Archive for July, 2025

No Talking & Play: Sounds Of The Korg miniKORG 700Sm Synthesizer


Limbic Bits shared this No Talking & Play style demo of the Korg miniKORG 700Sm Synthesizer.

No talking, just demos of 14 patches that show the sonic range of the miniKORG 700Sm.

The Korg miniKORG 700Sm is a modern, compact revival of Korg’s first-ever monophonic synth from 1973. It features a unique Traveler dual LP/HP filter, spring reverb, arpeggiator, joystick pitch-bend, aftertouch, and 14-slot memory.

They also shared their take on the miniKORG 700Sm:

“With the remake, Korg retained many of the original’s limitations but also added some welcome features, such as a velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch, arpeggiator, MIDI and USB connectivity, and 14 preset slots for your own creations.

To be clear: you’re unlikely to buy this synth if you’re into deep sound design with extensive modulation routing and advanced tricks. The miniKORG 700Sm shines when you need an easy-to-program synth that focuses on the essentials while delivering a raw and distinct analog sound.

The filter—especially when combined with the separate ring modulation routings—can sometimes recall the gnarliness of an MS-20’s filter when high-pass and low-pass are combined with high resonance settings. Yet it’s also capable of sounding surprisingly smooth, especially if you don’t activate the resonance boost (which, like many features on the 700Sm, is controlled via a DIP switch).

The build quality is solid—everything feels smooth and sturdy. The keyboard, while featuring slightly smaller-than-standard keys, still has a satisfying feel to it. That being said, I’m far from being a skilled keyboard player, so take my opinion here as just that: a personal impression.

TL;DR: The miniKORG 700Sm shares many of the limitations of its historical predecessor, but it more than makes up for them with personality. If you like its sound, it’s not easily replicated by other gear. Plus, it’s just fun to play—especially thanks to its unconventional approach.”


Sounds & Timings:

0:00 Ring Mod Lead

0:52 Pulsed Noise Bass

1:06 Rave Lead

2:05 5th Lead

3:22 Pulsar

4:16 Noise Ring Verb

5:23 Haus Novelet

6:33 Speedrun Lead

6:47 Indie Bass

7:36 Ghooooooosts!

9:09 That Bass

9:58 Sweeper

10:44 Acidizer

12:04 Ring Mod Techno Lead

 

AURA Plugins Introduces Waldorf Blofeld Editor & Librarian


AURA Plugins has introduced Waldorf Blofeld Editor & Librarian, a third-party editor for the Waldorf Blofeld.

What they have to say about it:

“With our Editor, you can work with your Waldorf Blofeld the same way you use your virtual instrument plug-ins.

Our Editor will recall your patch settings when you open your project and the data will be sent to your Blofeld automatically once you open your project. Your synthesizer is always synchronized with your session!

The only thing you need to worry, is that you power-up your synthesizer. We also added the ability to load in Waldorf microQ and Q patches!”


Features:

  • Control Waldorf Blofeld desktop / Blofeld Keyboard synthesizer directly from your DAW.
  • Automate almost every parameter directly from your DAW.
  • No need to remember CC’s for each knobs / per synthesizer. Goodbye sticky notes!
  • Load, Edit and Store patches into hardware memory or in your HDD personal library.
  • Store any Waldorf microQ / Q / Blofeld compatible soundset in your HDD library folder and browse it from our plugin.
  • Send banks or individual patches from librarian to hardware.
  • Request banks or individual patches from hardware to librarian.
  • Total Recall: When you reopen your project, all of the data used in it, will be sent to the hardware, automatically.

Waldorf Blofeld Editor & Librarian is available now for $69.95.

New iOS Synth, Testere, Features 7-Oscillator Supersaw


Developer Cem Olcay let us know that he’s introduced Testere, a new software synthesizer for iOS.

Testere is a 7-oscillator supersaw synth, with per-voice control over detune, phase, waveshape, stereo pan, and a sine wave sub oscillator.

Each oscillator is a wavetable oscillator with a selection of saw waveforms. You can subtly vary the shape across oscillators or push it further for complex harmonic shifts. All detune, phase, flavor, and panning spreads are curve-driven and musically scaled, making the synth flexible, but not overwhelming.

A clean sine sub oscillator is included for adding low-end weight, with adjustable octave and level control.

Here’s a video intro, via The Sound Test Room:

Features:

  • 7-saw stacked oscillators per voice, 8-voice polyphony
  • Curve-based detune, phase, flavor, and pan spread
  • Clean sine sub oscillator with octave and level controls
  • Single global LFO with assignable target
  • Analog-style ladder filter with rise/fall envelope
  • ADSR amp envelope per voice
  • Built-in arpeggiator
  • Stereo ping-pong delay
  • AUv3 plugin support

Testere is available now for $7.99.