The Digital Lifestyle.com

Join me for a deep‑dive conversation with  Espen Kraft — musician, producer, YouTuber, vintage‑synth aficionado, and creator of some of the most authentic '80s‑inspired music on YouTube. We talk early musical beginnings, vintage gear, sampling, YouTube controversies, creativity, and the realities of making music today. Espen shares stories from door‑to‑door organ sales in Norway, his first synth (...

This week's episode dives deep into synth nostalgia, rare gear, and the birth of a brand-new UK synth event —  Synth Southwest . I'm joined by Peter James Steven , co-host of Process Network and the driving force behind the new show happening in Dawlish on March 21st, 2026 . We talk emulators, Yamaha CS-series synths, the legendary Chroma Polaris, and what it takes to build a synth expo from scrat...

Gary's back and we're doing a full catch‑up episode! No guest this week — just deep dives into new projects, synth talk, smart home adventures, EV news, and a behind‑the‑scenes look at Ian's new album and video production. If you love music tech, DIY projects, Raspberry Pi experiments, synth programming, or smart home tinkering, this episode is packed.   ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Intro 0:05 – What's co...

This week on  TDL Synhat , we sit down with James Wickham — a Texas‑based industrial musician, sound designer, and full‑blown modular addict with a wall of Eurorack that could heat a small house. If you've ever wondered how people fall into the modular rabbit hole , why it becomes so addictive, or how modular fits into a modern production workflow, this episode is a goldmine. James Wickham walks u...

Gary joins me for a catch-up as we kick off the first show of the year, covering a wide range of tech, smart home, music, and CES news. We start with a look at what (and what hasn't ) made waves at CES so far, including experimental laptops, solid-state battery breakthroughs, EV tech, and some genuinely interesting smart home announcements. I also share updates on recent projects, including: A Ras...

In this episode, I'm joined by John Lehmkuhl of Plug-In Guru , creator of UniFi , and one of the most influential sound designers behind many iconic Korg synthesizers. John shares his incredible journey into music and sound design — from growing up in a family-run music store to shaping legendary instruments like the M1 , Wavestation , Z1 , Triton , OASYS , and more. We explore sampling under extr...

It's our Christmas Eve episode of The Digital Lifestyle Show , and Gary joins me for a relaxed end-of-year tech catch-up covering music tech, smart homes, and the latest gadgets we've both been experimenting with. I kick things off with a look at the Korg opsix module , exploring modern FM synthesis, how it compares to classic DX-era synths, and why it's such a powerful sound design tool. We talk...

In this episode, Ian is joined by  Rob Puricelli from the ProSynth Network for a deep dive into one of the most important and influential instruments in music history — the Fairlight CMI . Often described as the world's first music computer , the Fairlight didn't just introduce digital sampling — it completely changed how music was created, performed, and produced throughout the 1980s and beyond....

In this week's episode, Gary returns and we dive into a packed show full of new gadgets, smart home upgrades, studio improvements, and a couple of live unboxings . We look at new audio routing setups, presence sensors, smart switches, studio headphones, and practical ways to build a more intelligent smart home – not just an automated one. If you enjoy smart home tech, synth studio setups, and prac...

🎹 TDL Synth Chat – FM Synthesis Deep Dive with Matt Atkinson! This week on TDL Synth Chat , I'm joined by Matt Atkinson , an FM synthesis enthusiast and longtime Yamaha DX collector. Matt has owned almost every DX synth over the years — from the DX7 and DX9 to the V50 and beyond — and in this episode he shares stories, history, sound design techniques, and a full demo of his Yamaha V50 custom sou...

Welcome to this week's episode of TDL Synth Chat ! In this show, I'm joined by Luke Edwards from Korg UK — product specialist, demonstrator, sound designer, and the face behind many of Korg's official synth demos. Luke shares his journey into music, his background in classical training, his early sequencing days with the Atari ST, and how he eventually joined Roland and later Korg. We also dive in...

Garry is back, and we're diving into a huge mix of smart home upgrades, local AI experiments, home renovation tech, synth sound design, and more. From underfloor heating challenges to ESP32 presence detection, facial recognition powered by CodeProject. AI, and new sound packs for the Korg Multipoly and PS-3300 – this episode is packed. We also talk about cloud outages, EV events, kinetic switches,...

This week on  The Digital Lifestyle Show , I'm joined once again by Dan Phillips from Korg R&D in California . Dan returns to the show to talk about the brand-new Korg PS-3300 plug-in , part of the recently released Korg Collection 6 . The PS-3300 is a recreation of one of Korg's most ambitious and rare synthesizers — the original 1977 PS-3300 , a huge polyphonic monster with 144 envelopes, 144 fi...

In this week's TDL Synth Chat, I talk to Remco Khman — musician, sound designer, and Roland D-70 enthusiast. Remco shares his deep knowledge of this often-overlooked synth, from its rushed development and marketing quirks to its fascinating sound architecture and legacy. We also discuss how the D-70 fits between the D-50, U-20, and JV-80, and how it inspired later Roland instruments. If you've eve...

Gary's back! In this week's episode, we catch up on smart home gadgets, MIDI gear, automation tools, and even dive into the world of AI and home assistants. Ian shows off the U6 MIDI Pro , Gary reviews Sonoff's latest smart home gear , and the pair talk about AI voices , Wi-Fi presence detection , and much more. 👉 Subscribe for more weekly episodes covering smart home tech, MIDI, EVs, synths, and...

🎧 About This Episode In this week's episode of TDL Synth Chat , I talk with Oli Freke , author of the acclaimed Synth Evolutions book, about his new project — a deep dive into the world of vintage drum machines . From the Korg Mini Pops and Roland TR-606 to the Boss DR-55 and Yamaha RX17 , Oli explores how these classic rhythm boxes shaped the sound of pop, synthwave, and electronic music. We als...

Welcome to this week's episode of TDL Synth Chat! In this episode, I'm joined by Gilles Coudert , who takes us through his incredible synth journey — from his first keyboard in the late '70s to modern classics like the Korg Kronos and Prophet-5 Rev4. We dive deep into the Yamaha DX7 , Roland D-50 , DW-8000 , and many more, sharing stories, regrets, and nostalgic memories from decades of synth expl...

🎙️ This Week on The Digital Lifestyle Show Gary's back from IFA 2025 in Berlin, and we've got a packed episode full of the latest in consumer tech, smart homes, and gadgets! 🚀 We dive into the biggest trends at the show – from robot lawnmowers and smart glasses to portable projectors and next-gen smart home tech . Gary shares his highlights from the event, including some fascinating innovations f...

🎹 Welcome to this week's TDL Synth Chat ! In this episode, I talk to Daniel from Chalkwalk Music about his journey into synthesis, sound design, and creating inspiring YouTube tutorials. We dive into his background, favorite gear, live improv sessions, sound design philosophies, and even DIY Eurorack projects. Whether you're into the Korg OP-6, Hydrasynth, MicroFreak, or modular gear , you'll fin...

The Yamaha DX7 is one of the most iconic synthesizers of the 1980s, shaping pop, electronic, and film music with its groundbreaking FM synthesis engine. In this video, I sit down with Rob Puricelli (Pro Synth Network, Gear News) to explore the history, legacy, and lasting influence of the DX7 and its family of FM synths. We cover everything from the origins of FM synthesis at Stanford University t...

This week, Ian sits down with Alex Dalliance (aka Vulture Culture) to shine a light on the analog synths that deserve way more love. From the gritty charm of the DW-8000 to the overlooked brilliance of the Alpha Juno 2, we dig into the gear that delivers serious tone without the boutique price tag. If you're tired of hearing about the same five synths over and over, this episode is your antidote....

This week on The Digital Lifestyle Show , I'm joined by Microsoft Surface MVP Rob Quickenden to dive into the latest Surface devices and what they mean for users. We cover the new Surface Pro 12 and Laptop 13 models, Snapdragon vs Intel processors, Copilot+ PCs, and what it's like using these devices for music production, video editing, and day-to-day work . ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:25 We...

Coming Up This Week on The Digital Lifestyle Show 🎧 This week, Ian and Garry catch up on the latest in gadgets, smart home tech, EVs, music projects, and more. From new portable chargers and Surface devices to custom synth sound packs and Ian's brand-new album, there's plenty to dive into! 📌 Don't forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment if you're enjoying the show. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – I...

This week on the Synth Chat Podcast , Ian catches up with Scottish sound designer and musician Marc Barnes . Marc returns to talk about his latest Korg Multi/Poly and Wavestate sound packs, programming tips, and his thoughts on the creative process. We dive deep into sampling workflows, vintage synths, and even the challenges of producing other artists' music. From the underrated DW-8000 to the TX...

Gary joins me as we catch up on our latest smart home projects, new tutorials for the Korg Multi/Poly and Wavestate, and take a quick first look at the newly announced Surface devices. Plus, we chat about automation, AI video creation, vinyl over Sonos, underfloor heating tech, and some not-so-great experiences with smart home firmware updates. 📺 Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 00:31 – Catching u...