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.
SUPERBOOTH
Icelandic synth manufacturer, Love Synthesizers, announce their debut synth and aims to make FM synthesis both easy & fun. Challenge accepted!
SONICWARE continue their exploration of Lo-Fi sampling with the Lofi-12 XT, a portable, hand-held groovebox sampler with some cool twists.
Everyone loves a freebie and this week we have some great free sounds and patches and a bank for the modwave for pennies!
Arturia Augmented YANGTZE sees it blending traditional Chinese instruments with contemporary sound design.
This week's excellent e-Drum Kit Deals feature three of the top brands in e-Drumming and a wealth of savings!
After the surprise release of the MS-5, Behringer Vintage was the super free surprise none of us were expecting!
SUPERBOOTH
Already a stellar synth in every sense of the word, the Arturia MiniFreak Stellar now has a colour scheme to match!
KORG KAOSS Replay brings its motion control expression technology to a standalone performance and creation tool for musicians and DJs alike.
This week's Sounds & Patches visits one of my favourite music sites, a free patch repository & some great patches from France!
Tracktion is building a reputation for delivering fascinating instruments. Is Dawesome MYTH something new or just a pretty interface?
After last week's launch of the Astrolab, we take a look at great sounds to fill your Arturia synths with, including from Arturia themselves!
Two great deals on kits at either end of the price scale, and Roland's class-leading e-Drum module all with healthy savings this week!
This week we have a dollop of synth sounds and patches for a bargain soft synth and classic synths for your hardware.
Hand-picked from our affiliate partner's anniversary best drum deals, we have a Pearl Kit, Zildjian cymbals, a Sonor pedal and a DW Throne!
Four years in the making, the Behringer MS-5 finally hits stores. Will it be enough to sate the appetite of synth buffs & money-savers alike?
Need some authentic Flutes? Or sound effects for a movie? We have just the thing for you, as well as a cool browser-based SysEx Librarian.
Two of Roland's range-topping V-Drum Acoustic Design kits receive huge discounts in Thomann's 70th Anniversary celebrations!
Ever wanted that JUPITER-8 sound with the crisp punch of a JUNO-60, layered with a JD-800? Well, now you can with Roland's GALAXIAS!
This week's sonic smorgasbord contains sample packs for SEQTRAK and Kontakt, free CS-80 style sounds for modwave and new vintage KORG storage
Roland GO:KEYS Music Creation Keyboard's brings their powerful synth platform to the home keyboard market with smart colours & cool features!
Is the new VONGON Replay a poly synth for hipsters, a bold design statement or something rather useful? This correspondent is confused.
Quite a variety of new sounds and samples including a superb expansion for Osmose, Woodwinds for action and spaced-out beats!
Following the likes of M-Tron Pro, Oddity Minimonsta, GForce Software's Virtual String Machine is brought up to date with a new UI & more.
Building on the success of the Strike, can the Alesis Strata Prime e-Drum Kit continue to challenge an increasingly dense market?