RHA introduces CL2 Planar – the first planar magnetic in-ear wireless headphones

Manufacturer RHA presented an innovative pair of premium wireless earphones. The aptly named CL2 Planar stand out with the first-time use of planar magnetic drivers inside in-ears and a hefty price tag.

Best free plug-ins this week: ModulAir, Vintage Electric Piano, Landscape

It's Sunday, which means it's time for some free plug-ins! We have three wonderful free instruments to introduce today: a full-fledged modular synth system, a film-like drone maker, and an electric piano.

A splash of autumn colour: Solar Guitars announces new finishes for A2.6C

Ola Englund's Solar Guitars adds a splash of autumn colour with new finishes for its A2.6C six-string model. Now you have more than just 'Stealth' black to choose from at last!

Melu Instruments tease something spectacular in a groovebox styli

Freak makers Melu Instruments have started to tease a new desktop device that's "a little bit more than a synth or a sequencer" and could possibly take grooveboxes to a new dimension. What do you think it is?

Mystic Circuits experiment with intersections in the ANA ring modulating module

ANA is a 6-in-1 ring modulating utility module that experiments with the intersecting activity of audio and voltage signals. Put something in and get 6 things out that can be as weird as you want to push them.

Erica Synths release the Techno inspired Dual Drive and Drum Stereo Mixer

More modules from the forthcoming Techno System - Dual Drive gives you 2 channels of 3 flavours of distortion and the Drum Stereo Mixer provides a destination for your processed beats.

Apple pondering a new pro-focused Mac Mini – and here’s a musicians’ wishlist

A new Mac Mini suitable for music production? In the works, apparently. Here's a a few things Apple should address to make this computer suitable for professionals, including music producers.

Cosmosƒ real-time dynamic stochastic synthesis engine reaches Saturn6

Saturn6 introduces "The Object" so rather than sculpting the concrete sonic material, you record your gestures targeting all parameters which construct the sound object. No, I have no idea what that means ...

DRONAR Master Edition gives you 50GB of Gothic Instruments cinematic spookiness

Gothic Instruments have bundled together 8 of their most atmospheric DRONAR instruments into a singular, improved and yet familiar interface so you can go to town on creating the most awesome of sonic ...

Gervana Ding Mao boost/overdrive pedal: The boutique bargain of the year?

Gervana is a rare example of a Chinese maker fully engaged in the boutique pedal market; this new effect combines boost and overdrive with plenty of flexible options, especially given its price.

SolinStrings recreates the always fascinating ARP Solina String Ensemble

A sampled emulation of the ever-popular ARP Solina Strings from Sono Elements. SolinStrings captures the sound and feel of the original and offers a simple, unfussy interface without any bells or whistles.

ModulAir: a slightly dodgy but fun polyphonic virtual modular VSTi that’s free

Full Bucket Music has released the slightly buggy beta of ModulAir which sounds brilliant but might crash horribly. But with some great sounds and lots of cable-free patching, it's worth a go.

Dreadbox Medusa hybrid synthesizer about to hit the shops

This sleek hybrid synthesizer from Dreadbox and Polyend comes with 3 analog and 3 digital oscillators and a grid of 64 expressive pads for performance and sequencing. Will you be enraptured by the Medusa?

Couture is a transient shaper and saturator with a sleek GUI

Auburn Sounds released Couture, a dynamics editing and transient shaper plug-in with saturation - all in a single window. This way, you no longer have to apply separate processing and switch windows.

Acustica Audio aims for classic British console voicings with Gold 2 plug-in suite

Acustica Audio released version 2 of its Gold suite of outboard gear emulations. Designed for lovers of vintage British console sound, Gold v2 introduces a new equalizer and three more preamps.

THAT iPhone Bass: DAD’s 2-string bass let bass players stand out

Bass players often have a tough time standing out on stage. That didn't stop the bassist Danish band D-A-D from coming up with this eye-catching gimmick...

The Big Tube Screamer Shoot-out: 22 TS pedals and clones compared!

Do all Tube Scremers sound the same? Music retailer Thomann has made a video comparing 22 versions of the classic overdrive pedal, covering an enormous range of pedals and price points.

Eurorack Modular DIY: Could you build your own modules?

A new series on tackling the challenge of building Eurorack modules is available now on YouTube. Molten Modular DIY will take you through the first steps and beyond into building a whole rack.

Stick your gear together with midiglue converter, sequencer and effects unit

Kickstarter project midiglue is a box of tricks that mutually converts MIDI, USB and CV/Gate, it splits and merges, sequences and arpeggiates and has a bunch of MIDI effects. Perfect for sticking your gear ...

Kemper Profiler OS 5.5.2: More features, easier control and stereo

The new 5.5.2 OS for Kemper's Profiler range of modelling amps adds some new features that will make it easier to use and also make it more flexible than before.

UAD 9.6 update adds four new plug-ins – check them out!

UAD has updated its ample collection of plug-ins to version 9.6, adding four new titles - one made in-house and three developed by partnering companies. These include a channel strip, a guitar amp & more!

Transform the Microsoft Surface Dial into a MIDI controller with Elephant

The Surface Dial is a brilliantly engineering piece of hardware that sits around doing nothing all day. Not any more. With Elephant you can transform it into an awesome knob controller for your music software.

Unexpectedly tuneful Ellitone Multi-Synth from noise maker Ellistronics

Ellistronics have moved beyond noise and distortion into unexpected tones and melody for their latest handmade synthesizer the Ellitone Multi-Synth. They sell out really fast so get one while you can!

Get some guitar feel in your electronic music with the StrumPad MIDI Controller

A remarkable open source MIDI project that creates the feel of strumming a guitar. Feed chords from a keyboard into StrumPad and then strum away with your fingers to output a very expressive strummed ...