Discover incredible details of Yamaha’s groundbreaking GX-1 and the legendary CS-80 with exclusive photos – plus a special Pro Member offer on Cherry Audio’s GX-80, blending both classics in a single software synth. Available until July 17.
Explore polyphony in Part 3 of our synthesizer intro series: how many notes your synth can play at once, why it matters, and how it works. From monophonic classics to polyphonic giants and paraphonic tricks, learn how voice architecture shapes your sound.
Discover the story of the rare Rhodes Chroma with exclusive photos not found in Synth Gems 1 – plus a special Pro Member offer on Cherry Audio’s Chroma software synth, available only until July 10. A cool look into one of the most advanced synths of its time.
Composer and synth enthusiast Alex Ball joins Nadia Struiwigh to talk creative workflows, why hardware still wins, and how his journey from guitars to modular has shaped his music – and his YouTube success.
In this second part of our synthesizer introduction, we explore how core building blocks, such as VCOs, filters, envelopes, and modulation, work – using classic instruments like the Jupiter-8, Alesis Andromeda, Crumar DS2, and Moog Sonic Six to illustrate key concepts.
Synthesizers may seem wildly different, but most follow the same core ideas. This beginner-friendly guide breaks down the basic building blocks – LFO, VCO, VCF, ENV, VCA – and shows how signal flow, control voltages, and front panel design come together to create sound from scratch.
In the premiere episode of the Patch & Tweak Podcast, legendary producer Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Wire, Erasure) joins us from his London studio to talk early electronic music, modular adventures, and his current work with Sunroof and ElectroGenetic.
From early experiments with piano, tape decks, and video game melodies to building groove box-based live sets and a beloved YouTube channel, True Cuckoo talks to Nadia Struiwigh about his creative journey, performance style, and the joy of staying playful with music.
Random voltage generators bring organic variation to synth patches. Learn how smooth, stepped, and trigger-based randomness can add life, unpredictability, and evolving textures to your sounds.
LFOs bring movement to synthesis by modulating parameters like filter cutoff and pulse width. Learn about waveform types, sync, delay, and how to shape modulation for evolving, expressive sounds.
Envelope generators shape how a sound evolves over time – from percussive hits to swelling textures. Learn the basics of AD, ADSR, and looping envelopes, and how they control amplitude, filters, and timbre in a synthesizer.
Waveshaping alters the harmonic makeup of a waveform to create new timbres. Learn how techniques like saturation, rectification, and wavefolding shape sound, and how modulating these parameters brings movement and complexity.