Once I’d heard ‘Are Friends’ Electric?” by Tubeway Army, I knew synthesizers would be a huge part of my life. Despite drums becoming my main instrument for many years, I dabbled and lusted after countless pieces of gear and started using computers to help me make my own music with a Commodore 64 and a copy of Electrosound.
Over the years, I eventually progressed to more professional tools and began to truly indulge my love of electronic music making, slowly building a collection of gear that covered most synthesis methods, from sampling to physical modelling and beyond. However, my love of the gear that soundtracked my formative years was strong and I was fortunate enough to be asked to work with the inventor of the Fairlight CMI on their more recent projects. This then led to me restoring Fairlight CMI’s, something I still do to this day.
My home studio is now filled with classic vintage gear of the 80s and 90s, as well as modern classics. In recent years, I have been producing podcasts for Sound On Sound, as well as writing articles for them and I also present a weekly live stream for the Pro Synth Network. I still drum, albeit now on e-Drum kits, which are far easier to move around and a lot quieter when practising! You can often find me delivering seminars & lectures and at various synth shows around the world, talking about and demonstrating iconic synths.
This week sees FM Core for Multiphonics CV-3, plus a free bank for Audiomodern's Soundbox, plus the sounds of Armageddon!
Some lovely acoustic sample-based instruments this week, including a nearly 100-year-old xylophone, plus SEQTRAK packs and more sounds for Pigments 7!
A quarter of a century has passed since Waldorf first dropped Attack. Now it is back, but does Attack 3 still hold up, all these years on?
Alesis releases another kit option in their Nitro range, the Nitro Ultimate XL, but does it muddy the waters?
Maximum Overdrive expands your Cherry Audio SH-MAX experience, and we have two more free banks for Arturia's Pigments 7 and JUP-8000 V!
Cherry Audio's SH-MAX celebrates the often-overlooked SH range of synths with not one, not two, but three 'clasSHics' represented in one instrument!
Available now!
The CZ-1 Mini pocket synth finally makes it into stores, taking 80's Phase Distortion and squeezing it into a box the size of a paperback!
Love it or hate it, the annual celebration of Record Store Day can often deliver some gems for lovers of electronic music. What has 2026 got in store for us?
NAMM
Another Behringer prototype breaks cover and appears at NAMM 2026. This time it's the long-awaited Behringer BMX drum machine.
In the latest Bob Moog Foundation raffle, you can win a very special Moog Voyager XL signed by electronic music luminary Thomas Dolby!
This week sees brand new sounds for the small and mighty Bree6 from Scottish sound design maestro, Scott McAuley, plus sounds for Omnisphere, Hydrasynth and Fourm!
Available now!
The Frap Tools Magnolia was one of the most surprising synthesizers of 2025. You can now order the analog FM synthesizer from Thomann! More info here.
This week, we have a pile of fantastic desktop synths and drum machines at great prices
NAMM
Just one week from being spied at the Behringer booth at NAMM 2026, the Behringer JN-80 is available to order now!
Marc Barnes dives into the wonderful world of MPE with MPE Expressions for Arturia's Pigments, and we have new sounds for the Access Virus B/C and Behringer's Wave.
NAMM
In the most obvious of collaborations, DWe team up with their parent company, Roland, to give us the flexibility of DWe hardware with the power of the V-Drums modules.
A good mix of presets for you this week, including a tribute to Klaus Schulze, patches for the TUS JE-8086 and a bunch of polyrhythmic patterns for Arturia's DrumBrute Impact.
NAMM
When is an FM synth not an FM Synth? When it’s a Leviasynth. ASM’s second keyboard synth is a love letter to algorithms, but in their own special way.
If you don't know about the legendary Delay Lama plugin from back in the day, then do we even know each other?
Just bought Pigments 7 and fancy some sonic inspiration? Well, look no further as Mushroom Sounds is giving you 100 free patches!
David Bowie made a career of killing himself off and rebirthing into something new, different and unique. But on the evening of Sunday, the 10th of January, 2016, he died one last time. And for real.
Expressive E bring us another collaboration, this time with Dawesome and their excellent Kontrast instrument, with presets made for the Osmose but equally at home with most MPE-compatible synths and ...
Available now!
Renamed as the Behringer BDS-3, this recreation of an early Simmons drum synth is finally shipping!
I take a look back over 2025 to select my synth-related highlights of the year!