Sync Audio releases MegaMod, a FREE plugin that modulates any other plugin
Sync Audio has released MegaMod, a free modulation plugin that lets you attach any of your existing plugins to it and use it as a modulation host. MegaMod is currently available for free as a limited-time offer during its beta period, so if this sounds interesting, it’s worth grabbing now. I’m guessing that this could [...]
View post: Sync Audio releases MegaMod, a FREE plugin that modulates any other plugin

Abbey Road launches its first-ever in-house built sampled instrument in collaboration with British fashion brand Charles Jeffrey LoverboyAbbey Road Studios has partnered with British fashion brand Charles Jeffrey Loverboy on a free-to-download virtual instrument, The Big Nessie.
Marking Abbey Road’s first-ever fully in-house built sampled instrument, The Big Nessie lands to coincide with Loverboy’s spring/summer 2026 collection, and enables producers to “experiment with raw, textural sounds”.

READ MORE: Inside Abbey Road Studios’ new collection of rare and vintage instruments: “We wanted not just the digital version of this gear, but the original”

Samples for the Big Nessie were designed using Abbey Road’s ‘Curve Bender’ philosophy, which essentially allows engineers at the legendary studio to capture sounds, process them using the vast array of vintage gear and acoustic spaces available, and turn them into playable digital software instruments.
“There are many beautiful examples of how music and fashion have seamlessly fused together over the years, but this feels like the first time these creative worlds have come together to present a music production creative tool,” says Abbey Road’s Head of Audio Products, Mirek Stiles.
“Working with Charles Jeffrey was a truly inspiring experience that took both Loverboy and Abbey Road out of their comfort zones to make a fun and quirky sampled instrument for the creative community across the globe.”
Credit: Abbey Road Studios/Charles Jeffrey Loverboy
Stiles says the samples for The Big Nessie were captured at both the Loverboy workshop in Somerset House and Studio Two at Abbey Road, calling them the “perfect environments” to design Abbey Road’s first in-house built sampled instrument.
Abbey Road Studios is not just a music icon; it’s a cultural hub, a laboratory of dreams,” adds Charles Jeffrey.
“Loverboy has always aligned itself with institutions that celebrate culture, from the British Library to the V&A. Partnering with Abbey Road, a place that fosters innovation and creativity, felt like the perfect fit as I explore new dimensions in music and fashion.”
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy’s spring/summer 2026 collection is called Prepared Piano, and is a “love letter” to its partnership with Abbey Road.
Learn more at Abbey Road Studios.

The post Abbey Road launches its first-ever in-house built sampled instrument in collaboration with British fashion brand Charles Jeffrey Loverboy appeared first on MusicTech.

Saint Mike DSP releases Tamazight Metal Amp, a FREE guitar amp simulator plugin
Developer Saint Mike DSP has released Tamazight Metal Amp, a free all-in-one guitar amp simulator for metal (but I think it also works for rock). An optional paid version is also available with additional features. Tamazight Metal Amp gives you a complete metal guitar signal chain in a single plugin. From left to right, the [...]
View post: Saint Mike DSP releases Tamazight Metal Amp, a FREE guitar amp simulator plugin

PSPaudioware announce PSP Tilt-Q Designed to apply broad strokes rather than surgical correction, Tilt-Q is said to be capable of adding clarity, depth and balance to a mix while helping to ‘glue’ tracks together. 

The best budget synthesizers to buy right nowHardware synthesizers may seem like an untenable luxury to many producers. The most coveted synths generally start at a price of four figures, with vintage models pushing into the tens of thousands. You’ll certainly need a big bank balance or a good line of credit for a Yamaha CS-80! But fret not, producers and performers — there’s a wide choice of affordable synths that will cost you less than an iPhone.
There are some true gems to be had at this end of the market, with instruments that sound much more expensive, and that are far more versatile, than they deserve to be at the price. Here are our favourite budget synths, and why they might be right for you.

READ MORE: Best polyphonic synths you can buy right now

Best overall budget synth: Arturia MiniFreak
Arturia MiniFreak. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
[products ids=”2nnzxmFz93FhW1SOWP8y7l”]
The MiniFreak is an advancement of Arturia’s original MicroFreak, boasting a second multi-engine oscillator to pump through its authentic analogue filter stage, six voice polyphony, digital effects, and a real (albeit mini) keyboard in place of the touch-sensitive pads of the MicroFreak.
The oscillator engines are key to the synth’s sonic versatility. As I explain in my review: “Many of these engines operate almost like multi-oscillator synths in their own right, so by stacking two such engines the range and versatility of the MiniFreak’s voice is more than doubled [compared to MicroFreak].”
Additionally, the synth comes with a license for MiniFreak V, Arturia’s software emulation of its own synth. This integrates tightly with the hardware synth, which can act as a controller for the software (or, indeed, vice-versa).
As I conclude, “The MiniFreak is a small instrument whose unassuming exterior hides a behemoth of a synthesizer. It’s tough to believe the richness and character you can coax from such a compact, almost cute, instrument.”
Best value synth: Behringer Model-D

Behringer’s Model-D is a desktop monosynth with no built-in keyboard, but its looks, features and layout are a direct facsimile of the legendary Moog Minimoog’s control panel, albeit on a smaller scale. Being a lookalike would be pointless if the unit didn’t sound anything like the real thing but, as demonstrated by popular synth YouTuber Starsky Carr (amongst others), the sonic differences between Model-D and Minimoog are astonishingly slight.
Given its affordability, Model-D’s build quality is nowhere near as robust as a genuine Minimoog. But this is nonetheless a bona fide analogue synth, with the depth and richness of sound to prove it — not to mention the same tuning and calibration headaches!
As well as being one of the best value monosynths on the market, Model-D also brings one of the most revered and desirable synths ever created into easy and affordable reach of the masses, whilst delivering a sound and hands-on experience that’s infinitely more satisfying than a software emulation.
Best budget polyphonic synth: Dreadbox Nymphes
Dreadbox Nymphes. Image: Dreadbox
[products ids=”6N0nSpevC7oEwOFGAyd4v9″]
Dreadbox Nymphes’ compact design boasts a six-voice synth based on a single VCO, with additional sub-oscillator and noise generator. The filter section packs both a 24dB/octave resonant low-pass filter and a 6dB/octave high-pass filter, a configuration that’s not dissimilar to the original Roland Juno synths. Modulation is furnished by a pair of ADSR envelopes and a pair of LFOs.
This architecture gives Nymphes, according to Jono Buchanan’s review, “multiple sonic personalities, with rasping basses, ethereal pads, spiky, wonky melodies, blunt sounds perfect for sequencing, and a host of options for electronic percussion”.
All controls have a secondary function accessed by holding down the Shift button, and there are other parameters that can only be accessed via a slightly awkward menu-based system. It’s a solution that saves on cost but that needs adapting to. Nevertheless, as Jono tells us, “if you’re looking for a compact, self-contained hardware synth with a spirit of its own, Nymphes has plenty to get excited about.”
Best budget modular synth: Behringer 2600

[products ids=”7suIojdVClfrm8zXtsKDQ5″]
The Behringer 2600 shares the looks, extensive hands-on controllability, and re-patchable modularity of the vintage ARP 2600 that inspired it. However, it isn’t an exact sonic match to the original; as synth YouTuber and owner of both an original ARP 2600 and all three Behringer variants, Ralph Baumgartl, puts it, the Behringer’s sound isn’t as “brutal, untamed and raw” as the ARP.
It still sounds awesome, though, as I can attest to personally, my own 2600 sitting nearby as I write this. Its sound is simultaneously fat and edgy in a way that only an analogue synth can be, and with three oscillators, each pumping out multiple waveform shapes simultaneously, it can sound utterly huge.
Sonic accuracy isn’t really the point, though. What makes Behringer’s 2600 so good is that, as Baumgartl puts it, the synth has “all the essential synthesiser modules in one single box”, all of which can be patched and routed in whatever way you see fit. This makes the 2600 an ideal starting point for exploring modular synthesis or a powerful addition to an existing modular rig.
Best for beginners: Korg Minilogue XD
Korg Minilogue XD. Image: Korg
[products ids=”4lhKV7DzshO4KhTmvjvAWf”]
We described the original Korg Minilogue as “A pretty wonderful product, full of great analogue character, and a joy to use”. The overhauled Minilogue XD — in the words of Andy Jones’ review, a “souped-up Minilogue” — adds new digital elements to this already tasty recipe.
The most significant addition is Korg’s Multi Engine, taken from its Prologue synth, which allows different sound generation models to be loaded. There’s a choice of a versatile noise generator and a Variable Phase Modulation (VPM) engine, which, as Andy explains, “brings FM oscillation to Minilogue, so expect some more edgy metallic and fast attack sounds”. But it’s also possible to load custom models as User models too, the synth comes with a Wavetable User model to get you started.
In conclusion, Andy tells us “[Minilogue XD] stands out in a competitive area as a synth which is both big in sound and flexible.[…] [T]here are few other synths – expensive, cheap, big or small – that offer as much instant fun, drama, education and attitude.”
Best affordable FM synth: Korg Volca FM 2

The original Korg Volca FM was an homage to the era-defining Yamaha DX7, with the same six-operator design, the same set of 32 algorithms, and the same suite of parameters. In fact, Volca FM can even load original DX7 patches.
The updated Volca FM 2 retains all of these features and comes packed into the same fun-sized enclosure as its predecessor, but it also contains updates that make it a much more capable and satisfying instrument. The most important change is a doubling of polyphony from three to six voices, giving the synth a far wider range of uses, but there’s also a reverb and improvements to the synth’s 16-step sequencer.
But what’s most pleasing about Volca FM 2 is that it packs the unique sound and powerful capabilities of FM synthesis into an ultra-portable unit, allowing you to explore FM and make cool sounds and sequences whenever and wherever you feel like it.
Why You Can Trust MusicTech
MusicTech reviews hundreds of new products every year, from powerful synthesizers, DAWs and pro plugins through to everyday headphones and portable speakers. Our expert reviewers are producers, engineers and enthusiasts with hundreds of years of collective experience, with a keen ear to the ground on new trends and technologies.
Every guide on MusicTech is created by a producer, musician and tech enthusiast just like you. We understand what you’re looking for when searching for a new DAW, and we want to ensure you purchase genuinely useful products for your craft. So you can guarantee that every product MusicTech recommends to you is a product we’d be happy to have in our studios.
For more buyer’s guides, click here.
The post The best budget synthesizers to buy right now appeared first on MusicTech.

The best budget synthesizers you can get right nowHardware synthesizers may seem like an untenable luxury to many producers. The most coveted synths generally start at a price of four figures, with vintage models pushing into the tens of thousands. You’ll certainly need a big bank balance or a good line of credit for a Yamaha CS-80! But fret not, producers and performers — there’s a wide choice of affordable synths that will cost you less than an iPhone.
There are some true gems to be had at this end of the market, with instruments that sound much more expensive, and that are far more versatile, than they deserve to be at the price. Here are our favourite budget synths, and why they might be right for you.

READ MORE: Best polyphonic synths you can buy right now

Best overall budget synth: ARTURIA MINIFREAK
Arturia MiniFreak. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
[products ids=”2nnzxmFz93FhW1SOWP8y7l”]
The MiniFreak is an advancement of Arturia’s original MicroFreak, boasting a second multi-engine oscillator to pump through its authentic analogue filter stage, six voice polyphony, digital effects, and a real (albeit mini) keyboard in place of the touch-sensitive pads of the MicroFreak.
The oscillator engines are key to the synth’s sonic versatility. As I explain in my review: “Many of these engines operate almost like multi-oscillator synths in their own right, so by stacking two such engines the range and versatility of the MiniFreak’s voice is more than doubled [compared to MicroFreak].”
Additionally, the synth comes with a license for MiniFreak V, Arturia’s software emulation of its own synth. This integrates tightly with the hardware synth, which can act as a controller for the software (or, indeed, vice-versa).
As I conclude, “The MiniFreak is a small instrument whose unassuming exterior hides a behemoth of a synthesizer. It’s tough to believe the richness and character you can coax from such a compact, almost cute, instrument.”
Best value synth: BEHRINGER MODEL-D

 
Behringer’s Model-D is a desktop monosynth with no built-in keyboard, but its looks, features and layout are a direct facsimile of the legendary Moog Minimoog’s control panel, albeit on a smaller scale. Being a lookalike would be pointless if the unit didn’t sound anything like the real thing but, as demonstrated by popular synth YouTuber Starsky Carr (amongst others), the sonic differences between Model-D and Minimoog are astonishingly slight.
Given its affordability, Model-D’s build quality is nowhere near as robust as a genuine Minimoog. But this is nonetheless a bona fide analogue synth, with the depth and richness of sound to prove it — not to mention the same tuning and calibration headaches!
As well as being one of the best value monosynths on the market, Model-D also brings one of the most revered and desirable synths ever created into easy and affordable reach of the masses, whilst delivering a sound and hands-on experience that’s infinitely more satisfying than a software emulation.
Best budget polyphonic synth: DREADBOX NYMPHES
Dreadbox Nymphes. Image: Dreadbox
[products ids=”6N0nSpevC7oEwOFGAyd4v9″]
Dreadbox Nymphes’ compact design boasts a six-voice synth based on a single VCO, with additional sub-oscillator and noise generator. The filter section packs both a 24dB/octave resonant low-pass filter and a 6dB/octave high-pass filter, a configuration that’s not dissimilar to the original Roland Juno synths. Modulation is furnished by a pair of ADSR envelopes and a pair of LFOs.
This architecture gives Nymphes, according to Jono Buchanan’s review, “multiple sonic personalities, with rasping basses, ethereal pads, spiky, wonky melodies, blunt sounds perfect for sequencing, and a host of options for electronic percussion”.
All controls have a secondary function accessed by holding down the Shift button, and there are other parameters that can only be accessed via a slightly awkward menu-based system. It’s a solution that saves on cost but that needs adapting to. Nevertheless, as Jono tells us, “if you’re looking for a compact, self-contained hardware synth with a spirit of its own, Nymphes has plenty to get excited about.”
Best budget modular synth: BEHRINGER 2600
Image: Behringer
[products ids=”7suIojdVClfrm8zXtsKDQ5″]
The Behringer 2600 shares the looks, extensive hands-on controllability, and re-patchable modularity of the vintage ARP 2600 that inspired it. However, it isn’t an exact sonic match to the original; as synth YouTuber and owner of both an original ARP 2600 and all three Behringer variants, Ralph Baumgartl, puts it, the Behringer’s sound isn’t as “brutal, untamed and raw” as the ARP.
It still sounds awesome, though, as I can attest to personally, my own 2600 sitting nearby as I write this. Its sound is simultaneously fat and edgy in a way that only an analogue synth can be, and with three oscillators, each pumping out multiple waveform shapes simultaneously, it can sound utterly huge.
Sonic accuracy isn’t really the point, though. What makes Behringer’s 2600 so good is that, as Baumgartl puts it, the synth has “all the essential synthesiser modules in one single box”, all of which can be patched and routed in whatever way you see fit. This makes the 2600 an ideal starting point for exploring modular synthesis or a powerful addition to an existing modular rig.
Best for beginners: KORG MINILOGUE XD
Korg Minilogue XD. Image: Korg
[products ids=”4lhKV7DzshO4KhTmvjvAWf”]
We described the original Korg Minilogue as “A pretty wonderful product, full of great analogue character, and a joy to use”. The overhauled Minilogue XD — in the words of Andy Jones’ review, a “souped-up Minilogue” — adds new digital elements to this already tasty recipe.
The most significant addition is Korg’s Multi Engine, taken from its Prologue synth, which allows different sound generation models to be loaded. There’s a choice of a versatile noise generator and a Variable Phase Modulation (VPM) engine, which, as Andy explains, “brings FM oscillation to Minilogue, so expect some more edgy metallic and fast attack sounds”. But it’s also possible to load custom models as User models too, the synth comes with a Wavetable User model to get you started.
In conclusion, Andy tells us “[Minilogue XD] stands out in a competitive area as a synth which is both big in sound and flexible.[…] [T]here are few other synths – expensive, cheap, big or small – that offer as much instant fun, drama, education and attitude.”
Best affordable FM synth: KORG VOLCA FM 2

The original Korg Volca FM was an homage to the era-defining Yamaha DX7, with the same six-operator design, the same set of 32 algorithms, and the same suite of parameters. In fact, Volca FM can even load original DX7 patches.
The updated Volca FM 2 retains all of these features and comes packed into the same fun-sized enclosure as its predecessor, but it also contains updates that make it a much more capable and satisfying instrument. The most important change is a doubling of polyphony from three to six voices, giving the synth a far wider range of uses, but there’s also a reverb and improvements to the synth’s 16-step sequencer.
But what’s most pleasing about Volca FM 2 is that it packs the unique sound and powerful capabilities of FM synthesis into an ultra-portable unit, allowing you to explore FM and make cool sounds and sequences whenever and wherever you feel like it.
The post The best budget synthesizers you can get right now appeared first on MusicTech.

Can the creator economy stay afloat in a flood of AI slop?On the latest episode of Equity, we debated what’s next for the creator economy, and whether there will be any room for the next generation of creators to stand out.

SEC allows broker-dealers to take 2% 'haircut' on stablecoinsStaff said the US regulator would "not object" to broker-dealers counting stablecoin holdings toward their net capital requirements.

Meshtastic Does More Than Simple CommunicationMeshtastic has been experiencing a bit of a renaissance lately, as the off-grid, long-range radio text messaging protocol gains a ton of new users. It’s been used to create mesh networks in cities, during disasters and protests, in small groups while hiking or camping, and for search and rescue operations. Although it’s connected plenty of people together in all of these ways, [GreatScott!] wanted to put it to work connecting some computing resources instead. He has a garden shed that’s too far for WiFi, so Meshtastic was used to connect it instead.
This isn’t a project to bring broadband Internet out to the shed, though; Meshtastic is much too slow for that. All he really wanted to do here was to implement a basic alarm system that would let him know if someone had broken in. The actual alarm triggering mechanism is an LED emitter-detector pair installed in two bars, one of which sends a 12V signal out if the infrared beam from the other is broken. They’re connected to a Heltec ESP32 LoRa module which is set up to publish messages out on the Meshtastic communications channel. A second module is connected to the WiFi at the house which is communicates with his Home Assistant server.
Integrating Meshtastic devices into Home Assistant can be pretty straightforward thanks to the various integrations already available, but there is some configuration to get these specific modules working as an alarm. One of the pins on the remote module had to be set up to watch the light bar, and although sending the alarm message out when this triggered worked well, the received signal never passed through to Home Assistant until [GreatScott!] switched to using the RadioLib library an an MQTT integration instead. But with perhaps more configuration than he planned for out of the way, [GreatScott!]’s alarm is up and running. Meshtastic projects often balloon into more than we had originally planned though, in more ways than one. You can follow along as our own [Tom Nardi] attempts to connect all of New Jersey with this new protocol.

Bass Big Muff Pi 2 from Electro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix say that they recognised that their reintroduced Dual Op-Amp Big Muff 2 pedal would be hit with bass players, so set about developing a new purpose-built version. 

Sender Spike qb (Kyubi) Multimode DistortionKyubi is a multimode distortion with nine distortion modes sandwiched between a pre and a post EQ section, each consisting of a low shelf and a high shelf. Available distortion modes include soft clip, hard clip, linear fold, sine fold, full rectifier, half rectifier, asymmetrical waveshaper with tube screamer like transfer curve, another flavour of asymmetric waveshaper, and a bit crush effect. For more info and download visit the developer's blog. Read More

Sam Altman would like remind you that humans use a lot of energy, too"It also takes a lot of energy to train a human."

Miranda’s Unlikely Ocean Has Us Asking If There’s Life Clinging On Around UranusIf you’re interested in extraterrestrial life, these past few years have given an embarrassment of places to look, even in our own solar system. Mars has been an obvious choice since before the Space Age; in the orbit of Jupiter, Europa’s oceans have been of interest since Voyager’s day; the geysers of Enceladus give Saturn two moons of interest, if you count the possibility of a methane-based chemistry on Titan. Even faraway Neptune’s giant moon Triton probably has an ocean layer deep inside. Now the planet Uranus is getting in on the act, offering its moon Miranda for consideration in a kinda-recent study in the Planetary Science Journal.

Miranda and Uranus, the new hot spot for life-hunters. Photomontage credit NASA.
Even if you’re into astronomy, it may seem like this is coming out of left field. “Miranda, really? What new data could we possibly have on a moon of Neptune nobody’s visited since the 1980s?” Well, none, really. This study relies on reexamining the data collected during the Voyager 2 encounter and trying to make sense of the chaotic, icy world that the space probe revealed.
The faults and other features on Miranda indicated it was geologically active at some point; this study tries to recreate the moon’s history through computer modelling to find that Miranda probably had a ≥100 km thick ocean sometime in the last 100-500 million years, and that while some of it has likely frozen since, tidal heating could very well keep a layer of liquid water within the moon’s interior. Since the moon itself is only 470 km (290 mi) in diameter, a 100km deep ocean layer would actually be a huge proportion of its volume.
The model is a fairly simple one, with the ocean sandwiched between two layers of ice and a rocky core. Image from Caleb Strom et al 2024 Planet. Sci. J. 5 226
Right now, the over-optimistic thinking is that “water means life”, since that’s how it seems to work on Earth. It remains to be seen if Miranda, or indeed any of the icy moons, ever evolved so much as a microbe. Aside from the supposed presence of liquid dihydrogen monoxide, there’s nothing to suggest they have. Finding out is going to take a while: even with boots — er, robots — on the ground, Mars isn’t giving up that secret easily. Still, if we’re able to discover irrefutable evidence for such extraterrestrial life, it will provide an important constraint on one term of The Drake Equation: what fraction of worlds develop life. That by itself won’t tell us “are we alone,” but it will be interesting.
Of course, even if all these worlds are barren now, they might not be for long, once our probes start visiting.
Story via Earth.com
Header image: Miranda, imaged by Voyager 2. Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech

zazz Phase ModulatorPhase Modulator is a VST plugin that functions as a phaser, allowing you to dial in extreme settings. WARNING: At high feedback settings, the plugin may enter a self-resonating state and produce very loud output. Read More

Wavetick Sounds offers 20 FREE sound credits to new members
Wavetick Sounds gives all new members 20 free credits, so you can download 20 sounds just by creating a free account. Signing up on Wavetick is super easy. Just enter your email, create a free account, and you’ll get 20 credits right away. Each credit lets you download one sound, and you can choose from [...]
View post: Wavetick Sounds offers 20 FREE sound credits to new members