The four blocks in the bottom row correspond to the four operators of the synth voices. The top row of faders is reserved for the drum sounds: two sets of faders for the bass drum carrier and modulator, one set for the snare, and one set for the hats, tom, and cymbal, which share their controls. The 10 sounds can be routed to four individual outputs Overview There’s also a USB port for firmware updates (not for MIDI!) and a microSD card slot for storage. Next to the individual outputs, you’ll find a headphone jack and a mono mix output, analog sync in/out jacks (1/8”) and MIDI in/out. Due to hardware limitations of the YMF262, the snare and hi-hats always end up on the same output, as do the tom and cymbal, but other than that, you’re free to choose. Via two stereo DA converters, the ten sounds can be routed to the synth’s four individual outputs. Two of these (Synth 1 and 2) are monophonic, while Synth 3 and 4 deliver duophonic sounds in two different configurations (more on this later).

The six drum voices (bass drum, snare drum, tom, closed and open hi-hat, cymbal) are joined by four synth parts, which consist of two or four FM operators depending on the selected algorithm. Six drum voices and four synth partsīlast Beats offers a total of ten instruments. The synth is paired with a 64-step sequencer with real-time and step programming modes, a couple of probability and randomization features, and a bunch of nifty performance effects called Tricks.

With no less than 56 faders, all of which can be sequenced, you get plenty of real-time control over the parameters of the six drum voices and four synth parts. Just like the MEGAfm, Blast Beats promises intuitive access to the FM guts of the chip. Especially since Twisted Electrons has gone to great lengths to make the inner workings of the YMF262 as accessible and tweakable as possible. But I always enjoy synths and drum machines that venture off the beaten path, and I can see that this type of retro FM sound generation could bring a very welcome breath of fresh air into any modern electronic producer’s sound arsenal. Quite honestly, the sound of those games is probably the part that I miss the least. I was never an avid gamer, but I did own a PC with a Sound Blaster 16 card back in the day and played a few games here and there. The Twisted Electrons Blast Beats is built around the Yamaha OP元/YMF262 chip of the Sound Blaster cards

Ik multimedia sonik synth 2