Equipment News, Leaks and Tips
Could the iMac Pro be user-upgradeable after all?
07 Jan 2018 · A full teardown of the new iMac Pro reveals that the CPU and RAM could be relatively easy to upgrade after all, but storage and graphics are perhaps another story.
Laney to debut 30-Watt LA30BL Tony Iommi amp at NAMM 2018 – 50 years late!
06 Jan 2018 · A new lower powered, affordable version of the Tony Iommi signature LA100BL amp head, this new 30-Watt version also has a matching 2x12 slant-front cabinet to help achieve it's vintage British amp tones.
Tracktion Corporation announce Waveform 9 Public Beta
06 Jan 2018 · Waveform, formally known as Tracktion, is heading towards a brand new version and Tracktion Corp has opened it up for public beta testing if you are a registered user.
Behringer gets one more VP-330 clone tease in before full reveal
06 Jan 2018 · Oh do me a favour and show us the front panel. We're all assuming it's a Roland VP-330 vocoder clone so why not just put us out of our misery? New tease image - yay!
Friedman BE50 Deluxe at NAMM 2018: New 50W boutique amp head
05 Jan 2018 · Dave Friedman has combined some of his most famous amp circuits into one all-singing, all-dancing boutique valve amp head with plenty of options on board for tweaking your tones.
CEntrance MixerFace R4 mobile recording interface to preview at NAMM 2018
05 Jan 2018 · Announced ahead of its NAMM debut the CEntrance MixerFace R4 is a rechargeable mobile recording interface with SD card option for internal audio capture.
Erica Synths Pico Quant: CV quantizer with web-based scale editor
05 Jan 2018 · The surprisingly featured Pico Quant lets you design your own microtonal scales via a handy graphic web-based app. All it needs is an audio connection to your computer.
Catalyst Audio Buchla 100 modules for Eurorack now shipping
04 Jan 2018 · Catalyst Audio has been quietly working on recreating these classic Buchla 100 series modules for Eurorack. With no published updates since NAMM 2017 we have all the details on these awesome modules.
Intel CPU security flaws: What “Meltdown” and “Spectre” may mean for your DAW
04 Jan 2018 · Panic ensues as security problems are reported on first Intel and now AMD and ARM processors. Patching "Meltdown" and "Spectre" at OS level could mean a performance hit of up to 30% - but is this true?
Mooer Pitch Step pedal: Nice price, but with a sound to match?
04 Jan 2018 · A brand new polyphonic pitch shifting mini pedal from Mooer, the bright red Pitch Step will debut at the NAMM Show and looks like serious competition for Digitech and its Whammy pedals.
Robaux SWT16: 16-track 16-step Eurorack trigger sequencer
04 Jan 2018 · The SWT16 (Sweet 16) is a wonderfully glowing 16-step sequencer with 16-tracks and 16 modes of operation. It's Arduino based open hardware and will be available as a DIY kit soon.
Gibson snubs NAMM Show 2018: Strategic choice or a financial one?
03 Jan 2018 · Gibson is snubbing the biggest musical instrument show of the year at Anaheim, so no NAMM 2018 stand for the US guitar giant. What does this say about the state of the company?
Cosmosf FX5: convolution-powered audio mangling with sci-fi interface
03 Jan 2018 · Attention audio manglers and sound designers: Cosmosf FX5 is here, and it's pretty nuts. A live audio stochastic processor, it's got a GUI like spaceship terminals in sci-fi movies with cryptic controls to ...
Analog Obsession kick off 2018 with OAQ ‘analogue-sounding’ fixed frequency EQ
02 Jan 2018 · Want to try out a different EQ approach than your standard DAW EQ? 2018 kicks off with Analog Obsession's OAQ, a fixed-frequency plug-in with component modelling and a GUI to match.
Ibanez AZ2402 details emerge ahead of AZ ‘SuperStrat’ series launch at NAMM 2018
02 Jan 2018 · This boutique-style SuperStrat is about to be launched officially by Ibanez at the NAMM 2018 Show later this month, and wil be a flagship guitar as part of the new AZ Series.
Behringer tease their first new synthesizer of 2018
02 Jan 2018 · Another year, another tease of some soon-to-be-leaked synthesizer clone from Behringer that we'll all get very excited about until the next one comes along.
Ibanez NuTube Screamer to be released at NAMM Show
01 Jan 2018 · A new updated version of that classic green overdrive pedal used by the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others, but now it comes with Korg's NuTube technology.
How to replace the knobs on a Roland Boutique SE-02
01 Jan 2018 · Many people are finding the knobs on the Roland Boutique SE-02 a bit too tiny and fiddly. Don't worry, there are alternatives that could make the synthesizer experience a much happier one.
Caparison Michael James Romeo Signature model – Symphony X
01 Jan 2018 · The Symphony X main man Michael James Romeo gets a new signature guitar from the Japanese high-performance guitar builders, it includes a unique M3 body construction and bolt-on neck.
Erica Synths Graphic VCO morphing, wavefolding, oscillator
31 Dec 2017 · Erica Synths unveil a dramatic departure from their usual form of module in the striking Graphic VCO. It has wavefolding, morphing and a very interesting display going on. Update - New videos!
LAA-Custom and Phil X team up on signature Fuck Jazz Overdrive pedal
31 Dec 2017 · Rude, jokey name? Check. Prominent player association? Check. Developed for Phil X of Bon Jovi fame, can LAA-Custom's Fuck Jazz Overdrive actually deliver some serious tone?
Top 5 Guitar Gear Fails: All the scams, howlers and pointless products
30 Dec 2017 · Its been a great year for the guitar and yet we still managed to see some amazing failures in the industry. My list this year contains my top 5 fails of the year for you to laugh at and say "How?"