SOUND ON SOUND
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. The double bass is at the heart of Signature Strings, which features over 270 designed and source sound effects.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Synchron Smart Orchestra takes the donkey work out of MIDI programming by providing pre‑orchestrated tutti ensembles, percussion, choir, harp and a suite of lead instruments.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 4/5 Stars. Deep Conjuring is made up of 92 ‘instruments’, some multisampled, others loops, that can be loaded into Mirage’s three layers and then adjusted before being further processed via the 10 built‑in master effects.
This year’s SOS Awards once again place the emphasis on innovation and contemporary design, with the nominations being limited...
We get hands‑on with a unique percussive instrument from Lumen.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Sampled from a Kawai GX grand piano using quality condenser mics, Saturn Hybrid Piano is the debut plug‑in from Sample Factory.
Just when you thought it had all been done with distortion and overdrive pedals, Old Blood Noise Endeavours have put a new spin on the concept...
Cloud’s stylish RCA‑inspired ribbon microphone has enjoyed a dark reboot.
With battery operation and wireless connectivity built in, could the Kombo be the ultimate ‘go anywhere’ PA?
Live 12 introduces a raft of new features, devices and general improvements.
Guitar giants Fender join the modelling pedal party with this powerful and comprehensive floorboard. We put it through its paces...
These new releases, which are available separately, are essentially stripped-back versions of the original Blackstar St James Plugin.
Audeze’s latest headphones make Manny Marroquin’s signature sound more affordable than ever.
IK’s sampled piano instrument aims to be more than just world-beating...
A Gameboy cartridge‑based Eurorack effects module? Robin Vincent puts the Befaco FX Boy to the test.
The dynamic speaker and mic modelling of UA’s popular OX amp‑top box is now available in a compact pedal format.
EastWest have taken the part of the map marked ‘here be dragons’ and made it very much their own.
Why clog up your stage with effects you only use briefly? Line 6’s new stompbox can be any pedal you want it to be, and will fit neatly into any pedalboard setup.
ADAM’s A Series speakers continue to impress!
Contrary to popular reports, preamps don’t all sound the same — and this clever modular system makes it easy to hear the ‘magic’.