Cobalt8 - The Digital Synth Comeback 

As the sound designer responsible for most of theose patches you played, I have to say, you absolutely NAILED Oberheist for what it was intended for. Loved it! Great video.

Knee high boots song needs to get fleshed out into a full track.

I almost fell off my chair at work laughing when you did the 90s industrial bassline! I also thought it sounded great because I unironically really dig that kind of music.

Getting thumbs up for the Trent Reznor impression alone. LOL

Fantastic review. I don't have the money, I can't play, I am old enough to start having arthritis, I can't design sounds and I don't have a studio...but now I want one. Liked and subbed. Greetz from France.

That Trent Reznor impression was pretty spot on lmao

obviously many people seek after a community rather than large following, but your channel is criminally underrated

haha, thanks for bringing back my depressed teenage years for 18 seconds - I hope my therapist is still alive

I would say that 'Digital' was never really gone, as Nord, Novation, Waldorf, and Access (Virus) were always big-iron weapons that weathered the current 'Analog renaissance'.

Huge fan of Modal now... started with the Argon8 and now have the Cobalt8. Great video by the way!

9:25 10 years ago me feels personally attacked and I am absolutely cackling 10/10 You are the best.

Wait, wait, wait, hold up. You're the Flashbulb?! Dude, I love your stuff!

Thanks for making this video, Benn! I have been excited to watch this one. Looks like this is a great value synth, and a great synth w/o the nice price point too. The industrial bit cracked me up, btw.

i got the Craft Synth 2.0 for xmas (cheers lil bro) & though it is a much, much smaller synth with smaller feature set, it has the same crazy 'feel' to it. for the price, it's an absolute weapon.

I've come to accept that I actually prefer digital. Yes, there are audible differences, but I wouldn't say it sounds worse than analog. Just different. Plus it's generally more versatile, cheaper, smaller, requires less maintenance, etc. I've been fiddling with Plaits for two years and I still use it in everything.

Good review. Had my Cobalt8m for a couple of weeks and really love it. There is a learning curve as with flexibility comes complexity, but the things you create are really useful, fun and inspiring.

Very interesting and in-depth review.Thank you!

Finally the EF 303 gets some time in the spotlight! Send that thing to Audiopilz already!

I LOVE the old school Benn and Gear jingle!

Skipped through the video, stopped by accident right at the "knee high boots" song ... brilliant! Had to hit the subscription button in an instant.

Great demo of this VA beauty. Love your channel.👌🙏

Picked this up after watching this video. Really cool unique synth. I feel calling it virtual analog is criminally underrating it’s digital palette, Modal should have called it something else like mutant subtractive synthesizer. Some really interesting timbres when you ignore the traditional waveform algorithm

Nice! The Modal sound definitely has a unique quality to it that I can't get enough of.

The industrial bit was fantastic, thank you for that gift to mankind. So I've seen a few Cobalt reviews and I didn't even know about the app, or the way the arpeggiator works! That sounds so fun. The only thing I can compare it to is how the endless sequencer works on the OP-1, but this way is more flexible.

@09:19 IDK if my goth friends will love or hate you for this but I 1000% know I ugly laughed way harder than I should have 😭😂

Bought a Cobalt8 a few weeks ago. It's knocked my aging Supernova 2 to the side with its sheer easiness to program. Done more in the first 20 mins than I can in an hour with the supernova. Its brilliant. I certainly can't tell the difference.

Yes, it does sound very good! And your demo jam is great. Thanks!

Really like the sounds especially the bass sounds you got going wit the Akai. Great review

Stumbled upon your channel after watching the Behringer vids, ended with this one, going upstairs now to play with my X, time to give it some love. Keep up the good work dude!

I’ve always loved digital synths. Been playing since the late 80s, and have always had the most fun with purely digital and hybrid stuff. The Modal stuff is amazing. Love the Argon8.

The Akai Force appearance and comments gave me a good giggle. The topic of how unfinished that product was at launch deserves its own video. At least it has a happy ending thats its starting to reach the promised launch functionality.

Haha you're funny! I like it. And I like what you made on the fly. Looks fun! Your inspiring me to get back in the studio. 👍

Excellent Thanks Benn

Wow~! Fantastic little synth! These are incredible times for synth enthusiasts. Don't care if it's analog or digital as long as it can make a ton of useful sounds ~ and it DOES! Just Wow! Great Review~!

Beautiful piece at the end!

Days after the Prolybrute arrived that your video pushed me to buy, it almost seems dangerous to watch another of your gear videos so soon. :P Awesome video, Benn.

Because of the price point and the sounds that I’ve heard even before this video (and, of course, yours) it’s already on my list. Wow!

Best demo of this synth! The AKAI song was brilliant. You should get a percentage of at least one sale because you convinced me I need this.

Came for the review, stayed for the perfect NIN impression wow :)

Couldn’t be happier; first real synth. Thanks for the recommendation

Great review, thank you.

The track you made on the the force at the end sounds so nice

OMG: three years late but the industrial snippet made coffee shoot out of my nose. Thanks for that.

I'd recommend you check out some of Modal's portable synths. I own a Skulpt and it's amazing for its price. The Craft 2.0 also looks really great for sound designing on the go. Great video by the way!

I never heard of the Music pattern generator! Thanks for THAT😮

Bsolutely luvly kick there, Benn :)

I’m a bass player primarily,but have gotten into Synth Bass. I’ve got a Monologue that I will likely sell soon, and the Cobalt8 and IK Multimedia Uno Synth Pro (keyboard models of both) are on my shortlist for a main gigging synth instrument!

Well, based on this video, I bought the 61 key Cobalt. It truly does not sound like any other synth. It has a hydrasynth kind of individuality. I promised I’d sell one of my other synths to make room for it, IF it filled gaps in my sonic panorama. I’m damn sure keeping it. My “from my dead hands” synth is my Prologue 16. combined with the cobalt and I’ve got a damn good sonic toolset! Layering them is heaven! I’ve owned a ton of synths. It’s a 12-step program knocking on my door! I must say that the Cobalt really is compelling. There’s some clunkers in the factory presets, I don’t like the preset selection UI, There’s a lot of shift function, but so what....it sounds fresh and there’s some excellent fidelity across the spectrum. And a great price to say the least. Now all I need is an akai firce and I will be complete After I buy a sequential pro 3 which will fulfill my needs till I realize I need a jd-xa......and a counselor!

The roland jp-8000/jp-8080, Access Virus, Nord Lead, roland system-1/8, Waldorf blofeld etc are all fantastic sounding digital synths. I'm sure there's more that I haven't heard.

2 years on and this review is still very helpful, decided to buy the cobalt last night.

Benn and gear is back! ❤️

Ahhh still living the industrial dream/nightmare over here. Like how 90s industrial is 9 minutes in 😂 Modal are such a good synth company, I have one of their original craft synths and it’s insane! Their analogue stuff is next level as well.

I'm never gonna recover from that NIN impression, it'll stay with me the rest of my days. Unlike my knee high black patent boots. You sir, are a treasure.

My wallet is tingling after hearing the tease on the price @4:30

Bought one a while ago, my synth of the year.

Might be a good option to buy this one. I've been interested in Modal synthesizers for a while. Synths like these are very versatile. You can make them sound just the way you like.

i've been looking for Ghosts throughout the entire Video. I think you are in the clear. 👍

You had me at 'evolver', but the industrial pseudo vocal made me laugh so damn hard, omg...

I just bought a cobalt8x to replace my AN1x. I also have a Force which I purchased 2 years ago collecting dust and barely used which I was thinking about selling. I’m having second thoughts now after seeing how you use it with the Cobalt. Would love to see more in depth videos of the Force controlling external synths if possible! Cheers!

💯🏆🔥 Case closed!! Great presentation!

The Cobalt/Force jam had me sub immediately that shit sounds crispy. kinda want one of these rn but im torn between the 8m and the 5s

Modal are really putting Bristol on the map - no wonder the city has a bigger synth scene than London. The Cobalt and Argon in particular are out there by themselves for the sounds they can make. Thanks for a great demo' Benn ! :-)

love the shirt!

Aww damn - that 90's industrial riff knocks - when you gonna put that out!

Very very nice Benn 🙏👏🕺

lol the Trent impression 😂😂👌🏼👌🏼

Thanks Man

that track at the end was so sick!

Great job keeping my interest in the demo, just enough to show that it’s a great synth that sounds good . I’ll take good sound and features over labels any day. Thanks

Recently I understood that I'm more interested in digital synths, TBH. And I'm not ashamed of it in any way. I own Craft synth 2.0 from modal and it's amazing. Microfreak is amazing. God, my Volca Drum is amazing and better than my Drumbrute impact

Instant like for the old-school jingle.

For the perspective: in my local gear shop, it costs exactly as much as Arturia V collection.

I bought my Argon8 when it was launched and have barely scratched the surface of its capabilities but your excitement about the playful sounds you generate has really got me wanting to go deeper.

Their editor is incredible. As is the synth. Peace Christo👽

Nice. I can here the tunes riffin off some of those sequence patterns. Sounds good, because it sounds different. That’s how Cobalt (Symbol: Co | Electron configuration: [Ar] 3d74s2) must sound. Co-incidental that there’s an Ar in the config, given the Argon8. Hehe. The software interface is a very strong point. p.s I owned a mono evolver once and deeply regret selling it. The poly evolver was, and is, still amazing to this day.

I’ve had the Force from day one too. It was my first foray into music production. I love it, but I do spend most of my time practicing playing the pads. I’ve always thought the Force longs for outboard gear. With the macros, the cobalt does look like a good companion with the Force. I wish I could use external synths the same way you can create a custom instrument with a Force drum track.

Especially enjoyed the NMS burn.

That is actually how you spell the word ;) The Evolver is a total beast!

I,,, I don't want to go outside,,,, hahahahaha. That was the best. It sounded digital to me through RU-vid, but I am not a digital hater. I like both. I thought it sounded great. Perfect for the hybrid studio. Hard & daw.

I don't wanna go outside : ya got me by surprise !!! exellent video !!! Great channel it seems (just discovered it ..) Something i wanna know , when you use the VST , is the VST generating sound like a regular didgital itb synth or the sound and engine comes from Cobalt and cobalt audio out is recorded ?

Was diggin the EMO track!

I'm really liking both the Argon8 and Cobalt8. Well, liking videos about them... I've got my fingers crossed for that SoundOnSound giveaway. Compared to similarly situated offerings from Korg, the mid-line Modal devices seem much broader in terms of modulation, and don't rely on forcing most everything into 16-step sequence lanes. Pairing digital with a wide range of modulation options is a sweet spot to me, and a big part of my love for the Blofeld and Ultranova, as well as the amazing open-source Surge. I've also contemplated the Hydrasynth, but prefer the aesthetic and balance of the Modal devices, plus the excellent software interface. BTW, thanks for mentioning that Euclidian sequencer app - definitely going to check that out!

Omg Knee High Boots, I'm buying this synth right now thanks byeeee.

Damn Ben, made a banger at the end, super casually @14:40

I might need one of these...I came back to check it out again..Benn reviewing gear works for me because he actually delves into gear,instead of typical jabs and stabs...

I have my eye on the Cobalt and Argon for a while now. I'll get my feet wet with hardware this year with an Arturia Microfreak and a Dreadbox Typhon for sure. The two Modal options are within the price range of a Korg Minilogue XD and when the time comes I will be drawn to the Modals I think. From what I heard they sound nice, you can adjust the drift and have some features that will go a long way. Your take on the cobalt was really refreshing and different from what i've seen so far. Thanks for that! On a side note, that industrial bit gave me as much nostalgia as laughs. :D Cheers!

Stabbing Westward must feel attacked. lol Damn this synth sounds so good!

Hey Benn i would love to see you do a video on analog FX, like Compression etc. kind regards

nice vid the Evolver has a apps well for iOS or Mac/PC made by Soundtower - good stuff, evolver is a classic as well as the PolyEvolver

Nice to see someone else appreciating the Force! Let's hope that 3.0.7 and 0.8 come soon, and that 3.1.0 will arrive in our lifetime (the 3 denotes the Force, so it is only in beta atm!). Seriously, if they keep improving it the Force will seriously live up to it's name. It is already the best "standalone" on the market, though competition is undoubtedly getting stronger (good for us consumers anyway!)

You should release that Industrial song. I must be weird, but I don't have a problem with digital, other than how to tweek them, I don't know how really. But the sound itself, if it produces the sound you are after or like, then I don't see an issue.

The industrial part was on point! XD

Are we gonna get a full video on the force then? It’s always seemed like an interesting device

that arp at 12:00 really sounds like the progression from sticky drama

Was i the only one that was DAMN on 14:40 when the bass came in?

that was cool, subbed , i think that is what they say on the internet

you really got me with those goth industrial graphics. lol

Great review and really like the jam, but regarding the filter: Nick Batt's review dives into the filter section and he demonstrates different filter types: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2j_4kBfVMOw.html - so it does seem to have more than the 4 ladder filter?! EDIT: OK, so I managed to read the actual description on Modal's website - and yes Benn is absolutely right about there only being one (modeled) filter type. It was the morphing that Nick Batt uses that gave me the impression that there are actually different filter types available... Still very nice sounding synth, and I guess the DSP nature of it could(!) make it possible to add other filter types via a software update

I have the 37-key version and I love it. It also have a couple of other synths I find I use so much less because of the arrival of the Cobalt8 - the Novation Ultranova, which shares many capabilities with the Cobalt8, and a Moog Grandmother. Yes, I am selling the Grandmother! A big call that no doubt some will argue with, but for what I create, the Cobalt8 can do it all. As for your review, I enjoyed it, except for your repeated use of “very unique” where the correct phrase might very “very rare” or “very unusual”.

What an excellent synth, it sounds really good! My guess was $700 so I wasn't too far off surprisingly.