Novation Music: XioSynth 25
reviewed by
A few months ago, while Neil Mclellan and I were having dinner at his place and listening to some tracks he'd been mixing on his home rig, he started to show me webpages of some big old synths that he...
Gear Reviews
Instruments
Paul Slocum: Synthcart for Atari 2600
reviewed by Roy Silverstein
I've been messing around with video game music since about 1997 with my good friend Joseph Majalca in Chicago under the moniker Royal Space Force. We started off by using sound tests and otherwise...
monome: monome 40h
reviewed by Josh Boughey
I came across monome in April, while trolling the web for information on step sequencers. I found myself drawn to the Spartan aesthetic of monome.org and the minimalist principles expressed there. And...
Generator LLC: KikBrik
reviewed by Tony SanFilippo
Bass drums are a strange thing. They are big and can be unruly, or worse yet, tiny-sounding if packed with a bunch of crap. They have a lot of interior space that is reflective and rounded. And they...
Moog Music: MF-102 Ring Modulator MF-105 MuRF
reviewed by Pete Weiss
When he heard that The Weisstronauts were undertaking a mini-tour last fall, Andy "Gear Geek" Hong was cool enough to loan me a couple of his Moogerfooger pedals-by Moog Music-to try out on the road....
Effector 13: Soda Meiser & Hymm Strangle/ Synth Mangler pedals
reviewed by Pete Weiss
Being an ardent fan of Effector 13 pedals, as well as someone who has the potential to lose days at a time while coaxing weirdness out of effects, I was psyched to have the chance to check out the...
Zizzle: Zoundz looping toy
reviewed by Pete Weiss
Last Christmas, in addition to the Recording the Beatles book (coolest gift ever?), my wife gave me a nifty little device called Zoundz from the toy company Zizzle. It's intended for children aged...
Savage Audio: Macht 12x guitar amp
reviewed by Allen Farmelo
Last winter, I got my hands on a Savage Macht 12x guitar amplifier and haven't tracked guitars without it since. For technical details and configuration options, visit the website. I'm going to focus...
PAiA Electronics: Theremax
reviewed by J. Robert Lennon
If there is a hip weird band in your town, it's highly probable that they either have a theremin or are saving up for one. The only instrument that you don't have to touch in order to play, the...
Korg: microKORG Synth/Vocoder
reviewed by John Baccigaluppi
I know that this little synthesizer is already very popular and quite a few units have sold, but just in case you somehow haven't heard or seen one, let me clue you in. This is one bestseller that...
Taylor Guitars: Expression SystemTM, K4 EqualizerT
reviewed by Pete Weiss
Ask any acoustic guitarist, and they'll tell you their biggest challenge: amplifying the dang thing in a live situation. The three perennial solutions all have serious drawbacks: soundhole pickups can...
Signal Arts: MIDI Analog Performance Sequencer
reviewed by Geoff Farina
The Signal Arts MIDI Analog Performance Sequencer was specifically designed for experimental composition in the sense that it requires the user to focus on the sequencing process instead of the end...