MusicRadar's greatest hits of 2013: October

Lou Reed, 1942 - 2013.
Lou Reed, 1942 - 2013. (Image credit: GUSTAU NACARINO/Reuters/Corbis)

Music lost one of its most influential figures in October, as fellow stars and fans mourned the passing of Lou Reed.

On MusicRadar, we marked the rise of the affordable hardware synth by listing 15 of the best ones, and we also refreshed our guide to the best budget MIDI controller keyboards. If you were looking for something a bit different, we also told you about some of the more unconventional MIDI controllers on the market.

Elsewhere, we listed the tell-tale signs of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, an obsessive condition that all of us have been afflicted with at one time or another...

Here are MusicRadar's big-hitters from October 2013

15 of the best affordable hardware synthesisers
Buyer's guide: our favourite sub-£500/$700 hardware instruments

The 12 best budget MIDI controller keyboards
Updated for 2013, a dozen sub-£100/$150 keyboards that deliver the goods

Joey Jordison answers your questions!
Drummer talks Scar The Martyr, Slipknot and more

7 crazy but cool MIDI controllers
Bored of your keyboard? Here are some out there alternatives

7 stages of Gear Acquisition Syndrome
Got GAS? Learn to recognise the signs...

Will Lee picks 10 essential bass albums
"So many amazing records have inspired me. They all have a timeless quality."

The MusicRadar team

MusicRadar is the number 1 website for music makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, djs or producers...

GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high- quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts. TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars. STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the actual craft of music making that no other music website can.