https://patreon.com/starskycarr Review and demo of this stunning little synth, that I'm calling my best budget synth of 2024. It sounds exactly like you'd expect from Dreadbox... The NYX Reissue sounds MASSIVE ... and luxurious, bur it's got not very hidden depths. With a knob per functioin there's not a lot of hiding1 But unless you look deeper you might miss its 4 LFOs, 3 AR/ASR envelopes, 2 glides, 2 filters, HP/LP series/parallel.. Lots to look at.. and great to listen to. Affiliate Links: Perfect Circuit https://www.pjtra.com/t/SENKTExLTUtDSEpJR0ZGQ0hJTUZHTA Sweetwater sweetwater.sjv.io/n ..read more

https://patreon.com/starskycarr I've heard so many good things about the ALESIS HR16 I thought I'd revisit it and got my hands on this one from Perfect Circuit's used section on their website. I gave it a good go, but it's hard to use in a mix. Something like the Roland TR626 (I'd put it in a similar bracket) can fit in a mix easily and the sounds can sit there pretty much in their own right, unprocessed and sound like a finished track. With the Alesis HR-16, not so much. I find most of the sounds too realistic, which I realise sounds an odd thing to say - but in most finished tracks the drums ..read more

https://patreon.com/starskycarr PWM's Mantis has done it again, given us a very unique and characterful synth full of vibe. Its a mono/duo/quad hybrid, with digital oscillators (16 in total), 2 analog filters and a whole host of really interesting bits and pieces. Following in the Malevolent's footsteps it continues PWMs affordable ethos, while hammering home a tonne of vintage tones. Thenraw sound of this is gorgeous and they've not smoothed the rough edges too much which gives us some Microwave, Prophet VS, PPG digital sheen. Affiliate Links: Thomann https://thmn.to/thoprod/567547?offid=1&am ..read more

https://patreon.com/starskycarr Retroaktiv have done it again, this time with a SuperQuartet/MPG-7 programmer that can also be used with your 106, or as a MIDI controller for whatever really... MIDI CC assigning means you can use it with pretty much anything. It comes with all the usuals Retroaktiv extras, like patch saving (10 banks in here) plus setup saving... which saves patches independently of the stored patches.. so all-in-all you can save thousands! Its got the amazing patch generator.. you can set it to generate pads, basses, pianos, strings, FX etc and control what parameters are use ..read more

https://patreon.com/starskycarr #behringer #grind #review A Deep Dive Demo of the Behringer GRIND looking at the functions of it in detail. It's a bit like the CRAVE with a different oscillator - well it's VERY like a CRAVE replacing the analog VCO with their Brains digital oscillator. Its based on Plaits with 15 of the Mutable Instruments algorithms plus 9 of Behringer's own. Check out my website for patches and samples https://starskycarr.com Affiliate Links: Thomann https://thmn.to/thoprod/601886?offid=1&affid=1461 Andertons https://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=323652&a=3356057& ..read more

https://patreon.com/starskycarr Behringer GRIND has 24 oscillator types. Here I play through them all and modulate through the controls for each. There's no talking in this - most will be glad to know ;) It should give you an idea of how to use each of the GRIND oscillator types, or at least where to find the sweet spots and how flexible a lot of them can be. From Noise to huge leads sounds on a single model. Affiliate Links: Thomann https://thmn.to/thoprod/601886?offid=1&affid=1461 Andertons https://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=323652&a=3356057&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.andertons.co.u ..read more

https://patreon.com/starskycarr Wo-Fi as in Lo-Fi - its got WiFi and it's Low Fi ... it's the Wo-Fi from Kiviak Instruments. It's a sampler giving us vintage 80s and 90s tones that sits in the modern studio with CV, MIDI, USB and yes... wifi With emulations inspired by Akai S950, Emu SP-1200, Casio SK-1 and Yamaha VSS-30 you've got a whole load of vintage vibes at your fingertips. In this demo I've explored it using drum loops which took me in a completely different direction than most demos I've heard. I thought they'd be an easier way to demonstrate the effect of the different 'machines' on ..read more

https://patreon.com/starskycarr Neutral Labs Scrooge demo'd in detail - it's like a sequenced glitch machine... a drum machine for unique textures... a beat texturiser? Just like a drum machine - it has 5 distinct voices, X0X style programming, parameter locks, upto 64 steps per voice per pattern. Plus loads of connectivity options - MIDI, CLK, and outputs either CLK or sned triggers for an eternal track. We've also got 2 channels of MOD, A+B and individual outputs, plus 6 parameters per voice per step. I tried to fit this into 10 minutes... but no chance! Affiliate Links: Perfect Circuit http ..read more

https://patreon.com/starskycarr WASP - OSCAR - MANTIS. From original thoughts of Chris Huggett, PWM and he worked together on his final designs before his untimely death. PWM have realised his vision plus some extras like the ability to play 4 voices (quad paraphonic) on what was originally a duophonic idea. ... I think! The PWM Mantis is a unique synth .. a bit like a vintage synth being brought to the market in the 21st century. I say almost like a vintage because it does have all the modern features you'd expect. Full demo coming soon. Affiliate Links: Perfect Circuit https://link.perfectci ..read more

https://patreon.com/starskycarr Can the Cherry Audio Polivoks... Atomika get close to the original Comrade Polivoks. A comparison of the Atomika vs Polivoks. The Polivoks was one of the more unpredictable and 'lively' synths to hit the market in the 80s, and being from behind the Iron Curtain in the height of the Cold War gives it a cool dystopian charisma and mystique that can't be matched by those week willed Westerners and their predictable and controllable instruments of capitalism :). It was built using electronics not intended for audio use and as such has a unique character and a whole ..read more