From Juno-60 to Prophet-5 – Gilles Coudert’s Ultimate Synth Story & Shocking M1 Swap!
Release Date: 10/09/2025
Visiting Pete Coates: Guitars, Synths and a Lifetime of Sound
The Digital Lifestyle.com
In this episode, I head up the A59 to Yorkshire to visit guitarist, guitar‑builder, synth fan, and all‑round studio tinkerer Pete Coates. What starts as a relaxed catch‑up in his workshop turns into a deep dive into his lifelong relationship with music, electronics, DIY gear, and the blend of guitars and synths that shaped both of us. Pete talks about how it all began for him: sneaking his sister’s acoustic guitar, destroying it with an early homemade amplifier, and getting hooked on sound and circuitry. He grew up on Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Sabbath, and The Who, but also fell in love...
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EV Road Trips, Opsix Sound Packs, D‑50 Programming & Smart Home Upgrades — This Week’s Digital Lifestyle Roundup
The Digital Lifestyle.com
This week’s episode was a busy one: Gary returned from a family road trip with real‑world EV charging insights, Ian dove deeper into the Roland D‑50, a brand‑new Opsix sound pack dropped, and we explored everything from handmade guitars to next‑gen smart‑home sensors. If you love synths, tech, EVs, or maker culture, this one’s packed. 🚗 Gary’s EV Road Trip: Charging Hubs Are Changing Fast Gary spent the week driving from Peterborough to Alnwick, and the biggest surprise wasn’t the scenery — it was how quickly the UK’s EV charging infrastructure is expanding. “Last...
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Developing a Signature Sound with Analog Gear — Panos Gounas
The Digital Lifestyle.com
In this episode, we sit down with Panos Gounas, a passionate electronic music producer based in the Netherlands, whose journey into music began in the kitchen — literally. Trained as a chef, Panos discovered music production through SAE Athens and private mentorship, eventually diving deep into analog synthesis and sound design. He shares how the Moog Grandmother and Roland Alpha Juno 2 shaped his creative process, why he believes limitations fuel innovation, and how he’s building a signature sound rooted in tactile gear and happy accidents. We explore: His transition from chef to...
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Smart Home Chaos, D‑50 Magic & Windows Fixes We’ve Waited For
The Digital Lifestyle.com
In this episode, Gary’s back and we dive into a packed show: vintage synth goodness, Windows’ biggest UX shake‑up in years, smart‑home automation breakthroughs (and disasters), plus new sound design tutorials and Tangerine Dream sound packs. If you enjoy deep‑dive synth chats, home‑automation nerdery, and weekly tech updates, you’re in the right place.
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The Magic of the Roland D‑50: Architecture, Envelopes & Sound Design
The Digital Lifestyle.com
🎹 Synth Legends and Repair Stories This week on TDL Synth Chat, Ian welcomes special guest John Sepúlveda for a deep dive into the Roland D-50—one of the most iconic digital synthesizers of the 1980s. From its groundbreaking LA Synthesis engine to its cinematic presets and onboard effects, the D-50 changed the game. John brings a unique perspective as both a sound designer and engineer, having personally revived a dead D-550 rack unit using component-level diagnostics. Listen Now: 🛠️ Engineering Meets Music John shares his journey from RF/microwave engineering to industrial music...
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Synths, EV Tech, Smart Home Chaos & Big Discounts!
The Digital Lifestyle.com
This week’s episode is a full catch-up with Gary, diving into everything from analog synths and sound packs to EV tech and smart home experiments. Whether you're into music gear, electric vehicles, or home automation, there’s something here for you. 🎹 Donna Essential L1: Modular Analog Synth We kick things off with a hands-on look at the Donna Essential L1 — a modular analog synth inspired by the Roland SH-101. It’s a two-part system: a keyboard and a synth module that snap together. Highlights include: True analog circuitry SH-101-style sliders and envelopes USB-C powered...
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Leviasynth, presets and why iconic sounds still matter
The Digital Lifestyle.com
Alex from Vulture Culture returns to TDL Synhat to talk Leviasynth, factory patch design, FM architecture, and the strange life cycle of iconic presets. This episode mixes hands‑on sound design stories with broader questions about what makes a synth feel unique — and whether any preset can still define an era. What we cover in the episode Leviasynth first impressions — why it’s more FM‑adjacent than a straight virtual‑analog and where its strengths lie. Factory patch workflow — what it’s like to design presets for unreleased hardware and the surprises that show up...
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TDL Synth Chat: Espen Kraft Interview
The Digital Lifestyle.com
Join me for a deep‑dive conversation with Espen Kraft — musician, producer, YouTuber, vintage‑synth aficionado, and creator of some of the most authentic ’80s‑inspired music on YouTube. We talk early musical beginnings, vintage gear, sampling, YouTube controversies, creativity, and the realities of making music today. Espen shares stories from door‑to‑door organ sales in Norway, his first synth (the Akai AX80), his journey into production, and how his channel evolved from music uploads to full‑blown synth tutorials and gear deep‑dives. We also explore the “synth...
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Synth Southwest Interview: Peter James Steven on Emulators, Vintage Gear & Building a Synth Show
The Digital Lifestyle.com
This week’s episode dives deep into synth nostalgia, rare gear, and the birth of a brand-new UK synth event — Synth Southwest. I’m joined by Peter James Steven, co-host of Process Network and the driving force behind the new show happening in Dawlish on March 21st, 2026. We talk emulators, Yamaha CS-series synths, the legendary Chroma Polaris, and what it takes to build a synth expo from scratch — complete with live performances, vintage gear, and a seaside vibe. 🎧 What’s in the Episode? The Emulator Legacy: Peter shares stories from Brronica 2024, including getting his...
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From Raspberry Pi to Zigbee Nightmares — A Full Catch‑Up
The Digital Lifestyle.com
Gary’s back and we’re doing a full catch‑up episode! No guest this week — just deep dives into new projects, synth talk, smart home adventures, EV news, and a behind‑the‑scenes look at Ian’s new album and video production. If you love music tech, DIY projects, Raspberry Pi experiments, synth programming, or smart home tinkering, this episode is packed. ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Intro 0:05 – What’s coming up this week 0:18 – Gary joins the show 0:24 – Recent guests & modular synth chat 0:52 – Want to be a guest? 1:03 – Ian’s Raspberry Pi MIDI clock...
info_outlineWelcome to this week’s episode of TDL Synth Chat!
In this episode, I’m joined by Gilles Coudert, who takes us through his incredible synth journey — from his first keyboard in the late ’70s to modern classics like the Korg Kronos and Prophet-5 Rev4. We dive deep into the Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50, DW-8000, and many more, sharing stories, regrets, and nostalgic memories from decades of synth exploration.
🎹 Gilles talks about the synths he loved, the ones he regretted selling, and how the DX7 changed his musical direction. We also discuss the evolution of FM synthesis, the return of vintage hardware, and why modern musicians still turn to classic gear for inspiration.
⚡ Don’t miss this jaw-dropping story: Gilles reveals how he once traded a mint Roland JX-8P with programmer and a pristine Korg DW-8000 — both with hard cases — for a broken Korg M1! It’s one of the biggest synth trade regrets you’ll ever hear, and his reaction says it all. If you’ve ever sold a synth you loved, this story will hit hard!
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:41 Gilles joins the show
02:31 Early influences and first instruments
04:04 Discovering synths through Jean-Michel Jarre and ELO
05:21 First synth – Roland Juno-60
06:49 Discovering (and initially disliking) the DX7
07:54 TX81Z and moving to the UK
08:24 Rediscovering the DX7 through live bands
10:52 TX802 and FM synthesis in the ’80s
12:11 Comparing DX7 versions and sound differences
13:18 Using the Kronos to emulate DX7 sounds
14:09 Falling back in love with the DX7
17:46 Programming FM sounds and the Howard Massey book
20:26 Adding effects to bring old synths to life
22:36 Roland D-50 memories and reverb overload
24:08 Limited storage and patch cartridges
27:04 Upgrading to the SCR7 ROM
32:02 Prophet-5 Rev4 – why it’s a desert island synth
33:42 The Jupiter-X experience and Roland’s “abandonware”
36:22 Hardware vs software – why tactile synths still matter
39:05 Comparing OP-6, DX7, and Kronos FM engines
41:16 The TX7 workflow
41:47 DW-8000 and classic Korg sound design
43:25 Synth regrets – swapping a JX-8P and DW-8000 for an M1!
46:05 The M1 and D-70 debate
48:19 Dream synths and the Fairlight CMI
50:45 Desert island synth choice
52:26 The limitations that shaped 1980s synth music
54:03 Creative workflows and restricting synth choices
56:01 From Atari ST to modern DAWs
57:29 Wrap up and where to find Gilles online
🎧 Guest: Gilles Coudert – [The 80s Fan on YouTube]
🎙️ Host: Ian Dixon – The Digital Lifestyle / TDL Synth Chat
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