Ekssperimental Sounds Studios analog-style wonders for Reason: hands-on

It’s a portal into a wonderland of retro-inspired gear, all in Reason. Sweden’s own Erik Karl Stephan Söderberg built EKSS as a one-man passion project, building Rack Extensions that ooze personality—that boutique hardware feeling, but all in the box. Come with me down the rabbit hole, including Erik’s fantastic new FreakShift effect and drum step-sequencer.

Legendary Syncussion SY-1 1970s 2-voice drum module is now a playable Mac plug-in

Once upon a time in 1979, Pearl – yeah, the drum maker Pearl – made its own drum module. And it’s been sought after ever since, as well as enjoying a nice renaissance thanks to hardware remakes. Now at last, you can get it in plug-in form, with that friendly, playable panel layout. Cost: just a few bucks.

Peter Kirn - February 11, 2022

Antiques Roadshow? Yamaha to Celebrate Its Synth Legacy with Vintage Gear

Hey – don’t forget Yamaha. For all the buzz about Roland and KORG (and American makers like Moog), the titan Japanese maker surely deserves its own enormous claim to synthesizer history. This is the company that made one the most influential polyphonic synths of all time (the CS-80), and introduced the world to FM synthesis […]

Peter Kirn - January 8, 2015