Hardware Reviews

Plinky Synth

Plinky Synth Review: A Fearless 8-Voice Polyphonic Powerhouse of Mood and Motion

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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 ...

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron 4TB

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron 4TB SSD: This Reliable SSD Speeds Up Massive Kontakt Libraries

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Reviewing VSTs and libraries have left our laptop's internal hard drive crying for mercy. Can the OWC Envoy Pro Elektron 4TB SSD solve our woes?

Shure MV7+ Product Photo

Shure MV7+ Review: A Powerful Upgrade from The MV7

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The Shure SM7B still sets the pro standard, yet many creators now want a mic that’s simpler, cheaper, and just as solid on sound. Enter the MV7+.

Landscape.fm Ferrous

Ferrous by Landscape.fm: A New Way to Explore Sound

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Landscape.fm and artist Victoria Shen's Ferrous helps you discover unfamiliar sounds via exploration, and the experience itself helps you view music in a new way, says our reviewer.

Polyend Tracker Mini

Polyend Tracker Mini: Our Honest Verdict Before the 10th Anniversary Limited Edition

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The Tracker Mini is a compact music workstation built around a tracker interface: streamlined, portable, and shaped by deliberate design choices. It delivers serious production capabilities in a form that fits in the palm ...

Yamaha SEQTrak

Yamaha SEQTRAK Review: A Fast, Focused, and Fun Groovebox with Over 2,000 Sounds

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Yamaha has a long history of blurring the line between groovebox, synth, and sketchpad with some of their flagship synths. But the SEQTRAK is something different. Both a purpose-built workstation and a sequencer, it’s ...

Yamaha Reface DX

Ten Years On, And The Reface DX Still Impresses in 2025 (REVIEW)

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Introduction In 2015, Yamaha introduced the Reface DX to make FM synthesis more approachable. It packs a four-operator engine, a Full-Dot LCD, and 37 mini keys. All fit into a chassis the size of ...

Alter Audio TimeTosser MK2 in USB mode

Timetosser MK2: Bold Time-Slicing Wizardry in a Compact Tool

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Introduction The Timetosser MK2 is a compact, button-driven box built to reshape audio in real time. No screens, no saved loops—just rhythm manipulation at your fingertips. This device focuses on one thing: cutting and ...

OP-XY Front Panel

OP–XY Review: What Would Happen if The OP-1 Field and OP-Z Had a Love Child?

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Since launching the game-changing OP-1 in 2014, Teenage Engineering has carved out a reputation for marrying playful design with pro-grade functionality, from the pocket-sized OP-Z to the OP-1 Field workstation. With the OP–XY, they’ve ...

McNally Strumstick Full Body

The McNally Strumstick: Why 2025 May Finally Be The Year You Get Better at Guitar

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Why Strumstick? Learning the guitar can feel like a slow-motion car crash. Your fingertips go numb. Your chords sound like furniture falling down the stairs. You realize playing “Wonderwall” takes weeks, not hours. Worst ...

Arturia Microfreak

Arturia MicroFreak Review: Is Still Worth It In 2026?

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Considering purchasing an Arturia Microfreak? See if the Arturia Microfreak is still worth a purchase in 2026!

Novation Launchkey 61 MK4

Novation Launchkey 61 MK4 Review – Powerful Features, Thoughtful Design, Modest Price

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Around for over a decade, the Novation LaunchKey line has long been a preferred MIDI controller for those looking for a cost-effective way to control their DAW, especially Ableton Live users. Now in its ...

Scarlett 18i20 Focusrite front panel

Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen Review: Pro-Level Power Made Ridiculously Simple

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The first time I ever plugged a microphone into an interface, it was a Scarlett Solo—the tiny red box that launched a thousand home studios. Mine included. Back then, it felt like magic: clear ...

Daydreamer Synth 1

Daydreamer Synth 1 Review: The Stunning Wooden Wonder Redefining Analog Access

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First Impressions It’s not every day you stumble across a synthesizer that looks like it was carved from a tree trunk, but that’s exactly what the Daydreamer Synth 1 feels like at first glance. ...

Michigan Synth Works MSW-810m

Michigan Synth Works MSW-810m Review: A Forgotten Classic, Reborn for the Modern Desktop

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The Michigan Synth Works MSW-810m is a modern tribute to the rare Roland CMU-810—a synthesizer that, while largely forgotten outside niche circles, represents an intriguing chapter in the history of music technology. Originally released ...

Beetlecrab Audio's Tempera

Beetlecrab Audio’s Tempera: Turning 4,096 Grains into Colorful Sound Art

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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 ...

Cubyfun EasyPlay 1s, EasyPlay Meow

Learn, Play, Repeat: How CubyFun’s EasyPlay 1S and EasyPlay Meow Make Music Education Fun

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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 ...

MIDICake MIDICake ARP

Midicake ARP Review: How One Man’s Dream Made For a Pretty Damn Fun 4-Track Arpeggiator

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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

Chroma Console by Hologram Electronics: An Amazing Effects Console That Feels like 20 Pedals In One

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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. ...

CMEPRO WIDI MASTER

CMEPRO WIDI Master – Unleash Wireless 5-Pin MIDI and Ditch the Cable Chaos!

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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 ...

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