musical instrument

This portable, rechargeable synth focuses on the pretty side of modular

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Modern Sounds Normally when people talk about “modular synths”, you probably envision a giant Eurorack system with thousands of dollars worth of modules and rats nests of patch cables forming impossibly complex networks. But, over the past few years companies have made a concerted effort to bring the flexibility of modular to smaller and more …

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Liven XFM is a $199 groovebox for ’80s fetishists

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Sonicware Sonicware first broke on the scene with the ELZ_1 a few years back — a portable multimode synth that’s seemed to draw inspiration from Teenage Engineering’s OP-1. Then last year it announced the Liven 8-Bit Warps, a looping synth with a collection of engines for creating your own chirpy chiptunes. Now, before its even …

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Poly Effects fully merges Digit and Beebo into one super pedal

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The Poly Effects Digit and Beebo are two of the more interesting guitar pedals to come out in the last few years. They feature large touchscreens and incredible depth for designing your own effects and instruments. They’re basically virtual modular synths in a pedal format. While Digit and Beebo have different strengths, they are built …

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Korg’s ARP 2600 M is a ‘mini’ version of an iconic synth

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Last year Korg announced a limited edition remake of the ARP 2600. It’s about as iconic as synths get. But, the 2600 is a beast of an instrument. The whole package, including the keyboard, weighs about 68 pounds and would basically demand it’s own table or desk. Technology has come along way since the original …

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Uno Synth Pro is IK Multimedia’s attempt to move beyond budget instruments

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IK Multimedia It was only two years ago that IK Multimedia decided to branch out from its normal MIDI controllers and mobile audio interfaces to try its hand at building a standalone synthesizer. The Uno Synth was pretty successful — it packed big authentic analog sound into a portable and affordable package. But now the …

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Arturia’s KeyStep 37 is a $199 MIDI controller with scale and strum modes

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Arturia Arturia’s KeyStep family is getting a bit bigger with the announcement of the KeyStep 37. The new $199 controller fits in between the $149 KeyStep and $449 KeyStep Pro. As you might have guessed from its name, it features 37 velocity-sensitive slimkeys with aftertouch, giving it five more keys than the already hefty KeyStep. …

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