I’d always loved music but it was hearing Prince - and more importantly seeing his video for “1999” with the prominent placement of Oberheims - that I fell in love with synthesizers. My first was a Korg Poly-800 and I haven’t looked back since. These days my studio is full of mostly Japanese synths from the 1980s (I live in Japan, after all) but really, I love all kinds. Analog, digital, whatever.
My musical tastes tend towards the electronic. The first record I released was a Chicago acid throwback in 1993. Since then, I’ve done techno, breaks, drum and bass, dubstep and even Krautrock but the genre I keep coming back to is ambient. Leave me alone with a droning synth and I’m endlessly happy.
YouTuber Simon the Magpie’s new synth is the Round Robin, a cute desktop digital device with cycling voices, wild arpeggiator modes and a touch strip!
It’s a big one! Firmware version 2.0 adds all sorts of incredible new functionality to the Oberheim OB-X8.
Need more ins and outs for your audio interface? The new Arturia AudioFuse X8 IN and OUT ADAT expanders offer additional jacks for an affordable price.
Waldorf has stopped the production run on its Kyra and Kyra SE VA synths. With the Waldorf Kyra discontinued, the story of the Exodus Valkyrie ends for good.
Moog Music is shuttering its in-house shop. People are definitely not happy about the Moog Store closing.
The time synthesist Drew Schlesinger sold a Serge Modular Series 79 to Moby - who later let it go for $15000 on Reverb.
Some synthesizers just sound better. Here are the seven best sounding synths currently on the market as chosen by the Gearnews editors.
The UREI 1620 was the choice for top discos throughout the 1970s and 1980s. But did you know it’s actually a clone?
AUDIO
WXAudio WebSampler puts a whole web browser inside your DAW and lets you drag audio from it. I mean, how cool is that?
GliGli Overcycler promises to be a 6-voice hybrid poly with digital oscillators and analog filters and VCAs. And it sounds incredible.
The Rane Performer is finally here and offers four channels, motorized platters, on-board FX and stem splitting and oh so much more.
Is the Moog One discontinued? Rumors abound that the godlike Moog poly has reached the end of its life cycle.
Pairing digital samples with analog filters can yield some creamy and delicious results. Here are the top samplers with analog filters.
This week we’ve got a new Yamaha CS-80 clone, Koma Elektronik’s hot-wired hot plate Chromaplane, Roger Linn makes a beat on an MPC and more.
Got itchy fingers? Come down with a bad case of sampleritis? We have the cure for what ails you: the best standalone beat makers - for a variety of budgets.
SUPERBOOTH
New information! The upcoming Black Corporation Kijimi MK2 will have significant improvements throughout.
Confused by all of the different DJ applications on the market? We break down the best DJ software, from paid to subscription to completely free.
Four new effects join the bundle, bringing Arturia FX Collection 5 to 34 dynamics, modulation, delay, reverb, filter and distortion plugins. It’s a fantastic collection but are the new plugins worth the ...
Modern big-budget movie scores are full of synths. Get the soundtrack synth sounds of Dune, Furiosa, Oppenheimer and more.
SUPERBOOTH
Erica Synths Bullfrog Drums joins the Bullfrog educational ecosystem. Richie Hawtin: “It only makes sense to add a drum machine”.
A clever new device promises to make classic Xone mixers USB Class Compliant. Can Ploytec Revival save your outdated mixer?
Electronic music fans, rejoice. The De School archive includes live sets from more than 500 DJs.
Pocket Audio’s HiChord chord synth went viral on TikTok and hit its Kickstarter goal in just two minutes. They told us how they did it - and it was surprisingly simple.
Technics’ SL-1200 turntable is synonymous with DJing. This is the story of the classic platter, from humble beginnings to worldwide DJ domination.
