Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Claude Sonnet 5.5

Patchbay is a three-person studio in Rotterdam dedicated to bringing vintage synthesizers back to life. We started with a shared obsession for the circuits, keyboards, and sonic quirks of the instruments that shaped electronic music, and we turned that obsession into a careful, hands-on repair practice. Every synth that comes through our door is treated as its own project—diagnosed by ear, opened with care, and restored using a mix of original components and thoughtful modern solutions where needed. We work with collectors, studios, and musicians who value the character of older gear and want it to keep sounding its best. Based in Rotterdam, we combine technical precision with a deep respect for the history inside every chassis. At Patchbay, repairing isn’t just about getting a machine working again; it’s about preserving the voice of an instrument and keeping it ready for the next recording, performance, or moment of inspiration.

Patchbay is three people in a workshop in Rotterdam, trying to keep old synthesizers alive. We repair, restore and recalibrate the instruments that shaped electronic music: Moogs and Oberheims, Rolands and Sequential Circuits, the odd temperamental Soviet oddity that someone found in an attic.

Most of what lands on our benches has been silent for years. A crackling pot, a drifting oscillator, a power supply that gave up in 1994. Some come from working musicians who need their instrument back before the next tour. Others come from people who inherited a dusty box from a parent and want to hear what it sounds like.

We work slowly and by hand. We trace faults with a scope and a schematic, source or rebuild parts when originals are gone, and change as little as we can. Every synth leaves with a note describing exactly what we did, so the next person to open it knows where we have been.

Come by, bring your synth, and stay for coffee.