This week I chat with Alonzo from Synthwave Dojo about making 80s-inspired synthwave, from the roots of the sound through to practical ways of building bass lines, drums, pads, leads and full arrangements.

Alonzo shares how he moved from playing drums in rock bands to producing electronic music, what defines synthwave, why the Drive soundtrack helped introduce a new audience to the genre, and how producers can start with simple tools, free synths and classic drum machine sounds.

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro and meeting Alonzo
02:15 From rock drums to electronic music production
05:35 Making music solo with synths and a laptop
08:10 What is synthwave?
11:50 Kavinsky, College and the Drive soundtrack
16:20 80s influences, nostalgia and the synthwave sound
23:20 The quick synthwave recipe: drums, bass, pads and leads
27:45 Turning an 8-bar loop into a full track
33:15 Free VSTs, drum samples and getting started
36:30 Affordable hardware for synthwave sounds
39:30 Synthwave Dojo tutorials, courses and live builds
42:00 Sound design, sound banks and FM synthesis
45:00 Building 40-bar and 80-bar arrangements

Check out Synthwave Dojo:
https://synthwavedojo.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@SynthwaveDojo

If you enjoy music technology, synths and electronic music production, please like the video, subscribe to The Digital Lifestyle and leave a comment with the synthwave sound or artist you would like us to talk about next.

#Synthwave #SynthwaveDojo #MusicProduction #80sSynth #ElectronicMusic #Synthesizer #TheDigitalLifestyle

Watch the video on YouTube.