Tops and Flops: High Fade, 90s Amps and Discontinued Products

This week's Tops and Flops, the rediscovery of a forgotten amplifier, a live performance from High Fade, and the sad demise of one of my favourite products.

Behind The Passion – The Thomann-Story: Now on YouTube!

To celebrate the 70th anniversary, you can now watch the truly impressive documentary 'Behind The Passion' about Hans Thomann and his company on YouTube.

Best Holiday Gifts for DJs: 7 Fun Ideas for the DJ in Your Life

Is your favorite human a music fanatic? Look no further, as these are the best holiday gifts for DJs - for any budget.

Sounds and Presets: The Arturia Polybrute 12 Finally Gets Great 3rd Party Patches!

Scott McAuley Sounds delivers one of the first Arturia Polybrute 12 specific sound banks, and Expressive E releases the Legend HZ Expressive Suite.

5 Great Apartment Friendly e-Drums for Christmas

A guide to the best, smallest and quietest e-Drums for Christmas that you can gift the budding drummer in your family, we look at five small footprint kits that won't annoy your neighbours.

Chord Generators, Weird Synths, Kendrick Lamar – Tops & Flops!

This week brought us another batch of chord generators, weird VSTs, and a surprise release from Kendrick Lamar - Tops and Flops!

Tape Loops, Feedback and Regulation Woes: Synth Journal

Meet tape! – a fascinating virtual tape recorder and looper that’s all about “happy accidents”! Find out more in this week's edition of Synth Journal.

The Live Sound Engineer Tool Box: All the Essentials

Want to make sound gigs a full-time job? We explore the Live Sound Engineer Tool Box, a guide with gear and tips to help you get started.

5 Telecaster Gift Ideas: Because Santa Plays a Tele

These Telecaster Gift Ideas will help you choose for yourself or a loved one. With loads available, here are some that reflect all tones and budgets.

How to Use Dub Delay Plugins to Create Authentic Sounds

When combined with the right techniques, dub delay plugins can help us to recreate some of the sounds used on our favourite records.

This Week’s Highlights: 5 of the Top Stories

In this roundup, we look at some of this week's highlights. So if you missed anything, here's the perfect opportunity to catch up on the news.

DIY Synths, Wavetable Creation and a Cross Between an Omnichord & Garageband?: Synth Journal

This week's sumptuous helping of the smaller stories in the world of synths contains some interesting DIY Synth projects and a compelling new take on hardware strumming synths.

Sounds and Presets: Appalachia Delivers an Authentic Mountain Dulcimer, Plus 300+ MiniFreak Patches!

Appalachia from Indiginus brings the magical sound of a Mountain Dulcimer to your Kontakt library with all the performance scripting you need to sound like a master.

How to Get that Old-school Sampler Sound

Ever wondered how to get the old-school sampler sound? Punchy lo-fi drums and underwater pad sounds can give your music a retro feel.

Korg DW-8000: The Best Hybrid Classic Synth You’ve Never Heard

The mid-‘80s saw the release of the Korg DW-8000, a unique digital/analog hybrid that sounds like nothing else on the planet.

Sounds and Presets: A 90s Classic Gets Rebrained – New Sounds for the CS6x

Yamaha's CS6x often gets overlooked. A synth tech from the Midlands, U.K. reckons we need to re-evaluate our perceptions and treat it as a classic.

Modular For Beginners: The Eurorack Starter Kit

We've all seen modular synths, but how do you build your own system? Modular for beginners takes you through a basic Eurorack starter kit.

USB vs XLR Microphones: Which One Is Better For You?

We look at the differences between using USB vs XLR Microphones to find out which is better suited for musicians and content creators.

5 Synths That Need Plugin Emulations Right Now

Why redo the same synthesizers when there are plenty that have yet to become software - like these five synths that need plugin emulations.

Amp or Guitar: What Makes the Sound?

In the eternal quest for the perfect sound, one question arises: what is the most important part of our setup - amp or guitar?

Drumbeam, Biotron and the History of MIDI: Synth Journal

Drumbeam is an infinitely customizable drum controller that looks like a dream come true for electronic live sets. Check it out in this week's Synth Journal!

Sounds and Presets: Relive Classic E-MU and Ensoniq Sounds, Free Sounds from TCHC and Sonicware

The classic E-MU and Ensoniq sample libraries were, and still are, highly regarded for their variety and quality. You can still enjoy these sounds in the form of Kontakt/NKS libraries from Digital Sound ...

Elektron Octatrack Alternatives for Dawless Music Production

Need a creative outlet for your music that has to be Dawless? Here's some of the best Elektron Octatrack Alternatives for studio and stage.

The Film Composer Starter Kit: Start Scoring to Picture

Creating music for films, series, and games requires a certain skill set and the right set of tools. Here's the Film Composer Starter Kit.