This is the moment we've been waiting for - Nick to review the first synth by the PWM company. :D

@mima85

Жыл бұрын

5:05 is the time :-D

Well I wouldn't have thought that a new 2 osc semi-modular subtractive synth in 2022 could sound very interesting but this is actually pretty cool

Great review! Ordered mine a few days ago. Can't wait to get my hands on it and plugged into my setup!

Finally, someone displays the sound this thing really excels out. Knew I wanted one before but this sealed the deal. nice work

Was hoping this synth would end up in your review studio! I have a bunch of monosynths already, but this one just sounds so good to my ears I had to add it to my wishlist.

0:52 "How could I not review something that is made by somebody called PWM" 🤣🤣🤣 Embracing the meme 🤣🤣🤣

Have had my eye on this, I think one is inevitable. Would definitely make a great stage synth for the kind of dark industrial nonsense those of us weened on Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, Coil and the like could really sink our mandibles into. This thing running through a plasma pedal would probably summon demons.

@Kkidzz

Жыл бұрын

Nah......would just make it easier to remove cement foundations for new construction.

@trannusaran6164

Жыл бұрын

Gotta give one to Black Dresses

The mark of a good synth is in these little sweet spots and this one has it , that arp/clocked patch at min 21 is just stellar

Some of my favourite Nick words/phrases - "Noodling" and "sing song harmonics". Another great review!

Thank you for the lovely review. Always appreciate the Singsong Filter Harmonic check which, along with the PWM aspect, should always be part of any synth walkthrough. Those two and the Melancholic Lead With Glide thing. Cheers!

This synth is really inspiring. Sounds so rad!!

very interesting sounding synth! there is something about the tonal character and response of the envelopes that makes me think of a saxophone...a very distorted saxophone!

Nice to see you do this one. One of the more plain uninspiring looking synths but it sure sounds good. It is nice though not to have screens. It is what it is and I like it. If I needed a synth, sure I'd buy it. : )

Has been on my wish list for a while. Sound is certainly up my alley.

Great demo Nick, cheers mate , love this dark vibe ! I want one 😁 Soon as !

Great demo. Some really cool patches.

Great video as always - seems good quality and I'm sure you can get some slightly different sounds out of it, the question is how different it would be to any monophonic and mono through a pedal. I agree with you about the joystick function, but it already has a better performance section better than the many monophonic/mono options available. From a creative standpoint, saving patches is a big deal, and that's obviously impossible in the cable-patch territory. I agree with knob sensitivity vs. range, another creativity point. I see this as a legit first analog for anyone, and a good product overall. A big market for these is bass, and it would be great with an exploration of how much variety, punch, and growl it offers! Another market is "new analog poly, any new analog poly!" - obviously the price would be much higher with 4x, 6x, 8x the voice chips, but the keys could be removed and if it happens it could probably attract some ppl who've look at yeah, Boutique and DeepMind but not pulled the trigger even at a higher price.

Low & growly does it for me. I wasn't too keen on the mini keys but you've sold it to me Nick. I'm sure this would go well as the centre of a small modular set up for gigging, paired with a Niftycase or two? Nice & nice video too.

At first i was not sure about this little synth. But actually it delivers some rather unique & powerful nuances in the overcrowded mono-world!

Love the design, and I’ve liked the sounds I’ve heard from it every time I’ve watched a video. The looks almost remind me of old Yamaha gear.

@MattGreerMusic

Жыл бұрын

Definitely some early CS-05/10/15 influence in the look of it.

Nice! That drive feature pushes the sound into contrabassoon territory :D

Pre ordered one when they were first announced. It gets a regular work out and often mixed with my collection of semi/modular.

I wonder if they'll consider selling the OSC as a separate module at some point, really great with the folding/moving tones

Brash and Beautiful! Lovely.

@PWMaarten

Жыл бұрын

I agree but the layout of the front panel upsets me to no end. The volume knobs for the VCO’s are not in the mixer section and what is that filter section about? Design wise that really upsets me, irrational but still.

This 360p presentation brings the right retro-feeling to the table. Let's all party like it's 1999!

@Psychlist1972

Жыл бұрын

Cost of being an early viewer. :)

its like a pro one and ms20 had a baby with a polivoks midwife

This thing sounds really damn good.

😀👍 Nice video! You can tame it a bit if you get both OSC levels under 50%, but why would we want to do that? Love the bass and drive!

Oooooh, what a nasty little beastie this is! Thank you for the review, Nick.

I'd wager a guess that they'd probably make a rack that clips onto the sides so you could use the Malevolent with external modules.

I have the Malevolent, and its a real beast. Very good for Industrial Techno I think. What I like is the intention of the makers to create a unique sounding machine you have to control.

reminds me of an analog mono Venom. I was just watching the Friday Fun Venom / Hypnosis video just recently in fact haha, good stuff. Sounds unique and massive, I like it.

Love mine! The name Malevolent is very apt.

Okay, so regarding the keyboard scaling function.....how far does it go? Like...does it go to 1.5x so you can play Bohlen-Pierce stuff?

Their website lists all sorts of places as dealers, but none of them have the Malevolent listed, so no idea what the US price will be. This reminds me a bit of what an MS-20 would be like if it got even nastier.

@RJJNY

Жыл бұрын

Listed at $422 at Thomann, close to $500 when you add shipping to the US

This thing oozes character and chewiness. I don't get the mini-keys, though. Will there be a module version?

Hell yes, just a nice, regular analog synth! Haven't seen one in a while. Interesting you tuned it down a 5th?

The perfect synth for my Add N to X covers band

Sold. No MS series or Brute series in the studio and this seems to be everything i loved about the go bass station and then some. All that drive too. Oof.

It's like the Microbrute and the Grandmother had a baby... but in a good way.

Great sounding synth! I like the simplicity and narstiness. What an edge! Was thinking about getting a Grandmother to go with my DFAM and Subharmonicon. But I think this is going to suit me much better.

@alphanumeric1529

Жыл бұрын

I'm a Grandmother Lover. It is the Ark of my Covenant with Music. And, I of course, like we all are, was thinking of the Gma's sound, functionality and nature compared to the Malevolent's... and they really do overlap in many areas, perhaps more theoretically, or on paper though. The Gma's modularity is perhaps overstated, or under-realized, there is not that much that you can really get up to patching the Gma. Don't get me wrong, it opens several doors, and I certainly haven't exhausted all of the patching capabilities, I hope... but I desperately would like to modulate aspects of the Gma that I cannot. I'd contrast that with the Malevolent... it seems like you can get up to much more trickery patching the Malevolent than the Grandmother. Perhaps due to the VCO's awesome capabilities. Sounds like you can create a lot of movement by modulating aspects of the Malevolent's VCO's. And beyond that, as Nick demonstrated here, there seems to be more patching capability... and I"m not talking about comparing the sum of the Gma's patch points versus the sum of the Malevolent's... I'm suggesting that the Malevolent's patch points allow for the creation of more movement, rhythmic variability in its sound versus the Gma, which again, I'm a Gma Lover, owned it for 4 years now and I'm still head over heals in love with her. But, I call 'em like I see 'em. In this regard, I'm strongly drawn to the Malevolent. Now, how about the raw sound of the Moog Grandmother versus the PWM Malevolent... I think of the Grandmother as being Very powerful. I compare it to an American Muscle Car of the late 60's or 70's. Just raw, throaty, testosteronized POWER. Of course, that Grandmother has range, and she can sparkle and shine too... I think many people think of the Moog sound in general and the Grandmother in particular as a bassline synth, and she excels there, trust me. But she can produce wicked, scathing leads too, as well as angelic chimeyness. And this is where there is a departure between the two synths, imo, after watching only a few demos of the Malevolent, never having played it... Seems like the Malevolent does that malevolent sound, that super aggressive, sloppy, wild, unrestrained grunting, or that rusty, serrated lead sound that you don't want to be killed by (ask me how I know that). BUT, as Nick intimates here, it seems like the Malevolent is stuck on Tazmanian Devil mode, which granted, is HIGHLY attractive, fertile, and broad. BUT, I really wish it had the capability to clean up, as the capabilities of the VCO are awesome, and I'd love to be able to hear some of that without it all being lopped off and ground down by excessive gain into clipping stages.... But still, even as it is, I'm strongly attracted to the Malevolent. But I, too, have too many monosynths... and my 80's poly synths are causing me a lot of trouble right now, both in their inherent limitations, and in their need of costly maintenance... so I'm strongly looking at a contemporary analog poly, and with the analog poly things that Behringer is doing... I might have to go that way. But a couple other potentially major considerations in this comparison... Moog is premium, and the value of this cannot be understated. It's keybed is very nice, I don't know its origin, oem or made by Moog, I don't know, but it is premium. My master controller keyboard is an MPK49, and its keybed is okay, it isn't faulty or anything... but I literally write and play better on the Grandmother's keys. It's funny, I'll write something on the Gma's keys, then go to record it with the MPK, and I can not get that english, that ineffable, subtle little flavor that makes a line really special versus just an okay line with the MPK. This premiumness extends to everything in the Grandmother, and its value cannot be understated. And I'm poor beyond most people's comprehension. I have no income, let alone disposable income. Bought the Gma on 4 years of no interest credit, only way I could barely afford it. So, I'm extremely sensitive to pricing issues... I'm not like, "Eat all the cake you can." But I really value the Gma's sound, capabilites and FEEL, the way I interact with it. The feel charms you, seduces you, gets you into that zotted musical flow, where you vibe with the instrument because it is responding with subtleties in sound to the subtleties of your touch. Vibey man! Contrasting that with the Malevolent, it looks like it was built to a price, to really bring the price down to make it competitive in a crowded analog mono market. Which I appreciate, again, I'm super sensitive to pricing. But it LOOKS only, I've never hands on'ed this synth, but it looks Behringery, cheaper plastic, pots, keys for sure... which again, if it is all you can afford, it is a blessing that you can achieve ownership of the instrument. But still, questions of longevity, and tactile vibeyness, that for the eighth time, cannot be understated... And I mention this only in the context of the comparison of the Moog Grandmother Versus the PWM Malevolent, I think this point of distinction would disappear against other synths in the non-premium market. And one final question that haunts me, and Nick intimates this as well in his review. Nick says, "It's like you have a Boss Distortion [or did he say "Overdrive"?] pedal in the synth... which begs the question, can you simply insert a guitar pedal into the input or somewhere else within the signal chain to achieve this level of distorted aggressiveness of sound? I haven't experimented with overdrive, distortion, or fuzz on the Grandmother, I've been really happy with simply overdriving the mixer module within the Grandmother, which is quite easy to do, as noon on the osc volume is max before overdriving, so everything after noon overdrives, creating harmonics/distortion... but still, I haven't heard the Grandmother just by herself get anywhere near the territory of sonic smushing as the Malevolent. But, I'm going to just try some fuzz's on the Grandmother's output to see what I get... something I've been meaning to do, but have been so busy with my music time.. so much work to do. But even assuming you could get that gnarly distorted sound out of the Grandmother with an overdrive, distortion or fuzz pedal, and I'm sure you can get amazing sounds that way, the waveshaping, or whatever it is, of the Malevolent's VCOs is very valuable and totally unmatched with the Grandmother, it is awesome, really creates movement, and musical movement at that, of the sound. And an add on to this point is the rest of the patching capabilities within the Malevolent are not to be found on the Grandmother. So, there's that...

@nezmirage9565

Жыл бұрын

@@alphanumeric1529 That's quite the dissertation lol. Simply put, the Malevolent is a better sound, price and footprint for me. Also, I wouldn't consider any of the Moog semi-modulars "premium". There's loads of complaints out there about build quality and technical issues. They are on the budget end of Moog synths, and not up to par with some of their classic builds-which even those are fielding bad reviews for build quality the last few years. So, to be fair, "premium" is not a criteria for making a decision on this. Infact, I've just sold my DFAM and Subharmonicon and will be getting the Behringer clones instead :D.

@untml

Ай бұрын

@@nezmirage9565 Technical issues doesn't mean that a product is not high quality.

@nezmirage9565

Ай бұрын

@@untml I didn't say anything about technical issues 🤷🏼‍♂️

@untml

28 күн бұрын

@@nezmirage9565 true :)

Grit and gurth, massive abilities for the buck. Been eying this for a while!

Wow this little instrument oozes speaker busting filth. Great feature set. Hats off to PWM really has its own character 👏 👍 👌 🙌

@craigmoran893

Жыл бұрын

"speaker busting filth" 🤘

Ah.. I'm glad that my own 30+yrs of synthesis, intuitively clicked... I was feeling the vibe of something better, but similar sounding to the Korg ms-20 here??? Then 20sec later u mentioned the type of vcf in it. I had a mini ms-20 for a while & would patch it to feedback on itself to sound like this thing. This seems like the more practical but dirtier alternative of a modern age ms-20 imo. Good rrp for a good semi-modular synth in post covid retail times too. Thanx for the reviews, u know ya s@#t & get on with it during the demo's. Loves his PWM too... lol

Great!

Quite nice

Almost sounds like it's going through a guitar amp, - I like it.

Still trying to work out how the hell to get one in Australia when they don't sell direct on line..? I've sent emails but still nothing so far..?

@clazza65

Жыл бұрын

We can only hope and wait.

@EarlyMist

Жыл бұрын

I wonder if Awave/Audio Chocolate in Melbourne will get onto it?

Wow 😯 the only synth I can think sounds similar to this is the Polivolks

Ordered mine last night. This will be my first semi modular. I’m scared and giddy. Buyer validation here but I think this will be to industrial what the strat was to the blues. Soo dark sounding.

Oooh that's got some cronch, I love it!

Good sounds and retro but why these puppet mini keys. I don’t get it.

What an awesome sound! Great to see folk being innovative.

Yeah....this Monster keeps reminding me of how the MS20 sounds

I think I remember seeing a rack adapter in Superbooth footage that was made to install some eurorack modules.

@Wagoo

Жыл бұрын

I don't think so, this would be an instabuy if there was a rack version available

@northerncatto

Жыл бұрын

@@Wagoo sorry, my comment wasn’t clear, I meant you could replace the magnetic ends of the synth with an accessory that gave you the width of the synth in HP, to install modules hanging behind the synth.

@Wagoo

Жыл бұрын

Ah, gotcha 👍

It's nice to see that Nick embraces the teasing. But seriously, I personally wouldn't want a synth that can't do pwm well.

monster of a solo synth don’t mind the mini keys on a mono synth plus given the hole unorthodox sound

Also I'd just like to say that Strict Machine is about the baddest electronic tune there ever was. Kudos to whatever your involvement was, if any.

0:52 He said what I came to say right off the Batt! Hahahahaha 🤣

I was looking for the Leipzig.. Driving to my home with a PWM for half the price ☺️

Sounds old school as hell. In a good way of course.

I'm a Grandmother Lover. It is the Ark of my Covenant with Music. And, I of course, like we all are, was thinking of the Gma's sound, functionality and nature compared to the Malevolent's... and they really do overlap in many areas, perhaps more theoretically, or on paper though. The Gma's modularity is perhaps overstated, or under-realized, there is not that much that you can really get up to patching the Gma. Don't get me wrong, it opens several doors, and I certainly haven't exhausted all of the patching capabilities, I hope... but I desperately would like to modulate aspects of the Gma that I cannot. I'd contrast that with the Malevolent... it seems like you can get up to much more trickery patching the Malevolent than the Grandmother. Perhaps due to the VCO's awesome capabilities. Sounds like you can create a lot of movement by modulating aspects of the Malevolent's VCO's. And beyond that, as Nick demonstrated here, there seems to be more patching capability... and I"m not talking about comparing the sum of the Gma's patch points versus the sum of the Malevolent's... I'm suggesting that the Malevolent's patch points allow for the creation of more movement, rhythmic variability in its sound versus the Gma, which again, I'm a Gma Lover, owned it for 4 years now and I'm still head over heals in love with her. But, I call 'em like I see 'em. In this regard, I'm strongly drawn to the Malevolent. Now, how about the raw sound of the Moog Grandmother versus the PWM Malevolent... I think of the Grandmother as being Very powerful. I compare it to an American Muscle Car of the late 60's or 70's. Just raw, throaty, testosteronized POWER. Of course, that Grandmother has range, and she can sparkle and shine too... I think many people think of the Moog sound in general and the Grandmother in particular as a bassline synth, and she excels there, trust me. But she can produce wicked, scathing leads too, as well as angelic chimeyness. And this is where there is a departure between the two synths, imo, after watching only a few demos of the Malevolent, never having played it... Seems like the Malevolent does that malevolent sound, that super aggressive, sloppy, wild, unrestrained grunting, or that rusty, serrated lead sound that you don't want to be killed by (ask me how I know that). BUT, as Nick intimates here, it seems like the Malevolent is stuck on Tazmanian Devil mode, which granted, is HIGHLY attractive, fertile, and broad. BUT, I really wish it had the capability to clean up, as the capabilities of the VCO are awesome, and I'd love to be able to hear some of that without it all being lopped off and ground down by excessive gain into clipping stages.... But still, even as it is, I'm strongly attracted to the Malevolent. But I, too, have too many monosynths... and my 80's poly synths are causing me a lot of trouble right now, both in their inherent limitations, and in their need of costly maintenance... so I'm strongly looking at a contemporary analog poly, and with the analog poly things that Behringer is doing... I might have to go that way. But a couple other potentially major considerations in this comparison... Moog is premium, and the value of this cannot be understated. It's keybed is very nice, I don't know its origin, oem or made by Moog, I don't know, but it is premium. My master controller keyboard is an MPK49, and its keybed is okay, it isn't faulty or anything... but I literally write and play better on the Grandmother's keys. It's funny, I'll write something on the Gma's keys, then go to record it with the MPK, and I can not get that english, that ineffable, subtle little flavor that makes a line really special versus just an okay line with the MPK. This premiumness extends to everything in the Grandmother, and its value cannot be understated. And I'm poor beyond most people's comprehension. I have no income, let alone disposable income. Bought the Gma on 4 years of no interest credit, only way I could barely afford it. So, I'm extremely sensitive to pricing issues... I'm not like, "Eat all the cake you can." But I really value the Gma's sound, capabilites and FEEL, the way I interact with it. The feel charms you, seduces you, gets you into that zotted musical flow, where you vibe with the instrument because it is responding with subtleties in sound to the subtleties of your touch. Vibey man! Contrasting that with the Malevolent, it looks like it was built to a price, to really bring the price down to make it competitive in a crowded analog mono market. Which I appreciate, again, I'm super sensitive to pricing. But it LOOKS only, I've never hands on'ed this synth, but it looks Behringery, cheaper plastic, pots, keys for sure... which again, if it is all you can afford, it is a blessing that you can achieve ownership of the instrument. But still, questions of longevity, and tactile vibeyness, that for the eighth time, cannot be understated... And I mention this only in the context of the comparison of the Moog Grandmother Versus the PWM Malevolent, I think this point of distinction would disappear against other synths in the non-premium market. And one final question that haunts me, and Nick intimates this as well in his review. Nick says, "It's like you have a Boss Distortion [or did he say "Overdrive"?] pedal in the synth... which begs the question, can you simply insert a guitar pedal into the input or somewhere else within the signal chain to achieve this level of distorted aggressiveness of sound? I haven't experimented with overdrive, distortion, or fuzz on the Grandmother, I've been really happy with simply overdriving the mixer module within the Grandmother, which is quite easy to do, as noon on the osc volume is max before overdriving, so everything after noon overdrives, creating harmonics/distortion... but still, I haven't heard the Grandmother just by herself get anywhere near the territory of sonic smushing as the Malevolent. But, I'm going to just try some fuzz's on the Grandmother's output to see what I get... something I've been meaning to do, but have been so busy with my music time.. so much work to do. But even assuming you could get that gnarly distorted sound out of the Grandmother with an overdrive, distortion or fuzz pedal, and I'm sure you can get amazing sounds that way, the waveshaping, or whatever it is, of the Malevolent's VCOs is very valuable and totally unmatched with the Grandmother, it is awesome, really creates movement, and musical movement at that, of the sound. And an add on to this point is the rest of the patching capabilities within the Malevolent are not to be found on the Grandmother. So, there's that...

@Soul_Equaliser

Ай бұрын

Thanks for writing all that. Was good to read your opinions and reflections of your experience with GMA in regards to hearing the Malevolent sounds. 😊

It definitely sounds like a Future Sound Systems module. Hot and smudgy. Sallen Key vcf is a good fit. Something about its design reminds me of Newports. Replaceable cheeks are an interesting idea.

Love how biting the OSCs, filter and resonance are. But mini keys? Noooooooo!!!!!!!

That's a cute lil Monster 👻

This is soooo good. Seems tailor made for ebm, industrial, harsh electro ala suicide commando, Dive, vómito negro etc. A must buy for me, even though I need another mono synth like I need a hole in the head. Thanks Sir Nick!

I think Jexus should have a go on that

I know it's not the point but wouldn't something like Serum or Massive X do this??

@untml

Ай бұрын

Simply put, no

2 hours in after posting and still stuck at 360p :/

Strange only 360p available still

@TheEstateOfHoHu

Жыл бұрын

ah, then it is not just my machine

@sonicstate

Жыл бұрын

Wierd. I'll have to upload it again if it don't work

1080p for me, looks and sounds fab

425 sounds great for the quality

Cool synth... Tuning an issue?

@TheHorseValse

Жыл бұрын

Not at all! :)

@EannaButler

Жыл бұрын

@@TheHorseValse Thanks

Clip on sides? Sign me up!

How’s the tuning stability/tracking?

@TheHorseValse

Жыл бұрын

It is tracking very well! A couple of cents of difference in 3 octaves. The stability is even better, rock solid!

Looks proper synthy.

MS 20➕MS 50をくっ付けたシンセかな⚪⭕

"A little bit of plinky plonky" lol

AH YES, YE OLDE PLINKY PLONKY.

10:10 Styrofoam sound Bass :P

Dystopian. Totaly the sound of our days...

aka, the PWM "Fartmeister"

Polivoks and Korg Sigma had a love child, and the MS-20 brought it up.

7:27 ...out of tune Star wars? =)

The question is do I sell my Werkstatt and Neutron to fund this beast?

@cnfuzz

Жыл бұрын

The neutron is a keeper , this malevolent can only sound dirty in a great way but neutron can do both

beefier than Cow, this

My goodness, that’s just pure unadulterated call-the-cops ASBO-inducing filth. Lovely! 😊

I hate when LFOs behave like that. Reminds me of the microbrute. Too cheap to invest in a nonlinear potentiometer.

I think it's broken.

360p!?

@LightBranches

Жыл бұрын

Still enjoyed the review, though...what a monstrous little synth.

@lstlvls2521

Жыл бұрын

If you watch it shortly after uploading you may only see the lower resolutions available. Takes longer for the higher resolutions to become available.

This review is way too academic. Please do yourself a favor and watch the review by “blush response” to get a better sense of what this synth can do.

@untml

Ай бұрын

I watched that review, wow it sucked, nice sounds but hearing the kid from looper say "I digg it" for 20 minutes like it would mean something. This kind of stuopid reality show (like stimming) is kinda hard to watch. This "Musicians" should keep making music instead of making videos.. Cool brah..

Not impressed. Pretty ugly sound.

@antoniocalimero1173

Жыл бұрын

No, perfect for trance and techno. Its a best buy kzread.info/dash/bejne/mJ57r8hsqZudhps.html

Boring. I'm sick and tired of 2 OSC subtractive fart! That's so 70s. I'm embracing the software synths these days with 4+ OSCs and modulations you can only dream of. I'm speaking of u-he synths mostly and they sound impeccably. If you can't do anything nice with these you are seriously lacking talent and should seek a job at the nearest burgery. People have no ears these days because their ears have been smashed by the loudness wars. They won''t notice if you made your track with a 5000 pounds gear or 1000 pounds gear. Just do it. Don't let the lack of hardware keep you from making something great. ;)

@untml

Ай бұрын

Clearly you have an interest in it, even if its the wrong one, Why else would you go to a synth-review-video comment section to complain about its existence. Are you so insecure about your use of software that you seek an audience to agree with you? Or maybe you are just too poor to buy hardware? you know you can use both... must be exciting for you.