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.
Roland has announced the latest in their V-Drums range, the V-Drums Quiet Design, which allegedly is a revolution in e-Drum and home drumming design.
This week, we take a look at two of my favourite orchestral sample library developers who have each created libraries that achieve the impossible. They make me sound good!
It's easy to overlook security in your working space, be it a bedroom studio or something a little bigger. We look at what you can do to minimise the risk and what not to do too!
Nearly a year after its debut, the KORG MPS-10 receives a significant firmware update with plenty of new features.
Roland has unveiled new flagship kits based around the new V71 V-Drums Module, with new pads and Roland Cloud sound expansion! Introducing, the V-Drums 7 Series
We have a nice collection of hardware synth patches and samples this week that includes sounds for Kodamo's MASK1, amongst others.
The synthesizer that shook the electronic music-making world, has just received massive price cuts. Check out the Hydrasynth deals below.
The Arturia Astrolab crossover hybrid synth and stage keyboard gets its first major update since its launch in April of this year.
This week we look at the ingenious update to Cassettone, the Cassettone 2, plus updates to some cool synths and updates on synth gatherings around Europe and the U.K.
After redefining the sound of the 1980s with the DX7, Yamaha upped their game to take on the competition that had fought back. The Yamaha SY77 and SY99 were their response, but how do we get that sound today?
The EFNOTE Pro 703X extends the Pro 703 with more cymbals and a classy new black oak finish, with additional upgrades to the stands.
Roland sneaks out a soft launch of their DWe software, DW Soundworks, to their Roland Cloud Ultimate tier subscribers, opening up a world of acoustic drums for them.
Mention the maestro Vangelis and the Yamaha CS-80 will surely be referenced sooner rather than later. This week we check out a library that manages to evade that connection.
Following the release of their updated Keylab Essentials, the flagship gets its long-awaited update in the form of the Arturia Keylab 61 Mk.3. Can this venerable controller still deliver?
The Minimoog Book from Danish indie book publisher Bjooks pays tribute to the synthesizer that changed music forever. And it's now available!
Sounds and Presets covers new sounds from Jamie Morden at GEOSynths with his Flux Vol. 1 for the Waldorf Quantum and Iridium. There are also new sounds for KORG's opsix!
The snare pad is the beating heart of your drum kit so why not consider upgrading it to something new and save yourself some cash in the process?
The mad genius that is Tom Carpenter delivers the Maximus 4V for those of us with less spare space in our studios!
Trevor Horn is one of the most influential producers of the last 40 years. Now you can access some of his most prized sounds for less!
One of the most revered virtual analog synths of the 90s is being revived as a freeware emulation. Meet the Nodal Red 2x.
Love Hulten designs a synth for Sean Ono Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl, whilst Roland looks to an analog ghost-free future.
Seeing as Teenage Engineering want to take us back to our primitive past with their new sampler, I thought I'd dig out some medieval samples that we can all use.
In a world of uncertainty, do not for one single moment ever expect Teenage Engineering to do anything predictable. The Teenage Engineering EP-1320 medieval is an absolute testament to that!
Want to make sure your new drum kit is ready to play right out of the box? Then a bundle deal is what you need. Check out these great deals with added benefits!