Developers continue to push the envelope for using the iPhone as a music creation device. JR Hexaton Pro is one of the latest rhythm generators/live performance apps available. Pairing Amidio, makers of other hit iPhone apps such as Star Guitar and noise.io with legendary keyboard player Jordan Rudess (who demoed […]
Synth, Electronic & Audio
303 posts
Roland has expanded its line of JUNO synths with the addition of the JUNO-Di. Roland JUNO-Di Features high portability – can run off batteries 1000+ sounds including grand and electric pianos, lush strings, beautiful guitars, powerful brass, percussion, plus banks of exotic instruments, modern synth sounds, and much more. Easy […]
Moog Music has announced that only 40 more Voyager Old School synthesizers will be built. If you need some encouragement to go and get a first (or second) Voyager OS, take a look at what Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman has to say: “Only Bob Moog could come up with a […]
Digital piano players may wonder at the need for a separate metronome, but acoustic piano players and other musicians often benefit from an external timekeeper. In fact, Yamaha’s latest metronomes are a little more versatile than the ones found on digital pianos and keyboards. Ideal for musicians of all levels, […]
A couple of days ago Xyster.net released Tripper for the iPhone. Tripper is a fairly simple 16-step looping sequencer spanning ten distinct notes. All highlighted notes are played, together with colourful animation. At present there’s just one sound, which could be likened to some kind of toy/electric piano. There’s not […]
Apparently this great little microphone has been around for a little while now, and has gone down particularly well in the States, but I first got a glimpse of it at an exhibition last Thursday evening. The Snowball Microphone is a multi-purpose, professional-grade USB-powered condenser mic for either PC or […]
There’s a fascinating article and video over at Wired.com featuring classical cellist Zoe Keating. She uses her Apple MacBook Pro to record her cello, and then creates loops and layers based on that. Instead of trying to get fifty cellists together in one room, she is the sole instrumentalist. In […]
I’ve just started exploring AudioCubes, a cool hardware cube that can interact with its surroundings and with other cubes (up to eight) as well as control software via MIDI and generate lo-fi audio. It’s worth taking a look at the videos to see how they work, rather than me trying […]
Getting kids interested in music from an early age is a very worthwhile thing to do, for its own sake and also because music has been shown to improve overall learning and skills development in children. Those who seem to have an aptitude for composition, but for whom a full-blown […]
When a modern keyboard just won’t cut it for the sort of organ sounds you’re wanting to play, Roland’s C-330 Classic Organ could be just what you’re looking for. The unit features Rodgers highly acclaimed voice engine on board, offering gorgeous tone with highly flexible pipe-voicing capability, Windchest panning, and […]
In a world of modern keyboards, there’s something about Roland’s new C-230 Classic Keyboard that speaks of the past. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have cutting edge technology in it. The C-230 features 36 classical organ tones, 8 organ bass tones, 4 harpsichord tones, two fortepianos, celesta, and […]
The gap between acoustic and digital pianos just closed up a little with Yamaha’s latest innovation, the AvantGrand hybrid instrument that combines the best of both worlds. Physically, it replicates a much larger acoustic grand piano in a much smaller (but not insignificant) space. It features highly realistic key and […]
Korg has taken the fundamentals of its flagship M3 Xpanded workstation and put it out in the form of the more affordable M50 Music Workstation. The latest version offers 73 keys (six octaves) together with angled control panel and full-size TouchView interface. The EDS (Extended Definition Synthesis) sound engine delivers […]
Korg has shown off a major upgrade to its M3 music workstation and sampler in the shape of the M3 Xpanded. This free upgrade offers 668MB of expansive new sounds, interactive interface functionality, advanced sequencer enhancements and additions to the KARMA technology. Sound samples include three new acoustic pianos, 3-way […]
Not a lot to add to that headline. It seems that no piece of tech or musical gadgetry is immune from turning pink from time to time. At the Winter NAMM exhibition last month, Korg announced that its Kaossilator synth is available for a limited time in pink, as well […]
“Recreational keyboard” suggests to me some hybrid instrument that can not only function as a decent digital piano but also play back pre-recorded music and audio, thus making it more of an entertainment centre than a mere instrument. That seems to be the thinking behind one of Roland’s latest keyboards, […]
Synthesised vocals (realistic ones, at least) can be pretty dire, but Roland reckons it has come up with something convincing in its latest vocal and ensemble keyboard, the VP-770. Rather than focusing on the likes of built instrument samples, it takes the incredibly versatile human voice as its base. No […]
Roland has released an upgrade to its range of percussion sound modules, introducing the TD-4 that has four times as much memory as its predecessor and is chock full of drum and percussion instruments and kits plus plenty of customisation options. In fact there are 25 kits available and 125 […]
Roland has announced its Prelude home music keyboard that features a range of top-notch sounds lifted from Roland’s other sound modules plus a range of software and decent amplification. This velocity-sensitive 61-note keyboard offers a very respectable 128 notes of polyphony with which to play the myriad of tones (896 […]
Roland unveiled a huge array of new musical instruments and accessories at this year’s Winter NAMM, including this: the AX-Synth Shoulder Synthesizer. Harking back to the glorious days of the 1980s when this kind of instrument was all the rage, it frees the keyboard player up to move about, while […]
I got really excited when I read the headline over at Music Radar  after all, creating cool-sounding stuff from cheap, everyday gadgets is great. However, it doesn’t sound much more revolutionary than a guitarist standing a bit too close to their amplifier. Gordon Charlton uses a pair of Binatone […]
