The Dave Smith Instruments Evolver is an inexpensive monophonic synthesizer module and signal processor that combines digital and analog technology. EM explores its capabilities for producing new and unusual sounds....
Akai's new flagship sampler, the Z8, is the latest in a long and popular product line. The Z8 comes loaded for bear with its 60 GB internal hard drive,...
From U.K. manufacturer Analogue Solutions comes the Vostok, a portable modular synthesizer that provides plenty of basic functions for producing and manipulating...
If you're a keyboardist, you're expected to be an arranger and an orchestrator who can work in a wide variety of styles. In the course of a day's work,...
When I'm shopping for an analog-modeling synth, I want all the features I'd wish for in a real analog, and more. I want an instrument that sounds luxurious,...
Korg had a phenomenal hit back in the mid-1980s with one of the first keyboard workstations, the M1. In the years since, Korg has worked hard to keep...
You can't beat portability. The other day, I tossed a Novation K-Station into a duffel bag, drove to a friend's studio, and poured out colossal bass lines,...
I love unusual instruments, especially ones that have visual appeal when played. That's why the Alesis airSynth ($249) grabbed my attention. To play it,...
Lately, it seems as though anything you can slap, scrape, or smack with a stick has been sampled and fossilized on CD-ROM. The number of ready-to-beat...
Nothing ignites a song like a tasty sound bite or a slamming drum loop. But for many musicians, traditional samplers are too expensive, complex, bulky,...
Back in the day, real musicians played real analog synthesizers. Minimoogs, Odysseys, Putneys, and Electrocomps those were true analog machines, subject...
Since pioneering the affordable keyboard workstation with the D20 in 1988, Roland has always maintained a strong presence in that market. The company's...
Once upon a time, musicians sporting sideburns, large zodiac medallions on thick gold chains, and tight polyester jumpsuits grunted and heaved their monstrously...
Dance-music genres have inspired musical-instrument manufacturers to develop one-stop solutions for making music. Two new products from E-mu, the MP-7...
Yamaha's 9000 Pro keyboard workstation is a grown-up arranger-style keyboard. At its heart, it has auto-accompaniment patterns, but with the added sophistication...
The dream is tantalizing: a single keyboard that can handle all your music-production needs, providing great sounds and effects and an intuitive sequencer...
A new generation of analog modular synthesizers has quietly come of age. Such instruments update the best of vintage designs by offering modern circuitry...
Occasionally, a musical-instrument manufacturer introduces a product that marks a real departure from its usual fare, an instrument that elevates the...
In 1995 an obscure Swedish company named Clavia breathed new life into a traditional synthesizer form with the introduction of its Nord Lead synthesizer....
