Robin Vincent, Author at gearnews.com

FamilyTool – an extension to the Mother-32, DFAM or any semi-modular

28 Dec 2018 in Synths

FamilyTool is a 20hp box that adds passive functionality to your patchable synths with a mult, attenuators and a bunch of mixers. With some stretch goal power it could also be a little Eurorack box.

Korg teasing something new for 2019

27 Dec 2018 in Synths

A mysterious figure playing a possibly keyboard-like device lit by blue light-sabres. What could it all mean? Korg says they have something new for 2019.

Top 5 Software Synthesizers of 2018 (reprise)

26 Dec 2018 in Synths

2018 saw a plethora of inventive, appealing software synthesizers, including our Top 5 by Arturia, FXpansion, Native Instruments, Waslio Audio, Cherry Audio and Waves. Wait, that's 6?!?

Whatever happened to these synths promised in 2018?

25 Dec 2018 in Synths

Many products promised for 2018 didn't materialise. Did they vanish without a trace or are just taking longer than they hoped. We dug into our favourite missing synths of 2018 to find out.

Top 5 Modular Gear of 2018 by Strymon, Mutable, Endorphin, Erica, Arturia

23 Dec 2018 in Synths

Whew, what a year for modular gear that was! Here's the best of a cracking field of modular gear in 2018 - which you may or not agree with. It could easily have been a Top 20!

New Korg Volcas: Micro Modular and Digital Percussion Synthesizer

21 Dec 2018 in Synths

Just when you thought Korg had lost interest in the Volca series of mini synths two new ones pop up on Instagram - a Buchla inspired Micro Modular and a Digital Percussion Synthesizer.

Nektar BOLT Harmonics Synthesizer takes us by surprise

20 Dec 2018 in Synths

BOLT offers a different approach to synthesis. It builds overtones with the structure of the oscillator with full or odd harmonics, inverted or deeply embedded and then modulates the heck out of itself.

Polyphenom: Dreamily hypnotic hybrid synthesizer that will synthesize your soul

19 Dec 2018 in Synths

Polyphenom combines additive and subtractive synthesis in the hope of it adding up to something awesome. It certainly pulls off the dreaminess of additive and the power of subtractive in one neat package.

Leak! Are Nektar about to release a VST synthesizer?

19 Dec 2018 in Synths

An Instragram video of musician and producer Julian Wassermann at play on his Nektar Panarama T4 controller keyboard also shows an unknown VST synthesizer with the Nektar logo and the name BOLT.

Complex-1: front patching Modular Synthesizer for Propellerhead Reason

18 Dec 2018 in Synths

Reason is the modular workstation we didn't realise we had. Complex-1 literally brings all that patching to the fore with a sublime modular synthesizer Rack Extension with both West and East coast flavours.

Behringer MS-101 joins the clone pre-production line

18 Dec 2018 in Synths

Uli Behringer updates us on the forthcoming MS-101. As with many others promised for the end of the year it's taking longer than expected but it's now in pre-production and we could see it early next year.

Sewn: a material based solar powered analog modular synthesizer from Ellistronics

17 Dec 2018 in Synths

Ellistronics is at it again with the handmade synthesizers of notes and noises. This time it's all Sewn into a bit of old sack and solar powered for ultimate portability.

Korg Prologue V1.30 fixes the annoying tuning instability

17 Dec 2018 in Synths

After months of complaints from Prologue users Korg finally steps up and deals with the oscillator tuning issues on their hybrid polyphonic synthesizer

Prok Drums: Mighty Morphing virtual analog DSP drum module kits

14 Dec 2018 in Synths

A Bassdrum, Snare, Hi-Hat and Clap in four DIY modules that use DSP based virtual analog as their sound source and let you morph through the synthesis parameters in XY 2D. Very cool kits.

TRK-01 Play and other Christmas treats from Native Instruments

14 Dec 2018 in Synths

Native Instruments loves a bit of Christmas and you can always count on them to fire out something free and something cool around the holidays. This year it's a free version of TRK-01, a voucher and a prize ...

Behringer Neutron 2.0 firmware update adds a load of extras

13 Dec 2018 in Synths

The Neutron 2.0 firmware update brings a load of new stuff, features and improvements completely free to all users plus a new Neutron App to get into the details that the knobs don't provide.

SampleTank 4 unveiled with 8,000 sounds and a new sound engine

13 Dec 2018 in Synths

A whopping great big update to the original software sample library workstation. SampleTank 4 has 5 times the content, a redesigned sound engine, mixer, editing and grooving.

OP-1 is not dead say Teenage Engineering – stop paying silly eBay prices

12 Dec 2018 in Synths

Teenage Engineering weighs in on reports that the OP-1 portable synthesizer has been discontinued prompting inflated second-hand prices. They are just tooling up for another run.

Arturia Pigments: a swirling polyrhythmic, modulating and randomising mega-synth

11 Dec 2018 in Synths

Arturia has dropped Pigments, a visually enticing mega-synth that takes modulation, randomisation and probability to some very interesting places. Get your first in-depth look here!

DUNE 3: the Differential Unison Engine software synthesizer gets an upgrade

11 Dec 2018 in Synths

More voices and oscillators in unison than you could possibly use, doubling up on filters and arpeggiators and a complete wavetable editor make this one decent upgrade.

Voltage Modular 1.1.1 introduces polyphonic modules and free Module Designer

10 Dec 2018 in Synths

You can now design, program and build your own modules for personal use and explore polyphonic modules within the 1.1.1 update for Cherry Audio's Voltage Modular

Dtronics DT-01: hardware programmer for the Roland D-05, D-50 and D-550

10 Dec 2018 in Synths

Dtronics map the guts out of Roland Linear Arithmetic synthesizers and route them to 56 knobs of programming bliss on the DT-01 programmer.

Behringer Odyssey enters pre-production

08 Dec 2018 in Synths

Another classic synthesizer is about to be reborn via the fertile womb of Behringer. According to Uli Behringer's Odyssey is now not far off - exciting times.

Rossum Electro is cooking up something analogue

07 Dec 2018 in Synths

A new Eurorack module from Rossum Electro that's a field of knobs and intertwined patch sockets that, apparently, is all analogue - what's it going to be?