This 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.

Listen Now:
Listen Here (download mp3)

Marc’s new sound packs for Korg Multi/Poly & Wavestate

Multi/Poly vs. Wavestate – how programming differs

Vintage synth chat: DW-8000, TX7, string machines & more

Sampling workflows and looping techniques

Producing & mastering Graeme Sloan’s guitar instrumental album

Sharon’s trance track hitting 1 million streams

What synth Korg should release next

00:00 – Marc Barnes returns

01:33 – New sound packs for Multi/Poly & Wavestate

03:33 – Multi/Poly vs Wavestate – which is better to program?

07:44 – Why the ARP 2600 software is a favourite

10:18 – Modular hardware vs software workflow

11:13 – How Multi/Poly nails Virus, Moog & JP-8000 sounds

12:57 – Wavestate wave sequencing for instant inspiration

15:04 – Should Korg bring back physical modelling?

18:37 – Vintage string machines & Behringer Solina

22:00 – DW-8000 – underrated vintage gem

26:42 – Using DW-8000 wavetables in modern synths

27:54 – Sampling hardware into Wavestate

31:31 – Sample looping secrets with SampleRobot

36:41 – Sampling unusual sources

37:44 – Producing Graeme Sloan’s guitar album

40:02 – Producing for others – what’s different?

44:23 – Inside Take a Picture – a multi-genre guitar album

47:49 – Sharon’s trance track hits 1M streams

49:56 – The toughest part of mixing trance

50:16 – Wrapping up & dream Korg synths

️ Subscribe to the podcast for more great synth chats, music tech stories, and gear deep dives!

If you want more information about how to subscribe to podcasts read our Podcast How To page. Follow us on twitter @isdixon @garrywma @Thedigitallife