Cobalt8 - The Digital Synth Comeback

[@MajorOSC]

As the sound designer responsible for most of theose patches you played, I have to say, you absolutely NAILED Oberheist for what it was intended for. Loved it! Great video.

[@woulg]

Ayyy! Great work!

[@fohdeesha]

@@woulg are you....thee woulg? man wild collection of oldschool idm dudes in these comments lmao

[@woulg]

@@fohdeesha ah crap am I old school idm? Hahah damn. But yeah I agree, Ben brings us all out I think.

[@c.fanger5083]

Did you by any chance make the 80s squares patch? It is gorgeous

[@goodnota]

Major OSC, can you please explain in a few words tye difference between Cobalt & Argon sound ? Thanks in advance!

[@Xanthyn]

Knee high boots song needs to get fleshed out into a full track.

[@StepDub]

I have bad hearing and a mind to match. I didn’t hear “boots” but yes, flesh was involved.

[@DannySullivanMusic]

Fact

[@duster8373]

@@StepDub I can't even imagine knee-high boobs but I'm trying

[@chintimin]

shades of pretty hate machine

[@artisan002]

Getting thumbs up for the Trent Reznor impression alone. LOL

[@SleepofEons]

🤣💀🖤

[@Nightmoore]

Yes, I almost fell outta my chair. Plus the images he had floating in. This is the high-quality content we don't deserve.

[@DannySullivanMusic]

For sure

[@MajorOSC]

I know he was joking but I kind of want a full cover now. It'd be good I suspect lol.

[@artisan002]

@@MajorOSCLOL! I mean, we already have This Is A Trent Reznor Song. So, it might be a minor waste of his time.

[@ccuny1]

Fantastic review. I don't have the money, I can't play, I am old enough to start having arthritis, I can't design sounds and I don't have a studio...but now I want one. Liked and subbed. Greetz from France.

[@GeorgeL909]

I almost fell off my chair at work laughing when you did the 90s industrial bassline! I also thought it sounded great because I unironically really dig that kind of music.

[@danielbjorklund2059]

Me too! I found my self LOL!! Great impression of the genre.

[@ericpeters0n]

Straight FIYAAAAH! Lol

[@noth606]

HAHAHA ME TOO!!! My Boots is what it should be called, like Reznor meets 242 in a too clean room.

[@TrentonF505]

That Trent Reznor impression was pretty spot on lmao

[@xTheOxx]

I've come to accept that I actually prefer digital. Yes, there are audible differences, but I wouldn't say it sounds worse than analog. Just different. Plus it's generally more versatile, cheaper, smaller, requires less maintenance, etc. I've been fiddling with Plaits for two years and I still use it in everything.

[@nsjx]

def dco and analog filter of some variety...very pop just now. but they will have to pry my hydrasynth from my dead fingers... so i agree w you, in short. a lot of it has to do with the increasingly limitless potential of digital synthesis. people push everything to 11 on a digital synth and wonder why it sounds so brittle even if it has a VA engine... makes me laugh. fully dig synths can anyway sound verrry creamy when patched with care and with some kind of idea how the modelled filters should behave

[@Broyale26]

Same, but mainly because the Virus TI2 was my first synth and other than Massive, I can't imagine needing anything else.

[@tylerk.rauman988]

There have been great digital synths, historically, but they got a bad name because of cheap subtractive synthesis that sounded awful though you had synths like the MS2000 that were great, and also the way digital often uses absolute values with MIDI, rather than additive, and because many variables were limited to 128-steps that were aliased due to bad implementation. Lots of new digital synths use really great Digital-to-Analog converters, improved the sound of the filters and oscillators, and removed or mitigated the limitations of the 128-steps of MIDI controled. Digital synthesis is *fine* when done right, and it is much, much better in the last... 5 years? I have the System 1m, and despite lots of poor with the user interface implementation, I can't tell that it is digital at all by ear.

[@MrDudumassa]

i think the point is more about software x hardware x)

[@micindir4213]

I could say I have a good chunk of my life connected to novation digital synth engine. I have probably 400 patches on xiosynth and xstation combined. And I cannot get any of those sounds on any other machine (other than another novation I suppose). They definitely have their unique flavor

[@QBellowMusic]

2 years on and this review is still very helpful, decided to buy the cobalt last night.

[@teganmora]

obviously many people seek after a community rather than large following, but your channel is criminally underrated

[@pianoyam]

Dude is on another level!

[@michaels5166]

Methinks it's too cerebral to be the most popular...screw that..Let's just say it goes over some people's heads..

[@SuchaDoofus]

I'm starting to think that the phrase 'criminally underrated', is criminally underrated

[@markmiller409]

Huge fan of Modal now... started with the Argon8 and now have the Cobalt8. Great video by the way!

[@Kaptain0blivious117]

Wait, wait, wait, hold up. You're the Flashbulb?! Dude, I love your stuff!

[@SyncdAlien]

Very interesting and in-depth review.Thank you!

[@MrSchulle0815]

Skipped through the video, stopped by accident right at the "knee high boots" song ... brilliant! Had to hit the subscription button in an instant.

[@e8n]

Good review. Had my Cobalt8m for a couple of weeks and really love it. There is a learning curve as with flexibility comes complexity, but the things you create are really useful, fun and inspiring.

[@dvdny]

I would say that 'Digital' was never really gone, as Nord, Novation, Waldorf, and Access (Virus) were always big-iron weapons that weathered the current 'Analog renaissance'.

[@brmbkl]

to be fair, those synth companies never emphasized the digitalness, and why would you, when you make VAs?

[@phxx3054]

haha, thanks for bringing back my depressed teenage years for 18 seconds - I hope my therapist is still alive

[@micindir4213]

fuuuck with every year passing by I wish they would come back more and more!

[@chaztyler958]

Yeah currently watching this video from my nursing home communal television

[@antagonizingusername]

I’m your therapist and I’m alive

[@GARDNSOUND]

Thanks for making this video, Benn! I have been excited to watch this one. Looks like this is a great value synth, and a great synth w/o the nice price point too. The industrial bit cracked me up, btw.

[@marshalsea000]

Bought a Cobalt8 a few weeks ago. It's knocked my aging Supernova 2 to the side with its sheer easiness to program. Done more in the first 20 mins than I can in an hour with the supernova. Its brilliant. I certainly can't tell the difference.

[@slavestudios47]

i got the Craft Synth 2.0 for xmas (cheers lil bro) & though it is a much, much smaller synth with smaller feature set, it has the same crazy 'feel' to it. for the price, it's an absolute weapon.

[@danielleohallisey4218]

I LOVE the old school Benn and Gear jingle!

[@Some_Cat_]

Nice! The Modal sound definitely has a unique quality to it that I can't get enough of.

[@curcapsicum]

9:25 10 years ago me feels personally attacked and I am absolutely cackling 10/10 You are the best.

[@els1f]

🤣10 years ago me still lives inside there 🤣 luckily he doesn't have to go outside that much anymore

[@davetrombetti4240]

Because of the price point and the sounds that I’ve heard even before this video (and, of course, yours) it’s already on my list. Wow!

[@darrenshady1415]

Couldn’t be happier; first real synth. Thanks for the recommendation

[@the8bitdeity]

Picked this up after watching this video. Really cool unique synth. I feel calling it virtual analog is criminally underrating it’s digital palette, Modal should have called it something else like mutant subtractive synthesizer. Some really interesting timbres when you ignore the traditional waveform algorithm

[@MajorOSC]

Macro-Modular analog modeling? lol

[@studiotyson2963]

Wow~! Fantastic little synth! These are incredible times for synth enthusiasts. Don't care if it's analog or digital as long as it can make a ton of useful sounds ~ and it DOES! Just Wow! Great Review~!

[@cidst8]

I feel the same way. I went with the Argon8 instead though because I’m a sucker for wavetable synths. Would get a Cobalt8 as well, but I already have a hybrid digital/analogue eurorack system.

[@MarsHock]

The industrial bit was fantastic, thank you for that gift to mankind. So I've seen a few Cobalt reviews and I didn't even know about the app, or the way the arpeggiator works! That sounds so fun. The only thing I can compare it to is how the endless sequencer works on the OP-1, but this way is more flexible.

[@stever3788]

Finally the EF 303 gets some time in the spotlight! Send that thing to Audiopilz already!

[@glennmckenzie1096]

I still use mine occassionally for fun sequencing of more modern gear! ( I blame Gaz on Sonicstate for the motivation)

[@stever3788]

@@glennmckenzie1096 I had no idea it could do that! had to watch some of that Gaz stream, not only did I not know that it sends MIDI but all the range and key controls plus step length, wow.

[@veganbodymind]

Stumbled upon your channel after watching the Behringer vids, ended with this one, going upstairs now to play with my X, time to give it some love. Keep up the good work dude!

[@sandroidmusic]

i've been looking for Ghosts throughout the entire Video. I think you are in the clear. 👍

[@TheDungeonDive]

I’ve always loved digital synths. Been playing since the late 80s, and have always had the most fun with purely digital and hybrid stuff. The Modal stuff is amazing. Love the Argon8.

[@briancase6180]

Yes, it does sound very good! And your demo jam is great. Thanks!

[@BecomingProductions]

The Akai Force appearance and comments gave me a good giggle. The topic of how unfinished that product was at launch deserves its own video. At least it has a happy ending thats its starting to reach the promised launch functionality.

[@synthesizernews]

Great demo of this VA beauty. Love your channel.👌🙏

[@The7threst]

Came for the review, stayed for the perfect NIN impression wow :)

[@herbertherbert3909]

Well, based on this video, I bought the 61 key Cobalt. It truly does not sound like any other synth. It has a hydrasynth kind of individuality. I promised I’d sell one of my other synths to make room for it, IF it filled gaps in my sonic panorama. I’m damn sure keeping it. My “from my dead hands” synth is my Prologue 16. combined with the cobalt and I’ve got a damn good sonic toolset! Layering them is heaven! I’ve owned a ton of synths. It’s a 12-step program knocking on my door! I must say that the Cobalt really is compelling. There’s some clunkers in the factory presets, I don’t like the preset selection UI, There’s a lot of shift function, but so what....it sounds fresh and there’s some excellent fidelity across the spectrum. And a great price to say the least. Now all I need is an akai firce and I will be complete After I buy a sequential pro 3 which will fulfill my needs till I realize I need a jd-xa......and a counselor!

[@inertiatic88]

Really like the sounds especially the bass sounds you got going wit the Akai. Great review

[@wanderingstarseed6089]

I'm never gonna recover from that NIN impression, it'll stay with me the rest of my days. Unlike my knee high black patent boots. You sir, are a treasure.

[@WavetableMetaphysics]

That quick track you whipped up sounded real nice!14:44-15:27 🫡

[@bassnsax]

I’m a bass player primarily,but have gotten into Synth Bass. I’ve got a Monologue that I will likely sell soon, and the Cobalt8 and IK Multimedia Uno Synth Pro (keyboard models of both) are on my shortlist for a main gigging synth instrument!

[@trevor4835]

The track you made on the the force at the end sounds so nice

[@digitaldiezel5870]

💯🏆🔥 Case closed!! Great presentation!

[@herbertherbert3909]

Best demo of this synth! The AKAI song was brilliant. You should get a percentage of at least one sale because you convinced me I need this.

[@seazenbones6945]

Excellent Thanks Benn

[@my4trackmachine]

@09:19 IDK if my goth friends will love or hate you for this but I 1000% know I ugly laughed way harder than I should have 😭😂

[@2112jonr]

I'm an old school Goth, I laughed my arse off !!! We've a way better sense of humour than South Park credits us for !

[@ruslanr.6171]

Instant like for the old-school jingle.

[@DaraM73]

Bought one a while ago, my synth of the year.

[@els1f]

I never heard of the Music pattern generator! Thanks for THAT😮

[@guitargyro]

OMG: three years late but the industrial snippet made coffee shoot out of my nose. Thanks for that.

[@ParesisUK]

Ahhh still living the industrial dream/nightmare over here. Like how 90s industrial is 9 minutes in 😂 Modal are such a good synth company, I have one of their original craft synths and it’s insane! Their analogue stuff is next level as well.

[@caktalfraktal]

The roland jp-8000/jp-8080, Access Virus, Nord Lead, roland system-1/8, Waldorf blofeld etc are all fantastic sounding digital synths. I'm sure there's more that I haven't heard.

[@weaseltears3785]

The Cobalt/Force jam had me sub immediately that shit sounds crispy. kinda want one of these rn but im torn between the 8m and the 5s

[@foxholeartist]

Recently I understood that I'm more interested in digital synths, TBH. And I'm not ashamed of it in any way. I own Craft synth 2.0 from modal and it's amazing. Microfreak is amazing. God, my Volca Drum is amazing and better than my Drumbrute impact

[@foxholeartist]

That industrial track is lit, by the way

[@BecomingProductions]

Nothing to be ashamed of. The likes of wavetable and granular synths are only possible with advances in digital synths. Admittedly the early years of digital were a bit hit and miss but these days they're easily comparable in quality, but with digital having the extra flexibility too.

[@CaidicusProductions]

Days after the Prolybrute arrived that your video pushed me to buy, it almost seems dangerous to watch another of your gear videos so soon. :P Awesome video, Benn.

[@gossamyr]

You had me at 'evolver', but the industrial pseudo vocal made me laugh so damn hard, omg...

[@apersonontheinternet8034]

Especially enjoyed the NMS burn.

[@2112jonr]

Modal are really putting Bristol on the map - no wonder the city has a bigger synth scene than London. The Cobalt and Argon in particular are out there by themselves for the sounds they can make. Thanks for a great demo' Benn ! :-)

[@revevague6256]

Beautiful piece at the end!

[@afnannn]

lol the Trent impression 😂😂👌🏼👌🏼

[@not-hank-s]

Omg Knee High Boots, I'm buying this synth right now thanks byeeee.

[@theepicredstoner1604]

I'd recommend you check out some of Modal's portable synths. I own a Skulpt and it's amazing for its price. The Craft 2.0 also looks really great for sound designing on the go. Great video by the way!

[@nicolerothrock2118]

Haha you're funny! I like it. And I like what you made on the fly. Looks fun! Your inspiring me to get back in the studio. 👍

[@M87Rob]

I just bought a cobalt8x to replace my AN1x. I also have a Force which I purchased 2 years ago collecting dust and barely used which I was thinking about selling. I’m having second thoughts now after seeing how you use it with the Cobalt. Would love to see more in depth videos of the Force controlling external synths if possible! Cheers!

[@h2o1969]

I,,, I don't want to go outside,,,, hahahahaha. That was the best. It sounded digital to me through KZbin, but I am not a digital hater. I like both. I thought it sounded great. Perfect for the hybrid studio. Hard & daw.

[@BrianGawlik]

that track at the end was so sick!

[@monomakes]

That is actually how you spell the word ;) The Evolver is a total beast!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

My wallet is tingling after hearing the tease on the price @4:30

[@ghostcalledmisery2754]

Aww damn - that 90's industrial riff knocks - when you gonna put that out!

[@mapache_al_ataque]

Stabbing Westward must feel attacked. lol Damn this synth sounds so good!

[@christoroppolo8742]

Their editor is incredible. As is the synth. Peace Christo👽

[@kiickinballistics]

Nice. I can here the tunes riffin off some of those sequence patterns. Sounds good, because it sounds different. That’s how Cobalt (Symbol: Co | Electron configuration: [Ar] 3d74s2) must sound. Co-incidental that there’s an Ar in the config, given the Argon8. Hehe. The software interface is a very strong point. p.s I owned a mono evolver once and deeply regret selling it. The poly evolver was, and is, still amazing to this day.

[@muzicluvrable]

Great job keeping my interest in the demo, just enough to show that it’s a great synth that sounds good . I’ll take good sound and features over labels any day. Thanks

[@ninjabeatz905]

Thanks Man

[@BarafuAlbino]

For the perspective: in my local gear shop, it costs exactly as much as Arturia V collection.

[@TheSoulSynthesis]

I have my eye on the Cobalt and Argon for a while now. I'll get my feet wet with hardware this year with an Arturia Microfreak and a Dreadbox Typhon for sure. The two Modal options are within the price range of a Korg Minilogue XD and when the time comes I will be drawn to the Modals I think. From what I heard they sound nice, you can adjust the drift and have some features that will go a long way. Your take on the cobalt was really refreshing and different from what i've seen so far. Thanks for that! On a side note, that industrial bit gave me as much nostalgia as laughs. :D Cheers!

[@SomeOne-pd6vm]

Good luck finding a Typhon, haha. They aren't exactly common.

[@TheSoulSynthesis]

@@SomeOne-pd6vm I think it's alright in Europe. I'll make it my mission for the next few weeks to grab one :D

[@HenritheHorse]

@@SomeOne-pd6vm They are still being sold in Europe tho...

[@HenritheHorse]

@@TheSoulSynthesis Thomann will have them in stock in about week.

[@TheSoulSynthesis]

@@HenritheHorse yeah i saw it. Maybe I just order one ☺️

[@Nothingspeshalwaysfresh]

Damn Ben, made a banger at the end, super casually @14:40

[@K0r0n1s]

The industrial part was on point! XD

[@monomakes]

Was diggin the EMO track!

[@GooseTronics]

love the shirt!

[@andycordy5190]

I bought my Argon8 when it was launched and have barely scratched the surface of its capabilities but your excitement about the playful sounds you generate has really got me wanting to go deeper.

[@Jaesee]

I can see this thing synthesizing some drum sounds pretty fucking well actually, because of the control over the waveshaping

[@Jason75913]

Argon8 can, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear Cobalt8 rocking at that, too. I don't like drum sounds made on VA and analogue synths much, but Argon8 is a definite exception. Cobalt8 has bass that the Argon8 lacks, so better kicks out of the Cobalt.

[@Jaesee]

@@Jason75913 Kicks were exactly what I was thinking! I'd love to hear how those complex sine waves would sound

[@ivanlukavecki]

Very very nice Benn 🙏👏🕺

[@BoardgameBaker]

Benn and gear is back! ❤️

[@Pablo668]

You should release that Industrial song. I must be weird, but I don't have a problem with digital, other than how to tweek them, I don't know how really. But the sound itself, if it produces the sound you are after or like, then I don't see an issue.

[@2112jonr]

Yep, you're normal. It's the armchair nostalgia brigade who are the weirdos.

[@nexuzeb79]

Bsolutely luvly kick there, Benn :)

[@bobbfett.musiclab]

Great review, thank you.

[@ProckGnosis]

No issues with VA synths (Still really like my old Virus C or Akai Miniak, not to mention boatloads of softsynths), but I have to say I haven't run across a video of the Cobalt8 where the sound really grabbed me in a "VA way" so to say. So, seems like a cool synth (great feature set), but maybe not what I would look (or listen for) in virtual analog synth.

[@2112jonr]

No reflection on Modal, but you have nailed the Analog Vs Digital debate. Buy what makes the sounds you like instead of being a wide eyed religious nut. You've got it right and like what sounds good to you. Which is what anyone with a milligram of intelligence would do instead of ranting from their armchair.......

[@aiekmeeisnhdye]

Finally someone said it. Even the Akai Force sounds better.

[@bartekglinski2665]

Was i the only one that was DAMN on 14:40 when the bass came in?

[@droningbrightness3403]

you really got me with those goth industrial graphics. lol

[@Vimana]

Might be a good option to buy this one. I've been interested in Modal synthesizers for a while. Synths like these are very versatile. You can make them sound just the way you like.

[@danbocook]

12:42 - It's not lost on me that Cobalt is a color of blue, one specifically titled such in the paint world and we get Benn saying "Fluffy Cloud" channeling the Bob Ross -- #BennRoss

[@danbocook]

Makes me wish someone would replace the canvas in old Bob Ross videos with a Modular rig! Haha!

[@JohnNewtoneu]

that was cool, subbed , i think that is what they say on the internet

[@movraptor]

I gave up on the Akai force even after the updates. lots of things I liked about it but overall a cumbersome and clunky to use machine. Cobalt sounds great though :)

[@ezassegai4793]

9:18 Trent is that you bro?

[@christianokami2220]

Hats off for the apropos comparison of the Akai Force as the No Mans Sky of the audio world. Dare I say, Akai was coming off like CD Projekt Red with their Cyberpunk 2077 marketing campaign.

[@ac1dfl3sh]

How dare you bring my knee high boots into this

[@Qone78]

Omg... the synth looks really interesting... but the secret superstar in this video is your hoody!!!!!!

[@michaels5166]

I might need one of these...I came back to check it out again..Benn reviewing gear works for me because he actually delves into gear,instead of typical jabs and stabs...

[@jonoc5]

Pride never dies!

[@josephwright5921]

Ha ha! The CROW even made a fly through at 9:25!!! Yes, you “nailed” the 90’s!