The market for studio keyboards these days is so saturated with nearly identical products – keys, knobs, faders and pads, we’ve seen it all – that it’s hard to think of a way to truly revolutionize the modern MIDI keyboard and control surface while also retaining all of the familiar [...]
The Beat Thang audio workstation from BKE Technology was unexpectedly one of my favorite pieces of equipment showcased at NAMM 2013, and recently I was afforded the privilege to spend some quality time with one of these incredible drum machines. To call it just a drum machine isn’t quite fair; [...]
Moving even deeper into the still-exploding mobile market, Akai has recently released the iMPC mobile app for iPad. Sporting the look and layout of its popular hardware counterparts, the iMPC should feel natural to anyone who’s ever used one of these iconic beat machines. But can it hold its own [...]
For any recording artist or producer starting out, one of the toughest decisions is how exactly to capture live sound. The built-in microphone on your phone, tablet, or laptop simply won't do – especially when recording something like guitar or synthesizer. Luckily, Focusrite has launched the iTrack Solo: a simple, [...]
The AK-7 Core MIDI Keyboard iPad app, released by Saitara Software just under a year ago, stands strong as one of the most straightforward and uncomplicated options among wireless iPad MIDI controllers. Though not available for free, the AK-7 keyboard is certainly worth the low price of admission for those [...]
Propellerhead’s Reason software is well-known for its diverse and expertly-crafted array of built-in virtual instruments and devices, from the Dr. Octo Rex loop slicer to the massive-sounding Thor Polysonic Synthesizer. One of the newest offerings, the PX7 FM Synthesizer, is so powerful, complex, nuanced, and yet easy to use that [...]
The Numark Orbit was positively one of the most innovative and aesthetically outstanding pieces of this year’s NAMM Show. This wireless 2.4 GHz DJ controller (which operates on its own dongle rather than your computer’s WiFi) exhibits no noticeable latency and incorporates two axes of accelerometers for effects control. This [...]
As an EDM DJ in the digital age, Traktor has always been my go-to software for its ease of use and abundance of features, most notably rock-solid effects. With the release of Traktor 2.6, Native Instruments ushers in a new era of audio creativity on the dancefloor. Brand new features [...]
After previously reviewing the Allen & Heath Xone:DB2, I wondered how much different its more robust cousin, the Xone:DB4, might be. The two look similar, and the DB2 was already one of the more thrilling units I’ve encountered in a while, so I wondered just how much better the DB4 [...]
It’s an instrument. It’s a DAW control surface. It’s a DJ controller. On certain days, maybe it’s also a gaming pad. The new OhmRGB by Livid Instruments is anything you want it to be, because it’s extremely open-ended; at the end of the day, it’s nothing but a bunch of [...]