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Organizers of the Brooklyn Synth Expo and LA Synth Expo have announced the first edition of the London, UK edition of this event.

The London Synth and Pedal Expo, scheduled to start March 18, 2023, is planned to be an annual ‘all things with knobs’ event” that features:

• A gear expo – where musicians can try pedals and interact with builders
• A pop-up market – where exhibitors can sell their products to attendees
• Workshops and clinics
• Gear giveaways and other promotions (discounts, deals, etc.)

What organizers say about the upcoming event:

“Unpretentious, free to the public, and pop-up in nature, this strictly in-the-headphones event was born from an NYC music blog covering local emerging band, The Deli, as a way to entertain the community of musicians it served.

After expanding to several other big North American music scenes like Los Angeles, Toronto, and Portland – the Synth & Pedal Expo will launch its first European edition in London, UK on March 18, 2023.

Organized centrally in the hip neighborhood of Hackney, the first London Synth & Pedal Expo will give gear lovers the opportunity to check out and try the latest devices by big and small builders belonging to two increasingly cross-pollinating niches.

It will also feature an educational component with workshops and clinics, and an assortment of media partners and influencers that will allow it to broaden its relevance beyond the physical constraints of a real-life event.”

Event Details:

Date: March 18, 2023.

Venue: Motel Studios, 406-408 Long St, London E2 8HG

Tickets: Free to the public

While the event is free to the public, registration is required so that organizers know how many visitors to plan for. Organizers plan to share an RSVP link via the event’s Facebook page in late January.

Behringer has introduced the Groove Keys, a new keyboard groovebox that’s similar to Arturia Keystep Pro with a built-in sound engine.

The interface appears to be closely modeled on the Keystep Pro, but with additional controls to support the internal sound engine:

Features:

• 4-Channel Sequencer
• Dedicated Drum Sequencer
• Internal Polyphonic Sound Engines
• Wide range of MIDI and CV/Gate I/O options

Behringer says that they do not have a delivery date or price yet, because they’re “still waiting for chips”, adding that they have close to 100 new products in the works.

To be ‘in tune’ is often seen as one of the key tenets of music, but for producers, there are benefits to some pitch instability. And Pitch Drift, a new free plugin from Baby Audio that can provide precisely that.

Powered by the Drift algorithm in Baby Audio’s Super VHS plugin, this introduces variable amounts of pitch fluctuation so that you can make your potentially sterile digital tracks sound more natural.

The effect can range from subtle instabilities to extreme detuning. You can set the depth of the effect with a slider and hover over the screen to adjust the speed.

Baby Audio says that, as a general rule of thumb, the less sustained your source material is, the faster you can set the speed parameter. Conversely, if you are working with lengthy sounds or an entire mix bus, you are better off keeping the effect subtle.

Pitch Drift runs on PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX formats. You can download it for free from the Baby Audio website. You can also download the company’s other freebies – Magic Switch and Magic Dice – while you are there.