keyboard Archives - Martin Yam Møller

Nicolas Melis – Melodicolas

1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?

One of my favorite knobs is the filter cutoff on the Moog Matriarch. There’s something incredibly satisfying about how responsive and musical it is—just turning it slightly can completely transform the mood of a sound. It’s one of those controls that feels alive under your fingers. It really connects you to the instrument, and that tactile element is a big part of why I love working with hardware.

2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?

I’d say the Sequential Prophet Rev2 is almost perfect for me. It’s incredibly versatile, sounds fantastic, and it’s become a core part of my workflow. Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything about it — it just works.

3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?

I don’t get much holiday time during the year, so when I do, I like to spend it swimming, relaxing, and enjoying good food. But if I happen to find a piano around, I’ll definitely play — can’t resist that!

4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?

One software I really wish existed as hardware is the Valhalla plugins—especially their reverbs like VintageVerb and Supermassive. They’re my favorite effects plugins, and it would be amazing if they came in a hardware pedal or rack unit form.

As for hardware that hasn’t been emulated yet, honestly, I can’t think of any off the top of my head. These days, so many classic and unique pieces have great software versions. That said, nothing quite replaces the hands-on experience and vibe of the actual hardware, so I still love both worlds.

5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?

I definitely regret selling my Sequential Pro 3. It’s an incredible synth with so much depth and character. I also regret selling my Roland Jupiter-4, which had a warm, unique sound that’s hard to find. And I have to say, I regret selling my very first synth, the Roland Super JX10 — it was special as my entry point into synthesis.
As for regretting buying, nothing really stands out. Every piece of gear I’ve invested in has brought value in some way.

6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?

The Sequential Prophet Rev2 has been a huge source of inspiration for me. Its rich sound and deep modulation capabilities really spark creativity and let me blend my classical background with electronic textures seamlessly. It’s become a central part of my music-making process and always pushes me to explore new sonic territories.

7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?

If I had to start over, I’d begin with a computer and dive into learning synthesis through VST plugins first. It’s a great way to explore sounds and concepts without a big upfront investment. After that, I’d probably invest in a good used polyphonic synthesizer with a quality keybed to practice and bring those ideas to life more expressively.

8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?

In general, my old analog synths can be a bit annoying because they require regular maintenance, and unfortunately, I don’t have a tech nearby to help with repairs. Despite that, their unique sound and character make them irreplaceable in my setup—I just have to accept the extra care they need.

9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?

One cool trick I like with the OB-6 is using the second oscillator as an extra LFO. If you set Oscillator 2 to a low frequency and turn off keyboard tracking, you can use it to modulate things like the filter or pitch via the X-Mod section. It adds a nice layer of movement that makes the sound feel more alive. I know many people already know about this, but it’s one of my favorite things..

Sequential Prophet Rev2 on top and OB-6 below

Artist or Band name?

Nicolas Melis

Genre?

I don’t think I’ve defined a specific genre for myself yet. I’m really drawn to cinematic music that combines synths and piano — if that makes any sense. I’m also inspired by a mix of styles like IDM, dark ambient, glitch, and experimental electronic — all of which have that deep, atmospheric feel I really enjoy.

Selfie?

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Cyprus, but I’ve also spent many years in Germany — both places have shaped who I am, musically and personally.

How did you get into music?

I got into music at a very young age, starting with classical piano. Growing up practicing almost every day really shaped the way I connect with music. I eventually went on to study Piano Performance in Classical Music as well as Contemporary Improvisation in Germany.

Those studies gave me a strong foundation, both technically and artistically, and over time, my curiosity pushed me toward synthesizers and electronic music. Blending that classical background with modern technology has become a defining part of my musical identity.

What still drives you to make music?

What still drives me to make music is the need to express things I can’t put into words. It’s a way of processing emotion, time, and experience. That feeling when a sound or a chord progression clicks into place and evokes something real — that’s still magic to me. Also, I’m always curious to explore new sounds and techniques, and that curiosity keeps pulling me back to the studio.

How do you most often start a new track?

When I start something new, I usually begin by improvising on the piano. That’s where I discover ideas. I record what feels interesting, and from there I build on it. I haven’t released any original music yet—just a few classical interpretations like Bach and Satie on a synth—but I’m working on my own material and hope to share it in the future.

How do you know when a track is finished?

For me, a track feels finished when it communicates the emotion or atmosphere I had in mind—when nothing feels unnecessary and everything has space to breathe. I tend to strip things down rather than add more, so it’s often about knowing when to stop:)

Show us your current studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

The best creative advice I’ve heard is: “Don’t wait for inspiration—just start.”

Creativity often shows up once you begin, not before. Showing up consistently, even when you don’t feel inspired, is what leads to breakthroughs.

Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.

Lately, I’ve been focusing on growing my YouTube channel, but I’ve found it a bit challenging to get my Instagram followers to make the jump over there. If you enjoy synths, vintage keyboards, and creative performances, I’d really appreciate your support!

🎬 Check out my YouTube channel here :
https://www.youtube.com/nicolasmelis
Every like, comment, and subscription means a lot — thank you! 🙏

Also check out my bandcamp:
https://nicolasmelis.bandcamp.com/album/bach-on-a-synth

Wolfgang Merx – Mr. X

1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?

Look at this great filter cutoff frequency knob on the Moog Sub 25, one of my recent additions and mainly part of my setup for gigs. I guess the resulting filter sweeps when turning this knob are the most famous synth sound!

2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?

This Moog Little Phatty Stage II is the first synth I ever bought and still my go-to synth when simply wanting to play or starting a session. It’s almost perfect because of its sound and the stripped-down layout, but exactly this one-knob-for-all layout has one flaw: it results in “jumping” of the values when turning the knobs after selecting a different feature. For example, you set the cutoff first and then select the resonance, but the value will jump as you move the knob. As always with synths, it is better to try and hear it than to read about it.

3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?

Mobile Modular Euro Rack — Mobile Modular Rack

This is my Mobile Modular Rack which I use for gigs because it has many essential modules and offers five or six separate voices, depending on the patch (details are available here: https://modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/1933212). I use an Arturia Keystep Pro with this rack.

4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?

No idea. I rely on hardware, but I use Ableton for mixing. I still added a picture of my Arturia Minifreak because they added a VST along with the hardware synth. I think this is a very good idea of combining both worlds (despite the VST having its flaws).

5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?

No regrets! I take a lot of time before buying or selling anything. Planning my setup before buying anything is crucial to me.

6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?

I must get back to the Little Phatty again. The classic Moog sound is what made me want to make music in the first place. Of course it is monophonic, but melodies which sound good on this synth will certainly have more to offer when you add more instruments and introduce polyphony and harmonies.

7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?

Despite loving synths, I would get a Nord keyboard like the Nord Electro 5D. It is the most versatile instrument in my setup and covers a lot of ground.

8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?

I had a Model D, the MiniMoog clone by Behringer, but it suffered from pitch drift in such a severe way that I couldn’t use it for performances anymore unless I wanted to tune every 30 minutes. This was a problem with the early runs of that model. It was long out of warranty, but to my surprise somebody bought it from me. Still, I bought another model because I need that sound in my setup. The pitch is stable so far.

9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?

I don’t know whether this is a trick or not, but I like to combine multimode filters and two crossfaders to create a pseudo-stereo sound. The Doepfer A-121-3 multimode filter offers four filter types: low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and notch. You can pair them and send those outputs to the crossfaders. When the crossfaders and the filter module are modulated, you can create constantly evolving soundscapes with these few modules already. This works in a similar way with the Nonlinear Circuits Feague which is a filter module and a quadrature VCO. It has four outputs: two low-pass and two band-pass.