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In this catch-up episode of the Ian Dixon podcast, Gary joins the show to discuss his recent trip to the Everything Electric exhibition. We dive into the latest in EV technology, including test drives of the MG4 Urban and a look at the massive BYD and Tesla ecosystem packages.

Beyond cars, we explore Gary's latest smart home gadgets, like the GeekMagic TV Ultra—a tiny, customizable display for home automation alerts—and his experience with local AI agents in Home Assistant. Ian also shares insights on his new OneOdio Studio Pro wireless headphones for lag-free music production and his deep dive into deconstructing classic Roland D-50 sounds.

Topics covered in this episode:

• EV News: Insights from Everything Electric, test driving the MG4 Urban, and Tesla's new solar/battery packages.
• Smart Home Tech: A hands-on look at the GeekMagic TV Ultra and automating with local AI agents in Home Assistant.
• Music Production: Reviewing ultra-low latency wireless headphones and recreating D-50 factory presets on the Korg WaveState and Multi/Poly.
• Upcoming Events: Details on the upcoming SynthFest in Sheffield.

• 00:00 - Intro: Catching up on gadgets, EV news, and music tech.
• 00:46 - Gary's experience at the Everything Electric exhibition.
• 01:32 - Smart home tech at the EV show: Tuki light switches and energy management.
• 03:33 - New battery tech: First look at sodium batteries.
• 03:57 - "Robots Live" and Robert Llewellyn's commentary.
• 04:50 - EV Highlights: BYD, Geely (Volvo/Polestar), and the X2 city car.
• 06:10 - Test driving the MG4 Urban and impressions of modern EV interfaces.
• 07:44 - Why the show moved outdoors and the value of physical events.
• 09:18 - Tesla's new all-in-one solar, battery, and car packages.
• 09:55 - The booming secondhand EV market.
• 12:13 - The importance of hands-on showrooms for tech and music gear.
• 14:50 - Recreating the "flagship" experience: From the D-50 to modern synths.
• 16:13 - Gadget Reveal: The GeekMagic TV Ultra tiny display.
• 17:25 - Using tiny displays for smart home indicators and notifications.
• 19:53 - Headphones: OneOdio Studio Pro wireless with ultra-low latency.
• 21:45 - The importance of zero latency for sound design and mixing.
• 23:40 - Music production: Deconstructing Roland D-50 sounds for the WaveState.
• 25:29 - Rotating camera views and info screens on tiny displays.
• 27:12 - The future of local AI agents in home automation.
• 28:22 - Remote access and AI voices in Home Assistant.
• 29:58 - Comparing Alexa Plus to standard smart home voice control.
• 33:50 - Automation vs. AI Learning: Lights that "know" your routine.
• 34:32 - The struggle with managing thousands of devices in the Alexa app.
• 36:44 - Where to find Gary and Ian's upcoming sound packs.

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A deep‑dive conversation with legendary sound designer Kurt Ader, whose 40‑year career spans factory presets for Roland (Jupiter‑8), Moog, Korg, Waldorf, Sequential, Emu, and more. He's collaborated with Jordan Rudess, Johannes Schmoelling (Tangerine Dream), and worked on iconic synths from the Prophet VS to the Moog One.

"Roland… told me they were making a new synthesizer with eight voices… and they asked me to do a European sound set." "I sampled the Mannheim philharmonic orchestra… the whole project took two years."

This episode is a tour through synth history, sound‑design craft, and Kurt's incredible studio.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Kurt Ader joins TDL Synth 00:31 – Kurt's 40‑year sound‑design pedigree 01:02 – Studio tour: drum machines, SP‑series, Sigma, DW‑8000 01:34 – Waldorf, Sequential, Prophecy, SH‑series 02:01 – Korg 700S, Moog Grandmother, EMS loaners 02:23 – DeepMind, vintage organs, Valhalla hardware 03:04 – Main workspace + Wavestate 03:24 – ARP 2600, modular, Minimoog signed by Bob Moog 04:00 – MS2000, Radias, KingKORG, Jupiter‑80, Juno‑60 04:26 – Voyagers, VL‑1, Kronos collection 04:41 – Wavestate, Modwave, Moog Sub Phatty prototype 05:03 – SE‑1, XT, JP‑8000, Mackie desks, Microwave #1 05:55 – Kurt's first synth: Minimoog (1977) 06:38 – How Rick Wakeman inspired everything 07:15 – Analog vs digital: Kurt's philosophy 07:43 – Sound design beginnings + preset era 09:23 – Roland hires Kurt for the Jupiter‑8 preset bank 10:26 – Cassette‑based preset transfer 11:20 – Studio sound‑design work in the early 80s 11:36 – Sequential: Prophet 2000, 2002+, Studio 440 12:18 – Prophet VS + wavetable discovery 12:39 – Sequential bankruptcy → Emu Systems 15:33 – Emu Emulator II, Emax, E3, E4 17:23 – Rise of commercial patch libraries 18:10 – DX7 + FM synthesis 19:11 – Vintage Keys Plus with Dave Bristow 20:11 – Discovering the Korg OASYS 21:04 – Early band + chart success 22:23 – Musical influences: Yes, Genesis, Tangerine Dream 23:01 – Blade Runner + film scoring inspiration 23:38 – Meeting Johannes Schmoelling 24:45 – Prophet VS + wavetable era 25:48 – Moog: Voyager → Sub 37 → Moog One 26:24 – Creating 80% of the Moog One factory presets 27:03 – Roli, Yamaha Montage, Model D app 27:32 – Korg: Opsix, KingKORG, Modwave, Kronos 28:20 – Designing classic vs modern Moog sounds 29:43 – Waldorf Microwave, Iridium, Quantum 30:07 – Korg Radias appreciation 31:02 – OASYS engines + orchestral sampling 32:23 – Founding KApro 33:07 – Artist work: Saga, Nightwish, Jordan Rudess 34:23 – NAMM Sound Designer of the Year 35:01 – Workshops + live performance 36:15 – Freedom when designing for Korg 37:01 – PS‑3300 recreation 38:11 – Working with Johannes on the SAW project 39:45 – Live setup + Tangerine Dream recreations 41:27 – Tangerine Dream sequencing secrets (delay‑based) 43:18 – Recreating TD for live shows 44:03 – Why TD's 80s sound is timeless 45:01 – Upcoming concerts + new album 46:27 – Desert‑island synth: Kronos 49:22 – Favourite analogs: Voyager, Moog One, Poly Pro 12 50:04 – Rhodes Chroma restoration 52:04 – Playing a real CS‑80 53:45 – Studio routing + master keyboard workflow 56:12 – New solo album + collaborations 57:00 – Where to find Kurt's sound libraries 57:42 – Closing thoughts

🎧 Check out Kurt Ader's work

KApro Sound Libraries: Kurt Ader – EN - Kurt Ader - Sound-Design

SAW (Schmoelling / Ader / Waters) Project: Concert SAW : Tangram - Tangerine Dream

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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 with the synth‑pop world of Human League, ABC, Thompson Twins, Trevor Horn productions, and all those iconic 80s textures.

We get into his years playing in 80s bands with Simmons drums and a Roland D‑50, his obsession with building pedals and rack gear, and his more recent experiments with Raspberry Pi synth projects like MiniDexed. He also explains how he moved from player to builder—crafting guitars by hand, learning from online communities like The Fretboard, and eventually building 17–18 custom instruments inspired by classic 50s Gibson construction.

We also talk about writing and recording his own music as Rain Machine, the joy of combining guitars and synths, and the satisfaction of creating something from scratch—whether it's a track, a guitar, or a piece of studio hardware.

It's a warm, geeky, nostalgic conversation that anyone into guitars, synths, DIY electronics, or music‑making will enjoy.

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 time I stopped there… it had two chargers. Now it's got 26."

Two years ago, a stop meant hunting for a free charger. Now, entire hubs are appearing seemingly overnight. Even so, Good Friday traffic meant full services and queues, but turnover was fast thanks to rapid charging.

The hidden cost of running a charging hub One standout detail: operators aren't struggling with electricity prices — it's the standing charge.

Some hubs have seen daily standing charges jump from £30 to nearly £1,000, making profitability a challenge unless chargers stay busy. The good news? They are staying busy.

📺 In‑Car Entertainment Hack: Fire TV via CarPlay To keep the kids entertained during charging stops, Gary used a clever adapter that emulates a CarPlay device but accepts HDMI input.

He plugged in a Fire TV Stick, connected it to the car's internal Wi‑Fi, and streamed shows while parked.

A simple trick, but a game‑changer for long trips.

🌲 A Week Off‑Grid The family stayed somewhere with:

No Wi‑Fi

No mobile signal

No power

A rare digital detox — and a reminder that sometimes the best tech break is no tech at all.

🎹 Ian's Synth Week: Roland D‑50 & New Opsix Sound Pack Back home, Ian spent the week deep in synth territory.

Roland D‑50 Programming The D‑50 continues to impress with its unmistakable LA synthesis character. Ian's been learning the programming workflow and has already released a couple of tutorial videos.

New Opsix Sound Pack Released A big highlight: the release of a 40‑patch Opsix sound pack, all hand‑programmed from the INIT patch.

It includes:

FM classics

Analog‑style patches

Hybrid textures

Pads, bells, basses, and motion sounds

If you're an Opsix user, this is a strong addition to your library.

Modeling Synths inside the Opsix New tutorials also show how to build full synth architectures within the Opsix engine — a powerful but under‑explored feature.

🎸 Handmade Guitars: A Visit to Pete Coats' Workshop Ian also visited luthier Pete Coats, who hand‑builds guitars using reclaimed hardwoods.

One standout detail:

The mahogany for a guitar neck came from a staircase in Bradford.

A perfect blend of sustainability, craftsmanship, and musical heritage. A full workshop tour video is already live, with an interview coming soon.

🎛️ Should We Start a Synth Meetup in the Northwest? There are synth meetups in the South, Southeast, and Southwest — but nothing in the Northwest. Ian floated the idea of a headphone‑based synth meetup, where everyone brings a synth and their own headphones for a silent‑disco‑style jam.

The biggest challenge? Finding a venue with:

Power

Parking

Enough space

No noise issues

If there's interest, this could become a summer project.

🎤 SynthFest Returns This Year SynthFest UK is back at the Sheffield Octagon later this year. After taking a year off, it's returning as one of the best places to meet synth makers, try new gear, and connect with the community.

🏠 Smart Home News: New mmWave Sensor Kickstarter Gary highlighted a new Kickstarter from Linkind/Link+, featuring a battery‑powered mmWave presence sensor with Zigbee support.

The Air Plus version includes:

mmWave presence

Temperature

Humidity

Ambient light

Smart button

At around £8 for the basic model, it massively undercuts existing options.

Why this matters mmWave solves the classic PIR problem: Lights turning off when you sit still.

mmWave detects micro‑movements like breathing, making it ideal for:

Offices

Studios

Living rooms

Home automation scenes

Given ongoing reliability issues with Matter over Thread, Zigbee remains the more stable choice for many setups.

🧠 Home Assistant Gets More Conversational Gary's been experimenting with a new LLM integration in Home Assistant, giving it:

Better conversational flow

Follow‑up questions

Context‑aware prompts

Presence‑based greetings

He also showed a £7 "Home Assistant ball" — a small animated display orb that connects to HA and responds to voice commands.

💿 Vinyl Find: Clockwork Orange OST A great charity‑shop discovery this week: an original vinyl copy of the Clockwork Orange soundtrack, featuring Wendy Carlos' iconic synth‑driven classical interpretations.

A perfect addition to any synth lover's collection.

🎬 Watch the Full Episode If you want the full conversation — EVs, synths, smart homes, guitars, and more — check out the full episode on YouTube.

📢 Want More? Download the Opsix Sound Pack

Watch the D‑50 programming tutorials

See the Pete Coats guitar workshop tour

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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 producer

• The difference between DJing and music production

• Why analog synths sparked his inspiration

• His workflow with hardware and plugins

• Releasing music through Big Mama's House Records and independently

• His dream synth (hint: it's a Prophet)

• Advice for beginners starting with limited gear

Whether you're a seasoned synth head or just starting out, Panos' story is a reminder that creativity can come from anywhere — and that gear is only part of the journey.

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.

🎹 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: Listen Here (download mp3)

🛠️ Engineering Meets Music

John shares his journey from RF/microwave engineering to industrial music and film scoring. His technical background helped him repair a non-booting D-550 by replacing capacitors, tracing dead ICs, and even upgrading the display to OLED. His studio setup includes modular gear, vintage samplers, and creative workflows like resampling microcassette recordings into samplers for added texture.

🔍 D-50 Architecture and Sound Design

The conversation explores:

• LA Synthesis: Combining short PCM attacks with synthesized sustain
• Multi-stage envelopes: Time/level control for pitch, filter, and amplitude
• Built-in effects: Reverb and chorus per patch, rare for its time
• Partial layering: Four partials per patch for deep sound sculpting
• Memory cards: Patch storage and modern DIY upgrades

John and Ian compare the D-50's realism to the DX7, noting how the D-50's effects and sample-based attacks gave it a cinematic edge. They also discuss iconic patches like Fantasia, Digital Native Dance, and Soundtrack, and how those sounds defined an era.

🎛️ Programming and Preset Culture

They reflect on the accessibility of D-50 programming versus FM synthesis, the role of the PG-1000 programmer, and how modern synths often lack the envelope complexity of vintage gear. John praises the Blade Runner-inspired patch pack Neon Chronicles and shares his excitement about creating new sounds using the D-50's unique architecture.

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 controller functionality

• Built-in sequencer and arpeggiator

• No patch memory (authentic analog experience)

At £259, it's a great entry point into subtractive synthesis. Plus, there's a 15% discount code available via the video review.

🎛️ MS-20 Sound Pack + Discounts

Also featured is a new MS-20-inspired sound pack for the Korg Multi/Poly. It includes:

• 70+ gritty analog performances

• Modeled MS-20 filters and envelopes

• Perfect for classic mono synth textures

Use code MARCH2026 for 20% off all sound packs.

🚗 Everything Electric Show Preview

Gary previews the upcoming Everything Electric show in Harrogate:

• Dates: May 8 (Business Day) & May 9 (Public Day)

• Venue: Great Yorkshire Event Center

• Activities: EV test drives, solar & heat pump demos, family-friendly fun

• Discount: 15% off tickets with code EN15

Harrogate's scenic roads make it ideal for EV demos, and the show promises a strong turnout.

🔋 EV Home Battery & V2H Tech

Gary shares insights on vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) tech:

• His new EV supports bidirectional charging

• Challenges with charger compatibility

• Potential to power a home for months

• Future of solid-state batteries for home energy storage

He also discusses the Donut solid-state battery for motorcycles, currently undergoing independent testing.

🏠 Smart Home Wins & Troubleshooting

Gary's smart home experiments include:

• Zigbee A1 dimmer switches from B&Q

• Controller mode for flexible automation

• Troubleshooting faulty devices and firmware updates

• CO₂ monitoring with Matter-enabled air quality sensors

He's now automating ventilation based on CO₂ levels, improving energy efficiency and comfort.

📺 Tutorials & Upcoming Gear

Ian's channel is packed with new tutorials:

• Tangerine Dream-style ratcheting sequences

• Filter design and organ sound creation

• Free organ sound pack available

Plus, a mystery late-80s digital synth is arriving soon — guesses welcome in the comments!

This episode is a deep dive into gear, tech, and home automation. Whether you're a synth enthusiast, EV driver, or smart home tinkerer, it's packed with insights, discounts, and inspiration.

What's your favorite takeaway from this week's show? Drop a comment and let us know!

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 during development.

• Preset reception — why some factory banks divide listeners and how curation choices shape public opinion.

• Iconic presets debate — why 80s era presets (DX7, D‑50, Wave Station) became cultural signposts and whether modern synths can still produce that effect.

• Studio highlights — DMX lighting, prototype quirks, and the joy of rotating hardware to stay inspired.

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 scam" video, dealing with online backlash, and why modern plugins can absolutely rival vintage hardware.

Whether you're into synth history, production talk, or just love hearing musicians geek out, this is a great one.