[ad_1] The site is broken out by decade, starting with one of the biggest — and biggest sounding — synths of the ’70s, the Yamaha CS-80. (Vangelis put its analog, 8-voice polyphony to work when writing and recording the score to Blade Runner.) The Yamaha DX7 leads off the ’80s; it used FM synthesis rather […]
Category: synth
Erica’s modular synth helps you make music with preset cards
[ad_1] The system is otherwise highly flexible with 31 inputs, 20 outputs and seven switches. It includes a 2-3-4 step sequencer, a pair of VCOs (with a controller and VCA module), several mixers, a modulator, two ASR envelope generators, a lowpass gate and a BBD delay. You can also snag it in both a desktop […]
Korg launches a line of DIY music gear with a $100 synth
[ad_1] Korg isn’t announcing much that we didn’t already know, but here’s the rundown. The NTS-1 features a digital oscillator inspired by the MULTI engine from the Prologue and Minilogue XD. It also works with the logue-SDK that allows you run custom oscillators and effects designed for both the Prologue and Minilogue XD. And as […]
As weird as it is affordable
[ad_1] Now, to be clear, I’m not new to the world of synths. I own a few (including a couple of Volcas) and understand the principles at work. But I’m far more familiar with East Coast, or subtractive synthesis. This is the style of synthesis popularized by instrument makers like Moog, where a harmonically rich […]
CraftSynth 2.0 is portable, fun and a little bit flimsy
[ad_1] Before we get to the sacrifices, let’s run through the features. The Craft 2 is a monophonic wavetable synthesizer. That means, theoretically, you can only play one note at a time. However, a “spread” function detunes the eight oscillators to fatten up the sound or play full chords. Even though there are eight oscillators, […]
Teenage Engineering ships its delayed modular synth and keyboard
[ad_1] At Superbooth in May, the company explained to MusicRadar that it wasn’t happy with the way the keyboard turned out. Instead of putting out a product it wasn’t completely thrilled about (in terms of functionality), it decided to pull both the 170 synth and 16 keyboard until it could remedy the issue. Almost five […]
Korg’s music-making Switch app offers Genesis and Taito game sounds
[ad_1] The Genesis machine includes snippets from better-known games like Golden Axe, Out Run and Space Harrier. The Taito kit, meanwhile, is more about deep cuts — there’s recognizable titles like Darius, but you might not be as familiar with titles like Kikikaikai or Metal Black. Both components will be available through Nintendo’s eShop starting […]
Blipblox is a synth made for kids that adults will like too
[ad_1] Under the hood is a surprisingly robust digital synth engine capable of producing rich and downright bonkers sounds. In addition to the oscillator there’s your usual assortment of synth parameters. There’s an amp envelope (though you can only control over the decay), a pair of LFOs, a modulation envelope and a low-pass filter that […]
Korg’s Minilogue and Monologue synths are getting a major update
[ad_1] The Minilogue and Monologue are a few years old at this point, and approaching modern classic status in the synth world. But that doesn’t mean that Korg is content to simply let them coast through life the same way they left the factory. Today the company is releasing a major update to the firmware […]
Drone motors make wonderfully grungy synth music
[ad_1] If this was all the Motor Synth did, it would still be pretty impressive — if a bit one dimensional. Gamechanger has another trick up its sleeve though: reflective discs that sit on top of each motor. Those discs have patterns painted on them, and as they spin under a light inside, the black […]