music producer musotalk inspects synthesizer trends

If the TB-303 has kept you up night after night, then perk up your ears: Future Retro is dusting off this legendary bass synthesizer and offering it as a remake on Kickstarter. The new edition of the Future Retro 777, closely based on the 1999 version, provides fresh juice for your acid setup. The mini-jacks and the OLED display are the innovations that make the device fit for the Eurorack and the modern world. Atmos Gains, known from Moog, has contributed to the sequencer, and there are brilliant features like remix function and swing, usually found only in Revolution or Orb. For 777 dollars, you can get the remake, but you’d better hurry, as the first 150 synths are already gone. Kickstarter is the playground here, and the 770,000 euros needed have already been secured.

Conduct Labs delivers with the Terrain a synthesizer that takes us on a sonic adventure that promises a lot. “Terrain Synthesis” is the new concept that uses 64-dimensional data fields to create sounds that resemble landscapes. Imagine each turn of a knob changes your position in this landscape, creating unique soundscapes. The 16-voice polysynth architecture with three oscillators per voice is reminiscent of the early days of FM synthesis; here, a modulation matrix and performance-loving hardware are mixed. Yet despite all the innovation, the question remains: is this really new, or just a fancy packaging of well-known technology? The price, starting at over 900 euros, poses a challenge, and especially with small numbers, it remains to be seen whether this will turn into a niche product or a new star in the synth hardware scene.

With Brainworx Perfection, we dive into the world of plugins. This plugin aims to balance your listening problems by testing your hearing and then correcting the playback. An innovative idea, because we know that many of us struggle with frequency issues, whether due to age or simply untrained ears. Even if the plugin sounds impressive, skepticism remains: can it really perfect our mix or is it just another gimmick in the dense plugin jungle? The community is called upon to try the plugin and share their experiences. MusoTalk remains skeptical here and waits to see how users react.

Those who still remember the CX5M from Yamaha experience a piece of computer history that evokes nostalgia. This MSX computer had an FM module built in and was able to handle MIDI and output audio, making it an early music production system. Even though you had to listen to the entire song from the beginning every time you made changes, this was a milestone in technical development. MIDI terminals and an FM Music Composer module were integrated, but by the standards of the time, it was a significant step towards computer-assisted music production. MusoTalk takes us back to a time when this technology was still revolutionary and wonders what has become of these relics of the past.