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About

Jim Aikin

Jim Aikin has been writing about music technology for more than 35 years. His product reviews and tutorials appeared frequently in Keyboard and Electronic Musician, and in other magazines. His books include Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming, 2nd edition (Hal Leonard Publishing), Csound Power! (Cengage Learning), and a recent four-volume fantasy epic that opens with The Leafstone Shield (available on Amazon). He has served as principal cellist in a couple of community orchestras, and plays Bach and Haydn on the piano strictly for personal enjoyment. His music blog is at synthage.wordpress.com.

Stories By Jim Aikin

DAW8 months ago

Devious Machines INFILTRATOR 2 – the Synth and Software Review

If Jim Aikin says it’s ridiculously cool, it’s a safe bet that it is Making earworm beats just got a whole lot easier. Whether you want...
Features8 months ago

VPS Avenger 1.8.4 – the Synth and Software Review

Jim Aikin encounters possibly the most powerful synthesizer he’s ever looked at I already have way too many software synthesizers, but when I saw that a...
Covers1 year ago

Should Vintage Synth Recreations Incorporate 50 Years of Improvements?

Jim Aikin ponders why anyone would want an old, obsolete instrument The art and technology of synthesizer design has changed enormously over the past 50 years....
Columns1 year ago

A Lesson From Christmas Past…Jim Aikin’s Modular Synthesis: Modulation

Modulation changes everything when you route control signals from sources to destinations. Original lesson from December 2019 Turning knobs by hand while a synthesizer is producing...
In This Issue1 year ago

VCV Rack 2.0.2

The appearance, functions, and thrills of a Eurorack system are free – as long as you think inside the box, and Jim Aikin does very hard...
In This Issue2 years ago

Rob Papen Predator 3: the Synth and Software Review

Jim Aikin has been using the original version. This one has more of everything that made it good. Yet another great synth from one of the...
In This Issue2 years ago

Band-in-a-Box 2021 – the Synth and Software Review

Type in the chord progression of a song, choose a musical style from a long list of styles, and the program constructs the music for you....
Digital2 years ago

Expressive E Imagine… the Possibilities

It’s a physical modeling synth that sounds organic, but you don’t need to wear Birkenstocks with socks to read this in-depth review by Jim Aikin. Also,...
In This Issue2 years ago

Sugar Bytes Nest Is Not Boring

Jim Aikin takes a walkthrough and finds nothing pedantic about patching up your own semi-modular step sequencer, in this exclusive Synth and Software review. UPDATED WITH...
DAW2 years ago

ReasonStudios Reason 12: When the Version Number Rolls Over

Reason is an indisputably great program. But is the latest upgrade a must-have or just a misnamed decimal point upgrade? Jim Aikin tells all – in...
In This Issue2 years ago

Born Free – As Free as This Free Softsynth Goes

Almost all the best synths in life aren’t free. But SURGE is, as Jim Aikin reports (in this article and in the “don’t miss” video and...
In This Issue2 years ago

What’s New Never Became Old: Cherry Audio PS-20

Jim Aikin reviews Cherry Audio’s 2021 software take on the famous Korg MS-20 synth. (Hint: don’t miss the videos!) 1978 was a big year in synthesizer...
Columns3 years ago

Modular Synthesis for Beginners: Wavetable Synthesis

The heart of many synths is a wavetable oscillator, but what the heck are wavetables? Filling your mix with fresh, exciting sounds is what electronic music...
Columns3 years ago

Modular Synthesis for Beginners: Step Sequencers

Automate your modular system with step sequencers. Playing music with our hands, feet, and breath is a wonderful thing. Sometimes, though, you want to set up...
Columns3 years ago

Modular Synthesis for Beginners: FM Synthesis Explained

If you don’t have a thorough understanding of what FM synthesis is or how it works, start here. FM synthesis has always had a reputation as...