome. While this can do really great analog imitations, I really get a Synclavier/PPG/ESQ-1/DX7 vibe from this and it's quite incredible. The built quality is impressive as well. While it is more than capable of leads and crunchy basses, I feel it really excels at morphing pads and textures and that's what I focused on here."

Synth Stuff Ep. 60 - Oberheim OB-8

Published on Sep 15, 2019 tritonrecordings

"My favorite analog polyphonic synth ever. Oberheim synths just have a distinctive sound about them compared to other big analog synths...there's something very synthwave/retrowave about them. And just look at it! Nothing but a slight bit of reverb is added to the sound here. Happy 60th Episode of Synth Stuff."

Synth Stuff Ep. 58 - Yamaha CS-5

Published on Aug 11, 2019 tritonrecordings

"Sorry I'm late - life tends to be busy when you're juggling two bands and a side project. Here's the Yamaha CS-5, an affordable mono-synth from the late 70's. It's a short video because it's a pretty basic synth. If you come across one in working order, it's cool for your bread and butter mono sound and has a cool industrial look to it. I threw in a fun surprise at the end. Bigger and better synths are coming up soon-ish. :)"

Synth Stuff Ep. 57 - E-mu Emax SE

Published on Jun 15, 2019 tritonrecordings

"There were many versions of the original gray Emax sampler. The SE added onboard synthesis. The originals are the more sought after model due to the analog filters as the Emax II had digital ones. Personally I like both can't say I really have a preference. Is it worth getting one of these? That's up to you - but this makes a great alternative to the great but costly Emulator and Emulator II. it would be interesting of someone came out with a new keyboard sampler. I'd love to sample my vintage synths or VST's so I can use the sounds live without the use of a laptop..."

Synth Stuff Ep. 56 - Arturia MicroFreak

Published on May 13, 2019 tritonrecordings

"Analog is great! But digital has its place and it's even better with an analog filter and hands-on controls. Unlike most digital synths, this one has a serious quirkiness and unpredictable nature to it. Even the 'keys' are obviously a different experience. The mod matrix is a cool touch and this does a lot given the price - worth checking out if you want this flavor in your arsenal. Could they have given a different name?? DigiBrute, maybe?"

Synth Stuff Ep. 55 - Korg Radias

Published on May 5, 2019 tritonrecordings

"The Radias was released a couple years after I discovered my interest in synths and I remember being blown away in the store just by the way this thing looked. It's a bit unusual, but it just looks bad ass. Anyway, lots of people want to compare this to the MS2000 and I would say this definitely has a more processed and modern (by 2006 standards) sound. It reeks of that over-polished, Japanese Korg sound. Every synth collection should have a VA and this one is definitely worth checking out or just having one to make your rack look cool. Also check out the Korg R3 - same sound engine in a smaller package."

Synth Stuff Ep. 54 - Alesis Micron

Published on Feb 10, 2019 tritonrecordings

"Remember when Alesis made synths? The Micron is a baby version of the Ion, the flagship virtual analog synth from Alesis which was just below their top tier Andromeda A6. It's the same exact engine as the Ion but with far less physical controls. Honestly, it sounds much like any other virtual analog synth from the early 2000's but it has a chic look to it and I imagine it turned many heads of people considering MicroKorgs."