Sonicware & Yuzo Koshiro Had a Liven FM Synth Baby!!!

Video game composer "Yuzo Koshiro" collaborated with Sonicware to a make a Yamaha 2612 chip inspired portable synth called "Mega Synthesis". I couldn't be more excited!!
OG video: • LIVEN "MEGA SYNTHESIS"...
demo video: • Yuzo Koshiro Preset Pa...
overview video: • Liven MEGA SYNTHESIS -...
website: sonicware.jp/pages/liven-mega...
we have a dope video game inspired sample pack
video game sample pack: 6teenlevels.com/products/trap...
sample pack 2: 6teenlevels.com/products/trap...

[@AveMcree]

What y'all think.. btw Happy New Year!!! *we have a dope video game inspired sample pack* video game sample pack: 6teenlevels.com/products/traptendo-sample-sound-pack-one-shots-midi sample pack 2: 6teenlevels.com/products/traptendo-88-melody-loop-pack-midi

[@milk_bath]

I have been absolutely BEGGING for a Sega Genesis groovebox for years! Literally shed a tear when I saw this.

[@truecuckoo]

Nice video, man. Yuzo Koshiro is is the goat 👾

[@ddeafner]

Bruh! I'm also a huge fan of Yuzo and he's one of the main reasons why I got into music production myself. I still go back to listen to the SOR soundtracks from time to time. I got to see him and Motohiro in their Red Bull concert way back and it was straight 🔥 nice to meet a fellow Yuzo Koshiro fan! I kinda want to get this just for the hell of it

[@andrewvigil7407]

This is crazy bro, just last weekend I sampled Shinobi. In that game you can play all the sounds and songs and always loved the sega sounds. 🔥

[@CarfDarko]

This truly was love on first sight. Going to add this one to my studio this year

[@AveMcree]

Have fun!

[@Drich238]

This is pretty dope Ave!!!! Definitely a vibe brings back a lot of memories with the sounds.. I’m looking forward to seeing you cook up a beat with it.

[@tiffanyanthony]

Oh this is such a Traptendo piece of gear! Of course you had to show it! ❤

[@ihatetobethatguybut....]

Nice video man, thanks for sharing. Not a bad way to start 2024! I have a DAW version of the Yamaha chip/Sega Synth. They sound very identical, if not the same. I love how the Mega Synthesis, is it's own dedicated synth, with a bunch of tweakability. This will most definitely be something to add in my Sega Synth arsenal.

[@Cap10NRGMusic]

Dude!! When I saw this pop on the Sonicware site I ordered immediately - you know I love me some Sonicware and in the late 80s when the Genesis hit my friend Joe and I were the “original game system hype men” (before it was cool heheheh! I cannot wait to get this I’m waiting on 4 units from these guys right now (Sonicware that is). But dude that they pulled the Yuzo K. Card?!?! My friend and I loved his work - so much so that we played some games just to hear his music (way pre internet ). Anyway great job man!

[@hehj8227]

That’s fire I can’t wait to use this for my music

[@AveMcree]

you and me both

[@milk_bath]

Haven't been this hyped for an instrument since MPC Live announced.

[@osrthejourney]

Yooooo! So sick!

[@AveMcree]

I'm excited and thinking about buying tonight lol

[@NJTurnpikeExit12]

genuine ass reaction from Ave....love it

[@davelee1935]

Bro the boss fight music in Streets of rage was incredible ! I remember hearing that in the 90s and being blown away

[@joeybassbass]

I got chills when Shinobi played. So many memories…

[@certifiedbeatz]

I got room for this!

[@mastaboog749]

Dude I'm going to Vegas in 2 weeks or id order this right now.... So glad it's not a limited edition I'm definitely getting one

[@Old_Man_Jay]

I have a DX21, DX11, MegaFM AND a Digitone for all my FM Needs. Do I want and need the Mega Synthesis? YES!! Yes I do! Preordering one later this week!

[@inperfectsequence7840]

It's the perfect sound for ¨Traptendo¨, that classic Sega MegaDrive 16 bit sound. It's like having a Mega Fm but with a sequencer for rhythms and melodies. a great idea.

[@AveMcree]

Indeed

[@PivotalMusicProductions]

For the price, I'm coppin. Love these games and sounds. Shinobi, SoR, I'm ready for it!

[@Ra_Sharpness_]

Happy New Year dude🎉

[@AveMcree]

Happy new year

[@Ra_Sharpness_]

@AveMcree my ko2 finally shipped today. Now I get to start learning from ya again, Cha!

[@LosRol]

Must have!

[@ecrutonysworld]

I dodged the KO II, but this will definitely get my money.

[@daytrace4635]

I got the ko 2 and I love it man, havent had a bunch of time to play with it tho. Im an fl studio guy, not much hardware besides a midi controller so using the ko2 for drums, percs and samples seems to be a faster workflow especially with punch in fx that I would normally need a plugin for that Id have to automate.

[@edwardowins2355]

worth every penny.... You can take sample bitrates down to 4 bits

[@ManCalledMif]

YUZO KOSHIRO❤❤ Why did the algorithm only tell me about this 2 weeks later when it’s sold out 😢

[@Clarence_Jr_Ross]

Ordered mine right after I saw this video. Game music was my first love. Especially saga

[@runamuck316]

Killer video! Why did it take so long to discover this channel?

[@McBobAgain]

Dude, thank you for the honest opinion that it's 95% instead of perfect. But for that price I'm really considering it to learn from the Koshiro presets, even if the siren on Attack the Barbarian is slightly off. Now to justify it when I already have an Opsix.

[@michaeltrenier]

SOR2 is the best game soundtrack of all time. Yuzo is that man!

[@ManCalledMif]

There’s a lot to like with this gear. Yuzo Koshiro involvement is MASSIVE. Accessible price too.

[@FudashiMiike-vg8sy]

I had the mega fm, and I just felt like the one i got was faulty, and i ended up returning it, but having a fully expanded groovebox that is even cheaper and more fully featured I’m excited to get mine (3rd batch)

[@cybermortal1983]

couldn't order this thing any faster. You're right that it doesn't sound 100% exactly right but for the price this thing is going to be so much fun on the coffee table. They couldn't have picked a better composer to show off the capabilities of the instrument either.

[@dinogoldie9716]

I am VERY excited about the Liven Mega Synthesis (though, me personally, I would just be content if they added square LFO to the 8bit warps). I now have three Sonicware instruments on order/preorder: The Lofi-12 XT (Kickstarter); the Elz-1 Play (Dr U's side project) and; this Liven Mega Synthesis. I LOVE the Liven range and the only one I personally dislike is the Liven Bass & Beats (which tries to be both a wavetable monosynth and a pcm drum machine but isn't particularly good at being either). As with the Volca range, the Livens' internal speaker is (imo) more than good enough for personal use. I also like that the Livens and the Volcas share the same daisychainable 9v power supply. For those looking to spend their Xmas money on getting into the Liven series, I'd highly recommend starting with the Texture Lab and the XFM. They are, by far, the best and cheapest ways to get into granular and FM synthesis, respectively.

[@OperculumAudio]

Yo Ave, I JUST found out the other day the Sega was powered by FM synthesis, and of course you already knew this shit, ha! I was always a SNES head over Sega and preferred the SNES sounds and graphics as opposed to the sharp grit of the Sega. SNES had a more rounder, softer, friendlier color and sound palette. Anyway, this is a dope VST. I'm a huge Sonic the Hedgehog OST and Lunar Silver Star Story. Happy new years my guy.

[@brightonic]

Big dawg this ain’t a VST this is some real gear

[@OperculumAudio]

What the fudge! Damnitt I need to pay better attention!

[@Ra_Sharpness_]

Got mine yesterday. I dig this thing hella. The speaker it has is awful but the sound it makes when i hook it up to my clarett octopre is nice. The reverb was nice and the little mods it has gave movement and character. I need to order some more midi cables to connect to fl. I think this and the sp404 will be a dope pairing

[@RemixSample]

Really cool! This machine sounds nice!!

[@AveMcree]

It is!

[@mjrisinsd6836]

Immediate buy…and then realized they have 4 other models 🤪 Looks like I have some “collect them all” to do.

[@spymagnet]

I was so excited to get a sonicware Liven lofi-12 but mine has had some annoying problems the manufacturer can't figure out how to solve... System freezing as sound continues playing one long note and buttons stop working. Also an insane sudden giant volume blast in my headphones FAR beyond what it should allow. Potentially damaging my hearing. I have barely used it. Makes me hesitant to buy anything else from them. They were not able to provide any help for my hardware issues. BUT I can't lie, this new synth from them looks great 😂

[@stuntmanmadeit]

Lo-fi 12 still the one for me!

[@embersandash]

Y’all need to check out the Twisted Electrons MegaFM.

[@AveMcree]

I seen it a while back. If I’m not mistaken, it cost more than the mega synthesis?

[@Ra_Sharpness_]

Just ordered mine says wont ship out til Feb 5. Did you order one too?

[@SonicVibe]

no they didn't dangit sonicware you making me get another one

[@tyronesellers382]

I just want to let you know I hate you you made me buy this can’t wait for it to come in😂😂😮

[@AveMcree]

You’re not alone. Ordered mine an hour ago

[@hilarymockewich5588]

ninten-dont!

[@towerrunner4675]

I still have many of those games (SOR2, Shinobi series etc.). 16 bit at its best. I wish Sonicware would make import / export easier (USB, SD card, SMB /NFS over WiFi etc.). It's a collectors item (like the Street Fighter edition of Pocket Operator), and not really a useful tool.

[@ThreeBeingOne]

Get ready to hear lots of shinobi beats

[@sawtooth808]

This thing should be paired with a Polyend Tracker, for a hardware chiptune setup

[@milk_bath]

100% this right here is the dream.

[@user-wm4sq4sj3o]

Ahem Akai🤔😎

[@beaucoupfuegorecords78]

But how’s that EA-SKI Sp1200?

[@AveMcree]

How about asking him?

[@beaucoupfuegorecords78]

@@AveMcree that’s kinda biased!

[@gregoryz6994]

Its not 100% because his soundtracks used samples its why the "Roms" were so big. He was known for using TR-909 samples in his songs and thats not a FM based synth.

[@exhumus]

Since they already have an FM groovebox I thought for sure there'd be a PCM/sample channel in this as well for this exact reason. That would make it very cool. I guess not?

[@AveMcree]

That’s not why it’s 100%. When I’m talking about 100% I’m talking about the actual sounds that came from the YM 2612. Not the respected drum machines not to mention the PCM chip in the Megadrive could use samples. All covered in this video.

[@agthaog1986]

wow he did batman returns too...dude is the timbaland of videogames man

[@AveMcree]

Bad comparison, seeing that Timberland blatantly steals from other artists. Koshiro does not steal.

[@PFitty]

actually the original genesis synthesizer chip is not 1 on 1 with the original Yamaha 2612 keyboard thats how Yuzo made these soundtracks the cd versions of the streets of rage soundtrack are the keyboard versions if you listen to the tracks they sound more refined than the genesis soundtracks but this sonicware synth sounds way of compared to the keyboard if you are lookin for 1 0n 1

[@ThreeBeingOne]

Batman returns, crème de la

[@chinossynthesizer705]

This is fire fm synthesis is versatile i love it more then subtractive synthesis.

[@iwanttocomplain]

OK. This isn't as good as a real chip. In terms of the sound. It's actually not got any of the action of the 2612. The DX100 keyboard is _really_ close though which is a professional keyboard from 89. You can get a module called the Mega FM which contains 2 and an additional lfo for 3 lfo's in total. Sequencer and arp. The Mega FM isn't cheap though. Oh I saw Yuzo on a video the other day. He's making a Mega Drive game. The video was about chiptune stuff.

[@dickmcguffin7304]

FM synthesis is a very interesting sound FL Studios gave us a taste of that with the dx10 it's got literally the same Library as the Mega Drive

[@tonybeatbutcher]

Once again a dope Unit. If SonicWare comes with all the Liven series in one Unit with velocity pads and memory, would be ridiculously epic.

[@dinogoldie9716]

Why would Sonicware do that? If they combined all the Livens into one workstation, the UI would be awful and the price would be ridiculous. Get an Arturia Keystep pro or a Korg SQ64 and you can control/sequence 3-4 Livens from that.

[@tonybeatbutcher]

@@dinogoldie9716 don't you want a portable Unit like the MPC with all that authentic crunchy sound?? I would pay for that, just like trumpet-, violin-, etc... players are paying to have the crème de la crème

[@dinogoldie9716]

​@@tonybeatbutcher I want a musical instrument; not a laptop that plays music. I want an instrument I can play purely on muscle memory; not a bunch of labyrinthine menu-diving expeditions and meaningless button clicks. Combining all existing Livens into a single workstation would be bad business on Sonicware's part and could only be a practical nightmare for the end user. There's already plenty workstations on the market if you want that sort of thing. Sonicware's only real stumble thus far has been the Smpltrek and that was their attempt at a one-stop sampling/production workstation. Keep it simple (and affordable).

[@tonybeatbutcher]

@@dinogoldie9716 well bro, if a Liven Unit is well build and well conceptualised that would your tool, right?!. Or do you make beats with only one synth and without drums and a bassline??

[@dinogoldie9716]

​@@tonybeatbutcher The appeal of the Livens is a combination of (relative) low cost and ease of UX. Combining all Livens thus far into a single groovebox would not be cheap to make/buy and the UI would, almost certainly, be hellish. I'd rather have lots of separate instruments that each do one thing very well and are easy to use than one box that does everything and is a complete nightmare to operate.But if you prefer the all-in-one workstation route, there's plenty of them already on the market.

[@jelig72]

Nah. I'd try a lofi 12 or texture lab before this.

[@ShadLambert]

Hhahahah fact you call out the game and reactions 10000000%

[@towardstar]

The patch editing looks sketchy. I decided to wait for their video on that to drop before I decide, but now I check and see it's sold out of multiple shipments already. People are barbarians

[@zaiten2012]

We ain’t barbarians, you’re just a weakass late roman.

[@roseutterback5755]

I hate there designs plastic wobble knobs horrible build the work flow sucks why can’t they make them nicer I love this idea but I can’t get behind the controls and construction plus it’s an emulation machine doesn’t use a ym chip and it’s just a damn raspberry pi under the hood

[@chinossynthesizer705]

You can use mega fm or a cheaper alternative Kasserssynths real chips no samples.

[@SamSilk]

Not a fan of this one. I'd rather use Plogue Chipsounds plugin