Synth Journal: Behringer Considers Direct Sales, FM Synthesis Demystified, and JUNO Jams!

C15 Nonlinear Laboratories

Source: Nonlinear Labs

To catch up on some cool synthesizer stories you may have missed, this week’s Synth Journal looks at Behringer’s direct-to-consumer sales channel, demystifies FM synthesis from an FM legend, and examines a new way to learn keyboards!

Behringer hints at possible future direct customer service

When it comes to Behringer news lately, it’s either feast or famine. As they say here in the UK, you wait hours for a bus and then three arrive at once. As well as announcing new gear, like the UB-Xa D and the new Proton, Behringer has had an interesting post on their social media.

It looks like Behringer is considering a direct-to-consumer (D2C) model. This is not new to the industry. Yamaha already does this with the Montage M and some other high-end products. KORG is also doing something similar. But what does this mean for the consumer?

For starters, it eliminates the middleman. No distributor or store. This would save money that will hopefully be passed on to the customer. It could also reduce the wait time for the item to be delivered. But it also has its drawbacks.

This could cause serious damage to distributors and retailers, although Behringer is keen to stress that it will continue to service these channels. I don’t know about you, but I like having someone to talk to if I have a problem. Would that still be the case with D2C?

Anyway, this will be a topic to watch in another episode of Synth Journal!

Polaro – A premium method for learning to play the keyboard

This one completely slipped my mind! There’s a new keyboard learning paradigm in town and it looks hot! Polaro is a new, and according to the blurb, “revolutionary,” way to learn piano. Featuring an 88-key keyboard and a 4K display that spans the width of the aforementioned keyboard, Polaro is a stunning device.

The specs are very thin. For example, it doesn’t mention what kind of computer system it uses, just that it runs PianoOS. You could bet that it’s ARM-based, and that it might be running a custom Linux distribution. The lack of details is somewhat off-putting.

That said, it looks incredibly cool. The teaching methods featured include the vertical piano roll style with a lighted keyboard, which isn’t particularly new but seems to draw on the gaming mentality. As a daytime educator, I can attest to the value and benefits of teaching with gamification.

There’s a built-in camera for Zoom-style two-way lessons and this screen is fully touch-enabled. The promo video clearly shows the user interacting with discoDSP’s awesome OB-Xd plugin and there might even be some sort of D-Beam-style proximity sensor. MIDI is included as standard

So, how much does this “revolutionary” educational material cost? There’s no confirmed price yet, but they estimate it will cost around $2,800 USD, but that amount is subject to change. A $100 refundable deposit will get you an early bird reservation, and they hope to start shipping towards the end of 2024.

Personally, I would like to see a detailed spec sheet and some concrete demonstrations of its capabilities. But good luck to them! Innovation is not a bad thing and I hope they manage to make this project a reality.

FM Synthesis Made Easy with Stephan Schmitt and Manny Fernandez

One of YouTube’s biggest sensations of the last 18 months has been Anthony Marinelli Music. Originally launched to host his behind-the-scenes podcast series about the making of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” the channel has grown into one of the most popular and entertaining music tech shows around.

Anthony uses his long list of connections to interview and discuss all aspects of music technology, and with the help of his son, Dante, they produce one hit video after another. And this week’s offering is a real treat. Along with Non Linear Labs founder Stephan Schmitt and his C15, Anthony has recruited our mutual friend Dr. Manny Fernandez to demystify FM synthesis.

Manny has been programming synthesizers professionally since 1987, when he got his first contract, trying to make the new DX7-II sound like the newcomer, the Roland D50. His patches were so successful that Yamaha hired him to program FM and physical modeling sounds on almost every synthesizer that had them, up to the current Montage M.

This skill did not escape Mr. Schmitt who had Manny work wonders on the C15, his dream FM-based synthesizer! The C15, believe it or not, is essentially based on 2-operator FM. That’s 4 fewer operators than the DX7 and yet it can produce the most incredible sounds thanks to its ingenious mix of FM and filters.

Filmed in Berlin on the Sunday after Superbooth ’24, this video featuring three charming gentlemen and an incredible synth is a real treat to watch. Grab your favorite beverage and some snacks, and settle in for some geeky fun. Enjoy!

Tom Rhea’s YouTube Channel on Electronic Perspectives

Tom Rhea’s name is probably best known in American synthesizer circles as the author of Keyboard magazine’s monthly column Electronic Perspectives. This esteemed synthesizer historian provided a wealth of information in every issue between 1977 and 1981 on the world of electronic music making.

Not long ago, Tom collected all the columns he wrote under this banner and put them together in a wonderfully beautiful book called “Electronic Perspectives: Vintage Electronic Musical Instruments.” 400 pages of amazing writing and equally amazing pictures.

The book also includes two CDs containing a myriad of unearthed audio recordings spanning many eras of electronic music making. All of this is then housed in a beautiful gold-leaf embossed hardcover and placed in a deluxe slipcase.

To support this landmark publication, Tom now has a YouTube channel that contains an ever-growing number of video interviews and reminiscences from Tom himself. In addition to the wealth of information, Tom is delightfully engaging and retains the enthusiasm he had when he originally wrote these articles.

One of my favorite Tom stories is when Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie showed up at Bob Moog’s house while Tom was there to show Bob their new invention, the Fairlight CMI! Can you imagine how that went?? Oh, I wish I was a fly on the wall in THAT room!

You can buy Tom’s book now for just $99 USD/£78 GBP/€91.95. For anyone interested in the real, unadulterated history of electronic music, from an era that defined the very concept of electronic music making, this is an absolute must-have. My copy has pride of place on my shelf. Maybe one day we can collect all the Synth Journal columns and put them in a book?

How are you Juno?

To round off this week’s summary journal, we bring you a fantastic and fun article from a wonderfully talented musician who goes by the name of Lady Apptitude. Babz, to give her real name, is a regular participant in the online synthesizer community and has been involved in music creation for many years!

Unlike many of us, Babz has a real musical talent and regularly demonstrates it with her beautiful compositions, all performed and produced by herself. Babz and I have had many conversations about music technology and she regularly shares her musical explorations with me, which is a real treat.

This week, she released a new track that features samples from some of SonicState’s most beloved attendees, including host Nick Batt, Chic keyboardist Rich Hilton, and the exuberant and effervescent Mark Tinley, who she incorporated into her tribute to the Roland JUNO line of synthesizers!

It’s cute, funky, fun and bright. And don’t miss Babz’s fantastic guitar solo! This woman is on FIRE!!

Well, that concludes this week’s Synth Journal. I’ll be back next week to cover Lasse’s well-deserved vacation! Until then, synth fans!

Note: This week’s Synth Journal contains promotional links that help us fund our site. Don’t worry: the price to you is always the same! If you buy something through these links, we will receive a small commission.

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