My newest toy is the Korg MS2000R, the rackmount version of the Korg MS2000 synthesiser, and I’m already buzzing with excitement. Finding it was a stroke of local luck. I picked it up from LoFi Music in Gosford—if you’re on the Central Coast and looking for excellent vintage gear, seriously check them out. It’s always satisfying to support a local supplier who understands quality hardware.

I already love working with Korg gear, especially my Korg Kronos 2, and I know the MS-20 heritage well from messing around with the software version in the Korg Legacy Collection. But nothing beats the real thing, especially when you need true, hands-on, tactile control.

That’s what this MS2000R delivers in spades! For those tech heads out there, this beauty is a virtual analogue synth known for its huge sound. It typically features four-voice polyphony and combines powerful analogue modelling oscillators with Korg’s classic filter types, including the self-oscillating filters found in the original MS-20. It boasts 16 step-sequence patterns, a deep modulation matrix, and, crucially, a dedicated knob for virtually every major parameter. This level of physical interface is exactly what you need when you’re laying down sounds in Cubase.

After spending so much time tweaking parameters digitally, having all those analogue knobs right there is a dream come true. The joy of sweeping a filter or adjusting the LFO rate on the fly, without staring at a screen, brings back the raw, creative energy of early production work. This thing is going to be perfect for cranking out those high N-R-G tracks for a rave set.

Expect some seriously huge sounds coming out of the studio soon, folks. This is going to be stella!

The New Beast Has Landed: Why the Kurzweil K2500X is the Final Piece of the Studio Puzzle!
Whaaaa! It’s been far too long since I’ve had some proper news about new gear gracing the studio, but let me tell you, this latest acquisition is going to change the game entirely. Fresh off the truck and settled into its spot is the monumental Kurzweil K2500X! This thing is an absolute beast, and I’m buzzing with excitement to see how it integrates with the rest of my setup, especially after putting in all the work building out a dedicated production space.

If you know anything about classic synthesis and workstations, you know the pedigree of Kurzweil, and the K2500X is legendary. It’s famed for its incredible V.A.S.T. (Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology) engine, which allows for programming sounds with a depth and complexity that few other machines can touch. Forget simple samples; this is about deep sonic manipulation. The onboard effects and expansive routing capabilities mean I can use it not just as a killer sound source for new tracks, but as a brain for processing some of my other outboard synths, like my Kawai K4r (now happily firmware-updated, thank goodness). Seriously, the creative possibilities are endless. This level of power and flexibility is exactly what you need when you’re laying down sounds in Cubase.

I finally have a full 88-key, fully weighted monster sitting permanently in the studio!

Seriously, the struggle is real when you’re constantly having to pack down and set up controllers, or rely on smaller keyboards for serious piano work. Since building out the studio, the goal has always been to have reliable, accessible gear that encourages creativity, rather than being a mood killer due to technical hiccups, like the issues I used to have with my old audio interface dropping out. Having a full-sized, permanently installed, weighted keyboard means no more fiddling with stands or cables, and definitely no more packing it down and setting it up all the time. It is ready to rock 24/7.

This K2500X isn’t just an addition; it’s a cornerstone. Whether I’m building high N-R-G tracks for a rave set, mixing an epic stream for the Sydney Rave History crew, or just practicing those keyboard parts for the band, having this level of tactile control combined with the sheer sound engine power is going to elevate everything I produce. I already love the feel of quality hardware, from my Korg Kronos 2 to my MOTU interfaces, and this Kurzweil fits right into that mindset of quality and depth.
Expect some seriously huge sounds coming out of the studio soon, folks. This is going to be stella!

Recently I’d had a lot of trouble with my Focusrite Sapphire 56 audio interface, it would just stop and not produce any sound requiring that I going into the Mixer Interface and disconnect ti and reconnect in order to get it to work. Sometimes this would work sometimes it would not, and even if it did work there was no guarantee that it would continue to work trouble free. It could be 5 hours or 5 minutes and the problem would re-occur, needless to say this was becoming very irritating and was really a mood killer when it can to writing tracks, as a result I had not done a great deal lately.

So I was browsing ebay, looking for alternative audio interfaces. MOTU, Mark Of the Unicorn, was one of the interfaces I was searching on. I had heard of them from years ago but had never given them much through, but to be honest right now none of the interfaces currently on the market worked for me, there seems to be a strong lean towards 2 channel units designed for singer-song writer types that just want to record their guitar and microphone or run a few tracks out of a DAW. I need something more so I can feed all in all my outboard gear and get so good analog warmth, I looked into MOTU and it seemed like a good solution.

What I found was awesome. A studio was selling some of their old gear. thb, most of it was e-waste, piles of old PCI cards, old harddrives, mac books, and PPC G5 Macs, but hiding in the treasure trove where 4 MOTU rack units. By themselves the interfaces are useless, but what I discovered was that I could purchase a separate MOTU 424e PCIe card and bring them back to life. So after a little more investigation that’s what I did.

All up the pile of gear cost me $100AUS and to import that card from the US was $600AUS, but as a result I now have and audio system that is capable of 24 Analog in and 24 Analog out, 4x ADAT lines and 2x AES/EBU lines. Double what I had available on the Focusrite interface, and the software supports Windows 11 properly and does not constantly drop stop. As for the other stuff, well I’ve now thrown out all the old software, I have a box ready to go to the e-waste, I’ve actually used 2 of the G5’s and given one away (more on that later)… and I sold one… for $100, so the MOTO interfaces cost me nothing!