Why do I 🖤 Blast Beats so much?

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[@regplasma7906]

Cuckoo's look is the 'i've just got out of bed after a heavy night ,but i'm still twice as cool as the coolest guy you know' look. Nice work my friend.Reg.

[@CookingNoise]

I came here for synths doing death metal style drums. Damnit. Now I got an idea!

[@truecuckoo]

Do it! 🤘🏽

[@lightconstruct]

I love Cuckoo's effortless style. No sign of the struggle of pushing the next INSANE and GAME CHANGER material out whatsoever.

[@daisheyaku]

Those are some of the best percussive FM tones I have heard. That machine is very warm and musical.

[@ebk72]

no display no menu diving. all functionality at your finger tips. awesome. thanx for sharing!

[@truecuckoo]

Yeah! Thanks 🤗

[@EdTalenti]

That last track was so sick Cuckoo!

[@truecuckoo]

Oh thank you so much Ed! ❤️

[@batchas]

Twisted electrons are very lucky to have you demo their creation! I bet they'll sell more units after your video where, as always, you do share so well the joy you have while discovering a new machine and jamming.

[@truecuckoo]

Thanks. Yeah it's initially a rather niche instrument, by a small manufacturer. I bet most who are into that niche already got one last year when it was new. But I hope to share it to possibly a few more people. One of my favourite machines.

[@finctank]

Before I’ve even heard this thing I want it. I love Twisted Electrons, already have their original Mega FM

[@needfortweed8734]

They have quite unique creations for comparatively little money as opposed to other "fabrique" producers. I got the MegaFM 2, TherapSid, hapiNES-L as well as the Blastbeats.

[@robgower8896]

another great jam session. love your work bro!

[@random_meteor]

Haha what great timing, i just ordered one! Cant wait, excellent video dude!

[@RealMisterScoops]

The "wiggle" function is my favorite part. I like to record several variations of the same sequence for interesting little flourishes in a track, and wiggle makes it really easy to get stuff I wouldn't have thought of on my own.

[@QuentinLamerand]

Of course you love it. The first time I heard this machine, it made me think of your music.

[@truecuckoo]

Ha ha, yeah this is my kind of instrument for sure ❤️

[@QuentinLamerand]

@@truecuckoo and you make it sing

[@BobOscuro]

Bought this synth a year ago and it's the most alien sound device that I've ever tried. I miss a little screen a lot. You can get lost very easily. It can be very changeling to make music in it but it's a excellent piece of gear. A classic. I don't know if you can find sounds like that in other synths.

[@ropewalkingelephant]

This whole video was so relaxing and mesmerising

[@thefrankly]

Such a nice way to wake up this morning. Should be named Cuckoo beats.

[@hansdebeuckelaer6197]

Thanx for the flavours! Loooking forward to your full tutorial on the blast beats

[@alexnelson8536]

Great sounds and love the beat sand melodies you are getting out of it! Loves the psychadelic video fx too 🤩

[@jon_gee]

Wonderful demo. Love that chill piece. ❤

[@bumvox]

I still have a lot to learn, but I just love how wonky it is. I can sit for hours with this machine just playing with sliders to see what happens. Bell-kind-of-sounds are my favorite. FM is so good for that!

[@jukesasaurusrex]

Heck yes what a great machine , brought back a lot of gaming memories thank you 🙌❤️

[@nin9kai]

I've had my eye on this for a while. Excited to see what you can do with it Cuckoo!

[@truecuckoo]

Yeah same, same. Been thinking about it ever since the launch. I love it.

[@MrBothandNether]

That was beautiful Like an alternate universe OMD beat maker Thank you!

[@truecuckoo]

Thank you so much 🤗

[@NunyaB1s]

I can be in a terrible mood, and halfway through one of your videos, I'm happy and inspired to write something. Whatever pissed me off is literally forgotten. Thank you for restoring balance to my universe brotha!

[@TheMachinesWon]

What an excellent melody you played when you started making that groove. Great video!

[@truecuckoo]

Thank you so much! ❤️

[@imagandy]

I was waiting for this video 🎉 thank you

[@truecuckoo]

✨

[@petrpazyna]

the sounds are amazing!

[@teemunnee]

Holy crap, these are cool sounds. I REALLY don't need more gear, but you are making me take a careful look at this thing. Your last track sounded like it was pulled straight off the Celeste soundtrack. Beautiful stuff.

[@michaeltaddeo3277]

such a cool synth! I haven't heard of it until this video, but now its at the top of my synth list to purchase.

[@beschuitfluiter]

Absolutely mesmerizing sounds. Love it

[@truecuckoo]

Thank you!

[@needfortweed8734]

I have to say that the tones and textures that Cuckoo wrangles out of this machine suits his voice perfectly. There is a strange beauty in being able to make a track that sounds complete on a little box like this. In my DAW I often end up with 30 tracks, some of which are only used sparingly for certain sounds. I actually have a Blast beats lying around and have not done any deep diving on that box besides making one very basic track to see how it could sounds. I hereby declare that I subscribe to this channel and will look forward to the promised tutorial.

[@truecuckoo]

THanks. I think that when making music on peculiar and limited hardware like this, you need to have a kind of "mixing engineer" mindset when approaching the arrangements. Try to think of the whole sound spectrum and try to distribute the instruments on the spectrum so that it becomes an even mix. There's a new firmware being beta tested right now with big improvements and new features. Once it's final I'm gonna start making a tutorial.

[@needfortweed8734]

@@truecuckoo yeah. I am probably not as trained as to think like a mixing engineer, so I just stack a lot of stuff into a DAW and see what pops out. New beta? Cool! I am wondering what kind of improvements and features we are talking about...

[@dekalboy8816]

Please make an entire album with only this machine. And the tx6 !!

[@truecuckoo]

I’m intrigued 🧡

[@albertof8905]

This is crazy, I'm thinking of ordering it for live music! Is it possible to save sets that can be easily recalled? Will you explore this topic in the next video? Thank you so much, love your work and the care you put in it

[@unraum909]

Nice one! I've got mine some weeks ago, and I love it. I run it through a Bastl Thyme and the OTO Boum and they really make it shine.

[@truecuckoo]

Ooh, nice!

[@KingCrimson82]

Man i love blast Beats too

[@SmokeM2D6]

The Wiggle goes HARD

[@TheJethrobull]

Fantastic 😊 love your enthusiasm. Thanks

[@withRUfUS]

Very cool 😎 you make it look so very easy. I literally want everything you demo.

[@payt01]

This thing seems to have been purposely made for you , Cuckoo :) Awesome stuff!

[@truecuckoo]

Yeah I know! Dream come true. Thanks ✨

[@sickrickTV]

dang,amazing!! please do a whole album off this synth (like the one with digitone)

[@papertarrasque]

Love the melody on the first beat! Sounds like I found a secret level 😊

[@truecuckoo]

❤️❤️❤️

[@BoringStranger]

Cuckoo+FM = fluffy magic ❤

[@Digiphex]

It looks like a fun box.

[@ArtFluids]

so good!

[@robmorissette7586]

Some sounds in there remind me of Earthbound. Nice

[@billspectre9502]

That last little tune towards the end had a kinda Joe Zawinul like feel.

[@iwanttocomplain]

I saw people using it as a pretty heavy and glitchy beat machine mostly. The same for the Mega FM. But I think they are more interesting used a bit more delicately.

[@truecuckoo]

Yeah it’s definitely an instrument that can go into a lot of territories.

[@Old_Man_Jay]

Cuckoo, man! I absolutely love that Tshirt you’re wearing! I want iiiit!!

[@truecuckoo]

Thanks man! There are still some sizes and colours available in my merch store. tigernet.no/artist/931457-true-cuckoo

[@alexriesenbeck]

I can’t afford it now, but this is the sound I’ve been looking for. OPL3 sound brings me back to childhood

[@tovermoran4360]

Last track so siiick

[@midigoblin]

this is really cool. I checked out the midi implementation chart, it looks like midi goblin should be able to save the patch parameter values...this would allow you so save your parameter values and load them to different patterns you have saved. I really really want to test this out....

[@suntzu6122]

This boy is very reasonably priced :o

[@gooneybird808]

You should make some blast beats with the blast beats…that’d be sick…much love big dog!

[@truecuckoo]

Yeah absolutely! I’ll study the soundtrack of Thunderforce 4 and see how they programmed the boss music, which kind of approaches that territory. Not the same chip, but close enough to get some pointers :D

[@DelFlo]

Very Detroit-y sound coming out of that lil' machine. Sounds great! Bet if you layered over some more hefty drum samples you could make some dope club beats with it.

[@vecvan]

lovely

[@dinogoldie9716]

This looks and sounds like a more user-friendly answer to Elektron's Model Cycles or their Syntakt. It's certainly priced between those two FM grooveboxes. Is there a Cuckoo demo/review for Twisted Electron's HapiNES?

[@goodnoyz]

Such fun.... the sound of video games back in the day

[@LaChona420k]

Looking forward to a tutorial and a new firmware.... Ive had mine for over a year and the midi channel assignment has always been an issue.

[@MonkeyBeats-zl6tr]

I like the thumbnail.

[@truecuckoo]

Put some extra efforts into it this time :D

[@jondis]

got whiplash from bopping too hard to these beats !!!! SICK

[@truecuckoo]

Oh gotta loosen up :D 🤗 thanks!

[@SuperLaserFeuerExplodierer]

"That is weird and I like this."

[@lyh1]

Very good drum machine, but the step sequencer is mind blowing. I need to clear automation every time when I do Arp on step sequencing so they dont tie and poly meter is quite different from others. It is a very powerful groovebox when you get used to it.

[@flotsamstan]

Great stuff, sounds gooooood Kind of wish someone would make a standalone 8 channel step sequencer with those nice clicky buttons this has, hell the perkons has 4 channel one, wish someone made one standalone.

[@SaamGabbay]

11:58. I would be saving too. Super.

[@spacey_jones]

Hot fire cuckoo!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@truecuckoo]

✨🔥 thanks!

[@williammatthewspiano9064]

Hey man cool video. What mixer are you using in this video? Does it connect to a computer for recording? Thanks.

[@truecuckoo]

I’m using the TX-6. It is a mixer and a multi track audio interface for the computer. teenage.engineering/store/tx-6?affiliate=cuckoo

[@williammatthewspiano9064]

@truecuckoo thanks. If I get one I'll be sure to use your link. Looking forward to the next interesting piece of gear you share with us

[@hansdebeuckelaer6197]

That is weird and i like it!, surprise us with your full tutorial please

[@TimesOfTheSines.official]

It's got a Ensoniq ESQ1/SQ80 vibe but of a very drum synthesis machine nature... & direction Ensoniq never went in... They didn't dabble in drum machines & generally had the same plain or loose on board sequencers in there time

[@zoned7609]

A lot of the drum sounds are lower bit rate and less pleasing, I do enjoy the Genesis sound, but what stands out for me here are the synth sections. Those are on a whole other level!

[@truecuckoo]

The rhythm section is very limited. It's all about searching for a sweet spot that makes sense in the arrangement you're making. And yeah, the synth tracks, and applying Wiggle randomisation is truly a door opener for a really special place!

[@zoned7609]

@@truecuckoo do you have an Opsix? I forget if that's part of your permanent collection. If you are feeling inspired, I'd love to see how you design a sound similar to the synth parts here!

[@thomasyon4332]

I eat good content like biscuits, so you feed some bird today ! I really have my eye on the chip tunes one from Twisted Electrons, the AY3. This one suits you well, as we can hear.

[@EVILJAMARR]

I look for these a few times a year and they are never in stock. One day I'll have one!

[@truecuckoo]

Yeah it's a small company, and they build them in batches. The estimated numbers are based on a hunch, and on how many people sign up for the "notify when available". Let them know you're thinking about it by signing up to get notified 🖤 One day!

[@truecuckoo]

Actually they're taking preorders now. Shipping in April!

[@EVILJAMARR]

@@truecuckoo I just cried a little

[@badfeng]

Their preorder is "out of stock"?

[@SpeldosaMusik]

What's up with the price? It looks really well built, but it only costs around 500€.

[@truecuckoo]

It's a small, streamlined company that doesn't have a lot of costs to cover. Plus (I'm thinking out loud here) the OPL3 component, as I understand it, is leftovers from the prime time when this was produced in the 90's. Due to the immense popularity back then, much due to the success of the SoundBlaster, they were produced in high quantities, and are not that expensive to get by now. And there's no snazzy OLED UI, or advanced CPU reverb etc. It's very bare bones, saving a lot of money.

[@SpeldosaMusik]

@@truecuckooAll your points sound reasonable 👍

[@deniszbuhran]

thought you got into black metal for a minute

[@SlaserX]

One of my favorite companies. I'll be buried with my TherapSID

[@ucewillis]

Always wanted one but a lot of people say it's buggy, is it true?

[@truecuckoo]

I have reported the issues that I've found during my time with it. The developer is working down my list of issues, and a firmware is forthcoming. I'll continue with my Tutorial once the new firmware is done! The most important when finding bugs is to contribute by filing detailed bug reports on how to recreate the issues, to the developers, so that they can squash the bugs in a firmware update.

[@theodontosaurus]

release plz

[@mb102]

Just say it. 90s gaming is hitting you washing over and old feeling of isolated discovery

[@StephenMcLeod]

i like u make me buy

[@donaldpriola1807]

I wish the major companies made devices this well concieved. Especially at a reasonable price. I look at some of the latest offerings from the big guns, and they aren't half as interesting as this.

[@pinxysphynxy]

seems like it's a synth made for special you, sir. and you made it sold out so quickly 😅

[@sommelierofstench]

and here i was thinking this man was going to talk about grindcore for 16 minutes

[@CoLD.SToRAGE]

Maybe time to rename the channel to FM Cuckoo? 😂

[@swanofnutella4734]

I like synths. I also like death metal. .....I watched this whole video and DID NOT HEAR a SINGLE blast beat. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@daneguitarist1]

"blast beats" have a different meaning in the metal community hah

[@truecuckoo]

Haha yeah I didn’t think about it until people started commenting about it. In this case it’s a reference to the old sound card Soundblaster from the 90’s which had this sick synth chip in it.

[@GrootsieTheDog]

“Why do I love Blast Beats so much?” Because it’s better sales pitch compared to, “great synth but you don’t really need it if you already have 7 or 8 pieces of gear?

[@Pb_salt]

How are you gonna make a vid on a product that is basically unobtainable

[@truecuckoo]

Twisted Electrons is a very small company making small runs of niche instruments. I just happen to love these niche products :D Sign up on their email list to get notified when new stock arrives. They sometimes take preorders too.

[@GeorgeL909]

Because it's one of the heaviest drum synths around and you're planning to switch genres over to making industrial noise metal? I'm kidding. Real talk it's a great sounding machine and I gotta fight myself to not buy one every time I see it ❤

[@truecuckoo]

Haha, thanks 🤗 It's a really special one!

[@SonicVibe]

Just never in stock

[@truecuckoo]

It’s a small company doing small batches. Right now they opened up for preorders for their next batch to be delivered in April!

[@SonicVibe]

@@truecuckoo how does it stack up compared to Sonicware Mega synthesis I know the blast has true chips but just curious 🧐 cause ya used both and I got a mega on the way

[@truecuckoo]

@@SonicVibe the Mega, I’d say, is a bit more organised and dependable. They’re a bigger team and worked on their system and sequencer for many years in many machines. But the wonkyness of the BlastBeats, and direct access to all parameters, which can be recorded into the sequencer, is a big factor in how deliberating it feels, and crazy you can go. And there’s a certain vibe with the real hardware chip that is hard to touch with emulation. Mega sounds good, but not as whacky as a real chip. They’re not the same chips though. But similarities in sound. The Mega can’t sequence deep sound engine parameter locks. It can do top level parameter locks, and preset switching per step, for a more organised way of sequencing. And it has more flexible polyphony.

[@SonicVibe]

@@truecuckoo thank you 🙏 for the detailed answer I appreciated your input

[@porfiry]

Ocular migraine effect incoming at 10:03

[@angusofstockholm]

facts

[@RJ1J]

Sold out for months. ;-(

[@truecuckoo]

Yeah, sign up and let them know you're interested. Based on interaction they will make a better estimate on how many to build the next batch. It's a small company.

[@truecuckoo]

Oh, preordering is available now. Shipping in April.

[@devinmoran59]

This is not death metal

[@matthewkinne7662]

He clearly has no idea what an actual blast beat is... 🫤

[@shrekage]

Ha ha..the only reason I came here. How to make blast beats using a synth

[@truecuckoo]

The synth is named Blast Beats. It is using a Yamaha FM synthesis chip commonly referred to as OPL3, from the 90's. The chip was inside the most popular sound card at the time, called SoundBlaster. Hence the "Blast" nod in the product name. For Metal rhythms referred to as blast beats, this dude in the link below has made a remarkable video with good notation and documentation. You can for sure recreate a similar vibe on a synthesiser. But synths are more static compared to acoustic drums. So a lot of work will go to loosening up the sound, and making it more messy and distorted, to be worthy of the Metal Genre. One of my favourite video game series from the 90s is called Thunderforce. It's a shootemup in which, especially in Thunderforce 4, they come pretty close to Metal in the boss fights, with a very similar sound chip. Anyhow, here's a popular video explanation of metal Blast Beats. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGWuf4ufYriKjcU

[@matthewkinne7662]

@truecuckoo that's a thoughtful response... I think we are just trying to amuse ourselves with, what is clear to metalheads, the lack of comparison. Thx for this video as always, your mastery of machines is second to none. 😃

[@truecuckoo]

@@matthewkinne7662 😉🤘🏽

[@aleho1]

So this was just you playing your track. Not really a dive into an instrument at all. 😢

[@benmeyk]

this is amazing...... thank you

[@MidiFister]

I love mine but the saving is unreliable, which I haven’t figured out if it’s occasional user error or a firmware bug. So I treat mine like “whatever you do, record it because it won’t be there or won’t be the same next time”. Which honestly is fine with me… I treat modular the same way