Musical Instruments

Native Instruments Play Box Review We recently reviewed game box by native instruments and I found it to be an exceptional product. Included in the review is an interview with Playbox developers Nadine Raihani, Mickael Le Goff and Antonio de…

Northern Irish producer Hammer takes an old-school approach to dance music and production. The Belfast-born artist uses analog gear to create cinematic pads and Italo disco tracks over percussion that have hit the spot in cavernous rave spaces. The high…

The 4R-140B keyboard stand is for the most part well made with solid aluminum stringers and plastic gaskets to hold the whole thing together. Instructions were adequate, but “certainly could be better” with outdated graphics and limited instructions. Anyone who…

Like May’s other pedals, the Demon Girl is a simple affair with one button, three knobs, and one lever. It’s well made and each of the modulators feels solid and smooth. Elliot’s graphics feature a busty, evil female clown inside…

If you purchase a pair of Yamaha HS series monitors or a single HS8S subwoofer before March 31, 2023, you can claim a free pair of TW-E3B headphones. Yamaha HS Monitors Building on the legacy of Yamaha’s legendary NS10 studio…

In association with Blackstar Amplification, Kenny’s Music is pleased to announce a new in-store competition where entrants can win a St. James 2×12 combo. When it comes to tone and that all-important “feel” factor, big tube amps are still the…

Stereo, mono compatibility, mid and side channels, wide, mono vs stereo… The world of stereo imaging can be confusing. I know it was for me when I started. I couldn’t understand why other people’s tracks sounded so wide and mine…

For the Zen Delay Virtual, Ninja Tune and Erica Synths teamed up with VCV code warrior Raphael Hoffman to create a powerful effects plugin with even more possibilities. Like the hardware version, Zen Delay Virtual is all about experimenting, mutating…

Analogue Solutions has finally unveiled a significantly lighter and (slightly) more affordable version of the infamous Colossus Synth, the AS200 Colossus Slim, 10 months after releasing the Colossus Double. The AS200 Colossus Slim was first shown in March 2022, but…

Christian Henson, the co-founder of British software brand Spitfire Audio, has taken to Twitter to share the news that he will no longer be involved in the Spitfire Audio, Pianobook and LABS operations. The announcement follows allegations that Henson espouses…

Now with parallel compression To get the exact details Chris Lord-Alge has enjoyed from the original Bluey, Black Lion not only used custom Cinemag transformers, but also recreated his console’s insertion path and incorporated it directly into Bluey. Black Lion…

Last week, Four Tet, Fred Again… and Skrillex joined forces for a surprise show in Times Square just one day before they played a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. The event took place on Friday (February 17) and the…

The prospect of a next generation MIDI grid controller is exciting. Remember when Novation Launchpad became the craving for bedroom producers around the world, thanks to French producer Madeon using it to mix 39 songs live? Since then, Ableton’s Launchpad…

Audient has introduced its new 10-in/14-out audio interface, dubbed the iD24, which follows on from its recently released iD44. The British audio manufacturer has said that it was designed to enhance your recording, offering expandability and customizable monitor control. According…

Event promoter and record label Big Dyke Energy have announced an outdoor festival taking place in Bristol this June. This will be the first queer festival to take place in the city, taking place on June 10 at Bristol’s Propyard,…

maker He has launched FabFilter Twin 3the latest version of the virtual analog synthesizer. Twin 3 expands and improves on its predecessor in all areas, including a complete GUI and workflow redesign, more and better oscillators and filters, a radically…

Reader Sean McKee shared this video that takes an in-depth look at the Hotz Box MIDI Translator – a pioneering MIDI controller, originally released by Atari. Summary video: “A history, overview and tutorial of the very rare Hotz Box MIDI…

yurt rock has presented the second volume of his Odd meter drums series, featuring a detailed collection of drums in 7/8, 15/8, 17/8, 9/8, 11/8 and 13/8 time. They describe it as “an almost endless amount of live drumming, designed…

Depeche Mode have released their first single, titled ghosts againwith a new video clip from his next album, Memento Mori. The record has been confirmed for a March 24, 2023 release date, and will be the band’s first record since…

A new invention from Papritech allows musicians to control the expression of their music using their breath and head movement. The device, called the AirMotion, is said to “open up new possibilities for live performance and recording sessions, allowing musicians…

Depeche Mode have released the first single from their upcoming 15th studio album Memento Mori. The English electronic band announced the album’s March 23 release date on February 9 along with the release of the first single from the LP,…

Electronic musician and AV producer Halina Rice is set to make her live Metaverse debut tonight (February 9). The event will be held in partnership with UK-based Bristol and Condense, which is reportedly the first company in the world to…

yamaha shared this vintage synth demo from the CS40Ma 1979 duophonic analog synthesizer. The video features Yamaha sun follow them demoing the CS40M and offering his take on the classic keyboard, along with plenty of audio demos. Yamaha says that…

depeche mode Today he shared the video of ghosts againfrom his next album, Memento Moriwhich will be released on March 24 via Columbia Records. ghosts again has been rendered visually by longtime Depeche Mode collaborator and album cover and artwork…

Today (February 9), the Alan R. Pearlman Foundation is organizing the online premiere of an exclusive interview between Herbie Hancock and the Founder of the Dina Pearlman-Ifil Foundation. The premiere party/YouTube event, held today in honor of Black History Month,…

Ableton has announced a free Loop event that will take place on March 4, 2023. Loop Session: In the Studio with Wayne Snow is the next installment in a series of online experiences for music creators. Each event in the…

Bastl Instruments and Peter Edwards aka Casper Electronics have teamed up as CASPERxBASTL to release a new performance-ready eurorack VCA mixer module called Aikido. The module is a four-channel VCA mixer with built-in envelope followers that allow for flexible compression…

Ableton has announced a Loop with Wayne Snow event, giving attendees an insight into his studio practice and journey to write a new track for his next record. Ableton’s Loop sessions have been running since 2015, providing budding and established…

PreSonus has strived to revolutionize music production for the past twelve years with its flagship DAW, Studio One. Each iteration of the software has further cemented its reputation as an all-in-one solution for recording, production, mixing, and mastering. With the…

teenage engineering – manufacturers of high-end synthesizers such as the OP-1 Field & budget pocket operator series – has presented the field desk“the official workplace of teenage engineering”. The Field Desk is a minimalist desk, but it is also designed…

Improved oscillators and filters It all starts at the oscillators, and Twin 3 adds another for four in total. Completely overhauled, and featuring analog-modeled drift for subtle random pitch and phase fluctuations, as well as pulse-width modulation, hard sync, and…

Skywalker Sound Supervising Sound Editor tim nielsen He has launched Universal Category System 8.2 (UCS)the final version of the system designed for the organization and categorization of sound effects and sound assets. UCS is a public domain initiative by Tim…

In a potentially landmark deal, Michael Jackson’s estate is in the process of selling half of its interest in the singer’s music catalog for more than $800 million. The announcement was made yesterday (February 7) by Varietywhich has three sources…

Sonos is preparing to launch its new generation of smart speakers that display spatial audio, reportedly called the Era collection. According the edgeTwo upcoming speakers will be unveiled as part of a new Sonos collection: the Era 300 and Era…

FabFilter has unveiled the latest version of its award-winning virtual analog synthesizer, featuring the feature-rich Twin 3 model. The release comes nearly two decades after the brand’s original plug-in, the FabFilter One synth, and is said to improve on every…

Finding the perfect voices for electronic music can be tricky. They should fit the style and genre, while also complementing the elements of your track, such as rhythm, synths, and sound effects. The vocals should stand out from the instrumentation,…

Arturia presented today the black polybrutea stylistic variation that features a new ‘Noir’ finish, sleek redesigned knobs and ionized parts, resulting in what they call “a deeper, darker aesthetic, straight out of the abyss.” Beyond the finish, the PolyBrute Noir…

Off topic, but interesting: This video, via Wired, offers a behind-the-scenes look at how vinyl LPs are made. Vinyl may be an old-school ‘outdated’ technology, but it’s growing in popularity and, with a good turntable, it’s a great way to…