Latest articles by Si Truss
The Breakdown: Skepsis shows us how to make the Freak bass patch in Massive
Bassline junkie turned DnB maverick Skepsis opens up his DAW for the latest edition of our in-studio video series
The Breakdown: How Skepsis made DnB roller Know What It Means
We meet up with the producer in his Liverpool studio to discover how he spans the realms of bassline and drum & bass
Elektron Digitakt 1.5
The Swedish brand’s widely-loved sampler gets a significant overhaul. We take a not-quite second look
Entonal Studio
Entonal Studio aims to take you beyond the confines of Western tuning. We scale up
Donner B1 Analog Bass Sequencer
Donner enters the analogue synth realm with a 303 clone that sounds the part – even if it doesn’t look it
5 futuristic drum tricks to bring your beats into 2023
Put a creative and contemporary spin on tried-and-tested rhythms
Quick Tips: How to use bus compression to glue your mix together
Creating a bus channel allows you to process your drums or vocals as a whole, adding that all-important 'glue' to your mixes
15 essential synth patches every producer should know
From classic bass sounds to evolving pads, quick drums and FX, we’ll show you how to rustle up these go-to patches from scratch
5 reasons we’re excited about Roland’s SH-4d (plus 3 things we would've done differently)
Retro vibes and new school tricks explored
How to recreate the sound of the Solina String Ensemble
We bolster our guide to 15 essential synth sounds with one of the most useful patches in any synthesist's arsenal: synth strings
How to create a classic rave chord stab
A staple of dance music, these short, punchy bursts of sound can provide harmonic and percussive drive in one go
Roland SH-4d
Roland releases yet another groovebox that emulates the company’s heritage instruments. However, there’s a real reason to be excited here…
Cherry Audio Synth Stack 3
Cherry Audio’s product line has exploded recently. Can Synth Stack now rival the likes of the V Collection?
10 tips for maximizing stereo width
Our guide to fine-tuning your stereo image to create depth, contrast and impact in your mixes
How to make a Minimoog-style bass patch
A classic analogue bass patch makes a great jumping-off point for pretty much any monosynth
How to synthesize an analogue-style kick from scratch
Making your own kick has many benefits, and is simpler than you’d think
How to make a classic house organ sound like Robin S.' Show Me Love
Next up in our guide to 15 synth patches every producer should know, we take on a defining sound in '90s house music
Best drum machine plugins 2024: Sample and synthesis VSTs for beatmaking
From 808 and 909 emulations to innovative drum synths and AI-assisted samplers
Best synth plugins 2024: Synth VSTs to suit all styles and budgets
From virtual analogue to wavetable, these are plugins you need on your hard drive
Klevgrand Tomofon
The Swedish developer’s ‘real audio synth’ is the company’s biggest release yet. We see what it can do…
Korg Drumlogue
Some two years after it was first announced, Korg’s hybrid drum machine is finally here. We find out if it’s worth the wait
Audiomodern Loopmix
A six-track looper with controlled randomisation at its heart. We get in the loop
Arturia MiniFreak
The MicroFreak gets a new, polyphonic sibling. We let the ’Freak off the leash
