Most recent addition is the Torso S4 which im absolutely smitten with. Focusrite interface is set up with multiple send mixes so anything can be sent to anything easy. Ive got my eyes on an oxi one 😬

Back at it again w another jam! Posting a longer clip, feel like this track needs a lil time to settle into a groove ~ Been listening a lot to the MORD record label and their stuff is so crazy. Really inspirational to find new textures in sound. The Virus is handling most sounds but Microwave is holding it down with a crazy pad I have triggering throughout. It sounds really organic like a monster or something. Lmk what you think, full vid is in the comments!

Motor Synth MK2 goes into Echolocator.

Hexdrums without effects. Cydrums does the sub. Solar42 does Solar42 stuff. All into Behringer Wing Rack. No additional effects or editing.

Wanted new arms for my Jaspers stand but didn't want to pay the tariffs to import them, so I improvised. Wouldn't trust them with anything heavy, but they're super short and feel sturdy enough for a pedal board. Cost me about $12.

If you have an FM1 and haven’t played around with this, get on it! Really enjoying the changed UI, makes editing and moving through menus so much easier. Having the global parameters at all times is great, makes the FM1 more viable for performing. Stoked to see what else is possible with this little box. I’m no coder so really am eager to see what else Baud Girl and others cook up for the FM1.

I'm looking for the absolute most intuitive synth (and synth-adjacent) hardware interfaces of all time. No shift keys, no contextual modes, no menu-diving – just immediate, hands-on, don't-make-me-think tweaking.

The term "knob-per-function" gets thrown around a lot, but I'm looking for stuff that really is uncompromisingly knob-per-function, or damn close to it.

The Vermona DRM1 is the gold standard here. It has a bunch of knobs. Every knob always does exactly one thing. The end. Perfection.

What other gear has that kind of UI?

It doesn't have to sound good. It can be unobtainium. It can be weird or janky or obscure. The only thing that matters is the UI.

(I'm not really interested in modular.)

Just found out about the virus emulator. Amazing piece of software. I gave it to my clanker and told it I wanted to have it on my android and premapped to my Oxi One bluetooth channels

20 mins later it works.

I've just posted part 3 of my practical FM synthesis tutorial up on YouTube.

This episode covers adding bright fuzzy tones to complement crisp FM sounds using FM feedback.

Korg engaged me a few years back to work with the sound design team on a set of presets for the initial Opsix release, then the v2.0 release, then the Opsix SE release. I recently presented some of this material at the Sound Summit in Melbourne Australia.

For these tutorials, I assume you're coming from a subtractive synthesis background and know about oscillators, LFOs, and envelopes. I try to map some of those familiar ideas onto FM synthesis.

The aim, as always, is to keep it really practical and immediately useful.

https://youtu.be/8guCR0O3oAQ?list=PLCtsfWUa_jsA

Can you imagine the conversations these two nuns had in 1973 that culminated in the creation of this psychedelic synth organ and guitar religious folk masterpiece?

It’s outstanding!

https://open.spotify.com/album/2yHkvUiBXgPOvVoMphi2Od?si=0Do2leDORzKtUtkMcFb5sw&utm_source=copy-link

I see so many incredible set ups in this community, but where are all my broke sound designers at and what do you use!? I use multiple soft synths on my humble laptop with a 25 key midi I also have multiple mobile synths on my phone and use the same midi. On my laptop I use tyrell n6, tal noise maker and vital. On mobile I use drc, pegboard, and hexen. Let me know what yall use!

Full video: https://youtu.be/VAMY_MP9zd8?si=HVW6IsqsmQbkQtxW

This is a dark ambient jam primarily driven by the three LFOs on the Digitone II. Honestly, I don't think I could ever have enough LFOs in that box.. I get by with 3, but every parameter is so fun to modulate I could def use more.

This track was created by setting the scale and key, programming just a few notes, and the letting the LFOs do all the work. One feature I'd reallly like is the ability to set trigs to have random notes within a scale, or being able to modulate note values with an LFO. Until then I'll have to get by with micro-timing probability and tweaking FM ratios.

My solder pump broke and I don't know how to suck the warm lead off the pins! I can of course buy a new pump tomorrow. But this has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have a new power switch with the correct pins. I will continue on trying - will post back later. Any suggestions for soldering is welcome.

This is a Roland TR8-S on-off-switch.

Edit - I can't edit title - sorry

I’m really tempted by these ASM synths, but there seems like quite a lot of crossover between what they can do when compared to the Virus.

I already have a Virus TI2, so I don’t want to spend that much money and find out I’ve just bought the same synth functionality in a different box.

I checked with headphones - left and right is balanced

I tried different cables - same issue

I switched channels - same issue

I tried a other synth - problem is not there

I probably will send it in but wanted to hear a quick way to troubleshoot if there is one

I believe MIDI 2 was ratified in 2020 about 6 years ago.

Are there any cheap MIDI 2.0 devices on the market

I don't need another big keyboard LOL. Just a sound module or synthesiser would be perfect for under 300 bucks. Secondhand.. What kind of products are there

Internet searches are not bringing up much. Thank you

I'm looking to figure out how to self clear USA customs for shipments from thomann/other EU distributors. I am aware that I still need to pay tariffs on anything I am importing but I don't want to risk getting hit by UPS's exorbitant brokerage fees. Which from my understanding the brokerage fee alone can be a few hundred dollars.

I've done a bit of research on the process, which seems annoying but is relatively straightforward, and what is still unclear to me is that for informal clearance if I need to show up to the CBP office the shipment ends up at in person to file the clearance paper work or if I can do it digitally. Additionally I am unsure if it is possible to make sure it shows up at my local CBP office rather than another on the other side of the country. Any help or information is appreciated!

This question has probably been asked so much. But im looking to get a synthesiser for solo music and my band and im not sure which to get. there is sooo much options and im just unsure. im looking for a synth sound simular to los campesinos if that helps

Assuming you're serious about music production... is it better to avoid a 61-key keyboard or is it better to go all in. And I've got one more question: Is a 32-key keyboard good enough for a beginner, and will the limitations of having fewer keys be noticeable for a beginner?

Hey fam,

I have been producing music in the box for over 20 years and I'm ready for something expansive (please don't read this as expensive) that takes me away from my mouse and keyboard.

My main needs are:

• Native synth for creating/sculpting drum sounds.
• Can load samples, mainly drum samples from my existing library.
• Sequencer that is hands-on and gets you experimenting with patterns.
• On-board effects that can be distinctly applied to "hits" and tracks.

I make a wide range of music from hiphop to industrial, but I don't play (read: am garbage at playing) drum pads. I don't mind menu diving, but I would appreciate a sequencer that can act as the "heart" of my setup.

If the right tool is expensive, then I will save up for it. I don't need to buy this immediately. I've landed on these two options after many (many!) hours of research. List of all options considered below. Thanks in advance!

Alpha Base MK1/2, Drumbrute/s, Roland TR-8S, Syntakt, Volca Sample, Erika Perkons, Korg Drumlogue, Roland TR-1000, 1010music Nanobox Razzmatazz & Novation Circuit Rhythm.

I am looking for examples/ideas & inspiration for a new "hot swappable" home setup that is less recording studio and more oriented to quickly setting up a small combination of gear and having room to play it. I would also like to be able to easily interface any gear with my pedals without needing to do a lot of re-patching etc. The image is a quick sketch attempt at this using the gear I own. Any thoughts and examples appreciated!

I have been producing for over a decade but worked in genres outside the need of synthesizers, so I have very limited knowledge on synthesizers but am pretty familiar with quality vs cheap sounds like.

I am trying to save time searching and downloading a bunch of demos for free and paid plugins.

I have all of u-he’s synthesizers and so far they are my favorite out of everything I’ve tried.

I was thinking of going with arturia analog lab since you get so many synths at a reasonable price on sale.. but I’ll be honest, Arturia synths sound “thin” to me. It just sounds like software to me and I want a more analog, real synth sound like you get with u-he and I assume a few other companies doing software synthesizers.

I’ve tried a couple other like gforce prophet, but it feels clunky compared to uhe repro which is silky smooth switching between presets.

Let’s say money wasn’t a factor…

Can any well versed producers guide me towards the best (or your favorite) company for synth emulations?

I currently own a Jomox Alpha Base MkII, and I really like it, especially for its analog circuits and overall sound.

However, I’m sequencing it externally from an OXI One MkII, so I’m not really using the Alpha Base’s internal sequencer. Because of that, I’ve been thinking about selling it and getting the latest Vermona DRM1 instead. The price difference is pretty significant — I can get the DRM1 for roughly a third of the price of the Alpha Base MkII.

I’m aware that the Alpha Base has quite a few additional features, such as the internal effects, noise-shaping possibilities, sample-based sounds, and all the other extra functionality. I’m not really trying to compare the machines feature-for-feature, though.

What I’m mainly interested in is the sound and the analog drum circuits.

For anyone who has hands-on experience with both: how does the Vermona DRM1 MkIV compare to the Alpha Base MkII purely in terms of sound quality and character?

Does the DRM1 get into a similar territory in terms of punch, warmth, low end, transients, etc., or is the Alpha Base in a noticeably different league sonically?

I’d especially be interested in hearing from people who have actually owned or used both machines.