synthmagazine.com – Every day, synthmagazine.com publishes fresh articles, artist stories and gear news from the world of electronic music – your independent magazine for synth culture and sound design.

22. December 2025

Voltage Labs Illuminates: LTJ Bukem’s Sonic Dreamscapes

Step into the luminous world of LTJ Bukem, where drum and bass dissolves into mist and melody. Voltage Labs, ever the cartographer of electronic music’s emotional landscapes, guides us through the story of a producer who painted breakbeats with jazz, ambient, and soul. This isn’t just a chronicle of a genre’s evolution—it’s a meditation on how sound can shimmer, breathe, and transform. Prepare to drift through nebula pads, underwater grooves, and the magnetic resonance of a movement that still echoes today.

22. December 2025

TAS

The Unperson

The Unperson’s Live Rig: A Hardware Rave That Laughs in the Face of DAWs

Ready for a wild ride through the world of live hardware synth sets? The Unperson, that Glasgow-based sonic wrangler, takes us on a cheeky tour of his gig-ready setup—one that’s as hands-on as a sausage sizzle and twice as unpredictable. Forget your laptop and pristine studio: this is all about real-time mixing, sample-slinging, and a dash of live vocals for good measure. If you’ve ever wondered how to wrangle a pile of synths, samplers, and modular bits into a performance beast that’ll survive a sticky-floored club, this one’s for you. Grab a cold one and let’s dive in!

After Later Bartender, Echo Cinematic, Happy Nerding FX Aid, Instro Carn, Instro Cure, Instro Div Kid Oct, Mutable Instruments Beads, Pamela's Pro Workout, Pico Input, Squarp Rample Turbo, Teenage Engineering KO-2, VONGON Replay

22. December 2025

SPARKY

SYNTH ANATOMY

SYNTH ANATOMY Unleashes the ESI Xsynth: The ROMpler-Virtual Analog Mashup Nobody Saw Coming

SYNTH ANATOMY is back in the rave bunker, this time with the ESI Xsynth—a portable all-in-one keyboard that’s part MIDI interface, part audio interface, and part 10-voice digital synth. If you’re nostalgic for 90s ROMplers but want a taste of early 2000s VA grit, this beast might just scratch that itch. Tom’s no-nonsense walkthrough skips the fluff and dives straight into the guts of the Xsynth, showing off its hands-on workflow, deep modulation, and a sound engine that’s more than just a pretty face. If you’re after a street weapon for your next live set or studio jam, keep reading—this

ESI XSynth

21. December 2025

TAS

David Hilowitz Music

David Hilowitz Music Turns a Graphing Calculator into a Sonic Outback Adventure

Ever wondered what would happen if you handed a TI-83 calculator a didgeridoo and told it to join the band? Well, David Hilowitz Music has done just that—transforming a humble curbside find into a lo-fi music machine that’s as unpredictable as an outback storm. In this wild ride, David wrangles Houston Tracker software onto the calculator, battles tech gremlins, and emerges with a sound that’s pure retro chaos. But he doesn’t stop there—he codes up a plugin that lets you sculpt waveforms with maths, turning equations into earworms. Mate, if you reckon maths and music don’t mix, this video will

Equations Synth, Houston Tracker, TI-83 graphing calculator

21. December 2025

SPARKY

The Midlife Synthesist

The Midlife Synthesist Unleashes the PolyBrute 12: One Year In, Still a Sonic Street Weapon

The Midlife Synthesist is back in the rave bunker, this time with a year-long verdict on the Arturia PolyBrute 12. Forget spec sheets and marketing fluff—this is a real-world, sweat-soaked review from someone who’s hammered the keys for twelve months straight. Expect sharp opinions, a few side-eyes at the synth’s bulk, and plenty of praise for its monstrous sound and tactile keybed. If you want to know whether this flagship analog beast is worth the studio space, strap in. The PolyBrute 12 gets the full, no-nonsense treatment—warts, wonders, and all.

Arturia Polybrute 12

21. December 2025

RILEY

Sanjay C

Sanjay C Drops Freebies and Fire: The Beatmaker’s Guide to This Week’s Plugin Gold

If you’re hunting for fresh sounds without torching your wallet, Sanjay C’s latest Music Production News is the mixtape you need. This week, he’s serving up cinematic guitar magic, a full-on wavetable synth for zero bucks, and a handful of tools that’ll make your DAW sweat. Sanjay’s signature style—clear, practical, and just nerdy enough—makes even the wildest plugins feel like street food for your beats. Whether you’re a bedroom producer or a studio vet, this roundup’s got the sauce. Don’t sleep on the free stuff—some of these deals vanish faster than cheap beer at a block party.

Opacity 2, Parrot, Pigments 7, Soundbox, Strum Plate, Synthmaster One

21. December 2025

SPARKY

Scott's Synth Stuff

Scott’s Synth Stuff Unleashes a £100 Second Keyboard Hack for MODX & Montage

Ever felt your Yamaha MODX or Montage is one keyboard short of a proper rave bunker? Scott’s Synth Stuff is here with a cheeky workaround that turns a humble MIDI controller into a second board, all for less than the price of a dodgy night out. No need to remortgage for another flagship—just plug in, split, and layer your way to sonic excess. If you like your synth rigs flexible, budget-friendly, and a bit rebellious, this one’s for you. Scott’s direct, practical style keeps the nonsense out and the creativity in.

Novation Launchkey 37, Yamaha MODX, Yamaha Montage

21. December 2025

SPARKY

Free Beat

Free Beat’s Woovebox: Not Complicated, Just Criminally Clever

Forget what the gear snobs say—the Woovebox isn’t a labyrinth, it’s a rave bunker with a front door wide open. Free Beat, ever the practical groovebox wrangler, slices through the internet moaning to show us why this pocket-sized sonic street weapon is way more approachable than its feature list suggests. If you’re expecting menu hell and button-mashing nightmares, prepare to be pleasantly mugged by common sense. This video is a love letter to UI design that actually wants you to make music, not lose your will to live. Read on if you fancy a device that’s all killer, no filler—and

Woovebox

21. December 2025

RILEY

Rapid Flow

Rapid Flow’s Groove Science: Why Perfection Kills the Vibe

Ever wonder why some tracks slap and others just sit there like cold pizza? Rapid Flow’s Erik is here to spill the secret sauce on groove, and trust me, it’s not about lining up every note like a robot. In this video, Erik breaks down why over-quantizing is the enemy of the pocket and shows how micro-timing, human feel, and a few clever hacks can make your beats move bodies. If you’re tired of your drums sounding like they came out of a spreadsheet, this one’s for you. Grab your headphones and let’s get messy—in the best way possible.

AKAI APC40 MKII, Akai MIDIMIX, ER-M Multi-Clock, Torso T1, Zen Sphere VST

20. December 2025

LUMINA

Josh Lucan

Josh Lucan Peels Back the Sonic Veil: Dissecting Tangerine Dream’s “Exit”

In the hands of Josh Lucan, Tangerine Dream’s “Exit” becomes more than a song—it’s a labyrinth of spectral layers and magnetic pulses. Lucan, a Los Angeles media composer with a taste for the cinematic, guides us through the fog and circuitry, revealing the hidden machinery behind this iconic 1981 track. Each instrument and texture is a character in a story of analog ghosts and digital dawns. Prepare to drift through nebula drones and fractured light as we unravel the architecture of a synth classic, one shimmering layer at a time.

Emulator II, Moog, Oberheim SEM, Synclavier

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