Nex-N2.6 vs Muse Ember

Patchbay is a three-person studio in Rotterdam dedicated to the repair and restoration of vintage synthesizers. The name comes from the heart of every modular system: the point where all the signals meet. We work on the machines that shaped the sound of the last fifty years—Junos, Prophets, Minimoogs, and the strange, wonderful instruments that never made it into the history books.

Our workshop is a place of solder smoke and oscilloscope traces, where dead oscillators are coaxed back to life and tired potentiometers are quietly replaced with period-correct parts. We believe these instruments deserve to stay alive: not as museum pieces, but as working tools for the musicians, producers, and studios who play them every day. Between the three of us, we bring decades of experience in electronics and restoration, and a stubborn refusal to let good machines go to waste.

Patchbay is a three-person studio in Rotterdam repairing vintage synthesizers. We work carefully, one instrument at a time, because old machines deserve patience. Our bench is crowded with test leads, spare knobs, tired capacitors, and service manuals held together by tape. Every repair begins with listening. We power up the synth, play a few notes, and trace the fault by ear before opening the case. Perhaps the filter drifts as it warms. Maybe a voice cuts out, or the envelope behaves strangely. We clean contacts, replace components only when necessary, and keep original parts wherever possible. We believe repair is a form of preservation. These instruments were built to be played for decades, not replaced when something small fails. Rotterdam has a long history of making and fixing things, and we are proud to continue that tradition. Bring us your beloved keyboard, and we will see what can be saved.