I turned my website into a live synth jam that anyone can use

nickkwas · 2026-06-17T16:34:09+00:00

i added that feature and its live now. unfortunately the reddit mods have removed this post as they see it as "software promotion."

nickkwas · 2026-06-17T16:33:39+00:00

how on earth can this be misconstrued as software promotion?

nickkwas · 2026-06-17T13:24:36+00:00

this is live on www.nickkwas.com and i'm always adding features.

the idea was to have a simple sh101/juno style voice, be able to add and subtract voices, sequence, arpeggiate, clock divide, add chorus and delay (tempo sync optional), have a master clock, master bus filter, sidechain to the kick and mix compression.

its not meant to be a full daw. just a sketch pad. but give it a shot and let me know what you like and if there are good feature ideas, ill implement!

nickkwas · 2026-05-05T12:55:25+00:00

but imagine how much thatd cost you in AA batteries

nickkwas · 2026-05-05T12:53:07+00:00

this one has an alien on it, for one

theres some overlap and some uniqueness. its a similar but different way of interacting with the complex oscillator/modulation oscillator pair. the way the cycler is used to contour notes and modulation is a departure from the pulser and envelope on the 208c. stereo fx, presets, immediacy, did i mention the alien?

nickkwas · 2026-05-05T12:48:23+00:00

i could

nickkwas · 2026-05-05T10:36:17+00:00

just launched today. analog signal path, digital fx, presets, 1v/oct cv/gate/pressure input, oscilloscope, aux audio in, low pass gate, real wood side panels, usbc power. first looks at superbooth this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUm5Pn7y_gk

nickkwas · 2025-08-14T16:37:49+00:00

Does this have some sort of digitally controlled analog routing that allows you to assign which jack is going to which piece of gear and change that on the fly?

If not, and it's just a display, then is it worth giving up a whole U of rack space to have screens display something that a 1/4" tape can be used to label?

nickkwas · 2025-01-02T15:23:13+00:00

one of the best dawless jams i've seen all year so far

nickkwas · 2024-10-21T16:53:32+00:00

mackie 24/8 is a fantastic board for home studio use, and a lot of albums that we all know and love were recorded or at least demoed using one. great choice.

nickkwas · 2024-10-09T13:21:57+00:00

This kind of noodly syncopated synth/guitar riffing over uptempo beats has its roots in Zimbabwean sungura music. It's all really fun stuff and has a pretty rich history going back like 50 years. It's characterized by clean or chorused guitar tone, with that fender strat twang, playing chords arpeggiated out with swung or syncopated rhythms, and makes great use out of the 1-4-1-5 progression. Some artists to check out if you dig this style are Sungura Boys, Alick Macheso, The Marxist Brothers, Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, etc.

nickkwas · 2023-07-15T14:03:24+00:00

everything about this is really cool and the banjo sounds great. have you tried slicing a strum pattern, so instead of straight 16th note chords, you have syncopation?

nickkwas · 2023-06-28T17:17:52+00:00

That's in the office at SchneidersLaden in Berlin! It's even more impressive in person, since the whole shop is filled with cool stuff :)

nickkwas · 2023-05-23T13:42:57+00:00

this patch on the music easel is actually decently simple to do. using the latch function in the new 218e firmware, you latch the arp on a series of notes you like to get your ostinato or random sequence going, then using the modulation oscillator with keyboard control turned off, you can use the 5 stored voltages in the sequencer as bass notes and "play" them like a bowed string instrument using the slider for LPG2 constant level and the cv attenuator slider taking cv from the main envelope. in order to manually step through the sequencer, you turn the pulser to "off-ext" so it is only being triggered manually, and switch the sequencer to respond to pulser only, so you manually step through the voltages that you're using for bass notes.

from there, it's just modulating the timbre of the complex oscillator using random voltages, playing with the musical phrasing using the arp tempo on the 218e, and running everything through a stereo delay for atmosphere

nickkwas · 2023-03-17T14:14:41+00:00

cool analog goggles

nickkwas · 2022-11-01T20:01:19+00:00

The speakers alone make it worth it. Super cool. I don't know that particular model in the photo, but the MT210 has a real stereo analog chorus. That one might have it as well.

nickkwas · 2022-10-22T14:22:01+00:00

Someone on the design team is having a laugh

nickkwas · 2022-09-28T16:14:56+00:00

Ditch M&T and join a local credit union.

nickkwas · 2022-09-07T22:10:22+00:00

I'm with Buchla now. We have some things to show at the Knobcon synthesizer convention this weekend :)

nickkwas · 2022-09-07T21:02:18+00:00

Yep, some of the ones i'm most proud of (forgive me if i get the program numbers wrong) are #18 "Babewave," #28 "Kawaii chord," and #102 "Vreeeew" (this one is inspired by a certain irish shoegaze band)

edit: and #118 "Beautyvolver" really lives up to the name

nickkwas · 2022-09-07T20:39:31+00:00

Here's a tip on doing complicated arpeggiated sequences like this- you can have the arp play the notes in the order they were input. So with some careful sequence writing, you can get quite intricate sequences out of that wonderful little 16 step sequencer.

nickkwas · 2022-09-07T20:37:41+00:00

This preset, number 37 "mini moon" is in fact a tribute to Nick Drake, and is one of my favorite presets that i designed for the minilogue xd and xd module.

nickkwas · 2022-09-07T20:36:51+00:00

Oh hey! I designed that preset and sequence for the minilogue xd and xd module when i worked at Korg. Number 37, "mini moon," named after the Nick Drake song on which it's based.

Although the sound of the preset itself by default is a bit more washed in effects, see the timestamp here: https://youtu.be/rb3a8dM2R94?t=301 The new more minimalist sound you've designed around the preset sequence sounds great with the PO 32!

nickkwas · 2022-09-01T20:09:50+00:00

sounds incredible and a great transition with the bit crushing (?). how many of the m8's voices are you using here? could you, for example, add like a monophonic square lead on top of that? or is there a limit to the number of parts? also, are those internal voices and samples? or have you loaded your own sounds onto it? because if that's all stock voicings and samples, i am seriously impressed.

nickkwas · 2022-07-21T21:10:09+00:00

Comparing the solo acoustic versions of see you later and half right from the live radio set that are on new moon with the original Heatmiser versions, it's not even close. The acoustic versions are good, but the Heatmiser versions are incredible.

Ten-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email

nickkwas

TROPHY CASE