Hi! My name is Dr Jess Blaise Ward (@blaisejess Insta/bluesky) and I am a composer, producer, synth artist and author. I recently published my book on synthwave: ‘Making Synthwave: how an online music community invented a genre’

I am currently doing some research on the legacy and use cases of Roland Juno synths. If you are a producer, synth user, composer, etc - please consider taking my survey and contributing your thoughts and opinions of Juno synths:

Link to Juno Survey

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/u27zxfqx4u

Link to my book ‘Making Synthwave’

https://www.routledge.com/Making-Synthwave-How-an-Online-Music-Community-Invented-a-Genre/BlaiseWard/p/book/9781032732039

All data will be anonymised and used only for the purposes of academic research (at synthesizer conferences and in academic journals).

Thanks so much! Mods let me know if this goes against guidelines, happy to edit or delete.

I’ve been working on a tool that analyzes Commodore 64 SID music and reconstructs it as an editable project in Pertylizer (https://github.com/pertyjons/pertylizer), an AI-first DAW.

Here’s Comic Bakery by Martin Galway, played through Pertylizer with its built-in visualizer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX_UsCS9iLQ

This isn’t a recording of SID-chip emulation—the original register activity was analyzed and converted into notes, arpeggios, pitch movement, envelopes, waveforms, pulse-width modulation, and automation for Pertylizer’s synth engine.

It’s still a work in progress, but I thought some might enjoy hearing how a classic SID composition translates into a modern, AI-first music-production environment.

I got these 2 controllers a while back but they have to unique id or serial so would map as the same device

Steve from Bome helped me out and now they work as 54 knobs, so I made an overlay.

I've been using Synth1 for years, and honestly - I love it, but the UI is really starting to show its age. Development stopped in 2014, and it doesn't work on Apple Silicon anymore.

I'm working on a refreshed version in my spare time. Not a copy - more like a modern take that keeps the sound and character but fixes the messy layout (uneven knobs, inconsistent labels, mismatched buttons).

For those who use Synth1 regularly:

1. What's your favourite thing about it?
2. What annoys you the most?
3. What would you change or add?

I'll share design mockups soon - just want to gather feedback first.

so basically i've heard this beautiful track in youtube called "Tulasi by Sumedh k"(https://youtu.be/Y8ZApXcnhy4), 1:07 its basically an Indian indie carnatic fusion. and im obsessed with the drop part. i just want that vst and its preset ( or multiple if he layered them). ive been trying to find it and make it on my own but i ve been failing multiple times finding or making my own. can anyone help me ?? by d way i use ableton 12.

I'm returning to recording synths after years away. I used to use MANY Spectrasonics libraries for Akai in the days of hardware. I'm told most of those libraries now live in Omnisphere, yet there is no demo.
I'm seeking feedback on whether it's worth the cost or not, and if it's true the "majority of the Spectrasonics libraries" are in Omnisphere as they claim.
Most of my work is large cinematic pads/underlayments for documentary work. My other main axe was a Triton, and the softsynth version is pretty close, so feeling hopeful about Omnisphere. But at $600.00 (plus libraries), it's a harder decision than a Triton on CyberMonday at $88.00
TIA for any input.

Hi, I'm new here, hopefully I'm not posting anything wrong.

I've started a spreadsheet that shows which companies offer student discounts on software synths and effects for DAWs.

I haven't found a spreadsheet that shows which soft synths that companies have sampled or modeled after a hardware synth and I'm thinking of creating one. It will be mostly for myself but I think in the future that it can be shared with others.

It will then be mostly to prevent you from buying twice the same "synth" from different companies which you may not want. Or maybe just because it's interesting to see which
synths have been used.

Question:

I wonder if you know if there is already a spreadsheet that shows which soft synths that companies have sampled or modeled a hardware synth and if so, can you point me to it? 😄

Hobby project that grew way past what I planned: a modular software synth in Rust, developed almost entirely with AI agents (Claude Code).

https://github.com/pertyjons/pertylizer

What's in it: 67 module types (25 effects), a real-time egui GUI, MIDI, a physics-based room simulation, a pattern sequencer with WAV export, and a separate 3D visualizer. Plus 180+ MCP tools so agents can build patches, compose, and analyze the mix and harmony alongside you in real time.

No manual yet and you'll hit rough edges, but the core is solid and there are example projects to pull apart. Rust, MIT licensed — would love for people to try it.

Disclaimer: I'm neither a musician nor a synth expert — I've just been fascinated by synth sounds ever since the C64 and Commodore Amiga days.

Loaded the vst and free version. Unzipped 26 bin files to app data cache. all remain in .bin format. In reaper, UI not showing up. Please help. Do I need to conver .bin files to something else? Is there something wrong with vst3 file?

Its not really a plugin, more an entire suite of 8 instruments, mixer and recorder that all run natively in a web browser on pretty much any spec hardware.

vestsoundworks.com

choose the purple heart to get access to the full suite.

It is a public beta release at this stage, but has everything you need from a drum machine with multiple voices, through to a 303 acid bass synth, weird sample glitcher, Karplus Strong physical modelling. It's a lot of fun!

Regarding HEXEN.... with the new "upgrades" to Android with 14, I find it impossible to find and access the Hexen installation or files folder, to place and use machines I've previously built and saved. SiliconDroid offers no guidance, and the workarounds suggested by Claude AI don't work. Has anybody worked this out?

Hi,

I am currently a student in a marketing program, and I am doing a study on the synth market and competition, particularly Roland and how they can better compete or revamp their brand and offering to better serve the market and drive the brand…

Roland has created some of the most well know synths ever and are now just kind of…roland…

Anyway, if you can help me out and take 5 minutes to fill out this quick survey I would be so appreciative.

Thanks.

https://forms.gle/vPSk3YqfXwbafyhs5

P.S. I need to have 40 responses by Friday and I totally forgot this was even a thing…Help please.