Liven Mega Synthesis: A Complete Tutorial

0:00 Intro
0:55 Overview
2:14 PCM Track
3:31 Recording a Sequence
5:44 PSG Tracks
6:58 Sweep Knobs
8:16 Voice Modes
9:48 Lengths in Sequences
12:02 FM Tracks
13:59 Effects
15:25 Legacy
16:26 Parameter Lock
18:25 Copy & Paste Steps
18:48 Deleting Stuff
19:31 Sequencer Effects
21:09 Save a pattern
21:38 Chain Patterns
22:27 Edit PCM Track
24:25 Edit FM Patches
27:45 Detuning Oscillators
30:00 Envelopes
32:22 Velocity
32:46 SSG Envelopes
33:49 Sweep
34:29 Save, Copy & Erase Patches
36:02 Synchronization
36:48 Pros & Cons
38:31 Conclusion
The Liven Mega Synthesis by Sonicware is a digital synth and groove box that reproduces the sound of the Sega Megadrive.
Play with a powerful FM engine, 8-bit sounds and a sampler layered over 6 Tracks, complete with automations, effects, and probability for each step.
This synth is kind of special for me as the Sega Megadrive was a big part of my childhood and found memories, and is probably one of the reasons why I love electronic music so much. So the presets from Yuzo Koshiro (composer for Street of Rage, Shinobi, Beyond Oasis, ...) that are in the synth really take me back to golden times.
Check the official website here:
sonicware.jp/pages/liven-mega...
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[@GeorgeL909]

I absolutely LOVE this thing. It's a great easy sequencer to pump out some crazy detailed patterns and harsh sounds that I feed into the sp404. It's quickly becoming my work horse for grimy custom blastbeats and drum fills thanks to the "stutter" control and heavy fm basses (the presents are massive sounding even dry). Only missing feature for me is an unquantized record mode, but honestly... Not a deal breaker in the slightest.

[@MortChud]

So much fun and very easy to learn. Sonicware is killing with these product releases. Great tutorial too. I'm living the dream right now. Good times.

[@InvisibleZed]

Brilliant tutorial - there are very few around at the moment - thankyou!

[@DopamineOverload]

I need more money. I want ALL of Sonicware's stuff. Bought 8bit Warps a few years ago, LOVED IT. Then the XFM. Loved that, too. Then, bills / financial hell. I want them all again. Thankfully they're not THAT out of reach.... hey Sonicware, would you mind donating a few units to me? Happy to make videos for you, help promote the units. Thank youuuuuuuuuuu

[@mpmi7588]

Thank you man

[@dinogoldie9716]

Great showcase of the LMS. I LOVE this machine. Such fun. I hope Sonicware bring out a Liven Gameboy/NES (basically take the 8bit Warps and replace the 4 bank looper with a 4 track, 4 engine (3 synth, 1 pcm/noise) sequencer).

[@miguelgferrero]

The looper is the best thing in the machine,, I wish a memory card slot to save the loops😅,, please V2

[@retr0mancy_]

Salut Woochia! J'ai une question a laquelle tu pourras peut-être répondre: Quand je chain mes différents segments pour en faire un morceau complet plus long, il y a toujours une demi seconde de blanc entre les ségments. Sais-tu si il y a un moyen de supprimer ce temps mort pour avoir une transition plus smooth et du coup un morceau complet sans interruption? Merci d'avance pour ta réponse !

[@BarbieChaite]

25:32 where did you find the panel ? Is it given with the groovebox ? Thanks.

[@dinogoldie9716]

If I change the note resolution to the dotted 8ths or 16ths, to what step-length do I need to change the sequencer for everything to sync up?? (For instance, when I set a sequencer track's note resolution to triplets, I set the pattern length to multiples of 12 for it to sync up with the metronome)

[@Woochia]

Dotted 8th notes are as long as 3 16th notes, and they are 16 16th notes in a bar. So 16 ÷ 3 = 5,333... That's inconvenient... So I'd keep the sequence as 16 steps long, and things would synchronize every 3 bars.

[@dinogoldie9716]

@@Woochia Thanks. That's what I suspected.

[@djkanyon]

Groovebox with FM and samples (let alone classic sounds) for 243 bucks... Wow

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Great tutorial 👍 I’m having a great time using mine. it took a while to get used to using the sequencer but I love the sounds! One thing that confused me was when writing a long melody I could either set it to 8th notes to have enough length or 16th notes but needing to play it over 2 patterns, maybe there is another way? Another interesting thing is it takes 6AA batteries that don’t last very long just like a real Sega GameGear or Nomad 😂 the power adapter is very much needed!

[@Woochia]

128 steps of 16th notes was not enough ? :o you can change the length of the sequence up to 128 steps.

[@totalSLACK]

rechargable AA batteries are life. i have 20 total and able to have 8 charging.. I play this thing in the woods while walking my dogs ☺️

[@dinogoldie9716]

Cons: -No digital transfer (import) of samples. -Only one effect/reverb shared by all six tracks in a pattern. (previous Livens allowed for both 1 reverb and 1 FX or independent FX per track) -No auto-copy-paste of a pattern when a user doubles the length of a pattern (present on the Lofi-12 or one of the previous Livens). -The FM tracks seem a lot louder than the PSG and PCM tracks. -No option to delay the onset of LFO/sweep (present on previous Livens). Other than that, it's a really fun box and I genuinely love it.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

I hear you can delay the LFO only in FM edit mode but I haven’t tried it yet it doesn’t sound very convenient 😢 How do you get around the step length limitation with long melodys that contain 16th notes other than finishing it on another pattern?

[@MortChud]

You can copy the pattern when extending the length of a sequence. It's in the manual. Hold shift and press Length then continue holding shift while turning the value knob. If you release shift it will change the length without copying the notes in the pattern. The key is to continue holding the shift button.

[@dinogoldie9716]

​@@MortChud You are incorrect. There is no shift button on the Liven Mega Synthesis. You are referring to a feature on the Liven Lofi-12.

[@MortChud]

Sorry I meant the function button. And yes, it can be done. Like I said, it's in the manual. Page 79.

[@totalSLACK]

​@@dinogoldie9716we all knew he meant the function button...

[@Javeton]

I thought the left FX knob icon was some potion or something but it turns out to be Sonic's shoe..

[@Exrotr]

how does the rmix effect work? Its like a looper but i dont know how use it..

[@totalSLACK]

is there a way to create your own drumkits with 6 different sounds you pick yourself?

[@Woochia]

Unfortunately, not at the moment, as each drum kit is just one sample. That's why resampling would be such a huge thing to add, that would allow to create our own drum kits among other things.

[@totalSLACK]

00:37:57 could you patch the headphone jack into the line-in jack to sample itself into itself?... i guess you'd hafta be in both modes, sample and whatever you're sampling... that wouldn't work, huh?

[@Woochia]

That's actually a good question! Technically this should work, but the question is: can you play sounds and play sequences when the machine is in recording mode? If no, that means that we would need to record the sound to another recorder and then re-record it with the mega synthesis, which would kind of defeat the purpose.

[@varansmith]

Эта штука опаздала с релизом на 30 лет минимум

[@Woochia]

Better late than never! :p