Jupiter Xm review and tutorial

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In: Reviews, Synthesizer

Roland’s Jupiter Xm is a synth that can play four different parts or timbres simultaneously and polyphonically, in addition to a fifth drum drum part. It has the same sound engine as its bigger brother, the Jupiter X, but in a much more portable form factor. It’s packed with multiple sound engines or models – both virtual analog and sample based, you can split parts or layer them, program an arpeggiator or simple sequence per part, or just use the I-Arpeggio figure out how to arpeggiate all the parts for you. The Xm’s ZEN-Core engine is massive – with four partials and dozens of parameters,Read More →

Behringer Poly D review

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In: Reviews, Synthesizer, Tutorials

Poly D from Behringer is based on their own Model D, which in turn is based on Moog’s MiniMoog Model D, but expanded in quite a few ways. It has four oscillators instead of three, and they can be played paraphonically or polyphonically depending on your definition of those terms; it has a sequencer and arpeggiator, and a velocity sensitive keyboard with aftertouch, as well as analog distortion and delay circuits. Here’s my full review, workflow tutorial as well as a few patch ideas: TIMELINE:0:00 Intro 0:50 Modes 2:45 Unison 4:00 Poly 4:50 Auto damp 7:20 Overview 9:30 Chorus 10:05 Distortion 11:00 Oscillators 13:20 MixerRead More →

Moog One Review and Tutorial

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In: Reviews, Synthesizer, Tutorials

ONE is Moog’s only in-production polyphonic synth – it’s tri-timbral – meaning you can use its voices to play one of up to three completely different sounds at the same time, it’s an analog synth with either 8 to 16 voices, and it’s programmable, meaning you can save presets on it. It has over 200 knobs and buttons on the panel and a big screen for many more additional parameters, and it also has built-in digital effects by Moog and Eventide, which is always a better option than using external effects, because the effects can become part of a preset. Moog One isn’t cheap, smallRead More →

Behringer TD-3 review

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In: Reviews, Synthesizer

Behringer TD-3 is a clone (with added features) of Roland’s TB-303, a synth that was originally designed to mimic bass guitars, failed commercially, but despite that has now become one of the most iconic mono synths, core to acid music but used in other genres as well. In this video I’ll show you what the Behringer TD-3 can do, and compare it to an original TB-303 as well as the RE-303, a replica by DIN SYNC, and XOXBOX, a souped up open source clone: TIMELINE: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Overview 2:05 Synth tool 3:55 Oscillator 5:10 Filter & resonance 5:55 Envelope 6:15 Accent 6:55 Distortion 8:20Read More →

Behringer Pro-1 Review and Tutorial

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In: Reviews, Tips and tricks

Behringer Pro-1 is an analog remake of the classic Sequential Pro-One, with the same interface, and internal oscillators and filters that are clones of the originals. Behringer also added an interesting new duophonic mode that doesn’t exist in the original Pro-1, as well as additional patching points that open it up to interesting sound design opportunities. In this video I take a brief look at how Pro-1 compares to Behringer’s existing monosynth line up (Neutron, Crave, MS-1, Model D and K-2), then take an in-depth beginner-friendly look at what Pro-1 can do, and finally wrap up with some patch ideas, and pros and cons: TIMELINE:Read More →

erica synths pico system 3 review

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In: Modular, Reviews, Tips and tricks

PICO SYSTEM III from Erica Synths is a step away from the previous PICO systems. The cost has been reduced by creating one set of modules rather than individual swappable ones, and complex digital modules have been replaced with simpler analog ones. However, an interesting feature has been added: support for Buchla Easel-style preset cards. This video is a full review of PICO System 3, and also includes a little hack for getting much more than just simple patch presets out of the voice cards: TIMELINE: 0:00 Intro 0:50 Overview 2:55 Preset cards 4:10 DIY expansion – “hacking” a preset card 6:15 Sequencer 7:00 OscillatorsRead More →

Voltage Research Lab Loopop Review

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In: Eurorack, Modular, Reviews

Voltage Research Lab is now in production and Pittsburgh Modular had a spare prototype to send in for review. VRL is their Buchla-inspired mini synth with a primary complex oscillator that has a unique take at waveshaping and folding, an emulation of the classic low pass gate response and more. Here’s my review of VRL along with detailed scope analysis of the various waveshapers and dynamics features (response and pluck): TIMELINE: 0:00 Intro 1:05 Overview 3:20 MIDI 4:45 Clock 5:00 Arpeggiator 6:50 Primary oscillator 11:10 Secondary oscillator 12:30 FM, AM, Ring, and wave modulation 14:45 Function Generators 17:10 Unison 18:00 Dynamics controllers 19:30 Response 20:40Read More →

Frap Tools USTA Review and Tutorial

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In: Reviews, Sequencer

USTA is a eurorack sequencer based around the concept of four independent tracks with variable stage lengths, meaning that each step in a sequence doesn’t necessarily represent the same amount of time as the one before or after it. It also supports chance and randomization or a per stage basis and has 16 stage knobs for immediate access stage parameters. It’s quite a bit more powerful than may initially seem, but with power comes complexity. Here’s a full review and tutorial alongside a walk through what a set up it controls can look like: TIMELINE: 0:00 Intro 0:50 Overview 3:40 Setup walkthru 5:00 Project structureRead More →

Novation LaunchPad X vs Mini MK3

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In: Ableton Live, DAW Controller, Reviews

Novation just updated the LaunchPad Mini with RGB color pads and the LaunchPad X with velocity sensitive pads and polyphonic aftertouch. But that’s not all… check out all the differences and new features in the review below: TIMELINE:0:00 Intro 0:45 Hardware 2:25 Using the grid with Ableton Live3:15 Stop/Mute/Solo on Launchpad Mini 4:50 LaunchPad X’s Mixer 6:30 Playing notes in Live with LaunchPad X 9:00 Factory MIDI layouts 10:05 Creating a custom layout 14:10 Light shows 14:40 Settings 15:00 SummaryRead More →

Behringer DeepMind Review Tutorial Tips and Tricks

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In: Reviews, Tips and tricks, Tutorials

In this video I take a deep dive into DeepMind – it’s part review, part beginner’s tutorial, and also has a “tips and tricks” part, highlighting 10 little gems hidden in this synth that may not be obvious from a first look at the interface. It’s quite a long video, but there’s a timeline as usual both in the video and below so you can skip around to the parts that interest you most. TIMELINE: 0:00 Overview 4:00 Main screen 6:20 Oscillators 11:25 Filter 13:45 HPF & boost 14:35 Modulation 15:30 LFOs 17:55 Envelopes 20:35 Curves 22:55 Mod matrix 25:10 Effects 27:10 Arp & SeqRead More →