Randomwaves DrumBoy Review: A Fun and Easy Open‑Source 24-Bit Audio Pocket Drum Machine
Derek Oswald
Quick take DrumBoy is a handheld, sample-based drum machine featuring a five-inch color screen, touch-sensitive pads surrounding the display, 24-bit audio, and ten layers. The sequencer reaches 1/64, and each layer features a parametric ...
Novation Circuit Tracks in 2025: Is Novation’s Easy To Use Groovebox Still a Great Buy?
Derek Oswald
Introduction Novation released the Circuit Tracks in 2021 as the follow-up to its first Circuit from 2015. The newer box wasn’t a total redesign, but it did add features players had asked for: more tracks, microSD ...
Novation Bass Station II in 2025: Still The Best Value Under $600
Derek Oswald
When Novation released the first Bass Station in 1993, it landed at the right time. Producers wanted something small, affordable, and analog to sit alongside samplers and drum machines. Designed by Chris Huggett, the ...
V-MODA M-100 Pro Review: A Trusted DJ Pair of DJ Cans Just Got Even Better
Derek Oswald
I’ve been a fan of VMODA’s headphones for a long while. The first V-MODAs I ever owned were a ruby red pair of LP2s. They looked incredible, sounded even better (albeit very bass-heavy), and ...
Coheed and Cambria + Taking Back Sunday at The Mann (8/27/25): An Energetic Stadium-Sized Vision on the Skyline Stage
Derek Oswald
A Coheed and Cambria tour is something you must experience live at least once. Few other shows compare. With Foxing’s earnest opening, Taking Back Sunday’s nostalgic set filled with Fred-era songs, and Coheed’s dazzling ...
Unison Audio Plugins Review: Powerful Tools or Overpriced Hype? MIDI Wizard 2, Drum Monkey, Bass Dragon, Chord Genie
Derek Oswald
Unison Audio’s plugins spark spirited debate in all corners of the music world. I tested four of them: MIDI Wizard 2, Drum Monkey, Bass Dragon, and Chord Genie. First, A Note on the Aforementioned ...
Wavy Industries MONKEY Review: A Ridiculously Small MIDI Controller, With Massive Functionality
Derek Oswald
A €59/approx $70 USD (Altwire’s own conversion as of 09/05/25) two-octave BLE MIDI controller, powered by a coin cell, featuring 6 MIDI effects and a 16-beat looper that layers up to 10 instruments. Quick ...
M-VAVE SMK-37 Pro Review: A Bargain DX7 Tribute That Delivers
Derek Oswald
Portable DX color, real sequencing, and hands-on control in a compact 37-key board. Quick Take For those looking to replicate classic DX-7 sounds on hardware, but without the complexity of an original DX-7 (or ...
Minuendo Adjustable and LIVE Earplugs: 2 Of The Best Options for Protecting Your Ears
Derek Oswald
Two lossless approaches to hi-fi hearing protection: adjustable precision or set-and-forget clarity. USE CODE “ALTWIRE” FOR 15% OFF. Quick Take Minuendo’s hi-fi lossless earplugs come in two flavors. Their Adjustable model offers a stepless ...
Enya Cyber-G Review: A Fun Smart Guitar with 20 Voices, But Clear Limits
Derek Oswald
A hybrid instrument that works well for practice and casual jams, but reliance on app control and the absence of MIDI output hold it back from professional use. Quick Take The Enya Cyber-G is ...
Lunacy Audio CUBE Review: Innovative 3D Motion-Controlled Sampling for Modern Producers
Derek Oswald
Introduction Lunacy Audio’s CUBE takes a bold approach to sample-based synthesis. Instead of offering a traditional library of presets or another analog-style synthesizer, it introduces a 3D interface with eight parallel samplers that can ...
Emergence Audio Infinite Collection: 10 Gorgeous Free Kontakt Player Libraries
Derek Oswald
TL;DR – Infinite Collection Infinite Collection is a free library for Kontakt Player and an entry point into the company’s Infinite Motion Series. It combines ten instruments with the company’s proprietary Non-Static Sampling and the ...
Coheed and Cambria Podcast: An Intimate and Honest Conversation with Josh Eppard – 2025 Tour, Good Apollo and More!
Derek Oswald
Few bands in modern rock have built a world as distinct and devoted as Coheed and Cambria. At the heart of it is drummer Josh Eppard, whose playing has driven the band’s sound for ...
Sonicware SmplTrek in 2025 Review: A Productive & Compact All-in-One Music Workstation
Derek Oswald
Introduction: What is the Sonicware Smpltrek? When Sonicware first launched the SmplTrek, it was pitched as a handheld sampler and groovebox that could take you from idea to finished track without touching a computer. ...
Donner Essential B1 & Essential D1 Review: Budget-Friendly Acid and Beats That Work Together
Derek Oswald
Donner has been expanding from entry-level pedals and beginner instruments into more serious production tools. The company, once best known for affordable guitar pedals and entry-level MIDI controllers, now has its sights on the ...
Donner Essential L1 Synthesizer: A Nostaglic Tribute to an Dance Music Legend
Derek Oswald
Introduction – From the SH-101 to the Essential L1 In 1982, Roland pitched the SH-101 as an affordable, portable monosynth for working musicians. Over time, its snappy envelopes, elastic bass, and resonant filter made ...
Decksaver Review: We Tried 10 Different Covers – And Their Superior Protection Stood Out
Derek Oswald
Get 10% off with the Decksaver discount code ALTWIRE by going here. “****, I Broke Something On My Synth, Now What?” …words you hope you never have to say! For any person who has ...
Goo Goo Dolls Release “Not Goodbye (Close My Eyes)”, Announce Summer Anthem EP, Out August 22
Derek Oswald
Goo Goo Dolls have announced Summer Anthem, a seven-track EP set for release August 22 via Warner Records. The launch aligns with the band’s sold-out Summer Anthem Tour.
Plinky Synth Review: A Fearless 8-Voice Polyphonic Powerhouse of Mood and Motion
Derek Oswald
Introduction I don’t say this a lot about synthesizers I review, but with Plinky, it truly was love at first sight. There’s something so different about this device that once you’re lucky enough to ...
Brendon Small Opens Official Reverb Shop Featuring Guitars from Metalocalypse and Beyond
Derek Oswald
Metalocalypse creator and Dethlok guitarist Brendon Small is launching an official Reverb shop featuring stage-used guitars, rare prototypes, and instruments tied to the show’s development.
