Sonicware - News and Rumours

Best Battery-Powered Synths: Beats for your Hand Luggage

15 Jun · Just in time for your summer vacation, we check out the best battery-powered synths, samplers, and grooveboxes for on the go!

Synth Trends of Superbooth 2026: Putting the Conference in Context

15 May · Looking at the synth trends of this year’s Superbooth can tell us where the industry may be headed. Here’s what stood out.

SONICWARE deconstruct MINIMAL – Less Is More!

06 May · SONICWARE return with a new groovebox concept that is LIVEN adjacent yet utterly its own thing. Welcome to the deconstruct MINIMAL.

The Best Budget Samplers for Music Production

04 May · Sampling is still one of the most powerful aspects of music production, we've selected some of the best budget samplers for creating beats.

8 Superb Desktop Deals of the Week!

31 Jan · This week, we have a pile of fantastic desktop synths and drum machines at great prices

The SONICWARE ELZ_1 play v2 – Now With Waldorf Collaboration and 16 of Their Wavetables

23 Oct 2025 · Initially produced as a limited run of units under Dr. Yu Endo's 'Personal Projects' banner, the SONICWARE ELZ_1 play gets a useful firmware update and officially joins the SONICWARE roster in full production!

Against the Grain: Best Granular Synths & Samplers 2025

06 Oct 2025 · Granular synths and samplers are among the most powerful tools for creative sound design. We check out the best granular synths of 2025.

SONICWARE Lofi-12 XT Groovebox Sampler – Update to 1.5 Firmware!

28 Aug 2025 · SONICWARE's Lofi-12 XT has just received a significant update to v1.5, bringing a bunch of very cool new features!

6 of the Best Video Game Synths: Game On!

25 Jul 2025 · Get the sound of classic Sega and Commodore chips in these hardware and software video game synths.

Sonicware LIVEN Evoke – Acoustronic Synthesizer

18 Jun 2025 · Sonicware returns with a new addition to their ever-popular LIVEN range. The LIVEN Evoke continues in the same vein as Ambient Ø, this time focusing on acoustic sounds.

Tariffs Shake Up the Music Tech World: Sonicware Warns of Massive Price Hikes

22 Apr 2025 · 145% tariffs on Chinese products cause massive price hikes for electronic instruments in the U.S. market. Buy now!

SONICWARE LIVEN Ambient Ø – 1.5 Update Delivers Microtonal Capabilities & More

14 Mar 2025 · The SONICWARE LIVEN Ambient Ø has just received a major update that delivers heavily requested microtonal functionality.

Classic FM Synthesis: Yamaha DX7 Alternatives

03 Feb 2025 · Want to build classic FM sounds from the 1980s and beyond? Here are some of the best Yamaha DX7 Alternatives to take you to FM heaven.

SP-1200 Alternatives for Sample-based Beatmaking

06 Jan 2025 · We're looking at SP-1200 Alternatives for classic sample-based music production like Daft Punk, The Prodigy, RZA, and A Tribe Called Quest.

Sonicware CyDrums: Drums in the Fourth Dimension!

03 Jan 2025 · Sonicware's CyDrums is their third instrument in the "Giant Gameboy" style form factor, with this unit promising 4D drum sounds that react, transform and evolve, using 64 proprietary wavetables.

Best Hardware Synths of 2024: 7 Synths We Went Nuts for This Year

16 Dec 2024 · From massive analog polys to affordable digital delights, these are truly the best hardware synths of 2024.

A Synth World View of a Superb 2024: Synth Journal

12 Dec 2024 · 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.

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

04 Dec 2024 · Scott McAuley Sounds delivers one of the first Arturia Polybrute 12 specific sound banks, and Expressive E releases the Legend HZ Expressive Suite.

Sounds and Presets – Think Like a Synth and Make Your Own with Anthony Marinelli!

27 Nov 2024 · Week after week, I deliver some amazing presets and samples to stuff into your instruments but why not learn to make your own with Anthony Marinelli's new "Think Like a Synth" course!

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

06 Nov 2024 · 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 ...

Cassettone 2, Big Updates for Sonicware’s LoFi 12XT and TubeOhm’s Jeannie Plus Synth Event Updates: Synth Journal

19 Sep 2024 · This week we look at the ingenious update to Cassettone, the Cassettone 2, plus updates to some cool synths and updates on synth gatherings around Europe and the U.K.

Aphex Twin Synthesizers: Selected Ambient Synths Volumes 1 & 2

09 Aug 2024 · Curious about the Aphex Twin synthesizers used on his two landmark ambient albums? You might be surprised how ordinary they are…

5 of the Best Samplers for Music Production and Live Performance

02 Jul 2024 · We discuss the key aspects of samplers and look at some of the best samplers for both creating music and incorporating into your live setup.