Make Noise 0-COAST Semi-modular Analog Desktop Synthesizer Reviews

With the 0-Control and Strega, a Korg SQ-1 and 30 patch cables, I'm having a blast!!
Thank you Make Noise and Phil Potts!!

For a long time it was one of the things I wanted to buy
and I always rejected it
because I bought other equipment for the studio
And all the time I thought :
to buy ,or not to buy ...
and so the time passed
  Until I decided to buy this weird synth
  And what I think about it is this:
Wow!! Amazing
  How I did not buy it before that
It sucked me into a world that produces psychedelic sounds quickly
  And that's what I like when I create music in the studio
Warmly recommend to everyone

Sweetwater :
great product and great service .
Very professional people ,
For always giving me great service ,
Thank you

I did a lot research before selecting this unit as my first dive into euro rack. I must say I"m not disappointed with my purchase. It is easy to use and the support and documentation for it are in great abundance. I"m well on my way to creating some very unique and interesting sounds for my music.

The product itself feels great. It has a nice sound, and it"s a great introduction into patching if you read the manual. The front panel isn"t too intuitive at first with the lettering. But it"s worth the patience. It"s fun to explore new sounds with and has encouraged me to delve into Eurorack!

This is the cheapest way to that buchla kind of sound! Really a beautiful sounding analog synth. Because of the nature of the sound design and engine, it sounds nothing like my subtractive analog synths.

For those out there who don't have modular synthesis in your arsenal and are considering the 0-coast it may seem daunting not knowing jack about how it works, but if you've played synths for any length of time then you know discovery is part of the fun. And that is what I would say about the 0-coast. I've been a hobby level synth lover swapping synths/gear and surfing the net for the most fitting setup for myself for about 5yrs. I've always considered myself the 'space cadet' and of all the hardware synths I've played over the years, aside from going into a fully modular set up comparing the 0-coast to the rest of the major offerings of other companies in the 'semi-modular' synths, hands down you will NOT find anything like the 0-coast for range, originality, and FUN! I've demoed the MS-20 mini and the Mother 32. Aside from the many other… semi's from other modular synth companies they all typically have subtractive synthesis and FM- frequency modulation synthesis on board.

This uses additive, FM, mild subtractive, and it's randomizing generator along with the amazing flexibility of the SLOPE generator/LFO which allows you to basically have a variable LFO waveform that can be traditional triangle, ramp, and pulse, but also everything in between, from plucky strings, to warped floppy weirdness, and insanely above and beyond cycle/repeat rate. As others have said this synth produces some weird other worldy like tones, but don't be doubtful about it being a formidable analog mono synth that gives you gorgeous, beefy bass (equal to or greater than a moog, I have a sub phatty so I'm not hyping at all, it's deep!), as well as leads, pads, and of course this is THE DRONE machine.

Those features alone set it far apart from the MS-20 mini and the Mother 32 in my opinion. So if your looking to find a whole new realm of exploration in sound this will not disappoint.

And when I said this synth is FUN, it is addictively fun! It might look like a little wafer, but the build quality is top notch, the panel artistry and the flickering LED's just make me want to touch it, stare at it, and listen to whatever I'm squeezing out of it that much more. I've played a lot of synths. And patch memory became an important factor for me b/c my job takes up a lot of my time, but I have the sub phatty for patch memory and the 0-coast is just a maze of sound that I go running through with my imagination, not that the moog isn't inspiring and fun, but for me, no other synth has hooked me like the 0-coast.

The features at this price is really a steal. If you calculated the cost of building this with the make noise modules incorporated in this synth, you'd easily reach 7-800 or more. Though it is a single VCO - Oscillator, with the balance knob between the fundamental and the overturn/additive harmonics you can balance it to sound like 2 tones playing seperately (paraphonicly), and then once you stumble into the modulations you can really perform with the controls and get some quick changes on the fly to sound like a few parts going at once, quite easily. Or you can just patch in another oscillator/synth. Plus you get an arpegiator that with the latch function basically works like a step sequencer, and you can run parallel sequences into it's 2 midi channels.

The only drawback I've had in this synth is the program menu. It's not terrible, but it's kind of off putting as I don't think the instructional videos really do a clear job of demonstrating the navigation so your not always certain as to whether your getting where you want within the menu settings. I had to fiddle for a few minutes just trying to toggle the latch function of the arpeggiator to get it to be set to ON. It's not hard to navigate once you know how to access the menu, but you'll need the manual to know what's what and to familiarize yourself with how it works so you know your making the changes you want to the settings. But even with that being said it didn't make me hesitate to re-aquire it when I had the chance.

So if your looking to find a great exploratory synth to add to your set up, aside from building a west coast style modular that will easily run up to or past 1,000.00 I doubt your going to find another like the 0-coast. The MS-20 was one I used to consider would be a great wild and out there synth, but for me the 0-coast takes it to a whole new dimension, and I'm sure it would take any other semi-modular out there too once you get them patched together.

I wanted to get into the world of modular and Eurorack without breaking the bank or spiking my power bill. This baby is amazing! Light, small and packed with all kinds of rich sonic ideas. It is easy to patch and learn and has a different way with west coast synthesis versus the east coast style of subtractive synthesis which is lots of fun to experiment and try out.

Plus it has MIDI and CV so you can hook it up to a computer and record. I use my Elektron Octatrack to sample and control it without issues. As a synth nut, this is my favorite new gear this year. I love my Moog but this has a different take and fun to try new tunes with.

I wanted to explore the world of modular synthesis without spending a fortune on a full Eurorack system. After wanting something different than the standard Mother 32, I decided to try this one and love it! It is quirky and not like most synths with odd names for the different synthesizer functions. Fortunately the manual is quite good and great at learning quickly. I was able to create dozens of new sounds with just a few basic patches and then sequence/sample from the Elektron Octatrack for future playback. The small size and quality build is amazing.

This No-coast Is far out!! The Krell patch alone was worth obtaining this solidly built, robust, and versatile sound machine from MakeNoise. The music of the ancient Krell has brought me inspiration and understanding of music I never heard before and have yet to hear. So far, I"ve incorporated it with the Moog werkstatt with patch bay and have only begun to completely explore the sonic possibilities. As always, kudos to Sales Engineer Randy Akins and Sweetwater team for providing consistent, outstanding service every time!

I got this the other day and man I am totally amazed at this synth well built sounds totally Alien that's what I want.I used alot of synths in my time when I got started but this one and my Moog mother 32 synth are my favorite by far I will be CV both of them together to get more Alien sounds out of them awesome thanks to Sweetwater for fast delivery until next time it's a must buy synth Alien3000

The build quality is great, it's a solid metal thing. The knobs feel good, not fiddly at all like some other small synths.

As someone who's primarily used subtractive synths, both hardware and VST, this is an awesome way to get your feet wet with semi-modular without buying any Eurorack stuff. It's hard to say why but the sounds it makes just feel really ALIVE, sometimes almost ALIEN! Cool synth, and finding patches online and recreating them from pictures is a special kind of old-school fun.

I've owned more than a dozen synths over the years, and this is the first non subtractive synth I'd ever played. semi-modular, but very intuitive once you get deeper into it. Makes sounds like a Buchla (think sixties weird modular synth noises) very well. I plan to cv it to Mother 32 for a small but very powerful modular system. Very highly recommended.

This little box changed my life. It introduced me to the sonic possibilities of modular synthesis as well as the joy of experimentation that modular synthesis offers. I haven't looked back. This is a great place to start for anyone who is interested in eurorack and a powerful component of your system if you decide to take it further. Just buy it.

Great little unit! Fantastic sounds and tons of possibilities! Great to expand your setup or to get started with your first modular! This with the Maths module by Make Noise will keep you busy for hours.

1. Amazing out of this world sounds
2. Semi-modular
3. Comes with its own power cord holy cow!
4. Fun to play with

I won't lie this device won't be for everyone. Its odd, it makes weird noises, and its interface is like an alien language. However I believe this is exactly what Make Noise was going for. If you are looking for more great experimental sounds then the Make Noise O-COAST is for you!

This is a well-made and sophisticated synth. There is a lot of thinking and originality here. It is really state-of-the art in terms of design and implementation.

Having said all that, this guy is more of an experimental sound machine than a playable synth to hook up for making what would typically be called "music" as opposed to soundscapes, noise, "ambient", drones, etc. Patch cables and knobs settings cannot be saved and then recalled from the keyboard, nature of the beast for analog synths. Just look at some utube vids about this thing before you buy to see what you are getting. There are many tutorials out there on the web and the ones by MakeNoise are particularly good, probably the best synth tuts I have seen.