Native Instruments and iZotope Are Doing Major Summer 2025 Sales with Amazing Discounts on Industry-Leading Tools
Derek Oswald
New RX11 deal launches today with 40% off. Native Instruments and iZotope have kicked off their annual summer promotions, delivering significant savings on software bundles, instruments, and hardware for music producers and audio professionals. ...
Beetlecrab Audio’s Tempera: Turning 4,096 Grains into Colorful Sound Art
Derek Oswald
Some gear seems unassuming until the moment you lay a finger on it. While attractive to the eye even without its power on, Beetlecrab Audio’s Tempera is one of those devices. Encased in a ...
Tom Morello’s New Reverb Exclusive Pedal Pays Tribute to Wayne Kramer & MC5
Derek Oswald
When Tom Morello announces a new piece of gear, people listen. Morello’s past gear choices — from his heavily modded “Arm the Homeless” guitar to his unique effects rig — have shaped some of ...
Learn, Play, Repeat: How CubyFun’s EasyPlay 1S and EasyPlay Meow Make Music Education Fun
Derek Oswald
For generations, learning music meant hours of drills, dry theory, and expensive lessons. But what if picking up scales, understanding intervals, or recognizing melodies could feel more like playtime than practice? Enter CubyFun’s EasyPlay ...
Sonic Youth Reopens Their Reverb Shop Again in 2025 with Rare Gear and Personal Treasures
Derek Oswald
Even more than a decade after their final live performance, Sonic Youth remains one of the most influential bands to ever emerge from the underground rock scene. Now, fans and fellow musicians have another ...
Midicake ARP Review: How One Man’s Dream Made For a Pretty Damn Fun 4-Track Arpeggiator
Derek Oswald
Let’s be honest, arpeggiators can sometimes feel like an afterthought. Many synthesizers include them, but more often than not, they’re simple, one-trick ponies with limited control and little personality. They’ll feel tacked on and ...
Chroma Console by Hologram Electronics: An Amazing Effects Console That Feels like 20 Pedals In One
Derek Oswald
Some effects pedals are designed to color your sound. The Chroma Console is designed to transform it. From the moment I unboxed the Chroma Console, it was clear this wasn’t just another multi-effects unit. ...
Fever Dreams by Ari Mason: Beautiful, Quirky and Experimental – 10% Discount Code Inside
Derek Oswald
If some of the recent reviews on Altwire have shown anything, it’s that I love weird, and I love quirky. So when I find something that combines both of my loves and sounds beautiful ...
Time Crystals Review: Emergence Audio’s Stunning Ambient Tool
Derek Oswald
If there’s one word I can use to describe Time Crystals, it’s alive. Emergence Audio’s Time Crystals isn’t just another Kontakt library offering pretty pads and endless drones. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem of ...
Sound Sculpture for the Soul: Inside MNTRA’s Beautiful Library Powered by MNDALA 2 Engine
Derek Oswald
What happens when you take ancient instruments, capture them in stunning high-definition audio, and then run them through a synth engine inspired by video games and nonlinear storytelling? You get MNTRA.io—a boutique plugin maker ...
Pitch Innovations Review: 5 Creative Tools That Will Transform Your Music
Derek Oswald
What if your pitchwheel never hit a wrong note again? What if a simple chord could evolve into an entire melody? What if your rhythm section could swing, shuffle, and surprise—without hours of programming? ...
Is Claire the Best Fazioli F308 Library Yet? Native Instruments Might Have Nailed It
Derek Oswald
When it comes to sampled pianos, the bar keeps getting higher. Every year, new libraries promise pristine realism, expressive nuance, and creative tools that move beyond the traditional. In late 2024, Native Instruments dropped ...
CMEPRO WIDI Master – Unleash Wireless 5-Pin MIDI and Ditch the Cable Chaos!
Derek Oswald
Intro – An Overview of the WIDI Master The CMEPRO WIDI Master is designed as a wireless MIDI solution that frees you from the traditional cable clutter. For bigger studios or even a smaller ...
Nightfox Audio’s Plugin Suite: A Deep Dive Into Their 9 Virtual Instruments
Derek Oswald
An Introduction to Nightfox Audio If you’ve ever wished your plugins worked like a box of LEGOs—clicking together real instruments to build something completely your own—Nightfox Audio might be your new playground. Their whole ...
Tiny Titans of MIDI Control: This.is.NOISE.inc’s Astonishing NM2 and NMSVE
Derek Oswald
Sometimes the best creative sparks come from something small. Really small. Like, fits-in-the-palm-of-your-hand small. This.is.NOISE.inc, is a hardware company that’s built a reputation around ultra-portable, ultra-playful MIDI controllers that don’t just look cool — ...
Teenage Engineering EP-1320 Medieval: An Adventurous Sampler for Bards, Beats, and Battlefields
Derek Oswald
Introduction to the EP-1320 Medieval Only Teenage Engineering would take the phrase “sampler workstation” and respond with “What if we made it Medieval?” Enter the EP-1320 Medieval—a fully functional portable groove box, completely reimagined ...
Crystal Clear and Camera Ready: How the ISOVOX ISOPOP BroadCast Fixed My Sibilance In 5 Minutes
Derek Oswald
Pop filters are one of those accessories you don’t think much about—until they’re ruining your setup. Whether it’s an awkward arm that never stays in place, a filter so bulky it blocks your entire ...
Trails by Fracture Sounds – A Hauntingly Beautiful Kontakt Library for The Modern Composer in 2025
Derek Oswald
Let’s face it—there’s no shortage of string libraries out there. But now and then, something hits differently. Trails by Fracture Sounds is one of those very moments. This one’s for the subtle stuff—the kind ...
Beatsurfing: 5 Plugins You Need Right Now / Including Random, Random Metal and More!
Derek Oswald
Beatsurfing: A Creative Playground for Modern Sound Design If you’re curious about how innovative technology meets raw musical creativity, BEATSURFING is a name worth knowing. Born in 1997 under the moniker Herrmutt Lobby, this ...
5 Excellent Must-Have Sonora Cinematic Products: Emma Legato, Aria Vocalscapes & More!
Derek Oswald
If you’re into composing soundtracks or creating immersive soundscapes, chances are you’ve heard the buzz about Sonora Cinematic. This plugin developer, based in Edinburgh, UK, and helmed by Italian composer and sound designer Alessandro ...