Blog
Notes on rare circuits, plugin craft, sound design and production workflows.
AllSynthesisMixingHistoryComparison
SynthesisAnalog Drum Machines: How They Work and How to Get the Sound
A trigger pulse, a ringing circuit and an envelope. How analog drum machines build a kick instead of playing one back, which famous machines really qualify, and what the sound costs today.
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MixingGated Reverb: How the 1980s Drum Sound WorksThe reverb-into-a-gate chain behind the decade’s biggest snare, with the settings that matter and recipes for Ableton, Logic and FL Studio.Read more →
HistorySoviet Drum Machines: Formanta UDS, Lel UDS and USSR Percussion SynthsFormanta, Lel, Marsh and Elsita, and why most instruments filed under “Soviet drum machine” are better understood as playable, trigger-driven percussion synthesizers.Read more →
ComparisonBest Drum Synth Plugins for Creating Drums Without SamplesSeven drum synths compared by what they actually are — a workstation, a kit designer or one focused voice — with formats, OS support and the interface of each.Read more →