Latest articles by Si Truss
Best MIDI pad controllers: Our top pad controller picks for every budget and every task
Expert advice for buying MIDI pad controllers for studio and stage and for every budget – including kits by Native Instruments, Arturia and Novation
Arturia MiniFreak: 5 things you need to know
Some highlights from Arturia's newest 'Freak box
Ableton Note first look: the closest you’ll get to Ableton Live on your iPhone?
Here’s everything you can and can’t do with Ableton’s new music-making app
PWM Malevolent
This British brand’s debut instrument is a decidedly old-school semi-modular synth but it boasts character by the bucketload
Korg Volca FM2
The DX7-inspired synth gets a v2 upgrade with twice the polyphony and new effects. Let's go back to the ’80s
The best free VST compressor plugins 2022: must-have dynamics processors for your DAW
From vintage limiter emulations to transparent mastering tools
The best free VST synth plugins 2023: wavetable, FM, virtual analogue and more
These are the free electronic instruments you need in your DAW
The history of breaks in music production
We trace the influence of breaks in music-making from the birth of hip-hop through breakbeat hardcore, rave, jungle and DnB
Akai MPC One review
Akai’s MPC One was introduced back in 2020 and quickly made heads turn. How has it changed since its release?
Toolroom Academy Infinite
We test out the debut effect plugin from the brains behind venerated house label Toolroom
Reason Studios Chord Sequencer
The latest Rack Extension is an interesting take on automatic chord generation. We take it for a spin…
Roland Jupiter-4
The original Jupiter – and Roland’s first poly – is the latest to get the ‘Cloud’ treatment. We take it for a spin
The ultimate guide to sub bass: tips and tricks for a high-class low-end
When it comes to music designed for a powerful sound system, nailing your sub can be what makes or breaks your track
Arturia V Collection 9
The latest edition of Arturia’s popular bundle takes a slight left turn. We get Augmented
Polyend Play
The Polish developers follow cult hit Tracker with a sample-powered drum machine. But, as we discover, Play isn’t as straightforward as it appears
Teenage Engineering TX-6 mixer
The Swedish company has created a mind blowingly compact mixer but does the fact it can mean it should?
Nicky Romero/Cableguys Kickstart 2
A longtime favourite for automated ducking in the EDM world, has Kickstart 2 got enough flexibility to appeal to users beyond the 4/4 realm?
8 new drum machines and grooveboxes you need to know about in 2022
Get better beats, basslines and grooves from this year's best hardware
Superbooth 2022: the best new synths, grooveboxes, modules and unexpected oddities
We crown our gear highlights from Berlin
New ways of hearing: a brief history of ambient music
From ’50s classical experiments to an antidote to ’90s raves, ambient music has proved to be less of a singular genre, more of a creative ethos
Excite Audio Lifeline Expanse
This debut plugin crosses the divide between amp sim and multi-effect. We step into the Expanse
Arturia Efx Fragments
The French brand goes granular for its latest effect. We break it down
