Critter and Guitari just released the Organelle M – an updated, more portable and powerful version of the original Organelle. This comes shortly after the release of Orac 2 by Mark Harris, an open source platform designed to let you easily … Continue reading Organelle M, Orac 2, and a comparison to Organelle 1 (Review and tutorial)
Matriarch is Moog’s flagship semi-modular synth – with stereo filters, stereo delays and stereo VCAs, four oscillators and a few paraphonic modes, and 90 patch points, there’s a lot of territory to explore and cover. Here’s my full review, detailed … Continue reading Moog MATRIARCH: Review, full tutorial and patch ideas
With the Minilogue XD, KORG did something which may prove to be one of the most interesting things a synth manufacturer can do: they opened up its digital oscillator and effects engine to any developer that cares to create plugins … Continue reading Korg Minilogue XD Review, full tutorial and 8 patch ideas
Crave from Behringer is a semi-modular analog monosynth based their 3340 oscillator and ladder filter, with a single LFO and envelope, an arpeggiator/sequencer and a 32 jack eurorack compatible patch bay priced at around $200. The market for analog synths … Continue reading Behringer CRAVE: Review, tutorial and patch ideas
LYRA-8 from SOMA Laboratory is a synth that behaves like it’s from outer-space. From otherworldy drones to modulations that certainly aren’t from Kansas, LYRA-8 isn’t like any other synth. But is that a good thing? Check it out if you’re … Continue reading Review:SOMA LAB LYRA-8 explained
There are quite a few solid hardware sequencing options on the market – both standalone sequencers spanning from Arturia’s KeyStep and BeatStep Pro, through Novation’s SL MkIII, all the way to Squarp’s Pyramid, as well the capable sequencers built into … Continue reading Pioneer DJ/Toraiz SQUID: Review, tutorial and top 14 features that make it special
MOOD is a new effects pedal from Chase Bliss Audio – developed in collaboration with Old Blood Noise Endeavors (its left side, with spacial reverb/delay style effects) and Drolo FX (the right side, micro-looping and granular synthesis). What got me … Continue reading Review: MOOD from Chase Bliss and its unique clock explained
The Roland SH-101 is a classic for good reason. It sounds great and has a clear and straightforward interface. Unfortunately, Roland stopped making them over 30 years ago, which is what makes Behringer’s MS-101 so interesting, not to mention the … Continue reading Roland SH-101 vs. Behringer MS-101: Can you hear the difference?
Most drum machines and sequencers don’t support importing MIDI clips or loops, which is a shame because there are plenty of MIDI clip/loop libraries out there with excellent content, many played by real drummers with obvious human groove and feel, … Continue reading Drum Machine Trick: How to Import Loops from a 100,000+ MIDI Clip Library into Almost Any Sequencer
FaderPort 8 from PreSonus is a controller designed to work with multiple DAWs, and its main differentiating feature compared to regular MIDI controllers is it motorized faders. While this may initially sound like a gimmick, using these faders is quite … Continue reading Do motorized faders improve DAW workflow? Ableton Live and Presonus FaderPort 8 Review