Sound Byte Labs
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mskiles.com
Sound Byte Labs
@mskiles.com
Engineer. Artist. Dog dad. I love all things music and circuits! I keep it positive.
After 10 long years I finally have a new electric guitar! Naturally had to lay down a modular + electric track 🕺🎹🎸

EP-40 Riddim on drums
Rings>Beads>Morphagene on modular
Electric guitar on electric guitar

on.soundcloud.com/qJT62fGJbPvG...
Brain Invaders demo
11/23 nite cut
soundcloud.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:51 PM
MIDI makes me grouchy, but mostly because of the historical 8 bit-ness of it. I also think it's too tied to western keyboard conventions, but mostly everything has decent fixes or workarounds these days.

I'm having a lot of fun controlling the 0-Coast with a combo of MIDI and CV! #modular #synthsky
November 19, 2025 at 3:44 PM
In the AI era, I keep coming back to books. You don't gain book-level knowledge without processing a book's worth of information!

It's nice to outsource some cognitive load (full disclosure: I use Claude Code often). But you can't outsource actual learning and understanding. Keep reading, kids!
November 19, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Okay, the EP-40 Riddim is just straight up fun! 🕺🎹 It has some really nice upgrades over the KO 2, although I wonder if some will trickle down. I love the new synth engines and the improved looper!

Btw this was my "portable" set up down at my parents' farm 🤣 #modular #synthsky #teenageengineering
November 18, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Trying to run 3 sound sources from the same pitch signal is non-trivial in modular! 😱 I can tune them all to the same root, but they scale all wrong. Maths to the rescue? #modular #synthsky #makenoise
November 11, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Modular synths are not for everyone, but they are definitely for me! I absolutely love patching this thing from scratch 🤓

Other signs you might love modular include thinking:
- You would rather die than use presets
- Money isn't real
- 12TET is a prison for your boundless creativity

#synthsky
November 3, 2025 at 4:48 PM
I really appreciate how Nintendo has stuck to certain core design values like replay-ability. I love that my mom can still get dozens or hundreds of hours out of a new Mario or Donkey Kong game. That's really special ❤️
November 1, 2025 at 8:16 PM
I've had a K.O. II since shortly after release and not only have they addressed almost all the shortcomings since release, it's just downright one of my favorite instruments to play! It's my go-to drum machine, idea sketch pad, and messing around toy. Sequencing MIDI with it is next level! 😎🕺
October 31, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Between Ableton and Reaper, I've found a set up for sample chopping, layering, and bouncing that I really like! Reaper is nice and fast for those tasks and I'm able to keep my Ableton arrangement view clean and focused on the song. It's also great for marking wav files and exporting for Morphagene!
October 26, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Help I blew up my Ableton project and my last backup is too old 😱 All because I got greedy and wanted to try a different compressor plugin... #synthsky #dawlife #avarice
October 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I'll be honest, I chose Ableton like 10 years ago because that's what Flying Lotus uses. I still have no regrets! It's been perfect for every stage of my evolution, from recording pocket operators straight into arrangement view to the complex routes and racks I use now 🤓🎹 It's honestly the closest..
October 20, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Putting FX on the Return tracks in Ableton is another easy level up! I was using insert FX on individual tracks and it created a lot of mud. Having your synths share a reverb helps them feel like they share a space and reduces unwanted noise and harmonic interaction 🤓
October 18, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Why do I need every granular synthesizer ever made? Intellijel Multigrain got my mouth watering lately 🤤 #synthsky
October 18, 2025 at 2:15 AM
It's interesting when you start making art with an audience in mind. I've always just made stuff for me and not really shared it, but working on an EP now it feels important to wrestle with a few questions about intention and messaging! 🤔 This is mostly good news for my friends & family who want
October 17, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Now I know what was missing from my mixes. It was glue! #synthsky
October 17, 2025 at 3:23 PM
I spent 3 days of free time setting up this patch 😱 It was so satisfying finally laying down some takes of the idea I had rattling around my head! #synthsky #modular
October 16, 2025 at 10:01 PM
I'm gonna be honest I mostly ignored compression FX until now 😱I come from an acoustic guitar background so my first instinct is to control the dynamics at performance time. But it really does help your mixes when used tastefully! #synthsky #dawlife
October 16, 2025 at 3:54 PM
on.soundcloud.com/b7hFpNPh05LM...

Never forget your roots or the ones who shaped who you've become 💕
Wish You Were Here
From guitar practice 10/04/2025
soundcloud.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Seriously though, I'll always have a special place in my heart for teenage engineering! Music can be a really joyful thing and their instruments let you channel that so easily. What other instrument can make you laugh out loud like the cow effect on OP-1 while still having real depth? #synthsky
October 14, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Life is full of inflection points. In hindsight, getting a pocket operator was definitely one of mine 🤣 #synthsky #gatewaydrug
October 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
youtu.be/i4Ni-HsWldg?...

Needed inspiration for how to layer acoustic guitar with harmonically dense synthesizer sounds. How could I forget this one!
Cloudburst Flight
YouTube video by Tangerine Dream - Topic
youtu.be
October 14, 2025 at 4:50 AM
On analog vs. digital synths I found early on in the development process that there is no fully digital synth. You need knowledge of analog circuits to properly scale signal gain in both domains, for example. Not to mention power circuits, CV and audio pre-A/D and post-D/A! #synthsky #diy
October 13, 2025 at 1:14 AM
My favorite synths tend to combine analog and digital in unique ways. "Digital control, analog soul" as I've heard it. Brands like Make Noise, ALM, @intellijel.com, Mutable Instruments and so on! To me, #eurorack has a thriving hybrid scene and that's why all the best new instruments are there!
October 13, 2025 at 1:03 AM
I really want to find a fully digital synth (not just a module) that I love but I haven't yet. I like Pigments as far as VSTs go, but for hardware I just haven't found one I enjoy programming 🤷‍♂️ The Hydrasynth gets hyped for its programming flow but I still find it more difficult than analog...
October 13, 2025 at 12:56 AM