Category: Syndicated

Nord Drum

It would be fair to say that Clavia knows a thing or two about electronic percussion. Long before the Nord range of synths, pianos, organs and sound modules, the company began life in the late ’80s as manufacturers of the ddrum series of kits and triggers. In 2005, however, the brand was sold to Armadillo, [...]

Nord Drum

It would be fair to say that Clavia knows a thing or two about electronic percussion. Long before the Nord range of synths, pianos, organs and sound modules, the company began life in the late ’80s as manufacturers of the ddrum series of kits and triggers. In 2005, however, the brand was sold to Armadillo, [...]

ValhallaDSP ÜberMod

Anyone on at least nodding terms with music production knows that a sprinkling of delay and modulation throughout the average mix is an essential life-giving element. Standard delays are ten a penny these days, but deeper, more versatile modulation plug-ins seem to be a bit thin on the ground. ValhallaDSP aims to meaningfully up the [...]

Straightarrow Quiver 1.1

Software modular synths were all the rage for a while, but lately, fixed-path instruments have taken over our plug-ins folders. Maybe it’s because modular synths have never been perceived as particularly user-friendly – a belief that new Denmark-based developer Straightarrow hopes to change with Quiver. “The standard oscillator includes everything you’d expect from a well-designed analogue [...]

Prodipe Studio 22 Pro

Solid and quite heavy, this angular metal box feels like it could survive a nuclear war. The Studio 22 Pro’s two XLR/jack combo inputs and two 1/4-inch jack outputs are supplemented by two pairs of phonos, with outs mirroring the outputs and ins mixed with the inputs. The box also features MIDI I/O with activity monitor [...]

ART XConnect USB microphone cable

With a female XLR plug at one end and a USB connector with a tiny 16-bit, 44.1/48kHz audio interface packed into it at the other, the XConnect works with any XLR-equipped dynamic (ie, non-phantom powered) mic – we tested it with a Shure SM57. At 3m, the shielded, unbalanced cable should offer enough reach for [...]

Best Service Galaxy X

Galaxy X is described as a convolution synthesiser, which is to say that it imposes the characteristics of one sample (an X-File) on one or more others (X-Sources). The scale of the thing is bonkers. There are three separate instruments: Galaxy X-Keys, Galaxy X-FX and Galaxy X-Loops. They draw on over 16,000 samples to create [...]

Garritan Instant Orchestra

If there’s one criticism that could be levelled at Garritan’s amazing range of orchestral ROMplers, it’s that they can be tricky for non-arrangers to use. Instant Orchestra (which runs standalone or as a plug-in) aims to provide an easier option by presenting the orchestra as a whole and in its various complete sections (rather than [...]