Tracktion are building a reputation for delivering some leftfield and ultimately fascinating instruments. Dawesome MYTH is the next in line but is it something new or just a pretty interface? It is always exciting to see developers and manufacturers come up with new and inventive ways to synthesize sound. With computing power increasing at an exponential rate, software synthesizers seem to benefit most. Dawesome MYTH by Tracktion seems, on the surface, to be one such leap. But is it though? I mean, it certainly looks very appealing. Two big, circular graphics with lots of pretty colours.A see ..read more

After last week’s launch of the Arturia Astrolab, we take a look at great sounds to fill your Arturia synths with, including from Arturia themselves! Arturia’s Astrolab, which I reviewed ahead of its launch last week, represents a new era for both Arturia and the world of software and hardware synths. The first, and by all accounts not the last, new product to celebrate their 25th Anniversary, Astrolab blurs the lines between those two worlds. Inspired by this, I decided to showcase a range of great sounds and patches for your Arturia synths. We have two sound packs for two of their best inst ..read more

The mighty Roland TR-8S is six classic Roland drum machines in one – and then some. Get it now for a low price! Other bargains in this edition of Synth Deals include the ASM Hydrasynth Desktop and a great portable controller from IK Multimedia. Roland TR-8S: The definitive Roland drum machine The Roland TR-8S is easily the most powerful drum machine Roland has ever made. To start with, it includes the sounds of the TR-808, TR-909, TR-606, TR-707, TR-727, and CR-78, all of which are fully editable thanks to Roland’s ACB modeling technology. That’s like six classic Rola ..read more

Rainy Day Hailstorm by Otem Rellik is a four-voice drum synthesizer and sample player with four colorful touch strips for control. Get ready for lots of fun beatmaking action! Rainy Day Hailstorm Developer Otem Rellik, creator of such masterpieces as the Raspberry Pi FM Touch Synth and Cirrus FM, announced earlier this year that he was starting a new company. Now we know what he’s been working on: The new Rainy Day Hailstorm is a quirky 4-voice drum synthesizer and sample player that puts your grooves at your fingertips. Each of the Hailstorm’s four tra ..read more

Can the Dtronics DT-DX take an open-source project and fashion a saleable product out of it, bringing the magnificence of the TX816 to the masses? Over the years, many people have attempted to simplify the programming paradigm of the Yamaha DX7 and make it more accessible. Across both software and hardware, companies big and small have tried. Some more successfully than others. MiniDEXED What nobody EVER said was, “You know what might be better than a tiny 2-line LCD display, 42 multifunction buttons and two sliders? That same screen but with a single, multifunction rotary knob”. And yet, thi ..read more

MI-03 Bassline is a free emulation of the classic TB-303 – but with a couple of twists! This week’s collection of the best free plugins also features a one-knob atmospheric reverb and a unique saturation plugin. Have fun! Music Instinct Mi-03 Bassline We’ve seen our fair share of free acid synths in this weekly column, including 303 Deluxe, RF-AB303, and BassMatrix. But Roland’s accidental icon continues to inspire developers to try their hands on a 303 emulation – often with their own spin. The new Mi-03 Bassline by Music Instinct is no exception ..read more

This week we have a dollop of lush pads for a bargain soft synth and some superb emulations of classic synthesizers for their modern-day hardware counterparts. Read on for more synth sounds and patches. The Pad Machine for Cherry Audio’s Dreamsynth I’ve featured James’ work here before. Since then, he’s been busy beavering away on yet another great bank of sounds. This time he’s focusing on the brilliant Dreamsynth from Cherry Audio. My colleague, Robin Vincent, looked at the Dreamsynth back in November of 2022 and had this to say about it… It offers a surprising amount of tonal scope wrapped ..read more

The latest offering from the Danish indie book publisher, The Minimoog Book, pays tribute to the synthesizer that changed music forever. Bjooks have built a solid reputation in recent years for their comprehensive and luxurious books on synthesizers and their latest project, The Minimoog Book, continues that tradition. The Minimoog Book The Moog Minimoog is often credited as being the synth that started it all. Synthesizers had existed long before the Minimoog arrived on the scene. Those early synthesizers filled entire rooms and were often only found in University laboratories. What the Mini ..read more

As Arturia celebrate 25 years of innovation, is the new AstroLab the perfect culmination of a quarter of a century’s work blurring the line between hardware and software? Has Everything Led to This? It is somewhat hard for me to comprehend the fact that Arturia has been around for 25 years. As someone who has been on this planet for more than twice that number, and who has been involved with music technology for most of it, remembering that there was a world before Arturia existed makes me feel very old! Arturia has become one of the most well-known, trusted and respected music tech brands in ..read more

Launched way back in 1982, the Roland Juno series remains one of the most popular designs ever created. We’re taking a look at some of its modern recreations to find ways of reliving and reinventing the glory of the original. We’ve discussed Juno-style plug-ins previously, but now we’ll be checking out a range of hardware clones that can reproduce the sounds from the classic Juno series and beyond. The Best Roland Juno Alternatives Perhaps you want a full keyboard version, or you only have space for a module. Either way, there are options available and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how go ..read more