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If you’ve ever wished you could actually hear a synth before clicking “Add to Cart,” you’re not alone. That “Can I vibe with it?” moment is the magic of walking into a Guitar Center store—hands on keys, sound in the room, ideas happening in real time.
Now, we’re bringing a piece of that directly to the Guitar Center online shopping experience.
On select software and hardware synthesizer product detail pages (PDPs)—including Spectrasonics Omnisphere 3, Arturia AstroLab, Sequential Fourm and KORG opsix—you’ll now see the new Synthesizer MIDI Player module that lets you audition sounds right where you’re shopping. When you open the player, the module loads samples tied to the instrument you’re viewing—so you can get a feel for the sound and tone-shaping tools before you commit.
As Guitar Center Senior Manager of Product Personalization Ryan Fitzgerald puts it: “We’re so excited for our customers to be able to feel what it’s like to play a hardware or software synth before buying. Previously you would only be able to do this in person, but now you can from the comfort of your home with a MIDI controller or your computer keyboard.”
No drivers or software required. How cool is that?
Pictured: Arturia AstroLab Synthesizer MIDI Player
How It Works (And What You Can Do With It)
Guitar Center’s Synthesizer MIDI Player is built to be simple: pick a sound, press a key, hear the result. Here are a few ways you can play:
- Use your computer keyboard to trigger notes directly in the module
- Plug in a MIDI controller and start playing—compatible controllers can be recognized automatically after a page refresh, so you can jump right into trying it out
- On mobile, tap the onscreen keys for a touch-friendly way to audition sounds on the go
Once you’re in, you’ll also find a few musician-friendly controls designed to help you audition:
- Octave controls: Explore a patch’s full range
- Key labeling options: Choose between letters or note names
- Volume control: Dial in a comfortable listening level
Why We Built It
A product page can tell you an overview and the specs. Reviews can tell you the reputation. But sound is personal—and for synth players, it’s the whole point.
This project started with a simple idea: Make online gear shopping feel more like the real thing. As Fitzgerald describes it, the goal is to help bridge the gap between the tactile, play-it-now experience of a store and the convenience of online shopping.
Pictured: Sequential Fourm Synthesizer MIDI Player
What’s Next
Right now, the Synthesizer MIDI Player is focused on select synth-related product pages, and the list will continue to grow. Looking ahead, we’re exploring how this kind of “try it here” experience could expand into other categories—like drum machines—over time.
How to Find It
Next time you’re browsing synth software or hardware on the Guitar Center site, keep an eye out for the Synthesizer MIDI Player module on certain product pages. Click in, load a sound and play a few notes—because the fastest way to know if a synth is “the one” is to hear your hands on it.