In the world of standalone samplers and drum machines, Akai has certainly made their mark on the...
Best Music Keyboards & Synth Pads
Reviews from Performer Magazine on keyboards, keyboard amps, synthesizers and samplers.
BOOK REVIEW: Patch & Tweak with Moog
When we received Patch & Tweak in the mail, all work in the office stopped for about an hour –...
Introducing Novation Circuit Tracks
New groovebox encourages music makers to ‘create instinctively; perform immediately’. The latest...
Hacking MIDI Controllers to Create Drum Machine/Guitar Hybrids
In 2001 I started bringing my Ensoniq EPS sampler keyboard on stage to make freestyle beats. It came about in part because as a DJ and producer, it’s always a challenge to be interesting on stage...
How to Hack the TI BeagleBone Black to Make Your Own DIY Synth
The BeagleBone Black is a powerful and low-cost computer the size of an Altoids tin, and can become a DIY synth or effect unit. It can run Linux, a free and open-source operating system. With...
Jack Forman Explores the 1980 Moog Source Monophonic Synthesizer
My band Recess Monkey is a Seattle trio known nationally for our unique spin on "family music." We've made eleven albums and played hundreds of shows over the past 9 years. MAKE & MODEL 1980...
Qu-Bit Electronix Profile & Nebulae Review
Qu-Bit Electronix is a Eurorack modular synthesizer company based out of New York and California. They build synthesizers that are computers hiding in plain sight, able to do things analogue...
Casper Electronics NovaDrone Review
“The Friendly Ghost in the Machine” Casper Electronics is less a company more than it is an ethos encompassing the many ventures of its creator Peter Edwards. Instead of creating a line of many...
Vermona PerFourMer MKii Review & Builder Profile
Vermona is an analogue synthesizer and effect maker based out of Germany; they’ve been turning heads since their emergence in the early 2000s. Vermona was the East German brand that produced...
You Rock Guitar Digital Guitar & MIDI Controller Review
Guitar synths have come a long way, from expensive bulky modules, to compact user-friendly units. You Rock’s latest offering is trying to keep that trend happening. First off, it’s not quite a...
BUILDER PROFILE: Livid Instruments
Livid Instruments creates customizable hardware controllers that turn computers into playable instruments, smoothing workflow and enabling inspired live performances. Livid began in 2004 in Austin,...
Faderfox: Builder Profile and UC3 Review
Electronic musicians are the electric guitar players of the 21st Century. Much like the rockers of yore, they’re burning up stages across the globe with a new instrument and making us reconsider...
BUILDER PROFILE: Doepfer Musikelektronik
Doepfer is a German audio hardware manufacturer specializing in synthesizers and MIDI controllers. Dieter Döpfer began the company in 1979 and it has since grown into one of the most respected...