Dan Black's video for "Hearts" features impressive 24 hour human time lapse

Dan Black, who is an incredibly friendly fellow and former interviewee of the blog, has premiered his new video for "Hearts", which includes an incredible 24 hour time lapse of Dan on a rooftop.  This is no easy feat, as he had to sit around for pretty much an entire day mouthing a song.  The video is a couple months old at this point, but is simply too cool to not post.  Check it out, and the making of video below.

Korg Volca Series finally hits consumers' hands!

After a long blog break, I'm back, and ready for more.

The Korg Volca series seems to be out and about in Japan, and possibly the UK as well, so if you're been keeping an eye on these highly anticipated modules, the wait should soon be over.  The easiest way to track the new videos if you're still deciding is to use YouTube's newest uploads (linked here for quick access).  This way, you'll get a sense of how they actually sound in the hands of the users, and not the official Korg videos-- while the official videos are cool, they of course can't show the full dimensions of this, or any synth.

If you're looking for more info on specifications or using a Volca, you can read the manual on the official Korg site.  Overall, these look like a ton of fun for a great price ($150 street each).  If you have one, tweet at me (@TheSynthSymp) and let me know how it is.

Above is someone's review of the Bass.

Here is someone doing a cover of Daft Punk on a Beats and Bass.

Synthmania quick tip #9 - The 1980s pop ballad sound

If you're not already subscribed, SynthMania has one of the best YouTube channels, always examining gear and the making of 1980s style tracks.  The above shows how easy it is to create an 80s ballad with an 808, MiniMoog, and DX7.  You can hear a ton of other trance, house, and italo style sounds on his channel.  Check it out here.

Bonus: Using a sequencer

Korg MS-20 Mini Video Updates

The MS-20 Mini is slowly making its rounds around the globe, and we're finally seeing some user videos come up, but the majority of us haven't gotten one yet-- Korg's distribution is strained, and there are rumors that there's a major slowdown, but let's hope that's not the case.  Obviously, the MS-20 Mini is a big hit, so let's hope it encourages more Korg analogs in the future.

Videos found on MatrixSynth

More videos below.

Analyzing 'Random Access Memories': Daft Punk's classic record, or just a nice attempt at one?

I've been listening to Random Access Memories a ton this past week, and been trying to ask myself- does the record really live up to hype, or am I just projecting greatness on a "pretty good" record?  Before it came out, Daft Punk said they were trying to make a classic 70s and 80s dance album- did they succeed, or fall short?

Buying Your First Analog Synthesizer: The 2013 Guide

2014 Edit: Thank you for the tremendous support of this guide!  This has easily become the most popular post of the site.  If you're looking for the latest synths, check out the 2014 analog synth guide.  This current page is still mostly relevant and I don't plan on removing it, so you can still enjoy the 2013 guide!

We're only in April of 2013 and we've already seen a huge influx of awesome gear come out.  I still see a fair amount of traffic on my "What to Buy" article, so I figured it was time to revamp the whole thing for a better look at the cool synths you can buy this year.  So without further ado, I give you Synth Guide 2013.

This guide will be focused on new synthesizers, so don't expect anything that's not currently in production.  Also, I may tend to focus on newer gear more so than older synths.

Special note:  I've included Amazon links on the names of all the synths, so if you're interested in buying from Amazon, use that link!  It'll help support the blog. #ad

Vince Clarke meets the Minibrute

So here's a bit of a silly one- Vince Clarke, of Depeche Mode/Yazoo/Erasure fame (and many others) gives an interview with Arturia about using the Minibrute.  Arturia knows who to give their synths to to impress the gear heads.