News
“There’s plenty of output to use the pedal as a conventional boost with tonal options. And there’s a whole area of dirt to be explored”: JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage review
1+ hour, 59+ min ago (457+ words) Range of sounds that you don't get from mainstream dirt pedals. It's fairly niche " the harsher clipping sounds won't suit'every player. Those of us who used a Portastudio multi-tracker back in the day might have thought we'd heard the last…...
“Would I take this to gigs and use it with confidence, knowing that my pedals are being powered sufficiently and safely? Absolutely”: Harley Benton Spaceship Power 40-B review
3+ day, 4+ min ago (1430+ words) Space wasted along the sides by the pre-installed hook-and-loop. Battery light hard to read. Though it's made waves for its affordable acoustic and electric guitars, Harley Benton has consistently proved it has much to offer when it comes to accessories…...
Frustrated about the sterile feel of your digital guitar rig? Friends and family commenting on how stiff your playing has been since you went all in with modellers? Victory’s PowerValve 200 has the mojo to restore that tube amp “thump” and feel
6+ day, 52+ min ago (600+ words) With an onboard Valve React Circuit, this 200-watt power amp is designed to push air through a real guitar speaker, giving you quote/unquote real amp feel when using a modeller Victory Amps has unveiled the PowerValve 200, a 200-watt tube-driven…...
“The thing was lighting up like a toaster. It was glowing red”: Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo didn't overheat a speaker during the making of Michael Jackson’s Beat It, but an AC/DC issue did
6+ day, 2+ hour ago (747+ words) Something let loose in the amplifier and put out a tremendous power surge," says engineer Matt Forger We're sorry to be the bearers of bad news but, in case there was still any doubt, it's seemingly been confirmed that the…...
"The amp and effects modelling unit for those who’d rather play than get bogged down in too many details" Blackstar ID:X Floor Two review
6+ day, 18+ hour ago (1015+ words) A lot of sounds for not much money. Plenty of connectivity options. Lack of footswitches makes mid-song control tricky. If you think that quality valve amp emulations and organic-sounding effects are the reserve of deep-pocketed pros possessing a physics degree…...
“A happy bending of the rules of nature”: Elektron’s latest Syntakt update adds sample synthesis and new sequencing tools to the hybrid drum synth
1+ week, 4+ day ago (414+ words) The free v1.40 update is out now for all existing users Given that it's been on the market since 2022, you'd be forgiven for assuming that we'd seen all that Syntakt has to offer. But Elektron " a company with a history of…...
Waldorf upgrades its Iridium Desktop synth with a little help from Aphex Twin
1+ week, 3+ day ago (534+ words) Iridium Desktop Mk2 gains a new synthesis mode, extra power under-the-hood, and an automation feature inspired by Richard D James First launched in 2020, Iridium is based on the same multi-engine design as Waldorf's flagship Quantum, which combines various complex digital synthesis…...
“Evocative organ sounds and slower, gentler revolutions with a distinctive flavour”: Crumar Burn rotary speaker simulation pedal review
1+ week, 3+ day ago (1015+ words) Plenty of sonic range and adjustability. The reverb can't be bypassed properly. The controls might be easy to knock. Though invented for the organ, the Leslie speaker sound gained a whole new fanbase as the electric guitarists of the 1960s started…...
“Until now, creativity has been stifled by the need to acquire playing skills. Now, using the computer, any child can play": Unearthed BBC video from 1986 shows what music technology in the classroom used to look and sound like
1+ week, 4+ day ago (666+ words) Can a Yamaha CX5M computer succeed in a world of glockenspiels and triangles? The BBC has dipped into its archive once again to give us another fascinating look at how the relationship between computers and music was perceived in the late…...
“Six highly collectible amplifiers valued at more than most homes are worth”: Looking for the holy grail tube tones of Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer, Carlos Santana and Robben Ford? IK Multimedia just put $300,000 of Dumble mojo into a Tonex One mini pedal
1+ week, 3+ day ago (438+ words) The Tonex One Double Special is a limited edition pedal preloaded with 20 models from two "ber-rare Dumbles " and the bundled software presents sounds from six Overdrive Specials IK Multimedia has just expanded its Tonex One amp modelling lineup with a…...