Latest articles by Matt Mullen
Try out this free modular sound design playground used by Aphex Twin
Mylar Melodies reveals the genius of Composers' Desktop Project in his latest video – and shows us how SoundThread makes it accessible
Dubreq unveils Stylophone Gen X-2 – and you can play it without the stylus
Thanks to CV/gate connectivity, you can now play this retro mini-synth with a keyboard or sequencer or even hook it up to a DAW or modular rig
"Take your pig squeals to the next level": Ablaze's Screamer is a vocal production plugin "crafted for metalheads, by metalheads"
Described as "the ultimate plugin for extreme vocals", Screamer is designed to enhance screamed vocals with the bold and punchy vocal tone that's characteristic of modern metal production
Teenage Engineering's latest experiment is a free computer case made from one piece of foldable plastic
"We set a goal to design the cheapest computer case in the world. Our engineers worked day and night to push the limits, and they engineered it all the way down to a cost of 0"
Critter & Guitari's Organelle S2 can be anything you want it to be: synth, sampler, sequencer, drum machine, effects unit and more
A self-contained music computer built to run Pure Data patches, Organelle has just been updated with a faster processor and a handful of hardware tweaks
"He's not using a guitar amp. He's using a Tascam 424": JHS Pedals puts a Portastudio in a pedal to help you recreate Mk.gee's "elastic, lo-fi tones"
The 424 Gain Stage is a preamp pedal designed to recreate the sought-after sonics of a Tascam four-track cassette recorder
Auxy launches macOS version of its mobile music-making app and teases forthcoming hardware instrument
One of our favourite music-making apps for iOS just came to desktop
Eventide is giving away a killer $99 distortion plugin for free
A lo-fi powerhouse with a few tricks up its sleeve, CrushStation delivers everything from "creamy saturation to brutal sonic assault"
It might be a little ugly, but Lambda Synthetics' PolyPulse could be the instrument that finally breaks you out of the 16-step grid
Is that a control panel at a Soviet-era nuclear power plant? No, it's an algorithmic performance workstation
"Everybody was screaming out, 'what record is that?!' It wasn't a record – it was the 808": Roland celebrates 45 years of the TR-808 with Rhythm Creators video series
Episode one premieres today with Egyptian Lover, and later instalments will feature Fatboy Slim, Prince Paul and Soul II Soul's Jazzie B
PWM declares Mantis "the next generation of OSCar" as V2 update adds original wavetables from the cult classic synth
Designed in collaboration with the late, great engineer Chris Huggett, Mantis is a spiritual successor to Oxford Synthesiser Company's ultra-rare OSCar synth
Spitfire Audio's latest instrument captures the sound of the historic Strawberry Studios
Château Piano samples a 1901 Steinway B found in an 18th-century French manor house and residential studio beloved by '70s icons
Slate + Ash releases Ruins, an experimental virtual guitar instrument developed with Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley
Featuring recordings from six avant-garde guitarists and produced by Randall Dunn, Ruins explores how "sound can degrade with purpose, and how decay itself can be compositional"
Why Silva Bumpa created his own R&B instrumental just to remix it into the garage-inspired Feel Da Same
Watch the rising UK artist break down his energetic track with vocalist Carla Monroe
"Attention span is slowly creeping back up”: Song lengths are increasing after years-long decline, according to BBC study
The average length of a song in the UK Top 40 reached just under 3m 30s in 2025, up from an all-time low of around 3m 15s in 2019
“My computer blew up on me, but I didn't want to leave the studio without having done anything that day”: How a crashed PC led to the creation of Hide and Seek, the robotic a cappella that introduced millions to the power of vocal processing
Sparked by a tech malfunction at the end of a late-night studio session, Hide and Seek was featured in hit TV shows and sampled by Jason Derulo, becoming Heap's best-loved song. Two decades on, we recount its unlikely story
"The MIDI keyboard that goes beyond MIDI": Nektar introduces Mk3 versions of its Impact LX range of MIDI controller keyboards
Nektar brings redesigned hardware, enhanced DAW integration and Native Instruments NKS support to its Mk3 line of keyboard controllers
Universal Audio's Luna DAW updated with AI tools, including voice control and instrument detection
The DAW now allows users to start and stop recordings using a "Hey Luna" voice command
FL Studio 2025 introduces AI assistant that offers music production advice
FL's latest update also brings Loop Starter, a feature that automatically loads up a selection of samples based on a chosen genre, and a long-requested increase in Mixer Tracks
"The same pocket-sized powerhouse that earned a cult following, recast for deep-space missions": Arturia's MicroBrute returns from the cosmos in limited-edition UFO version
The compact analogue monosynth makes an extraterrestrial comeback with "space-black design and Martian green detailing" as MicroBrute UFO Edition
Vochlea wants to reinvent Voice Memos with new AI-powered app Dubnote – and it's free for the next 24 hours
Anyone downloading Dubnote on Wednesday 9th July will get lifetime Premium access for free
Richie Hawtin produces short film inspired by '90s Detroit techno scene
Kids Like Us centres on one of a series of illegal raves Hawtin hosted at the city's abandoned Packard Plant, an event that saw the debut of the producer's legendary Plastikman alias
“You end up doing different things with a plugin versus a hardware synth”: Rival Consoles on why he still uses a Prophet emulation – even though he owns the real thing
We sit down with Ryan Lee West as he returns with his ninth studio album, Landscape From Memory
