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.
Building on the success of the Strike, can the Alesis Strata Prime e-Drum Kit continue to challenge an increasingly dense market?
This week's e-Drum deals focus on two drum modules that can give your e-Drum kit a real boost at a great price!
This week we have a cornucopia of new sounds for you, including grand pianos, Linn-inspired drums and yet more patches for the PolyBrute!
This week's Sounds & Patches cover some smaller synths with big ambitions and a fantastic free choir library from the talented Jacob Collier.
This week we have three great e-Drum kits with some healthy discounts and in one case, a really great free gift!
Building on the success of the desktop version, Pittsburgh Modular release the Taiga Keyboard into the wild with a roar!
In this new regular feature, we will take a look at the latest food for your synth, sampler and DAW with new synth patches & FX.
Do you ever look at your sample hard drives and wonder how much of it you actually use? Rando by MonkeyC might be the answer!
GForce Software's OB-EZ aims to make your OB-E experience more streamlined with a full OB-E engine wrapped in a minimal skin.
IK Multimedia's new ARC Studio hardware and ARC 4 software might be setting a new benchmark for room correction software.
Some great savings this week for rhythm junkies with superb deals on a quality e-Drum kit, a legendary pad unit and a unique drum machine.
Keytars come in for some serious stick so how about a shift in the paradigm and have a synth you can strum instead?
Popular indie plugin developer TAL Software launches TAL-Pha which emulates the late 80s Roland classic and its rack-mounted sibling
The innovative Polyend Play+ and Tracker Mini are now available for a limited time with €100 off each at Thomann, whilst stocks last!
Cherry Audio tackles its very first drum machine plugin with a recreation of the first programmable, microprocessor-controlled analog CR-78!
The Boutique Call nobody asked for is happening as fashion house Supreme lend their design skills to a couple of mini Roland units.
Three great deals from two of the market leaders in e-Drums, Alesis & Roland, with two kits and a really useful trigger pad!
The Linn LM-1 was truly a game-changing piece of technology. How much do you have to spend to get that sound and feel in your music?
Does the Mk.III Loop4Live looper pedal make Ableton Live more appealing for guitarists or can any musician make use of this?
The Bob Moog Foundation's latest amazing raffle gives you the opportunity to win a classic Moog The Source, signed by Bob Moog himself!
Hammond organs were never the smallest instruments, but over the years, technology has shrunk them. The Hammond M-Solo is the smallest yet!
NAMM
A selection of new finishes for some of Ludwig's most popular ranges of drums were announced at NAMM 24, some of which are limited editions!
NAMM
Size isn't everything, or so they say, and the new EFNOTE Mini certainly supports that claim. How cute can an e-Drum kit be? Very!
NAMM
Yamaha Drums have launched a range of new finishes to their entry-level Rydeen range of kits, plus a new and versatile Hi-Hat stand.