MOTU 828x: A Favorite Audio Interface Gets Thunderbolt Treatment

The MOTU 828 series has been a workhorse if ever there was one. Since the very first model, its more-then-ample I/O, mixing, clocking, and design have made it a favorite in a market crowded with lots of fairly-similar audio interfaces. It’s just more versatile and has easier access to controls and metering than some of […]

Architectural Drum Machine: Beatcam Makes Rhythm in Space, Sight

hre We are making the first tiptoe-steps from the world of the last centuries – proscenium theater, rectangular cinema, fixed perspective – into one that’s fluid in the way digital technology can be. The techniques are simple, but you can see how our vision can be transformed in the latest work by talented West London-based […]

Elektron’s Analog Rytm, Revealed: 8-Voice Analog Drum Machine, with Sample Support

Apparently, this year is the Year of The New Drum Machine. But enough teasing. Elektron now has some actual details for us of their entry. Better still, they sound promising. You get an architecture worthy of the creators of the Machinedrum – with the requisite step sequencer and performance options – but in an instrument […]

Roland Recalls TR-909 History in Aira Teaser; Reminds You Original Used Samples

Roland hasn’t been this buzzed about in a very long time. But in its carefully-calculated teaser campaign for Aira, the company is back in a big way. And we’re slowly getting to see the four Aira devices to be introduced this week. We know Aira will include a drum machine. We know there will be […]

Video Inside DJ Software: Mixvibes Cross 3 Adds Visual Features, Samples and Syncs Video

We’ve seen plenty of dedicated VJ products or third-party add-ons. But when it comes to mixing and management, most DJ software still focuses exclusively on music libraries. The lone exception has been the Video-SL add-on in Serato. Cross 3 from Mixvibes goes further to integrate video natively than any DJ tool previously. The new release […]

New Waldorf Synth Teaser Proves No One Will Make a Crazier Knob Label

This week is likely to be bursting with new synths. And one of the prolific makers of such instruments comes from Remagen, Germany, in the form of Waldorf. Their latest teaser doesn’t tell us much other than there’s a new synth coming. But oh, my — that’s a crazy looking label for a filter cut-off […]

This is Clavia’s New Analog Modeling Synthesizer, the Nord Lead A1 [Pics, Sounds]

We love analog. But for all the talk about analog synths, there are some advantages to modeling analog sounds in digital – like getting a handmade hardware synth that still has 24-voice polyphony. So, the Nord Lead A1 is an analog-modeling synth, not an analog synth. It builds on the Swedish firm’s knowledge of analog […]

Elektron Opens Mystery Box, Revealing – An Analog Drum Machine with Maschine-Style Pads?

What’s in the box? Starting at an event in Berlin in the fall, the folks at Elektron have been teasing new hardware, hiding it inside a padlocked, frosted-plexiglass case. Today, they opened the case. Inside is what appears to be an anticipated new Elektron drum machine – though various readers tell us this latest drum […]

Your Belgrade Underground Connection: See and Hear Experimental Dance Music

From the beating heart of Europe, audiovisual electronic instrumentalism continues to thrive. We’re fortunate to bring a slice of that scene to you. CDM is in Belgrade, Serbia this week, where we’re pleased to host an event celebrating real-time visual expression. And we get to do it in one of the best underground venues in […]

Focusrite iTrack Dock is a Serious Lightning iPad Accessory for Recording Music

The iPad could change recording. But first, you have to change the iPad. Docks once reached fever-like proportions in hardware manufacture. Among those, one stood out: I’ve seen the Alesis iO Dock see iPads get more serious studio use, thanks to convenient access to audio and MIDI. (And that, in turn, is something you often […]