Gear Music tech Software Stories Tech
NI after NI: which brand is where, and who owns whom
Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx being part of inMusic? That was early May; now only NI remains at inMusic. 2026′ mergers and acquisitions have come so fast, you practically need a reference to keep up. So… let’s do just that. It’s part of a larger pattern of ownership changes and layoffs across every part of the music instrument business.
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Stretch keys — Novation rounds out the MK4 Launchkey range with 88 keys
Novation’s Launchkey remains a go-to, no-hassle standard for MIDI controllers. Now they’ve rounded out their MK4 lineup with an 88-key model that adds the extra octaves without the weight or bulk that usually entails. They opted for semi-weighted keys to keep from bulking up.) It’s the compact MK4, all stretched out. Here’s the latest on the full MK4 lineup.
Peter Kirn - July 15, 2026
Gear Music tech Tech
Sinevibes Quarta: 10 FX, 4 zones on the pocket-sized NTS-3 kaoss pad
Korg’s NTS-3 is an absolute joy — a cute, pocket-sized, inexpensive kit that you can load up with custom effects. But that gets even more interesting once you add Sinevibes’ library of effects. And now you get one especially created for the X/Y pad. I’ve been testing a prerelease build, and this is a return to everything that I love about kaoss. And oops — here’s the perfect pocket live/DJ effect.
Peter Kirn - July 2, 2026
Gear Music tech Reviews Tech
Flexur and Chill, with this Trautonium-inspired DIY synthesizer
Peter Kirn - June 24, 2026
DIY + Unusual Music tech Tech
Noiseferatu: open-source, 45 algorithms, like a KAOSS Pad from Hell
Peter Kirn - June 23, 2026
DIY + Unusual Gear Music tech Tech
Sequential Prophet-5 gets an official software remake by GForce — tested
Peter Kirn - June 16, 2026
Music tech Reviews Software Tech
