Computer / Software

Does Roland’s software Juno 60 capture the magic of the original?

Rating ***** 5/5 Stars. DEEP’s drum sample content and collections of drum pattern style sets give it a distinct musical flavour within the UJAM drum line‑up.

Pianoteq 7 introduces new morphing features and an even more realistic modelling engine.

UJAM and Hans Zimmer attempt to make creating professional string parts possible for everyone with Striiiings.

Is Apple’s new iPad Air the pick of the bunch?

V Collection 8 introduces new instruments and completely reworks some old favourites.

ZoneMatrix transforms a single instance of Kontakt into a multi‑instrument performance environment.

Sample Logic have teamed up with Red Room Audio to deliver a highly animated orchestral instrument.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars.  This Kontakt‑based library comes with the subtitle Boutique Cinematic Guitars, and that captures the essence of what’s provided in the 6GB of sample content.

Rating: 5/5 Stars. This update features some brand‑new content with all the features and content of v2.0: an impressive collection of synth, pad, sound effect and drum options sitting alongside the vocals of Clara Sorace.

Steinberg’s clever use of AI has made spectral editing and unmixing more accessible than ever.

NI’s new instrument makes owning and playing a Stradivarius easier than ever before!

Love the sound of high‑end analogue kit, but don’t have the space or the money to buy it? No problem...

OWC make high‑quality computer accessories with musicians in mind.

BONUS WEB EXTRA REVIEW! Could Apple’s latest 27-inch iMac be the perfect all-in-one at the right price for musicians and audio engineers?

Once again, iZotope have raised the benchmark for affordable audio restoration.

The processor that revolutionised home mastering is at last available in software form.

The hugely successful teleconferencing platform Zoom has had some small but significant updates, making it even more useful to musicians in lockdown.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars

As with the original versions, Royal, Mellow and Rowdy provide three style‑based variants in terms of bass tones and performances, and the three titles share the same engine.

If the 16‑inch MacBook Pro was too much and the MacBook Air too little, is this latest 13‑inch MacBook Pro just right?

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Built around a virtual eight-string guitar, Carbon offers a stylistic take on modern metal and rock.