Hi!
The third shoe has dropped, if that's possible. After reviewing MODX (the "lite" Yamaha Montage), Fantom (Roland's flagship workstation) it was only a matter of time before I took a look at the Kronos, Korg's flagship wo...
2020-11-09 06:30:15 +0000 UTC View PostHi!
For those of you following last month's ordeal of moving from Mac Pages to Microsoft Word, during the transition, the book lost a clickable table of contents and some links stopped working.
I am happy to report that after spending ...
2020-10-31 13:28:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
I'm putting the finishing touches on the second mixing chapter in my book, and celebrating the event, I've put together a video with a few mixing tips and ideas.
The blasphemous part of it is that I'm using
Hi!
Pulsar 23 is an interesting beast - a 4 voice drum synth that embraces SOMA Lab's fondness of cross modulation and chaos, with eurorack jacks swapped out in favor of alligator cables and contact pins.
I'll keep thi...
2020-10-21 16:26:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
Bluebox from 1010Music is 12-input / 6 output (or 6 stereo in, 3 stereo out) digital desktop mixer that ditches mic preamps, hi-z inputs and knobs in favor of size, portability, a touch screen and Eurorack compatibility....
2020-10-10 09:05:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
Solar 50 from Elta Music is an interesting and unique instrument. Notice I didn't say synth - from a synthesis perspective, it's quite simple - 50 sawtooth oscillators arranged in 10 voices.
As is often the case, i...
2020-10-07 14:18:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
As you may know, when I get pre-release review gear sent in, I accept no conditions on my content except one: the time I can hit "publish" on a video (also called an "embargo" time).
This is also why you often see multiple content ...
2020-10-01 07:10:32 +0000 UTC View PostDear WaveShapers!
I hope all is well with you. Attached is the September 2020 update to my ever expanding book...
The biggest change is one I hope you won't see: I've been using Mac Pages up until now and it has ...
2020-09-30 13:23:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
I received over 400 questions about Maschine Plus by Native Instruments. Not being one to avoid hard questions, I present to you the 53-minute answer...
The questions centered around three main topics:
Hi!
Roland just released a fairly significant update to their Zen-core based Fantom 6/7/8 product line, adding much-needed sample playback and multi-sampling features, as well as quite a few other updates.
"Workstation...
2020-09-18 16:02:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
When does a feature define a synth? I think that will be the case with the morph feature in PolyBrute, Arturia's new six-voice flagship analog synth.
We've seen this capability with digital synths ...
2020-09-15 16:02:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
[EDIT: "Making of" notes for the intro jam below....]
I'm assuming you've seen Arturia's KeyStep as a recurring sidekick in my videos: it doesn't take a lot of frame space; it can sequence and arpeggiate hardware gear ...
2020-09-08 15:54:53 +0000 UTC View PostHi!
Here's the latest book update - before I dive in to what's new:
Hi!
Firmware updates rarely unlock a hidden hardware feature, and yet here we are - it turns out the headphone jack in every Arturia MicroFreak since day one is a TRRS type jack with an input that can process incoming audio....
2020-08-25 15:02:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
"Gamechanger" is such an overused word, that I didn't use it in the title of this email or video, so I don't get accused of clickbait, but MTX8 from Future Sound Systems (FSS) may just be one. A gamechan...
2020-08-23 11:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
I find FM synthesis incredibly interesting. Not because of a fondness for 80's video games or DX7 nostalgia (both of which I admit to having), but because of the surprises and happy accidents that lurk in between operato...
2020-08-11 07:13:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
Music theory can be intimidating and daunting. TheoryBoard from Irijule is an attempt at bypassing the complexities of theory and manifesting in hardware form a controller to help you explore multiple differ...
2020-08-02 16:57:57 +0000 UTC View PostHi there!
What's the essence of a useful trick in my book? Something easy, non-obvious but straightforward - a setting, option, or something else that helps you do more with your electronic instrument, or something hidden, the absence ...
2020-07-31 12:52:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
Dreadbox and Sinevibes' TYPHON is little synth with much more in it than meets the eye.
On the one hand, it combines six knobs into one (oscillator 1 and 2 level, oscillator 1 and 2 shape, pulse width ...
2020-07-23 19:52:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
A couple of weeks ago, Presonus announced a new controller called ATOM SQ, and I was intrigued by its offset dual row design.
Most multifunction grid-based pad controllers let yo...
2020-07-20 11:10:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
If you want an all-in-one overview of how wavetable synths, resonators, granular synths and FM/multi-operator synths work, this is the video for you...
<... 2020-07-15 18:38:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
Semi-modular synths. You can't save presets. The patch cables are a hassle. Who needs 'em?
Well, for one, Eurorack pairings are your best shot at transforming a synth into somethin...
2020-07-05 18:02:14 +0000 UTC View PostHey there!
I hope you are all well! First, I'd like to thank and welcome all the new WaveShapers, and of course double thanks to all of you that keep supporting the channel month over month.
To t...
2020-06-30 15:54:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
As I was exploring the Mutate and Deviate functions of the MK3 Launchkeys, I starting feeling my eurorack modules get jealous: could similar algorithms be implemented with modular/analog systems? How could you go about <...
2020-06-29 12:17:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
The simple and yet elegant generative arpeggiator in the Launchkey Mini MK3 was one of my favorite features when I reviewed it.
Today, Novation updates their Launchkey range ...
2020-06-18 15:12:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
Last week's video was all about a MIDI-based generative instrument; this week's star is REmindER from Enjoy Electronics - an instrument with the same goal in mind, only it uses delay lines and applies th...
2020-06-14 15:01:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
"Traditional" Sequencers are increasingly starting to add generative features: a little probability or randomness added to the KeyStep Pro, Spice and Dice on the Microfreak, Mutate and Deviate on the Launchkey Mini MK3, conditional trigs...
2020-06-08 10:55:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
SYNTRX from Erica Synths is a different kind of synth, as was the synth from which it takes its inspiration - the EMS Synthi AKS.
Instead of patch cables or a mod matrix in a hidden menu,...
2020-06-01 11:47:09 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi there!
I hope you're doing well. Apparently, the first paragraph of my book has promised a whole chapter about analog vs. digital, and yet I've not added it with all the other excitement going on... well, at least I can c...
2020-05-31 09:03:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi!
Disting MK4 is one of Eurorack's most popular modules - and rightfully so - but, as I mentioned in my review of it two years ago, it's very hard to use without the manual unless you have an excellent memory, only use the...
2020-05-20 13:59:24 +0000 UTC View Post