If we used sampled violin sounds or piano sounds, that would just be copying a piano and not making a new instrument. “Our first rule was to definitely not use PCM sounds. “Instead of jumping straight to the brand new instrument, we wanted to start with synthesizers and go from there”, he expanded. That’s why we started Sonicware, to invent a brand new instrument.” “In our opinion, there haven’t really been any brand new instrument inventions used around the world since the birth of the synthesizer”, said Dr Endo. They also wanted to take their time, with their stated goal being to create a brand new instrument that no one had ever seen before. Until the release of the ELZ_1 in 2019, the company cut its teeth writing code for other manufacturers. Dr Yu Endo A Brand New Instrumentīefore we go any further with the Liven though, we should back up and talk about the ELZ-1, as that’s where this story really begins.Īlthough founded in 2004, Sonicware didn’t develop its first synthesizer until it had already been in business for a full decade and a half. In our opinion, there haven’t really been any brand new instrument inventions used around the world since the birth of the synthesizer. Founder and CEO Dr Yu Endo granted us a behind-the-scenes look. We wanted to find out how their latest, the performance-based Liven 8 bit warps, came to be. We ourselves were curious about this process so we got in touch with Sonicware, a boutique synthesizer company based in Tokyo, Japan. What really does go into the making of a synthesizer from scratch? Bar a few in-progress updates from social-media-savvy manufacturers, the actual day-to-day of synthesizer creation remains a mystery. What of the creation process? For most of us end-consumers, our relationship with these instruments begins when the box opens. That a mass-produced product could inspire so much creativity, so much joy, is testament to the amount of work that must have gone into its creation. We adore them so much, even the act of unboxing has become a ritualised event. It’s a modern marvel of engineering, science and-depending on your understanding of electronics-perhaps even magic. Your new synthesizer arrives, fully formed and ready to be played. We talked with Japanese boutique instrument company Sonicware about the process behind the making of their new synthesizer, Liven 8bit warps. Creating a new synthesizer is a long journey full of challenges, deadlines and pressures.

Scratch sonic engine