Best music tech gear of the month: review round-up (April 2010)
AD's first instrument is an old-school drum machine
Audio Damage Tattoo ($79)
Every month, MusicRadar’s industry-leading sister magazines - Guitarist, Computer Music, Total Guitar, Rhythm, Future Music and Guitar Techniques - publish the best independent and in-depth music-making gear reviews.
We’ve collated the latest plug-ins, audio editors, synths, interfaces, monitors, mics and DJ gear to have fallen under the watchful eyes of Computer Music and Future Music’s test teams. All the gear on show here was originally reviewed in Computer Music issue 150 and Future Music issue 225. It was published on MusicRadar throughout March and April.
Scroll on for this month’s top picks and click through to read each product’s full review. First up: Audio Damage Tattoo.
MusicRadar’s verdict
“A neat and tidy instrumental debut for Audio Damage, Tattoo has a solid sound and a deceptively powerful feature set.”
5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Audio Damage Tattoo
(Reviewed in Computer Music magazine issue 150)
A Mac app that does what it says on the tin
Audiofile Engineering Wave Editor ($79)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“A refreshingly bloat-free app, Wave Editor's sensible, streamlined approach is certainly its strength.”
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Audiofile Engineering Wave Editor
(Reviewed in Computer Music magazine issue 150)
An Akai MPC-style software groovebox
Beat Kangz Electronics Beat Thang Virtual ($149)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“It's not the most advanced MPC-alike, but Beat Thang captures the spirit better than most and has a bright future ahead of it if development goes as planned.”
3.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Beat Kangz Electronics Beat Thang Virtual
(Reviewed in Computer Music magazine issue 150)
A bewildering but superb-sounding generative music app
Intermorphic Mixtikl 2 ($80)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“Get past Mixtikl's diabolical interface and you'll find a superb generative music engine waiting to be explored.”
3.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Intermorphic Mixtikl 2
(Reviewed in Computer Music magazine issue 150)
The mini phrase synth grows up
Korg Kaossilator Pro (£350)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“A big improvement on the original Kaossilator, the Pro version gives you a great new way of making music.”
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Korg Kaossilator Pro
(Reviewed in Future Music magazine issue 225)
A credible alternative to the microKORG?
Akai MiniAK (£379)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“A great set of fresh, powerful sounds but MiniAK is let down by its lack of editing and poor vocoder.”
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Akai MiniAK
(Reviewed in Future Music magazine issue 225)
The classic compressor is now a native plug-in
Softube Tube-Tech CL 1B (£320)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“Softube deliver a superb compressor with a genuine analogue sound.”
4.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Softube Tube-Tech CL 1B
(Reviewed in Computer Music magazine issue 150)
Bitcrushing, filtering... and biscuiting
OTO Biscuit (€529)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“A magic black box for lo-fi, 8-bit and retro-game crunch. Perfect for adding quality grit.”
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: OTO Biscuit
(Reviewed in Future Music magazine issue 225)
An audio interface for those who don't need oodles of I/O
Focusrite Saffire 6 USB (£164)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“The perfect Saffire for those with restricted I/O needs and budgets. A quality package.”
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Focusrite Saffire 6 USB
(Reviewed in Future Music magazine issue 225)
A one-box digital DJing solution
Wacom Nextbeat (£1100)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“The Nextbeat delivers all it set out to, but the price and lack of auto features will put off a lot of people.”
3.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Wacom Nextbeat
(Reviewed in Future Music magazine issue 225)
Pultec's MEQ-5 and EQP-1A in a plug-in
Nomad Factory Pulse-Tec EQs ($149)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“Nomad Factory has turned out a fine Pultec EQ emulation - if you don't already have one, give it a try.”
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Nomad Factory Pulse-Tec EQs
(Reviewed in Computer Music magazine issue 150)
A compact and highly musical set of monitors
PMC DB1S-AII (£2056)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“Outstanding tiny monitors that pack a serious punch. Accurately priced for their quality.”
4.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: PMC DB1S-AII
(Reviewed in Future Music magazine issue 225)
A quality mic inspired by a classic
Newmann Retro NR47 (£999)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“Big and bold with plenty of punch, the NR47 is a modern variation on a classic theme. A fantastic mic.”
4.5 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Newmann Retro NR47
(Reviewed in Future Music magazine issue 225)
A cheaper alternative to the CDJ-2000
Pioneer CDJ-900 (£1099)
MusicRadar’s verdict
“A great deck with a couple of killer features. The CDJ-900 stands robust and reliable in a very crowded market.”
4 out of 5
FULL REVIEW: Pioneer CDJ-900
(Reviewed in Future Music magazine issue 225)
Liked this? Now read: The 11 best DAW software apps
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I’m the Group Content Manager for MusicRadar, specialising in all things tech. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 20 of which I’ve also spent writing about music technology.