FPSzky

I've been making music for a little over 7 years now in my spare time with FL Studio. Purchased this DAW a little over a month ago with the money i got from a side gig and i feel like i already learned how to use it really well. It's really fast and easy to make anything drum & bass related, or even hip hop beats. The only problem that i've had with it is a consequence of its interface, where it's not as easy to edit audio with, compared to something like FL Studio, which is a big deal to me since i make sounds for games and for my own use later down the road (drum one-shots, pads, etc...). And for that, it gets a 4 star from me. If extensive audio editing is not your thing, and you like the tracker workflow, then this is perfect for you. TLDR: Almost perfect, but it's only flaw is a result of it's workflow.

I bought this synth in 2023, still have it and use it quite often. The build quality is nothing special, sub par even (considering the faders dont have foam in them to protect from dust, you can quite literally see the insides of the faders from the outside). But sound-wise, its quite simple, i wouldn't say its a 1:1 copy of the sh101 since i dont have a 101 to compare it against, but i didnt buy it to fulfill 101 roles, i simply needed a subtractive synth with a keybed with full sized keys, and it fulfills that task. It's sound is warm -- mellow even, i like the FM knob, can get quite a lot of crazy and evolving sounds out of it if you use it properly in conjunction with the filter and envelope -- but dont expect mind blowing sound design, it is a 101 clone after all. The things i dislike about it is the fact it is quite noisy when you plug in the USB for xmitting midi i/o data, i often had to either EQ the noise out or record the sequence with the step record function and remove the USB cable and THEN record it. Its not TOO noisy, but it is most definetly there. Then theres the problem with the faders i mentioned, i usually keep a towel over it so that it doesnt get dusty because i'm afraid the faders will get scratchy (plus i just like protecting my gear but the faders are a real concern for me). Aslo the lack of MIDI CCs is a huge bummer, i really wish i could control the filter params and FM knob via CC. It would get a 3.5/5 star rating from me, but equipboard doesn't let you add .5 increments so 4 stars it is. TLDR: I didnt buy it for the fact its a 101 clone, was looking for a cheap monosynth and it does the job. Nothing remarkable about it. Build quality could be a little better and could have MIDI CC support but oh well...

I'm a bedroom musician that likes hardware music production (synths, samplers, etc...) i've been making music for 7 years at the time of writing this. I have sort of a love and hate relationship with this piece of kit, part of me is happy i bought it since it does have some really nice and high quality sounds, the other part of me is pissed they only gave us a 16x2 LCD the likes of which can be seen in a cheap scientific calculator and 16 buttons to tweak over 2000 parameters. I've used it in a few tracks, it can be heard doing the melodic bit on my track "FPSzky - Sublime" which is available on streaming services if you wish to hear what this synth sounds like. **Pros**: **1-** Really nice-sounding synth for how cheap you can get it for. **2-** Signature Roland sound from the 80's, similar to the sought-after Roland D-50. **3-** Uses Roland's "Linear Arithmetic" synthesis, made to compete with the DX7 and can be heard on the aforementioned D-50. **4-** Solid build quality. **5-** Multiple outputs. **Cons**: **1-** Tiny display, not appropriate given how complex this instrument is. **2-** Only 16 buttons to navigate around the UI and tweak over 2000 parameters. **3-** Frustrating to use. Gets a 3 out of 5 stars from me, it sounds great but unfortunately it its a nightmare to use, i highly recommend using a sysex editor like edisyn if you plan on buying one of these. **TLDR: Great sounds, a nightmare to program. Using a sysex editor is highly advised.**