As an independent publication from the team behind Bjooks, we bring the same care, quality, and passion you know from the books. Go Pro to dive into in-depth articles, artist interviews, podcast episodes, short documentaries, exclusive special offers, and the Bjooks ebooks – over 2,000 pages of synth-spiration! Or choose the Core Membership for instant access to the ebook library. Discover, learn, and stay inspired – wherever you are on your synth journey.
Celebrate Roland’s legacy with Inspire the Music – 50 Years of Roland History! Today only: get 25% off the stunning hardcover, plus free access to the complete eBook. Don’t miss this chance to dive into five decades of innovation, design, and sound.
Guide to Hamamatsu, home to Yamaha, Roland, and Kawai, Japan’s true synthesizer city. See legendary synths at Yamaha, Korg’s first prototype, and hunt for treasures at Sonix and Hard Off, or stop by Kawai’s showroom. This UNESCO City of Music is a pilgrimage for synth fans.
Allen Strange’s book “Electronic Music” became a landmark guide to modular synthesis in the ’70s, blending technical clarity with creativity. Decades later, its ideas still inspire. We take an introductory look...
Whether you're new to modular or a seasoned Eurorack head, VCV Rack offers a flexible, free way to patch, prototype, and explore anywhere. This guide shows how to get started, test ideas before buying hardware, or go deeper with powerful modules – no rack space (or budget) required.
Nicolas Bernier, Composer, producer, artist, and Professor at the Université de Montréal, shares five counterintuitive strategies for performative modular synthesis, including why you might not want to patch at all. A fresh perspective on composition, repetition, and live performance!
Arabic music’s rich scales demand synths beyond Western tuning, like the mythic Juno-106A, vintage Korg Sigma, modern Minilogue XD, and vintage Casios. Explore how these instruments, hardware mods, and modern microtonal tools support authentic Arabic melodies and traditions in electronic music.
In this Patch & Tweak Podcast episode, singer and multi-instrumentalist Kitty Liv talks with host JoE Silva about soulful songwriting, analog gear, and how the Minimoog Model D becomes a voice of its own in her emotionally driven creative process.
Meet the Wasp: bold, buzzy, and brilliantly ahead of its time. Explore this cult classic with exclusive photos, and a look at Cherry Audio’s Yellowjacket, a modern tribute to the Wasp’s legendary sound.
In this how-to article, Chris Meyer breaks down when to use linear vs. exponential VCAs and envelopes in modular synth patches. Learn how response curves shape loudness, mixing, FM depth, and modulation—and why combining exponential envelopes with linear VCAs often sounds most natural.
South Korea’s electronic scene is surging, with Eurorack rigs, vintage samplers, and gritty drum machines at the core. Meet four artists, Mount XLR, Go Dam, Mono Lens, and Mogwaa, plus modular maker Holocene Electronics, all shaping a uniquely Korean sonic culture.
A cool look into one of the most advanced semi-modular synths ever. Discover the story of the rare KORG PS-3300 with exclusive photos – plus a look at Cherry Audio’s PS-3300 software synth.
From Afrobeats to Singeli, Africa’s electronic music pulses with polyrhythms, local textures, and bold sonic experiments. Artists like KMRU, Mikael Seifu, and Gafacci fuse tradition with cutting-edge production, proving the continent’s vibrant future in global electronic music.
Tired of static envelopes? Chris Meyer shows how to build Zadar-like, chaotic, smooth-random shapes with organic bumps and wobbles that evolve on every trigger. Three patch levels let you sculpt animated, expressive envelopes.
Discover incredible details of Yamaha’s groundbreaking GX-1 and the legendary CS-80 with exclusive photos – plus the Cherry Audio GX-80, blending both classics in a single software synth.
Explore the history, philosophy, and enduring legacy of Grant Richter’s Wiard modular synths, from the Wogglebug to the Borg Filters, in this unique email conversation with Chris Meyer. Learn how these unique modules informed modern formats and inspired generations of builders and musicians.
Now you can enjoy SYNTH GEMS 1 as an ebook – right here on your screen, whether on your phone, tablet or computer – as long as you have an internet connection. Sign up for our Core membership where you get access to SYNTH GEMS 1 and six other titles.
Since its beginnings in 1972, Roland has become one of the most influential music brands in modern history. In 400 photo-packed pages, this book tells the story of how they got there, and how they brought the music world along for the ride.
Get creative and inspired from 200+ tips and ideas and creator interviews. Learn about all the different effects types, what to get for your type of music, and how to get the most of what you already have.
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.
Filter resonance – also called Q or emphasis – boosts harmonics near the cutoff point, creating vowel-like tones and dramatic peaks. Learn how resonance shapes sound and brings filters to life in expressive, musical ways.
A filter’s slope determines how steeply it removes harmonics beyond the cutoff point. Learn how 1-, 2-, 4-, and even 8-pole filters shape sound with increasing intensity – from subtle roll-offs to dramatic tonal sculpting.
Filters shape sound by removing or reducing harmonics. Learn how low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch filters work – and how adjusting the cutoff frequency creates dramatic changes in tone and texture.
Noise in synthesis comes in many "colors" – from white and pink to blue, brown, and beyond – each with unique frequency content. Discover how different noise types sound and why no two noise modules sound exactly the same.
Explore how different oscillator waveforms – like sawtooth, pulse, triangle, and sine – affect the harmonic content and character of a sound.
Discover the core concepts of pitch and volume in this first installment of our Basic Concepts series. Learn how oscillators, frequency, amplitude, and voltage shape the sound in a synthesizer.