Sound designer. Producer. Professor. Journalist. Author.
Programming the Oberheim OB-X8
After programming it for a month (and comparing it to other analog gear in my rig), I can confirm that the Oberheim OB-X8 is a truly fantastic beast with an incredibly specific sound, much like last year’s spot-on reissue of the original Prophets 5 and 10.
When I first fired it up, I was startled by how much it instantly evoked the sound of artists who relied on it for multiple hits. Sure, Van Halen’s “Jump” brass sound is a trademark of the OB series, but it’s also the sound of Prince and Jam & Lewis (aka The Minneapolis Sound), as well as a striking number of UK synthwave artists from the early 80s. The Tho…
Sound designer. Producer. Professor. Journalist. Author.
Programming the Oberheim OB-X8
After programming it for a month (and comparing it to other analog gear in my rig), I can confirm that the Oberheim OB-X8 is a truly fantastic beast with an incredibly specific sound, much like last year’s spot-on reissue of the original Prophets 5 and 10.
When I first fired it up, I was startled by how much it instantly evoked the sound of artists who relied on it for multiple hits. Sure, Van Halen’s “Jump” brass sound is a trademark of the OB series, but it’s also the sound of Prince and Jam & Lewis (aka The Minneapolis Sound), as well as a striking number of UK synthwave artists from the early 80s. The Thompson Twins, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, along with art-wave pioneers Japan and Ultravox, all used Oberheims in crafting their early records—and it’s astonishing how much these instruments influenced the sound of vintage synthwave. Familiar sounds practically fall out of the unit with minimal effort.
And thanks to Tom Oberheim, Marcus Ryle, and Dave Smith, the sound is… huge.
2 Likes
Understanding the MiniKorg-700
Having studied the history of synths for my entire career, I wrote a love letter to the MiniKorg-700S for CDM, disguised as a tutorial.
In this piece, I explain the MiniKorg-700 architecture—and why key-tracked ring modulation is a shockingly underrated technique for creating both melodic and dissonant sounds. The feature also covers a bit more detail on the pioneering era of early 70s synthesizers.
Here’s a link to the piece: https://cdm.link/2021/08/korg-has-recreated-the-1974-minikorg-700-in-software-heres-your-deep-diving-guide/
3 Likes
Tech Glossary for Audio and Synths
Once upon a time (ok, it was actually 2009), Resident Advisor hired me to create an extensive glossary of synthesis and audio production terms.
I intentionally designed it to be universal, as I’d hoped it would stand the test of time.
Over ten years later, the glossary is still online and still 100% relevant to learning synths and DAWs.
Here’s the link. It’s worth bookmarking as a handy reference for both pros and beginners.
Link: https://ra.co/features/1219
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Downloadable Guide To Synthesis
For most of 2020, I wrote my fourth book on electronic production. This time, the topic was a complete guide to learning the essentials of analog synthesis, using the free (and insanely popular) synth for iOS/Mac: AudioKit Synth One.
The book is also free on Apple Books—and Synth One now contains a set of presets that were created to demonstrate the techniques in the book. Again, both are free, so if you’re on an iPhone/iPad, you can use these to get started on designing your own presets. And I’m now using this book as part of my curriculum as a professor at Austin Community College.
For those on Windows/Android, the book is also available as a PDF (without the Apple interactivity) and the lessons apply synths of all kinds. Links for everything below.
AudioKit Synth One: The Ultimate Guide (Apple Books)
AudioKit Synth One: The Ultimate Guide (PDF)
AudioKit Synth One (Free iOS synth - App Store)
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Ultimate Guide to Ultimate Guides
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Korg OpSix Tips + Tricks
I spent much of 2020 designing presets for the Korg OpSix, so in 2021, Korg asked me to do a short series of Patch Of The Week tutorials for creating your own original sounds on this synth.
This playlist on my YouTube channel contains all five tutorials, ranging from beginner tips to recreating famous sounds like the DX-100 “Solid Bass”.
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Roland System-8 Tips (2021)
It’s rare that a digital synth will steadily remain in production for over five years, but the Roland System-8 hit that anniversary this year. It may seem strange to sing the praises of a synth that’s not old enough to be vintage and not new enough to be trendy, but having had it in my studio since its release, it’s clear why the System-8 has such longevity.
Here are eight tips for this evergreen synth – some applying to both hardware and software. The software version is available on Roland Cloud, so you can easily test drive it there to check out the features that keep it one of the primary go-to’s in my studio.
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Inside KORG’s Modwave
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Six Serum Secret Handshakes
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Disquiet Junto Project 0471
Here’s the finished experiment.
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Master Class: Analog Drum Design
In this Music Radar tutorial, I’ll examine the structure and components of classic analog drum sounds. Nowadays, these percussion instruments can be created with nearly any full-featured softsynth—including Ableton Operator, Xfer Serum, or Reason’s Thor and Subtractor—but the underlying principles are identical. That said, the tonal identity of any given synth—hardware or software—will define the sonic flavor of a bespoke drum kit.
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Watch + Learn: Motion Wavetable (Phase Plant)
**Level: **Intermediate/Advanced
**Platform: **Kilohearts Phase Plant
**Description: **Dual synchronized LFO wavetable sweeps with reverb. Excellent starting point for complex layered pads.
**Download Link to Preset: **Watch+Learn_PhasePlant_MotionWavetable
1 Likes