Happy by Pharrell studiopack for the ROLI Noise app by new CCO

Pharrell Williams steps onto the board at ROLI as the Chief Creative Officer and we all get a free version of Happy to play with on our iPhones Noise app.

Believotron Wanderlust synthesizer and Witch Stick Keytar

Strange open source Axoloti based Wanderlust synthesizer with cool joystick control strapped to a plank of wood with a MIDI keyboard? Has to be seen to be Believotroned.

BOSS DR-01S drum machine delivers organic sounds for acoustic musicians

BOSS has introduced a simple, cute drum machine designed to accompaniment players of acoustic instruments with organic-sounding percussion and simple grooves to get your song moving, the DR-01S.

A&H SQ-5 and SQ-6 bring digital mixers to PC levels of power

Need to upgrade your old live mixer to modern standards? A&H's new SQ-5 and SQ-6 digital mixers are capable of sub-0.7ms latency and variable bit depth.

J Mascis is having a guitar gear clearout!

Dinosaur Jr's main man J Mascis is having a guitar clearout, so you could be the proud owner of some of his old gear. Some cool guitars, effects and amps are on offer, so check it out. If you can afford it.

Chandler revives compressor and EQ modules from rare Abbey Road mixing console

Chandler and EMI are bringing the TG Opto compressor and TG12345 MKIV EQ rack modules, completing an exact hardware recreation of an EMI TGI12345 console channel strip - the gear Beatles' Abbey Road was mixed ...

Ibanez teases new NAMM 2018 guitar models via Facebook

The Ibanez UK Facebook page today teased new models that are to be revealed at Winter NAMM 2018 - and they look very fine indeed, with a hint of old and new in the design.

Dr No Effects Mini Turd: A funny fuzz pedal with serious dirt for your guitar sound

Yet more filthy boutique fun, this time in mini pedalboard-friendly format. Will Dr No manage to squeeze out the dirt with this new version of his widely known pedal?

Ivy is a 240 step hardware sequencer for 240 notes of noise

Dmitry Morozov aka ::vtol:: destroys the limitations of step sequencing by creating a 240 step sequencing monster that seems to suck all the fun out of hardware sequencing.

Ableton Live 10: leaked upgrade marketing suggests this time it’s real?

Another Ableton Live 10 leak, this time it's printed point-of-sale marketing that strongly suggests that a Live 10 announcement has got to be imminent.

Chapman adds intriguing new Standard and Pro Series for 2017

A few new models have been added to the Chapman Guitars line-up for 2017, including a new ML1 Pro Traditional, Ghost Fret Standard and the ML2 Pro Modern.

Motas-6: New British 3 oscillator monophonic analogue synthesizer

A 3 oscillator analogue monosynth with 3 filters, a digitally controlled modulation section, arpeggiator, pattern generator and sequencer. Motas-6 is a powerful analogue synthesizer hand-built in the UK.

IK Multimedia sets off iRig Pre HD – portable mic pre-amp and audio interface

IK Multimedia's battery-powered iRig Pre HD portable mic preamp and audio interface is now available worldwide. The iRig Pre HD has the ability to record any kind of microphone with an XLR connector...

Oria MIDI Ring Controller – putting the bling in your MIDI control

With this ring, I thee control the filter and vibrato of all my MIDI gear, wedding me to be forever controlling MIDI with gesture infused performances. Does this Oria MIDI Ring rule them all?

Jef’s Pedal roundup this week: Anasounds, EHX, NUX and DarkGlass

This week's round-up of pedals includes an insane amount of time from a looper pedal, a boutique French fuzz pedal, new improved bass preamps/overdrives and possibly the cheapest volume pedal on the market.

Best free plug-ins this week: PhatNoise Delay, HOFA SYSTEM basic, Xpand!2

We present some tasty new tools for your next production that won't cost you a dime, including a cool delay, a multi-FX command centre and a free version of a well-known ROMpler...

YouTube star Jared Dines: “I was scam victim over 17-string guitar”

YouTube star Jared Dines says he has been scammed over 'that' custom-made 17-string guitar, claiming that the luthier in question ordered the guitar for $400 off a Chinese website.

Audio Assault Druminator: A $10 drum kit with all mixing effects included

Easy to use, Druminator comes with everything you need for a respectable drum sound: acoustic drum sounds, parametric EQs with shelving and filters, compression, clipping, saturation, a transient shaper...

Jef’s Top Tips for making your Gibson Les Paul play like a dream, Part 1: Cleaning

Here's how to keep your beloved Gibson Les Paul in tip-top condition and make it play like a dream! This week, Jef offers his favourite set up tips and cleaning regime for his Les Paul guitars.

Gibson Les Paul Traditional 2018 now with pre-cracked headstocks!

You could not make this stuff up. Gibson has done it yet again and puts another image of a damaged guitar up on its own website. This time the image seems to show a crack in the headstock of a 2018 Les Paul.

Native Instruments get a shed load of money and plan to take over the world

Native Instruments receive a €50 Million investment and plan to empower, diversify and develop intuitive and powerful products. Or they could buy a small island somewhere and start an evil empire.

Fender upgrades Bassbreaker 15 combo amp to limited FSR edition

This blonde-finish Class A/B combo amp is available for a limited time with a rather nice speaker upgrade, making it a very well-priced, unique-looking amplifier for the money.

AES 2017: JBL 7 Series powered studio monitors now available

First announced at NAMM early this year, the JBL 7 Series comprises four models covering most common music, post, and broadcast production scenarios. They are finally available for sale now...

Sknote outs Disto-S, the cheapest Empirical Labs Distressor sim around!

At the introductory price of 50 USD, the Disto-S is your cheapest option for snagging a Distressor emulation. Normally, these go for $299 or more, so Sknote is being seriously disruptive!