Once I’d heard ‘Are Friends’ Electric?” by Tubeway Army, I knew synthesizers would be a huge part of my life. Despite drums becoming my main instrument for many years, I dabbled and lusted after countless pieces of gear and started using computers to help me make my own music with a Commodore 64 and a copy of Electrosound.
Over the years, I eventually progressed to more professional tools and began to truly indulge my love of electronic music making, slowly building a collection of gear that covered most synthesis methods, from sampling to physical modelling and beyond. However, my love of the gear that soundtracked my formative years was strong and I was fortunate enough to be asked to work with the inventor of the Fairlight CMI on their more recent projects. This then led to me restoring Fairlight CMI’s, something I still do to this day.
My home studio is now filled with classic vintage gear of the 80s and 90s, as well as modern classics. In recent years, I have been producing podcasts for Sound On Sound, as well as writing articles for them and I also present a weekly live stream for the Pro Synth Network. I still drum, albeit now on e-Drum kits, which are far easier to move around and a lot quieter when practising! You can often find me delivering seminars & lectures and at various synth shows around the world, talking about and demonstrating iconic synths.
It's Halloween this Friday, so we've got some appropriate sound banks for this time of year, plus some amazing horns and sounds for Omnisphere and Behringer's UB-Xa.
GForce Software gets all deep and trippy with MAP, their new plugin inspired by the West Coast synth experimentalism of the 1970s.
The KORG Collection 6 grows again, which includes a software recreation of the powerful PS-3300, the frequently requested Trinity, and the SGX-2 Piano.
We've got Behringer bargains and some great discounts on plugins in this week's Deals of the Week!
Initially produced as a limited run of units under Dr. Yu Endo's 'Personal Projects' banner, the SONICWARE ELZ_1 play gets a useful firmware update and officially joins the SONICWARE roster in full production!
Synth Journal, where we round up the tidbits of synth news that may have missed your attention, but we know you'll love. We've got the mighty GIORGIO III, but first, some sad news...
There's a definite ambient and atmospheric vibe this week, with Odes for Kontakt and Surfaces for the Ambient Ø, plus a unique electric piano library and evocative guitar tones.
Available now!
After a successful Kickstarter, the DTronics DT-DX is now available in stores for everyone to buy!
A recent purchase got me all nostalgic and brought back some nice memories of my first proper synth experience with a KORG miniKORG 700 in high school.
UVI's stunningly capable software synth becomes Falcon 2026, gets a big chunk of updates and is still a free update to existing owners!
Roland introduce the V-Drums 3 and 5 Series kits based around new modules derived from the stunning V71, and in doing so, simplify their offering.
1010music continues to innovate and deliver super-useful products with the launch of bento, an all-in-one music creation device!
The undisputed king of software synths just got a massive update. Can Omnisphere 3 still cut it all these years on?
Electric Blue is the stunning new guitar sample library from Indiginus and sets new standards in scripted guitar sample libraries.
The CZ-1 Mini pocket synth finally makes it into stores, taking 80's Phase Distortion and squeezing it into a box the size of a paperback!
A tasty bag of treats for your synths this week, including sounds for the latest Cherry Audio Trident Mk.III, Arturia PolyBrute 12 and GS Music's e7.
Cherry Audio continue to put out high-quality, sought-after plugin recreations with the Trident Mk.III, bringing back this much-loved synth with extra features galore!
Alesis claims to have solved the problem of authentic Hi-Hat response and eDrum amplification with their two new products, the Nitro Ultimate Kit and Nitro Amp Pro.
The Cyma Forma ALT begins shipping to backers, Strymon bring out their string modelling game, and there's a new successor to Rample from Squarp!
This week's Sounds and Presets features classical samples, including LCO Producer Strings, a felt piano from Soniccouture and a new choir package from UVI.
The Supercritical Redshift 6 is receiving another significant firmware update. Version 1.4 includes important new features, such as MPE and an arpeggiator.
The Arturia AstroLab 88 is a live performer's dream, packed with the sounds of Arturia's acclaimed software instruments. Experience the AstroLab 88 in action!
Fancy squeezing a Jupiter 8 into your Yamaha Montage, Montage M, MODX or MODX+? Then EasySounds have just what you need!
The Fairlight CMI's SARARR sample, sometimes known as ARR1, is one of the most recognised sounds of the 1980s. Here's the story of how it came to be.