Easy Low-Pass Gate in PureData

by SimonPosted on No Comments

Building a simple low‑pass gate (LPG) in Pure Data Vanilla, combining filtering and an envelope for that “West-Coast”, organic, percussive sound.

In this no-talking, patch-from-scratch video, I create a basic LPG patch, showing how to combine a low‑pass filter with an envelope to emulate the behavior of classic analog LPGs used in modular synthesizers like the Buchla.

Low‑pass filters, unlike VCAs commonly used in “East-Coast” synthesis, change both the timbre and amplitude of a signal at the same time. Emulating this idea in our digital synths can be a cool way to create natural‑sounding plucks and percussive tones.

More Pd Patch-from-Scratch videos here:

“Ancestor” Released on Music from SEAMUS, Vol. 35

by SimonPosted on No Comments

I’m pleased to share that my piece Ancestor for Apple Watch and Eurorack synthesizers has been released on “Music from SEAMUS, vol. 35”, a collection of works selected from the 2025 SEAMUS National Conference, now available through New Focus Recordings.


Ancestor is one of my series of ongoing creative projects that explore hybrid systems of both digital control and analog synthesis. In this piece, I send data from (digital) wearable technology (Apple Watch) through OSC to my Eurorack to control analog synthesis. The piece uses biometric and movement data coming from the watch, leveraging the benefits of digital control and the immediacy of analog synthesis.


Hybrid Digital/Analog Performance (with Eurorack and SymbolicSound Kyma)

by SimonPosted on No Comments

Talking through connecting SymbolicSound Kyma and Eurorack modular synthesizers, combining digital control and analog sound in a hybrid live performance system.

In this video, I break down the setup I used for my recent Bleep/Blorp 2026 performance, where Kyma (controlled via iPad) works as a control brain and effects processor for a Eurorack system. By getting these systems to talk to each other, you can combine the precision and reproducibility of digital with the organic, tactile character of analog modular synthesis. I talk, too, about the philosophical differences between electronic DJ controls and instrumental control, showing how a mix of both can come together for an effective electronic solo performance.

You can listen to the the completed piece on bandcamp, or watch the live performance here:


More about SolarPunk.

More Kyma videos:

Live Eurorack & Kyma Performance at Bleep/Blorp 2026

by SimonPosted on No Comments

Combining digital and analog synthesis in a live set at Bleep/Blorp 2026. Kyma provides a control-brain and processing for analog Eurorack synthesized sounds.

I swear I didn’t cut out my head here on purpose. I just set up the camera quickly, focused on the performance, and came back to find out I censored out my face in a hilarious way.

Anyway, this is my live performance at Bleep/Blorp 2026 (April 18, Stonehill College), exploring solarpunk and eco‑grime(?) aesthetics, blending digital processing and sampling with hands‑on modular patching to create distorted rhythms connected to the sound of the natural world.

Using Kyma for real‑time digital processing and real-time control, alongside analog synthesis in Eurorack, this performance imagines hopeful futures, with ecological awareness and technological grit.

Super Mario Bros vs Mario 3: Koji Kondo’s Underground Theme

by SimonPosted on No Comments

Comparing the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 versions of Koji Kondo’s “Underground Theme,” focusing on how each uses the NES/Famicom soundchip.


Both themes use the NES’s five‑channel audio architecture, but the Super Mario Bros. 3 version introduces several major changes. Most obviously, SMB3 adds a new drum groove using lo‑fi DPCM samples and noise‑channel hi‑hats, but, also significantly, we look at how the two games use the pulse channels differently, shaping the timbre and overall character of each version of the theme.

These choices highlight not only Koji Kondo’s evolving creativity, but also composers were able to leverage the NES soundchip differently over the life of the system.

Whether you’re interested in game music, NES chiptune sound design, or how classic game composers created so much with so little, I hope this provides some background into how the “Underground Theme” remains one of the most iconic tracks in video game history.

More on the NES and Famicom sound here:


More “on video game sound here”Listening to Videogames” here:

When a HPF Causes Clipping (Filtering, Phase, & Constructive Interference)

by SimonPosted on No Comments

How can a low-pass filter increase amplitude even though filters remove frequencies?

In this video, I explain how *phase shifts* introduced by your filters can cause constructive interference, increasing amplitude and even leading to clipping. We’ll explore:
-Why filtering can boost amplitude
-How phase changes affect waveform shape
-Strategies for filtering in synthesis and mixing

Understanding this concept can up the game of sound designers, mixing engineers, and anyone working with EQ or synthesis.

More synthesis and MIDI fundamentals here:

The Three-Oscillator Problem: Chaos and Emergence

by SimonPosted on No Comments

Simple rules to sonic chaos: the “three-oscillator problem” & Rob Hordijk’s “Benjolin”

In this video, I talk about the “Three-Body Problem” and created an analogous Pure Data patch, where three oscillators frequency-modulate each other. Just as in the physics problem, this cross-modulation network creates unpredictable, chaotic patterns.

This emergent complexity from simple rules perhaps connects to ideas of motivic development in music, how great artistic works can grown from simple and small ideas.

Feedback Loops & Acid House (“Hum” live set)

by SimonPosted on No Comments

“Hum”: Acid house meets analog chaos, live feedback loops performance

This is my live performance set “Hum”, blending digitally controlled analog synthesizers, surrealist acid house grooves, and feedback textures. Recorded in my home studio, this video revisits the set I played live at Synth-tember / Mini-Blorp at New Alliance Gallery in Somerville, MA.

Featuring chaotic 303 basslines (from Herbs & Stones Liquid Foam), evolving feedback loops (from the Random*Source Serge Resonant EQ), and hybrid digital/analog sound design, this should satisfy fans of modular synth performance, experimental electronic music, and custom audio setups.

🎧 If you enjoy this, check out my previous live set from Bleep/Blorp 2024 on Bandcamp:

Sequencing an Alesis D4 Drum Module with Arturia DrumBrute Impact

by SimonPosted on No Comments

Sequencing a vintage Alesis D4 drum module with an Arturia DrumBrute Impact for classic 90s electronic percussion sounds.

Today, I’m connecting my Arturia DrumBrute Impact to a classic (?) Alesis D4 drum module through a MioXL interface. I explain the very straighforward setup, then check out the retro drum sounds of the D4 while sequencing from the contemporary DrumBrute Impact.

Why is this cool? These two pieces of hardware made decades apart still communicate perfectly thanks to the enduing MIDI standard. It’s a reminder of the expressive possibilities of “obsolete” technology and how vintage gear can still inspire new creative workflows.

Gear Used:

Alesis D4 Drum Module
Arturia DrumBrute Impact
iConnectivity MioXL MIDI Interface