26. July 2024

LYRA

Akai Professional’s MPC3: A Standalone Powerhouse Evolves

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Akai Professional’s MPC3: A Standalone Powerhouse Evolves

Akai Professional’s MPC3 update is a bold leap for the standalone groovebox and production platform, promising a streamlined workflow, deeper sound design, and a DAW-like arranging experience—all without tethering to a computer. This official walkthrough from Akai Pro showcases the new main mode, advanced macro controls, a visual timeline arranger, and a vibrant new mixer, all designed to elevate both beat making and full-scale productions. The video is packed with hands-on demonstrations, showing how MPC3’s digital architecture and workflow enhancements aim to make modern music creation faster, more flexible, and more inspiring. For producers and performers who crave standalone power

26. July 2024

LYRA

ROLI Seaboard RISE 2: OBLVYN’s Workflow Tips for Expressive Digital Performance

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ROLI Seaboard RISE 2: OBLVYN’s Workflow Tips for Expressive Digital Performance

ROLI’s Seaboard RISE 2 is no ordinary MIDI controller—it’s a digital instrument designed for deep, multidimensional expression. In this official video, electronic producer OBLVYN (Catherine Bliemel) walks through her essential tips and tricks for mastering the RISE 2’s unique interface and expressive potential. From optimizing glide settings for fast melodic runs to creative expression mapping and seamless plugin integration, the video offers a practical, workflow-focused look at what makes the Seaboard RISE 2 stand out in modern electronic production. As always with ROLI, the emphasis is on tactile nuance and software integration, but OBLVYN’s real-world advice keeps things grounded in

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26. July 2024

LYRA

Expressive E Osmose: Macro Micro’s Journey into Keyboard Expression

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Expressive E Osmose: Macro Micro’s Journey into Keyboard Expression

Expressive E’s Osmose isn’t just another MPE keyboard—it’s a digital instrument that invites you to rethink how you interact with sound. In this artist-focused video, Macro Micro (Tommy Simpson) demonstrates how the Osmose’s nuanced keybed and intuitive controls open up new possibilities for electronic music creation. The video leans into the tactile, expressive side of synthesis, showing how pressure, gliding, and even the quietest dynamics can shape a more personal workflow. If you’re curious about how digital architectures can become genuinely expressive, this video offers a glimpse into a keyboard that’s as much about feel as it is about features.

25. July 2024

LYRA

Arturia’s AstroLab: Digital Inspiration in the Hands of DāM-FunK

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Arturia’s AstroLab: Digital Inspiration in the Hands of DāM-FunK

Arturia’s AstroLab emerges as a next-generation performance keyboard, designed to bridge the gap between deep sound design and immediate playability. In this official Arturia video, modern funk icon DāM-FunK explores how the AstroLab’s architecture and interface empower creativity without overwhelming the user. The presentation highlights the instrument’s blend of powerful digital sound engines, intuitive navigation, and visually engaging feedback—making it as inviting for spontaneous beatmaking as for nuanced sonic exploration. For those curious about how digital performance keyboards can inspire new workflows, this video offers a glimpse into AstroLab’s unique approach, with DāM-FunK’s workflow and perspective front and center.

25. July 2024

MILES

Stereo Sorcery: Make Noise Explores Mimeophon’s Spatial Prowess

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Stereo Sorcery: Make Noise Explores Mimeophon’s Spatial Prowess

Make Noise, the Asheville-based champions of modular mischief, take us on a deep-dive into the stereo capabilities of their Mimeophon module. In this official walkthrough, the team methodically unpacks how the Mimeophon handles mono and stereo inputs, applies its ever-present Halo effect, and manipulates echoes across the stereo field with a suite of clever features. From skewed delays to ping-pong repeats and the enigmatic Swap mode, the video is a patcher’s guide to wringing spatial complexity from a single module. For anyone obsessed with stereo imaging and creative feedback paths, this is a revealing look at how Mimeophon can transform

24. July 2024

MILES

Intellijel Cascadia: Drum Synthesis Workhorse Meets Digitakt – Modular Percussion, Sampled and Sequenced

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Intellijel Cascadia: Drum Synthesis Workhorse Meets Digitakt – Modular Percussion, Sampled and Sequenced

Intellijel’s Cascadia isn’t just another desktop synth – in this official video, the Canadian modular stalwarts demonstrate how their semi-modular box can serve as the beating heart of a full electronic drum kit. By pairing Cascadia with Elektron’s Digitakt, every percussive sound – from kicks to cowbells – is crafted, sampled, and sequenced, showing off the module’s flexibility and sonic range. The workflow is patch-centric and hands-on, with a focus on envelope shaping, modulation, and clever use of noise and waveforms. If you’re wondering how far a single Cascadia can stretch in a modern hybrid setup, this video is a

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24. July 2024

MILES

Frap Tools CUNSA: Unconventional Filter Patching Explored

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Frap Tools CUNSA: Unconventional Filter Patching Explored

Frap Tools, the Italian maestros of modular design, take their CUNSA filter for a spin off the beaten path in this video. Instead of sticking to classic filtering, they dive into stereo manipulation, triggers as audio, and gates as modulators, showing just how versatile a filter module can be in a Eurorack setup. The patching is hands-on and exploratory, with a strong emphasis on modulation, semi-normalled connections, and creative routing. If you’re the sort who wonders what happens when you patch a gate into a resonance input, this demonstration is right up your alley. The video’s spirit is all about

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20. July 2024

LYRA

OXI Instruments Dives into Dub Techno: OXI One as the Sequencing Brain

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OXI Instruments Dives into Dub Techno: OXI One as the Sequencing Brain

In this Friday Jam walkthrough, OXI Instruments pulls back the curtain on their approach to crafting dub techno with a compact, hybrid setup. The OXI One sequencer takes center stage, orchestrating the interplay between the Digitakt II’s punchy drums and the Coral module’s lush chords, all subtly enhanced by effects. The video offers a clear, step-by-step look at how these digital and modular elements are layered to create hypnotic grooves and emotive textures. For anyone curious about how OXI’s workflow-centric tools translate into real-world music making, this is a revealing, hands-on demonstration.

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20. July 2024

LYRA

Arturia Bridges Analog and Digital: Sie Medway-Smith & Dan Lacksman’s Hybrid Jam

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Arturia Bridges Analog and Digital: Sie Medway-Smith & Dan Lacksman’s Hybrid Jam

In this evocative live session from Arturia’s official channel, producer Sie Medway-Smith teams up with Dan Lacksman of Telex at Synsound Studio, Brussels, to explore the fusion of hardware and software synthesis. The duo dives into a hands-on jam, combining Dan’s iconic Moog Modular with Arturia’s Modular V plugin, and rounds out the session with a mixdown featuring the new FX Collection 5. Arturia’s presentation highlights not just the technical prowess of their virtual instruments and effects, but also the evolving philosophy of blending tactile analog gear with the convenience of cutting-edge plugins. For anyone obsessed with workflow, sound architecture,

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Hands-On with the Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Lab 2 Touch Controller: A Patchable Playground

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Hands-On with the Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Lab 2 Touch Controller: A Patchable Playground

Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers, known for their explorative and hands-on approach to analog modular design, take us into the heart of their Voltage Lab 2 Touch Controller in this detailed walkthrough. The video, fronted by Starsky Carr, delves into the controller’s multi-output architecture, CV integration, and performance-focused controls, all aimed at modular users who thrive on tactile interaction and flexible patching. Expect a deep dive into the device’s workflows, modulation tricks, and creative routing—presented in the brand’s signature, no-nonsense style. For those curious about how this controller can slot into both classic and experimental setups, this is an essential watch.