Andrew Huang Goes Full Glitch Wizard with the DHM89B2: Vintage Weirdness Unleashed

Andrew Huang kicks things off in true Weird Gear fashion, introducing the DHM89B2—a stereo audio digital computer from the late ‘70s, built by Parisian legends Publison. This thing isn’t just a relic; it’s a full-blown time machine for audio chaos, packing delay and pitch shifting into a box that looks like it survived a disco-era dust storm. Andrew’s residency at the GRM in Paris gave him the perfect playground to unleash this beast, and you can tell he’s smitten from the get-go.

The DHM89B2 isn’t your average delay pedal. It’s got two channels (red and yellow, because why not?), a mirrored-but-not-really layout that’ll have you grabbing the wrong knob more often than a kangaroo at a fruit market, and a personality that’s equal parts brilliant and bonkers. Andrew wastes no time showing off its unpredictable memory glitches—switch a mode or flick off the keyboard, and you’re treated to a burst of sonic haywire. This is vintage gear with a wild streak, and it’s clear Andrew’s ready to wrangle it for all it’s worth.

Diving into delay mode, Andrew demonstrates how the DHM89B2 takes a simple synth sound and turns it into a swirling mess of echoes, feedback, and lo-fi grit. There’s a switch for short and long delay times, plus a bandwidth toggle that messes with the sample rate—meaning your buffer playback speed and delay time go walkabout together. The result? Glitchy, unpredictable textures that modern digital delays can only dream of after a big night out.

Crank the input gain and you’ll get a tasty distortion, but don’t expect clinical precision—this box is all about happy accidents. Flick over to pitch shifter mode and things get even more unhinged. Vibrato, coarse pitch controls, and the ability to mangle your audio with different length and sample rate settings make this a playground for sonic mischief. If you’re the type who loves pushing gear until it breaks (sonically, not literally), the DHM89B2 is your new best mate.

Now for the real party trick: the KB2000 keyboard controller. Andrew shows how sampling a synth or even his own voice into the buffer lets you play it back chromatically, with options for vibrato and glide that’ll have your samples sliding around like a surfboard in a rip. The keyboard isn’t just a note trigger—it’s a full-on performance tool that accepts a mic input, letting you mangle live audio on the fly.

Memory latch mode is where things get truly bonkers. You can set independent start and end points for each stereo channel, and if you flip them, playback goes in reverse—perfect for those moments when you want your sounds to moonwalk. The biphonic mode lets you alternate notes between channels, creating unpredictable stereo antics that’ll keep even the most jaded sound nerds on their toes. It’s a playground for anyone who loves a bit of chaos in their workflow.

Andrew digs into the quirks that make the DHM89B2 a true oddball. The memory synchro section lets you desynchronise loops between channels, and the old-school crosspoint controls (now called start and end) give you hands-on control over your buffer slices. There’s even a bit of vintage trivia: the original engineers scratched off all the component labels inside so nobody could copy their secret sauce—a move as cheeky as a possum in your picnic basket.

Clicks and noise from crusty switches aren’t just tolerated—they’re celebrated. Andrew reckons some of the best sounds come from the machine’s own internal chaos, and honestly, who are we to argue? Watching him layer mouth sounds and synth blips into a track, you get the sense that the DHM89B2 isn’t just a tool—it’s a collaborator with a mind of its own. But let’s be real: you’ll want to watch the video to hear just how wild this thing gets when Andrew puts it through its paces.