The newest Erica system is an exercise in minimalism – analog, fit in a single unit. The price and size are absolutely as low as you can go – but with some deep sound capabilities.
Music
RIP Dax Pierson, Árni Grétar Jóhannesson aka Futuregrapher
Music January 6, 2025
Lists aside, these 2024 albums are personal must-listens
Music Reviews Stories December 31, 2024
Gorgeous new music from Hainbach, like dreams above radio antennas
Hainbach may be known to most as the YouTuber with a bespectacled gaze, talking to you about weird old sound gear. But his ambient music is absolutely beguiling.
iPad Eurorack: An unofficial port is bringing VCV Rack to iOS
Get ready for some tablet patching. A developer has revealed a port of popular open source modular environment VCV Rack to the iPad.
Let’s talk leftfield techno, with moody synth gems from Lars Hemmerling
Known for his collaborations with Dasha Rush, Lars Hemmerling shows off on her Fullpanda label his full spectrum of synthesis and production chops. We spoke to him about how he works. In turns as murky as a depressive overcast German day, as cosmic as a starfield, as brutal as some smelting action, Lars’ latest is […]
macOS Catalina will be incompatible with much of your music software; here’s what to know
macOS Catalina, the next Mac release, dramatically tightens security and removes 32-bit compatibility. That will cause incompatibilities with music software, requiring updates. Here’s what you need to know.
Loraine James’ sound is intense, mixed up, and essential
The newest release for Hyperdub, in its untethered torrent of distorted rhythm, feels personal and liberated – and today, gets one of the more significant recent video releases, to boot.
Erica’s Black System II is a full-featured modular
Erica Synths have made a strength out of building a full catalog of modules – and their systems show off how complete that is, at a price that compares favorably.
KORG are making Pokémon metronomes and tuners
If there was any doubt that KORG wants to be the Nintendo of music brands, here’s yet another partnership with the iconic game maker – but it’s sadly only skin deep. Yes, it’s true, you get insanely cute Pokémon metronomes and clip-on pitch tuners. But there’s a missed opportunity here – whereas Teenage Engineering recently […]
Revisit the 90s Roland MC grooveboxes with these cringe-worthy videos
90s techno is back, 90s trance is back, 90s Roland is … back. With Roland releasing MC series grooveboxes again, let’s flash back to the oddly entertaining demo videos they produced for the 90s models. Whatever Roland did to differentiate the MC hardware models, they sure did differentiate the videos – using an oddball selection […]
Roland brings back the MC groovebox: MC-707, pint-sized MC-101 [Deep Dive]
The move back to hardware jams is in full force. And what better sign than Roland re-introducing the MC groovebox line – with the full-sized MC-707 and pint-sized MC-101. The reason you know it’s not the 1990s? They advertise them as replacing your laptop.