Devin Belanger’s Synth Prophecies: Niche Machines, AI Nightmares, and Brand Mashups

Devin kicks things off by declaring the age of the all-purpose hardware synth officially over. If you’re still holding out for another vanilla analog polysynth with the usual suspects—two oscillators, a filter, some digital FX—prepare to be disappointed. According to Devin, the market’s saturated with solid, safe options, and every manufacturer is cranking out gear that’s basically “good enough.” The real action? It’s all about getting niche and getting weird.

He points to the Frap Tools Magnolia as the poster child for this new era—machines that make a statement, take risks, and aren’t afraid to alienate the masses. The days of playing it safe are gone; now, it’s about synths that know exactly who they’re for and don’t care if you’re not on the guest list. If you want to see what’s next, you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled for the oddballs and the risk-takers. And yes, you’ll have to watch the video to catch all the spicy examples Devin hints at.

Next up, Devin throws some serious shade at the rise of AI-powered plugins. He’s drowning in sponsorship requests for AI this and AI that, and frankly, he’s not buying the hype. The plugin world, he warns, is veering hard into AI territory, and whether you love it or hate it, that’s the direction things are headed.

But here’s the twist: as plugins get more robotic, hardware synths become even more vital for those who actually care about the process of making music—not just the end result. Devin’s not shy about his bias: he wants his synths to stay human, tactile, and gloriously unpredictable. If you’re in it for the hands-on chaos, hardware’s your last stand against the algorithmic onslaught. The full rant is worth a listen—especially if you’re as allergic to AI as Devin is.

Devin’s third prophecy is a call for synth brands to stop playing solo and start jamming together. He points out that in the guitar pedal world, cross-brand collaborations are the norm—think Chase Bliss teaming up with Maris or King of Tone. In synthland, though, it’s rare air. Sure, there’s the Dreadbox and Polyend collab, but that didn’t exactly set the world on fire.

He dreams of a future where ASM teams up with Novation, or where Sequential and Oberheim-style partnerships become the rule, not the exception. It’s not easy—capitalism and egos get in the way—but the potential for wild, genre-bending machines is massive. If the synth community wants to avoid becoming a bunch of isolated islands, it’s time to rally around these collabs and see what kind of sonic street weapons could emerge. The possibilities are best left to your imagination—or better yet, to Devin’s video.