Synth Chat Podcast – Episode: Marc Barnes on Sound Design, Sampling & Vintage Synths
Release Date: 08/15/2025
TDL Synhat — Diving Into Modular Synthesis with James Wickham (Texas Modular Artist)
The Digital Lifestyle.com
This week on TDL Synhat, we sit down with James Wickham — a Texas‑based industrial musician, sound designer, and full‑blown modular addict with a wall of Eurorack that could heat a small house. If you’ve ever wondered how people fall into the modular rabbit hole, why it becomes so addictive, or how modular fits into a modern production workflow, this episode is a goldmine. James Wickham walks us through his journey from metal guitarist → tracker kid → industrial producer → modular sound‑designer, and explains how he uses his massive Eurorack system as a sound‑palette for...
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CES, AI Automation & Synth Projects – Full Tech Catch-Up
The Digital Lifestyle.com
Gary joins me for a catch-up as we kick off the first show of the year, covering a wide range of tech, smart home, music, and CES news. We start with a look at what (and what hasn’t) made waves at CES so far, including experimental laptops, solid-state battery breakthroughs, EV tech, and some genuinely interesting smart home announcements. I also share updates on recent projects, including: A Raspberry Pi + e-ink display now working as a dynamic mixer label system MIDI and synth visualisation projects using Python and LED displays A new wavefolder sound pack release New tutorials,...
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Designing Synth History: Korg M1, Wavestation & Beyond
The Digital Lifestyle.com
In this episode, I’m joined by John Lehmkuhl of Plug-In Guru, creator of UniFi, and one of the most influential sound designers behind many iconic Korg synthesizers. John shares his incredible journey into music and sound design — from growing up in a family-run music store to shaping legendary instruments like the M1, Wavestation, Z1, Triton, OASYS, and more. We explore sampling under extreme memory limits, early MIDI days, voicing synths in Japan, environmental recording, and how all of this led to UniFi. If you’re into synth history, sound design, or Korg gear, this one’s packed...
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Korg opsix, Smart Homes & Matter Explained | Christmas Tech Catch-Up
The Digital Lifestyle.com
It’s our Christmas Eve episode of The Digital Lifestyle Show, and Gary joins me for a relaxed end-of-year tech catch-up covering music tech, smart homes, and the latest gadgets we’ve both been experimenting with. I kick things off with a look at the Korg opsix module, exploring modern FM synthesis, how it compares to classic DX-era synths, and why it’s such a powerful sound design tool. We talk sequencing, programming, and how it fits into a modern studio setup. Gary then takes us deep into the world of smart home automation, sharing real-world experiences with Matter, Thread, Zigbee,...
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The Fairlight CMI: The Instrument That Changed Music Forever
The Digital Lifestyle.com
In this episode, Ian is joined by Rob Puricelli from the ProSynth Network for a deep dive into one of the most important and influential instruments in music history — the Fairlight CMI. Often described as the world’s first music computer, the Fairlight didn’t just introduce digital sampling — it completely changed how music was created, performed, and produced throughout the 1980s and beyond. Together, we explore: What the Fairlight CMI was and how it worked How digital sampling was discovered almost by accident The inventors behind the Fairlight — and why they deserve...
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Live Unboxings, Smart Home Tech & Studio Hacks – This Week on the Show
The Digital Lifestyle.com
In this week’s episode, Gary returns and we dive into a packed show full of new gadgets, smart home upgrades, studio improvements, and a couple of live unboxings. We look at new audio routing setups, presence sensors, smart switches, studio headphones, and practical ways to build a more intelligent smart home – not just an automated one. If you enjoy smart home tech, synth studio setups, and practical DIY upgrades, this episode is for you. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:30 – Gary’s back! Catch-up and last week’s guest 01:09 – Talking Korg product demos &...
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Why the Yamaha V50 Might Be the Best FM Synth You’ve Never Used
The Digital Lifestyle.com
🎹 TDL Synth Chat – FM Synthesis Deep Dive with Matt Atkinson! This week on TDL Synth Chat, I’m joined by Matt Atkinson, an FM synthesis enthusiast and longtime Yamaha DX collector. Matt has owned almost every DX synth over the years — from the DX7 and DX9 to the V50 and beyond — and in this episode he shares stories, history, sound design techniques, and a full demo of his Yamaha V50 custom sounds. If you love FM synthesis, Yamaha DX gear, the V50, or just retro synth chat in general, you’re going to enjoy this one! ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 00:07 – Matt’s DX...
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Talking Synths with Luke Edwards of Korg UK
The Digital Lifestyle.com
Welcome to this week’s episode of TDL Synth Chat! In this show, I’m joined by Luke Edwards from Korg UK — product specialist, demonstrator, sound designer, and the face behind many of Korg’s official synth demos. Luke shares his journey into music, his background in classical training, his early sequencing days with the Atari ST, and how he eventually joined Roland and later Korg. We also dive into his experiences working with R&D, creating presets, demoing new synths, programming techniques, favourite Korg instruments, and what it’s like to work behind the scenes on new...
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Smart Home Upgrades, Local AI Automation & New Synth Packs – TDL Show
The Digital Lifestyle.com
Garry is back, and we're diving into a huge mix of smart home upgrades, local AI experiments, home renovation tech, synth sound design, and more. From underfloor heating challenges to ESP32 presence detection, facial recognition powered by CodeProject.AI, and new sound packs for the Korg Multipoly and PS-3300 – this episode is packed. We also talk about cloud outages, EV events, kinetic switches, IKEA’s shift to Matter/Thread, and even a cardboard wall discovery during home renovations. Plus: a tribute to Quentin Willson and a look at upcoming videos.
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Dan Phillips from Korg USA on the New PS-3300 Plug-in and Korg Collection 6
The Digital Lifestyle.com
This week on The Digital Lifestyle Show, I’m joined once again by Dan Phillips from Korg R&D in California. Dan returns to the show to talk about the brand-new Korg PS-3300 plug-in, part of the recently released Korg Collection 6. The PS-3300 is a recreation of one of Korg’s most ambitious and rare synthesizers — the original 1977 PS-3300, a huge polyphonic monster with 144 envelopes, 144 filters, and three complete synth panels. Only around 50 were ever made, but now Korg has brought it back to life as a software instrument. In this chat, Dan takes us behind the scenes of how...
info_outlineThis week on the Synth Chat Podcast, Ian catches up with Scottish sound designer and musician Marc Barnes.
Marc returns to talk about his latest Korg Multi/Poly and Wavestate sound packs, programming tips, and his thoughts on the creative process. We dive deep into sampling workflows, vintage synths, and even the challenges of producing other artists’ music.
From the underrated DW-8000 to the TX7, from SampleRobot tips to full album mastering, this is a wide-ranging discussion packed with useful insights for musicians, producers, and synth enthusiasts.
🔹 In This Episode
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Marc’s new sound packs for Korg Multi/Poly & Wavestate
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Multi/Poly vs. Wavestate – how programming differs
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Vintage synth chat: DW-8000, TX7, string machines & more
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Sampling workflows and looping techniques
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Producing & mastering Graeme Sloan’s guitar instrumental album
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Sharon’s trance track hitting 1 million streams
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What synth Korg should release next
🕒 Timestamps
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00:00 – Marc Barnes returns
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01:33 – New sound packs for Multi/Poly & Wavestate
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03:33 – Multi/Poly vs Wavestate – which is better to program?
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07:44 – Why the ARP 2600 software is a favourite
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10:18 – Modular hardware vs software workflow
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11:13 – How Multi/Poly nails Virus, Moog & JP-8000 sounds
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12:57 – Wavestate wave sequencing for instant inspiration
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15:04 – Should Korg bring back physical modelling?
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18:37 – Vintage string machines & Behringer Solina
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22:00 – DW-8000 – underrated vintage gem
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26:42 – Using DW-8000 wavetables in modern synths
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27:54 – Sampling hardware into Wavestate
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31:31 – Sample looping secrets with SampleRobot
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36:41 – Sampling unusual sources
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37:44 – Producing Graeme Sloan’s guitar album
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40:02 – Producing for others – what’s different?
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44:23 – Inside Take a Picture – a multi-genre guitar album
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47:49 – Sharon’s trance track hits 1M streams
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49:56 – The toughest part of mixing trance
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50:16 – Wrapping up & dream Korg synths