That the late Steve Albini knew how to get a gnarly electric guitar tone down on tape goes without saying. His reputation as underground rock’s most reliable chaperone for uncompromising sounds preceded him.

He had the audio engineering knowledge to capture all the dynamics in a band’s performance. He could give a snare hit a three-dimensional force, summon feedback out of thin air.

Albini’s ability to apply his analogue magic to the electric noise of a rock ’n’ roll band was exactly the reason why Nirvana hired him for In Utero. What better way to subvert the mainstream than to achieve mass appeal then drop a noise-rock record on an unsuspecting public? Who better to record it?

But the fact that bands returned to him time and time again spoke to the kind of relationship he struck up with them. He knew what they were looking for.

When Neurosis called on Albini in October 1998 to record the follow-up to the epic Through Silver In Blood, they soon realised that their widescreen sound – post-metal, atmospheric sludge, experimental metal or however you want to describe it – could be recorded just like a punk band would. Which was fitting, because this was where they came from, evolving out of the Oakland, CA hardcore and crust scene.

Joining MusicRadar over Zoom, guitarist/vocalist Steve Von Till recalls the band still being a little raw in the studio when they first met Albini.

“Well, when we were younger, we just didn’t know that much about recording,” he says. “I mean, I’d done a lot of home recording. We knew the basics. Noah [Landis, synthesizers/samples] had studied recording in school, but, yeah, what we learned from Steve was just that there’s no nonsense and just don’t overthink it.”

Neurosis can be a difficult band to describe. You can hear their influences – Swans, Melvins, Black Sabbath, old-school anarcho punk and Throbbing Gristle — and yet the only bands who sound like them, or try to, are the bands who they influenced. Over the years, their sound would blossom and expand, growing more dynamic.

Apocalyptic guitars were always in the air, the storm clouds on the horizon, but Neurosis also traffic in slack air, seeding moments of menace and beauty in the near silence, and in psychedelic noises that are hard to attribute to guitar or synths, in the explosive release of the riff. But this evolutionary zeal never took them that far from their roots. Albini’s workflow was perfect for that, allowing them to track live from the studio floor.

“We’re a band. We rehearse in a room. We don’t do this modern fucking one guy at a time, shit. We all set up and we play,” says Von Till. “We overdub the vocals – ‘cos then we’ll play guitar better if we’re not trying to sing and play guitar at the same time. [Laughs] Plus, you can sing into a nicer, more sensitive microphone. But we set up as a band and record as a band, in a good sounding room with good microphones, put in the right spot – and there’s no bullshit. And with Steve, we learned [that].”

That was one lesson. Another was that a Neurosis album could be recorded and mixed in a week. This came as a shock to Von Till.

“When we first recorded with him – Times Of Grace was the first thing we recorded with Steve – we booked way too much time, ‘cos we were just used to all these techniques that wasted time,” he says. “These were these kind of bad habits that we learned in our other studio experiences.”

Not that those experiences were all bad. On the contrary. Neurosis had shed their skin by the time they met Albini. They had harnessed the great low-end power of sludge riffs, applied them to hypnotic rhythms, making albums such as 1993’s Enemy Of The Sun play out as great trippy nightmares, like the acid’s gone bad and they’d attained this great fevered second sight into the post-atomic spiritual rot that has divorced humankind from the natural world we belong to.

“Looking back on it, Enemy Of The Sun was really gratifying to work with Billy Anderson, because we thought we were just quickly recording an EP, and we accidentally made a record, because it was just quick and natural,” says Von Till. “It felt great, not fucking around. With Steve, again, [it’s] very natural. There’s no studio tricks. There’s no bullshit. It’s a band in a room. It’s a good sounding band in a good sounding room, with good mics, put in the right spot.”

Neurosis recorded six albums with Albini. They were not the only band to call upon Albini time and time again. The Jesus Lizard, Mogwai, The Wedding Present and Low had many collaborations. But only defunct Montana indie-rockers Silkworm, who briefly reunited for a tribute concert following Albini’s death in 2024, and venerable Japanese noise-rock band MONO recorded more music with Albini than Neurosis.

Since 2004, MONO had recorded all of their albums with Albini. MONO’s guitarist and principal songwriter Takaakira ‘Taka’ Goto describes Albini as a “friend and teacher”.

Electrical Audio held such an emotional pull for MONO – and practical, they have made so many connections there – that they returned to Chicago to track their new album, Snowdrop, their first since losing Albini.

“I could feel a lot of Steve Albini during the recording session,” says Goto. “The sound of the studio is his legacy, and each tone, each sound – everything – it’s like Steve is here. It’s like Steve is always there.”

Neurosis’s comeback album, An Undying Love For A Burning World, was released without warning on the Spring Equinox through Neurot Recordings. This surprise release also unveiled the band’s new lineup, with Aaron Turner [Sumac, ex-Isis] replacing co-founder Scott Kelly on guitars and vocals. Kelly had been fired in 2019 after it emerged he had been engaged in the abuse of his wife and children. Neurosis announced a hiatus in 2022 when this news was made public.

No one saw this record coming. The story of this triumphant second act is one for another day – we spoke to Turner and Von Till about it – but Von Till says the choice of producer was influenced by those experiences with Albini. They wanted someone with a similar ethic, and they found him in Scott Evans of Kowloon Walled City.

“We love the way his records sound,” says Von Till. “Aaron had worked with him with Sumac a bit. I did a little bit of solo recording with him on my piano. And he’s cut from the same cloth. He’s not, like, studio tricks and nonsense, you know? It’s very natural. It’s just a natural capturing of rock music.

“You want to hear Jason’s [Roeder] snare drum like it’s Jason’s snare drum in your face. You don’t want to fix it later. You don’t want to record your guitar direct and put it through a bunch of digital bullshit to try to make it sound better later. Just catch it! We spent a lot of time getting our tones right in a room, in practice. Just catch it.”

Von Till argues there’s a time and a place to use the studio and all its tool kit. There’s a time and place to track the parts separately, to apply some post-production to them later and then stitch it all together. For Von Till’s solo projects, both under his name and as Harvestman, he might need to have someone send him a part.

He lives out in rural Idaho, under the shadow of the firs. He says it can be hard to get a cellist to drive all the way out there. But rock bands? Show up rehearsed, plug in and turn it up. And find someone like Albini, who knows where to put the microphones.

“I love multi-tracking, and I love the art of multi-tracking records, so I’m not against the whole concept of piecing records together,” says Von Till. “But rock bands – rock bands that play together – I just like that idea of catching the performance. And, of course, yeah, if you flub a note, punch it, old-school style, play over the riff and fix your wrong note.

“But it’s a performance, and it’s a vibe, and it’s a take. And sometimes the accidents, and the mistakes add to it. Sometimes the way that feedback accidentally came up between those two notes could never be replicated again.”

That's part of the art of it all. Being alive and aware and open to these accidents is one of the essential skills of any musician or producer. We have to recognise when something great has happened even if it wasn’t what were looking for at the start of the session.

And just hope someone has put the mics in the right place and the tape is rolling.

“For sure. I mean, we have these kind of epic grand soundscapes but we’re still rock and roll,” says Von Till. “We’re rock and roll. It’s a rock and roll band. We want that fucking dirty Motörhead/MC5/Stooges fucking shit in there! [Laughs]”

• An Undying Love For A Burning Planet is out now via Neurot Recordings.

What is it?

Multifunctional recording hardware is nothing new, but this device from audio newcomer Hisong aims to push this to the limits. The S1 is a combined mic and audio interface, but with the added bonus of onboard DSP, minimal latency monitoring and both wired and wireless functionality. Clearly, this ‘all-in-one mobile recording capsule’, as Hisong calls it, is aiming high.

But before we get into how it works, let’s take a look at what you get. AirStudio S1 comes in three different bundles. The core 4-in-1 Musician Kit includes the S1 mic with proprietary wireless IEMs, an adjustable magnetic desktop stand, foam windscreen, USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-A adapter, IEM silicone tips and storage bag. The Creator Kit adds the RX Mini Wireless Receiver for a 5-in-1 package, and finally, the 6-in-1 Master Kit adds both the RX Mini and RX Plus Main Receiver, with the latter including further physical connectivity.

Fundamental to all bundles is the main S1 unit, which, in addition to its mic duties, is also a 2-in 2-out wired USB audio interface. It also includes wireless IEMs and integrated low-latency monitoring. Power comes from the onboard rechargeable battery (up to 10 hours of battery time) or via USB. Meanwhile, the IEMs are stored and charged inside the slide-open mic body. The S1 includes some on-body buttons for setting mic and monitoring options, but the whole ecosystem is primarily managed using the Hisong Link mobile app. Note: There is no desktop app.

The two RX-equipped kits add wireless connectivity between the S1 and your USB-equipped recording device. The RX Mini just provides wireless connection, however, the RX Plus is a more fully-featured rechargeable battery-powered wireless breakout box with two mini jack outputs (line and headphone) as well as a USB-C powering input and on-body level buttons. There’s also a slot-in USB-C shoe for connection to a target device and a cold shoe option for camera top mounting via the included 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable.

Performance

We don’t usually dwell on the unboxing aspect of the products we test, but here we’ll make an exception as the S1 package is excellently conceived. All components come in a bespoke compact toiletries-style carry case. This includes plenty of pocket sections, so even if you buy the Master Kit, all bits slot away neatly for transit.

At just over 12cm long, the S1 is nicely compact, and the use of magnetic coupling to the table top stand or included camera stand adapter makes mounting the mic quick and flexible. The S1 mic is end-addressed with two modes, condenser and enhanced dynamic, which you select using the on/off switch. These provide cardioid and super-cardioid patterns, respectively, and the condenser mode is obviously brighter with a much wider pickup pattern. Both modes handle plosives pretty well, and there’s only low-level proximity, making the S1 good for speech. That said, it definitely sounds good enough to capture other instruments.

The onboard IEMs pair automatically with the S1 providing immediate minimal latency monitoring, and the S1’s onboard buttons provide various options including mic mute and level. You’ll find more extensive controls in the Hisong Link mobile app, where you can also choose from a chain of DSP options including EQ, compression, reverb, noise reduction and limiting. These are quite basic single slider designs, but are nonetheless handy for quick changes. What’s more you can also specify processed or unprocessed for the USB output (though not the RX output). The mobile app also includes two handy recording features, OneTrack and DualTrack, designed for RX and USB connection respectively.

The kit has some further interesting functionality. First up, you can use the RX Mini and RX Plus at the same time. So, for example if you wanted to simultaneously send your mic audio to your camera mounted RX Plus and use its mini jack output to record onto the camera track, and at the same time record the S1 output to a laptop or phone all wirelessly, then you can. With the RX Plus in use, you also have both IEMs and a headphone output, again, both outputting simultaneously. Finally, the S1 is also available as a Bluetooth music target, allowing you to stream via Bluetooth to your S1 in stereo, and this audio will be blended with the mic source and sent to both RX devices.

Verdict

It’s clear a lot of thought has gone into this product, with functionality and portability at its heart. But it’s sonically pretty decent too, and although maybe not a first choice for audiophile music users, it still provides a great general purpose solution.

Hands-on demos

HISONG

Alternatives

Specifications

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: The first that most of us heard of vibe coding was when Rick Rubin called it the “punk rock of software.”

For those of you not up on your punk software, vibe coding is a cutting-edge technique that utilizes an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT to develop software applications through prompts. Or, according to IBM, “a fresh take in coding where users express their intention using plain speech and the AI transforms that thinking into executable code.”

If you’re an electronic musician, you’re probably already thinking it: can vibe coding create plugins? The answer is yes, with a few caveats. Until recently, you still needed to have some knowledge of coding languages like C++ and DSP – digital signal processing – to get things to work. But thanks to three new platforms that simplify the process, you can now vibe-code bespoke plugins to use in your productions with no expertise in coding or DSP required.

One of the first plugins to make plugins to appear on the scene was actually not a plugin, but a Max for Live device. Called ChatDSP, the software from respected Max for Live developer Dillon Bastan slots into Ableton Live as an instrument, audio effect or MIDI effect.

Enter a prompt in natural language about what you want - a reverb for example, or an FM synth - and ChatDSP will interface with an AI agent of your choosing to create the custom effect or instrument. It will also generate up to 48 mappable parameters for controlling the device that you can automate, with additional inbuilt standard parameters like pitch bend and mod wheel for instruments, and dry/wet mix for effects.

Interfacing with an AI agent like Anthropic’s Claude isn’t free, so you’ll first need to add credits to the AI and get an API key, something like a password that you enter into ChatDSP so it can communicate with your agent. Prompts cost money, and the more you converse with the AI, the more it costs. While this may seem complicated, the manual walks you through the process, and the good news is this is the trickiest part of the entire process. Once you’re set up, things work as advertised: enter prompts, get results.

Reactions to ChatDSP have been, as you might expect, mixed, with some excited about the possibilities inherent in the new technology, and others upset about the use of AI. “There are many many valid concerns about AI, especially big AI, data centers, and the effect on the environment, industry, and warfare, so I'm not surprised at all and respect people hating it,” says Dillon. “There is so much harm in all our industries that are a part of our daily life, from using a smartphone, eating meat, using your car, and of course using AI. Everyone draws different lines to reduce harm, so I think it’s very understandable that many people's lines are at AI.”

While early iterations of ChatDSP only allowed the use of large-scale AI agents like Claude or ChatGPT, Dillon has since updated it to include local AI as well, giving users more of a choice. “I also don't like a ton of things about AI,” says Dillon, “so I was happy to add local model support in it. The one aspect I don't see eye to eye with is the technical gatekeeping and elitist aspect. While deskilling is a major concern for AI, especially in education, some of the criticisms remind me of classical musicians hating the keyboard, drum machine or DAWs.”

Dillon admits that he's not an enthusiastic proponent of AI, choosing to create ChatDSP because the technology had reached a point where it had become feasible. “Once I have an idea that seems interesting, I generally make it and move on to the next one. [ChatDSP] was one passing idea I had. Of course, I love bringing whatever my imagination conceives to life and this device can do that itself for smaller projects.”

Unless you’re an Ableton Live Suite user, you won’t have access to Max for Live. That doesn’t mean you can’t create your own plugins from within a DAW though, as the developer Artists in DSP has created its own vibe-coding software generator, Amorph.

Like ChatDSP, Amorph includes a suite of options to create different kinds of plugins: instrument, effects and MIDI. These are available in VST3 and AU formats for both Mac and PC, and so should work in most major DAWs. Amorph is also free.

To create your own plugin, begin by writing a prompt. Amorph will turn your text into code, what Artists in DSP calls a “pre-optimized payload,” that you’ll then have to paste into an AI agent. Take what the AI spits out at you, drop it back into Amorph, and it will be compiled into a plugin that you can then play with.

“We were classic plugin developers,” explains Artists in DSP CEO Leo Biasca-Caroni on why the team went the vibe coding route. “We’ve been developing VST and AU plugins for Windows and Mac for three years [but] we never thought that agents would become smart enough to create a whole audio plugin.”

The seed of the idea came from a user, who pointed the developers in the new direction. “He mailed us and said that Polyend Endless is a promptable pedal,” says Leo. “If that existed for VSTs or AU, that would be a huge [opportunity] for us.”

As with ChatDSP, the reaction from the music production community has been polarized. “We were expecting to get skeptical responses to it,” admits Leo, “because, of course, you are afraid when you see that big of a change of a paradigm. It changes the way you think, you work. On the other hand, we also received a lot of messages saying that this way of using AI is finally as a tool. We believe it’s a tool that gives you the power to use AI as a creative partner and not as a substitution for you.”

Being able to create custom plugins as the need arises opens up new areas of creativity for the musician and producer. “You know the [plugin] you want to have. You know how you want to play it. It's just too hard to find [something] on the internet that exactly meets your expectations. That's what Amorph is for.” Interestingly, it can also allow for happy accidents and unintended results, Leo says. “The errors inside the prompt can sometimes bring this creative serendipity.”

Amorph is still in open beta, but it’s getting closer to version one. At the time of publication, it was at v0.99, which includes the ability to generate a custom UI, offers sample-accurate MIDI timing, and gives users access to The Hub, an integrated cloud browser to preview and install community-created patches.

Artists in DSP is hoping to integrate communication with AI agents into the plugin in the official release, so you no longer have to copy and paste back and forth. You’ll also be able to use your own API key, as with ChatDSP. “You get your API key and you can insert it inside the plugin, and then you’ll have an agent that is not only able to generate the code, but also to change the code directly, iterate, and fix the errors,” says Leo.

Another feature the team is hoping to expand is The Hub. Explains Leo: “Right now we have a quite clear image of what Amorph is going to be. It will become a marketplace, because we want to keep it free. We're pushing it to become a sort of Stripe for audio plugins, for generated DSP plugins.

“You can imagine it as a place where inside the plugin, you have a marketplace and can download free or paid tools that other people are generating. And, if you download that tool from someone else, you can see the code inside of it. You can also modify it. You can transform it.”

Rather than work within your DAW as a plugin or Max device, Pluginmaker.ai uses your web browser as the building and testing platform. And, unlike the other two platforms discussed here, Pluginmaker.ai delivers a unique VST or AU plugin for you to use - or sell - as you see fit.

Described as “the first-ever browser-based AI-powered VST plugin generator,” Pluginmaker.ai creates your instrument or effect idea based on prompts typed into the browser. You can then test it via MIDI, on-screen keyboard or built-in sequencer right there, and adjust parameters and create new iterations until you’re satisfied with the results, after which you can download the completed plugin. Pluginmaker.ai provides a marketplace for you to sell (or give away) your creation, keeping 10% of any sales. You’re also allowed to sell it independently.

To do all of this, you’ll need to subscribe to the platform, with different pricing tiers generating differing amounts of credits that you use when prompting - the standard procedure for working with an AI agent. (Polyend has a similar system for its Endless pedal.)

“It all started when [co-founder] Maks Padalak asked himself a question,” says the other co-founder of Pluginmaker.ai, Dominik Bilski. “‘What if people could generate any plugin they want in minutes for a dollar and preview the result instantly on the web?’” Dominik goes on to explain how Maks, a front-end developer at Nord Security and musician, wanted to build his own plugins but was surprised by “how insanely high the entry bar was to even start.”

Pluginmaker.ai’s goal is to democratize plugin creation and access to plugins themselves. “Right now, building a plugin requires deep knowledge of DSP and C++, which limits creation to a very small group of highly specialized developers,” says Dominik. “That's an enormous entry barrier. And quality plugins are expensive. Most producers, especially bedroom producers just starting out, can't justify spending hundreds of Euros on individual tools. Our goal with pluginmaker.ai is to enable anyone to create whatever plugin they can imagine for a fraction of the price.”

Although the platform is still in beta, users have already created a number of different instruments and effects, all with beautiful graphical user interfaces, something notably lacking from many vibe-coded plugins so far. It’s clear to see how this could seriously disrupt the industry as it develops.

“The software industry is already shifting in this direction and there's no doubt about that,” says Dominik. “VST plugins are ultimately software, and the cost of all software is trending toward zero. We strongly believe that in the coming years, writing code manually won't be a thing. What will be left is the fun stuff - creating things and solving problems. In our eyes this is one of the biggest revolutions in human history. Possibly bigger than the internet.”

While the three platforms discussed here offer new ways to engage with music production, they do bring up some thorny ethical issues. Data centers are not only gobbling up RAM and other tech that could otherwise end up in things like cars and laptops, they’re incredibly harmful to the environment, with large facilities swallowing up to five million gallons of water a day, the equivalent to a town of 50,000 people.

As one commenter on ChatDSP's walkthrough video wrote, “Using the power of the omniscient LLM, we can now make the most basic of Operator patches within a matter of hours of trial and error using the yearly energy consumption of a mid-size European city.” This is one reason why Dillon gave users the option of switching to a local AI model in the device.

Another issue to keep in mind when using a platform like the ones profiled here is the source of the code that's used to create the plugins. AI companies across the board have been criticized for training their models on copyrighted material, whether that be photos, videos, text, or music.

Artists in DSP, for their part, have written pre-made code in Amorph for the AI to work with. “You can think of it like building Legos,” explains Leo Biasca-Caroni. “You have Lego building blocks. And those are like oscillators. You have filters. And you just put them together and give the AI in the system some graphical knowledge.” In this case, then, the AI is working with ethically sourced code, compiling it into something that you can use in your DAW.

Lastly, there is the possible impact on traditional software developers. Are their livelihoods at risk? While this is still cutting-edge technology, it’s developing rapidly, and Dillon Bastan sees the writing on the wall: “Unless AI and technology collapse in the near future, the way we work with technology will become more abstracted because of AI. I suspect the developer industries will change rapidly.”

For Leo of Artists in DSP, he believes that developers will need to get on board or be left behind. “If you don't follow the rhythm of AI, there will be a big change. You have to adapt to the way music production is working with technology nowadays.”

Pluginmaker.ai also views AI as the future of software development. “As software developers, we were genuinely worried about our futures at first,” says Dominik Bilski, “until we quit our jobs and decided to do something about it instead of sitting around being scared. We chose to use the AI revolution to create something special rather than watch it happen to us.”

Perhaps there’s a future where traditional plugin development and vibe coding can exist side by side in harmony. After all, we all know how to cook our own food, yet the restaurant industry remains profitable. Not everyone will want to spend the time creating plugins (even with the help of AI) when they’d rather be making music. And many discerning producers may reject AI-made plugins, much as we choose not to listen to AI-generated music. Only time will tell.

ChatDSP is priced at $10 and is available from Dillon Bastan’s website.

Amorph is available for free from the Artist in DSP Gumroad page.

Pluginmaker.ai offers two pricing levels as well as a free option to get started and check out the marketplace.

What is it?

Expressive E is a company that has always pushed the limits of MIDI control, through its impressive lineup of hardware and software. At the very heart of its development manifesto is the ability to control electronic instruments in a unique way, exploring some of the outer limits of the MPE format.

Its journey began with the unique design of the Touché, a hardware controller of sorts, which was designed as an add-on to your existing MIDI or modular setup. Then came software that fully embraced the MPE format, inviting users and players to engage the Touché for all of those control niceties.

The pinnacle of its most recent explorations arrived a couple of years ago, with the Osmose synthesizer keyboard. This not only allowed us to see its unique keybed technology for the first time, but also gave us a very weighty onboard MPE synth engine, taking full advantage of a performance-level keyboard package.

Now Osmose is available in a new CE format, providing a cheaper controller option for those who don't need Osmose’s internal sound engine. The unique selling point is undoubtedly that, where other MPE controllers provide unique styling and design, the heart of Osmose is a traditional piano layout, at least at first sight. Beyond that, the Osmose keyboard responds to all manner of strikes, after touch-style pressure, lateral movement, and more!

Performance

So if you are paying considerably less for the CE edition, what are you losing? In essence, the onboard sound engine! The keybed technology is identical in every way, so we could easily argue that there is no compromise. The lack of a sound engine is unlikely to be a deal-breaker for anyone who is studio-bound and DAW-based. Apart from its availability in both a 49 and 61 key (four and five octave) format, there is an included bounty of over 900 sounds available, through the installation of the Ctrl-e software, which runs as a VST or AU plugin in your DAW.

At the present time, there is no standalone version of Ctrl-e, or indeed a version that might run on a tablet, but maybe that might be something that appears in future. Osmose CE integrates fully with Expressive E’s other products, and arguably opens an entirely new area of control for Soloiste (its virtual solo string instrument plugins) and Noisy 2 (synth), although the Ctrl-e software is a fantastic MPE showcase for other manufacturers too, who have contributed patches – Synapse, G-Force and Kilohearts, to name just a few – alongside Expressive E’s own included sounds.

Build and construct

The hardware itself is manufactured in Poland, with the component elements being a black metal base and aluminium upper panel. The keybed sits proud of the fascia, with pitch and modulation sliders located on the far left, along with a number of buttons and pots and the ever-important display.

Power is supplied via USB-C, meaning that you can plug it directly into your computer for both data/MIDI and power connectivity. It's a very neat solution. Should it be more convenient for your setup, you can also connect MIDI via more usual 5-pin DIN connectors, both in and out, although you will still need to connect USB-C for power. The build quality itself is exemplary.

Use and feel

So how does Osmose CE perform, as an MPE-biased controller, versus more regular pianistic use?

This starts with the physical attributes of the keys themselves. When you play a key, pressing it down with the force of your finger, there is quite a lot of travel. Unlike a piano or similar keyboard, there is no hard stop, that is, unless you increase the travel of your finger to the very depths of a key’s depression point. This means that you effectively have a halfway point, which might be considered the more usual stopping point for a regular keyboard. If we refer to the rest of the travel as an ‘aftertouch zone’, there is about the same degree of movement again, but of course, the point here is that you can initiate further control through the software, such as the induction of vibrato, or the application of some form of synth-based modulation.

Osmose CE goes much further, though, with lateral movement too, which often induces vibrato. Bizarrely, this concept of lateral movement dates back to the 14th century, and the instrument known as the Clavichord. However, Expressive E has taken the concept to new heights, with a high level of programmability which complements the sound engine palette. This means that you can engineer considerable secondary control, once the initial note strike has occurred.

Thanks to the accompanying Ctrl-e software, you can quickly get up and running with an incredibly extensive sound palette, which is designed to show off Osmose to its fullest potential. There are plenty of pads, synths and guitar-like plucks within the software, but we were also interested to test Osmose CE with its unique Soliste suite, which concentrates on members of the orchestral string family.

The level of control supersedes what may be possible with a conventional controller, but it underlies one notable point, which is that this is such a radical design that you may need to engineer some Osmose practice to get the very best from the action. It is a different instrument, in the way that it plays and feels, and while it's clearly very simple to switch to a piano sound, it is also a very different proposition if you are used to sitting at an acoustic piano, or one of the excellent fully-weighted MIDI controllers that are currently on the market.

Integration and install

There can also be a high level of integration between Osmose CE and your DAW. We were testing the unit with Logic Pro, but must note that installing all the appropriate software that might be required wasn't quite as simple as it could be.

The basic setup of plugging in gets you off the blocks very quickly, but installing additional components, notably the Ctrl-e software and support script for your DAW, are treated as separate elements.

The Ctrl-e software is essentially a sound source, in the shape of a plugin. The installation procedure was simple enough, but we had to do a number of full restarts of our system and Logic before the plugin was recognised and appeared. It just seemed to be a little bit temperamental, which might also be because of the presence of iLok, for authenticity.

The accompanying DAW script allows the Osmose CE to integrate fully with your DAW. This extends from sound selection within Ctrl-e, through to transport and even fader control. As a specification, this seems like a good idea; however, the Osmose CE display is nowhere near as gratifying as a computer screen, so while incremental/decremental navigation of sounds might be useful, it seems unlikely that you will use the onboard display when your computer screen will presumably be very close at hand.

Moreover, navigation via the display is through six infinite and clickable pots and five buttons, and while it does get easier with use, it’s not the most intuitive menu hierarchy or way of getting things done. It's also worth noting that loading times for many of the Ctrl-e sounds felt quite laboured. This did vary from one patch to another, and probably has everything to do with the sonic complexity of each sound.

There are two 1/4” jack connection points on the rear of the unit for pedals, one of which could easily be a sustain pedal. In operation, we also noted that applying the sustain pedal meant that any attributes that had been triggered within a patch, such as a change in filter cutoff, would not be held with the sustain. Presumably, this is to do with the nature of MIDI sustain pedals, where they tend to operate in an off/on scenario, for notes only.

You also have to use the display for making settings on the Osmose CE, which is entirely fair enough, particularly as you probably won't need to change these settings very often, but for DAW control, it feels somewhat surplus to requirements, although the tactile nature of the transport controls has a degree of appeal.

Verdict

Being available in both four and five-octave versions, Osmose CE is incredibly appealing for anyone making music within a DAW. It is capable of some pretty clever party tricks, such as the Pressure Glide mode, which allows portamento movement between notes, but with a useful degree of control and accuracy.

Where the jury may be out is with its attractiveness as a straight replacement for a conventional MIDI keyboard. If you are a pianist or keyboard player, there is an overwhelming attraction to an MPE controller, which looks identical to a regular piano keyboard. This is, however, where it ends!

The playing experience is very different to that of the piano, and will take some time and encouragement to fully embrace. Playing slower and more chordal progressions allows you time to embrace the MPE control, but rapid playing presents greater challenges, particularly as ends of notes are nowhere near as tight as more conventional controllers. The upside is, of course, you get all the other MPE elements, which you could not do in the same way with a regular controller, even armed with a bank of faders.

There is something very musical about the way you can approach playing Osmose CE, and we like that an awful lot. The only problem is that we are thinking that we might need to make space for two controllers in our studio setup, in much the same way that we have a weighted keyboard and a synth action keyboard. It has to be worth it, just for the sheer style of the Osmose CE!

Hands-on demos

Expressive E

Alternatives

Specifications

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: The ferocious big beat sound of The Prodigy's 1997 album Fat of the Land has been hailed as a classic of the electronic genre. But, in our view, it’s not just an excellent dance record, but one of the decade’s most significant releases.

The album that birthed the multimillion selling Firestarter and the controversial Smack My Bitch Up, were key strikes in rave culture's invasion of the mainstream.

The Prodigy had a long-established reputation as a superb, invigorating live act, but wider exposure led to their expressive frontman Keith Flint terrifying middle England, and besieging the homes of everyday folk via Top of the Pops.

Preceding the album by 8 months, the single Breathe became the band's most successful single (at least before Firestarter was released) but its development took quite a while.

“It was an instrumental for ages,” The Prodigy’s chief musical director Liam Howlett recalled in an interview with Addicted to Noise. “We were playing it on stage and the guys were just dancing to it and stuff. It was just like an instrumental track. And I thought that it was so obvious to put a vocal on it.”

It's Breathe's distinctive opening and recurring 2-bar, guitar-sampled riff which we are going to examine and try and re-build here.

As we will discover, we can create an interesting facsimile using our own software, using many of the identifiers from the original track, but without the initial samples, it's difficult to re-create note for note.

Therefore, think of this as an opportunity to take the spirit of the track in a different direction, using a slightly mutated sound of your own choosing.

Though some speculated that Liam Howlett had in fact sampled the theme from the iconic James Bond music cue (undoubtedly because of the twangy guitar sound), in reality, it stemmed from a recording of the Prodigy live-band member, guitarist and contributor, Jim Davies. His processed and mono guitar sound was tracked to DAT, leaving Howlett to extract a couple of notes and re-mould them.

“I just got him into the studio and he played a couple of notes,” Howlett told Addicted to Noise. “I just took those single notes and basically put them through the sampler. I constructed the riff, in other words. Everything you hear on the track is basically from my head. All the riffs are mine. I've never sampled a whole riff of someone else's stuff. A lot of people get confused 'cause when they hear ‘sampler,’ all they can think about is sampling other people's tracks, you know. It's not like it used to be, like with Pump Up The Volume, when it was just built around someone else's track. This is actually rock music written on electronic equipment, you know? With Breathe, I made the riff.”

Breathe is, therefore, a very sample-heavy production, reliant upon sampled material at just about every turn. Thin Lizzy’s Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed supplies the drum break, while Wu-Tang Clan’s Da Mystery of Chessboxin’ provides the identifiable whiplash effect, used throughout.

Rather than get caught up in the wormhole of samples, we're going to examine how we can recreate the opening riff ourselves, with workarounds that might provide an simple alternative for achieving a similar sound in a different context.

How to get the sound of Breathe in your DAW

You may be limited by the tools at your disposal, but the good news is, you can create something similar with a basic soft synth or sampler, a DAW, some distortion effects and EQ.

The preferable choice for your synth or sampler will be anything that has a band-pass filter. Don't worry if this isn't something you have, as you can adopt EQ to acquire similar results. It’s preferable to be able to control your filter cutoff using velocity, although once again, there an alternative solution, which we’ll come to later.

If using a synth, we are looking to create a fairly sharp wave upfront, so while you can use conventional subtractive-style synths, try using a modulated pulse wave, or better still, some form of sync, bright digital or FM tone.

Alternatively, use a sampler (which is what we are choosing to use here). We are using the EXS24, which is the stock sampler from Logic Pro.

The beauty of this approach is that we can select a sound source which will pave much of the way for a similar sound.

Step 1: As a starting point, we have selected the ‘Clean Electric Guitar 1’ patch, from the default EXS24 library. It's a clean sound, which is played/sampled by using a pick or plectrum.

Step 2: In order to easily work with this sound, create a simple 2-bar loop or cycle, which will make it easy to audition the sound.

For reasons of copyright, we have used a loop which is slightly different from the original, but we have kept this rhythmically the same. Also note that all of the notes have been entered in step time, and are set to the same velocity value of 70. We will return to this later to make further adjustments.

Step 3: Returning to our sound, we’ll start by making some filter settings. One of the luxuries of working with the EXS24 sampler, is that we can employ two filters, which on this occasion we’ll assign in series.

We are setting filter one to ‘HP 24db Edgy’, which is a 4-pole high pass filter, and selecting filter two ‘BP 12dB Edgy’, which is a band-pass filter.

Between the two filters, you can see the ‘Series’ icon, which needs to be highlighted in yellow.

Turning to the Cutoff and Resonance settings, these will differ from one synth or sampler to another, but as a general guide, aim to set the high-pass filter cutoff to around 30% and resonance to 45%, with the band-pass filter cutoff set to around 25% and resonance set to 50%. Be sure to listen and audition your sound, and don't overly indulge the resonance.

If you have drive or distortion available within the filter circuit, you could certainly apply this at this stage, although it’s not essential, as we will add distortion to our signal chain at the end of the process.

Step 4: Ideally, we want to use two envelope generators, with one applied to amplitude/volume, and the other applied to filter cutoff. If you only have one available, you can use the same envelope for both elements.

Beginning with the amplitude envelope, engineer a small amount of sustain, preceded by a quick attack and snappy decay. If you have a second envelope, for filter cutoff modulation, apply settings for a quick attack and decay with zero sustain.

Step 5: Returning to our note editor, we now need to implement two different levels of velocity value.

If we refer to the original track, this begins with the on-beats being a higher velocity than the off-beats, although there is nothing to stop you altering this to suit your own track. The velocity value pattern in the original also changes, once it reaches the second bar.

We are going to start by changing some notes to a velocity of 100, leaving the opposite notes set to the previous velocity of 70. The differences in velocity value will allow us to control the degree of filter modulation, which we’ll route in the next step.

Step 6: Using your synth’s mod matrix or modulation routings, assign velocity to both filter section’s cutoff controls. Once you have a assigned the source and target, you may need to experiment with the amount of modulation. In our case, we have assigned a modulation value of around 25-27% but again, this will differ from one synth to another. You may also note that there is an indication of modulation, within the filter section, as seen in our example by the appearance of an ‘orange curve’ above the cutoff control.

When you now audition your 2-bar loop, the changes in velocity value should instigate a change in the cutoff of each filter, replicating a similar sound to the original track.

Step 7: To further enhance this effect, try applying a small degree of filter cutoff modulation, using the filter envelope as a modulation source. A small amount of modulation should enhance the effect even further.

Step 8: If the synth or sampler that you are using allows the application of distortion within the filter section, you may already have convincing results. However, the application of overdrive or distortion on the backend of the signal chain, will likely add another useful element.

If you listen very carefully to the original, you can hear a slight grainy-ness in the original sound. This may be down to the original sampling process, and a reduced sample rate, or merely noise from distortion. Either way, try experimenting with a bitcrusher, as this will allow the introduction of a similar texture.

Alternatively, add a healthy dose of distortion; something aggressive, such as Soundtoys' Decapitator would be ideal for this and can be cranked quite hard, to achieve impressive results.

As with the programming of any synth sound in a contemporary DAW, there are a number of ways of approaching sound design in order to achieve similar results.

If working with a conventional subtractive-style synth, armed with more usual waveforms, experiment with different combinations. A sync tone, or reedy PWM pulse would be ideal starting points for this sound. Many modern synths provide metallic or glassy sources, which may prove to be worthy fodder in this context.

You can also experiment with different filter types. While high-pass and band-pass filters are the ideal option, you can also explore formant filters, which can provide wonderful colours.

Be aware that each filter and synth will require its own specific set of values. You can also use heavy EQ curves, to limit the sonic bandwidth, much like a band-pass filter.

One issue that may present itself, particularly with less capable soft-synths, is the lack of ability to route velocity to the cutoff control of the filter. Another method for achieving the same result, would be to automate the cutoff within your DAW. But be sure to create steps for each note, rather than a slope between values, as the cutoff changes.

Learning how to create impressive sounds from the past masters is a valuable route to understanding how to get the most out of your synthesis. However, it is also a superb springboard for individual creativity, and while it can be highly rewarding to try and recreate an existing track, try to take your sound exploration in a new direction which will be entirely unique to you. Then you can release your track without stepping on any copyright-toes.

Take a deep breath… now get creative!

Now the world's most popular musical genre, hip-hop has come a very long way from its humble origins in the streets of '70s New York.

Hip-hop in 2026 is stronger and more diverse than ever, having heavily influenced the sound of contemporary pop while splintering into a multitude of subgenres and microscenes, from trap and drill to mumble rap and rage beats.

But few would disagree that the genre's "golden age" – a fruitful period from the late '80s through the mid-'90s – was the genre at its peak, producing a historic run of groundbreaking albums from iconic artists like 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G, Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, Mobb Deep, Outkast and many more.

It's that slice of hip-hop history that served as inspiration for our latest free sample pack, a varied collection of beats, loops, drum hits, one-shots and multi-samples that share a distinctly nostalgic feel - there's even some vinyl crackle samples thrown in for that authentically vintage vibe.

From laid-back boom-bap drum patterns to dusty chords and slinky basslines, this pack's got pretty much everything you need to put together a convincing imitation of classic '90s hip-hop. Except the rhymes, of course – we'll leave those to you.

What you need to know

All the samples are supplied as WAV files so can be imported directly into your DAW or sampler of choice.

Because they're royalty-free, you're welcome to use the samples in your music in any way you like - all we ask is that you don't re-distribute them.

The samples are supplied in a zip file, so you'll need to extract them before you can see them. Enjoy!

Examples

'90s hip-hop samples samples: click to download

'90s hip-hop samples (202MB)

For thousands more samples, head to our SampleRadar hub.

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PLUGIN WEEK 2026: There’s no question we’re definitely spoilt for choice when it comes to plugins, and as developers continue to get ever more creative, or unearth ever more esoteric hardware to emulate, sorting the wheat from the chaff becomes harder and harder.

The best way to negate option paralysis (and get the best out of the plugins you already have) is by developing a stock set of favourite or ‘golden’ plugins. That’s just what I’ve done.

Some more complex tasks might require a helping hand from other plugins, but in general terms, these 6 go-tos typically serve me just fine when working on my projects.

So here are my particular 6 choice plugins - along with my reasons for liking them and keeping them close…

1. Waves Doubler

One of the oldest plugins in this list and in my setup, Waves Doubler is a plugin I always come back to.

It’s very easy to use and, to be fair, it is a bit of a one-trick pony. But what an excellent trick that is.

Built along similar lines to the classic Eventide H3000 micro pitch-shifting effect, it comes in two and four voice plugins that provide, rather unsurprisingly 2 or 4 additional voices respectively. I said it was simple.

It’s an additive effect and the interface includes control of the dry signal and additional voices so it’s easy to use as either an insert or auxiliary. Other options include 2-band EQ and modulation. There’s a bunch of great presets with plenty of producer contributions too.

Doubler is great for adding width and richness to sounds, and with fast and deep modulation settings can produce some quite weird outcomes. Nevertheless, my favourite effect is a lot more subtle and uses the 2 voice version with a static micro pitch shift on one side and a slowly modulation pitch shift on the other. This is particularly good for vocals but also works well for adding width and richness to other instruments.

2. Soundtoys Decapitator

Soundtoys Decapitator sounds like a pretty destructive plugin, and at extreme settings it can certainly do plenty of damage. But it’s far more flexible than the name implies, and is an excellent tool for adding a bit of audio interest when everything is sounding a bit sterile.

The engine is built around 5 main saturation circuits. Each models a specific and fundamentally different piece of hardware and is designed to create the complex harmonic behaviour and dynamic response they produce.

These include the valve-based Ampex 350 tape machine preamp (A), the Germanium translator-based Neve 1057 input channel (N) and the Chandler/EMI TG Channel (E).

Rounding things off are two modes from Thermionic Culture’s Culture Vulture, based on triode (T) and pentode (P) topologies. Further options include low and high pass filtering, and overall tilt style EQ and of course input drive.

All told it’s a slightly oddball plugin that delivers a broad palette of sonic goodness. It’s great for adding weight or grit to bass, fatness to drums and beats, and anything from mild to heavy harmonic distortion to pretty much anything.

However, I like to use it subtly across multiple tracks. This is great for adding flavour and provides the perfect antidote to those pristine DAW-based productions.

3. UAD EMT 140

You’ll find plate-style reverbs in many reverb plugins. However, if you’re looking for a plugin that gets properly close to the richness and depth of the original hardware, then a quality hardware emulation is the way to go.

The UAD EMT 140 is in my opinion the best, and much like the original hardware creates a wonderfully spacious effect. Based on the stereo version of the hardware (EMT 140 ST) the plugin actually has 3 different plate emulations.

Two are based on two different valve-based originals, and one on a Martech upgraded unit. In practice this means you get to choose from 3 quite different sounding plate effects. Much like the original you can adjust the reverb time using the damper controls, meanwhile you also get access to the internal shelving and high pass filters relevant to both the original and Martech designs.

In typical plugin style the whole package then gets a load of extra features that go beyond the original hardware. These include 2-band EQ, modulation, width control, left/right balance, and wet/dry mix.

There’s also a built in pre-delay, something which is not part of the original hardware. The EMT 140 is surprisingly flexible, increasing the damper setting achieves great shorter reverbs perfect for punchy back beats, and medium settings can be great for vocals. But if your track has the sonic space, then my favourite application is a longer setting for the classic shimmering and lush plate reverb.

4. Cableguys ShaperBox 3

Often we want a creative effect that does something unexpected or out of the ordinary, and although it’s perfectly possible to piece together individual processors to create a bespoke outcome, an all-in-one plugin often provides options we’ve not considered.

ShaperBox 3 from Cableguys is a perfect example and a fantastic tool that can create everything from subtle movement to complete re-arrangement of the incoming audio.

The modular design includes a palette of effects that ranges from basics such as volume and pan, to phasing/flanging, distortion, pitch shifting, filtering and reverb. There’s even an oscilloscope so you can visualise what you’ve created.

Effect parameters are controlled via onboard drawable LFOs, and these can be triggered by the incoming audio, MIDI or simply run continuously in sync with your DAW. I’m a particular fan of this last option which makes for some pretty amazing outcomes.

Couple this with the Time module, which allows you to stutter, reverse and generally mess with the incoming audio and you have a pretty compelling and creative effect.

5. IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

There are a lot of guitar amplifier emulation plugins to choose from. Many of these are excellent, and picking a favourite for all applications isn't easy. Nevertheless, the one that I keep coming back to is IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube and there are a number of reasons for this.

First up, it has incredible variety in terms of the types of the hardware it models. This includes the individual amp, cabinet speaker and pedal components that form AmpliTube rigs, and also integrated access to the IK Multimedia’s Tonex system of captured tone models.

Next up, the design is guitarist friendly, arranging the components in rig style configurations that any guitarist will find recognisable. There’s a handy onboard tuner, flexible routing to allow more complex rigs, and good control over cabinet miking and speaker choice, which strongly appeals to my engineering mindset.

In terms of sounds, various bundles are available, but you can also buy expansions and additional rig components, as well as Tonex expansions.

There’s also a massive number of presets and also preset sharing via the online ToneNET ecosystem. Finally, and most importantly, it does sound really good, even when you strip things down to single components.

6. Oeksound Soothe

If you’ve spent any amount of time notching out undesirable frequencies from audio, you’ll appreciate how refreshing it is to find a tool that makes the process easier.

Soothe 3 from Oeksound is by no means the only resonance reducing processor on the market, and it’s worth giving a shout out to both Baby Audio’s Smooth Operator and Kern Audio’s Smooth. Nevertheless, Soothe is my favourite, and its latest v3 iteration is better than ever.

It’s very easy to use, and coupled with the flexibility to address specific frequency regions is highly flexible. It can also be quite aggressive should that be required.

To get started all you need to do is use the EQ style curve to select and focus the target frequencies.

Then simply choose from the Hard or Soft modes and adjust the Depth. The Detail option lets you adjust how precise the behaviour is, and if you want to hear what it’s actually doing, simply select the Delta monitor option.

Although I have used Soothe 3 for aggressive resonance reduction, for me it’s at its best when used moderately to help tighten up a sound.

Finneas O'Connell is perhaps best known as the co-producer and co-writer behind his sibling Billie Eilish's chart-dominating pop songs, having worked with the Grammy-sweeping artist across all of her projects since they began collaborating in their teens.

Alongside his production work, the multi-talented Finneas is a successful solo artist – most recently releasing 2024's For Cryin' Out Loud! – and a composer for film and television, having penned scores for several productions, including the second series of hit Netflix show Beef, which premiered in April.

It's no surprise, then, that Finneas chose to pick out several musical moments from film and television scores when digging into his favourite "weird production choices" during a recent episode of the Track Star Podcast, a popular music show hosted by filmmaker and content creator Jack Coyne.

Talking through unconventional production in tracks from Outkast, Pink Floyd, Frank Ocean and The Beatles, Finneas also highlighted the work of Ludwig Göransson and Hans Zimmer, with whom he collaborated on Billie Eilish's Bond theme for No Time To Die.

Alongside these Hollywood heavyweights, Finneas singled out a composer behind one of modern television's most memorable theme tunes: Cristobal Tapia de Veer. The Chilean-Canadian is responsible for the music heard in The White Lotus, an Emmy-winning comedy/drama with an instantly recognizable opening theme characterized by a strangely ululating vocal melody.

Finneas reveals that he has a personal connection with the show: his partner Claudia Sulewski is a friend of actor Lukas Gage, who played a central role in The White Lotus' acclaimed first season. "I remember in 2021, this show starting to air, I'm in New York... I'm with Lukas and I'm like 'this show is so sick'," Finneas says.

"Each episode I would be saying to my girlfriend, 'this is the sickest music, this is so cool and weird'," he continues. "Cristobal Tapia de Veer, goated composer to me."

Digging into the origins of the show's theme music, Finneas surprised us with the revelation that elements of the eccentric theme song were originally created for Kanye West. "Apparently, the lore is, that beat was originally for Kanye, like years ago," Finneas tells Coyne. "Then that didn't work out, but he was like... 'I know where to put this', and he used it for the show."

As it turns out, the lore is entirely accurate: back in 2021, Tapia de Veer revealed in an episode of the Broken Record podcast that West reached out to him to collaborate on music for a Nike-related project he was working on. West tasked the composer with figuring out how a certain "Nike shoe relates to music", and he set to work crafting ideas based on this somewhat unconventional brief.

"I had those voices and I tried to find a way to play melodies that is really striking, and this happened by accident," Tapia de Veer said. "At that point I knew that this was like gold. I was like, ‘OK, this I’m going to show to Kanye.'"

West wasn't so enthusiastic, however: "I was there for like a week and I had to leave, and there was problems, and Kanye started firing people and his lawyers and everything was too long," Tapia de Veer recalls. "It was a mess.”

The composer never heard back from West, but what seemed like a lost opportunity later turned into one of the most successful creations of his career, when he dug those "tribal voices" out of his vault and used them as the basis of The White Lotus' Emmy-winning score.

Check out the full episode of the Track Star podcast.

Arturia’s catalogue of effects has expanded rapidly in recent years and, for our money, the latest generation of its FX Collection bundle offers one of the most well-rounded software packages on the market right now.

While much of the FX Collection is built around software emulations of classic hardware, the company’s latest plugin is something more original.

Rev Ocean is a reverb that, as its name suggests, takes inspiration from the sea, supposedly resulting in a plugin that can turn “a simple reverb tail into a living sonic current” and “transform any sound into a fluid, ever-shifting sonic space.”

That description might sound a little New Age and vague – and the plugin’s UI design looks like it could be lifted from a flyer for your local aromatherapy clinic – but under-the-hood Rev Ocean features an interesting combination of reverb, pitch and modulation tools.

The plugin is built around a feedback delay network design with multiple stages of diffusion. It features three modes, labelled Abyss, Tide and Foam, which each offer a different combination of diffusion behaviour and modulation.

Abyss adds multiple reverse layers in parallel, with subtle pitch modulation used to spread these reverb tails resulting in, according to Arturia, “a harmonically rich evolving tail.”

Tide, meanwhile, introduces independent filtering of the left and right channels of the reverb output, to create ‘wave-like’ stereo swells.

Finally, Foam has a long, slow attack and cloud-like build up designed to destroy transients and create dense, washed-out effects that are said to be perfect for shoegaze-style guitars.

Beyond the modes themselves, Rev Ocean has controls for Decay, Size and Brightness. There’s also a high/low input filter, and controls for width, transient control, ducking and pre-delay.

Rev Ocean is available now priced at €49. Head to the Arturia site for more information and to grab a free demo.

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: The very term ‘saturation’ sometimes feels like it has a negative value attached to it. Throughout recording history, technology has sought to deliver the cleanest signal possible, so why for the love of Joe Meek would you want to turn a clean signal into a distorted one?

It turns out, the answer is relatively simple. As human beings living in an organic world, we quite like impurity and a measure of chaos - and that's where sensible use of saturation can bring an awful lot to the musical table, whether it's individual instrumentation, as well as an entire mix.

The term distortion is very closely linked to saturation, but while they are subtly different, one could not have existed without the other.

If we go back around 100 years, the predominant music of the era was jazz, and particularly big bands. Electric guitar amplification was not particularly advanced, and would now be probably described as ‘lo-fi’.

Guitarists would often turn up their equipment as high as they could go (we don’t think ’11’ was a thing back then), in an attempt to compete with the loud acoustics of a large band. This would lead to equipment overdriving or speaker cones failing, with the resulting sound being something close to the guitar distortion that we know today.

With the advance of electronics, distortion pedals began appearing in 1962, and by the 70s, they were both commonplace and an essential part of a guitarist’s rig. This gave guitarists ultimate control over their distorted sound, without the need to destroy an amplifier on a weekly basis!

But why should guitarists have all the fun? With the rise of synthesisers in the 70s and 80s, synthesists and producers realised that they could get some pretty gnarly tones by attaching the same distortion pedals to synthesizers.

Nothing exemplifies this more than the acid house era of dance music, from the late 80s and early 90s.

It was this period where the now-legendary Roland TB-303 was repurposed from a humble bassline machine to the must-have device for the genre. It turns out, whacking up the resonance on the 303 filter produced an amazing sound through a distortion pedal. Club-avoiding guitarists, however, were largely non-plussed.

So what exactly is saturation, and what does it bring to the production table?

By and large, saturation is designed to be more subtle than distortion, often with a penchant for mimicking good old-fashioned analog equipment. You remember our previous point about clean signals? We rest our case!

Saturation excites and distorts certain frequencies and harmonics in the signal, depending on your chosen plugin. What's more, we can trace the saturation story back to the late 90s.

Back then, CDs were the predominant format, and many musicians and producers were reporting that the overall sound of the digital signal chain was a little cold and sterile.

Couple this with the emergence of one of the first rack-mounted units to offer a one-stop mastering solution - the TC Electronics Finalizer - and basic mastering saturation became commonplace.

TC Electronics described this saturation as 'Digital Radiance Generation', or DRG for short.

DRG applied second harmonic distortion to a mix, designed to mimic analog equipment and specifically analog tape, so it's no surprise that it was quite a hit.

However, over-using it could quickly destroy a mix, forcing mix engineers to pay close attention.

Fast forward to the current DAW age, and we are now flush with a plethora of different saturation plugins, with many being very highly regarded and offering bespoke solutions, depending on your production requirements.

One of the big boons of plugins, is that you can use them as many times as you like, and while it is probably a bad idea to sprinkle saturation on every instrument in your mix, there are definitely places where employment can pay dividends.

If you find yourself recording an electric bass part directly via your audio interface, you could choose to use amplifier simulators to colour the signal. This could be regarded as a form of saturation, but you could also go all-in and just apply a saturation plugin to warm up the signal.

One of the most highly regarded in the current market is Decapitator from Soundtoys. Not only is it flexible, but it can go from incredibly subtle to total extreme very quickly.

When applying saturation, it is always really important to listen objectively. The moment you feel the signal is getting too aggressive, it's time to back off, and that may not necessarily be exclusively down to the saturation amount control.

Just about all plugins will be equipped with a Wet/Dry see-saw control, and adjusting this can scale an extremely saturated sound to help it blend in more nicely.

Of course, this principle could also apply to sampled bass sounds, which may be a little too clean for your mix. It's also a concept which could be applied to drums, specifically if you are working with samples within your DAW.

It's a common complaint that many drum samples are just too clean, so it could be very useful to add a little saturated colour to your drum track. The only problem is, the drums themselves often sound great with saturation, but the hi-hat and cymbals can react less favourably…

A sensible solution requires the creation of 2 drum tracks, both with accompanying MIDI parts. You can then mute all of the drums on one channel, muting all of the metallic instruments on the other. This leaves the path clear to saturating the drum elements on their own, with no effect on the cymbals and hats.

Before you get lost in instrument saturation heaven (or hell, if that's your preference) be aware that some instruments do not embrace saturation so readily, particularly instruments with a more acoustic persuasion, such as acoustic pianos, string sections or brass and woodwinds. There's no harm in trying, but don't be surprised if saturation does little to improve the sound.

With a slight sense of history repeating itself, we have to revert to TC’s DRG concept, and discuss how beneficial subtle saturation can be to an entire mix.

Mastering suites, such as iZotope’s Ozone, offer a number of saturation solutions, designed to be used during the mastering phase. These include tools to excite upper frequencies, and elements for inducing the sound of vintage tape.

But if you want a little more control, one company that personifies the application of saturation to mimic analog is Universal Audio. It has produced an array of exemplary plugins which are perfect for subtle saturation across your mix.

If you are nervous about over-applying saturation, take a look at the Verve Analog Machines plugin, which is available in two forms; the first is an entry-level Essentials version, offering four saturation models, while the upper-level version provides 10 models.

The idea is simple - apply across your mix, and adjust the tone and amount controls to suit your production. The included models range drastically from subtle, through to downright dirty, so it's important to be objective.

For even more control, UA’s emulation of the Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder is stunning. This plugin can induce everything from saturation through to hiss and even wow and flutter. It just depends how extreme you want to go!

One final thought. We've mentioned on several occasions that you need to be objective about your saturation exploits, and be careful not to overuse. You can easily destroy a mix by being a little overzealous.

If you find yourself regularly creating or delivering stems of your mix, be aware that many saturation plugins induce noise.

If you deliver half a dozen stems and they all have noise on them, when all the stems are played back together, that's going to be quite a racket. It’s probably best to defeat the noise element as much as you can, in this setting, so that your music doesn't get drowned out by hiss.

We spent many years trying to get rid of tape hiss and noise, so you don't want to end up back where we all started.

The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro are some supremely even-handed closed-back studio headphones; they were already good for their price, but a 30% discount in the Prime Day sales makes their new $139.99 price even more enticing. In fact, it’s their lowest price ever (verified by the Camelizer price checker).

Reference monitoring is a crucial component for any studio, home or Pro - but not always the most compelling of studio goodies to purchase. This year’s Prime Day music deals, then, are the perfect opportunity to invest in some handsomely-discounted necessaries, as evidenced by this absolute gem of a headphone-monitor discount.

The Pro X variants of these very headphones were highly-rated enough to top our list of the best budget studio headphones - which should tell you something about the viability of this particular Prime Day deal. The DT 770 Pro are bona fide closed-backs for Professional purposes, combining some supremely impressive specs with keen over-ear comfort. Read our full Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro review to see exactly what we think.

Those specs, incidentally, include a 5Hz-35kHz frequency range, across which the DT 770 Pro’s 45mm drivers deliver impeccable balance. As budget monitor headphones go, these are practically the platonic ideal; there’s a reason you’ll find them, in bulk, in pretty much any professional studio you could think of.

The DT 770 Pro has three different versions, which have different input impedances - namely 32, 80 and 250 ohms. Impedance isn’t the easiest thing for beginners to get their heads around, but the Cliff’s notes is that lower-impedance devices don’t present any issues for smartphones and consumer devices, while higher-impedance devices benefit from the oomph provided by higher-end studio equipment.

All three of the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro in this Amazon Prime Day deal enjoy the very same $60 discount, so pick carefully! If you’re after some everyday closed-backs that’ll work with your laptop just as happily as with your audio interface, go with the lower impedance; if sitting on some primo headphone amplifiers though, you’ll want to go higher.

Whichever impedance you go for, you’ll be getting some industry-standard monitor headphones for an incredible price. They’re non-fatiguing, they’re supremely even-handed, and they’ve got enough intrigue in the bass to keep things interesting too. And they’re cheap. Did we mention they’re cheap?

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: Back in the early 80s, many of the mainstream companies that had ploughed their energies into analog drum machines were starting to feel the pinch of digital technology.

As we look back on that period, we can now appreciate the charm and character of those analog beat boxes - and the fact that they just don't sound like real drums has actually become a key part of their enduring appeal.

Emulating real drums with hardware doesn't seem to matter much anymore, because we now have solutions that can present the realism of live kits via software.

But back in the 80s, technology companies were still looking for ways to try and compact real kit sounds into one affordable box. Perhaps the newfangled world of digital technology held the answer…

This wave of digital drum machines incorporated (quite lo-fi) sampled sounds, and intended to bring a new dimension of similarity with real kits. It didn’t quite work out as they planned, but it did usher in what many now regard as a golden new era of quirky and distinctive electronic drum machines.

Here's a few key examples of these digital drum machine legends, and where you can find top-tier emulations in plugin form today…

1. Linn LM-1

Roger Linn released the iconic LM-1 Drum Computer in 1980, and the resulting effect that this machine had on popular music culture was like a tsunami that swept across all forms of production.

It was the first in a line of machines that became generically known as the LinnDrum (a name that was popularised by a successive model), and caused a seismic upheaval, in both the production of music and with how drum machines themselves were used.

Based around 12 drum voices, the crunchy 8-bit samples became legendary across all genres.

The solid kick drum, the phat snare, and hi-hats and cymbals that, actually, did sort of sound like the real McCoy, made the LM-1 a sought-after bit of kit.

There were stories of artists removing analog drum sounds from their records, to be immediately replaced by these new digital sounds.

That’s what happened while The Human League were recording their breakthrough album Dare. They even secured the accolade of the first UK No.1 chart single to use a drum machine, with their hit Don't You Want Me

But the Human League weren't alone, with notable adopters spanning the likes of Gary Numan and ABC, through to Prince and Michael Jackson.

Thanks to artists like Daft Punk and The Weeknd popularising its distinctive signature across the last few decades, the 80s Linn sound is still very much in demand.

In trying to secure samples or Linn-shaped plugins, it's important to gravitate towards sounds which adopt the low sampling rate used on the original machine.

One of the longest standing options for a Linn plugin, comes from Aly James Lab. An authentically-designed recreation, VPROM is now at version 3 (€56). It also brings some very useful additions, such as the ability to compile your own sample sets.

Another option is GForce’s applauded IconDrum (£69), which offers an exceptionally authentic Linn look and feel, although it will only operate from within a DAW, as it does not employ an onboard sequencer.

What it lacks in sequential duties, it more than makes up for in sonic detail, including sounds from further Linn Drum revisions.

2. Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer

Our next contender for the digital crown is a digital drum machine in sheep's clothing, because it's not entirely digital!

When Roland started to develop the replacement for the TR-808, the engineers realised that they needed to do something to improve the realism of many of the sounds. The answer was to digitally capture (i.e sample) the cymbal and hi-hat sounds, while keeping the rest of the drum machine in the analog domain.

The problem was, by the time it was released in 1983, the bewilderingly authentic Linn was everywhere, and the humble 909 was just not cutting the mustard for people in production circles. It was regrettably another commercial flop, heading straight to the bargain bins and secondhand ads.

Enter the jilted (house) generation, who hoovered up these second-hand units, and by the early 90s, the sound of the 909 was everywhere!

You could not move for acid house tunes that relentlessly employed the iconic hi-hat sound in the classic closed/open pattern.

Used prices for hardware 909 units have calmed these days, with the 808 occupying the priciest used-unit top-spot position.

The first and most obvious place to look for a 909 plugin is Roland. The company reproduced the 909 in hardware form, as part of its Boutique range with the software following not far behind in plugin form.

By its own admission, tinkering has been done with the original make-up of the machine to make it more usable, yet sonically as people remember.

Even so, for a mere £133 ($153), you can have modelled sounds from the originators, complete with a host of additional production elements.

You can also locate samples from many suppliers, including the ubiquitous Samples from Mars and Splice.

We've also got a few free processed samples as part of this exquisite collection we compiled not so long ago. Click the button below to find out more

3. Oberheim DMX

The extraordinary success of the Linn LM-1 set an incredible benchmark, which many other companies were keen to capitalise upon.

Where Roland shifted to sampling its cymbals, Oberheim took a similar approach to Linn, producing the DMX later in 1980, making it the second fully programmable drum machine to employ samples.

The Oberheim DMX differed in a number of ways; firstly, it featured 24 individual drum sounds which were derived from 11 different samples.

These could be deployed up to a maximum of 8-voices at one time, polyphonically speaking. It also offered tuning for each drum voice and provided humanising features such as rolls and flams, along with variation of timing, which was designed to make it sound more like a real player.

Much like the LM-1, the DMX had its fans, particularly hip hop artists such as Run DMC, but perhaps its most famous usage is represented by its soloistic placement in New Order's Blue Monday.

The thundering kick was particularly popular, so much so, the kick drum alone was used as part of the drum track for Every Breath You Take by the Police. Nothing else - just the kick!

The most notable software reproduction in our view comes from GForce Software, which has painstakingly reproduced the DMX in plugin form, with the full endorsement of Oberheim Electronics.

Not only does it include all the classic sounds, but it embraces the updated sounds, which were introduced in 1983. As the original hardware adopted a system of swappable EPROMS, for altering sound sets on the original machine, GForce has also included many of these iconic variations, such as the Sequential Drumtraks.

It's a very complete solution, but one that requires a DAW due to the lack of internal sequencer.

4. Honorary mentions

We cannot delve into the world of digital drum machines emanating from vintage culture, and not mention one of the most groundbreaking and indispensable machines from the era.

In 1988, the Akai MPC60 offered the iconic sound of 12-bit sampling for both individual drum hits and loops, making it an entirely flexible device for any user to record their own samples.

Developed in collaboration with Roger Linn, the MPC was way ahead of its time, but was embraced wholeheartedly by many producers, particularly those working in styles of music that were dependent upon breakbeats.

It set the precedent for many of the similar technologies which we take for granted today that operate in a very similar way, by controlling software on computer via hardware.

Even though the current music tech market is brimming with drum and sample software, it's extraordinary how popular these original sounds remain.

Whether it be the heavy transient clicks of the kick, or the fatness of the snare, coupled with the bright and cutting hi-hat, these retro drum sounds are firmly still in vogue and sound just as fantastic as they did 40 years ago - but with all the advantages and cost-effectiveness of software.

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: Whispers, rumours, leaks. Like the crescendo of a filter sweep, the return of Absynth – the iconic software instrument that helped define the sound of early 00’s electronic music – reached fever pitch in the lead-up to its unexpected rebirth at the end of 2025. Behind the scenes at Native Instruments, the energy was no less frenetic.

“Maximum crunch, constant panic” is how Brian Clevinger, Absynth’s creator and founder of Rhizomatic described the final pre-release push.

Speaking to MusicRadar mere days before the launch of Absynth 6 - and prior of course, to the recent news that Native Instruments would be acquired by InMusic - Clevinger seemed keenly aware of the high expectations he and the development team were expected to meet.

You see, Absynth isn’t just any soft synth. Its sea-green colour scheme and idiosyncratic architecture is something that a generation of sound designers and synthesists have grown up with.

This relaunch wasn't just a new version: it’s a full-blown resurrection.

Arriving two years after the product was discontinued by Native Instruments, and 16 long, long years since the release of Absynth 5.

Now sporting MPE capabilities, newly designed filters, a slickly upgraded UI, a trippy new spatial method of navigating presets, and all the sonic firepower long-time fans could ask for, this 2025 iteration of Absynth was, thankfully, worth the wait.

Back in the year 2000, when Clevinger released version 1 as ‘shareware’ (what we might now describe as a freebie) he had no idea how large the impact would be.

“I didn't think anybody would be into it,” he admits. “But I was just inundated with responses. People were really excited about it, it was kind of an instant hit.”

Looking back, it’s easy to see why. VSTs were still toddlers, having only been invented four years previously. The very premise that you could work with computer-generated sound, rather than triggered audio samples, was still fresh, and the available instruments were mostly rudimentary emulations of pianos and Minimoogs.

“The whole concept of a software synth hadn't sunk in yet,” Clevinger says of that time. “The idea that you play a note on your keyboard and the sound comes out of your computer was a weird idea for most people.”

In that context, Absynth, much like the potent beverage from which it takes its name, was a mind-melting experience. Its three-channel lanes and swappable modules could combine multiple types of synthesis and audio processing simultaneously.

Equipped with a waveform editor, it allowed users to draw custom shapes before applying additional algorithmic transformations, including the now-iconic ‘Fractalize’ function which added new harmonics by recursively pushing a waveform back into itself.

Its approach to modulation, which put user-defined, multi-stage envelopes front and centre, was, and still is, a remarkable contrast to the dominant paradigm of LFOs.

Perhaps most importantly of all, it took all of those powerful sound–shaping tools and made them comparatively easy to experiment and play with. It’s little wonder that Absynth was snapped up by Native Instruments a year later, becoming one of the company’s flagship products from 2001 all the way up to 2023.

All that innovation is made even more impressive by the fact that Clevinger’s skills as a software developer were entirely self-taught. Rather than a formal study of computer science, his pathway to Absynth was guided by a life-long fascination with the inner workings of audio.

“I was just always really interested in sound,” he recalls. “With certain sounds, it was kind of an emotional thing. When I was a little kid there was this big drain pipe with three smaller pipes at the back, we'd go in there, clap our hands, and it would make this just incredible comb-filter kind of sound. I wish I could hear it today.”

That ear for the unusual eventually led Clevinger to study music composition at university, where he first got his hands on classic hardware like the ARP 2500.

“This was in the early ‘80s,” he recalls. “It was just before MIDI and I was still working on analogue systems, but, at the same time, I was hearing examples of the computer-generated music that was happening at IRCAM. They were doing stuff I really wanted to do myself, but it was just completely inaccessible.”

Early musical programming environments like Max/MSP and Supercollider offered Clevinger the experimental sonics he was interested in, but lacked the intuitive accessibility of a musical instrument.

That tension stayed with him and, as computer power increased and real-time digital synthesis became possible in the mid-90’s, he began teaching himself DSP programming with aspirations to bridge the divide.

“The soft synths that were available were pretty limited,” he says. “It was either really simplistic things that didn't sound great or super complex modular environments. So I thought Absynth could be a sweet spot in-between.”

While he knew where he was aiming, Clevinger makes clear that Absynth was definitely not the result of some master plan.

What began as 'crappy little oscillators and really crappy little low-pass filters' were steadily refined and linked together, eventually coalescing into the foundations of Absynth’s first version.

“It just came out of whatever experiments I was doing at the time,” Clevinger says simply. “I mean the whole setup with three channels happened pretty early and I was originally thinking of it as a temporary solution till I figured out how to make it more modular, but after working with it I really liked it. Things just evolved until they got to the point where it felt right.”

Absynth broke new ground upon its release, and continued to do so over the following years: V2 introduced sample playback and granular synthesis; Absynth 3 added surround sound output, even though, as Clevinger laughingly admits, almost no one had multi-channel setups at the time; the fourth iteration brought vastly improved preset browsing and assignable macros, and the fifth instalment introduced Mutation.

It’s worth pausing to appreciate the genius of Absynth’s Mutation feature. Using tags for instrument type, articulation, genre, and more, users could define a narrow list of presets before hitting the Mutate button. This would then pull random parameters from those presets and combine them with whatever sound you were currently working on.

Not only that, but you could define how much randomisation should occur, how far from the original sound you wanted to deviate, and even lock down specific modules to exclude them from the mutation process.

A dedicated Mutation History window would save each new variation, allowing you to build up a library of related sounds at lightning-fast speed. It’s a feature that is still impressive all these years later, but at the time of its release in 2009, it was inspired.

“People kept asking for a randomiser,” Clevinger says of Mutation’s origin. “But if you just start randomising the parameters it gets very complicated because each preset can have a completely different set of modules. I wanted to do it in a meaningful way, where the musician could guide that random process somehow.

“I was looking at the preset list,” he continues. “And thinking about how you can select just bass sounds, and it'll only show you bass. I thought if you could pick one of those related presets, grab little bits from it, insert it into the preset you're working on, and then add some randomisation, that would be the key. I wanted it to be like going on a journey, instead of just jumping around between random sounds.”

Version 5 was a triumph, but it was also the point at which Absynth began to languish. Development slowed, and after growing increasingly long in the tooth the instrument was eventually discontinued in 2023, much to the dismay of longtime users.

For just about any other soft synth, that would have been the end of the story. But the remarkable longevity of this instrument, its sheer uniqueness and its undeniable musical prowess ensured that, even once it was gone, it was not forgotten.

“I had no idea that so many people were still using it, to tell you the truth,” admits Clevinger when asked about the community response to news of Absynth’s demise. “But I just got tons, and tons, and tons of messages from people begging me to bring it back somehow.”

Those pleas have now been answered. Working closely with the Native Instruments' team, a process that Clevinger unreservedly describes as 'fantastic', Absynth is back for a sixth outing and is looking better than ever.

“We have really been focusing on the user interface,” emphasises Clevinger. “Because nobody's ever been happy with Absynth's UI. It’s a super complex thing to get right, and involves endless discussions to try and work out the problems, but I'm really thrilled with what we've got now; it's so much better than what we had before and the design team's been great.”

For Clevinger, the top priorities during the development process were ensuring backward compatibility with legacy presets (presets from versions 4 and 5 are compatible with Absynth 6) and that the original audio engine was retained - a section of code that Clevinger says he touches 'as little as possible.'

But it wasn't all about preservation: significant improvements were made to Absynth's granular synthesis chops.

“All of that stuff is much denser than it was previously,” Clevinger told us. “We added a high density mode, and the Aetherizer and the Cloud filters sound much closer to what I originally wanted.”

One of the most striking new UI elements is the Preset Explorer that greets you when you first load up Absynth 6. A dizzying array of presets, dating back over two decades, are rendered as a multi-coloured point-cloud that you can click through and navigate as you might a geographical map.

Native Instruments tasked a number of artists with designing custom presets for Absynth 6, including none other than synthesis pioneer Brian Eno himself.

Working with Eno was something of a full-circle moment for Clevinger, who was inspired by Eno’s looping techniques when designing the envelopes for the original Absynth plugin.

That’s not all. Using deep learning techniques, Native Instruments’ Applied AI team trained a model on Absynth’s entire back catalogue of presets, allowing them to be spatially grouped by sonic characteristics. The goal is to help users break past the preset-paralysis that so often arises when scrolling through endless walls of text.

“I don't think there's anything musical about a list of presets,” says Andy Sarroff, head of Applied AI at Native Instruments, and himself a former mix and mastering engineer. “There’s something inherently uninspiring about staring down thousands of names and tags when you're trying to create. So, how do we solve that problem? There's never gonna be any perfect solution, but being able to visualise and explore this huge universe of sounds in a spatial way will hopefully either help you find what you want quickly, or be inspired by adjacent sounds.”

Of course, Absynth still has a more traditional preset browser system that you can switch to if you prefer, and Sarroff makes clear that accommodating different working styles is a top priority. “It's always a balancing act for us,” he points out. “We’re trying to figure out how to do this in a way that helps people feel like they're having fun, and not that they're being talked down to in any kind of way.”

Alongside all of that there was alos the inclusion of MPE and polyphonic aftertouch, enabling those performers who want to feel the maximum amount of nuance and expression from the instrument the ability to go deeper.

However, for Clevinger, it wasn’t this that caught his finely-tuned ear; his favourite new addition was the humble ladder notch filter.

“I really like the new ladder notch filter,” he says, confiding that he unconsciously drew some inspiration from one the first synths he ever used, the ARP 2500, during its design.

“My favourite thing on the ARP 2500 was this multi-mode filter that had a notch mode - and I certainly did not try to emulate it or anything, but that was the sound I had in my head. The notch filter mode, that's my favourite.”

It’s an attitude that seems emblematic of Absynth’s quarter-century run: bedrock features and idiosyncratic innovation, a workhorse and a dream machine, the essentials and the esoteric, all blended together to serve up a truly intoxicating sonic concoction.

As fans look ahead to the next 25 years, they can feel assured that Absynth has lost none of its potency, or its relevance, least of all to Clevinger himself.

“It's been a real emotional thing bringing this back,” he reflects. “This is the best project I've ever worked on.”

Recording system audio from apps on your computer – Safari, Spotify or Zoom, for example – sounds like it shouldn’t be a difficult task, but historically, it’s not been quite as simple as you’d expect.

Apps like Blackhole and Soundflower have allowed Mac users to route audio from one app to another on macOS, but this required configuring virtual audio devices, adjusting audio settings and recording to another application, and wasn’t quite the one-click solution that many of us would prefer when we’re in the creative flow.

Several alternatives have since popped up – most recently, the useful SoundPaste app and WebSampler plugin – but today, another hassle-free solution for internal audio routing has just dropped: AudioRoute.

A cross-platform tool for recording system audio that’s equipped with three unique capture paths to suit any workflow, AudioRoute could be a major time-saver for DAW users routing audio from other applications or samplists hoping to lift sounds from YouTube, Spotify or any other platform with minimum faff.

(This probably goes without saying, but if you are sampling copyright-protected material, make sure it's legally cleared with the relevant rightsholders before you release your track.)

AudioRoute offers the user three different ways of capturing system audio across both macOS and Windows. In macOS, AudioRoute sits in the menu bar and in Windows, it lives in the system tray. The minute you want to record, all you need to do is hit a single keyboard shortcut and AudioRoute will begin recording your entire system audio mix. To stop recording, repeat the shortcut and a WAV file will be saved to your drive, ready to drop into your DAW or use elsewhere.

There’s also a dedicated panel that can be opened up with Record and Stop buttons, displaying the current Capture status with a level meter and timer, along with access to settings that allow you to adjust bit depth, change the destination for saved audio files and more. Rather than running permanently in the background, AudioRoute begins its capture process only when needed, returning to an idle state once recording is complete.

Though that’s the fastest route for recording straight to WAV, AudioRoute’s second capture mode is even quicker and more efficient for DAW users: the app runs as a VST3/AU plugin that makes system audio available in Ableton Live, Bitwig, FL Studio, or any compatible DAW for recording. The app’s makers promise sample-accurate, low-latency recording, and thanks to a helpful feedback protection feature, AudioRoute automatically detects the DAW’s output and excludes that from its system audio capture to prevent feedback issues.

Finally, AudioRoute’s Input mode exposes AudioRoute as a virtual audio input device that can be selected in other applications, allowing you to select AudioRoute as an input in your DAW, or in apps like OBS, Zoom, Discord, and Voice Memos.

AudioRoute’s main selling point is its simplicity and ease-of-use: all you need to do is run the installer, hit the keyboard shortcut or open up your DAW and the AudioRoute plugin, and you’re ready to go: no Audio MIDI setup, no aggregate devices, and no messing around in your System Preferences.

On paper, AudioRoute seems to be one of the more streamlined solutions for recording system audio that we’ve come across, and it’s not unreasonably priced either, at €29 for a perpetual license with lifetime free updates and no subscription required. There’s a 14-day free trial available, too, if you’d like to test it out first.

Visit AudioRoute's website to find out more.

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: If there’s one artist that truly captures the current state of DIY music production, then it’s Fred Gibson aka Fred Again. His inherent musicality, combined with deep computer-based production wizardry have seen him enrapture millions.

As the years have passed, Fred has also developed his own more introspective style, an evolution that can be traced across his recorded output.

“I try and make a few ideas a day, and most of them are rubbish…” Fred told Instagram’s Ask It Anyway. “The thing is for me, the joy and the journey of finding out what you like, just like closing your eyes and throwing paint and seeing what sticks,” he said.

“I would definitely preach all day about, the more you can fall in love with the obsession of it and the craft and just chasing chasing, to me that’s the win. The best feeling to me is when you play back the thing you’ve made that day and you actually feel good about it. That’s the drug I’m chasing every day.”

Here we’re going to look at three key aspects common in his productions - reverbs, vocals and found sounds - and show you how to go about achieving similar results with the help of typical plugins.

Technique 1: Creative reverbs

Step 1. Fred’s use of reverbs and delays is key to many of his productions. Check out the track Delilah (Pull Me Out of This) above to hear a multitude of examples across its runtime.

We often use reverbs to create a homogenised effect, but Fred tends to be a bit more focused, often using big long reverbs to add interest on specific sections or parts, or alternatively to create a washy pad-like effect. Let’s take a look at how to set that up.

Step 2. When using reverbs in this precise, additive way, it’s often easier to set up the reverb on an auxiliary send. This allows us to use the reverb on multiple sources, and also provides a bit more flexibility if you want to add specific processing to just the effect return. Here we’ve selected a rich algorithmic reverb, and set a long decay time of 10 secs.

Step 3. We want our reverb to have plenty of density and minimal early reflections - here we’ve set the balance to 100% late reflections. You might also want to add some modulation, which creates some pitch interest. Meanwhile to tame the lower frequencies, which can often get too overbearing, use the reverb EQ or simply add a regular EQ after the reverb plugin and adjust this to taste. Here we’ve used a low shelf which is cutting from about 500Hz downwards.

Step 4. Next, rather than just set a static send level to the reverb, use your DAW automation to pick out specific sections. On a vocal this might be specific phrases. Try words at the ends of phrases, as the reverb can then fill the space. Alternatively, try automating dynamic levels to create a reverb swell - we’ve used both techniques here.

Overall, use the send levels to create specific reverb spot effects

Step 5. Finally, side chain compression is a key aspect of Fred’s sound. Rather than rely on side chaining the source sound, we can actually apply this independently to the reverb return and then automate the depth as needed. As an alternative to a compressor you could use a volume modulation plugin. Here we’re using a tremolo plugin, removing any stereo panning, then offsetting the timing to create a pumping effect.

Technique 2: Hooky vocal phrases

Step 1. One of the most recognisable aspects of Fred’s production style is his creative approach to vocals. Whether these are sung, spoken, or sampled from speech, which they often are, phrases are often deconstructed, processed and rearranged in a piecemeal way to create hooky, repetitive phrases. Check out the track Marnie (Wish I Had U) above to hear a key example of what we’re referring to here.

Step 2. Firstly, find sections that will work in this way. Look for rhythm or timing in the source audio that will work with the feel of the track. If the words can impart some kind of universal meaning then even better. Stick to shorter sections, no more than one or two bars. Once you have a usable section move it to a new track.

Step 3. Next, look for words or phrases within the part that can be repeated. Focus on the rhythmic or melodic hook and how you can enhance this through repetition. This could be the first or last word in a phrase - it’s the latter we’ve used here.

Step 4. If you need some help with this, there are plenty of plugin options you can try. Here we’re using the Logic Pro effect Beat Breaker, which is re-arranging one bar of audio in a creative way. Other options include Cableguys TimeShaper 3 and Stutterizer from Repiet & Revealed. These types of plugins are great at creating multiple outcomes, and you can then pick out something that works in your track.

Step 5. Finally, try messing with the pitch and formant of the sound. You should be able to adjust this in most DAWs, and changing formants in particular can be a great way to make a vocal part sound younger or older without changing the actual pitch. Here we’ve used Flex Pitch in Logic Pro to shift the formants up on one specific section.

Technique 3: Found sound manipulation

Step 1. Finally, we couldn’t talk about Fred Again’s productions without a quick mention of found sounds. His approach is to sample real life sounds and then manipulate them using processing to create something new.

This may be a field recording or something as simple as desktop finger drumming (check out Fred’s Tiny Desk Concert). This approach can add an interesting layer sonically and helps create something that’s truly unique amongst the many quite similar stock sounds. Here we’ve tried to add to our beats using some recorded table taps, and to make things a bit more lo-fi we’ve recorded this using the mic on our smartphone.

Step 2. The plan was to simply record a few hits and then use the one we liked and copy it round to create a repeated kick style sound. However, while recording we accidentally added an additional quieter tap and this added some feel which sounded really good.

Step 3. To finish up the process we’ve used two adjacent beats, leaving them in the bar position where they were performed. Then we tightened up the timing a bit, and then copied round one of them to complete the bar. This section is now ready for further processing with your plugins of choice.

Sounds suitably Fred-esque, but with a little bit of our own quirks thrown in for good measure. Hopefully exploring Fred's emotion-first attitude will unlock some new ideas for your own productions.

Despite having only been released recently, there’s already an amazing Amazon Prime Day deal on the MacBook Neo. It’s down to just $549 in the Prime Day sale, which is spectacular value considering the performance it offers as a laptop for music production.

I recently gave it a solid four stars out of five in my MacBook Neo review for MusicRadar, and it genuinely surprised me with how ably it performs for music-making tasks, far outstripping what I expected for what is a budget Apple laptop in relative terms.

For me, the key takeaway from reviewing the Neo was that Apple machines are so powerful now that they needed to create a lower tier that is affordable for more people. Today’s MacBook Air M5 is as powerful as yesterday’s MacBook Pro, and thus, the MacBook Neo was born. It uses the same chip that’s found in the top-of-the-line iPhone 16, but that doesn’t mean it’s a slow coach.

From the moment I switched it on, I found the performance to be just as slick as that of my MacBook Pro M3, with it responding keenly to installing plugins, my DAW, and dragging over all my audio files from my external hard drive. I began using it with Logic, dragging in a shedload of audio tracks from a session I recently tracked at Spirit Studios with Josh from Squid Audio, and began by organising my tracks and adding in myriad busses to ensure that the session was neatly organised.

I then set about my usual mixing process, using oodles of spectral EQ, multi-band compression, de-noising treatments, and plenty of multi-band saturation to get the mix where I needed it to be. The MacBook Neo didn’t blink once in this entire process. From start to finished product, there was nary a hiccup in the entire process, which I have to admit was a complete surprise. Once I was done, with over 90 tracks and something in the region of 50 plugin instances, I was able to play back the entire track using the onboard audio driver at the lowest buffer setting, without any errors.

Now there are a few caveats here. First of all, I was using Logic, which is very well integrated into the Apple ecosystem, so it performs better than something like Pro Tools or Cubase does. Second, I only used stock plugins for the test so it can be recreated across multiple machines, which again are well-honed to ensure they perform at the optimum in Logic. This doesn’t mean it’d be rubbish with another DAW, just that the results you get might not be exactly the same as what I got. Also, if you’re using virtual instruments, then I imagine the track count would be a lot lower, as these are far more CPU-intensive.

I still think that the MacBook Neo is the best budget laptop for music production available right now, and with the extra £50 discount in the Prime Day sale, absolutely worth picking up if you need a machine that performs well without having to spend loads. In my experience, it massively outperforms Windows laptops at the same price, and for the student music producer or budding singer-songwriter, it’s a brilliant laptop to start your music-making journey on.

All the best places to shop at Amazon

• Amazon: All the best instrument deals
• Thomann: Up to 60% off Music Days sale
• Positive Grid: Huge 38% off Spark Summer Sale
• Guitar Tricks: 1 month of lessons for only $1
• Universal Audio: Up to 80% off half year sale
• Plugin Boutique: Bag loads of free software
• Waves: 200 plugins down to only $34.99

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: Classic drum machines, beatboxes, rhythm composers - whatever you choose to call an analogue box-o-tricks - they still make a fantastic percussive sound that continues to infiltrate many areas of contemporary production.

We are talking about drum machines that were produced in the period around the mid-70s to early 80s, with sounds that used analogue circuitry to try to bottle the feel of real drums… and therein lies their initial downfall!

Unfortunately for the analogue drum machine, most of them did not sound very much like a real drum kit - which is what most people were striving for at the time.

Roland produced the original ‘Dr Rhythm’ DR-55, under its Boss branding, specifically to try and encourage guitarists to take them down the pub on a Saturday night, rather than using a live drummer.

Great for a lone singer-songwriter - less so if you’re a Motorhead tribute act!

Just about all analogue drum machines were a commercial flop. Apart from a few select placements in notable songs, their initial history was consigned to the bargain bins in most music stores, only to be purchased at a knockdown price by the cash-strapped next generation, looking for bedroom studio-based beats.

The resulting electronic music of the late ‘80s and ‘90s saw these instruments re-appraised in this new context. Finally, they were given their due respect.

Here then, we're going to shine a light on three of the very best analogue drum machines from music history, highlighting where you've heard them before, and where to find the best examples in software.

1. Roland TR-808

We have to start our list with the daddy of all drum machines, and the mainstay of dance music. The 808.

The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, to give it its full name, was first released in 1980. All analogue in design, it offered the user 16 buttons across the front, which for the most part would equate to 16th notes, making up an entire bar.

This was one of the first instances of Roland’s distinctive drum programming layout which became known as XOX-style,. The patterns could be assembled into song formation, with storage for up to 32 patterns.

With an initial price tag of £765, the 808 ceased production in 1983 - but not before a few choice placements had sealed its status for future years.

Marvin Gaye used the 808 to provide the complete drum track for Sexual Healing. In fact, recording engineer Mike Butcher cites it as the first time the 808 had been used for its own qualities; “As far as I know, he was the first person to program a TR-808 as its own instrument instead of trying to imitate a drum kit,” Butcher told Electronic Sound. “He would do things like put the side-stick on a beat, which a drummer wouldn’t do.”

Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody put the iconic 808 cowbell sound firmly on the menu, thanks to its extensive use throughout the song (particularly the introduction).

However, where the 808 found its forever home was in the realms of hip-hop and R&B.

Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force religiously used the 808 in their early releases, this association with hip-hop became key to the 808’s longevity.

It didn't take long for other artists to realise how the sinusoidal kick-sound of the 808 could literally shake a room. Its attraction widened further, becoming a mainstay central component of techno and other electronic genres.

The price of a used hardware 808 extends to several thousands, and that's for a machine which might not have MIDI as a retrofit, so software could be a highly attractive (and far cheaper) alternative, without the hassle of vintage maintenance to boot.

Roland has rejuvenated the 808, in a plugin form, which is available for £133/$149 from Plugin Boutique, or as part of a Roland Cloud subscription.

There are also some great sampled versions of the 808 available, such as the UVI Prime8+, which operates within UVI's own Workstation plugin, for just €39.

For a more universal option, try the extensive set of processed samples from Sample from Mars, available in numerous sample and production formats.

And, because we're quite kind here at MusicRadar, we have our very own 808 and 909 samples for you to download and use for free, just click the buttons below to find out more about (and grab) each of our SampleRadar 808 packages.

2. Roland CR-78

The CR-78 sonically resides not far away from the 808, being the machine that preceded it.

It has the honour of being the first mass produced programmable drum machine, although any programming required the additional WS-1 Programmer, which was rare and expensive even from new. Consequently, most users tended to just make do with the onboard preset patterns.

Being a newfangled gadget of the times, it was notably used by a number of artists. Soft Cell used the Foxtrot pattern to provide the backing for their cover of Tainted Love, while the Disco 2 preset was used by Phil Collins on the iconic In the Air Tonight - prior to the big live kit entry of course.

The CR-78 allowed subtle variation of patterns, thanks to the ability to mute certain sounds on playback, which created a degree of flexible usability for artists.

One enormous plus point for owning a CR-78 in plugin form, is that you will likely get the best of both worlds; the original presets, and the ability to program your own rhythm tracks.

Once again Roland has produced a faithful recreation of the CR-78 in plugin form.

Cherry Audio has also produced a very accurate version of the CR-78, complete with beautiful graphics, XOX-style user pattern programming and a superb standalone application, which will run on your desktop Mac or PC, for just £39/$49.

3. Korg Rhythm KR-55

The Korg KR-55A (and its updated model - 55B), has become another much loved classic since its first release in 1979.

Regular users of this analog machine included Depeche Mode, but its most famous deployment has to be Joe Jackson’s Steppin’ Out, where the the basic, but driving, analog beats provided the backbone for the entire song, although the snare was doubled by a real snare, played by a drummer.

Even so, it was laden with plenty of preset patterns, and some really classy sounds that feel very rounded by comparison to some of its competitors.

Once again, the clever folks at Cherry Audio have undertaken the task of bringing us the very best that the KR-55 had to offer.

The KR-55C, includes production-ready content from both the 55A and B revisions, along with a heavy dose of additional control elements, and a XOX-style programmer.

You can trigger sounds from your DAW or build patterns using the standalone version, but either way, it's incredibly good, and all for just $49!

There are a handful of smaller sample producers who have captured the original KR-55, such as WaveShaper, available through Loot Audio.

4. Honorary mentions

The mid-70s to mid-80s was undoubtedly a fertile time for drum machine development, with plenty of analog models available - many of which are quite rare and unique.

There are a few that we have to give honorary mentions to for their services to electronic music and pop culture in general.

The Korg Mini-Pops series of machines were unique in sound and style, which was not lost on electronic pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre.

The Mini-Pops 7 provided the main rhythmic backbone for his first two albums Oxygene and Equinox.

The Mini-Pops 7 had a unique party trick, where you could combine and playback two rhythmic presets simultaneously. This combination of rhythms was a technique employed continually by Jarre in the making of the two albums. You can read more about Jarre's extraordinary process in this lengthy feature.

The Boss Dr Rhythm 55 (DR-55) was a very basic programmable drum machine. Running on AA batteries, it was the drum machine of choice for Depeche Mode, who effectively used the machine as their drummer for their early live gigs.

According to Vince Clarke, it was Dave Gahan’s job to pick the right preset and set the tempo, before pressing the start button. Simple times, with simple devices!

Finally, we have to mention the Roland TR-606. Another one of those machines aimed at guitarists who needed a drummer, but with the advantage that you could link it directly to a TB-303 should you also need a synthesised bass player too.

It didn't catch on, but the 606 has become known as a classic unit in its own right, despite having been unfairly labelled the poor man’s 808. It’s comparatively limited, but still sounds fantastic!

The good news is, all of these machines have been remodelled in either hardware or software, and you will find plenty of sample libraries, should you want to explore their unique pallets more fully, and what's not to enjoy about that?

The distinctive sounds of these analogue legends is today, more accessible than ever before. And really, no self-respecting producer should be without them.

Buying stuff for making music is, frankly, second nature to many of us. Even if we’ve technically got enough to get going with, there’s always something new that’ll really make the difference. Unfortunately, it’s never the one thing that’ll actually make a difference: sound treatment.

With the Prime Day music deals here once again, there’s a rich seam of price-reduced sound treatment for studios going cheap, and there’s no more ignoring your studio blind-spot. Of that rich seam, populated unavoidably by useless swathes of acoustic foam, here are five products that’ll actually make a difference. As someone exists almost entirely in a studio and who has done countless hours of research into this topic, I know what I’m talking about.

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• Universal Audio: Up to 80% off half year sale
• IK Multimedia: 50% off software coupon
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• Guitar Tricks: 1 month of lessons for only $1
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🇬🇧 In the UK?

• Amazon: All the best instrument deals
• Thomann: Up to 60% off Music Days sale
• Positive Grid: Huge 38% off Spark Summer Sale
• Guitar Tricks: 1 month of lessons for only $1
• Universal Audio: Up to 80% off half year sale
• Plugin Boutique: Bag loads of free software
• Waves: 200 plugins down to only $34.99

Musical theatre has supplied a steady gig for generations of musicians, but an interesting – and alarming – feature in the Guardian today suggests that those days are coming to an end. Orchestras are shrinking and musicians are being asked to work harder – for no extra money.

Part of that is down to KeyComp, a piece of software that allows musicians to perform alongside prerecorded parts without sacrificing that live ‘feel’. It’s banned in New York and in Washington DC, but not elsewhere in the world.

In Australia certainly, it is making its presence felt – during the Lion King’s debut Sydney season in 2003 there were 17 musicians in the pit, now there are just 11.

Brisbane-based woodwind player Diana Tolmie is interviewed about the trend, which she puts down partly to the fashion of jukebox-style musicals, which require smaller bands, and partly to KeyComp.

“Years ago, you could learn the ropes safely with less stress being part of a larger section,” she suggests. “That’s all different now. Where there used to be four reed parts, there are now one or two; where there used to be six string parts, there is now one or two.

"Where there used to be percussion and drum kit, the expectation now is that a drummer does both. Some instruments are completely gone from the live pit – the oboe, the bassoon, even the upright and electric bass.

"That’s all due to KeyComp.”

The doubling-up doesn’t make for a better performance. Tolmie says she “hit a peak” last year when she ended up playing seven different instruments in one show - “It was hectic and rarely gave me any time to rest.”

Essentially, producers are turning to KeyComp to cut down costs. Understandable, you could argue, at a time when the cost of everything – theatre hire, transport, set-building – has been going up.

But some of the biggest shows gross huge amounts of money. James Steedman, the Federal President of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) in Australia, suggests that increased overheads are just an excuse. “Musicians are being paid around 20–25% less now than they were in 2003 if we adjust for inflation, so they are not the reason costs are blowing out.” He calculates that cutting six musicians might save £9,500 a week – peanuts, when you consider The Lion King is the highest earning musical of all time.

Worrying times, then. Tolmie warns that: “if we embrace KeyComp, the audience will no longer understand what ‘live music’ is, will not be discerning, and then that will extend to other areas of the music industry.

“For pit orchestras, we are out of sight – therefore the most vulnerable.”

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: In 2023, plugin developer Minimal Audio got into hot water when it announced that its new synthesizer, Current, would only be available through a subscription. The backlash was immediate and ferocious. Minimal Audio reversed its decision, making the instrument available for outright purchase or via a rent-to-own scheme instead, a decision that was greeted with nearly unanimous praise.

Software subscriptions remain frustratingly common in the music industry. While they can offer easy access to instruments and effects, they can also come bundled with all sorts of additional problems, not least of which is that you never actually own the product you’re paying for.

Rent-to-own, on the other hand, is seen as the more logical alternative. You’re still getting the benefit of access without having to pay the entire amount upfront, but you also get to keep the plugin at the end of the rental period.

However, it’s not always so cut and dry. The saying ‘too good to be true’ exists for a reason, and even though rent-to-own (hereafter RTO) is generally better than a subscription, it is still not without its own pitfalls.

Before we go any further, it could be helpful to define the model.

Rather than pay for a plugin entirely upfront to receive a perpetual license, you lease it from the developer or a third-party reseller and pay it off in monthly instalments. Once you have completed the payments, the leaser then transfers the license to you and you fully own it as you would if you had bought it in one lump sum.

One of the first high-profile RTO agreements was between sample-provider Splice and Xfer Records, the developer of the uber-popular soft synth, Serum. Splice continues to offer RTO options for products, passing your payments on to the developer rather than acting like a bank and buying the license on your behalf.

Third-party retailer Plugin Boutique is also in the RTO business, as are more and developers, such as Ableton, who recently made not only new purchases of Live 12 available in this way but also now upgrades as well.

While RTO is certainly convenient, especially when buying expensive items like DAWs that may be impossible to afford outright, they are not without their dangers, as we shall see…

Here are seven points to keep in mind before entering into an RTO agreement. You might be surprised by some of these.

1. Say goodbye to sale discounts

When you buy a plugin via RTO, it’s true that you generally don’t pay more than the standard list price. You pay in monthly instalments at a rate that is the total price divided by the number of months.

While this is convenient, and may seem like a deal, that total amount will never be lower than list price.

What happens if the plugin goes on sale, such as during November when it’s common practice to offer deep discounts for Black Friday? Nothing happens. You still pay full price.

In other words, when buying RTO, you cannot take advantage of a sale.

“(Developers) make their money by never giving you a sale price,” notes Reddit user 'HooksNHaunts', “Say you pay for a plugin that is $150 but it’s on sale everywhere for $75. You don’t get the sale price. You’re still gonna pay the full $150 through the rent-to-own process.”

'Kirk_Bananahammock', also on Reddit, makes a similar point in a thread called Is Serum's Rent-to-Own on Splice a Scam? “Plugins often go on sale, so you might have paid $100 towards the plugin, only to find the plugin on sale somewhere else at a discount and you could have paid less overall if you had waited.”

Upgrade pricing could also be affected when paying RTO. In general, software companies will grant you a discount on an upgraded version of a plugin when you already own an earlier revision. If you’re still paying it off via RTO, however, you don’t technically own it yet, and so may not be eligible for the upgrade.

Splice, for its part, will allow you to move up to the new version - but you’ll still have to continue paying for the original plugin on top of the latest one, adding time to your payment contract - and disqualifying you from any sales pricing in the meantime.

2. Beware impulse buying

When you only see the monthly payment price and not the total amount, impulse buying can become a real danger. “When people pay for things monthly, the first payment is what they see in their heads (in terms of) what is owed,” musician Jon Salichs tells us, who has experience leasing plugins. “So they might go crazy” buying things they don’t need", he adds. "Why stop at Serum when you could also get Arturia’s Pigments 7, or Current, or Massive X from Native Instruments? Or indeed all of them?”

Splice also offers bundles via RTO, with multiple titles included for a discounted total price. But do you really need both of those plugins or are you pulling the trigger just because the monthly payment is tantalisingly low?

Arturia’s V Collection Pro is $699 new, an eye-wateringly large amount. But when broken down into instalments, it’s only $24.99 per month. But do you really need everything in that package?

“I got a combo so it was more expensive,” explains Jon. “You could, for example, rent-to-own only the latest Ozone instead of getting Ozone and Neutron in a pack for more money. Maybe you don't need everything in that combo. Consider what you need.”

3. Subscription creep can happen here too

In much the same way that’s it’s easy to buy too much at a time, you could also end up with more RTO plans than you can afford to pay.

In the modern landscape of subscriptions being the norm, this is often referred to as ‘subscription creep’. In much the same way that you can end up with too many streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime, you could find yourself with hundreds of dollars worth of payments per month to companies for RTO instruments and effects. It can all start to add up…

4. You have to be online

Much like with subscriptions, leasing outfits need a way to verify the plugin is authorised to use.

This is generally done online, and often through a third-party app that needs to be open and connected to the internet, such as the Splice app. While remembering to open the application at the beginning of a session can be cumbersome, for some having to be connected to the internet at all is a push too far.

“I personally don't care for the ‘log-in daily’ thing, as sometimes I have my machines offline for several days,” says KVR Audio commenter Shabahbriah.

Some producers opt to work on perpetually offline computers. For them, this system would be impossible.

5. You can't resell your license

While this danger is less common than others, it’s quite possible that even after you finish paying off your license, you’ll be forbidden from reselling it.

Every developer has their own rules about transferring licenses, with many turning into NFRs (Not For Resale) after one ownership change.

This can also be true when buying via RTO, with the license becoming an NFR after completing payment. You may technically own it - but you’re still not free to transfer it to someone else.

In response to the question, “If the developer normally allows for (a) product to be license-transferred, does that still hold?” on KVR, user 'riddim83' discovered that at least one company doesn’t allow resales: “It’s definitely not normal licenses across the board, as D16 (Group) licenses become NFR.”

This will not affect all producers, as many do not resell plugins anyway. Says Jon Salichs, “I've never sold any software. Though there might be a way, I just don't do it.”

6. If a problem arises, who do you deal with?

Any RTO agreement will have to involve some amount of DRM and authentication, and with those additional hoops to jump through, something could go wrong. If you’re leasing directly from the developer, you would reach out to their customer service department (and hopefully they’ll get back to you in a timely manner).

But when dealing with a third-party, who do you contact? the leaser or the plugin company?

This is exactly what happened to Reddit user 'ChildShapedMan' when paying for Serum through Splice. “I went to use Serum today and it came up with the license expired error message,” they wrote. “I followed all of the troubleshooting I could and nothing helped. I've emailed the support team and they are saying they can't see any plan on my account. I have emailed them my receipts and proof of payment for the last two transactions but (I am) currently waiting for their reply…”

Other Redditors had also had issues, and some recommended contacting Xfer Records directly, while others suggested signing in and out of the Splice app and website. While this is admittedly an older issue, with no recent similar comments appearing when performing searches, the fact remains that technology has a way of breaking, and when you’re stuck in the middle of a session with not one but two companies to deal with, it can be frustrating to say the least.

7. If you can't make payments, you're locked out

The biggest and most catastrophic issue is, of course, that, much like with a subscription, if you can’t make payments, you’re forbidden from using the software.

In the middle of a session? Too bad. Finally got the vocalist in the studio after months of waiting? Sucks to be you.

The good news is, however, you’ll able to pick up where you left off with no penalties when you can start making payments again.

“If you pause your membership before you've paid it off you'll lose access to it,” notes Reddit user 'Poop Fandango' "But you don't lose your progress towards paying it off. That will pick up from where you left off if you start paying again.”

However, lack of penalty or no, if you can’t pay, you can’t play. You could, of course, employ an alternative instrument or effect in the session.

“Probably that did happen,” Jon says when asked if he had any trouble in the studio when he paused payments. “But in that case, I (used) an alternative plugin. It wasn't really a problem for me because I know other ways to achieve the same effect. But it might be for someone who doesn’t.”

This solution, of course, won’t work if the software that you’re leasing is not an instrument but a DAW like Bitwig or Ableton Live!

Ultimately, paying for music software through a rent-to-own scheme can admittedly, be a convenient and affordable way to get access to instruments and effects that you might normally not be able to use.

But it makes the most sense for plugins that tend to not go on sale and don’t charge for updates, like Xfer Records’ Serum.

However, you should still use your common sense when signing up and be aware of the prospective pitfalls we’ve highlighted here.

Make sure that you read the terms and conditions and understand what you’re getting into - and what will happen if you can’t continue to pay.

Nothing would be worse than opening up a session, ready to work, and finding that you can’t access an important instrument because your credit card was declined.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a particularly cool rock for the last few days, you’ll know that the UK is in the grip of a brutal heatwave. Now, if the rising mercury has made you think twice about hitting the home studio, the latest Prime Day sales at Amazon have thrown up some solutions that will make your creative space more comfortable throughout the sweltering days and weeks ahead. Of course, I’m talking about the humble fan.

Whether you’re working in a fully treated - and therefore probably stiflingly hot and airless - studio, or you spend your time noodling or mixing away in your bedroom, a little added comfort could mean you can get that track finished before your inspiration literally melts away.

Not all fans are created equal, and there are certainly some types that aren't studio-friendly; for this collection I’m focusing on powerful handhelds, sturdy desk fans and self contained tower and stand fans. I'm not covering air conditioners here as they are too noisy for music-makers.

So far, I’ve found 4 deals on fans to suit a range of budgets, and Prime members will benefit from speedy delivery, too.

So, why exactly should you consider introducing a fan to your recording setup?

1. Instant relief

A fan sat next to you as you create will provide instant cooling, whilst fans with an oscillating function will also help circulate the air rather than leaving you to sit in your own thick, stagnant, recycled air.

2. Protecting your gear

It’s not all about you. Think about your hardware, too. Your PC or laptop, your audio interface, your tube amp, they all run hot, which not only makes your recording space warmer, but it could also potentially throttle their performance and ruin your session. A decent fan can help keep your gear cool and operational.

3. The noise factor

Air conditioners will do the best job at cooling, but they can be very noisy - a recipe for disaster if you’re recording live instruments in the room. On the flipside, today’s modern desk fans can be whisper quiet, striking the right balance between cooling and letting you record without interference. Fans run at a more consistent frequency too, so they should be pretty easily fixed in the mix if any sound does creep in.

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Alan Myson is a producer, composer and sound designer whose versatility within electronic music spans work for film, TV and advertising alongside his own output as a recording artist. As Ital Tek, he's released eight adventurous, varied albums for lauded underground label Planet Mu.

It’s a two-decade journey of sonic exploration that started when Myson picked up his first effects pedal as a teenager.

“I got an electric guitar when I was about 13, and that was what really set it alight for me,” he tells us when we visit him in his Oxfordshire studio. “My first setup that I remember feeling like I could actually get something cool out of it was an electric guitar, a multi-effects pedal and a MiniDisc player. I used to just make loads of really long droney, ambient guitar effect loops.”

His career as Ital Tek started a few years later, following a move to Brighton for university that was largely inspired by a desire to break into the city’s music scene. Myson began handing out demos and posting tracks on Myspace, which caught the ear of Planet Mu founder Mike Paradinas, best known for his output as μ-Ziq.

Over the 20 years since then, Myson has become one of the label’s key artists, releasing multiple albums, EPs and singles, ranging from his early experiments in atmospheric dubstep and IDM through to the dark cinematic sounds of recent albums Outland and Timeproof.

His latest full-length, Mind Abandon, landed this May, and sees Myson pushing his sound into new territories, warping recorded instruments, synths and vocal sounds into ambient textures with granular processing and creative effects.

We visited Myson in his Oxford studio to break down the multi-layered sound design behind album highlight A Hidden Path (above) and discuss his studio setup and outlook on music (below).

Tell us about your studio…

“I've been through quite a lot of studios, I've been doing music as my full time job for nearly 20 years now. I was lucky enough to start doing it when I was 19. Over that time I’ve had different home studios, rented studios and purpose-built studios.

“The place I’m in at the moment is outside of my house in a separate building. I'm lucky enough to have accumulated quite a few toys over the years, which I get to spend all my time messing around with. It's a cool place to work.”

Tell us about your new album, Mind Abandon…

“The new album is definitely a very introspective album for me. It focuses on the feeling of getting older, kind of losing a sense of your identity as you get older, as your life changes, you have kids, your priorities change, your time changes.

“Music is something that's really precious to me. I put so much of my energy into it and so much of my time into it. As I'm a solo artist, I spend a huge amount of time by myself trying to get something going with these instruments. It's by definition very introspective. I think this album in particular came from a place of really trying to understand my own mind, trying to focus on what makes me inspired, what makes me a better person. It was a deep dive.

“A lot of this record comes from a place of feeling quite shit, to be honest, but there's also a lot of love and a lot of optimism in my music. I like to think that what I'm doing is focusing on harsh extremes. I sometimes go down a path of just making really hard, dark music, and then other times I'm really motivated to try and make something that's soaring or optimistic. Sometimes I merge the two together.”

Your last few albums have been quite conceptual – is having a defined concept important to your creativity?

“I think having some idea of a theme is important when going into a body of work or an album. That can be something that's more conceptual, or it can be something a bit more tangible, something to do with the actual sounds or equipment you're using.

“For each record I do try to have a distinct sound palette or sound world that I'm exploring. That tends to then influence the emotional output of what I might be writing.I kind of see the two things almost the same really. The individual sounds that I create are like a way of expressing a mood, a picture, a story.

“I've been putting out records since 2007. It's been a long time and there's a part of me that feels like it's all part of the same body of work. It's all just this wave you're on and it never stops, but then it is punctuated by these releases. So every two to three years I definitely try to reset my brain a bit and just freely create sounds without thinking about how it's going to be used, what the record's going to be like. Hopefully that creates something interesting and keeps me inspired as well.”

How has your approach to production evolved over that time?

“I think my production techniques have definitely changed over the years, although I don't necessarily see becoming more proficient in the technicalities of what you're doing as a bonus, as such. Some of the best things I've ever written, in my opinion, were quite naive, where I didn't really know what I was doing. I like to keep that in mind when I'm writing tracks and writing larger bodies of work.

“That’s why I collect lots of instruments that I can't play. A lot of the time when I go and visit somewhere, I'll be eyeing up some weird, you know, Indian banjo or something. I have no idea how to play it and whilst it may not even feature that heavily on a track, just having all these inspiring bits of kit, along with synthesizers, guitar pedals, it's all nice to have. It's inspiring and it sparks something in the process.

“There is something to be said for the naivety of just making do with what you've got though. I think those are things I try to balance.

“I'm fortunate in that over the years I've managed to accumulate lots of cool bits of kit, and I enjoy using them, but whether they inform what I'm doing or vice versa, it's hard to say. I don't think of myself as particularly good on any of these instruments either. I'm kind of sound led rather than gear led. I just sort of tinker with them all and try to get something that interests me out of it.”

Were there any new techniques you explored on Mind Abandon?

“Going back to what I was saying about trying to find new sounds every cycle of making a record, I thought this time it'd be interesting to feature my own voice a bit more, although not in the form of traditional singing. There are no lyrics and it isn't even particularly discernible that it is my voice. It was just a way of getting ideas down quickly. I’d pull over the mic arm to the desk, and just be ready to go. It was about being able to immediately just hum something, sing something or make some weird beat boxing sounds – anything like that.

“It just felt quite immediate. There was absolutely no interface – it's just me on the track, I can then mess around with it and treat it like any other sound source, whether that's one of my guitars or a synthesizer or a field recording or anything like that. It was just a nice way of having immediacy and a very personal connection to the music.

“Another thing that has always been a part of my sound but was particularly important for this record is processing sounds. Processing things with guitar pedals and processing live sounds through digital means.

“Going back to when I was a teenager, I was absolutely fascinated by guitar pedals, although I couldn't afford any of them. I just had quite a cheap multi-effect, but I dreamed of having a pedal board with loads of knobs to tweak.

“Guitar pedals were a huge part of this record. Also just trying to dive back into the guitar in general, in a textural way, rather than chords and song structures. That's kind of what I was doing years and years ago, before I started doing my Ital Tek stuff. I wanted to bring some of that DNA from my original music experiments, harking back to when I was doing it on MiniDisc in my parents' garage. I just wanted to bring some of that energy into this record.”

You’ve been doing film and soundtrack work in recent years, how does your approach to that differ from your Ital Tek work?

“Aside from doing all my Ital Tek work, in recent years, I've also been hired to do a few composing jobs, for film and television, and some video game work as well. I've done all manner of things – dance projects, some adverts, stuff like that. I think it's a good way of keeping you sharp, kind of testing your ability to work with other people.

“It's quite an isolated experience, just making solo electronic music. I've spent a lot of time by myself in this room, just hoping that something's going to come out of my brain, whereas I've actually really enjoyed the last few years or so of collaborating.

“It's amazing to work with people where, yes, you might be the person being tasked with doing the music, but it's their project and they've got their ideas. You're trying to make their project as great as it can be by bringing something that you do to the table.

“I've loved doing that, and I hope to do a lot more of it, like working with directors, editors, producers, sound designers, is brilliant, and it makes it feel like being in a band or something. Everyone kind of leans on each other a bit to bring out the best in each other.”

What one piece of studio gear could you not go without?

“My desert island music kit is the Korg MS-20. For making electronic music and doing my Ital Tek records, it is really expressive. I feel like I know what I'm doing with it, which isn't true of all my gear.

“There are lots of bits of gear in my studio that I am not as well versed in, but the MS-20 is just fantastic for getting ideas out. It just gels with me. I think it suits the extremes of my music very well: it's super dark and gnarly, and heavy and nasty, and then it's also lyrical and you can get these beautiful tones out of it as well.”

What one piece of advice would you give to other producers?

“It's easier said than done, but focus less on what other people are doing or expecting, and try and home in on why you’re doing what it is you’re doing. What clicks for you hopefully clicks for other people.

“It took me a long time to get to the point of realising that. I spent a good 10 years feeling extremely unconfident with making music. I still don't really – everyone's kind of got some level of imposter syndrome with what they're doing, but I definitely pay less attention now to expectation, what I'm supposed to be doing or what anyone else is hoping I'm doing.

“I've enjoyed the process of making records a lot more since I tried to harness that kind of mindset.”

Ital Tek: Mind Abandon is out now via Planet Mu

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: Today's plugin instruments require a lot of processing power. Whether that be the latest analog modelling synthesizer with a sound that’s comparable to hardware, acoustic physical modelling for ultra-realistic violins without samples, or experimental instruments recreating physics and other state-of-the-art processes, your bog-standard CPU is getting increasingly more taxed by all of the heavy lifting. Now add that instrument to a DAW session with other synths and effects, and your poor computer is ready to throw in the towel.

Enter the GPU. The Graphics Processor Unit may have started as a dedicated pixel cruncher but, thanks to its unique structure, it’s now being pressed into all kinds of new duties, including artificial intelligence, neural networks, and lately, audio.

Because of this largely underused chip, powerful new processes are now becoming available to audio plugin developers willing to think outside the box.

We recently spoke with three of them - GPU Audio, Anukari and sonicLAB - to find out how they’re harnessing the GPU to create software instruments of astonishing realism, scope and power.

The GPU has traditionally done the work of rendering a computer’s graphics, and it does this very well. But lately, some very clever developers have been using it to process audio as well. Can it really make that much of a difference, though? We asked Chris D, the Head of Pro Audio Partnerships at GPU Audio, a leader in the field, about this.

“If you’re happy with one soft synth and a delay, there is probably not much call to get your GPU involved in audio processing,” Chris says. “What the GPU offers for audio processing is an almost unbound level of processing.”

The key to this, he stresses, is the GPU’s ability to process in parallel. It can handle multiple processes at any one time, unlike conventional DSP audio, which is sequential and therefore limited. “Think of the processes like cars on a motorway,” he explains. “Our CPU has one lane for traffic to flow; the GPU has thousands of lanes.”

Evan Mezeske of boutique developer Anukari points out that GPUs, such as the ones in Apple’s M-series chips of from company NVIDIA, remain largely unused when we work with audio.

That idle GPU could be tasked to push the limits of how many plugins or tracks we can run simultaneously, or for single plugins that require a lot of computational power. Evan’s instrument, also called Anukari, falls into the second category.

“I personally find category two more interesting,” he enthuses, “because it raises the question of what kind of plugins simply couldn't exist without this kind of processing power? I'm interested in new kinds of audio processing that haven't been thoroughly explored before because they were previously computationally infeasible.”

Markus Steinberger, GPU Audio’s R&D Scientist, sees this new evolution of computation as part of the ‘evolving spirit’ of Moore’s Law, an observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in 1965 that posits that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles - and so gets more powerful - every two years.

Now, rather than relying just on more transistors, we can take advantage of smarter architecture and workload distribution. “By offloading demanding audio tasks to the GPU,” Markus says, “GPU Audio unlocks high-throughput, real-time processing that significantly outperforms conventional CPU-bound workflows.”

Evan at Anukari puts it this way: “Insofar as audio processing can translate transistor count into ‘audio goodness,’ this just means that to take full advantage of what modern processors have to offer, the GPU is becoming increasingly attractive. But it's not always so easy to turn more transistors into audio goodness.”

But isn’t this difficult to do? “Yes and no,” answers Evan when asked if it’s difficult to get the GPU to process audio. “The GPU is very, very different from the CPU, and to take full advantage of its power requires a different approach to how a plugin's DSP code is written.”

“Graphics cards were not designed to process audio,” points out Chris at GPU Audio, which has put in about 10 years of R&D on its tech.

“They are designed to continually pump out an insane amount of pixels across your computer screen. When you’re not playing games, or rendering complex images, your GPU does next to nothing. Imagine what could be done with all of the unused resources.”

Sinan Bokesoy, the founder of software company sonicLAB and parent company sonicPlanet, explains how he uses the GPU to calculate scene data in some of his applications, which is then used in audio calculations.

“Instead of calculating this data on the CPU alongside the audio waveform processing,” he says “I use the parallel processing structure of the GPU, which is very efficient for such scenic calculations. GPUs can work together with CPUs to calculate data that feeds audio algorithms efficiently and without low-level programming efforts.”

Ultimately, says Evan, “it's a question of creativity in terms of how to utilize the strengths of GPUs in an interesting way.”

Although gamers will try to get the best GPUs that they can, the good new for music producers is you don’t need a special GPU to process audio. The one you already have in your computer is likely good enough, such as an NVIDIA chip or the ones built into Apple’s M-series chips.

“Normal GPUs are fine,” explains Evan. “Generally, what you get when you pay more is a GPU that is a tiny bit faster, but is massively more parallel. But any modern GPU is pretty much a marvel of technology. All of the Apple silicon GPUs are incredible, and anything from the last few years from NVIDIA is great.”

GPU Audio recommends a minimum spec of NVIDIA Series 10 upwards on Windows, or M1+ for Apple. “NVIDIA released its series 10 GPUs in 2014 and the M1 came out in 2020,” says Chris, “so we’re not talking about the very latest hardware. Our aim is for as many people as possible to experience what the GPU can do for audio.”

Looking at diagrams of Apple’s M chips, especially the Pro and Max models, a significant amount of the IC is devoted to the GPU. That’s a resource just waiting to be exploited. “The Apple M chips have a dedicated GPU which we are harnessing for DSP on Mac OS,” Chris comments. “These parallel processing juggernauts are redundant when you’re making music. It seems crazy not to use the GPU!”

GPU Audio doesn’t make instruments itself; it partners with other developers, allowing them to use its technology to offload processing to the GPU. One of its partnerships is with Audio Modeling and its SWAM line of physical-modeled orchestral instruments. These include SWAM-B for brass instruments, SWAM-W for woodwinds, and SWAM-S for strings, plugins that offer a high degree or real-time realism that doesn’t rely on samples.

“A major advantage of the GPU in this context is its extremely high memory bandwidth,” says Markus. “While incoming audio typically arrives at 44.1 to 96 kHz, computing the effect of a room on that signal can require accessing trillions of contributing samples per second.” This can lead to bottlenecks; GPU to the rescue. “This makes GPU Audio a natural fit for high-fidelity, real-time room modeling and immersive spatial audio experiences.”

You can also access the company’s tech with the Vienna Power House add-on for VSL’s Vienna MIR Pro 3D and Vienna Synchron Player. This add-on offloads convolution processes to your graphics card, “which is otherwise redundant in music making machines,” says Chris.

GPU Audio has also recently made its SDK (software development kit) available to third-party developers, so we’re likely to see more instruments and effects that make use of the GPU in this way soon.

Now, let’s look in more detail at a few of the specific plugins that are fuelled by parallel GPU processing. Anukari 3D Physics Synthesizer is a unique physical modeling synthesizer that lets you build your own 3D instruments with various physics components like masses and springs as well as oscillators and the usual synthesizer bits. It’s incredibly flexible and powerful, sort of like a modular synthesizer but for physical objects rather than synth modules. Something this complex requires a lot of computational power, both visually and in terms of sound.

“Anukari is doing this great big complicated physics simulation, where the entire physics world needs to be stepped forward in time for each audio sample,” explains Evan, likening it more to the kind of physics engine that you'd find in a video game or something like the analysis tools that an automaker might use to understand physical stresses in a mechanical part.

“This fits very naturally into the way that a GPU works, where many calculations can be done all in parallel,” he says. “Anukari does virtually all of its audio processing on the GPU.” In terms of the audio, almost nothing happens on the CPU except commanding the GPU to do its work.

“Of course,” adds Evan, “that's really only half the story, because Anukari has these beautiful 3D graphics that depict the 3D instrument the user has constructed. The graphics also happen on the GPU, but that's not so interesting from an audio perspective.”

Another instrument that uses physics to help generate sound is Protean from sonicLAB. But instead of physical modeling, it uses a combination of additive and FM synthesis along with particle physics to create wild and experimental sounds, up to more than 1000 of them at a time.

“I use multi-core processing for audio algorithms in our Protean software since there are several hundred sine waves calculated simultaneously using multithreaded jobs,” says Sinan. “This is how parallel processing is implemented on CPUs using their multiple cores. A modern GPU might have thousands of cores versus a CPU's eight to 16 cores.”

In a recent article, we highlighted GPU audio processing as one way in which music production will change going forward. We asked the developers how they see this technology figuring into things.

“I would say that it's a part of the future,” agrees Evan of Anukari. “I believe there is still infinite potential with really simple stuff. But at the same time, I obviously am interested in what is possible now that really wasn't possible before.”

GPU Audio also sees it as playing a big part in tech moving forward. “If you want ultra low latencies, multi-channel spatial mixing, thousands of convolutions, and real-time machine learning then the GPU is the only way to go,” says Chris, pointing out that CPUs suffer from a physical restriction to their size and also processing capacity due to inherent thermal distribution. “GPUs on the other hand,” he notes, “are designed to be scalable, to run with multiple devices, and also to be used for cloud processing.”

Here is where things really get interesting. Cloud processing, which is something the GPU Audio team is looking into, could provide a way to not only shunt processing power over to another chip - but to another computer entirely. Says Chris: “This would be handy for example if your mobile device doesn’t have a powerful enough CPU but you still want to access incredibly high levels of processing.”

Another possibility for GPU audio processing is in hardware applications. “Imagine a mixing desk doing complex spatial processing on multiple live inputs,” says Chris. “There is scope for really advancing these existing technologies and harnessing the GPU for so many things.”

And, to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies like AI, we’re going to need the added boost of a GPU. “If we consider machine learning and live AI processing,” says Chris, “which is genuinely forging a new path for audio, these can only be processed in real-time with a GPU. So if you want a mixing desk which can de-noise your live space over multiple channels using live machine learning, it can only be achieved with a hardware-embedded GPU.”

The future just got a little brighter - and a little faster.

Oscar Scheller isn't a name that'll be familiar to most of our readers, but this London-born producer and songwriter is one of pop music's fastest-rising behind-the-scenes talents – and the man responsible for producing one of 2026's biggest global hits.

That song is a remix of PinkPantheress' Stateside featuring Zara Larsson, a rework of a track from PinkPantheress' 2025 project Fancy That that featured on remix album Fancy Some More?, released in October of the same year.

Going viral in early 2026, the Scheller-produced Stateside remix became PinkPantheress' most successful song to date, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and Spotify's global chart simultaneously while reaching Top 10 in the US and generating close 50m weekly streams at the peak of its popularity.

But, according to its producer, the track's skyrocketing success came as something of a surprise. "It's a pretty oddball song to be a hit," Scheller told MusicRadar in a recent interview. "But it feels good. It’s the moment that all producers wait for, but I’m just really happy it happened with her, on music that I’m proud of too."

Now based in Los Angeles, Scheller has forged a longstanding creative relationship with PinkPantheress that began in 2021, and has since led to collaborations across multiple projects. “I knew as soon as I heard PinkPantheress that we had similar musical DNA from the samples and interpolation, that we had a similar way of thinking,” he says.

“She’s insanely melodic, I reached out and we had a session just before I moved to the US. She seemed really shy but was quietly confident, and we hit it off straight away.”

Not only working on the Stateside remix, Scheller was invited to collaborate on numerous remixes on Fancy Some More?, including Girl Like Me (with Oklou) and Tonight (with Jade). However, it was his take on Stateside that was eventually picked up for release, along with a contribution to the Sugababes-featuring rework of Nice to Know You.

“I did Stateside, Girl Like Me and Tonight and was praying for the first one to come out. She wouldn’t tell me who the feature was, then she sent the version back with Zara - it was crazy,” Scheller says.

Despite the astronomical popularity of Stateside's alternate version, Scheller told us that a handful of fans have questioned the song's production, picking up on slight variations in tuning between the elements that make up the track. “There’s all this discourse online about how everything is out of tune on Stateside,” he says.

“But I’ve been pleased with that – we need imperfection," Scheller continues. "It’s like a retaliation to AI and this weird humanless vacuum of sound that people keep pushing down our throats. We need the human touch!”

Read the full MusicRadar interview with Oscar Scheller, where he digs into his musical background, his studio set-up and his recent work with Lily Allen and Kelela.

Well, today marks day one of Amazon Prime Day, and while the internet is buzzing with talk of Prime Day music deals, the most jaw-dropping gear discounts aren’t where you might expect. Instead of scrolling endlessly through Amazon’s offerings of smart devices and toys, we suggest heading straight to Thomann’s Music Days Sale, which runs until July 14th and slashes up to 60% off across a massive range of instruments and studio essentials.

If you’re serious about making music, this is the moment to upgrade your setup. Thomann has long been Europe’s leading retailer for musicians, and their annual Music Days event is legendary for truly deep discounts on everything from beginner guitars to pro audio equipment. Whether you’re a bedroom producer, gigging guitarist, or setting up your first home studio, this is your chance to score professional-quality gear at prices Amazon can’t touch.

Here are a few standout deals from the Thomann Music Days Sale that outshine anything you’ll find in today’s Prime Day music deals:

First up is the Kawai ES-120 B Bag Bundle, which has 11% off right now. The ES-120 is a gorgeous cornerstone for aspiring pianists and seasoned players alike. With its authentic weighted keys and renowned Kawai sound, it’s an ideal practice instrument or stage companion. At £529, it's a must-buy for anyone wanting a full-size digital piano on a budget. Listen to our demo video below.

Next is the stunning. D'Angelico Premier Gramercy in striking Black Cherry. This guitar features a Grand Auditorium body shape with a single cutaway, offering both comfort and easy access to upper frets. The top is crafted from solid Sitka spruce, while the back and sides are made from laminated mahogany, accented by 5X white body binding. The satin mahogany neck pairs with an ovangkol fretboard adorned with acrylic block inlays. The ovangkol bridge complements the fretboard, and the guitar is equipped with a D'Angelico pickup featuring a built-in EQ and tuner for versatile amplified performance. All this is just £175!

Next is an axe for those who like things on the metal side, the awesome ESP LTD Phoenix-1000 QM STBS. Featuring a mahogany body topped with stunning quilted maple and a set-in, three-piece mahogany neck for enhanced sustain and stability, this guitar is built for crushing metal tones. The guitar is equipped with a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat Nickel pickup in the neck position and a Seymour Duncan Custom Nickel humbucker in the bridge, and is only £838, with 31% off.

Lastly, upgrade your home studio vocals and instruments with this highly rated large diaphragm condenser. For me, the Slate Digital ML-1A competes with mics twice its price, and now just £259 (that's 45% off), it’s a no-brainer for producers and singer-songwriters looking to capture crisp, detailed recordings.

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PLUGIN WEEK 2026: Typically, dynamics processors have a relatively specific function. We don’t mean what type of processor it is – compressor, limiter, whatever – but rather which specific model of processor is used on what specific instrument or sound source at which specific stage of the production process.

When a processor is well-matched to these specifics, then excellent results can be produced; when deployed outside of its specialism, though, even the most lionised of tools can deliver unsatisfactory results.

For example, a Fairchild 660 (whether hardware or a decent software emulation) has a legendary reputation as a vocal compressor, but its charms often aren’t as apparent in a mastering context. Similarly, a Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor has a near-magical ability to add “glue” and cohesiveness to a mix, but is not so impressive when slapped onto a vocal track.

Given this specificity, it’s rare to come across a dynamics processor that complements any sound source: vocals, instruments of every type, sub-mixes, full mixes, masters, music, dialogue, foley… the lot! It’s even rarer for that processor to be well-suited to every stage in the production process, from recording and tracking all the way through to final mastering.

Nevertheless, since its inception a decade ago, Oeksound Soothe has grown into exactly this – a rare example of a jack-of-all-tracks also being a master of all, as revered and relied upon by recording and mix engineers as by mastering and audio post-production facilities. And with the latest iteration of the plugin boasting a freshly-minted low-latency mode capable of realtime processing, live sound engineers are sure to be catching the bug soon too.

But we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves! Before getting to what’s new in Soothe3, we need to ask: what makes Soothe so ubiquitous and widely beloved, and more pertinently, what does it actually do?

What is Soothe?

Soothe is described by Oeksound as a “dynamic resonance suppressor”. If that leaves you scratching your head, perhaps the closest comparison would be a dynamic EQ. As you may well know, a dynamic EQ is an equaliser in which each EQ band contains a compressor-style gain reduction processor. Thus, if the signal amplitude within a band’s frequency range exceeds the band’s threshold, the compressor will reduce the volume of that band.

The primary use of a dynamic EQ is to reduce resonance and prevent frequency buildup – this is when frequencies produced by multiple instruments combined become overpowering when they sound together. A suitably configured dynamic EQ can detect these “hot” frequencies and reduce the band’s gain accordingly. A multiband compressor can do something similar too, although we typically use these for broad-brushed dynamic control, whereas dynamic EQ is a better for more focussed and surgical frequency control.

But Soothe isn’t actually a dynamic EQ, and nor is it a multiband compressor. There are elements of crossover with both, but Soothe goes about its business in a very different way, and has a sonic impact that’s different to both. Soothe continually monitors the incoming signal, sensing for resonances and frequency spikes, and when a resonance is detected, Soothe reduces the amplitude of the affected frequencies until the resonance has passed.

Per-frequency gain reduction is visualised in realtime in the plugin, and this visualisation is overlaid by a curve that, to the untrained eye, looks for all the world like an EQ curve – but don’t be fooled! The curve (and the bands that define the nodes of the curve) describes frequency-specific modifications to the resonance detector’s sensitivity.

Detection is more sensitive where the curve extends above the centreline, and less sensitive below it. This means frequencies are more likely to be reduced where the curve is above the centreline – which is essentially the opposite of an EQ, if you think about it – and entirely unlike a dynamic EQ.

How has Soothe changed over the past decade?

The original version of Soothe featured just three customisable sensitivity bands, and it processed higher frequencies with more detail than lower ones. This meant the plugin excelled at dealing with problems in the upper-mid and high frequency ranges, but was less precise in lower registers – capable of controlling a bit of low-frequency rumble or low-mid boominess, but not so effective at surgical fixes in the low-end.

This didn’t stop the plugin from becoming an immediate hit. As the company’s marketing director, Atte Karm, told us: “The success of the original Soothe was way out of proportion compared to expectations, and its continued success is something that no one could have expected”.

There are those who, if finding themselves having released a runaway success like Soothe, would have simply basked in the glory of their achievement, but that wasn’t the case for Oeksound. With the lessons of the first version’s development fresh in their minds and an eye on their users’ feedback, the company embarked on a complete rewrite of Soothe.

With an all-new full-frequency-range engine, an additional sensitivity band, and new band modes, Soothe2 offered far more depth and focus in its control over lower frequencies than its predecessor. The update also inaugurated the concept of Soft and Hard processing modes, the former designed to be more transparent and adaptive to source dynamics, the latter being more aggressive, level-sensitive and compressor-like. Soothe2 also gained attack and release controls for shaping the response time of the gain reduction, mid/side processing, and the ability to weight the sensitivity between stereo channels – left-to-right in L/R stereo, or mid-to-side in M/S mode.

Importantly, Soothe2 acquired the game-changing ability to work with external sidechains, thereby allowing it to be used for tasks such as reducing mic bleed, creating spectral space to reduce frequency masking, helping a vocal or lead line stand out within a big wash of reverb, and many other creative tricks.

All of this significantly broadened Soothe’s appeal, pushing the plugin into a far broader range of studios and facilities than previously. But Oeksound still wasn’t satisfied, and embarked on the development of a third version, making further changes, adding new features and generally sprucing up a tool that was already a staple in the workflow of producers and engineers across the globe. (Check out the video below for a comparison of how Soothe2 stacks up against the newly-released Soothe3.)

Soothe's next generation

While the most obvious change in Soothe3 is the crisper, brighter interface, the most impactful changes lie in the plugin’s resonance detection and reduction algorithms. As Atte explained to us: “The balancing act was to keep the process feeling ‘effective’, and at the same time make it easier and quicker to end up with settings that tame just the ‘bad resonances’ instead of sucking the life completely out of the source signal.”

To that end, Soothe3’s Soft mode now senses resonances based on their strength relative to the overall spectrum at any given moment. This makes the processing threshold entirely independent of input level, thereby ensuring resonance control is independent of dynamic variations in the audio. As a result, processing is more musical and transparent, and setup time is reduced (just turn the large and inviting Depth dial!) Hard mode retains the more compressor-like response of Soothe2, making it ideal when it comes to applying sidechaining tricks such as de-bleeding and de-masking.

Soothe2’s Selectivity and Sharpness controls, which determine the frequency bandwidth of detection and processing (respectively), have been combined into a single Detail dial. As Atte explains: “We felt that the Selectivity control was important, but often either difficult to understand or didn't yield wanted results. So we decided to do a deep dive into how this aspect should be controlled, and we ended up at the single Detail control.” This new control saves a huge amount of time, and makes you wonder why control over the frequency focus of detection and gain reduction were ever presented as separate controls in the first place.

Where Soothe2 has a fixed set of six sensitivity bands – high-pass and low-pass filters plus four variable bands – Soothe3 can now freely add and remove bands up to a maximum of eight, and each band offers a free choice of eight band types. New here, and replacing the band-shelf mode, is the band-pass mode.

This focusses the sensitivity in a specific frequency range while leaving the remainder of the spectrum entirely unprocessed – essentially the same as using a paired high- and low-pass filter. Adding additional band-pass bands creates additional sensing and processing ranges, but any other band type falling outside of the range of that band will have no effect.

The tilt band type is also gone, but has been reimagined as the all-new Tilt feature. This lets you apply tilt – that is, a positive or negative ramping of strength – to the plugin’s Detail, Attack and Release parameters.

The tilt for each parameter is split into two, one part affecting low frequencies from around 500Hz downwards, the other affecting high frequencies from around 2kHz and up, and each tilt part can produce either a positive or negative ramp. So you can, for example, have progressively slower attack times for both low and high frequencies, or increase the Detail in the low end while reducing it in the high end. This is far more versatile than the old tilt band mode, yet also manages to be more intuitive and understandable.

Soothe3's low-latency mode

As mentioned, Soothe3 boasts a low-latency mode, and this impressively allows the plugin to run with 0ms latency when operating at 44.1kHz/48kHz sample rate, and just 1ms at higher rates. Of course, you do still have to take your own audio I/O latency into account, but nevertheless, this is a game-changer.

In the studio, it means being able to deal with unwanted mic artefacts at source – handling noise, proximity effect, de-essing and popping, and even bleed from other sources, but what’s really exciting are the live applications. Alongside giving venues all of the tonal and sonic benefits that studio-based users have come to love, we’re struggling to think of a better way of suppressing feedback and quickly compensating for the Mobile Flesh Baffle effect (the difference an audience’s size and position can make to the sound pumping from a PA rig).

Support for multichannel surround up to a 9.1.6 configuration will make Soothe3 even more invaluable in TV and film post-production than its predecessor. Each output group (LR, LFE, Centre, Surround, etc.) can be independently enabled and has its own Depth setting, which makes a lot of sense – after all, you probably don’t want the same amount of low-end control on the LFE channel as on the main LR channels, for example.

There are various other smaller changes, such as a Max Cut setting, which defines the maximum gain reduction that can be applied to any frequency, a linear phase mode that helps with parallel processing setups at the cost of a little latency, and a streamlining of the plugin’s performance controls with separate settings for realtime and offline processing.

What's behind Soothe's success?

Soothe’s particular way of shaping the spectrum and taming errant frequencies, combined with the transparency of its processing, is quite unlike anything else and can be exceptionally useful at every stage of production. You can overcook things with Soothe, but it’s pretty obvious when you do, and very easy to back off the extreme settings… unless you like how they sound!

Applied to individual tracks and parts, Soothe can mitigate unpleasant acoustic resonances, de-ess sibilant vocals and de-squeak acoustic guitars, control mic pops and handling noise, dial out unwanted mic response characteristics, and even reduce mic spill.

When creating mixes and sub-mixes, Soothe does a much better job of calming frequency build-up than does a dynamic EQ, and can also be helpful in dealing with frequency masking problems.

At the end of the chain in mastering and post-production, Soothe provides a unique means of cleanly modifying problematic frequencies and adding cohesion in a way that’s more focussed than a broadband compressor, more effective than a dynamic EQ, and more sonically transparent than either.

Despite its many talents, though, Soothe isn’t a magic wand. It can’t repair a bad recording, it can’t add life to a dull performance, and it won’t make an ineptly-mixed track sound professional.

What it will do, however, is help your audio sources stand out in their own spectral and sonic space. It can address rumbles, boominess, honkiness and harshness, it can transparently shape a source’s tone without wrenching it through an EQ, and – when configured just right – it can make the difference between a decent mix and an amazing one.

The tracks used in this article were sourced from Telefunken Elektroakustik's Live From The Lab series and the Cambridge Music Technology multitrack library, both of which offer producers a catalogue of downloadable multitracks to practice their mixing skills.

We'd like to thank Telefunken, Cambridge MT and the artists involved, Hayley Reardon, Pau Figueres, Albert Kader and Remember Jones, for allowing us to host their music.

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: Free plugins come and go, and while we see plenty of excellent ones passing through our inbox, it's not often we stumble on eleven gems all at once.

After ceasing operations in February of this year, software developer Inear Display subsequently made its entire catalogue of audio tools available as pay-what-you-want downloads - and that means you can have them for free, if you're not able to make a contribution.

Writing on Inear Display's website, founder Thomas Hennebert says that while the company was a commercial endeavour for 12 years, it became a side project in 2025, and now that he's moved on to pastures new, Inear Display's suite of sound-mangling plugins has been generously gifted to the world. Here's a list of the whole bunch.

• Ephemere: Glitch percussion synth
• Amalgame: Sound design playground
• Litote: Granular exploration box
• Lancinantes: Drone synthesizer
• Gorgon: Ultraviolent distortion
• Interstice: Esoteric dual band delay
• Incipit: Creative delay toolbox
• Cruelle: Brutal distortion unit
• Antagone: Glitchy dual delay
• Bref: Random glitch percussion synth
• Regressif: Audio degradation effect

Available in both VST3 and AU formats for macOS and Windows, the plugins on offer span both instruments and audio effects, covering distortion, delay, lo-fi processors and granular effects.

On the whole, they all share a distinctly glitchy, chaotic and experimental character that will appeal to electronic music-makers taking a leftfield approach to sound design.

Ephemere is an FM-based percussion synth capable of producing some rather brutal sounds that would be right at home in an industrial techno track – hits can be sculpted via the multimode filter and dual envelope generators, and extensive randomisation options are on hand to keep things interesting.

Litote is an audio effect that creates ambient soundscapes and atmospheric textures using a combination of granulators, resonators and diffusion delays. The plugin is kitted out with four separate granular engines, each with its own set of controls, that can be blended via an X/Y pad. Once again, there's intelligent randomisation to play with, along with a neat Trajectory Mode that modulates the position of the target on the pad.

Probably the most powerful tool in the set is Amalgame, a multi-effects plugin and 'sound design playground' designed to streamline the creation of complex signal processing chains.

Stacked with a library of 23 individual effects spanning reverbs, delays, filters, distortion, modulation and more exotic options, Amalgame can chain up to six effects, each equipped with an XY pad for two-dimensional control.

Both X and Y axes can be modulated using dedicated tempo-synced sequencers with adjustable rate, length, and direction, so there's real potential here to create complex and evolving textures with a combination of effects.

We've had tons of fun with the ones that we've picked up - this is a fantastic set of creatively inspiring tools that really has no business being free. If you're able to contribute, we urge you to pay a fair price for the plugins you download.

Head over to the Inear Display website to find out more.

We’ve all been there: scouring Ultimate Guitar for a tab transcription of a song we want to learn, and spending more time fumbling about with the auto-scroller than actually learning the music. Or maybe you’ve rocked up to a first rehearsal with a new band, sheet music for the whole set loaded up onto your tablet – and lost your place immediately when you reach over to flick onto the next page.

Whether or not you’re a pro session or function guitarist, you’ll have had plenty of experience with sheet music in some form – and plenty of frustration, too. We’re so accustomed to buying peripherals and accoutrements for our instruments, so why not for something as simple, but essential, as turning a digital page? Well, with this year’s Prime Day music deals in full swing, Donner’s heavily discounted wireless Page Turner Pedal, just became an even more affordable addition to your rig.

The Donner Page Turner Pedal is a wireless dual-foot pedal device that wirelessly connects to your phone, tablet or computer via Bluetooth - after which it is capable of taking over scrolling, clicking and other forms of digital navigation - leaving your hands free for actually just playing the guitar or piano. The controller device features big comfortable foot controls for easy, foolproof usage.

The Page Turner works with pretty much every Bluetooth-receiving computational device: Mac, PC, Android or iOS. It has five different modes, which give the pedals a different pair of control commands: page up/down, left/right, up/down, left click/right click, and space/enter. All bases are covered, be they scrolling, scanning, turning, or generally advancing through a score or tab.

It’s not the most glamorous of musical accessories, but it is one of the more straightforwardly convenient things you could buy for yourself, whether you’re a pro that relies on PDF scores for a living, or an at-home learner that wants to sight-read a solo without stopping every few phrases.

Being unglamorous, buying one was never going to be actively on your list, let alone near the top of it. Prime Day, though, is an excellent motivator and the ideal time to grab savings on music gear that you never knew you needed, but will find invaluable.

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PLUGIN WEEK 2026: Given the endless bombardment of new plugins, plugin packages and seemingly inescapable plugin subscriptions you might think most DAWs had no onboard plugins at all. But the stock plugin offering in most DAWs is surprisingly good and getting better all the time.

So, we thought we’d take a look at a few classic sounds and show you how to make them with stock plugins. Our DAW of choice is Logic Pro, which has a pretty good selection of stock plugins.

That said, the techniques demonstrated are universal and should be achievable with the provided plugins of most DAWs.

1. Cut-off Reverbs

A great effect that you’ll find in everything from the Prodigy to Skrillex and beyond is the chopped or manipulated reverb. Delivering a more aggressive and tailored ending than a traditional gated reverb, you can achieve this effect with any stock reverb. There are two approaches.

The first and more old-school approach is to set up the reverb as an insert and bounce your sound, including reverb, as audio, then edit the ending to taste. Here we want to add the effect to a block sound on the 4th quarter note. We’re using a long reverb (10 sec decay) and we’ve trimmed this right back so it just overlaps the start of the next bar.

Our second option, and a bit more flexible, is to automate the reverb wet mix level. So, we’re still using the reverb as an insert, but simply blending it in as required. This is a quicker option, and means we can continue to tweak the reverb and blend to taste as the mix progresses.

Finally, if you want to get a bit more creative with the reverb, automation allows us to create a more complex cut up effect. Here we’ve added more automation to the wet mix of the reverb, so the reverb tail works in sync with the bass part below.

2. Screaming Dubstep Bass

Although a modern soft synth plugin might deliver a classic screaming dubstep bass, it doesn’t take too long to build this type of sound from scratch and you can do it with stock plugins. All you need to get started is a virtual analogue synth instrument. Here we’re using Logic Pro ES2, with a single sawtooth oscillator and playback mode set to mono.

The grit for the sound comes from a combination of distortion and a resonant high pass filter. Place the filter first adding medium resonance and steep slope (48dB/octave is ideal). For the distortion some kind of clipper works well - here we’re using Bitcrusher. Increase the drive until you get the required dirty sound - we’ve set this pretty high then reduced the clip level.

If you now play some notes and adjust the high pass cutoff upwards you should hear the basic sound. To finesse this sound we can add some chorus and a short reverb. Here we’ve set the chorus mix quite low, meanwhile for the reverb use a chamber style setting with a medium decay (1.0s), adjusting the mix blend quite low.

The final stage is to automate the high-pass filter cutoff. Fast rising cutoff changes on the note attack work really well and you can then position the cutoff to emphasise the frequency. Once you have these automation moves written, go back and tweak any of the other settings to finesse the overall sound.

3. Formant Shifting

In our final example we’re looking at formant shifting. Popular with all sorts of contemporary artists including Billie Eilish, Cashmere Cat and Jacob Collier, formant shifting changes the resonant frequencies and hence timbre of a sound and is particularly effective for changing the character of vocals - making them sound older or younger - without changing the fundamental frequency.

There is undoubtedly some excellent commercially available software for formant shifting, with Celemony Melodyne at the top of the tree. Even so, formant shifting is available in most DAWs in some form, you just have to know where to look. In Logic Pro, Vocal Transformer is a real time plugin that is great for quick and more extreme changes. For more surgical changes Flex Pitch is the tool, and you’ll find formant editing in the flex options of many other DAWs.

So, how can we use this on a track? There are two popular techniques. First up, we can use it for distinctive harmonies like Billie Eilish’s Bury A Friend. Here we want to process the whole harmony track or tracks, shifting the formants either up or down slightly (200 to 300 cents is usually enough). This works very well if the lead vocalist has also sung the harmonies as it creates more timbral variation.

A more focused option is to use formant changes on specific words or phrases of the lead vocal. This works well on contemporary pop genres (Cashmere Cat is a good example), and is much easier if you have a Flex Pitch style editor. Here we’ve left most of the vocal as it is, and on a few selected words adjusted just the formant amount.

PLUGIN WEEEK 2026: Heartthrob, crooner and fashion renegade - is there anything Harry Styles can’t do? Apparently not. As demonstrated with his recent hit, Aperture, Styles has become a keen embracer of the sonics of minimal electronic music.

It’s a track that is moody and atmospheric, yet driving and bouncy, all while leaving enough room for Harry’s vocals to shine.

Eschewing traditional instrumentation, Styles' Aperture has more in common texturally with something like Nathan Fake - The Sky Was Pink (James Holden Remix), combining sculpted white noise, atmospheric chords, lofi synthesised beats and heavyweight bass.

One might also compare it to the experimental electronic work of performance artist Laurie Anderson with its processed vocals and repeated voice nuggets.

It’s certainly a far cry from Harry’s more traditional work as part of pop icons One Direction, yet crucially, its electronic elements sit tastefully in the mix with Styles’ vocal remaining at the center.

The combination of Harry’s familiar voice and unusual electronic backing saw the song become a huge hit with fans, who no doubt appreciate the track’s unorthodox production even if they’re not fans of the minimal classics that seemingly inspired it

If you’d like to join Harry in this minimal madness you’re in luck - the effects heard in Aperture can be achieved easily with even straightforward soft synths. So let’s break down the track to find out how it weaves its synthetic magic.

1. Pumping organ chords

The foundation of Aperture is its synth-based, organ-like chord progression, which ducks in volume on each beat much like Eric Prydz’ Call On Me.

To create something similar, we can begin with the Arturia Jup-8 V’s Combo Organ preset. Here’s how it sounds playing a I - V - ii chord progression.

This organ preset doesn’t have the smeared, dreamy quality of the Aperture synth, so let’s smooth it out a bit by changing VCO-2 to a sawtooth, dropping it down an octave, reducing the LFO speed and VCO modulation amount, and also turning down the Envelope 2 to filter cutoff.

This gives us a more atmospheric, wistful sound that’s closer to Aperture.

Next we need to add that sidechain-style pump. We can be sure that this isn’t actually sidechain compression, because the ducking doesn’t match the non-4x4 pattern of the kick drum, so let’s use a volume modulating plugin (in this case Ableton Live’s Auto Pan) to duck the volume on quarter notes.

With the effect applied, we get that driving ducking effect that gives the song part of its propulsive energy.

2. Techno kicks

Aperture’s kicks have a techno feel. However, they don’t follow techno’s standard 4x4 rhythm, instead opting for a pattern reminiscent of another early 21st century dance anthem, M.V.P. - Roc Ya Body (Mic Check 1 2).

Creating a kick pattern like this is straightforward: starting with a Roland TR-909 kick drum sample, we sequence it on the first three beats of the bar, then add kicks on the 12th and fifteenth 1/16th notes.

Because the 16th notes don’t perfectly align with the pure 4x4 of the sidechain-esque pump, it creates an interesting rhythmic interplay with the ducking synth.

3. Evolving plucks

Another element that helps drive the track are rapid 16th-note synth plucks. These have a noise element a little like Kelis’ Acapella, with filter modulation opening and closing the sound to create a sense of development.

We can make a version of this sound by starting out with a PWM-style envelope with multiple unison voices, and a low amount of Detune. A noise oscillator provides the aforementioned noise element.

This sounds kind of messy as-is, but we can make it tighter and more energetic by turning down the decay and sustain on the amplitude envelope. We’re going for a really tight decay time here, which helps give the part a propulsive feel.

The final touch is a band-pass filter that’s modulated by two free-running LFOs, one with a period of a quarter note, the other with a period of 8 bars.

Again, this ducks on quarter notes, so let’s add another Auto Pan effect to get that pumping feel.

4. Bouncy Bass

Big, round and bouncy, a little reminiscent of San Soda’s Juno Love, Aperture’s bassline is a great example of 'less is more' in action. In fact, it’s just the tonic note playing on one octave, then the octave above. Simple, yet extremely effective!

The sound design of this bass is simple too. All you need is a square oscillator with a low-pass filter closing over it with a medium length decay time, and just a little portamento glide.

5. Lo-fi percussion

Taking influence from minimal techno masterpieces like Richie Hawtin AKA Plastiman’s Spastik, Aperture continues to make use of white noise in its percussion department.

Making the lowest of lo-fi hi-hats is a breeze: simply use a single white noise oscillator, and turn down the amplitude envelope’s sustain and decay so that you just get a little burst of noise on each note.

Now, let’s hear how all these elements sound together.

So there you have it, five production techniques employed by Harry Styles when he took the sounds of minimal techno pop-ward.

If you’d like to hear more of the original minimal sound, check out The Sound of Minimal Techno on Spotify.

PLUGIN WEEK 2026: Chances are, most of the music production plugins that you use rely on fairly commonplace logic. Your synthesizers model the flow of electricity through components, while the effects in your chain rely on a recreation of the signal flow-structure of classic outboard gear.

These instruments and effects processors may be useful, but the predictable results can also get a little stale. A compressor compresses. But what if your compressor reacted not to volume - but behaved according to the laws of thermodynamics? Your musical decisions would be quite different then.

A thermodynamic compressor is more than just a hypothetical, though. It’s a very real plugin, and one of a growing selection of instruments, effects and modulation systems that use physics as a basis for their behaviour.

Here are four developers using physics in their plugins - and how you can apply science-based decisions to your own productions for a boost of real-world-inspired creativity.

1. Baby Audio Atoms - "It's a physical instrument that never existed in the real world"

Thanks to increases in computer processing power, physical modelling - the mathematical recreation of instruments in digital form - is becoming ever more popular. By modelling an exciter and resonator, you can whip up all kinds of acoustic instruments, such as violins, pianos and percussion.

But, and this is where it gets interesting, you aren’t restricted to just real-world instruments. You could just as easily model, say, a mass and spring network to create never-before heard sounds.

Atoms from Baby Audio is one such bizzaro-instrument builder.

Although it looks like a typical soft synth from the outside, under the hood it’s modelling not oscillators and filters but bows and springs.

“Think of it as a complex string instrument that might have existed in the real world if a group of scientists decided to make a new kind of instrument,” explains Caspar Bock Soerensen, the CEO of Baby Audio.

Developed in collaboration with Silvin Willemsen, a PhD in the field and co-author of several scientific papers on physical modelling, Atoms behaves like a physical instrument, with real-world properties and constraints. “And just like anything you do on an acoustic guitar or a piano will have a certain ‘sound’ to it,” says Caspar, “Atoms is the same - but still a lot more flexible than a piano or guitar. It's a physical instrument that never existed in the real world.

“There’s an eeriness to the mass spring model that reminds me of the Twin Peaks soundtrack,” says Caspar. This ‘unreal-ness’ comes from the use of physics, specifically the vibrations brought about by the movement of the virtual mass of springs.

“Physical modeling has (an) organic sound because the elements that create the sound are not statically programmed but part of a complex and chaotic network of inter-dependencies,” explains Caspar. “The result is something that sounds more like playing an acoustic instrument, but with the artificial/unreal timbre of a synthesizer."

To get the most out of Atoms, Caspar recommends reaching for it when you want an alternative to basic strings.

“Use it where you'd normally use strings and you'll have beautiful, eerie and alive textures.”

2. Anukari - "Then it does something totally weird and different. That's part of the creative process"

Another instrument that models masses and springs is Anukari, but instead of presenting as a synthesizer with the physics tucked away unseen, as with Atoms, it renders the unreal instrument in a graphic 3D space for you to interact with.

It also lets you build your own instrument structures. Like an Erector Set but one you can play, with Anukari you can assemble springs and masses and then strike them with a variety of resonators like mallets and plectrums, and then capture the vibrations via virtual microphones.

It may sound like a lot, but the visual element makes it easy to understand. If you’re still having trouble getting your head around it, inventor Evan Mezeske recommends that you just start playing around.

“The best way to learn is to find a preset that's interesting to you and start changing stuff,” advises Evan. “Disconnect something, see what happens. Grab something and move it and see what that sounds like.”

If you’re worried that you don’t understand physics, don’t be, says Evan. “I don't think you need to understand physics at all. In a certain way, we all understand physics. You know what happens if you pull a spring back.”

The fact that we all live in the physical world makes what happens in Anukari relatable at a fundamental level. “Even things like the LFO,” continues Evan. “It's modelled as a piston from a car, because I like cars. I grew up in an auto shop. My granddad owned one so I think of rotating pistons in an engine. It’s kind of fun, because if you don't know what a square wave is, you can just watch the animation for the LFO.”

You also don’t have to know what you want going in. Just as you might explore what happens when you bang two pieces of scrap metal together that you find in a junkyard, Anukari lets you experiment with how different physical objects relate to each other sonically.

“Sometimes I want to just mess around and see what happens,” says Evan. “The physics are good for that because there's this unpredictable, emergent nature. You build something and you think you know what it's going to do. Then it does something totally weird and different. That’s part of the creative process.”

To get the most out of Anukari, Evan suggests using it for metallic sounds, bells, and inharmonic sounds.

It’s especially good for pads with a lot of unusual harmonic motion. “With Anakari and the way the physics come out,” says Evan, “introducing a lot of energy into a system will cause it to bend out of shape in weird ways.”

You can also use Anukari as an effect, with your audio signal acting as a resonator through the springs. “I'm primarily a guitarist,” says Evan, explaining how he uses Anukari. “You're creating this resonant structure, you're playing stuff into it and you're hearing how it resonates. When you push it too hard, it distorts. The way that it goes crazy is quite unique.”

3. Unusable Engineering - "You do not need to know chemistry to enjoy fireworks"

There’s a theme that runs throughout physics-inspired plugins: unpredictability. You turn a filter cutoff knob on a traditional synthesizer, you know generally what will happen. But when you hit a mass of springs with a virtual hammer, or push audio through a distortion model based on fluid dynamics, the variables become so great that there’s no way to anticipate everything that can happen. And therein lies the potential for creative inspiration.

“When it comes to physics, I have always been drawn to visualisations of things like turbulence,” says Rasmus Nyåker, the developer behind Unusable Engineering, a software company with a whole stable of physics-powered plugins. “They are chaotic and mesmerising.”

This mesmerising chaos can be found in effects like the fluid-dynamics distortion plugin, Cavitation Fractures, and Spectral Pressure Chamber, a thermodynamic multi-band compressor.

“In all of them,” Rasmus says, “the point was not just to use science as a little visual, but to let the model itself shape the sound in ways that are a bit more organic, strange, and less predictable than the usual effect structures.”

As with Atoms and Anukari, you do not need to understand the physics at play to effectively use Rasmus’ creations.

“I do not think of them as being for people who know physics,” he explains. “I think of them as being for people who enjoy sound, movement, and a bit of uncertainty in the way things react."

In fact, because we all intuitively understand how physical properties behave, Rasmus thinks that physics-based instruments and effects might be easier to grasp than traditional music gear.

“In a lot of plugins,” he says, “you have ten knobs, you turn one, and the sound changes, but you do not really get much sense of why. By adding this simulation layer, you can actually see and hear the reaction at the same time. So even though it is, objectively, a very roundabout way of achieving an effect, I think it can actually be easier to grasp than many more conventional interfaces."

If you’re still not sure what’s happening in his plugins, Rasmus advises you to, “just go nuts. Push things around, break them a bit and see what happens. That is often where the fun starts. A lot of the plugins make the most sense once you stop treating them too carefully.”

Lastly, you don’t need to feel intimidated by the science. Because, as Rasmus notes, “You do not need to know chemistry to enjoy fireworks. The physics are not there to test anyone or make the plugins feel academic. They are there to transform sound and interaction in ways that (are) more surprising, more visual, and often more alive. If the result feels good and inspires you, that is really enough.”

4. Korg Kaoss Physics - "Make some gestures and see what happens"

So far, we’ve looked at using physics to add creativity to instruments and effects, but that’s not the extent of how developers are intertwining the laws of the universe with music production. Another area is modulation, something that Korg has explored with Kaoss Physics.

Originally developed for the hardware Modwave and later applied to Multi/Poly and the ensuing native software versions as well, Kaoss Physics takes the idea of the X/Y control environment (as used in the Kaoss Pad) and applies it to modulation.

Kaoss Physics models a ball that rolls across a virtual surface and bounces off walls.

You can also create dents and bumps on the surface to further affect the motion of the ball, with gravity and friction also playing their part. The ball’s actions generate modulation signals that can then affect parameters in the instruments.

“For all of the interesting complexity behind the scenes, for a user it’s really just a simple game controller,” says Dan Philips, Manager of Product Development at Korg R&D, about how a musician can approach programming with Kaoss Physics.

“The Korg factory sounds already have it set up to do something useful, so you can just play with it and see what happens.”

When asked how Kaoss Physics can enhance creativity, Dan answers that he thinks of it as a gesture amplifier.

“You move your finger on the pad (or launch the ball in the software), and the position, speed, and direction of that motion sends the ball into the Kaoss Physics environment,” he says. “All sorts of things may happen after that, but it’s that initial, human gesture that starts it all.”

One of the benefits of working with the environment is how many different parameters can be affected.

“It’s interesting to have a large number of different modulation signals - X and Y positions, distance, and angle - generated from a single system,” Dan notes. “That creates something like a multi-dimensional LFO or envelope, good for creating interactions between sets of parameters.”

Modulating the physics environment with the ball position can open up a lot of interesting possibilities. “For example,” he says, “check out Kaoss Physics in the Modwave sound ‘Biegerish’. The ball is slowly pulled towards the upper right corner, but when it gets there it’s quickly pushed away again. ‘Torus’ changes the X/Y tilt and the bump height as the ball moves around on the surface, creating interesting patterns of motion. ‘Orbit Wander’ changes the position of the dent, leading the ball in circles. ‘Space-Time’ slows time as the ball gets closer to the centre.”

As with the other plugins profiled here, you don’t have to be a physics professor to find the modulation system useful. “Approach it like a game controller,” Dan advises. “You don’t need to program the game; you can just play it! Play the factory sounds, make some gestures, and see what happens. Just have fun with it. Later, if you’re so inclined, you can always dig into the details under the hood.”

What is it?

Mastering the Mix has built a reputation for plugins that focus on helping anyone making music on computer, to engineer smarter mixing decisions, rather than just constantly adding processing.

In the latest part of their mix-chain, it turns its attention to one of the most difficult elements to control, relating to stereo width and panorama.

Stereovault is a plugin which is available as a single purchase, although it will be easily integrated with other Mastering the Mix plugins.

If there is one company which wears its branding on its sleeve, it has to be Mastering the Mix, although it's important to note that, as this is a single plugin, it can be used in channel, sub-mix (bus) or master fader situations, as well as forming part of the final mastering process.

Performance

Upon loading Stereovault for the first time, its visual guise makes it incredibly easy to see exactly what's going on. The display adopts an X/Y format, with frequency response being displayed from bottom to top. Lower frequencies unsurprisingly populate the lower portion of the display, so you can guess where the upper frequencies reside - up top.

The frequency plot is then divided into four sections, which can also be altered to suit your frequency band preferences. Within each band, you simply adjust the width parameters by clicking and dragging to hear the immediate effect of the broadening or narrowing of each particular band. It's a surprisingly simple process, with even more surprising results.

Don’t overcook it!

As is the case for any new plugin, we quickly found ourselves pushing things to an extreme, to establish the overall effect, and whilst there are considerable benefits to be had, it is also possible to completely undermine a mix.

A case in point: overextending the bottom-end of a mix too broadly can completely destabilise the foundation of a track, but adopting a similar technique with upper frequencies can really make a track shine.

If you feel that you need a little bit of help in this regard, Stereovault is on hand. Thanks to its included analytical tools, Stereovault can listen to your track and make some sensible suggestions. The plugin does ask for some input along the way, such as whether or not Stereovault is being used on specific instrumentation or a wider mix, and also suggestions for the style of music.

At this stage, it does present a minor challenge, as there are only five styles of music presented initially. Some of the tracks that we used as audition mixes could be described as jazz or cinematic, neither of which is represented in this situation, leaving us to make a best guess. It's not a huge problem, as you can select the next best genre and tweak-as-you-go, but it underlines the need to listen at all stages, because it is conceivably very easy to click a few buttons and find your mix in a state of flux.

Talking of flux, the Creative section pushes things further into sound-design territory. The included modes can dramatically reshape material, adding movement and cinematic depth to otherwise static sounds. Used subtly, they provide excellent dimensional enhancement.

Level matching

One familiar problem relates to monitoring levels, and the temptation to increase your listening volume while working. This will almost always result in your ears telling your brain that your mix sounds much better than it is. As any mix engineer will tell you, it's very much a false economy.

Stereovault provides a level-matching setting, meaning that once you have applied any processing, there is no discernible change in volume. Perfect!

Verdict

Stereovault really does have something for everyone. You can engineer a considerable degree of control, or take advice from the plugin. Either way, listening is fairly essential, but it is also packed with some useful presets, which can offer some good starting points.

It is also capable of taking mono signals and making them sound mightily wide and impressive, which can be particularly useful for clean guitar or monosynth signals.

Stereovault could easily become an indispensable plugin, although our view is that it will feel more at home on the backend of most signal chains, which isn't entirely surprising, given its position in Mastering the Mix’s portfolio.

Hands-on demos

Mastering The mix

Alternatives

Specifications

Akai Professional has announced updates to its range of standalone MPCs, giving the entry-level MPC One and keyboard-equipped MPC Key 37 Gen 2 upgrades that bring them in line with the MPC XL and MPC Live III.

As with those latter models, the big news is a significant step up in processing power and storage capacity. Both new machines feature 8-core processors, which Akai claims offers four times the power of the previous generation.

Both MPCs also now pack 4GB of RAM, up from the 2GB of their predecessors, along with 64GB of storage. The previous MPC Key 37 had 32GB of storage, while the MPC One+ had just 16GB.

The improved specs mean that both models can make better use of the MPC3 OS in standalone mode, with the capacity for up-to 32 simultaneous plugin instances and 16 stereo audio tracks.

The extra power can also be put to use for pro-grade stem separation and real-time time-stretching, although access to these features requires the optional Pro Pack expansion, which also adds the Clip Matrix seen on other new MPCs.

While there are big changes under the hood, the hardware units themselves are fairly similar to their predecessors. Whereas both the MPC XL and Live III saw the introduction of new interface layouts with additional hands-on control, both the hardware UI and I/O is largely unchanged here.

The most significant addition on this front is the introduction of multi-channel audio streaming via USB-C, which lets users stream multiple tracks of audio and MIDI to/from a DAW, as well as sample directly via USB-C. This is a feature I really liked on the Live III and XL, so it’s nice to see it included here.

The most notable omission of these Gen 2 designs is the multi-expression MPCe pads found on the XL and Live III. Instead, both of these new models stick with the velocity and pressure-sensitive pad designs of their last gen predecessors.

The MPC Key also keeps the existing 37 synth-action keys with aftertouch, pitch bend and mod wheel.

This may well come as a disappointment for users of the current models who have been anticipating an upgrade, although the absence does create a slightly more logical gap in capabilities between the MPC Live III and its cheaper MPC One counterpart.

"Whether you live on the pads or write everything on keys, the MPC One G2 and MPC Key 37 G2 give producers and beat makers the most powerful standalone MPC we have ever built at these prices," said Andy Mac, Director of Artist Relations at Akai Professional.

"From bedroom beat makers to established producer communities around the world, creators now have four times the power, MPC3 OS, and a powerful collection of instruments and samples ready to get you started. This is generation 2 of MPC standalone production."

Next gen

Akai’s MPC range has had numerous ups and downs over the past four decades, from the early days of Roger Linn’s designs through the company’s initial bankruptcy, sale to InMusic and a shortlived reinvention as a range of MIDI controllers.

Recent iterations of the MPC have been some of the strongest we’ve seen in years though, hitting on a winning formula that balances the self-contained creativity of ‘90s MPCs with versatile, DAW-rivalling production capabilities.

I really liked both the MPC Live III and XL when I reviewed those machines. The increased CPU power and USB-C streaming makes them far more viable standalone production machines for those that want DAW-like tools without being bound to a laptop. Given Native Instruments’ much-discussed turbulence and scant Maschine updates, these current MPCs are unrivalled at what they do.

The MPC One G2 and MPC Key 37 G2 are out now priced at $799/£729/€849 and $999/£849/€999 respectively. Both sport new colours inspired by classic MPC designs.

Check out full specs and included plugins below, or head to the official Akai site for more info.

Key features

Shared Platform Features (Both Models)

• G2 8-core processor with 4x the processing power of the previous generation
• 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage
• Up to 32 simultaneous plugin instances and 16 stereo audio tracks in standalone
• MPC3 OS with modern, track-based workflow and full Linear Arranger
• 7" full-colour multitouch LED display
• USB-C with 24×24 audio streaming, expanded MIDI, host and device support over a single cable
• Ableton Live Control Mode and Ableton project import/export
• Direct sampling from phones, tablets, and external devices via USB-C
• Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz, 802.11ac) and Bluetooth 5
• Over 20 GB of included content; NI Analog Dreams MPC Edition free at launch
• An optional Pro Pack expands both systems with advanced production tools including professional-grade stem separation, real-time time-stretching, and Clip Matrix.

MPC One G2 – Additional Features

• 16 velocity- and pressure-sensitive RGB pads across 8 banks
• 4 touch-sensitive Q-Link knobs with 4 accessible columns
• 5-pin MIDI in/out and 4 TRS CV/Gate jacks (8 outputs total) for hardware and modular integration
• SD card slot and USB-A port for expanded storage and accessories
• 11 included plugins and 9 expansion packs

MPC Key 37 G2 – Additional Features

• 37 synth-action keys with aftertouch, pitch bend, and modulation wheel
• 16 velocity- and pressure-sensitive RGB-backlit pads with 8 accessible pad banks
• 2 × 1/4" TRS inputs and 2 × 1/4" TRS outputs (stereo)
• 8 CV/gate outputs (4 × 1/8" TRS jacks), 5-pin MIDI in/out
• 13 included plugins and 6 expansion packs

MPC One G2 – Included Plugins (11)

• NI Analog Dreams MPC Edition (free, included at launch)
• Bassline
• Electric
• Fabric Select
• Hype
• Mellotron
• Odyssey
• Organ
• Solina
• Tubesynth
• Drumsynth

MPC One G2 – Included Expansions (9)

• Acoustic Tools
• Classic Drum Machines
• Apollo Retro Kits
• Percussion Tools
• ATL Song Starters
• Marco Polo Lo-Fi Boom
• Welcome to ATL Kits
• Welcome to ATL Melodics
• Producer Essentials

MPC Key 37 G2 – Included Plugins (13)

• NI Analog Dreams MPC Edition (free, included at launch)
• Bassline
• Electric
• Fabric Select
• Hype
• Mellotron
• Odyssey
• Solina
• Tubesynth
• Drumsynth
• OPX-4
• Jura
• Sub Factory

MPC Key 37 G2 – Included Expansions (6)

• Acoustic Tools
• Classic Drum Machines
• Apollo Retro Kits
• Marco Polo Lo-Fi Boom
• Gemini Future Classic Synths
• Orion Future Classic Workstations

Californian emulation specialist Cherry Audio has released its latest plugin, a digital recreation of the Ensoniq ESQ-1, one of the most influential and popular polysynths of the 1980s.

The original ESQ-1 launched in 1986 and blended analogue elements with early digital synthesis technology. Its sound engine featured a trio of digital oscillators for each of its eight voices, each of which made use of sampled single-cycle waveforms capable of producing both traditional analogue-style waveshapes and tones sampled from real world sources such as pianos, voices or woodwinds.

The synth combined these oscillators with analogue multimode filters, complimented by multiple LFOs and envelope generators, and an eight-track sequencer.

Released to mark the original’s 40th anniversary, Cherry Audio’s Ensoniq ESQ-1 is launched in official collaboration with current Ensoniq owner Creative Technology.

According to the developer: “Through official licensing, Cherry Audio built the instrument around the original 32 ESQ-1 waveforms, faithfully reproducing the complex, evolving, and richly textured sounds that defined the hardware.”

That reproduction has involved modelling the Curtis CEM3379 analogue filter chips, along with the four DCAs, four multistage envelopes, three LFOs, amplitude modulation, and oscillator sync.

Because the plugin faithfully recreates the architecture of the original synth, it allows for drag-and-drop import of patches and banks from original ESQ-1 as SysEx files or directly from the hardware via MIDI. SysEx patches can also be exported for use with the original instrument.

Whereas the original synth was notoriously fiddly to program, with edits made numerically via its display screen, Cherry Audio’s version opens up the full sound engine with each parameter accessible across five UI screens.

As with the original synth, Cherry Audio’s ESQ-1 is equipped with a multitrack sequencer. This is one of several elements upgraded from the original design though. Here, the sequencer is a 16x4 polyphonic design that is capable of controlling both notes and modulation. It’s also equipped with tools for humanising patterns.

Other expansions on the original design include additional polyphony – up to 32 voices – along with an expanded modulation system, plus the ability to control the synth with aftertouch and MPE messages. Cherry Audio’s version also adds an effects section with 20 different processing modules.

"Partnering with Cherry Audio to revive the original sound of the ESQ-1 has been a truly rewarding collaboration," said Koh Zi Kai, Head of Licensing at Creative Technology Ltd. "Ensoniq represents a significant chapter in Creative Technology's history, and we are proud to see the authentic sound of the ESQ-1 preserved and made accessible to a new generation of musicians on the 40th anniversary of its release. Creative Technology stands behind its mission of bringing audio technology and people together, helping them to elevate their audio experience and connect on a deeper level with their music."

"The ESQ-1 is an important part of synthesizer history, and we aimed to honour that legacy with the depth and accuracy it deserves," said Dan Goldstein, CTO at Cherry Audio. "From the original waveforms to the precise modelling of the filter, we have carefully crafted every detail to capture what made the hardware iconic, while also providing today's musicians with the modern tools and expressiveness they expect."

Cherry Audio ESQ-1 comes with over 400 presets, including the sound banks from the original. The plugin is out now priced at $69. Head to the Cherry Audio site for more information.

What is it?

Probably the most recommended machine when it comes to PCs for music production, the Apple Mac Mini M4 is the latest version of an absolute studio powerhouse. Pretty much every professional studio I’ve worked in has something similar at its heart, whether it’s a Mac Mini or a Mac Studio, and particularly for home studios, the Mac Mini is a great value option.

There are a lot of options when it comes to ordering a Mac Mini, but for posterity, my review model features an M4 Pro chip, 24GB of Unified Memory, a 512GB SSD hard drive, and shipped with macOS Sequoia 15.1, which will set you back $1,399. Of course, you can spec yours much cheaper if you don’t feel you need the additional power, with the lowest model coming in at a very reasonable $799 with the standard M4 chip and 16GB of Unified Memory. You’ll need to factor in screen, mouse, and keyboard if you don’t already have these to hand.

Specs can go well beyond this, of course, and with everything maxed out, the Mac Mini comes in at a whopping $4,499, with the most powerful chip, 48GB of Unified Memory, 8 TB of storage, and a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port. Undoubtedly overkill for music production tasks, the ability to tweak for your particular use case, or to future-proof yourself, is a useful one.

On the front of the Mac Mini M4, you’ve got two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the rear displays three Thunderbolt 5 connections, an HDMI port, an Ethernet connection, and the figure-8 socket for the IEC C7 cable. It comes with one in the box, but it’s compatible with 3rd party cables, too. One thing to note is that, unlike Apple laptops, you can’t power the Mac Mini M4 with USB-C as stock, but some users have managed to mod it to do this.

On the underside of the Mac Mini is where you’ll find a fan, and the housing for this raises the aluminium body up from whatever surface you place it on in order to provide good airflow. It’s also where the power button is, rather awkwardly placed. If you’re installing this in a permanent space out of the way in your studio, then you’ll want to utilize the sleep mode versus shutting it down completely every night.

Performance

Taking it out of the box, my immediate impression is that it’s shockingly small. It’s like the smallest personal pizza box you’ve ever seen, with dimensions that make it more akin to something like an audio interface rather than a fully-fledged PC. It’s an impressive build, and like all Apple products, it features the aluminium unibody design that will be instantly familiar. It’s lightweight too, so you could use it on the go, with it weighing much less than my MacBook Pro M3.

One initial point of confusion is the location of the power button, which, it turns out, is on the bottom of the unit, and at the back to make it doubly hard to get to. It’s because the design has shrunk so much since the M2 version that the button had to be placed here, but it’s something to be aware of if you’re planning on hiding it away somewhere in the studio.

Loading up a project in Logic I’ve been working on, the Mac Mini M4 handles anything I throw at it with aplomb. Using the Core Audio with the buffer size on 32, it doesn’t even blink as I start loading up multi-band compression, spectral EQ, or quickly run the built-in stem splitter in Logic to separate the demo guitars from the drums. Everything loads up super quickly, making it an absolute pleasure to work in.

The track count runs to more than 90 by the time I’ve finished, including buses and sends, but I don’t see the CPU meter go higher than a quarter during this time. It plays back the whole thing without any issues, with around 70 plugins in the project. Granted, these were all Logic stock plugins, which are very well integrated, and of course, Logic itself works very well in macOS. That means it probably wouldn’t be this simple if you’re using a DAW like Pro Tools or Cubase.

I duplicate the project twice to stress test the Mac Mini M4 and see what it’s capable of. With 291 tracks running concurrently, the CPU meter shoots up, but it manages to play back the full duration of a four-and-a-half-minute song without any errors. You probably wouldn’t get this performance with this number of virtual instruments, but it speaks volumes that this is a very capable machine that will handle pretty much anything you throw at it. I can’t imagine many hitting this high a number of tracks in the real world unless you're scoring for film.

Verdict

With the latest M-chips, Apple is going from strength to strength in the music-making world. The Apple Mac Mini M4 is so insanely powerful that I could see it lasting a decade or more in home recording studios. Paired with a solid audio interface, you’ll have a very capable machine indeed, one that’s powerful enough to handle most tasks and stable enough to be used in a working environment.

You should consider your initial spec very carefully, though, because this isn’t an easily upgradeable machine. In particular, the hard drive size should be a concern, especially as OS updates often end up taking up more room, and you’ll likely be adding more plugins and programs as time goes on. You won’t feel a huge jump between the 16GB and 24GB RAM versions, but if you can, always go for the higher spec.

MusicRadar verdict: For me, the Apple Mac Mini M4 is a no-brainer for the producer or recording engineer who wants a permanent home setup. Its small size makes it well-suited to fitting into a variety of spaces, and the performance is simply superb, making it a very capable companion for music making. The only thing I didn’t like about it was the power button placement, but apart from that, there’s very little to complain about here.

Hands-on videos

Alternatives

Specifications

Pairing ribbon and condenser mics on the same source is a classic studio recording technique, but doing it successfully is not always straightforward.

Phase alignment, level matching and positioning issues mean that getting set up can sometimes take a lot longer than you’d think, and even then, the results are not always what you were hoping for.

All of which explains why JZ Microphones has just launched the MU-1, which it claims is the first studio mic to incorporate a ribbon element and a large-diaphragm condenser capsule side by side. These are placed in a level-matched, phase-coherent all-metal body with the aim of giving producers a reliable ribbon-plus-condenser option that can be pulled out quickly whenever they need it.

A single 5-pin XLR carries both signals, and you can then split these into two standard 3-pin XLRs using the included breakout Y-cable. This means that you can record either capsule on its own, or both on separate channels simultaneously so that they can be blended as required.

The MU-1 was designed by Grammy Award-winning producer and engineer Marc Urselli (U2, Nick Cave, Foo Fighters, Lou Reed, Elton John, John Zorn), who says: "The ribbon-and-condenser technique has been my favorite way of recording things for a long time. However, it involves having to set up two stands, negotiate space, align mics in the physical space, and align their phase afterwards.

“MU-1 is the first time the sound comes out of one microphone - phase-coherent, level-matched, and completely repeatable from session to session. That changes how I work: it delivers the best sound, simplifies setup, delivers options, offers a sonic palette that spans decades and improves everything."

Handbuilt in Latvia and shipping in a wooden box with its own shockmount, the MU-1 is currently available for pre-order priced at $1999/€1999. It’s set to ship in August, and you can find out more on the JZ Microphones website.

What is it?

There’s an issue with the latest line of Apple silicon processors in that they’ve gotten too powerful for their own good. The huge leap in processing power we've seen over the past few years means that a MacBook Air is now just as powerful as the MacBook Pros of yesteryear. Ever-increasing costs, driven by AI and geopolitics, mean the MacBook Air may no longer be the budget-friendly machine it once was for the cash-strapped modern musician. With that in mind, the low price of the Apple MacBook Neo makes total sense. But is it actually any good as a laptop for music production?

Priced at just $/£599 (or $/£499 for students), it’s significantly cheaper than any other MacBook the company offers. It doesn’t feature an ‘M’ chip, instead opting for the A18 Pro processor, which is similar to what you’d find in the iPhone 16 Plus. It’s got 8GB of Unified Memory, and isn’t configurable for larger sizes to help keep the costs down. You can, however, configure the SSD with options for 256 GB or 512 GB, adding an extra $/£100 to the price.

The display is a 13-inch liquid retina, with an impressive 500 nits of brightness. The keyboard isn’t backlit like you get on the other MacBooks, but on the face of it, the design looks largely similar. The multi-touch trackpad features here, too, with Touch ID for quick and easy signing in and out. It’s also got a 1080p web camera to ensure you’re looking your best in meetings and video calls.

Dual, side-firing speakers provide the onboard sound, and it also has dual microphones to ensure your voice is captured clearly. Connectivity is limited, with just two USB-C ports, one of which can only handle USB 2.0. It also has a 1/8-inch headphone jack, but most users will need to factor in the additional purchase of a USB hub, particularly if it proves powerful enough for music creation tasks.

Performance

My review model is in Citrus, which is certainly distinctive when I pull it out of the box. It feels very much like an Apple product, though, with the smooth aluminium body and rounded edges of their more expensive models. The logo on the back is more subtle than you get on other designs, with a shade slightly darker than the rest of the body, but still lightly debossed as you’d find on a MacBook Pro or Air.

Opening it up, the keyboard is also colour themed, looking like a sort of mint-green nestled in amongst the Citrus background. After installing some programs and downloading some project files to test with, I feel that while the keys and touchpad are not exactly the same as those on the MacBook Airs I’ve tested and my own MacBook Pro, it’s really not far off.

It’s the typical comfortable experience with short travel keys that feel smooth and precise, and the layout is exactly the same, so if you’re coming from another Apple machine you’ll be able to dive in straight away. The trackpad also offers a similarly precise experience, although on the Neo you only get a single press, not the double press 'Force Touch' offered on the more expensive models.

It’s plenty responsive though, and as I load up a Logic Pro project I’ve been working on, I find I can quickly and accurately get around the session without having to adapt coming from my own MacBook Pro. It’s a pretty seamless experience moving from one to the other, although I’m sure users will miss the light-up keys when working in low light.

Getting stuck into my project, it’s around 90 tracks of recorded audio, including busses and aux sends, which is a reasonable amount for a modern rock production. Starting with my drums and working through the project while keeping an eye on the CPU monitor in Logic Pro, I can see it gradually starting to fill as I make my way through the mix, adding copious amounts of EQ, compression, and multi-band compression.

I started on about half battery, and after a couple of hours of tweaking, it had run down so completely that it switched itself off while I went to get a cup of tea. It’s a far cry from what I’m used to with my MacBook Pro, but then this is a machine that’s really designed for students or business owners sipping vanilla lattes in coffee shops.

With the charger plugged in and my mixing done, I’m at around 70 plugins and ready to commence some stress testing. Setting the sample rate to 32 and using the Core Audio device on the Neo, I play through the track with no issues. The CPU meter spikes between halfway and three-quarters full, but it gets through the entire song, which is around 5 minutes, without any issues. Duplicating the entire project and trying again, I hit my first snag.

As soon as it gets to the middle 8, which features lots of additional tracks for atmospherics, I get the dreaded system overload. It’s over 180 tracks and around 140 plugins, which is not too shabby at all considering this laptop is designed for light use. Removing tracks one by one, I get to 171 tracks before any errors occur during a full playthrough. It’s a remarkable performance for a budget laptop.

There are some caveats to this though, the first of which is that Logic is extremely well integrated into MacOS, so it will enjoy superior performance to other DAWs. I highly doubt I'd get the same performance with my usual Pro Tools. The second is that I only used stock plugins for my testing, and that more advanced programs will consume more CPU power, so your real-world performance may well differ from mine. AI tools, virtual instruments like synths and drum kits, are a lot more power-intensive, so those working exclusively in the box will probably find they hit a lower track count.

That said, if you’re a beginner or student, I think this is a great laptop to cut your teeth on. Adding an audio interface will give a slight performance improvement, perhaps even more so if it features DSP, and for simple demos and recordings, I see no reason you couldn’t use the MacBook Neo as a production machine. It’s not going to satisfy power users, but then it isn’t really designed for that, is it?

Verdict

I had high hopes for the MacBook Neo when it was first announced, and I’m very happy to say it does not disappoint. It’s really great value for money considering the amount of processing power you get, and for simpler recording tasks, it performs admirably. It’s lightweight, looks great, and has many of the features of the more advanced and costly MacBook Air, making it well worth considering if you want an Apple machine on a budget.

Of course, it won’t satisfy professional producers or those who need insane track counts and huge plugin numbers. It doesn’t have Thunderbolt, which limits connectivity with more advanced hardware, and some users will definitely feel limited with just two USB 3.2 and 2.0 connections.

MusicRadar verdict: For beginners and students on a budget, the MacBook Neo can absolutely do a job as a budget laptop for music production. It’s not going to set the world of the professional musician on fire, but for those taking their first steps into the world of music creation, there’s no reason this can’t be your first laptop to start building up from.

Hands-on videos

Alternatives

Specs

We’ve all been there. Sometimes the music just flows… More often you spend days chasing a four bar loop round and round… Waiting for inspiration to strike… And it never does.

We’re here to help.

You’re suffering from writer’s block – an affliction that prevents your mind from escaping preset paths and keeps your creativity locked down until you can finally shake it off. And the good news is that freeing your mind from writer’s block and releasing that creativity could just be a simple matter of getting a fresh perspective and undertaking one or two creative exercises.

1. Get a fresh perspective

Often, subtle shifts in your mental state can get you past a block and, better still, potentially open up pathways of creativity hitherto unexplored.

Writer’s block often stems from an expectation that something should be possible (or even easy) and a frustration grows when that’s proving harder (or even impossible) for reasons beyond your control.

Thus, your first mental shift should be to remove any sense of expectation. That is to say, just because you’ve made tracks before, why should it be the case that it will be easier or just as straightforward this time? After all, circumstances change.

Just because you’ve switched on your same computer and loaded the same DAW doesn’t mean that today will yield the same musical result as yesterday, so removing that expectation can remove a lot of unnecessary pressure.

2. Change your pattern

Repetition is the enemy of creativity, so it should come as no surprise that, at some point, your brain will rebel if you fire up the same sounds, work at the same tempo, program the same beat patterns or reach for the same chords. Changing things up can be as simple as changing the order of the musical parts you bring to your tracks. Do you always start by programming beats? Then don’t - make that the last thing you do.

Do you usually plonk down some chords and a guide melody before getting to work on sound design and production? Turn off your keyboard and draw notes into your DAW instead, so that you’re forced to think about every note you add to a chord - if you’re going to the trouble of adding notes manually, it may well prove to be the case that you’ll pick different chords or voicings to the ones your muscle memory selects when you’re playing to a click track.

3. Get a production partner

Collaboration is another way to eliminate writer’s block. Having someone else’s idea to kick-start the creative process takes the pressure off having to come up with all of the ideas for a track on your own.

Similarly, asking others for feedback on your work in progress will throw up some ideas you won’t have had on your own. Even if you don’t agree with the advice you’re given, you’ll be forced to think about your tracks in a different way, which can get you over a hump.

Better still, there may be a good reason why you disagree with any constructive criticism, which will make you defend your work. The more you talk and try ideas the more forward momentum you're injecting.

There’s nothing better than this for finding your self-confidence and realising that, just maybe, you’re not as bad at this music stuff as you’d been allowing yourself to believe.

4. Outside contact detox

Try to have a music production day without any other distractions. Set aside a day on the calendar, be prepared to set an alarm and have an early start and – just like a professional musician who’s attending a paid-for session at a studio – have a day of exclusively making music.

Leave your phone off. Turn off the WiFi and unplug that ethernet. Go 100% internet free for a day and exclusively use your computer to make music with none of your usual distractions.

Have fun with your studio. Perhaps start with something simple like tweaking a synth sound. Or creating some kick drums. Ditch that one-man-band, jack-of-all-trades, writer/engineer/producer role and knuckle down to one simple job at a time.

With nothing else on your mind you’ll soon be inspired to add notes and beats and begin building something fresh from scratch. Most of us find we work quicker and more efficiently if working towards a daily deadline. With your studio day drawing to a close you’re forcing yourself to deliver the goods before you have to finish.

5. Give it a rest

If you reach an impasse with a project and can’t get it over the finish line, don’t simply delete your work. Make sure to save your in-progress projects – and label them clearly – so you can return to them later.

It’s amazing how returning to something a few days, weeks or even months later can allow you to see it from a fresh angle. Often, within a few seconds of hearing a ‘familiar’ old, unfinished loop, your brain will imagine that hidden ingredient to take it to the next level.

6. Remix yourself

Starting from an existing finished project and rearranging it is often a lot easier than creating something new. Try starting with a track you’ve previously finished and using it as a basis for your next track.

The rule you need to set here is that your new track must be completely different from your starting project, thereby forcing you to up-end your previous sounds and track elements.

Try changing tempo. Swapping out synth sounds for acoustic sounds. Deliberately go in unfamiliar directions by imagining you’re on a remix project with a brief to completely change the track.

7. Give yourself a goal

Staring at a blank DAW screen will get you nowhere. Instead have a ‘mission’ to accomplish and stay focused on delivering that.

For example, you could decide that this afternoon is all about ‘130bpm percussive techno tool’. Or your mission could be to create a ‘beatless synth jam’. Or set aside a day to make some ‘peak time DnB’.

Stick to this original aim, and file any ideas that arise along the way to one side for a later date.

8. Start arranging early

Instead of endlessly listening to that loop, start turning it into a track early.

As soon as you have a few fundamental building blocks – for example, a chord progression and basic beat – duplicate these across your timeline to create the foundations of a full track. Delete elements as necessary to designate an intro, outro and breakdowns. Break your arrangement up into 8-bar sections and colour code or label these for easy delineation.

Now change the energy of your track in some way each time you reach a new section. As a rule of thumb, there are three ways to do this: add an element, remove an element or change an existing sound – for example, changing the instrument used to play your lead melody, or moving part of your bassline up or down an octave.

Knowing when to add and when to take something away is a matter of personal preference but by letting your arrangement force you into making changes you’re always inching towards a finished track.

A couple of quick tools to help your arrangement along include creating a set of Auxiliary effects (on sends from your tracks) that you can quickly lean on for spot effects or enhancing the sound of a track. Have a template with your favourite reverb, delay, and chorus ready to go and then simply add (or automate) them to your tracks as you go.

The sooner you have something sounding ‘great’ the more likely you are to stick with it and finish the job.

9. Find your hook

One important step when it comes to developing a track lies in establishing what element provides the focal point, aka the hook, of your track.

This should be the most distinctive element of your composition. In a pop or rock song this would usually be the lead vocal, but when it comes to electronic or instrument music, the hook could be a lead synth riff or a bassline or rhythmic pattern.

Whatever genre you’re working in you should be able to identify a specific focal point for your track which will inform a lot of your decisions when it comes to arranging. For instance, your hook will likely be something you want to build up to, meaning you may choose to remove it from your track’s intro and breakdowns.

It will also provide the basis from which to create elements like counter melodies. For example, if you have a descending synth riff as your lead hook, try creating a counter melody that ascends through the same scale, with a rhythm that works around, rather than on top of, your lead line.

Introducing this in the background after two or four repetitions of your lead will help add depth and keep your lead hook fresh.

10. Use transitions and automation

The key to keeping your track ‘happening’ lies in creating dynamic movement both within and between sections.

The easiest way to do this is by using transition FX. These are things like white noise sweeps, pitched risers, crashes or reversed cymbals – elements that can be placed at the start or end of a loop in order to create a pull-in or release to signify the change in your track.

Even if you’re just using placeholder FX that you plan to replace when it comes to applying finishing touches, having some sort of transition in place will go a long way towards giving your arrangement the correct ‘feel’, and could help inspire what elements need to be added or removed for the next section.

An equally essential technique for introducing movement to an arrangement is through automation of sound parameters and effects. The most obvious example of this is by automating the cutoff point of a low-pass filter to make a lead, bassline or chord progression brighter as a track builds.

And finally… One more…

11. Commit early

Bounce plugins or external instruments down as audio as soon as you’re happy, to remove temptation and avoid endless tinkering and reworking.

If you need to make changes later you can get creative with effects or editing.

The modern DAW has given us unlimited power and potential, often to the detriment of creativity and getting the job done. Don’t let the possibilities of your DAW get your track stuck in a rut!

Boy George has joined forces with an AI company that claims will help artists to ‘reclaim’ their hits.

It’s called Artist Included and its founders Paul Kemsley and film producer Jeremy Rosen seem to be positioning it as a tool for artists who want to re-record ‘new’ masters in the same way that Taylor Swift did for her back catalogue.

George has got on board with them and re-recorded a new version of Karma Chameleon. It is, Artist Included insists, not a synthetic AI recording, but uses ‘artist-approved and ethical technology’. See what you think.

In a statement, Kemsley said: “For decades, artists created the soundtrack to our lives while much of the long-term value moved away from the original creators. Artist Included was built to help reverse that dynamic. This is not about replacing artists or exploiting old catalogues - it is about helping artists create new ones. Used responsibly, AI can become one of the most powerful creative tools the music industry has ever seen.”

Rosen added: “The future of AI in music must put artists at the centre - creatively, ethically, and economically. Artist Included is building a model where artists control and participate directly in the future value created from their music, voice, brand, and legacy. All ego aside, we are shifting the narrative from piracy to partnership; a timely AI reframe.”

Artist Included seems to be gambling that there’s enough of a market for heritage artists wanting to re-record their classic hits. Whilst that gambit worked for Taylor Swift because she is the biggest, most powerful artist in the world with millions upon millions of fans, it remains to be seen whether it would for artists lower down the food chain. Given a choice between the hits that they know and love and new AI-assisted versions, most fans of Culture Club would probably plump for the originals.

Indeed, as you can see from the YouTube comments, fans seem divided about the new version of Karma Chameleon. “The original is far superior as a recording, mix and performance”, says one fan, whilst another pleads: “You should release your humanly-written unreleased stuff instead, you've got so many hidden gems from each era!”

Others are more cynical, with one asking: “What is the point of this AI construction? It can only be for money.”

George himself has put out a statement, defending the new version: “Revisiting Karma Chameleon in this way was emotional and creatively inspiring. The goal was never to replace the original - it was to celebrate it and let the song keep evolving for new audiences.”

Deezer has announced that it's launching a free online tool that can detect AI-generated tracks in playlists and that it will be available to users of all the major streaming platforms.

The French company has been ahead of the game regarding the detection and labelling of AI content on their own platform – they have been tagging AI-generated ​songs and automatically removing them from algorithmic recommendations and ​editorial playlists for several years now. Over 44% of tracks Deezer receives each day are AI-generated, which in 2026 equates to 75,000 every day.

The tool will allow users on 20 of the most common platforms – including Spotify - to scan their playlists for AI tracks.

Partly the new tool seems to be a response to consumer demand: a recent survey Deezer conducted in association with Ipsos found that 80% of respondents wanted AI music to be clearly labelled on all streaming platforms. The company has also revealed that 43% of users joining them from other streaming services already have AI-generated music on their playlists.

And the issue of artist royalties is in there too. In their statement announcing the tool Deezer has cited a 2024 CISAC study that showed 25% of artists’ revenue, or €4 billion ($4.6 billion) each year, ​could be at ​risk of ⁠being siphoned off by AI-generated songs by 2028. The company have said that the tool is "a first step in making sure that these ‌tracks don't dilute the royalty pool in any significant way."

Clearly Deezer are taking the issue a lot more seriously than their competitors. Is it too soon to say they are the ethical choice in the streaming market?

The t-bone, the audio brand that’s owned by esteemed retailer Thomann, has announced that it’s launching a new line of wireless microphones: The t-bone Free 300.

In a cheery statement, the German firm said the new line meant “more freedom for your performance… say goodbye to unravelling cables, trip hazards on stage, and restricted movement.”

The Free 300 range comes in two types – handheld mic systems and bodypack systems. Both the Free 300 HT 823 and the HT 548 in those types are equipped with three pre-programmed frequency groups and ten channels each, meaning you can run six systems simultaneously, which, of course, is very useful if you need multiple performers in a band mic-ed up at the same time.

As well as that, both the 823 and 548 include high-contrast LCD displays so you can check your frequency, channel, and battery status at a glance, even in environments where there isn’t much light.

You can also switch between handheld transmitter and pocket transmitter, though you can’t use both simultaneously. The range for both is 100 metres and they also both come with a rack mount.

According to t-bone, the 823 is “perfect for presenters and performers who need a license-free, professional wireless system that combines ease of use with high-quality sound. Its durable construction and professional features make it a trusted companion for stage, rehearsal, or event use.”

Meanwhile, the 548 “delivers clear sound and reliable performance with a range of up to 100 m. Its robust design and professional features make it an ideal choice for performers who need a cost-effective, easy-to-use wireless solution.”

For more information head over to t bone’s website at www.tbone.audio.

What is it?

Erica Synths has been building an increasingly impressive range of desktop effects processors in collaboration with Dutch DSP developer 112dB. Following the Echolocator delay and Nightverb reverb, the Xenodrive is the third unit from this partnership and takes a rough and rowdy aim at the world of distortion, overdrive and waveshaping.

Housed in the same sturdy aluminium enclosure as its siblings, Xenodrive is a stereo effects processor with 15 dedicated knobs, an OLED display and a signal path that combines multiple processing stages.

It starts with an analogue input gain stage capable of boosting up to +24dB – accommodating everything from guitar to line-level signals – before passing through a simple compressor, a germanium diode-style overdrive emulation (with drive and tone controls), and then into the unit's headline feature: a two-axis wavetable-based waveshaper.

Audio waveshapers work by remapping the amplitude of an audio signal through a so-called transfer function. These are essentially curves that determine how the input level translates to the output level. Simple curves produce gentle saturation, while more complex shapes add increasingly gnarly harmonic components.

What sets Xenodrive's implementation apart is its use of a 16×16 grid of carefully selected waveshaper waveforms, navigated via the X Wave and Y Wave knobs. This provides a huge landscape of tonal possibilities, with continuous morphing between grid positions. The Rotate knob shifts the phase of the selected waveshape, and the large central Shaper Gain control determines the intensity.

At higher settings, the signal starts folding back on itself (wavefolding), producing increasingly dense and aggressive harmonics. The envelope follower (X MOD) adds a dynamic dimension, modulating the X-axis wave selection based on the input signal's amplitude, so the distortion character responds to playing dynamics. The Envelope Follower’s Attack and Release times can be tweaked by accessing the relevant menu items via the OLED.

After the waveshaper, the signal passes through a two-band shelving EQ with a shiftable centre frequency and a Scream button that adds resonance (reminiscent of a miced-up guitar cab) to the EQ cutoff. The EQ section is, however, limited to shelving only. The inclusion of switchable high-pass and low-pass filter modes, as found on some competing units, would have added useful flexibility here.

A noise gate sits at the end of the chain – and given the extremities of gain this unit can reach, it is very much a necessity (especially when working with inherently noisy vintage drum machines and synths). Again, additional control is provided in the menus, where the noise gate Threshold can be adjusted.

Performance

The Xenodrive arrives in eco-friendly inner packaging, though, at least in our case, it left a noticeable layer of dust on the unit. Not a biggie, but not the ideal first impression for a product in this price bracket.

In practice, the most notable feature of Xenodrive is its hands-on workflow. Generously sized knobs with decent spacing make sound design immediate and engaging, and the OLED display provides useful visual feedback, including a real-time representation of the waveshaper's effect on the signal. The build quality feels robust and gig-ready.

The waveshaper is where the Xenodrive distinguishes itself from simpler overdrive or distortion boxes. Sweeping through the X and Y wave axes while adjusting the Shaper Gain reveals a wide range of tonal possibilities, with results spanning subtle harmonic thickening, buzzing metallic textures and outright sonic obliteration.

The Scream button adds an extra dose of aggressive resonance, reminiscent of guitar cab/pedal tones that can push things further still. The 42 factory presets provide a good tour of what the unit can do, with categories spanning bass and guitar, drums and percussion, alongside more experimental/textural territory.

However, there are some notable workflow frustrations. The front-panel Shaper Mix knob only adjusts the waveshaper's gain balance – it is not a global dry/wet control. A true dry/wet mix exists, but it is accessed only through the Effect menu. For a unit that invites you to dial in extreme settings, the ability to blend those results with the dry signal from the front panel would have been very useful, particularly for those wanting to use it more subtly. This feels like a missed opportunity given the unit's otherwise excellent tactile design.

Similarly, the Input Gain and Volume controls are excluded from both MIDI control and preset recall. The argument here, perhaps, is that these will both vary with source/context and that once set, they will remain the same when switching presets – there are also some limitations due to where each element sits in the analogue vs digital signal path. Nonetheless, it would be helpful if the front panel clearly indicated which controls are and aren't included in MIDI and preset functionality.

Verdict

The Xenodrive can certainly handle more restrained duties – gentle saturation, subtle harmonic enhancement – but its personality leans firmly toward the aggressive end of the spectrum. This makes it a natural fit for industrial, techno, noise and experimental electronic music, where its ability to completely transform source material is its biggest asset.

There is also the consideration that the Xenodrive's signal path – beyond the analogue gain stage – is entirely digital. For those who work primarily in the box, there are plenty of plugin alternatives that offer distortion, waveshaping and saturation at a fraction of the cost, albeit without the tactile, hands-on control that a hardware unit provides. The Xenodrive's value is therefore strongest for those whose setup centres around hardware sound generators, or who want to break out of the screen-based GUI environment. At this price point, given the digital nature of the processing, potential buyers should also weigh up whether a hardware approach better suits their workflow than the many capable plugin alternatives.

Hands-on demos

Erica Synths

Alternatives

Specifications

Sonic Charge's Synplant 2 is one of the most innovative synth plugins released in recent years, not only thanks to its unique 'genetic' workflow, but also the groundbreaking Genopatch function introduced in version 2.

Genopatch is an AI-powered tool that generates synth patches based on imported audio, analysing a sample to create a similar-sounding patch in Synplant based on its sonic characteristics. As the first synth plugin to introduce this kind of capability, Synplant has been consistently ahead of the curve when it comes to AI-based sound design.

Today, Sonic Charge continues to lead the charge with the introduction of PhenoType, a new feature for Synplant 2 that allows users to generate synth patches from text descriptions. Much like prompt-based song generators like Suno or text-to-sample tools such as Waves' Illugen, PhenoType responds to text descriptions, using these to guide Synplant's sound engine towards a patch that reflects the input.

The process is simple: once you've downloaded and installed the script (which is free for Synplant 2 owners), just open up PhenoType and type in a description of the patch you'd like to create.

This could be anything from simple, well-known sounds ("reese bass", for example) to more complex descriptions that cover multiple timbral characteristics, like "soft ambient pad, slow attack, sweeping resonant filter, strong reverb". (Listen to the example below to hear what PhenoType came up with in response to that prompt.)

Once your description is ready, hit EXE to generate a patch, or alt-click to edit the previous result. The RND button will suggest a random prompt if you're lacking inspiration, and a handy CLR button empties the text field. Each patch will be accompanied by a description beneath that shows how PhenoType would describe the sound its created, and a confidence score that rates how close the results are to the initial description.

Notably, PhenoType isn't built on a large language model, or even marketed as an AI-powered feature. Instead, the algorithmic text parser runs locally in Synplant with no internet connection required. Its specialized neural network works with hundreds of internal tags – along with synonyms and variations – to build its patches, and Sonic Charge advises that simple, natural English will get you the best results.

The company suggests that specific prompts like "a reverb-drenched pad with a slow attack and some modulation" should work well, while more abstract descriptions ("a sound that resembles a busy cafe heard from the street outside") are beyond its abilities. (If the parser doesn't understand your description, it'll generate a random patch instead.)

PhenoType is still in its early stages, and though it performed well at generating basic patches from easily understandable prompts, complex descriptions typically yielded mixed results. Even when PhenoType didn't quite hit the mark in terms of accuracy, though, it usually produced some creatively inspiring and highly usable sounds.

While the text-to-patch concept isn't entirely novel, Sonic Charge is the first established plugin developer to integrate this kind of tech into a well-known software synth – and much like Synplant's GenoPatch feature, PhenoType is another major leap forward from a perpetually innovative developer that continues to surprise us.

"The idea for PhenoType came from working on a new technology for Synplant: an algorithm capable of describing Synplant patches using words and tags," reads a press release from Sonic Charge.

"At some point, we started thinking: If an algorithm can create descriptions from patches, should it not also be possible to run the process in reverse and create patches from descriptions? Once this idea was planted, we simply had to try building it."

Head over to Sonic Charge's website to find out more and download PhenoType. You'll need a Synplant 2 license to download and use PhenoType: the plugin is priced at €149 but a free trial is available.

What is it?

It’s no secret that Sennheiser knows a thing or two about making fantastic studio headphones for mixing music, and it's for that reason that a pair of Sennheiser’s has sat at the top of our buying guide for a long time. Looking at any list online, you'll find most of the top-rated mixing headphones tend to be open back, which makes them less than ideal for mixing on the go or doubling as a tracking pair. Enter the Sennheiser HD 480 Pro, which aims to give you that same reliable performance of a classic mixing headphone, but in a closed-back package.

Comparing this pair to its popular open-back cousin in the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro, the HD 480 is strikingly similar in terms of the key specifications. Both share 38mm dynamic drivers, a 130 Ohm impedance rating, and are available in Pro or Pro Plus versions, which see the addition of a more sturdy case. Both have very similar frequency responses with 3 Hz - 28,7 kHz for the 480s and 5 Hz - 36,1 kHz for the 490s, as well as similar SPL (Sound Pressure Level) stats at 130dB for the 480s and 128dB for the 490s.

Like the HD 490, the 480s have a detachable cable that can be plugged into either ear cup, and they both have very soft ear pads and a headband cushioning with a detent in the middle to reduce the pressure on the top of your head. The only noticeable difference in terms of aesthetics is that the back of the ear cups is perforated on the HD 490 and solid on the 480, and that with the 490 Pro Plus, there's a second set of mixing-specific ear pads available.

The HD 480 Pro also has some very fancy terms attached to it, including something called multistage passive shielding, which is designed to help isolate the headphones further on top of the closed-back design. It’s also got a ‘Vibration Attenuation System’, a new technology that allegedly prevents distortion. But the most pleasing to engineers and producers will be that Sennheiser has paid close attention to the comfort of these cans, with a mechanical headband design that should fit any size or shape head, and a comfort zone for those who wear glasses.

Performance

I also have a pair of HD 490 Pros in my home studio, so I will do a comparison of sound, but for now, let’s pay attention to the HD 480s. My first impression upon putting them on my head is that they feel pretty much the same as the 490s. There’s a slight difference in weight, but this isn’t noticeable in real-world use, and the 480s are super comfortable thanks to the soft lining of the ear cups and headband.

They fit my head nicely, and I’m a big fan of the oval-shaped ear cups here, which very nicely surround my larger-than-usual lobes without pressing down on them like some other headphones. The detachable cable can be used on either ear cup, which seems like a small detail, but once you’ve made use of it, it’s hard to go back to a headphone without this feature. I frequently move my cans to different studio settings, so this makes sure I can keep things as ergonomic as possible, no matter what I'm doing.

During the course of my testing, I used the 480s in a busy coffee shop, and although some ambience crept through at lower levels, once I got towards the middle and higher volume settings on my laptop, it was easy to block out the din. And the bleed levels? Hard to say, but no one looked at me funny whilst I was blasting the new Mandy, Indiana album.

I also used them in a studio setting, and as the console and live room are in the same space, I needed the cans to monitor while my singer did her vocal takes with a Neumann U87 condenser mic. The isolation was good enough that I couldn’t hear others in the room talking to me whilst the music was still running, which I’ll take as another plus in the isolation column. I also got my singer to wear them while she was tracking to see how the bleed was, and from what I could hear on the multis, it was negligible.

Sticking on my headphone tester playlist, I start with the low end and my go-to sub bass test in Lil Wayne’s ‘A Milli’. The low end is certainly strong with this pair of headphones, robust and full, but without being overpowering to the rest of the mix. It’s the same with James Blake’s ‘Limit To Your Love’ and a couple of Massive Attack tracks, really muscular and present, so I reckon these will be great for seeing how your low end translates if you’re using smaller studio monitors.

Moving on to some busier mixes, Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid Android’ sounds as good as it ever has, with plenty of detail and a great separation between all the different elements of the mix. It bodes well for those using these as a primary mixing can, and that strong low-end is present here too, as well as a nice bit of stereo spread.

A/Bing this with the HD 490s via the dual headphone inputs of my Universal Audio interface, the 480s feel slightly narrower and more closed-in, which is expected due to the design of each. To my ear, the 490s sound a touch brighter and more open, especially when Thom Yorke’s high-pitched vocal kicks in. Moving back to Lil Wayne, there’s clearly less low-end in the 490s, but overall, the sonic characteristics of both are pretty similar. You wouldn’t confuse them for the same pair, but if you already own a set of 490s, I don’t believe you’d benefit enough to justify picking these up, unless you want a really fancy pair of cans for tracking.

Verdict

Overall, I was really impressed with the performance of the Sennheiser HD 480 Pros. I got to live with them for a good few months and they excelled in mixing, monitoring, and casual listening duties, delivering an excellent response across the spectrum, but particularly with low-end detail. For engineers mixing on small studio monitors, these will be a huge asset for checking the bass and sub bass.

They’re incredibly comfortable too, which makes long mixing sessions an absolute breeze. The large, oval ear cups mean they’ll accommodate a wide variety of ear shapes and sizes, and the headband design ensures they can fit pretty much any size and shape head. With a super soft ear cup and headband material, these are supremely comfortable studio headphones.

Of course, they have natural limitations due to the closed-back design. They don’t feel as wide with hard panned elements of the mix, and sound less open than a pair of open-back headphones. The muscular low end might be too much for some producers as well, so if you prefer an open-back design, then check out the HD 490 Pro instead.

MusicRadar verdict: If you’re after a pair of closed-back cans for mixing duties, the Sennheiser HD 480 Pro is a no-brainer. With fantastic low-end reproduction and a wonderful balance across the full frequency spectrum, they could be just the thing for checking the low end of your mix alongside a pair of studio monitors. Add in excellent isolation characteristics, and you’ve got a do-it-all pair for any mixing or monitoring tasks.

Hands-on videos

Alternatives

Specifications

In any creative discipline, everyone has their own taste. What makes a piece of music good or bad is wholly subjective: one man's trash is another man's treasure, as the old saying goes.

This doesn't only apply to the style or vibe of a piece of music, though, but also to the way a song is produced, mixed and mastered.

Without getting too philosophical, this begs the question: Is there really such thing as a "bad" mix? We’re not entirely sure, although there are, of course, some generally accepted mixing norms that are broadly followed to ensure that music is pleasing to the majority of listeners.

For example, creating a good tonal balance prevents particular musical elements or frequency ranges from stealing the limelight. On the other side of the coin, creating a sense of contrast and definition in the mixing stage can help to distinguish each element within a mix.

It's worth remembering, though, that these are mere conventions, and by no means constitute a set of hard and fast rules. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some unconventional mixes that stray from those accepted norms in one way or another, arriving at something uniquely brilliant in the process.

1. Burial - Archangel

First up is this track from Burial’s seminal album, Untrue. Frankly, all 13 tracks from the album could make it onto this list, but Archangel stands out as a particularly unconventional mix. It’s fair to say that when it comes to music production practices, Burial is someone who has probably never heard of the rule book, let alone followed it.

There are a number of production decisions that come together to define Burial’s signature sound. He’s famed for sampling sound effects from the game Metal Gear Solid to create the skittering off-kilter hi-hats that are strewn throughout his productions. He’s also said to have created the album in two weeks using a primitive audio editor called Sound Forge. 

Additionally, the vocals used throughout the album are sourced from everything from Top 10 pop hits to YouTube covers from unknown artists. His unique vocal style is the result of ripping often badly-recorded vocals and then aggressively repitching them.

This is true of the vocals in Archangel; the track features a combination of extremely wide and narrow vocals, with the narrow vocals fighting for space with the string pad. Incidentally, the string pad is sampled from the intro to a Metal Gear Solid game, but lacks the width and clarity that you might expect from the main melodic element of a track.

The vocals are one of the driest elements in the mix, with Burial opting to apply reverb to the drums, kick and bass instead. His signature layer of vinyl crackle features sporadically throughout the album, but at a volume that could be perceived as distracting.

In a 2006 interview with Martin Clark, Burial explains the crackle sound is to hide the fact he couldn’t get his drums to sound like garage producer El-B’s. “The thing about garage is: the more you look at it like some tech-boy producer, the less you get it.”

On paper, Archangel’s mix just shouldn’t work. In reality, it works remarkably well, summoning a powerful sense of nostalgia and melancholy. Despite Burial’s arguably questionable approach to production and mixing, Untrue remains one of the most influential albums in contemporary electronic music and was even nominated for a Mercury Music Prize in 2008.

2. Tyler the Creator - BOYFRIEND

Another album that has been mixed to unconventional standards is Tyler the Creator’s 2019 album Igor. Once again, the entire album would qualify for a position on this list, but some tracks on the album are more extreme than others when it comes to their unusual production and mix aesthetic.

The fourth track from the album’s physical release, BOYFRIEND, is the most prominent example. The introduction to BOYFRIEND is relatively inoffensive - it’s not until additional elements are introduced later in the track that you begin to realise how out of balance the mix sounds.

This is a common theme throughout Igor, as is the extensive processing that often renders the lead vocal distorted and at times unintelligible. The bass frequently takes centre stage while the drums and lead vocal are tucked in behind.

Tyler the Creator is known to have produced the entire album, and though he passed mixing and mastering duties on to dedicated engineers, he instructed them to make the album sound the way it does. In an interview with Mix with the Masters, Tyler the Creator’s mastering engineer Mike Rozzi says that Tyler told him “I want this to be gross.”

The crunchy, distorted finish of the entire album gives it a lo-fi feel, and the juxtaposition between the emotive melodies and highly textured mix has been widely praised by listeners and critics. Regardless of - or perhaps because of - the mix aesthetic, Igor earned Tyler widespread acclaim and won a Grammy in 2019 for Best Rap Album.

3. Jai Paul - Jasmine (Demo)

Tyler the Creator isn’t the only popular artist taking an unorthodox approach to mixing and production. Jai Paul is renowned for both his out-there aesthetic and unique vocal delivery, and the vocals on Jasmine are no exception. 

Much like the Tyler the Creator examples mentioned above, the focal point in Jasmine (Demo) is the bass while the vocals are mixed extremely far back in the mix. This is particularly true in the verses, while the vocals are allowed to shine through a little more during choruses. Additionally, there seems to be an extreme chorus effect on the vocal that almost verges into phasing territory.

In the intro and outro, the bass moves around the stereo field, which is generally a mixing no-no for mono-compatibility reasons. As the track progresses, the additional notes and distortion make the bass increasingly hectic. The swelling lead sound that is introduced later on in the track is also heavily distorted, which adds to the sense of chaos.

It’s possible that Jai Paul himself came to observe these mixing quirks, as a second version entitled Jasmine (Edit) was released in 2020 to coincide with a vinyl release. In this version, the vocal is noticeably more present while the other unusual mixing characteristics are attenuated, or not present at all.

Now would be a good time to remind ourselves again that unconventionality is often a mix's strong point, rather than its downfall. In an interview with Pitchfork, Canadian producer Caribou echoed this sentiment, praising Jai Paul’s distinctive sound: “I want to aspire to make music that’s exciting and has unexpected things happen, but that is truly unexpected and amazing. It lives in its own world.”

4. The Avalanches - Frankie Sinatra

As well as having a rather bizarre but entertaining music video, Frankie Sinatra by The Avalanches is another popular track that showcases an atypical mix. Once again, the vocals during the verses - especially Danny Brown's contributions - are very obviously set back while the bouncy brass elements take precedence at the forefront of the mix.

This is particularly unusual for rap vocals, which are the focal point of any hip-hop track; a mixing engineer's job is to ensure that the lyrics are loud and clear enough to be comprehensible to the listener. Additionally, the sporadic snare fills seem to be laid on top of the other drum elements as opposed to being mixed together. The result is a jarring snare scare as you listen through the track.

5. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

The final example on this list isn’t an unconventional mix as such, but it's still worthy of a mention. That example comes courtesy of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and their 1999 album Californication. Sadly, the album fell victim to the infamous loudness wars, and is still widely cited as one of the worst examples of mastering in modern music.

We’ve embedded the remastered version above, as the original master isn't available on YouTube. The extent of the compression and distortion was so severe in the original master that listeners went to great lengths to get the album remastered: one even started a petition. This not only evidences how bad the album was sonically, but how well the musical content was received too - there are no petitions started for mediocre albums.

The petitioners' dreams were answered in 2012 when the album was remastered for vinyl. There was a further remaster in 2014 which was intended for streaming services, although audio buffs claim there is still some over-compression and even clipping present in the most recent version.

It’s only been six months since Fender officially relaunched Studio One as Fender Studio Pro, and now the feature-packed DAW sees its most notable divergence from the original with an AI-leaning 8.1 update.

In collaboration with the stem separating masterminds at Moises, Fender stresses that the new (ethical) AI-fuelled tools of 8.1 are intended to assist the music creator, enabling them to get deeper into their tracks, build out ideas quicker and save precious time. We can't argue with that, can we?

The key flagship here is the Moises integration which seamlessly grants Studio Pro users the ability to strip out a huge array of pristine-sounding stems from a finished, bounced track.

And, get this, using Moises, you can now generate a batch of new stems or convert voices of already recorded vocals.

Having heard this in action at Fender HQ recently, we were struck both by how clean these dissected stems sound, and how natural - and not noticeably 'AI'-like - the freshly brewed ones appeared to be.

On the stem separation front alone, the results are certainly a step up from other DAW-native stem extraction abilities, with the application now able to cut out elements with far more surgical precision than anyone else.

Indeed, even individual drum elements are able to be isolated with zero spill from the other elements of the kit.

“Usually you just get vocals, bass, drums and others, but here you can separate between vocals and lead vocals and backing vocals,” explained Fender Studio expert and YouTuber Gregor Beyerle at the launch of the new update. “Or, guitars, and rhythm guitars - they can be separately processed from each other. You can also do strings and wind instruments separate from each other, and piano and synth which I think is pretty wild. And also, the entire drum kit…”

Although Moises’ stem separation acumen has long been recognised, the integrations of its smartly generated stems and the seamless ability to switch out vocalists for a range of AI vocal models within the Fender Studio Pro ecosystem could represent quite a leap forward.

And, on the source material that its algorithm has been trained on, Moises reiterated strongly that it only deals with officially and legally-licensed music. It's an approach that is central to the company’s artist-angled ethos.

“[We had to make decisions] to license the content, and to know when to stop,” said Matt Henninger, the VP of Sales and Business Development at Moises. “To not start with prompt and end with song.

“All art comes from giving musicians tools that they can bend, break, destroy [and] wire wrong,” Matt continued, on the recurring theme of disruption throughout music's history. "That is our job. Our job is to provide a tool that can be leveraged in the way that the artist chooses.

"This is the beginning of something just awesome and I can’t wait for people far more creative than me to break it.”

“Our integration with Moises gives musicians powerful new ways to learn songs, practice, experiment and create,” Max Gutnik, Chief Product Officer of Fender Electronics stated. “AI isn’t the destination. Making music is. When technology gets out of the way and helps musicians accomplish more, it’s serving the art. That’s what we aspire to do."

Moises Studio integration is available for all 8.1 users, providing 10 stem separations, 120 stem generation credits (60 minutes), and five voice conversions per month

Another key addition is the AI Studio Assistant. Think ChatGPT or Claude, but entirely trained on the inner workings of Fender Studio Pro - a semi-sentient manual if you will.

This assistant is designed to answer questions quickly without requiring you to leave your workflow, breaking complex processes down into easy-to-understand, step-by-step instructions. Crucially, it's contextual, and can diagnose problems with your mix too.

It can’t take control of your project directly however, but as hinted during our visit to Fender HQ, an AI agent-style update could potentially be feasible in the near future…

“This is the first ever tool that is capable of answering your personal product question that a manual just can't answer, because [a manual] is not contextual, it doesn't know what you're currently seeing and what you’re currently working on,” said Gregor. “This tool is incredibly powerful and it can really answer a variety of different questions.”

From the demo we had, the AI Studio Assistant, which by default sits on a thin side panel at the side of the workflow (and can be moved around at will) certainly seemed super quick and reactive, and could also potentially open up many of Fender Studio Pro’s deeper features by suggesting more effective ways of solving problems.

A particular concern is new users, who might be daunted by the scale of the DAW. “Studio Assistant provides guidance right when players need it, helping remove friction and keep the creative process moving,” said Max.

Another new addition with 8.1 is the easy-to-use Vocal Tune Plugin, which can provide some subtle pitch correction all the way to hyper-effected, Cher/T-Pain-esque hard tonal transformation and rigid formant shifting.

The formant shifting sounds pretty pro to us, particularly when used as a backing to the lead vocal in the arrangement, as demonstrated by Fender Studio’s General Manager, Arnd Kaiser, who explained other use cases; “Just put this plugin on all of the backing vocal tracks. Don't fix the pitch if it doesn't have to be fixed, but slightly shift the formants and suddenly you get the impression that there's different singers,” Arnd explained. “So, before it sounds artificial, you can actually use it in a very natural way. So, that would be my example for a more natural use case of format shift.

“You could even duplicate the same vocal take, and then have a different format shift setting on the left and the right, and you get a stereo,” said Max.

Then, there's Pitch Curves, which allow users to draw in real-time pitch changes onto audio just like any other automation editor, with subtle shaping or extreme, unnatural adjustments.

Beyond these spotlight additions, there’s also been significant upgrades to the Score Editor (articulation-based timing offsets, combined articulation conditions and deeper functionality to yield better realism) and the browser workflow in general, with reorderable tabs and a customisable browser layout so you can tailor your workspace to your own preferences.

The Fender Studio 8.1 update is available now for anyone with a current Fender Studio Pro+ subscription or a perpetual license. For more info check out Fender.com

Oscar Scheller is an easy conversationalist, but this laid-back demeanour belies the producer's status as one of contemporary music’s most in-demand studio collaborators.

A breakout viral collaboration with PinkPantheress on recent hit Stateside (with a feature from Zara Larsson on one of several remixes) has seen Oscar's music exposed to millions and become practically inescapable in our online universe.

“It’s the moment that all producers wait for, but I’m just really happy it happened with her, on music that I’m proud of too,” Oscar laughs. “It feels good. It’s a pretty oddball song to be a hit.”

Oddball is a modest description for the song’s irresistible groove, but Oscar’s course has been left-of-centre since the release of his Cut and Paste album, a debut put out under his own name in 2016. Sidestepping the limelight, Oscar has instead settled into a behind-the-scenes production role; one that has seen him grow in stature considerably since his career began.

Alongside PinkPantheress, past collaborations have been with Lily Allen and Natanya while future hook-ups are with Kelela on her forthcoming New Avatar project, alongside work with The Deep and La Goony. Now a resident in LA, he’s clearly confident in his abilities to make magic from ploughing his own furrow.

“There’s all this discourse online about how everything is out of tune on Stateside,” he says. “But I’ve been pleased with that – we need imperfection. It’s like a retaliation to AI and this weird humanless vacuum of sound that people keep pushing down our throats. We need the human touch.”

As a student at Central Saint Martins in London, Oscar’s early music-making ambitions were dictated by the size of his bedroom. Without the space for a drum kit, he could only use samples and software to shape his sound, but cites these limitations as the foundations for much of his early work.

“I had one Yamaha keyboard that I would use all the sounds from,” Oscar states. “The palette was very limited but working like this helped to fuel me creatively at the beginning. Having friends who were musicians but weren’t able to produce their own music helped me get into it too.”

While he helped childhood friend and artist Tyson orchestrate her R&B jams, Oscar also played in bands that would perform at many of the venues making up North London’s guitar-slinging scene. He was a regular at formative grassroots spots including Nambucca and the Good Ship in Kilburn.

“I also grew up near Alex Cook [Charli XCX producer AG Cook] – we were one road away from each other so he recorded my first band’s EP,” says Oscar. “We stayed in touch after that, we’d go to each other’s studios and play each other what we’d been making. My sound then was really chaotic, ramshackle indie rock, while he was making the future with PC Music.”

“Having that proximity to someone like him and sharing ideas like that was really important,” he continues. “I got into his crazy nights he’d put on, he’d come to my gigs, there was that exchange, then I would DJ a lot too – it was a typical London upbringing of being right in the middle of everything.”

Oscar’s relationship with Tyson stretches back to their time at school together. She was also the first artist he worked with that elicited a desire to collaboratively enhance her music by taking on the role of producer.

“That was very early on in my music-making, I was still at Central St Martins when I was working with her for the first time, but we really synthesized a sound together,” he says. “We felt like a real dynamic duo and I hadn’t experienced that until then. Those experiences with Tyson were a real awakening for me.”

At the heart of Oscar’s process is the desire to establish a mutual emotional bond with whoever he works with. For a collaboration to be fruitful, he needs to understand his creative partner and be understood too.

“It’s not a fast-fashion approach, and I’m not a one-size fits all kind of guy,” he laughs. “It’s case by case and I definitely take a lot of pride in that in terms of giving the care and attention to each person who comes through the door.”

“Being intentional and knowing where things can be elevated – and also knowing where things might not match – is important. There have been a fair few times where people have wanted to work with me and I’ve politely declined, as I don’t know what I can offer them.”

Don’t Ask, a track released with Natanya earlier this year, fizzes and pops sonically, pointing to a colourful future R&B sound. The pair had never met until they collaborated in the studio.

“I was worried we might be able to connect, but it worked out,” he says. “You immediately know within the first ten minutes if it’s going to work, it’s a bit like dating - do we have a connection? But it gives me energy to learn about people and get to know them.”

The bedroom set-up is where Oscar feels most at home. In his LA apartment, alongside various basses and guitars is a collection of synths: the Roland V-Synth is a current favourite while the Minimoog Model D is a family heirloom he inherited from his musician father.

“I use it all the time, it’s a classic used by Kraftwerk, the Human League, Gary Numan... it’s my go-to for any bass or lead synth sound,” he explains. “I’m also really into the Akai AX60; it came out the same year as the Juno-106 but has much harsher sounds which you can bend in different ways. I use it all the time too.”

Oscar’s typical approach with gear is to keep things trim, a pragmatic ethos which he maintains when working on music too. “I like everything to be essential, I never over-produce so what’s there is supposed to be there for a reason,” he says. “I try to approach my set-up like this, so I have a good workflow and can really see what I use. I swap things out a lot – I recently sold a synth I didn’t use so everything there now has its function and purpose.”

Oscar’s connection with Victoria Walker, better known as PinkPantheress, began back in 2021. The energy between the pair has always been electric, leading to collaborations on To Hell With It (2021), Heaven Knows (2023), Fancy That (2025) and three cuts on the remix album Fancy Some More.

“I knew as soon as I heard PinkPantheress that we had similar musical DNA from the samples and interpolation, that we had a similar way of thinking,” Oscar says. “She’s insanely melodic, I reached out and we had a session just before I moved to the US. She seemed really shy but was quietly confident, and we hit it off straight away.”

I Must Apologise was their first joint track, and Noticed I Cried came next - so when Oscar did move, they continued to collaborate. Under the melodies, there’s an innate understanding of the bass of London nightlife, a vibe that has remained with Oscar throughout his career.

“Dance music is the UK to me when I think about the history, it’s always going to be there,” he says. “I lived next to an estate that had a grime pirate radio station, my sister was friends with the MC. I was exposed to a lot of grime and garage growing up, then DnB and jungle – she had all the tapes so this music was around.”

The Stateside remix originated via a text from PinkPantheress out of the blue, asking him for three remixes. Oscar produced them without knowing what they were for or how they would be used. “I thought they might be for a DJ set, then she came back to me and said she had features for some of them and they were coming out officially,” he says.

“I did Stateside, Girl Like Me and Tonight and was praying for the first one to come out. She wouldn’t tell me who the feature was, then she sent the version back with Zara - it was crazy.”

Oscar’s forthcoming record with Kelela, New Avatar, is due for release in July with the first single signposting a blend of shoegaze sonics with the American artist’s instantly recognizable vocals. Oscar has been a longtime fan, and found his way into the record by inviting Kelela to the studio to discuss their musical inspirations.

“We just had these conversations on the music we grew up on. I don’t think she realised I’d been an indie boy before all the dance stuff until she saw all the guitars in my studio,” he says.

“We both agreed we wanted to excavate this musical space between R&B and guitars. We talked a lot about Burial and his music too, how that felt – we were trying to find this inbetween world, that’s how we started and we just experimented.”

Linknb is the second track to emerge from the project, and came from a freestyle Kelela improvised at the end of a recording session. She jetted off and by the time the plane hit the runway, the finished track was ready.

“I’m always recording, it’s my number one rule. We did a lot of recording of ideas, jamming, it’s like sampling, I just love having source material to constantly work with,” he explains. “For that track, I had this guitar loop, these vocals and I cut up and made this song out of it – it was almost like a DJ approach, I found it a really exciting way to work.”

Lily Allen and her new record, West End Girl, has been one of the British artist’s most acclaimed projects. Originally part of her North London social circle, Oscar ended up working with Lily on an album back in 2018 that was eventually scrapped. He received a call from friend and fellow producer Blue May a few years later regarding another album project, this time in New York, but again it led nowhere. Then, in 2024, Blue reached out again.

“At this point, I had a few trust issues, but Blue was like, ‘we’re doing it now and you have to come and be a part of it,’” he says. “It was at his place in LA and I was working with Kelela at this point. But I went straight to the sessions with Lily, they’d done five or six tracks and I locked in.”

“Lily and I already had this rapport so it was easy to write together. When we scrapped the previous record, I was so heartbroken, but now it’s come full circle and this new album is so good.”

What’s striking from Oscar’s story is how many opportunities have been forged through working with artists he already knew personally, or those he reached out to himself. It’s a sense of community he urges aspiring producers to lean into when starting out.

“Even if it’s just you and your laptop, go online and build a network,” Oscar advises. “It's so important to have conversations and a sounding board in the form of people learning and making mistakes with you – then find your collaborators, that’s how you develop.”

“In this industry, it’s important to forge your own way and do your own thing,” he continues. “You can look up to people but you really have to find your own sound and your own way. Just be very singular about that – you have to have something you feel very strongly about and have the right intentions.”

With an array of new and forthcoming projects orbiting him, including tracks with Say Now, Natanya and a band called After, we assume that Oscar's phone must be constantly blowing up.

“The line is hot,” he says with a final smile. “But I’m picky, I’m looking to learn about music, and there’s always something to get from each project. This is why I love it so much: I’ve collected and gathered so much energy from each one.”

Follow Oscar Scheller on Instagram.

Producer Jack Antonoff is well known for working primarily with female artists: his production discography shows a series of long-term creative partnerships with some of pop music’s most talented and successful women, most notably Taylor Swift, with whom he’s collaborated across 12 albums, beginning with 2014’s Grammy-winning 1989.

Having also produced records for Lorde, Lana del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter and many more, Antonoff has previously spoken out against “misogynist” assumptions around his collaborations with female artists – but his support of women in the industry extends beyond artists and into the recording studio, where Antonoff has leaned heavily on the talents of Laura Sisk, a recording engineer he’s worked with consistently across multiple projects for over a decade.

Antonoff heaped praise on Sisk during a recent episode of the Tape Notes podcast, where the producer and solo artist discussed the making of the latest Bleachers album with host John Kennedy and answered several questions from Tape Notes' Patreon members.

“You’ve done so much to help women artists be empowered,” one listener asked. “How does that commitment translate into the technical side of the studio, specifically with engineers and producers, where women are still so underrepresented? What are the best ways to tackle that gap?”

“I’ve made all my albums with Laura Sisk pretty much since I started,” Antonoff responded. “In our little world, it’s me and Laura making all the albums.” When asked how his partnership with Sisk began, Antonoff said: “I started working with Laura because she’s the best engineer I’d ever worked with, period. I met her when I was making the first Bleachers album and I never had met anyone that good, and that was that.”

Now one of modern pop music’s most celebrated recording engineers, Sisk has engineered dozens of albums produced by Antonoff, including projects for Lorde, Lana del Rey, The 1975, Diana Ross, Sabrina Carpenter, Clairo and more. She also worked on I Knew It, I Knew You, a Randy Newman-influenced song co-written and co-produced by Taylor Swift and Antonoff that features in the upcoming Disney Pixar film Toy Story 5.

Outside of her creative partnership with Antonoff, Sisk has accumulated a substantial catalogue of work – prior to their meeting, she was already a respected professional engineer, having worked with P!nk, Shakira, Fall Out Boy and Sigur Ros, and since becoming the prolific producer's go-to studio collaborator, she's also found the time to engineer projects for FKA Twigs, Jon Batiste, St. Vincent and Maren Morris.

Despite engineers like Sisk leading the charge for female representation in the recording studio, music production remains a heavily male-dominated field: a recent report from USC Annenberg found that the percentage of women credited as producers in songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End chart fell from 5.9% in 2024 to 4.4% in 2025, and that more than 90% of 1400 songs evaluated across the charts in the previous 11 years did not feature a female producer.

“That lack of representation is very real and the stats are stunning,” Antonoff admits. When asked how those working in the music industry should attempt to tackle the problem, he says: “It’s as simple as who you hire and who you work with – that’s how this shit changes.”

For more interviews with artists and producers like Jack Antonoff, check out Tape Notes’ YouTube channel or subscribe to their Patreon, where members can access full-length video episodes, exclusive offers, merch discounts, artist gear lists and behind-the-scenes content.

Tape Notes also runs a monthly giveaway offering one Patreon member of their Extended Players Premium tier the chance to win a bundle of music-making gear. This month, the prize is a collection of Roland gear that includes the BOSS RC-500 loop station, the Roland T-8 Aira Compact and one year's membership to Roland Cloud Ultimate.

From the metropolitan cityscape of South London to the caves and coastlines of Cornwall, Laura Misch is channelling her environment into adventurously experimental music with saxophone, electronics and field recordings as her tools.

Rarely content to stay still – literally or sonically – the London-born composer, producer and saxophonist has spent close to a decade emulsifying jazz, electronica and ambient into a sound that’s entirely her own, pushing this singular vision further into uncharted terrain with every release and rapidly becoming one of contemporary music's most distinctive voices.

On Misch’s acclaimed albums Sample the Sky and Sample the Earth, she worked with wind-inspired saxophone, vocals and synths to create leftfield pop songs that reflected a deeply personal connection with the natural world. Her live process, meanwhile, was augmented by workshops and guided sound walks across Europe, where Misch invited participants to listen to the world microscopically through parabolic microphones, hydrophones and geophones.

On Misch's latest project, Lithic, she descends even deeper, journeying into caves, quarries and coastal edges to sculpt a record shaped by stone, water, lightning and wind. Produced alongside Matt Karmil, Lithic draws on deep listening practices, eco-acoustics and geology to treat sound itself as an ancient, living material.

When did you first encounter the saxophone and why pick that as your primary instrument?

“I was inspired by Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons because she was the only female saxophonist I really knew at the time, but I'd have to credit my saxophone teacher Simon Clark who used to run a horn section called the Kick Horns.

“They used to do horns for a lot of my favourite ‘90s pop bands like Sugababes, Kylie Minogue and S Club 7. They even did the kick horn on Beyonce’s Green Light. So my entry to saxophone was through a pop lineage where the horns were underneath and rising up to these big choral vocal moments. I wanted to go out and play saxophone and sing songs, but I knew that I had to use electronics, unless I went to some cave with a 20-second reverb.”

Talking of reverb, you explored using reverb pedals with saxophone quite early in your live shows?

“Before using a reverb pedal, I’d use a loop pedal - then I built an effects chain in Ableton using a reverb plugin. There's something I like about breathy wind instruments expanding through electronics, and I wanted to play a physical instrument and hear it morph and transform.

“Turning up the reverb and hearing the sound expand in my ears was magical. Then, of course, I got into pedals like the Strymon Big Sky, which sounds amazing when you play the saxophone through it; you can use your breath to get so many nuances and almost play it like a synthesizer in terms of the attack, sustain and decay.”

You broke through with your Sample the Sky LP in 2023. Not only did you complement saxophone with electronic beats and textures, but also the sound of nature…

“At that point, I was very much working from a home studio, so although field recordings were brought into the production, Sample the Sky was more of a studio album in that sense. My desire to connect with nature is a primal thing – some people absolutely love being in the city and don't have a need for that, but humans have only lived in cities for a tiny slice of their existence. Research shows that when we hear birdsong or have a 180-degree perception of what’s in front of us, we feel safe, because it signals to us that there are no predators nearby.

“As someone that’s struggled with anxiety and mental health, that’s always appealed to me and I love discovering pockets of nature in London along our railway lines or little community gardens. At the same time, I’m still drawn to the city and love the people and culture. I'm in the music industry and haven't left to live in a mountain, but I am interested in ecosystems, whether they’re wild or concrete jungles.”

When touring, you’ve striven to get closer to the communities you visit - why was that?

“There's a lot of questioning in my music. I practice using electronics, pedals, effects chains and programming mics to create ecosystems that I can play saxophone to and sing within, but I'm also curious about creating a sense of community.

“I was finding that touring wasn't a very enriching experience. I’d make an album, go on tour and play the shows, but I also wanted to absorb the different cultures that I was visiting. I got quite burned out from my previous tours, so I got some government funding to tour internationally, and instead of doing loads of dates I only did five and set up workshops in-between to ground and connect with the audiences.

“For me, music is a bit like cooking food – it’s a human necessity that enriches my life, but I'm curious about how that can be ignited or demystified in other people - especially in electronic music where people are like, ‘Oh, what's in that box?’ We live in a time where people are addicted to their phones and real-life music communities are suffering because so much is pushed online. The internet's incredible, but I think you also need to invest in people.”

How do these community workshops operate in a practical sense?

“We went to Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Berlin, so I’d book to play a show and the next day we’d host a workshop, usually in the venue we played at or another space. After having severe burnout from touring, I was curious about this idea of slowness, sound, our natural environment and how we can retune. So we’d set up these sound walks inspired by the experimental musician Pauline Oliveros, who developed a form of listening that was almost like a meditation.

“The idea is that you do different listening exercises that are tuned to the sounds around you. For example, in a city you're bombarded with sirens and I find that can really overstimulate my brain, so I'll start humming along and improvising with the sirens. For me, that disarms their power. It’s about finding techniques to exist within a sonically intense industrial city.

“It connects back to this idea of how we can reconnect with nature through listening and sound, which veers into an acoustic ecology practice. I'd say that a lot of the lyricism on this new album was inspired by conversations that happened in those workshops too. When you host a workshop about slowness and sound, most people have a story about being burnt out, so encouraging people to share ideas and listen through creativity feels really exciting to me.”

Can you give an example of a typical sound walk?

“I'd read this book by David George Haskell about the evolution of sound called Sounds Wild and Broken. He talks about the beginning of earth and how before you had creatures, flora and fauna there was just the sound of air, water and stone to soundtrack the history of evolution.

“I’d start with this very condensed and deep time journey for about 20 minutes and try to get everyone to think about sound on earth, before going forward to the first instrument that we have records of, which are bone flutes. When I'm playing with an Akai MIDI controller, Strymon pedal, laptop interface and a microphone, those metal alloys are still fossil energy. The materials produce air vibrations and it's all interconnected, so everyone would just lie back and relax into the space.

“Then we'd go on a sound walk and I’d bring a parabolic microphone, which is often used for recording birds, but it's a big shield that allows people to hear high frequencies and examine the world microscopically. For people who've never heard the world through a microscope, it's really quite altering because you can hear things that the human ear can't necessarily detect.

“I also take other mics, like geophones and hydrophones that you put in the water and soil to measure vibrations and I'm interested in getting people to use those tools while talking about my improvisational process or how a track came to be inspired by a walk I did.”

These experiences naturally led to the creation of your latest LP, Lithic, and the collation of various field recordings at caves and coastal edges. What were you using to record and what were you looking for – or was part of the fun not knowing?

“I borrowed some friends' gear, which is all quite expensive. It was a geophone, a hydrophone and then just a stereo mic and a parabolic mic. I went to Cornwall and told my label I was going to make a rock album – as in made of rocks. I wanted to go to a slate quarry and collect all these isolated slate noises, like the polyrhythmic percussion of a rock rolling down a hill. Then I thought about hanging a chime in a tree and recording the wind blowing it or playing my saxophone in caves or in response to tree rustle.

“These ways of improvising with the elements are really fun when you let yourself do them, but if I'm honest the weather was really horrendous a lot of the time and I had to surrender to it and get bashed about by storms!”

Were you inspired by the field recordings at the point of capturing them or was it more about sample collecting with a vague idea of what those sounds might later be used for?

“Sometimes I go out with something in mind and collect them, but you often can't because the weather's doing its own thing or you'd be recording a waterfall and a bird sound would suddenly become more interesting. There’s a song on the album called Kairos where the outro is just an improvisation that I recorded. I was playing a Shruti drone and my saxophone, sitting in a tree house hearing the leaves rustle and just used the raw recording.”

Field recordings are only part of your sound. Tell us about the electronic component of your music?

“Sometimes a field recording sounds amazing, but when you listen back it's not as good as your human experience of it. That's where I feel like electronics are really useful, because you can take things to their edges and even go into the surreal, beyond perceptible reverb, and pitch things way below how we can sing them.

“That sense of freedom is quite psychedelic and that's what I love about electronics. Sometimes I'm playing in a natural cave and you can hear the reverb of the space, but I’ll later imitate that through a Strymon pedal because it’s more accurate to the actual feeling.”

Does the saxophone take more of a back seat on Lithic, or are you simply processing it in a more subtle or textural way?

“I'm really processing it, so a lot of the time the saxophone is running through an effects chain of delays until it starts to drone, essentially. The beginning of Kairos sounds like a tremolating synth, but it's just layers of saxophone. In many ways, the saxophone became a synth on this record. People like to go out and play guitar and sing, but I just want to be able to go out and play saxophone and sing, so I'm desperate to make my saxophone sound like a synth! [laughs].

“A big part of why I'm moving towards this way of creating is because it gives me all these memories and lived experiences. It took a lot more time, was probably more expensive and took way more energy, but I feel like Lithic’s full of life experience, and a slow way of crafting something that I really cherish. I made a project before Sample the Sky called Lone City, which was all done in-the-box, where I was just foraging online for sounds and using Splice, but I didn't have any connected memories with those sounds.”

Does Ableton play a central role in your organisation and arrangement of audio?

“I started using Ableton because of the live integration and I like to play with pre-programmed mics, but I find Logic more pleasing to the eye. It's more tactile, whereas Ableton feels a bit like a spreadsheet. What I love about Ableton is that you can create your own effects chains and reorganise things in different ways. I can essentially build a custom pedalboard in it, although I do love hardware too.

“A lot of what I'm considering going forward relates to how mobile these setups can be and whether I can go up a mountain with them. Ableton has a lot of customisable power, but I appreciate the craftsmanship of a Strymon pedal and I'm very curious about the Teenage Engineering field kit stuff like the TP-7 or CM-15, which I believe is the world's first microphone with a built-in preamp and its own power supply. They’re really expensive, but I can imagine mounting them in a jacket and using them with just a saxophone, a speaker and a laptop in a backpack.”

Are you using any sound design or third-party plugins to add effects or transform the material in some way?

“I use a lot of Soundtoys plugins because they have really exciting possibilities. For example, I love Crystallizer because it makes my sax sound like birds are chirping and their Tremolator plugin is another really exciting toolbox. I really love using Life by XLN Audio as a quickfire tool. It’s a generative beat maker, so you can put in a field recording and it will bring up very interesting patterns.

“I use Valhalla on my vocals and really like it as a reverb and I’ve recently been getting more into experimental electronics, like the KOMA Elektronik Chromaplane, which is an electromagnetic instrument with two pickups that you play a bit like a theremin. I'm really interested in gestural performance, especially as I don't always want to be glued to a screen. I love Imogen Heap’s Mimu gloves – she's a big inspiration who’s paved the way for such interesting forms of expression.”

When you're modifying the samples that you’ve collected, you presumably need to be careful not to let them lose their essence?

“Yeah, that's a brilliant point. I’d collected all these field recordings of rocks and was trying to make ‘rock’ beats, but the processing was making them lose their tonal quality. I ended up working with a live drummer called Matt Davies who tracked over the field recording samples to retain their innate organic rhythm.

“I just thought, ‘what this needs is someone playing a goat-skin drum’, and that’s another aspect that I feel really curious to keep exploring. I'm a real geek, as you can see!”

Were you running individual sounds through tape or using it to give the whole recording some form of saturation?

“The album was mixed by Matt Karmil at Brewery Studios in Berlin. He has this big tape machine so we could mix individual stems, but we ran the whole album through the master tape as well. Since then, I found an old Nagra E on eBay that people use for reporting in the field. It's mono and has very few features, but I've been recording saxophone straight into that and it sounds amazing.”

We understand the track Echoes is based on the sound of female lemurs and We Will Rock You by Queen?

“I was basically soundtracking a Radio 4 documentary about lemurs – particularly the female lemur’s song because, unlike the males, they improvise rather than directly communicate. Scientists were analysing them and their voices are very complex and polyrhythmic and one sounded like We Will Rock You, so I was imitating them on the saxophone and using the keys as percussion to the song’s theme. I loved it so much that I translated that into the album.”

You worked with an eco-social design studio, Holobiont, to plant your music back into the environments that inspire you. What did that involve?

“That was for the Sample the Sky album. I’d been walking a lot in these very small pockets of woodland in South London and wanted to take people back into the forest to hear the music. So instead of doing traditional marketing, we did a walk where I'd play saxophone, lead people through the forest and my friend Maria would sit playing the harp and I'd improvise with her. Basically, everyone would sit around and we'd play these acoustic versions of the album in the middle of the forest - that's what I mean by ‘planting’.”

Laura Misch’s Lithic is out now on One Little Independent.

Welcome to MusicRadar’s Deals of the Week, your go-to source for the hottest music gear deals online. Whether you’re a pro musician, bedroom producer, live performer, or passionate hobbyist, our weekly roundup guarantees you catch the best gear at unbeatable prices.

Well, this week, Guitar Center's fantastic acoustic guitar sale continues with up to 30% off a huge selection of instruments. You can still score major savings on acoustics, classicals, ukuleles, resonators, and banjos. The sale runs until June 24th, giving you plenty of time to grab a deal. All the top brands, Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Yamaha, Fender, Epiphone, and more, are included, making this one of the best chances to score a quality acoustic this year.

Sweetwater has just launched its drum month sale, which means deep discounts on everything percussion-related. We're seeing hefty savings of up to 55% off on electric kits, studio-ready acoustic kits, cymbals, snares, and so much more.

Now, the savings don’t stop there; Waves is still running specials on plugin bundles. If you spend $50, you’ll get one free plugin, and if you spend $80, you’ll get two free plugins. If you’ve been itching to upgrade your home studio, now’s the perfect time.

Lastly, Musician’s Friend Electric Guitar Month is here, offering incredible deals on select electric guitars, amps, and effects. You can also take advantage of special financing offers and stock up on accessories with 15% off qualifying purchases with the code ACC15.

Editor's picks

Looking for more bargains? Check out more recommended sales below:

• Thomann: Shop hot deals
• Fender Shop: Shop discounted Strats & Teles
• IK Multimedia: Save on iRig and AXE I/O
• Plugin Boutique: Save big on plugins
• Positive Grid: Smart amp sale
• Reverb: Save big on top brands

How we choose our deals of the week

Here at MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing, creating and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music gear-related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our deals.

Our mission is simple - to help you make the best buying decision, find the right gear at the right price, to make the best music you can.

For us to recommend a deal it has to be a product we rate that’s been reduced to a genuinely great price or part of a truly fantastic bundle. It’s also important that we only recommend retailers that we trust.

You can see more of our product recommendations in our buyer's guides and reviews.

Why you can trust our choices

Our editors and writers are all experienced musicians and experts in their fields. They have a deep understanding of the categories that they cover, which means that you can trust their choices when it comes to recommending products.

We pride ourselves on the independence, quality and reliability of our testing processes and the reviews it produces. It’s what has made us the world’s leading music-making publishing company. You can find more details on how we test some specific key product categories, but the principles apply across the board, rigorously assessing build quality, functionality, playability and, of course, sonic performance.

We cover a lot of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day, Black Friday, 4th of July sales and Amazon Prime Day, and we have a good view of which products are likely to receive the biggest discounts and when, the prices they’ve been in the past and which deals are genuinely worth a look.

Where are the best places to shop?

Online shopping is definitely a lot easier and more secure than it used to be, and we like to recommend a small handful of online retailers who have a sterling reputation and offer fantastic benefits like fuss-free returns, great customer service and, in some cases, full checks and setup of guitars before they are dispatched. So, all the deals we’ll recommend on this page are from retailers that tick these boxes.

What sort of deals should I look for?

Great deals come in all shapes and sizes. There are a few key types to look out for:

• Single item - A single product with a great discount
• Site-wide discounts - A single discount percentage on a large range of products across a site
• Discount codes - Load your basket to a certain value and redeem a discount code for money off your basket contents
• Added value deals - These include multi-buy discounts, or additional products or software for free when you buy certain items