Choose your path and start your journey! The Patch & Tweak Club has something for everyone. Join the Core Membership to get all seven ebooks – 2000+ pages(!) or go Pro to unlock deep-dive articles, interviews, podcast episodes (coming soon), short documentaries, and more. Discover, learn, and get inspired – wherever you are in your synth journey.
From early experiments with piano, tape decks, and video game melodies to building groove box-based live sets and a beloved YouTube channel, True Cuckoo talks to Nadia Struiwigh about his creative journey, performance style, and the joy of staying playful with music.
From Moog schematics in a 1970 dorm room to the Prophet-5 with Dave Smith in 1977, and into the digital early '80s, Dave Rossum’s impact is profound. In this timeline, the E-mu Systems and Rossum Electro-Music founder shares how it all began – featuring Moog, Oberheim, Strange, Linn & more.
Lisa Molinaro explores the sonic potential of amplified viola and effects pedals in this in-depth interview from PEDAL CRUSH. From reverb-drenched pizzicato to synth-like textures, she shares how gear and technique shape her sound across Talkdemonic, Modest Mouse, and beyond.
Step into the sonic world of Hainbach; musician, YouTube educator, and sound explorer. In this candid conversation, he shares early inspirations, creative evolution, rare gear, and advice for artists seeking their own path in music and sound design.
Known for his captivating synth performances and love of vintage gear, KEBU shares his creative journey, evolving setup, and deep passion for analog sound in this interview with Nadia Struiwigh. A must-read for fans of timeless electronic music and hands-on synthesis.
Andrea Cichecki’s journey through music has been anything but conventional. From her early days playing the clarinet in the Netherlands to her deep dive into Berlin’s electronic music scene, Andrea has carved a path that blends classical foundations with cutting-edge music production.
Paul Schreiber is known for Synthesis Technology, but few may know how it all began. This detailed and personal history, told to Chris Meyer years before Paul's passing in March 2025, traces the story of MOTM – built on rare Curtis chips, audiophile dreams, and engineering passion.
Looking to create lush pads, evolving textures, and immersive soundscapes? These synthesizers – ranging from expressive hybrids to analog and digital engines – are made for ambient music. Explore some inspiring hardware options for spacious, atmospheric sound design.
Curious about FM in modular synthesis? This deep dive breaks down the three main types – exponential, linear, and through-zero FM – with hands-on patch tips, sound examples, and a demo video. Learn how each type shapes your tone, harmonics, and tuning.
Whether you're building your first ambient patch or expanding a modular system for immersive textures and cinematic drones, these Eurorack modules are great tools for shaping sound into space.
Explore a curated selection of standalone devices perfect for ambient music – including granular synthesizers, loopers, and rich spatial effects. These tools help you transform simple sounds into immersive sonic landscapes.
Choosing your first Eurorack filter can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. This guide breaks down what filters do, how to understand terms like slope and topology, and offers beginner-friendly module suggestions to help you shape your sound and build your ideal modular rig.
Choosing the right patch cables is crucial for performance, portability, and reliability in modular synths. Learn what to look for in plugs, jackets, lengths, and materials — and how the right cable choices can make patching faster, cleaner, and more creative.
Choosing the right utility mixers is key to unlocking creativity in modular synth patches. Learn why mixers matter, the difference between audio and CV mixing, and discover pro tips for bending the rules to create new sounds from your existing modules.
Modular synthesis offers endless flexibility, but documenting patches can be tricky—especially when switching modules. A clear symbol system streamlines this process, using abstract icons and lines to represent functions and connections, making patches easier to share, understand, and recreate.
Dive into the world of PATCH & TWEAK with 50 hands-on patches from the book available to download and explore in the free VCV Rack software.
Now you can enjoy SYNTH GEMS 1 as an ebook – right here on your screen, whether on your phone, tablet or computer – as long as you have an internet connection. Sign up for our Core membership where you get access to SYNTH GEMS 1 and six other titles.
Since its beginnings in 1972, Roland has become one of the most influential music brands in modern history. In 400 photo-packed pages, this book tells the story of how they got there, and how they brought the music world along for the ride.
Get creative and inspired from 200+ tips and ideas and creator interviews. Learn about all the different effects types, what to get for your type of music, and how to get the most of what you already have.
Random voltage generators bring organic variation to synth patches. Learn how smooth, stepped, and trigger-based randomness can add life, unpredictability, and evolving textures to your sounds.
LFOs bring movement to synthesis by modulating parameters like filter cutoff and pulse width. Learn about waveform types, sync, delay, and how to shape modulation for evolving, expressive sounds.
Envelope generators shape how a sound evolves over time – from percussive hits to swelling textures. Learn the basics of AD, ADSR, and looping envelopes, and how they control amplitude, filters, and timbre in a synthesizer.
Waveshaping alters the harmonic makeup of a waveform to create new timbres. Learn how techniques like saturation, rectification, and wavefolding shape sound, and how modulating these parameters brings movement and complexity.
Filter resonance – also called Q or emphasis – boosts harmonics near the cutoff point, creating vowel-like tones and dramatic peaks. Learn how resonance shapes sound and brings filters to life in expressive, musical ways.
A filter’s slope determines how steeply it removes harmonics beyond the cutoff point. Learn how 1-, 2-, 4-, and even 8-pole filters shape sound with increasing intensity – from subtle roll-offs to dramatic tonal sculpting.
Filters shape sound by removing or reducing harmonics. Learn how low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch filters work – and how adjusting the cutoff frequency creates dramatic changes in tone and texture.
Noise in synthesis comes in many "colors" – from white and pink to blue, brown, and beyond – each with unique frequency content. Discover how different noise types sound and why no two noise modules sound exactly the same.
Explore how different oscillator waveforms – like sawtooth, pulse, triangle, and sine – affect the harmonic content and character of a sound.
Discover the core concepts of pitch and volume in this first installment of our Basic Concepts series. Learn how oscillators, frequency, amplitude, and voltage shape the sound in a synthesizer.