Synthmagazine UK | Synth News, Gear & Sound Design

24. August 2026

Molten Music Technology Unleashes Knobula Drum Farm: A Percussive Playground for Chaos Lovers

If you think modular drum modules are all battery hens, Molten Music Technology just dropped a free-range beast. The Knobula Drum Farm isn’t your average click-and-clack box – it’s a sample-slinging, synth-splicing rave bunker for your bleepy urges. Robin Vincent’s review is a whirlwind tour through farmyard metaphors, accidental genius, and all the crunchy workflow quirks. Get ready for resampling rabbit holes and effects that can turn your kicks into sonic street weapons. Don’t expect symmetry or hand-holding – this is chaos with a manual written at 3am.

Bastl Crust, Befaco Instrument Interface, Elektron Digitakt, Knobula Drum Farm

24. August 2026

TAS

Lodewijk Vos (LØ)

Sampling in the Wild: Lodewijk Vos Turns Jungle Junk Into Bangers

Ever wondered what happens when you ditch your trusty synths and sample libraries, grab an old iPhone and a laptop, and head out bush? Lodewijk Vos, sonic explorer extraordinaire, dives into the jungle with nothing but his wits and a mic, proving you don’t need fancy gear to make cracking tunes. From car doors to bamboo thwacks, this episode is a wild ride through creative sampling, with HALion 7.5 as the secret sauce. Mate, if you think you need a studio to make bangers, you’re in for a treat.

iPhone, Laptop, Steinberg HALion 7.5

24. August 2026

LUMINA

Voltage Labs

Voltage Labs Illuminates the Sonic DNA of IDM: From Rave Shadows to Ambient Light

Voltage Labs traverses the echoing corridors of 1990s IDM, tracing how rave’s pulsing ghosts transformed into music for listening rooms and liminal spaces. Through poetic narrative and archival resonance, the video weaves a tapestry of sound and vision—where Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, and the spectral touch of Chris Cunningham recast electronic music as a landscape of memory, complexity, and emotion. Here, machines hum with human longing and every beat is a fragment of distant light.

23. August 2026

SPARKY

sunwarper

Sunwarper’s SP-404 MKII Looper: From Gimmick to Groove Weapon

Sunwarper, the LA wizard of dusty samples and synthwave heat, takes the supposedly ‘meh’ SP-404 MKII Looper and turns it into the backbone of his beat-making. If you thought this feature was just Roland fluff, you’re in for a sharp rerouting. In true Sunwarper style, he slices through workflow myths, shows off layer-specific FX chaos, and hits the ceiling of what the SP’s looper can do—before busting through it with a DAW hack. Whether you’re a sampler veteran or just want to dodge the endless pattern grid, this one’s equal parts lesson and rave bunker inspiration.

Roland SP-404 MkII

23. August 2026

SPARKY

Sweetwater

Sweetwater’s PA Setup Guide: From Rave Bunker Prep to Tear-down – No Nonsense, All Noise

Sweetwater roll in with a pro-level, full-fat walkthrough of setting up a band PA. No fluff, just real-world steps from gear pick to load-out, with enough detail to make even a grizzled roadie nod. If you think setting up a live rig is just ‘plug and play’, this one will slap you straight. Expect solid tips, a few sharp warnings, and a look at the gear choices behind a proper modern show.

Allen & Heath SQ5 mixer, Electro Voice PXM12MP monitor wedges, QSC K12.2 speakers, QSC KS118 subwoofers, Radial J48 active direct box, Radial JDI passive direct box, SAElectronic V7 microphone, Sennheiser E604, Sennheiser MD421II, Shure Beta 181C, Shure Beta 52A microphone, Shure KSM141, Shure SM57

17. August 2026

SPARKY

The Unperson

The Unperson Hacks Plaits: Plaits Palette Turns Firmware into a Playground

Mutable Instruments Plaits is a modern classic, but The Unperson dives headfirst into the Rubato Audio Plaits Palette to show just how wild things can get when you soup up your module with Braids algorithms, new chords, and a DX7 sound invasion. Forget vanilla firmware—this is Plaits on turbo. Expect sharp commentary, hands-on jams, and a rave-bunker approach to modular mayhem. If you thought you knew Plaits, you don’t. Not until you’ve seen this.

Mutable Instruments Plaits, Rubato Audio Plaits Palette

17. August 2026

SPARKY

TheCosmicAcademy

TheCosmicAcademy’s Mixing Order: Volume First, Ego Later

Ready to stop butchering your mixes with knee-jerk EQ moves? TheCosmicAcademy comes in hot with a punchy, no-fluff breakdown of why volume balance is your true secret weapon. Forget plugin hoarding—this is about ears, attitude, and a process that gets results. If you’re tired of muddy chaos and want clarity that punches through a rave bunker, this one’s for you. Strap in, because we’re skipping the presets and cutting straight to what matters.

16. August 2026

SPARKY

Sanjay C

Sanjay C Throws Down: Spotify Outs AI Fakes & Blackbox 2 Goes Rogue

Brace yourself, gearheads: Sanjay C dives into Spotify’s new AI artist crackdown, headphone wizardry with LEWITT Space Replicator 2.0, and a portable sampling beast in the Blackbox 2. Toss in Softube’s tube EQs and a barrage of studio deals—this episode’s got more bite than a rave at 3am. If you thought news shows were dull, think again. Some sonic moves just have to be seen (and heard) in the video.

1010music Blackbox 2, Audio-Technica M20X, Erica Synths Zen Delay Virtual, Future Audio Workshop SubLab, Korg Minilogue XD, LEWITT Space Replicator 2.0, Roland D-50, Softube Reference 1956, Softube Reference 1998

15. August 2026

SPARKY

Patrick Breen

Patrick Breen’s Auriteq Flow: Daw Control at Warp Speed

Hands off the mouse, synth heads—Patrick Breen drops the Auriteq Flow into the DAW battlefield, promising to slice your workflow time like a samurai with deadlines. Forget fiddling with endless menus: this controller puts all the key moves right under your fingertips, morphing at will across seven scenes. If you’re tired of wrestling your DAW into submission and need a street-ready sonic weapon, keep reading. Spoiler: this box doesn’t just look the part, it actually delivers.

Auriteq Flow

« 1 … 12 13 14 15 16 … 264 »