Synthmagazine | Synth News, Gear & Sound Design

25. December 2025

The Midlife Synthesist Unleashes the Oxi E16: MIDI Mayhem for the Masses

The Midlife Synthesist is back in the bunker, this time with Oxi Instruments’ E16—a MIDI controller that’s here to slap your DAW and hardware rig into submission. Forget plastic toys and overpriced knob farms: the E16 lands right in the sweet spot between budget and bloat, promising hands-on control without the faff. The Midlife Synthesist’s signature blend of sharp wit and practical insight slices through the hype, giving us a no-nonsense look at a controller that’s all about performance, customisation, and road-ready build. If you’re after a controller that actually keeps up with your live jams, this one’s worth a

Oxi Instruments E16

24. December 2025

SPARKY

Free Beat

Free Beat’s 2025 Gear of the Year: Woovebox and Polyend Mess Go Head-to-Head

It’s that time again: Free Beat’s annual Gear of the Year throwdown, and this year, things get messy—in the best way. Our favourite groovebox enthusiast can’t pick just one, so we get a double dose of hardware hype. From firmware-fuelled transformations to sequencer-fuelled chaos, Free Beat spotlights two machines that turned his studio upside down in 2025. If you want to know which boxes are worth your sweat and which updates actually matter, this is the video (and article) for you. Get ready for a no-nonsense, hands-on rundown with plenty of sonic mayhem.

Polyend MESS, Woovebox, Woovebox Pro

24. December 2025

LUMINA

Signal Sounds

Signal Sounds: One Year Inside the Cric’s Sonic Labyrinth

Signal Sounds invites us to drift through the afterglow of a year spent with the Future Sound Systems Cric—a synthesizer that doesn’t just make sound, but sculpts entire weather systems of tone. Guided by Michael Manning’s reflective touch, this video is less a product demo and more an ambient travelogue through the Cric’s patchable wilderness. Here, the Cric is revealed as both instrument and muse, a matrix of possibility where every connection births new sonic ghosts. For those who see synthesis as storytelling, this is a journey not to be missed.

Future Sound Systems Cric, Make Noise Rene, Moog Matriarch, Music Thing Modular Workshop

24. December 2025

SPARKY

Liam Killen

Liam Killen’s Synth FX Pedal Deathmatch: Only the Strong Survive

Liam Killen isn’t here to mess about—he’s lined up his all-time favourite FX pedals for synths and is ready to let them slug it out. If you’re tired of endless pedal hype and want a straight-up, hands-on deep dive, this is your rave bunker. Expect no mercy for weak sauce: Liam’s got a knack for slicing through the noise, showing off what actually slaps on synths, and why. Whether you’re a DAWless diehard or just want your next pedalboard street weapon, this video is the cheat code. Spoiler: you’ll want to hear these things in action.

Boss OD-200, Chase Bliss CXM 1978, Chase Bliss Mood, Empress ParaEQ Deluxe MK2, Hologram Electronics Chroma Console, JHS Colourbox V2, Meris LVX, Novation Bass Station 2, Novation Circuit Rhythm, Pedaltrain Metro 24, Pedaltrain XD18, Red Panda Bitmap 2, Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 3, Walrus Audio M1

24. December 2025

SPARKY

Nu-Trix The Synth Guy

Nu-Trix The Synth Guy: Five Brutally Honest Tips to Smash Gear Hype in 2025

Forget the endless gear parade—Nu-Trix The Synth Guy is here to torch the hype and serve up five no-nonsense tips for actually making music with the kit you already own. This isn’t another ‘best of’ list; it’s a rallying cry for squeezing every drop of creativity out of your current setup, whether you’re rocking a battered groovebox or a dusty sampler. Expect workflow hacks, gear soul-searching, and a few sharp elbows at the cult of new gear. If you’re ready to bin the excuses and finish tracks, this one’s for you. Watch the video for the full bunker vibe and

Arturia MicroFreak, Elektron Syntakt, Korg Drumlogue, Roland VP-9000

23. December 2025

SPARKY

Creative Sauce

Creative Sauce Unleashes sonible smart:comp 3 – Compression for the Lazy, the Curious, and the Sonic Perfectionist

Creative Sauce, the home-studio sage, dives headfirst into sonible’s smart:comp 3 and finds five features that actually impress – no small feat in a world of copy-paste plugins. Forget twiddling endless knobs: this compressor wants to do the heavy lifting, whether you’re a DAW rookie or just sick of menu-diving. Expect matrix madness, spectral sorcery, and input riding that’ll save you hours of mouse-dragging. Mike’s practical, no-nonsense approach slices through the hype and gets to the guts of what makes this plugin a potential secret weapon for your next mix. If you’re tired of compressors that fight back, this one

sonible smart:comp 3

23. December 2025

LUMINA

HAINBACH

HAINBACH’s Hybrid Nebula: Where Analog Breath Meets Digital Memory

In the magnetic twilight between tape hiss and pixel clarity, HAINBACH invites us into his laboratory of sound—where analog warmth and digital precision swirl together like fog and fractured light. This isn’t just a studio tour; it’s a meditation on process, space, and the ghosts that haunt every note. As acoustic instruments, ancient synths, and modern DAWs collide, we witness a workflow that’s less about control and more about creative resonance. For those who dream of sculpting soundscapes that shimmer between worlds, HAINBACH’s hybrid approach is a map to new sonic territories.

A&T Mixer, Ableton Live, AKG BX20 Spring Reverb, Brooklyn ADC, Brüel & Kjær Scientific Filter Banks, Eventide Digital Delay, Extinct Audio BM-9 Ribbon Microphones, FFOSSO, Hologram Microcosm, Nagra Tape Machine, Phonia Preamps, RME Audio Interface, Rodec Restyler, Telefunken M15 Tape Machine, Valhalla VintageVerb

23. December 2025

MILES

Behringer

Behringer’s UB-1 Micro: The Miniscule Monster Unleashed

Behringer returns with the UB-1 Micro, a synth so compact it could get lost in your patch cable drawer, yet it promises a surprisingly vast sonic arsenal. In this official walkthrough, Behringer’s own Patchdog takes us through the UB-1 Micro’s features, from its dual oscillators to its modulation tricks, all while keeping one foot firmly in the world of hands-on synthesis. As always with Behringer, the focus is on accessibility and getting the most out of a small footprint—perfect for anyone looking to squeeze more voltage into their setup without sacrificing flexibility. Let’s see how this pint-sized powerhouse stacks up

Behringer UB-1 Micro

23. December 2025

RILEY

MusicRadar Tech

MusicRadar Tech’s Vocal Sauce: Pro Producers Spill Their Secret Recipes

If you think getting vocals to slap in your mix is just about slapping on some reverb and calling it a day, you’re in for a wild ride. MusicRadar Tech rounds up nine producers from across the genre map—DnB, techno, pop, indie—and lets them spill their best vocal tricks, from gospel warmth to crunchy chopped edits. This video is like a mixtape of streetwise hacks, hardware flexes, and plugin wizardry, all delivered with that MusicRadar Tech hands-on flavor. Whether you’re after silky hooks or gritty shouts, there’s a tip here to make your next vocal chain hit harder than a

AKG414 Microphone, Antares Auto-Tune Access, Apollo Twin, CLA Vocals, CLA-3A, Cloudlifter, Decimort, FabFilter Pro-MB, Fatso Compressor, Focusrite Interface, Focusrite ISA Preamp, iZotope Nectar, Little AlterBoy, Logic, Pro Tools, Roland Dimension D (Emulation), SM7B Microphone, Tube-Tech CL 1B Compressor, Valhalla Reverb, Valhalla Vintage Reverb, Virtual Mix Rack

22. December 2025

SPARKY

LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER Spins Up Electrostatic Mayhem: Compton Organ Tone Wheels Get a DIY Resurrection

LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER is back in the bunker, and this time he’s resurrecting a slice of British electronic history: the Compton organ. Forget Hammond clones and polite presets—this is electrostatic wizardry, high voltage, and tone wheels you can’t buy on eBay. In true LMNC style, we get a crash course in rare organ tech, a wild DIY build, and enough chaos to keep any synth nerd glued to the screen. If you think church organs are boring, you’re about to get your bell rung. Dive in for hacks, mishaps, and sounds you won’t hear anywhere else—unless you’ve got 500

Compton Organ, Compton Tone Wheels

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