Talk-Zone #8 Interview with B.Serrano

Hello Noizefielderz,
today we had the chance to talk with Benoit Serrano from his little software-company B.Serrano. Just read about interesting background news and things about him that you haven’t known before. Enjoy it!

I began in 2004, but the story began in the mid-eighties. In this time (i was a teenager…), House-music was in the air, and i would like to made my own tracks. But in this time synth gears were expensive, and computers were not like now. All synths were hardware. So, if i can’t buy it, maybe i can made it (DIY). But learning electronic is long and hard, and i was too lazy for that… So i start to work in my holidays for buying second-hand stuff. And my first synth was an Alpha Juno 1 and his PG-300! I bought it in 1990 for 300 euros.

Later, computers can run virtuals synths, and in 2003 i discovered Synthedit. It was a wonderful time: i can now make my own machine! OK, virtual only, but i made it!

Adonis take me 6 month everyday work to be ready. But i have lot of prototypes since i began in 2004. For example, Horus (released in 2014) was began in 2006, and suspended. I got lot of things like that…

All is made by myself. But others developers (Novaflash, Nay Seven, Hervé Noury, Xavier Kalensky and many others) help me sometimes with advices, opinions. We are a nice french Synthedit community: http://nay-seven.com/index.php

Well, i use different tools according to my needs and mood… Photoshop, GIMP, Skinman… and Knobman of course!

I want to continue in freeware. Peoples make sometimes a donation (money, beers…). Currently, it is not a question to make something to sell.

Of course, i produce my own music. All my tracks are available at SoundCloud.

https://soundcloud.com/benoit-serrano

These products are very old… I want to make a sample-based machine in the future, but i don’t have a precise idea yet. Just some prototypes.

OSX version are not possible for now. The next version of Synthedit will permit it, but it’s still in alpha version and unstable. Not ready yet. But my current products will never work natively on OSX, because I’m using many 3rd parts Synthedit’s modules that are in 32 bits and Windows specific. So, it means when SE will ready for OSX, I will can make only new stuff. From scratch. Idem for Windows in 64 bits. So, don’t expect to run a 64 bits version of Dionysos or other… Sorry it’s not my fault. And learning a language like C++, takes a very long time, and i don’t have this time. My job (IT tech) take me lot of time…

Astronaut! Since i was a child i’m interested in space and astronomy. I still want to go in space… My dream in to become like David Bowman in „2001“. It’s more convenient and faster than a stargate ;-)

Youth is a disease which is cured a little more each day… (i’m 42)
Failure is the foundation to success.
We are not here to be here.

Thank you too for all!

More information: B.Serrano