Designing Synth History: Korg M1, Wavestation & Beyond
Release Date: 01/07/2026
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_outlineIn 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 with insight and stories.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:06 Who is John Lehmkuhl?
01:22 Early musical influences and family music stores
03:09 Discovering synths: Minimoog, tape machines & experimentation
03:36 Learning FM synthesis on the DX7
04:54 Music education, bands & early MIDI workflows
05:48 First music industry job in Seattle
07:20 Selling and demonstrating early synths
07:54 The impact of the Korg M1
09:14 Joining Korg as a product specialist
10:03 Synth clinics, demos & live performances
11:44 Creating custom sounds for customers
12:50 First official Korg PCM card work
13:27 Drum mapping, sampling & Japan trips
14:55 How Korg voicing teams worked
16:09 Sampling under tight memory constraints
17:12 Designing sounds inspired by pop music trends
18:17 First factory Korg products (M3, 01/W, Trinity, Triton)
19:22 The Wavestation & wave sequencing
20:16 Why the Wavestation EX was created
21:10 Programming challenges and workflow differences
22:07 Iconic Wavestation sounds and samples
23:06 Sampling analog synths vs generated waveforms
24:40 Working with artists and albums
25:17 Life as a Korg sound designer in Los Angeles
26:45 Wavestation SR & front-panel-only programming
28:53 OASYS development and DSP engines
29:40 Wavedrum, physical modelling & field recordings
30:37 Environmental sampling and sound design philosophy
31:36 The lost art of creative sampling
33:14 Modern software vs hardware limitations
34:10 Trinity, Triton & KARMA
35:25 Using generative music tools creatively
37:17 Creating personal signature sounds
38:24 Z1 physical modelling synthesis
40:23 Expressiveness in electronic instruments
41:08 From Korg to UniFi
42:11 Layering synths and samples in UniFi
43:32 Favourite synths John has worked on
44:53 UniFi as a creative platform
45:22 Vintage photos & Korg history
47:56 How Korg patch voting worked
48:29 Z1, OASYS & Japan voicing sessions
50:50 Drum libraries & commercial sample work
51:24 Designing UniFi’s original concept
52:28 Plug-In Guru libraries & future plans
53:20 Final thoughts & wrap-up