Ken Evans joins me from Australia to talk about recreating classic synthesizer parts for artists including Peter Hook and the Light, and about the sounds and instruments behind New Order's music.

We discuss how Ken first got into electronic music through Blue Monday and The Human League, his early experiences with instruments including the Roland Jupiter-4, Korg MS-20 and Juno-106, and how his work developed into sound design and programming for other artists.

Ken explains how he approaches rebuilding classic synth parts by ear, including Bizarre Love Triangle, the practical differences between hardware and software, live touring setups, vintage drum machines and the challenges of maintaining older instruments. He also talks about the synths he would save first.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:00 Ken Evans and the New Order connection
05:15 Early synth influences: Blue Monday and the Jupiter-4
09:36 From Tycho Brahe to Tycho Sound Design
12:46 Recreating Bizarre Love Triangle
16:08 Working with Peter Hook and the Light
21:39 Recreating New Order's synth parts
26:49 Juno-106s and live hardware
32:15 Drum machines, samplers and touring rigs
39:26 The synths Ken would save first
43:32 Why the Jupiter-4 is so distinctive
45:16 Hardware versus software
47:55 Tycho Sound Design and where to find Ken

Find out more about Ken's music and sound-design work through Tycho Brahe website and social channels.
https://tycho.com.au/

Subscribe to The Digital Lifestyle for synth tutorials, sound design, vintage gear and electronic-music interviews.

#Synthesizers #NewOrder #PeterHook

Ian Dixon and Garry Whittaker return for a TDL Show catch-up covering rescued smart displays, Home Assistant dashboards, local voice control, the E-mu Emax II sampler, Korg Radias videos, synth editors, studio tools and recent music projects. Garry shows how low-cost display hardware and old Meta Portal devices can be repurposed for Home Assistant, while Ian talks about the Emax II, GoTek floppy emulation, new Web MIDI editors and writing tracks around specific synths.

Chapters:
00:00 Coming up: Emax II, Radias and Home Assistant displays
01:00 Garry returns for a catch-up show
02:00 Cheap ESP display as a bedside Home Assistant clock
04:00 Reusing old hardware for Home Assistant dashboards
06:00 NSPanel Pro, kiosk mode and garage controls
08:00 Meta Portal as a repurposed smart display
10:00 Local voice control, Home Assistant voices and wake words
12:00 Intercom and voice call experiments
14:00 OpenPortal, APK installs and kiosk satellite
16:00 Fleet management, DNLA and Music Assistant
18:00 Mounting, USB access and hardware limitations
20:00 Cheap Meta Portal devices and useful display ideas
22:00 App stores, browsers and unlocking extra features
24:00 Music Assistant, Sonos-style control and gestures
26:00 Ian's E-mu Emax II rack sampler
28:00 GoTek floppy emulation and USB libraries
30:00 Classic Emax sounds, sampling and memory limits
32:00 Emax repairs and Korg NX5R editor
34:00 Browser-based synth editors and studio search ideas
36:00 Writing tracks around specific synths
38:00 Sampling workflows and creative constraints
40:00 SCSI, Raspberry Pi emulation and old sampler storage
42:00 Keeping vintage technology alive
44:00 Music playback, Spotify and canvas artwork
46:00 Garry's socials and Home Assistant video plans
48:00 Wrap-up and next catch-up

Featured Topics:
Home Assistant dashboards and wall displays
Meta Portal repurposing with OpenPortal
Local voice control and wake words
Music Assistant and smart home audio
E-mu Emax II rack sampler
GoTek floppy drive emulation
Korg Radias videos and sound design
Web MIDI synth editors and studio search tools
DX100, DX7 and synth-specific track writing
Vintage sampler storage and SCSI emulation

If you enjoy smart home projects, retro tech, music technology and synth chat, please like the video, subscribe to the channel and tell us in the comments which old device you would repurpose for Home Assistant or studio use.

Watch more videos on the channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@IanDixonTDL

Peter James Stevens from the ProSynth Network joins me for a vintage Yamaha synth chat, focusing on the Yamaha CS and SK analogue instrument range. We talk about the famous CS-80 and the wider CS family that often gets overlooked: CS-5, CS-10, CS-15, CS-30, CS-15D, CS-20M, CS-40M, CS-50, CS-60, CS-70M and the SK string/synth/organ instruments.

Peter has a collection of Yamaha analogue synths and brings real hands-on context to the discussion: how the smaller mono synths compare with the big polyphonic machines, how the SK range links back to Yamaha organ technology, why the CS instruments have such a distinctive build and sound, what they are like to service, and why these instruments still matter for players and collectors.

We also talk about Synthfest, the ProSynth Network, restoring and maintaining vintage Yamaha gear, the move from CS analogue synths into DX digital FM instruments, and what makes these old Yamaha instruments worth hearing and playing in person.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro and Yamaha CS/SK teaser
00:46 Peter James Stevens joins the show
01:08 From emulators to vintage Yamaha
01:40 Why the smaller CS synths get overlooked
02:16 CS-5, CS-10, CS-15, CS-30 and CS-30L
02:59 CS-15D, CS-20M, CS-40M and memories
03:37 CS-80, CS-40M and CS-70M context
04:36 Yamaha SK range and organ/synth crossover
05:23 Professional stage instruments and Yamaha design
06:03 CS-15, Human League and classic synth references
07:27 Yamaha gear in music college memories
12:15 Servicing, restoration and repairability
12:44 Exploring the mono synths
18:04 Synthfest and playing the instruments in person
20:57 Peter's Yamaha collecting story
21:07 CS-50, CS-30 and favourite instruments
25:10 The shift from CS analogue to DX digital
25:37 DX1, DX7 and Yamaha's next era
30:10 Playing vintage Yamaha synths today
31:56 ProSynth Network and where to find Peter

Featured Topics:
Yamaha CS-80 and the flagship CS poly synths
Yamaha CS-5, CS-10, CS-15 and CS-30 mono synths
CS-15D, CS-20M, CS-40M and CS-70M
Yamaha SK string, organ and synth instruments
Vintage Yamaha servicing and restoration
Synthfest and hands-on synth events
The move from analogue CS synths to DX FM synthesis

If you enjoy vintage synth history and hands-on synth chat, please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and leave a comment with the Yamaha CS or SK instrument you would most like to try.