My Highlights of the Year 2024: Concerts, Parties and New Gear for my Studio!

These are my highlights of the year 2024, with lots of great events and most importantly these cool upgrades & gadgets for my studio!

Mixing vs Mastering: Can You Do It All?

So you've started creating tracks in your home studio, but what are the next steps in the process? We're looking at mixing vs mastering.

Synthy Xmas Hits and Misses! Our Pick of the Bunch

We all love a good Xmas song, but what are the best and worst Synthy Xmas tracks that we love to hear or are desperate to avoid?

Acoustic Covers: 5 Lighter Takes on Rock Classics

Experience rock classics reimagined with acoustic covers, offering stripped-down, soulful renditions that highlight the essence of each song.

Best DJ Gear of 2024: 5 Top DJ Controllers & Mixers of the Year

What was the best DJ gear of 2024? If you’re thinking it was something with MKII in the name, pat yourself on the back, you’re right.

A Touching Tribute to the OSCar and its Creator: Synth Journal

Cherry Audio releases a Polivoks filter plugin, Noise Engineering has new firmware, and Dave Spiers pays homage to the legendary OSCar and its creator.

Sounds and Presets: The Best Presets of 2024

This week, I take a look back through my Sounds and Presets column to pick out the best presets that we featured in 2024

From Bedroom to Pro: Upgrading Your Home Studio

Looking to take your music production and recording capabilities to new heights? We check out different ways of upgrading your home studio.

The Best FM Synths for your Music Production Setup

Looking for a way to get into FM synthesis? We've selected some of the best FM synths with both sound design and song-creation tools.

Highs and Lows of Synth Collecting: Tops and Flops

When synth collecting, not every synth can fit you like a glove. These are the best and worst synthesizers to pass through my studio.

7 Synths That Were Victims of Bad Timing

Too early? Too late? Here are seven synths that were victims of bad timing.

A Synth World View of a Superb 2024: Synth Journal

For my last entry into this year's Synth Journal, I thought I'd take a retrospective look at some of the things that caught my eye in the synth world of 2024.

5 Top AI Composition Plugins to Increase Productivity

Whether you're a professional music producer or a beginner starting out, AI composition plugins are useful to streamline your workflow.

Sounds and Presets: A Huge Sackful of Fantastic KORG Presets

KORG's microKORG2 takes the legendary microKORG to new heights, much like the opsix did for FM synthesis. Check out these new KORG presets and more in this week's Sound and Presets.

Mixing on Headphones: Myth or Masterplan?

We explore some of the important factors to consider when mixing on headphones and how it compares to working with studio monitors.

Minimoog Plugins: Nostalgia On Tap

Which Minimoog plugins are best to recreate the sound of this legendary analogue synth? We look at some of the top emulations available.

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.