Ableton Loop, the annual international music-making summit, was supposed to be held on 24 April 2020 but was postponed to next year due to the COVID-19 situation. In its place, Ableton opted for an "at-home" edition of the summit, which featured music-making challenges, performances, and talks.
Fans of Thorsten Quaeshning, the current bandleader of Tangerine Dream, should already be familiar with his live studio performance series, titled "Behind Closed Doors." He came up with the concept during the first week of lockdown in Berlin when the music scene came to an abrupt halt due to COVI
It's no exaggeration to say that 2020 has been a bit of a disaster in many ways due to the COVID-19 crisis. Not only has the lives of many been cast into turmoil, but it also had a big impact on things that we all used to take for granted, such as trade shows, live music and so on.
Last year we ran a news article about the Analogue Pocket, an upcoming gadget that combines vintage gaming and synthesizers in one portable package. While we knew back then that this little device is going to cause quite a stir we didn't expect it to be quite as popular as it is.
The TR-808 is without a doubt one of the most famous drum machines and this year marks the 40th anniversary of its release. To celebrate this event Roland has released a ton of goodies on 808 Day, which appropriately enough happened on the 8th of August.
Price is definitely a big consideration when it comes to synthesizers, but space can also become an issue. Not everyone has the money or storage capacity to own a large number of synthesizers.
There are some names, such as Suzanne Ciani, Gary Numan, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Herbie Hancock that should be instantly familiar to anyone with even a passing interest in synthesizers.
Chances are that anyone making use of software synthesizers will already be very familiar with Daichi Laboratory's Synth1. It's one of the most downloaded synth plug-ins of all time, which is no surprise as it is based off the Nord Lead 2.
Most people will know Jon Benjamin for his voice acting as Archer on the animated series of the same name or Bob Belcher from Bob's Burgers. However, Benjamin has also attempted music with his 2015 album, "Well, I Should Have..." where he played piano.
There's still a few days left on the Blipblox After Dark Synthesizer IndieGoGo campaign, but it has already soared past its funding goal thanks to more than 200 backers.
The cheaper cost is often a big motivation for musicians to pick software synthesizers over hardware, but space can also be a big motivation to do so.
Mobile virtual synthesizers and digital audio workstations have come a long way and these days it's not unusual to see people using them when out and about.
For many synth enthusiasts, it's not enough to own a large collection of hardware and software synthesizers. There is usually also a point where you begin dreaming of creating your own synthesizer.
Live conferences are one of the industries left scrambling to adapt due to COVID-19 and we've seen many of the larger events either canceling or postponing.
