The Oscillator 9
Monophonic vs. Polyphonic vs. Paraphonic Synths
Monophonic, polyphonic, paraphonic, what do these confusing and occasionally overlapping terms really mean? There’s no need to be scared of all the jargon — we’re here to give you the lowdown on all that noise! The components inside synthesizers that generate sound are called oscillators. Synths assign oscillators to different notes depending on what keys […]
PreSonus Atom SQ Review
From trackers like Renoise to DAWs like Ableton Live, Bitwig Studio, Logic and more, I believe I’ve seen/used enough tools to understand how most work. So, truth be told, I both admit to: A: Never using PreSonus’s entry into the digital audio workstation world, the Atom, three years ago, and B: Jumping at the chance […]
Bustin’ Out the Korg Volca Keys
The Volca Keys was one of the first synths released in Korg’s Volca series in 2013, and it’s also one of the most versatile. The Volca series offers a few options for monophonic sounds and drums/rhythm, but the Volca Keys is the only polyphonic, analog synth in the lineup (at the time of this writing). […]
Exploring the Korg volca modular
It’s a “West Coast style” modular synthesizer! It has 50 patch points! It’s… perhaps a little intimidating at first glance. The Korg volca modular is a “micro modular synthesizer.” This means that it’s made up of individual modules: the sections of a synthesizer that perform different functions, such as selecting the sound source, adjusting the […]
Analog Filtering Tracks With the Korg Volca Mix
With all the great plug-ins available these days, is there really any advantage to using analog outboard processing? In this post we’ll take a listen to some sound samples that have been processed by analog filtering so you can hear for yourself. For our purposes we’ll use the Korg Volca Mix, a very affordable portable […]
The Women Who Pioneered Electronic Music
It’s no secret that synthesizers have been on the come up in recent years. Modular synthesis is booming like never before due to its compactness and affordability, and wishlists from virtually every retailer are filled top to bottom with synths of every variety. I find it important though to look back on how we got […]
The Basics of Synth Sound Design
The first time I sat at a synthesizer I didn’t care about the knobs and faders, I was just excited about the sound coming from my speakers. As I became more comfortable with synths, I started picturing the specific tones in my head, and how I could use those same knobs to create them. Today […]
Exploring the Korg Monotron Delay
Introduced in 2010, the original Monotron was Korg’s first analog synthesizer in 25 years. Two years later came the Monotron Delay, which added a built-in digital delay (as well as UV-reflective paint on the front panel). With a synth that’s so basic in functionality, the addition of a delay effect does a lot to help […]
A Beginner’s Guide to Tape Music (1944-1970)
From scholarly and avant-garde beginnings to ambient soundscapes of the 21st Century, there is something for virtually every listener and performer to be found in tape music. What we’re discussing here is not just a performance recorded to tape, but compositions, experiments, and live sets using tape as an instrument. The Beginning It would be […]
