Reviews
‘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 ...
Cheerful Electronic OPL Studio Review: A Full OPL3 MIDI Studio In The Palm of Your Hand
Derek Oswald
The moment I pulled the OPL Studio by Cheerful Electronic out of its box, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. It looks like a handheld toy straight out of the 1990s, a ...
Gamechanger Audio Motor Pedal Review: 2025’s Most Creative Pedal Release
Derek Oswald
A glass window sits on top of the enclosure, revealing a brushed DC motor. Feed in a note, and the pedal’s pitch-tracking system uses that note to drive the motor oscillator. An A4 at ...
No Work On Monday Toolkit Review: A No-Brainer Ableton Rack Collection, That Shouldn’t Be Just $39
Derek Oswald
A significant part of my job involves scrolling Instagram’s explore tab to find products worth covering. A few months back, I kept seeing informative tutorials from the same account. These were short clips about ...
Death By Audio: The Destroyer Series – 3 Small But Mighty Pedals
Derek Oswald
Death By Audio has been hand-building noisy pedals in New York for over twenty years. The Fuzz War is standard-issue in noise rock. The Rooms is one of the most unhinged stereo reverbs you ...
Heavys H1H Review: Finally, Headphones That Respect Rock
Derek Oswald
Full disclosure, I am aware these have been out for several years. However, I kept seeing these pop up on my feed during the holidays, with Instagram videos of people listening at trade shows, ...
Audima Labs The Sway Review: An Entertaining New Take on DJing
Derek Oswald
The Birth of The Sway If you live in Australia, your first introduction to The Sway or Audima Labs may have been on Shark Tank Australia, where many startups get their first spotlight. However, ...
EDMProd Superknobs Ultimate Collection Review: 230+ One Knob Tweaks That Make Your Music Suck Less
Derek Oswald
We received this product from EDMProd complimentary after contacting them to do a review; however, we received no financial compensation for writing this piece. I wanted Superknobs Ultimate for the last stretch. I can ...
Think Like a Synth: 31 Lessons That Finally Made Synthesis Click
Derek Oswald
We received the Think Like a Synth course complimentary from Anthony Marinelli’s team after contacting them to inquire about a review. We have received no financial compensation for this review. I’ve spent years “using” ...
this.is.NOISE.inc Gamma Mini Synth: 90’s 8-Bit Nostaglia In An Always In Tune Synth
Derek Oswald
We received this review unit from this.is.NOISE.inc, however, we have received no financial compensation for this review. Having been a big fan of their MIDI controllers, and the team behind this.is.NOISE in general (they’re ...
Teenage Engineering EP-40 Riddim Supertone: 13 Artists, One Very Bold Vision
Derek Oswald
Many years ago, Teenage Engineering had an idea for a reggae-themed Pocket Operator. What shipped in November 2025 was something else entirely. Turbulence and Junior Reed performed on an unreleased unit at Weddy Weddy ...
The Runarounds Bring a New Sound To Emo’s Austin – January 17, 2026
Daniel Benavides
Austin, TX • Emo’s Austin (East) Walking into Emo’s Austin last Saturday, for The Runarounds show, the energy was unlike any I had seen for some time. While I have been in this game ...
Everclear Brings All Their Classic Hits to the Aztec Theatre
Daniel Benavides
Friday, January 16, 2026 San Antonio, TX • Historic Aztec Theatre Friday night at the Aztec Theatre felt like stepping into a portal into the 90s-2000’s. From the moment Everclear’s amp stacks lit up ...
Trap Door Electronics Active Acid: Prophet-5 Character In A Stomp Box
Derek Oswald
If recent reviews and demo videos on AltWire haven’t already made this clear, I’m a massive fan of acid-style music. Its sounds, its subgenres, and the numerous 303 hardware clones, tributes, and VSTs that ...
Strange Things: Subsocial Studios’ War on Boring Samples – Plus 25% Discount Code!
Derek Oswald
EEnjoy a Subsocial Studios Now & Forever discount code, courtesy of Altwire! Purchase a forever subscription here, and use code ALTWIRE at checkout for 25% off the full price! Picture this: somewhere in Vancouver, ...
