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Awesome Synthesizers

Uno Analog Synthesizer

Uno Analog Synthesizer

IK Multimedia proves you don’t have to be big or expensive to create fat analog sounds. Their portable synth costs less than $200, and features a pure-analog audio path with 2 VCOs, noise generator, resonant multimode VCF and VCA, MIDI, and a 27-note multitouch keyboard.

How to Play Thriller

How to Play Thriller

With the right synth patches, bass, brass section, and recording talent, Doctor Mix shows us how its possible to replicate the distinctive sound of Michael Jackson’s 1984 mega-hit Thriller incredibly well. Even with the King of Pop’s vocals gone, it’s an amazing performance.

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Joué Modular MIDI Controller

Joué Modular MIDI Controller

Joué is an incredibly versatile MIDI controller, thanks to its swappable modules. The modules’ buttons are made of soft and elastic material that responds to pressure very nicely. There are eight modules to choose from, some familiar and some quite unorthodox.

Synthesizer V Virtual Vocalist

Synthesizer V Virtual Vocalist

Software engineer Kanru Hua shows off an impressive application he’s currently working on – a synthesizer that can emulate different vocal styles and sing in multiple languages. It shows quite a bit of promise, and could take on the big dogs like Vocaloid and CeVIO.

ROLI Songmaker Kit

ROLI Songmaker Kit

The ROLI Songmaker Kit combines the Seaboard Block with the Lightpad Block M, the Loop Block and $400 worth of mobile apps and desktop software in one bundle. You also get a carrying case and hundreds of sounds.

Virtual Pipe Organ

Virtual Pipe Organ

Don’t have the room for an entire pipe organ in your home (or theater or church)? Musician Andrew Anderson shows off his rig, which uses Hauptwerk’s virtual pipe organ software, loaded up with Paramount Organ Works‘ set of incredibly accurate Wurlitzer samples.

Yamaha DX7: The Synth of the ’80s

Yamaha DX7: The Synth of the ’80s

If there was one new sound that turned up more than any other back in ’80s music, it was the Yamaha DX7 and its cutting-edge FM synthesis. Polyphonic explores what made the DX7’s sound and tech unique, and some of the many artists who incorporated it in their music.

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Pocket Operators Metal Series

Pocket Operators Metal Series

Teenage Engineering’s third batch of Pocket Operators is now complete. Accompanying the PO-32 Tonic drum machine are the PO-33 K.O.!, a micro-sampler with 40s memory, and the PO-35 Speak, a voice recorder and sampler.

The Rubber Chicken Synth

The Rubber Chicken Synth

We already know that a rubber chicken can be used to make music. But Andrew Huang amped things up with Hexinverter’s mutant rubber chicken that uses compressed air to allow it to be played electronically. This is some serious mad scientist sh*t. Crazy sounds start at 1:59.

Moog DFAM Percussion Synth

Moog DFAM Percussion Synth

The latest creation from the analog synthesizer greats at Moog, the semi-modular DFAM (or Drummer from Another Mother) is designed specifically to create distinctive rhythmic sounds for use as the backbeat to electronic music tracks. Listen to sample tracks here.

Wonderwall Synth Fun

Wonderwall Synth Fun

Musician Seth Everman decided to test out a bunch of different sounds and beats that his Yamaha PSR-S670 synthesizer can make, all while only performing Oasis’ hit track Wonderwall. We enjoyed the bassed-up Russian techno version best. How about you?

Mechanical Speech Synthesis & More

Mechanical Speech Synthesis & More

The Royal Institution shares a 1985 lecture by professor David Pye as he shows off a vintage analog device which allowed a skilled player to synthesize sounds that approximated a human voice. He then showed off what was then state-of-the-art electronic speech synthesis.

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character.animation.synth

character.animation.synth

Animator Eran Hilleli shows off an awesome work-in-progress system which allows him to animate the movements of a character using a series of faders and knobs, not unlike a sound mixing console. The system is based on code by keijiro takahashi. We want this now.

Andrew Huang: Modular Synthesizers

Andrew Huang: Modular Synthesizers

YouTube star Andrew Huang made this wonderful introductory video about modular synthesizers – both the software and hardware kind. He not only simplifies and shows how they work, he also shares what he loves about them.

Spectrasonics Keyscape

Spectrasonics Keyscape

Spectrasonics spent 10 years refurbishing, tuning, and capturing the sounds of some of the world’s greatest pianos, organs, and synths, and collected them into a digital library you can play with a MIDI keyboard and a computer. If it’s good enough for Stevie Wonder

Yamaha GX-1: The Dream Machine

Yamaha GX-1: The Dream Machine

Polyphonic looks back at the groundbreaking features and the resulting legacy of the Yamaha GX-1. Intended to be a proof of concept, less than 10 units of the analog polyphonic synthesizer were made, put to good use by great artists such as Stevie Wonder.

softPop Analog Noise Creature

softPop Analog Noise Creature

A nifty noisemaker for electronic musicians, the softPop’s analog brain makes a virtually endless variety of sounds. Its semi-modular design means you can modify sounds not only with its sliders, but via a patch bay. It can also process external sounds through its filters.

Genesis I Polypatch

Genesis I Polypatch

2BTruman demonstrates his custom-built synth, which looks like something off of a starship’s bridge. The system is powered by a Mac Mini, Ableton Live and Analog Lab, but the custom interfaces make it truly one of a kind. You’ve gotta check out the epic power-on sequence.

The VODER

The VODER

We’re so used to hearing computers sound like Siri and Alexa, but the earliest days of synthesized vocals dates back all the way to 1939, and Homer Dudley’s invention, which combined buzzes and hisses with varying intonations to produce humanoid voices.

Louis Cole: Bank Account

Louis Cole: Bank Account

Musician Louis Cole’s short song works on more levels than you’d expect. Most of us can relate to its lyrics, and while it starts out like a novelty tune, we quickly learn that Louis is a serious electrofunkmaster. And then there’s this. Louis, you’re our new hero.

Viva La Vida Synth Check

Viva La Vida Synth Check

Seth Everman titled this video simply as: “When you try all the sounds and beats on your synth (while only playing coldplay – viva la vida).” His description couldn’t be more accurate. We want to run on the treadmill to the techno version.

Zoom ARQ Aero RhythmTrak

Zoom ARQ Aero RhythmTrak

This strange looking gadget isn’t a self-aware vacuum cleaner. It’s a complete drum machine, sequencer, synthesizer, looper, clip launcher, and wireless MIDI controller in one. Its packed with hundreds of sounds, and has 96 velocity and pressure-sensitive pads.

Purple RISE

Purple RISE

During NAMM 2017, musician Marco Parisi turned in a nuanced instrumental performance of the Prince classic Purple Rain with the help of the amazing ROLI Seaboard RISE, a keyboard which offers touch and pressure sensitivity along the length of each of its keys.

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