One of the great things about video games from the eighties and nineties, apart from the addictive gameplay that many of them had, are the soundtracks.

Come meet a Novation product specialist and get hands on with Novation instruments at select Guitar Center locations this Fall.

As most effects pedals are designed for guitars, which by nature are low-output passive devices, you need to be careful when using them with your modular synths. However, with the right pedals and some know-how, you can quickly create unique sounds, that are very hard to replicate without using the same hardware.

As nice as it would be for inspiration to strike while you are in your home studio in front of your walls of modular synths, this is unfortunately not always the case. Inspiration can strike when you expect it the least and often when you are nowhere near your collection of large synths. Sometimes you also have to step outside your studio and venture forth into the world, but thankfully this no longer means that you can't take a synthesizer along.

While it is certainly possible to build a complete synth from scratch if you have the technical know-how, there are also a number of do-it-yourself kits available on the market.

Novation recently released the v1.2 firmware update for the Circuit Mono Station. Here's what it entails:

Although most vintage synthesizer enthusiasts would no doubt prefer a room full of hardware, there can be doubt that software synths have come a long way.

Thanks to digital audio workstations the ability to record your own music at home is a lot simpler than it used to be. This is great for synth enthusiasts who enjoy sharing their work with other people online.

For most synth owners the thought of their precious equipment ever leaving the studio is not a very pleasant one. Even musicians who are lucky enough to play live shows with their synthesizer gear will take every precaution to ensure everything is safely and securely packed.

There can be no doubt that digital audio workstations have come a long way since the early efforts by Soundstream, Sonic Solutions and OSC. In fact, it has reached a point where impressive results can be achieved using the software on your phone. Having a DAW in the palm of your hand is incredibly useful, but you are still left with the dilemma of which ones to choose.

A while ago we took a closer look at six of the weirdest synths that were ever made, but it turns out that the rabbit hole goes even deeper. As if it wasn't bad enough that many analogue synths contain enough cables and wires to cause someone suffering from an ekrixiphobic panic attack, many designers took things even further.

If you spend time with fans of vintage synthesizers there are a couple of brands and models that will always be mentioned. These are the synths that have stood the test of time and many of them have a place of honor in the collections of synth fans. Unfortunately, in many cases, the popularity or scarcity of these synths also means that adding them to your own collection can be very expensive. The good news is that many manufacturers have begun cashing in on the popularity of these synthesizers by releasing modern versions of them.

There is a common belief with software synths that you can either have a professional synth or you can have one that is simple to use.

There are many enthusiasts who have a wishlist of synths as long as their arm, but often limited space and tight budgets dictate what can actually be bought. However, there are a couple of people who are not held back by these restraints and have space as well as means to collect vintage synths to their heart's content.

When it comes to analog synthesizers, there's no doubt that iOS users have a slight advantage over those who prefer Android. For all the advantages that Android has, iOS still has the edge in terms of audio. Of course, while definitely fewer, this doesn't mean that there are no software synthesizers available on Android.