Latest articles by Andy Jones
“One of the best sound design tools around”: Arturia Pigments 5 review
Arturia’s Pigments is one synth to do it all, in as slick a way as possible. And v5’s additions are a lot better than they sound
“Fantasic for those who like the feel of console mixing and the SSL sound”: SSL UC1 and 360 Link review
SSL’s UC1 is now capable of controlling all of your plugins thanks to the company’s new (and free) SSL 360 Link plugin. Is it time for a reappraisal?
How Jean-Michel Jarre brought the synthesizer to the masses
With little around to compete with the single Oxygène when he released it nearly 50 years ago, Jean-Michel Jarre became the pinup of synth pop, and has continued to embrace the cutting-edge ever since. A true pionnier du synthétiseur…
How to recreate the sound of Kraftwerk's Autobahn in your DAW
This year marks an incredible 50 years since Kraftwerk released Autobahn, the track that brought electronic music to the masses, and even the charts
“Holds its own in the shadow of its older Oddity sibling, sporting some really beautiful synthetic textures”: GForce Software Axxess review
Recreating a classic (though not very obvious) ARP synth with characteristic aplomb. We get Axxess all areas…
“You now get close to 40 instruments in total which is quite incredible”: Arturia V Collection X review
Arturia’s mighty V Collection reaches generation X, but now its focus is not just on classic keyboards but new ones too
“A magnificent synth and worth the large outlay if you make the most of the year's All Access content”: Minimal Audio Current review
Deftly side-stepping the subscription saga, we spent some quality time with Minimal Audio’s dexterous flagship. Here’s our findings…
“One of the great 21st-century polysynths”: UDO Audio Super Gemini review
Just like the astrological sign Gemini, UK company UDO’s “bi-everything” synth is double the fun
We'd forgotten quite how many Depeche Mode bargains Alan Wilder shifted in his legendary auction
An Oberheim and Minimoog went for a song, but it was a Martin Gore guitar and E-mu sampler that stole the show
The story of Depeche Mode's Songs of Faith and Devotion album and tour is the most rock 'n' roll ever
Near-death experiences, breakdowns, talking puppets, heart attacks, sleeping in coffins… Just another Depeche Mode album, then
Is Casio's 'recording studio in a boombox' the most bizarre music-making product of all time?
Synth workstation? Karaoke machine? Recording studio in a ghetto blaster? Answer: all - and none - of the above…
"Computers are the worst thing that has happened for the musician": classic Vangelis interview reveals his studio wrath
The late composer might have been known for his cutting-edge synth use, but he didn't agree with every studio breakthrough
Mixing tips and production advice from engineers for Adele, New Order and Queens of the Stone Age
Join us as we gather some of the best studio minds to come up with some incredible insider tips on all aspects of music production
"Kraftwerk were using a Bee Gees-branded toy drum machine" – and a pretty terrible one at that
And it's certainly not the only piece of weird gear the iconic German band have used…
“I doubt anyone will break through in the way The Beatles did”: Did George Martin correctly predict the future in 1983?
Well, Taylor Swift fans might disagree…
5 pieces of '90s studio gear that we need back right now: "Making music in the '90s, you needed an awful lot of awfully average music gear, a lot of space and a vivid imagination"
1990s music gear might be a bit rubbish compared to today's, but its genius was in its limitations…
Audiotonix releases a build-it-yourself DJ mixer to encourage a new generation of sound engineers
As Kevin Costner might have said: "If you build it, you will learn"
Solid State Logic goes off-road with Module8, an easy-to-use modulation plugin aimed at sound designers and experimentalists
And you thought the company was all about grown-up mix plugins, right?
"Say hello to a new, inspiring workflow": Tracktion adds clip launching and Wavetable Synth to Waveform Pro 13 update
It gets the live performance workflow you'll recognise from Ableton, Logic and Bitwig, and might just be the tempter you need to switch DAWs
Universal Audio launches Verve Analog Machines saturation effects, and makes the 'Essentials' version free until the end of April
That's a freebie worth $99, if you act quick…
"If I'm taking high-end off my vocals, I like Soundtoys FilterFreak": Taylor Swift producer Jack Antonoff reveals his top 10 vocal plugins and recording techniques
But even with those plugins, you might not be as successful as him…
At last! Behringer ships the MS-5, a "faithful reproduction" of the Roland SH-5
The long-promised synth is in the shops and yours for just $599
Roland updates its SP-404 sampler "in celebration of 404 Day" (and to v4.04, before you ask)
The update brings enhanced looping, multitrack output, Koala Sampler integration and a 15-waveform sound generator to the popular sampler
