Synthmagazine | Synth News, Gear & Sound Design

8. October 2026

tafony’s M-VAVE FM-1 Groove OS Rave: Bargain Box, Maximal Chaos

tafony, Vancouver’s modular mischief-maker, dives headlong into the new Groove OS for the M-VAVE FM-1—a firmware hack turning this budget synth into an 8-track groovebox beast. Expect sarcasm, existential dread, and proper rave energy as tafony pulls apart the UI, FM/VA engines, and those gritty drum kits. If you’re into cheap hardware with big ambitions, this one’s got street weapon potential—warts and all.

Groove OS, M-VAVE FM-1

8. October 2026

SPARKY

Noisegate

Noisegate Unpacks Teenage Engineering: Pocket-Sized Power with OP-1 Field, K.O. II & OP-XY

Noisegate takes us deep into the world of Teenage Engineering’s field lineup, showing why portable gear isn’t just a lifestyle flex but a touring necessity. Expect road-worn OP-1s, creative limits that kickstart your sound, and enough multi-functionality to make your laptop weep. If you think these boxes are just toys, you’re in for a rude awakening. This isn’t a manual—it’s a rave bunker tour for gear heads who want the dirt and the glory. Dive in, and keep your hands off the presets.

teenage engineering CM-15, Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O. II, Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field, Teenage Engineering OP-XY, teenage engineering TP-7, Teenage Engineering TX-6

7. October 2026

LYRA

Arturia

Arturia AstroLab 2.0: Sound Edit, Sampled Instruments, and Smarter Stage Workflow

Astrolab 2.0 marks a significant step in Arturia’s vision for a modern performance keyboard. In this official walkthrough, Arturia showcases the new Sound Edit workflow—bringing parameter-level control directly to the hardware and introducing over 60 new sampled sounds for the stage. We’ll explore how these architectural and workflow refinements aim to streamline live tweaking, multis editing, and sound palette expansion, all without leaving the AstroLab interface. Our editorial lens: how much of this update truly changes hands-on performance and workflow?

7. October 2026

SPARKY

Nu-Trix The Synth Guy

Nu-Trix The Synth Guy’s Cherry Audio Pentaphonic: Rare Vibes, Modern Mayhem

Ever wondered what happens when Cherry Audio resurrects a synth only about 70 humans ever played? Enter the Pentaphonic—an obscure 1981 beast, now digitally reincarnated with added muscle. Nu-Trix The Synth Guy takes us through its crunchy DCOs, lo-fi sample waves, and enough modern extras to make a Prophet blush. Expect a tour full of pressure mapping, poly unison chaos, and a fair bit of sonic attitude. If you like your synths weird, rare, and freshly turbocharged, this is your playground.

7. October 2026

SPARKY

Monotrail Tech Talk

Monotrail Tech Talk: LFOs Unleashed – From Boring to Rave-Ready

Monotrail Tech Talk ditches the basic LFO handbook and dives straight into the dirtier, more chaotic side of modulation. If you think your LFO is just for sleepy filter wiggles, prepare for a slap to the patch cables. This video takes you from simple wave mixing to wild synced patterns, all delivered with Monotrail’s signature clarity. Grab your patch cords – it’s time to weaponise your modulation.

7. October 2026

SPARKY

Sineway

Sineway vs The Preset Police: AstroLab 2.0 Gets Gritty

Arturia’s AstroLab just got a firmware steroid shot, and Sineway is here to stress-test the new Sound Edit feature. Is AstroLab finally more than a posh preset jukebox, or is the preset police still winning? Sineway’s signature clinical style goes head-to-head with the synth’s new attitude, giving us side-eye comparisons with the MiniFreak and a taste of those juicy new presets. Buckle up – this isn’t your mum’s stage piano review.

7. October 2026

LUMINA

Sarah Belle Reid

Sarah Belle Reid: Composing in the Echoes of Time

Step into the radiant fog of Sarah Belle Reid’s creative cosmos, where time unravels and electroacoustic storylines coil through the air. In “The Making of Times Undoing & Progress (Part 1),” Reid opens the door between worlds—inviting us to wander among sketches, modular phantoms, and the intimate pulse of her process. We glimpse a composition in metamorphosis, shaped by both the shimmering logic of modular synths and the tactile poetry of everyday objects. This is not just music—it’s the slow undoing of linear time, a sonic opera in bloom.

6. October 2026

SPARKY

Liam Killen

Liam Killen Keeps the Rytm: Why the Analog Rytm MKII Still Bangs

Thinking about binning your Analog Rytm MKII? Hold that thought. Liam Killen, Montreal’s groovebox guru, dives deep into why this analog beast refuses to leave his studio. He slices through the analog vs digital debate, layers samples like a sound chef, and explores off-the-wall filter bank tricks. Add some Outbox 8 magic and you’ve got a rig that’s more bunker weapon than dust collector. If you want to see what slaps and what stays, this is your video.

Elektron Analog Rytm MKII, FaderFox MX-12, Louder Than Liftoff Chroma 500, Outbox 8, West Audio Mimas

6. October 2026

LUMINA

Metamyther

Metamyther and the Koszalin: A Frequency Shifter’s Liminal Alchemy

In Metamyther’s hands, the Xaoc Devices Koszalin becomes a portal: frequency shifting not as mere effect, but as a ritual of transformation. This is no ordinary module—here, sound unspools in shimmering threads, warped and woven into strange, cinematic textures. We drift through feedback loops and stereo ghosts, discovering the Koszalin’s untapped emotional gravity. For those who crave the uncanny, this journey is a plunge into sonic liminality where industrial pulse meets spectral haze.

Fieldtone Weaver, Xaoc Devices Koszalin, Xaoc Devices Vhikk X

6. October 2026

SPARKY

AP Mastering

AP Mastering Throws Down: Advanced Drum Mixing with Gating Tricks

Ready to make your drums punch holes in the wall? AP Mastering, always up for pushing boundaries, dives into advanced mixing moves—low pass gating, high pass gating, brutal compression—on a metal drum kit. If you’re sick of safe, sterile mixes and want your kicks and snares to slap like a rave in a biscuit factory, this is your blueprint. Expect real-world DAW routing, some clever plugin voodoo, and the kind of sound design that’ll have classic rock fans running for cover.

Dogma, Reaper

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