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.

www.synthsouthwest.com

🎧 What's in the Episode?

• The Emulator Legacy: Peter shares stories from Brronica 2024, including getting his Emulator 2 signed by Dave Rossum.

• Process Network & Synth Culture: How their Friday night YouTube show brings together synth lovers from around the world.

• Synth Southwest Origins: Why Dawlish is the perfect spot for a synth show — and how Peter rallied the local Chamber of Commerce to make it happen.

• Live Acts & Rare Gear: Performances from Dave Bessell (NODE), Tai Winstanley, Dr. Mike Metlay, and more. Plus hands-on access to vintage synths like the ARP 2600 Tonus and possibly a Rhodes Chroma.

• Community & Nostalgia: From the synth that got away to the one you'd rescue in a fire — we swap stories and celebrate the gear that shaped our musical journeys.

🎟️ Event Details

• Date: March 21st, 2026

• Location: Dawlish, UK

• Tickets: £10 per show or £18 for both (available at synthsouthwest.com)

• Charities Supported: Alan R. Pearlman Foundation & Bob Moog Foundation

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 project 1:30 – How the 16×16 LED display works 2:06 – Why the Behringer RD‑78 needed a tempo display 2:25 – Live demo of the MIDI clock 2:50 – Velocity visualisation & Python timing challenges 3:45 – Ideas for future display features 4:04 – Mixer review video 4:11 – New Multi/Poly sound pack 4:38 – Ian's new album: Runes Without Voices 5:04 – Making the multi‑camera music video 6:02 – Editing with Camtasia 6:50 – Upcoming synth reviews (Opsix, Modwave, Wavestate, Multi/Poly) 8:25 – Gary's smart home dimmer disaster 10:00 – Zigbee pairing weirdness 11:36 – Troubleshooting attempts 12:53 – Two‑way dimming & remote control mode 14:14 – LED flicker & minimum dim settings 15:02 – The frustration of "just one more try" 16:04 – Underfloor heating update 17:01 – How the heating mats work 18:10 – Thermal lag & AI‑assisted heating control 19:16 – The utility room heating problem 20:06 – The Ukrainian infrared roll‑heater solution 21:05 – Smart automation with mmWave sensors 22:49 – Energy usage & efficiency 23:20 – DIY solutions born from necessity 24:05 – Raspberry Pi "time to stop playing" beeper 25:07 – Integrating more AI into home automation 26:02 – The real cost of AI processing 26:40 – Cloud resource shortages & the future of AI 27:22 – Why small/medium models may win long‑term

🎶 Featured Music & Projects

• Runes Without Voices — new 70s/80s‑inspired electronic album

• Multi‑camera performance video on YouTube

• New sound packs for Multi/Poly, Opsix, Wavestate & Modwave

• Raspberry Pi MIDI Clock Display (Python project)

💬 Join the Conversation

Got thoughts on MIDI clocks, synths, smart home tech, or want to be a guest on the show? Drop a comment or reach out on social media.

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 sampling, crafting one‑shot tones and textures that become the building blocks of his music.

Whether you're modular‑curious or already drowning in patch cables, you'll get a ton out of this conversation.

🎙️ Episode Highlights

• Why modular becomes addictive even for people who didn't think it was for them

• How sampling modular one‑shots can unlock a whole new workflow

• The emotional rollercoaster of buying, selling, and regretting gear

• Why Renoise is perfect for modular‑based production

• The philosophy of treating modular as a color palette, not a full DAW replacement

• The joy of capturing "lightning in a bottle" sounds you'll never recreate again

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, including first videos on the Korg Opsix

• An in-depth interview with John Lehmkuhl (Korg sound designer & Unify creator)

• Plus a quick mention of the recent synth quiz and answers

Gary dives deep into smart home automation, AI, and MCP (Model Context Protocol), showing how AI can directly control real-world devices. We also discuss:

• Home Assistant as a smart home abstraction layer

• Matter, Thread, Zigbee, and where things still fall apart

• Presence sensors, humidity-based automation, and energy-efficient heating

• Air quality sensors (CO₂ & PM2.5)

• Robot vacuums that climb stairs

• Philips Hue spatial awareness

• Multi-person presence tracking sensors

We wrap up with thoughts on solid-state batteries finally becoming reality, what this could mean for EVs, phones, and wearables, and what we're hoping to see next from NAMM.

🎵 Also mentioned: A new synthwave track "Synthetic Skies" — created using the Korg Multi/Poly and a classic string ensemble — now out on YouTube, Spotify, and all major platforms.

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 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

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, and Home Assistant. We cover presence detection that actually works, humidity-based bathroom automation, infrared heating panels, smart displays, air quality sensors, and the challenges of building a system that's reliable for the whole household.

We also chat about festive smart lighting, sound-reactive LEDs, Twinkly Christmas lights, Raspberry Pi projects, EV charging updates, and why Matter is finally starting to feel usable.

A great end-of-year episode packed with practical insights, honest experiences, and ideas to take into the new year.

Episode Chapters

00:00 Christmas Eve intro 01:05 Why we squeezed in a festive episode 01:42 Korg opsix module overview 02:50 FM synthesis explained (DX vs modern FM) 04:09 Programming & sequencing on opsix 05:55 Smart home projects update 06:16 Presence & proximity sensors 08:26 Smart heating with infrared panels 10:55 Humidity-based automation 13:10 Home Assistant on wall panels 15:28 Air quality & CO₂ monitoring 17:54 Matter, Thread & Zigbee explained 21:31 Centralised smart home control 27:12 Smart lighting & presence detection 30:51 Twinkly Christmas lights 33:00 Raspberry Pi & display projects 38:03 Festive smart lighting hacks 40:44 EV charging network updates 45:07 Fairlight CMI interview recap 46:12 Upcoming videos & synth challenge 47:19 Outro & Christmas wishes

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 more recognition

• Iconic artists who used it, including Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Jean-Michel Jarre, Pet Shop Boys, and more

• Page R sequencing and the origins of modern DAWs

• Why the Fairlight eventually disappeared — and where its legacy lives on today

We also discuss modern ways to experience the Fairlight sound, from software recreations to sample libraries, and reflect on how the Fairlight's arrival mirrors today's conversations around AI and creativity.

If you love synth history, music technology, or the sounds of the 1980s, this episode is essential listening.

🔗 Links & Mentions

• ProSynth Network (weekly live show)

• FairlightMuso.com

• Arturia CMI V

• Quasar Beach Fairlight emulator

🎙️ Subscribe, follow, and leave a review if you enjoyed the episode.

00:00 – Introduction 00:05 – Why the Fairlight CMI Matters 01:00 – What Is the Fairlight CMI? 02:12 – From Additive Synthesis to Sampling 03:16 – The Fairlight Hardware Explained 03:27 – Who Invented the Fairlight? 05:12 – Tony Furse and the Missing Chapter in Fairlight History 07:34 – Why Sampling Was the Breakthrough 08:07 – The Quest to Recreate Acoustic Instruments 09:04 – The Birth of Digital Sampling 11:15 – Filters, Aliasing, and the Fairlight Sound 12:22 – Public Debut and "Computer-Generated" Sounds 13:26 – Computers and Music in the Early 80s 15:11 – Sequencing Before DAWs 16:48 – When Was the Fairlight Released? 18:03 – Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, and Early Adopters 19:51 – Creative Sampling: Breaking the Rules 21:49 – Kate Bush and Early Hit Records 22:53 – Page R Sequencing Explained 25:55 – Building Full Tracks with Page R 26:47 – Jan Hammer and Miami Vice 27:06 – Pet Shop Boys and Fairlight Pop 29:36 – Layered Drum Sampling in the 80s 31:36 – Orchestral Sounds and "It Couldn't Happen Here" 33:45 – How Much Did a Fairlight Cost? 35:34 – Art of Noise, Trevor Horn, and YES 36:53 – Competition from Emulator and Akai 38:58 – The End of Fairlight as a Company 39:54 – From Fairlight to Romplers (D-50, M1) 41:06 – Rob's Personal Fairlight Journey 42:53 – Restoring Vintage Fairlights 45:48 – Letting People Play a Fairlight 48:55 – How to Get the Fairlight Sound Today 49:13 – Arturia CMI V and Software Alternatives 50:27 – Quasar Beach Explained 52:42 – Recreating Classic Performances 54:20 – "Computer Music" Then vs AI Now 56:24 – Why the Fairlight Changed Music Forever 58:15 – Why the Inventors Deserve More Credit 58:43 – ProSynth Network and Where to Find Rob 1:00:28 – Closing Thoughts

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 & behind-the-scenes 01:54 – Ian's new audio gadget preview 02:57 – Gary's new smart home tech arrivals 03:54 – NS Panel Pro update & custom dashboard setup 04:39 – Intelligent home vs smart home 05:52 – Adaptive LED lighting and presence-based zones 07:26 – Simulating classic fluorescent flicker in LEDs 08:22 – Advanced lighting effects and music-reactive modes 08:49 – Live unboxing: Candio Zigbee Mood Switch 10:00 – How the switch works, engraving, and custom panels 11:08 – Compatibility: Zigbee, SmartThings, Tuya, Home Assistant 12:06 – Unboxing: Matter-over-Thread presence sensor 13:38 – First impressions and setup 16:47 – Battery, mounting, and power options 18:20 – Trying to pair with Home Assistant 21:14 – First attempts using Matter pairing 22:06 – Ian's new 10-channel stereo submixer 23:42 – Studio routing: expanding limited mixer inputs 24:54 – Splitting the studio into two audio zones 26:51 – Labeling ideas with e-ink displays 27:18 – Why submixers help with big synth setups 28:05 – New studio headphones (OneOdio) 29:34 – Open-back vs closed-back – when to use each 30:52 – High-impedance monitoring in the studio 31:43 – Full studio wiring update 32:16 – Underfloor heating automation with AI 33:46 – Temperature sensing, flooring limits & intelligent control 35:43 – AI-driven heating schedules 38:09 – More on the Candio smart switch 39:00 – Christmas gifts for tech enthusiasts (the struggle!) 40:01 – USB-C sockets & power delivery choices 42:32 – Wrapping up and looking ahead to future guests 44:00 – AI trends, bubbles, and tech consolidation 44:41 – Where to find Gary online 45:12 – Outro and upcoming episodes

🎹 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 journey & love of FM synthesis 01:14 – Early synth memories: Korg Delta, DX21, and teenage synth bands 03:01 – Learning synths, piano lessons, and being "unteachable" 05:06 – The UK 80s synth scene & Top of the Pops influence 07:10 – Saving for a DX11 & the challenge of FM piano sounds 08:33 – DX expression, velocity, and why FM responds so well 09:57 – The legendary Yamaha demo cassette tapes 12:02 – The D-50 arrives and changes everything 13:27 – DX11, TX81Z, and the shift in late-80s synth trends 15:03 – V50 rediscovery & restoring classic DX patches 16:29 – FM in dance music, Orbital & the Lately Bass 17:15 – Migrating patches to the V50 & custom bank building 18:49 – Regretted trades: Juno 106, AKAI samplers & music shop nostalgia 20:06 – Collecting DX9s & the hidden power of 4-operator synths 21:31 – Sending DX7 patches to a DX9 (and why it works!) 23:54 – TX7 responsiveness vs keyboard-based DX synths 25:04 – Programming FM for expressive textures 26:36 – DX5 & DX1 discussion (and near misses!) 27:29 – Inside the Grey Matter upgrade for the DX7 30:10 – Expansion ROMs & the mythical DX7 arpeggiator 31:33 – Yamaha's 80s ecosystem: QX, RX, CX computers 33:45 – TX816 dream machine 35:01 – RX5 memories & cartridge expansions 37:20 – Yamaha CX5 computer & early FM software 39:35 – Transition to 90s synths & the SY series 40:47 – Modern FM synths: OPSix & new FM flavours 41:16 – FM synthesis vs analog: the filter debate 42:11 – FM envelopes & programming approaches 43:47 – Patch editors & librarians (DX Manager, sysex tools) 44:22 – Why FM still matters today 44:47 – V50 Sound Demo – Custom patches, effects, atmospheres & classics 52:31 – Wrapping up and listener links 53:06 – Where to find Matt online (SoundCloud, YouTube) 55:05 – Outro

🎧 What's in this Episode?

• The birth of FM synthesis in the 80s

• DX7 myths vs reality

• Growing up in the golden era of Top of the Pops keyboards

• Comparing DX7, DX9, DX11, TX81Z, TX7 and V50

• Why the V50 is an underrated FM powerhouse

• Classic DX patches: Lately Bass, Solid Bass, EPs and more

• Matt's custom FM patches with effects

• Grey Matter Expansion for DX7 — what it does

• The D-50 and the fall of FM

• Yamaha's full 80s ecosystem: QX sequencers, RX drum machines, CX computers

• FM synthesis in dance, ambient, Tangerine Dream & more

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 products.

Whether you're into Korg workstations, Wave State, Modwave, Multi/Poly, analogue classics, or just love hearing inside stories from a synth pro — this one's packed with great insight.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction 00:05 – Luke Edwards from Korg UK joins the show 00:12 – Luke's role as Korg product ambassador 00:18 – Getting into music and early influences 01:05 – Discovering the Modwave and starting sound design 01:30 – Atari ST sequencing days & first Korg module 02:28 – Classical training, orchestras & music college 03:43 – Early gear, learning without YouTube, and Sound On Sound 04:55 – Exploring MIDI sequencing and layering sounds 06:02 – Working within limitations and learning sound design 07:10 – Studying at the Royal College of Music 08:03 – Luke's first job at Harrods piano department 08:22 – Joining Roland and early demo work 09:46 – Learning synthesis, VSynth, and the steep learning curve 10:52 – Moving to Korg & demoing the Kronos 12:05 – How Luke approaches learning a new synth 13:23 – Deconstructing patches and finding "the DNA" of an instrument 14:10 – Building balanced demos for broad audiences 15:52 – Tailoring demonstrations & knowing your audience 16:37 – The breadth of Korg products & switching between engines 17:49 – Revisiting FM synthesis for the Opsix 18:18 – Working with Korg R&D ahead of product launches 19:03 – Timelines for new products & early prototypes 20:06 – Using software/plug-in dev versions during development 21:02 – Vintage gear testing (PS-3300 sessions) 21:55 – Korg Museum and analog reissues 22:15 – Thoughts on classic Korg instruments 23:20 – DW-8000 terminology and vintage quirks 24:01 – Modern focus vs vintage gear support 25:01 – Workstations vs smaller dedicated synths 26:05 – Why physical controls still matter 27:02 – Multiple versions of Korg digital synths (SE, desktop, native) 28:04 – Using hardware + native plug-ins in production 29:03 – Exporting bundles & cross-device workflow 30:02 – Favourite Korg products: Kronos & Wave State 31:06 – Wave sequencing & Wave Station legacy 32:44 – Making wave sequencing accessible 33:23 – Demonstrating programming vs presets 34:16 – Five-minute tutorials & famous sound recreations 35:07 – Why recognisable patches matter 36:13 – Workshops, training days & meeting different user needs 37:02 – On-the-road demos and tailoring to different skill levels 38:03 – Working with dealers & different video styles 39:02 – Favourite classic Korg synths (01/W, Wave Station, M1 era) 40:12 – Triton/Karma memories & Moss board discussion 41:27 – Z1, Prophecy, and potential future reissues 42:03 – Programming Moss and limitations of older interfaces 43:22 – Karma GE programming—powerful but complex 44:10 – Workstation combi mode vs personal creativity 45:21 – Feeding market feedback back to R&D 46:07 – Why Korg caters to all types of musicians 47:03 – Sound quality, factory presets & Korg's reputation 47:52 – Where to find Luke online 48:29 – Evolution of demos, dealer videos & YouTube styles 49:02 – The state of music shops today 50:07 – Hardware vs software and why instruments matter 51:05 – The value of in-person synth shows 51:34 – Wrapping up – future appearances & thanks to Luke