Reviews
Recommended Plugins: D16’s Classic Boxes Go Beyond Straight Emulation
Derek Oswald
AltWire occasionally receives plugins or products at no cost for review consideration. Well, full disclosure, and I’m embarrassed to admit this: D16 Group gave me the Classic Boxes Collection quite a while ago after ...
Altwire Max For Live Creator Spotlight: Rawton’s Tools Are Weird In All The Right Ways
Derek Oswald
Max for Live is one reason I have such a hard time imagining myself leaving Ableton. I’m always finding a new developer who’s built a device that attacks an old problem from a new ...
Recommended Plugin: Terminal (VST) – Now Clip It, Clip It Good
Derek Oswald
When I’m not chasing Eurodance or 90s dance music drenched in complete cheese, I usually end up at the other end of the spectrum, designing hard techno tracks and industrial tracks that sit at ...
GND-1T Review: Everything Everywhere All at Once, From a Speak & Spell Chip
Derek Oswald
The GND-1T is a strange beast, and trying to summarize its sound feels a little like opening a dictionary and deciding to use every word in one very long sentence. Or, better yet, borrowing ...
Waldorf Protein Review: An Affordable Route To Delicious 90’s Cheese
Derek Oswald
Waldorf used the oscillator research behind its Microwave 1 Plugin as the foundation for a $399 four-layer hardware synth. Is Waldorf’s ’90s-influenced box, the Waldorf Protein worth your time? Lately, I’ve been obsessed with ...
Nord Electro 7 Review: A Best of Both Worlds Nord
Derek Oswald
My first experience with the Nord Electro 7 was likely a bit different from most. Rather than spending those first ten minutes on glissandos, random noodling, or menu diving, I took another path: I ...
Stride 1.4.1 Review: Turning Happy Accidents Into Movement
Derek Oswald
Stride is a parameter-motion tool built around fast experimentation, editable automation, and the happy accidents in between. I am the king of the randomize button. Serum 2’s Hybridize function is dangerous for me; I’ll ...
Kasser Synths DAFM Genesis Review: Tonight We’re Gonna Party Like It’s 1989
Derek Oswald
Green Hill Zone has been in my head for most of my life, so hearing that familiar tone coming out of the DAFM Genesis was always going to hit the nostalgia button pretty hard. ...
Melbourne Instruments NINA 2026 Review: An Already Great Synth, Now Even Better
Derek Oswald
Within seconds of its first power-on, Melbourne Instruments’ NINA already looks unlike anything else on the desk. After a brief boot, every knob starts moving on its own, snapping into position to match the ...
Flaus Electric Flosser Review: The Perfect Flosser For People Who Loathe Flossing
Derek Oswald
Welcome to our Home & Wellness section. In 2026, the ALT in Altwire becomes Audio, Living & Tech. I must say, I never expected I’d be reviewing an electronic flosser on Altwire. But honestly, ...
Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave 8M Review: All That You Loved About The OG PPG, Plus A Whole Lot More
Derek Oswald
When Bob Coover first pitched me on the 3rd Wave 8M in mid-September 2025, he said something I probably filed under sales optimism at first: “You can make any sound you want with this ...
Blipblox myTRACKS Review: A $349 Groovebox That Helps Children’s Music Creation Feel Like Magic
Derek Oswald
Fifteen minutes after the Blipblox myTRACKS arrived at my doorstep, I had it sitting on the desk with the built-in speaker pointed toward the ceiling. Then I hit the RNDM button for the first ...
I Bought My First Moog for $550. Kulshan Studios Turned It Into an Electronic Music Gem
Derek Oswald
Disclaimer: Kulshan Studios sent me the preset packs for this review, but had no editorial control over the final piece. A clean Subsequent 25 popped up on Facebook Marketplace for $550. Honestly, I probably ...
Hardstyle Producers, Stop Fighting Generic Plugins: Lussive Audio Builds Tools for Brutal Kicks and Basslines
Derek Oswald
Most music software companies don’t pay much attention to hardstyle. They might add a few hard dance presets, throw some distortion on a sound, call it “raw,” and move on. But that’s not the ...
‘Mirrors and Smoke’ (2026): Nicole Alexis’ Immersive, Mournfully Comforting EP
Iceis Augustino
On April 17th, 2026, Nashville’s DIY Alt-Singer-Songwriter Nicole Alexis made listeners aware of her multi-faceted skills, versatility, and rich inner artist world when she released her latest heartfelt, relatable Alt-Acoustic EP, Mirrors and Smoke. ...
Shed Skin’s Hypnotic Techno Ableton Racks Review: Perfect Techno in Ableton Live 12
Derek Oswald
Format: Ableton Live 12 Instrument Racks (Max for Live required). Racks are priced individually on Shed Skin’s Bandcamp Requires: Ableton Live 12 Suite (12.2.1 minimum; newest racks require 12.3.2) LIMITED TIME DISCOUNT: ALTWIRE30 for 30% Off ...
Outerverse.fm – Complete Psytrance Ableton Rack Bundle Review: A 5 Rack Inspiration Machine
Derek Oswald
Developer: outerverse.fm Price (as of 04/20/2026): $103 Format: Direct download, Ableton Live Suite 12.2.1+ required, native devices only It started with FeelYourSound’s Trance Engine. I was working through its options and landed on the dedicated psytrance section, ...
Tentij Instruments ORB MK1 Review: Heavenly Wurlitzer Charm In A Much Smaller Package
Derek Oswald
Unit provided by Tentij Instruments for review. The Tentij Instruments ORB MK1 weighs under 7 pounds and sounds like a 56-pound 1960s Wurlitzer. That sentence shouldn’t make sense, but by God, they’ve done it. ...
Erica Synths x 112db Xenodrive: A Great Effects Box for Industrial and Acid Producers
Derek Oswald
If you want a one sentence takeaway from this review, go no further than this: Erica Synths‘ new Xenodrive can make your synths an industrial workhorse. Xenodrive: Bringing a Synth From a Whimper To ...
Studiologic Numa X Piano GT Review (2026): Studiologic’s Top of The Line Studio Essential
Derek Oswald
I’ve spent the last few weeks learning what it’s like to play a true studio workhorse. American Music & Sound sent this to me on loan, and the experience was fun, if not an ...
