Robin Vincent, Author at gearnews.com

Wolfgang Palm retires, hands PPG to Brainworx and Plugin Alliance

19 Mar 2020 in Synths

Synth pioneer Wolfgang Palm, founder of PPG in 1975, retires and hands on his immense legacy to Brainworx, who pledge to take those VST Instruments and iOS synthesizer apps into the future.

SOMA Labs Pulsar-23 organismic drum machine is released!

18 Mar 2020 in Synths

Vlad Kreimer's mind and circuit bending Pulsar-23 drum machine has been teasing us with its conduction infused rhythms and modulations for ages. It's officially released but there's a waiting list.

iOptigan: classic 70’s chord organ scratches its lo-fi auto-accompaniment onto iPad

18 Mar 2020 in Synths

iOptigan authentically recreates the Optigan chord organ that pulled pre-recorded rhythms and accompaniments off LP-sized film discs that you could then play along to. Sounds mad and fun!

GranuRise: immersive sonic interaction and complex sound structures of samples and synthesis

18 Mar 2020 in Synths

GranuRise is strange and deeply fascinating using expressive interaction to process sample-based sources through semi-prepared generative structures. It's a bit granular, complex and looks amazing.

Ruismaker Drum Synth Oscillator turns the NTS-1 into an analog-style drum synth

18 Mar 2020 in Synths

Bram Bos has released a video of their forthcoming Ruismaker Drum Synth Oscillator which can be loaded into the Korg NTS-1, Minilogue XD or Prologue to give you a simple analog-style drum synth.

Get Voltage Modular Nucleus with 22 modules completely free!

17 Mar 2020 in Synths

Cherry Audio has announced that their entry-level version of Voltage Modular is now free to download. It comes with 22 modules that you can patch together in a virtual Eurorack. Normally it costs €29.

NerdSEQ Portable: the handheld Sampling Tracker Workstation

17 Mar 2020 in Synths

In a device about the size of a GameBoy XOR Electronics is introducing the NerdSEQ Portable featuring 8 tracks of tracker style sequencing, sampling, modulation, effects and synthesis. Now with video!

Samples to make you smile: Happy sounds vocal pack from TiNRS

16 Mar 2020 in Synths

Priscilla Haring-Kuipers from This is Not Rocket Science (TiNRS) has released a fun pack of vocal samples to "inspire and assist you in making great audio" and it's totally joyful and completely free.

BOBA FAT dual analog drum generator for bad-ass kicks, bass and toms plus a Hi-Hat module

16 Mar 2020 in Synths

Bounty hunting for the ideal kick has just got a lot easier with the beefy BOBA FAT dual analog drum generator and check out the companion HH noise generator for some high-frequency hats.

Fight COVID-19 with your DAW computer by Folding@Home

14 Mar 2020 in Studio

Folding@Home is a research program that uses spare computer power to process protein simulations to help researchers better understand COVID-19 and develop therapies for it.

Moog Minimoog Model D vintage virtual synth for iOS is now free

14 Mar 2020 in Synths

Looking for a distraction? The excellent Moog Minimoog Model D virtual vintage synthesizer is now available to download for free from the Apple App Store.

Coronavirus 5 Synths to take into quarantine with you

Coronavirus quarantine? Make 2 weeks fly by with these 5 synths.

14 Mar 2020 in Synths

So, you're self-isolating and run out of things to watch on Netflix? Here are the best synthesizers to spend 14 days with to help you stay sane as you wait out the Coronavirus.

Superbooth 2020 cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns

13 Mar 2020 in Synths

We've just heard that Superbooth 2020 has been cancelled. They were carrying on with never-fading optimism that the synthesizer show would go ahead but sadly it's been beaten by concerns for our health.

КОСМИЧЕСКИЙ ШУМ: Soviet cyberpunk Space Noise module from Paratek

13 Mar 2020 in Synths

Now for something completely bonkers! КОСМИЧЕСКИЙ ШУМ or "Space Noise" is from Russian based Paratek and is what you get when you stuff two Hexinverter Jupiter Storms into a single cosmic module.

IK Multimedia SampleTank 4 Custom Shop: 50 instruments and 4GB of sounds for FREE!

12 Mar 2020 in Deals, Synths

SampleTank 4 is IK Multimedia's flagship workstation virtual synthesizer with up to 260GB of sounds. The new SampleTank 4 Custom Shop kicks you off with 4GB of sound content completely free.

Hardware control of virtual Prophet-5 synths with the SoundForce SFC-5 V2 MIDI controller

12 Mar 2020 in Synths

With the SoundForce SFC-5 V2 you have boutique hardware MIDI control over Prophet-5 VST Instruments with better pots, walnut cheeks and an all steel case.

Virtual Reality music making just got VST support

11 Mar 2020 in Synths

In two new videos Jim Simons from AliveInTech takes us through the use of VST instruments and VST plugins in the new version of their loop-based recording environment called Tranzient.

Sampleson has sucked the DNA out of the Rhodes Suitcase 73 into the Suit73 VSTi

10 Mar 2020 in Synths

Using their magical second-generation spectral modelling engine Sampleson has analysed the Fender Rhodes Suitcase 73 and squeezed it down to a 35MB virtual instrument.

Cadenza Violin: heartbreaking, emotional solo violin virtual instrument

09 Mar 2020 in Synths

The Cadenza Violin from SoundMagic attempts to capture the genuine tone and emotion of a solo violin by combining an elegantly sampled instrument with acoustic modelling.

Low Gain Electronics DubMatrix is a 5 by 5 matrix mixer for audio and CV

09 Mar 2020 in Synths

The DubMatrix will mix both audio and CV signals with 5 channels in through a 5x5 mixing matrix and out of 5 outputs. There's all sorts of scope for strange waveforms and surprising audio signals.

Watch this unmissable introduction to modular synthesizers by Zoë Blade.

08 Mar 2020 in Synths

Got an hour to spare? Sit down and watch Zoë Blade's informative, watchable and utterly charming modular synthesis 101. Even pros will find some interesting stuff here that they may not have known.

Superbooth 2020: Urs Heckmann to reveal Wiretap – an auto-gating Eurorack module

05 Mar 2020 in Synths

Urs Heckmann from software synthesizer company U-he is booked for a live performance at Superbooth 20. It says that the performance is with Wiretap which we've never heard of before.

Intellijel squeezes delay, reverb and chorus into the Multi-FX 1U Eurorack module

05 Mar 2020 in Synths

Fancy a bunch of effects in a neat 1U module? Then check out the Intellijel Multi-FX 1U for some carefully crafted and nicely musical effects to take your modular blips to another dimension.

Roland GP-002: the perfect extension for the Boutique JX-03

05 Mar 2020 in Synths

Graphic designer Robert Chrispijn has conceptualised the perfect companion to the Roland Boutique JX-03 by reimagining the PG-200 hardware programmer as the GP 002 virtual extension. Shame it's not real.