Investor lawsuit filed against Hawk Tuah memecoin creators, partners“The HAWK Token exhibits all the characteristics of an unregistered security under established legal precedent,” litigants claimed.

Fibonacci Clock Looks Like Beautiful Modern ArtDon’t ask us why, but hackers and makers just love building clocks. Especially in the latter case, many  like to specialize in builds that don’t even look like traditional timepieces, and are difficult to read unless you know the trick behind them. [NerdCave] has brought us a pleasing example of such a thing, in the form of this gorgeous Fibonacci clock.
The build was inspired by an earlier Fibonacci clock that later became a Kickstarter project. Where that build used an Atmega328P, though, [NerdCage] landed on using a Raspberry Pi Pico W instead. The build throws the microcontroller board on a custom PCB, and sticks in inside an attractive 3D-printed enclosure. Black filmanet was used for the body, while white filament was used for the face of each square to act as a diffuser. Addressable RGB LEDs are used to illuminate the five square segments of the clock.
Obviously, you’re wondering how to read the clock. All you need to know is this. The first five numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 1, 1, 2, 3, and 5. Each square on the clock represents one of these numbers—the side lengths of each square match these numbers. Red and green are used to represent hours and minutes, respectively, while a blue square is representing both. Basically, to get the hour, add up the values of red and blue squares, and to get the minutes, do the same with green and blue squares, but then multiply by 5. In the header image, the clock is displaying 8:55 PM… we think.
We’ve featured Fibonacci-themed clocks before, albeit ones with entirely different visual themes. Video after the break.

Measuring a Well with Just a Hammer and a SmartphoneWhat’s the best way to measure the depth of a well using a smartphone? If you’re fed up with social media, you might kill two birds with one stone and drop the thing down the well and listen for the splash. But if you’re looking for a less intrusive — not to mention less expensive — method, you could also use your phone to get the depth acoustically.
This is a quick hack that [Practical Engineering Solutions] came up with to measure the distance to the surface of the water in a residential well, which we were skeptical would work with any precision due to its deceptive simplicity. All you need to do is start a sound recorder app and place the phone on the well cover. A few taps on the casing of the well with a hammer send sound impulses down the well; the reflections from the water show up in the recording, which can be analyzed in Audacity or some similar sound editing program. From there it’s easy to measure how long it took for the echo to return and calculate the distance to the water. In the video below, he was able to get within 3% of the physically measured depth — pretty impressive.
Of course, a few caveats apply. It’s important to use a dead-blow hammer to avoid ringing the steel well casing, which would muddle the return signal. You also might want to physically couple the phone to the well cap so it doesn’t bounce around too much; in the video it’s suggested a few bags filled with sand as ballast could be used to keep the phone in place. You also might get unwanted reflections from down-hole equipment such as the drop pipe or wires leading to the submersible pump.
Sources of error aside, this is a clever idea for a quick measurement that has the benefit of not needing to open the well. It’s also another clever use of Audacity to use sound to see the world around us in a different way.

Inside the portfolio of businesses owned by Downtown Music – the company Universal is buying for $775mKey facts and stats about the businesses and platforms owned by Downtown today
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‘As a manager, you have to be somebody’s biggest fan.’MBW’s World’s Greatest Managers series meets Dan Petel, founder of songwriter-producer management company This Is Noise
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Ticketing in turmoil as Congress, Live Nation send mixed messagesFrom Taylor Swift to Oasis, concert ticketing was the focus of more media attention in 2024 than ever. But as the year ends, failed efforts to enact meaningful change by Congress, industry trade groups and the nation's largest live music company have left concert ticketing in turmoil.
The post Ticketing in turmoil as Congress, Live Nation send mixed messages appeared first on Hypebot.

Boom Library LiftFX Beat Drop Generator is Just $25 at Audio Plugin Deals
Audio Plugin Deals is currently offering Boom Library’s LiftFX beat drop generator plugin for just $25, which is 74% off the list price of $95. LiftFX is a 64-bit-only macOS and Windows release that delivers risers, breaks, build-ups, swells, sweeps, falls, and downlifters to help you craft the perfect beat drop. Note that the $25 [...]
View post: Boom Library LiftFX Beat Drop Generator is Just $25 at Audio Plugin Deals

Aphex Twin’s surprise compilation album, Music From The Merch Desk, is exactly what you think it isAphex Twin has put out a surprise compilation of music he previously released as one-off vinyl pressings at his live shows.
The release hosts 38 tracks which were sold between 2016 and 2023, and is aptly named Music From The Merch Desk (2016-2023). Landing via Warp Records, it marks the first full digital release of these tracks, which were sold in limited quantities and became highly sought after, and features some pretty, err, cool cover art.

READ MORE: Benn Jordan dives deep into the “bats**t” software Aphex Twin has used throughout his career

As part of the release is a track titled London 19.08.2023. Previously, a limited vinyl copy of this in mint condition was listed between £170 and £1,240 on platforms such as Discogs (as per Mixmag).
And that isn’t the only example of Aphex Twin’s vinyls selling on for extortionate prices. Back in 2023, limited edition 12-inch vinyls that he released prior to his headlining performance at London’s Field Day festival were being sold for more than 100 times their original price online. Limited to just 100 copies, the Field Day-exclusive 5-track vinyl were reportedly snapped up by 2:30pm on the day of its release.
On sites such as eBay the vinyl, which cost just £5 originally, was listed for a whopping £699 on one listing, while a bidding war also took place on another listing, with six bidders and a bid of £520 live at the original time of reporting.
Music From The Merch Desk (2016-2023) lands after Aphex Twin’s reissue of his 1994 record Selected Ambient Works Volume II, which arrived in October in honour of its 30th anniversary. The expanded edition was available in five formats and included additional tracks, th1 [evnslower] andRhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev.

You can stream Music From The Merch Desk… now, or download it digitally in full for £14.99 (or as individual tracks) directly from the Aphex Twin official store.
The post Aphex Twin’s surprise compilation album, Music From The Merch Desk, is exactly what you think it is appeared first on MusicTech.

What Do Christmas Songs Earn in Royalties?What do Christmas songs earn in each year? Find out which holiday hits rake in millions and the secrets behind their lasting success. What Do Christmas Songs Earn in Royalties?. Continue reading
The post What Do Christmas Songs Earn in Royalties? appeared first on Hypebot.

Indies sound alarm after UMG Downtown and PIAS acquisitionsIndie trade groups and label execs are sounding the alarm after UMG Downtown and PIAS acquisition - two crucial independent music companies. Learn what’s at stake and why it matters for artists and labels alike.
The post Indies sound alarm after UMG Downtown and PIAS acquisitions appeared first on Hypebot.

Get Sonora Cinematic Panorama Hybrid for FREE with any $45+ Purchase
Sonora Cinematic released Panorama Hybrid, which is a post-rock guitar Kontakt Player instrument that you can get for free with the purchase of any eligible Sonora Cinematic NKS product ($45 minimum). Panorama Hybrid runs on the free Kontakt Player 8.1+. Sonora Cinematic does not specify whether the instrument runs on the paid version of Kontakt [...]
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Berlin Solo Strings from Orchestral Tools The latest addition to Orchestral Tools' flagship Berlin Series includes four new expressive and detailed solo string instruments designed specifically for melodic lead lines.

The best studio gear released in 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewers2024 has been a strange year for studio gear, with few completely new products hitting the shelves, and many popular existing product lines received updates and overhauls. But we don’t mind this so much, especially when said updates focus on the features users are asking for.

READ MORE: These are the 10 best synthesizers of 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewers

Here, then, is a rundown of the mics, monitors, controllers and interfaces that have most impressed us in 2024.
RØDE NT1
RØDE NT1 Signature Series. Image: Press
The digital conversion and USB connectivity of the NT1’s 5th generation Dual Connect system may be helpful to streamers and podcasters, but are a lot to pay for if you already have studio-grade preamps to record through. Addressing this, RØDE kicked off the year by releasing the NT1 Signature Series.
The new mic features the same one-inch gold-sputtered diaphragm and analogue electronics found in the 4th and 5th generation NT1s, but has lost the digital conversion and USB connectivity of the 5th Gen. As RØDE CEO Damien Wilson explained: “We wanted to offer creators this new-and-improved NT1 with the original pure-analogue design of previous generations”.
The mics come in a range of vibrant colours to, as RØDE puts it, “match your own unique aesthetic” (read: “so you can choose your favourite colour”!). When talking about colour in relation to mics, we usually mean sonic colouration, and here we found the NT1 Signature Series’ rich and detailed character and glossy high-end sheen to be widely flattering to the vocal sources it is primarily designed for.
Best of all, the Signature Series costs over £100 less than the regular 5th gen. NT1, and so is astonishing value for a microphone of this quality and calibre.
Read our full review of the RØDE NT1 Signature Series. 
Warm Audio WA-19
Warm Audio WA-19. Image: Press
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The WA-19 is based on the vintage AKG D19c that, amongst many other claims to fame, was used extensively during The Beatles’ sessions at Abbey Road Studios.
Although a dynamic mic, the sound produced by the WA-19 approaches that of a small diaphragm condenser. Excellent clarity and top-end detail combines with snappy responsiveness and a focussed cardioid pickup pattern to give us a mic that’s well matched to a multitude of different uses and a wide range of instrumentation.
Drums and guitar amps are a particular speciality thanks to super high SPL tolerance, a vented body that minimises the proximity effect and – important, if mic’ing drums – a rugged build quality that can take the odd hit from an over-exuberant tub-thumper.
Impressively, the WA-19 costs just a shade over £200, which is remarkable for such a versatile and superb-sounding mic.
Read our full review of the Warm Audio WA-19. 
Audient Oria
Audient ORIA. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
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The growth and widening appeal of immersive audio systems such as Dolby Atmos exposed a gap in the market for a professional audio interface capable of handling multi-channel monitoring. The Audient Oria comfortably fills that gap.
Oria offers a fairly typical (for a high-end interface) 18 inputs and 24 outputs, but what makes it special is that 16 of those outputs are dedicated to serving a multi-channel playback system, supporting up to 9.1.6 speaker configurations. The unit is Dolby certified and can interact directly with the Renderer for Dolby Atmos included in some DAWs. It also supports Sonarworks SoundID Reference to ensure a fully calibrated system.
Oria doesn’t come cheap, but it massively simplifies the process of configuring a multi-channel immersive audio production system.
Read our interview with the Audient team on the release of Oria.
Read our full review of the Audient Oria. 
Arturia KeyLab Mk3
Arturia KeyLab MK3. Image: Press
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A new generation of Arturia’s popular KeyLab range of controller keyboards hit the shelves at the end of the Summer, and we were mightily impressed with what the company had done. The new keyboards come in 49 and 61 note variants, and feature an all-new keybed with full sized keys, full colour high-resolution display, 12 large drum pads, nine rotary encoders and nine faders, along with a host of buttons.
The build quality is faultless, with a robust enclosure and real wood end pieces, responsive and silky-smooth semi-weighted keybed, and great-feeling pads. Also, the encoders and faders are firmly mounted yet their movement is buttery-smooth with the perfect amount of resistance.
DAW integration is excellent, with dedicated transport and navigation controls, and the ability to switch smoothly between controlling mix or plugin parameters and visual feedback via the display.
Integration is even tighter when teamed up with an Arturia synth, such as AnalogLab or Pigments, running in standalone mode. In this mode, the barrier between software and hands-on control becomes almost non-existent.
Read our full review of the Arturia KeyLab Mk3. 
ROLI Seaboard Block M
ROLI Seaboard Block M. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
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We first spoke about the new ROLI Seaboard BLOCK M at the end of 2023, at which time we figured the unit would be out by Spring. This was perhaps a bit optimistic, but when the new controller finally landed it did not disappoint!
This latest take on the novel Seaboard design incorporates the very latest technology and refinements to make it more creative than ever. In the words of ROLI’s founder, Roland Lamb: “It’s more than an instrument; it’s a gateway to infinite musical possibilities.”
The innovative multi-touch sensitivity comes via a two octave / 24 “Keywave” playing surface (two units can be hooked together for a 48 Keywave surface) that’s sensitive to Strike, Press, Glide, Slide and Lift gestures. Connected to an MPE-compatible synth, or mapped through the ROLI Dashboard and Studio software, this creates a uniquely expressive and intuitive performance experience. As ROLI puts it:
“5D Touch technology lets you play intuitively on a tactile keyboard surface where you can easily manipulate pitch, modulate sounds and explore unique sonic landscapes with gestures that go far beyond conventional keyboard playing.”
With a much more accessible price than the full Seaboard controller, the BLOCK M is an ideal choice for those who wish to explore the creative limits of a keyboard-style controller.
Read our interview with the ROLI team on the Seaboard Block M.
Read our full review of the ROLI Seaboard Block M. 
Shure MV6
Shure MV6. Image: Press
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Music producers tend to be well served for getting high quality audio into their computers, but a studio-grade, preamp-equipped audio interface can be overkill for podcasters and streamers, not to mention those who just need to capture a good voice signal. Shure’s MV7 podcast mic, which has an inbuilt preamp and analogue-to-digital converter feeding a USB output, has been a popular solution, but at nearly half the price the company’s 2024 variant, the MV6, is even more attractive.
MV6 has a cardioid pickup pattern, and a 50Hz to 15kHz frequency response that’s typical of many dynamic mics. The inclusion of Shure’s proprietary Voice Isolation Technology aids with excellent directional and rear-rejection characteristics, and whilst the mic comes with a foam wind shield which will reduce unwanted noise and pops, it also features digital noise reduction and pop-stopper processing to ensure your voice is always crystal-clear.
As we said in our review: “the MV6 is perfect for podcasters, gamers and streamers alike”.
Read our full review of the Shure MV6.
IK iLoud Micro Monitor Pro
IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor Pro. Image: Press
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IK Multimedia’s updated iLoud Micro Monitor don’t just sound good for compact monitors, they sound good full stop. As Starsky Carr puts it in his review of the Monitor Pro: “Compared to [my Dynaudio LYD-7 monitors] my first reaction was simply ‘Wow!’”
What makes the new iLouds particularly special, and is key to their accurate audio reproduction, is that they incorporate IK’s ARC room correction technology directly within the monitors themselves. This is particularly advantageous if your rig incorporates several different mix sources – a production machine and an “office” computer, for example – because it makes it easy to apply the same correction no matter what you’re feeding to the monitors.
Read our full review of the IK iLoud Micro Monitor Pro. 
UA Apollo Gen 2
Universal Audio Apollo Twin X Gen 2. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Universal Audio updated its ever-popular Apollo range to Generation 2 status this year, with all units in the range receiving an upgrade. Along with a refreshed and more streamlined appearance, UA upped the Apollo audio specifications to bring the desktop units up to Gen.1 rackmount levels of performance, and lift the rackmounts to be on a par with the flagship Apollo x16. That means a massive 130dB of dynamic range delivered via best-in-class converters.
Other improvements include Auto-Gain on all Unison-preamp-equipped inputs and integrated support for Sonarworks SoundID Reference monitor calibration (this last being available to all Apollo users by upgrading the UA Console software).
In truth, the scope of the Generation 2 update is quite small, and there’s some consternation that the power of the onboard DSP has not been upped. However, the new Apollo is sure to be a studio mainstay, just like its predecessor.
Read our interview with Bill Putnam Jr on Universal Audio Apollo Constellations.
Learn more about the UA Apollo Gen 2.
Novation Launchkey Mk4
Novation Launchkey Mk4 controllers. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
2024 saw Novation update its Launchkey range once again. The new Mk4 models come in a variety of form-factors, with 25- and 37-key mini keyboard and full-size-key “synth action” models, along with 49- and 61-key semi-weighted versions.
All variants sport pitch bend and mod wheels (or touch strips on the Mini models), sixteen colour backlit pads, eight rotary encoders, and buttons for interacting with, and controlling the transport of, your DAW. The 49- and 61- key variants also pack in a set of nine fader style controllers.
Launchkey integrates tightly with Logic, Cubase/Nuendo and FL Studio. But it is particularly well matched to Ableton Live, with easy navigation of tracks and scenes, and a pattern sequencer that creates MIDI clips in Live automatically.
Read our interview with the Novation team about the Launchkey Mk4. 
Read our full review of the Novation Launchkey Mk4.
The post The best studio gear released in 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewers appeared first on MusicTech.

These are the 10 best synthesizers of 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewersEvery December, when we look back on the synths released over the past year, we come away thinking: ‘Surely a pinnacle has been reached? Surely there’s no way to out-innovate the innovations we’d been treated to that year?’ Then, inevitably, come January during The NAMM Show, a new, innovative synth will be launched and we’ll be blown away all over again.

READ MORE: The best studio gear released in 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewers

So let’s check out the synths and instruments from 2024 that 2025’s crop of releases will have to beat.
Arturia AstroLab
Arturia AstroLab. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
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Not all musicians want to expend their efforts learning the intricacies of synthesis and how it applies to different instruments. This is what motivated Arturia to create the AnalogLab software instrument that wraps hundreds of V Collection presets into a unified instrument featuring simple and predictable macros for modifying the sound.
AstroLab, then, is AnalogLab built into a dedicated hardware instrument. It allows you to take AnalogLab’s vast library of synths and sounds from the studio to the road without the need to lug a laptop along for the ride (with all the associated risks).
AstroLab is no mere preset player, though. With dedicated controls for the AnalogLab macros, which themselves have been carefully tailored to create useful and effective modulations, it allows musicians to explore their creativity without bogging down in the deeper technicalities of synthesis.
The instrument is finished to an exceptionally high standard, with a chic elegance that would not look out of place in an interior design portfolio – it really does look beautiful! But that beauty belies the rugged, road-ready solidity of AstroLab.
Read our interview with the Arturia team on the release of AstroLab.
Read our review of the AstroLab.
Oberheim TEO-5
Oberheim TEO-5. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
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At 87 years old, and after half a century in the business, Tom Elroy Oberheim knows what it takes to design a synth. “It’s always a matter of thinking about the sound, effects and modulation, but keeping the cost in mind,” Oberheim explained to us. “It’s a puzzle and, if you’re lucky and know what you’re doing, you can solve that puzzle in different ways. After 50 years, you find yourself getting good at that.”
The TEO-5 proves what an understatement this is. Named in honour of Oberheim himself, the instrument delivers the quintessential Obie sound and character (and, yes, the Van Halen Jump sound) thanks to its fat oscillators and original SEM filter circuit. It looks the part too, with a well-laid-out control panel and the blue-striped design of vintage Oberheims. But it also caters for the needs of modern producers, with features such as digital effects, oscillator X-mod and step sequencing.
“If we made this 30 years ago, we’d have ruled the world,” says Oberheim.
Read our full interview with Tom Oberheim on the TEO-5.
Beetlecrab Tempera
Beetlecrab Tempera. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
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Nothing we have seen in the past 22 years of MusicTech prepared us for the Beetlecrab Tempera, which tears up the entire concept of what an electronic instrument is and how it should be played.
At heart, the machine is a granular synth, and so creates sound by extracting audio snippets – or grains – from a sample and then looping and pitching those grains to create new and original waveforms. But what Tempera does is split a loaded sample into eight equally-sized chunks, and treats each chunk as a granular synth source. A sample’s chunks/grains are assigned consecutively to vertical strips of touch-sensitive buttons on the 8×8 control matrix, allowing each chunk to be triggered as an independent voice.
Different tigger types, or ‘Emitters’, modify the way in which a chunk will play – one-shot, looping, and so on. Emitters can also trigger other Emitters around them. In this way, Tempera provides a fascinating sonic palette that begs to be explored, and the results can be jaw-dropping.
Tempera is exceptionally hard to describe, but much easier to understand through demonstration, so be sure to check out what the ‘synthfluencers’ on YouTube have been doing with it… it’s mind-blowing.
Read our full interview with the Beetlecrab team on the Tempera.
Moog Spectravox
Moog Spectravox. Image: Press
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Having been acquired by InMusic in the latter stages of 2023, we waited with bated breath to see what the reformed Moog would give us in 2024. The answer came in the Summer with the release of Spectravox, an extension of the Mother line of Eurorack-compatible semi-modular instruments.
The unit has a basic oscillator and some modulation options, but its the filter that’s the star of the show, making Spectravox less a synth and more a dedicated processing module.
Low- and high-pass resonant filters are joined by eight narrow band-pass resonant filters, in a design based on the vintage Moog 907 filter bank. The band separation is set according to the original specifications of the Voder, an early precursor of the vocoder, so vintage analogue vocoding is a Spectravox speciality. The cutoff frequencies can be swept en-masse, too, resulting in phaser-like modulations and filter sweeps.
“If this is the shape of things to come from Moog” we said at the time, “then the future is bright”.
Read our full review of the Moog Spectravox.
Moog Labyrinth
Moog Labyrinth. Image: Press
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Landing around the same time as Spectravox was Labyrinth, Moog’s second Eurorack-friendly synth of the year, and one that marked something of a new direction for the company.
The synth’s two-oscillator sound engine features a novel (for Moog) 12db/octave state-variable filter that can morph from low-pass to band-pass modes. More surprisingly, there’s Buchla-style through-zero frequency modulation and wavefolder. What next? Dogs lying down with cats?!
Dual generative sequencers bring random chance to the fore, and the myriad ways these can influence the synth engine, and each other, is what creates the labyrinthine signal pathways that give the instrument its name.
“You have to always be recording when you’re using it” reckons top synth YouTuber Andrew Huang, “because you’re able to transform sounds and sequences so quickly, you can never fully predict where you’re going to end up with it.”
Read our full review of the Moog Labyrinth.
Arturia PolyBrute 12
Arturia PolyBrute 12. Image: Arturia
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The original PolyBrute caused a stir with its big analogue sound, advanced modulation matrix and bi-timbral voicing, but its six voice polyphony proved to be a major shortcoming. The brute-force solution Arturia came up with was to pack in twice the number of voice boards, giving us the PolyBrute 12.
This polyphony boost was much needed, but what really sets PolyBrute 12 apart from many other synths is the depth of performance control afforded by its advanced keybed. This boasts true polyphonic aftertouch and various aftertouch modes, all backed by full MPE support. It’s a fabulously expressive machine!
As we put it in our review: “PolyBrute 12 proves that [Arturia] can out-innovate even the most established names in the game.”
Read our full review of the Arturia PolyBrute 12.
Elektron Digitakt II
Elektron Digitakt II. Image: Press
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The original Digitakt drum sampler/machine/workstation, from Swiss company Elektron, sharply divided opinion. Admirers (or “Elektronauts”, apparently) adored the unit’s classic workflow, whilst naysayers criticised memory, storage and polyphony specs that weren’t much better than the 90s workstations that are Digitakt’s spiritual forebears.
This year’s release of Digitakt II was therefore bound to generate a buzz as people argued over whether its advances make for a more globally-appealing device or are merely, as the acerbic wit of AudioPilz puts it, “a perfect fan service [for] Stockholm Syndrome victims”.
Certainly, like its predecessor, Digitakt II isn’t everybody’s cup of boiled leaf clippings, but there’s no doubt that Elektron has massively upped the power and capability of the unit with, amongst other things, a new suite of digital effects, 16 stereo tracks, and a massive jump to 20GB of internal storage, 400MB RAM, and up to 1024 samples per project.
These big advances come with a commensurate price jump, but the Elektronauts are unlikely to mind this given the advances Elektron has woven into the beloved Digitakt platform.
Read our full review of the Elektron Digitakt II. 
Moog Muse
Moog Muse. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
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Rumours about a new Moog thoroughbred had been building all year, but these did not prepare us for what Andrew Huang describes as “One of my favourite synths of all time”.
Muse replaces the Moog One as the company’s flagship instrument, and does so at a more accessible price – not exactly affordable, but considerably more-so than its predecessor. To achieve this, the Muse design team reigned in the raw power of One whilst maintaining focus on performability. As development lead Chris Miller told us: “We really wanted to make something that was going to speak to the needs of touring musicians”.
Muse has grown from the Matriarch family, which itself referred back to the original modular designs of the 60s, and so Muse is 100% Moog through-and-through. It has modern elements too, though, with generative and probabilistic functionality developed in tandem with Labyrinth.
Read our full interview with the Moog team about Muse.
Read our full review of the Muse.
Ableton Move
Ableton Move. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
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The £400 asking price of Ableton’s latest device may seem steep for such a compact little unit, but that’s only until you understand what it actually is. Move is a four track workstation that packs within its tough and portable innards the Drift, Wavetable and Drum Rack instruments found in Ableton Live.
The pad control panel is reminiscent of Push and, as well being used to play the instruments, mimics Live’s Session View, so arranging patterns and parts is a breeze. Best of all, Move can connect to Live to pass across the jams and sketches you create on the hardware ready for further development within the DAW.
The hardware is only useful to those who already use Live (or plan to start using it), but if you’re on the platform then Move is the perfect way to capture and sketch your ideas, wherever and whenever they come to you.
Read our full interview with the Ableton team about Move.
Read our full review of Move here.
Polyend Synth
Polyend Synth. By Simon Vinall for MusicTech.
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Polyend Synth is the latest addition to the company’s popular range of grooveboxes. However, unlike Tracker’s and Play’s sequencing focus, Synth is much more about playability and performability, its 5×12 pad matrix offering full polyphonic aftertouch and some clever chord and scale modes.
Synth provides three independent synth engines. Each engine can load one of eight different synth models, with each model designed to create its own particular type and flavour of sound. Four of the synth models are taken directly from Tracker+ and Play+, but the remaining four are unique to Synth (ACD, FAT, VAP and WTFM).
Having landed so late in the year, we have yet to form our own opinion on Synth, but it’s clear from the online reception and the growing number of YouTube demos that Polyend are on track to play another blinder (puns fully intended… sorry!).
Read our full interview with the Polyend team about the Synth.
The post These are the 10 best synthesizers of 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewers appeared first on MusicTech.

Denise Audio releases Perfect Room 2 with special introductory pricing
Perfect Room 2 is Denise Audio’s latest release and another sign of things to come in the Baby Audio era (Baby Audio acquired Denise Audio in September 2023 – the brands will remain separate entities). Perfect Room 2 is available at the special intro price of $39 while the sale lasts. We don’t have an [...]
View post: Denise Audio releases Perfect Room 2 with special introductory pricing