Teenage Engineering’s EP-136 K.O. Sidekick is a mixer, effects unit and sequencer all in one – and the “power companion” to your K.O. IITeenage Engineering has unveiled the EP-136 K.O. Sidekick, a compact hardware unit that sits somewhere between a mixer, an effects processor and a sequencer.
“The plan was to build a mixer for the K.O. II but it became more of an effect-box with a built-in sequencer,” says the company. “See it as a dj mixer with a 2-bar looping effects-automator, or whatever you wanna call it.”

READ MORE: Can’t afford the $25k Schmidt synth? A plugin version “sonically on par” with the actual thing is coming your way

Weighing just 300 grams and measuring a mere 1.6 centimetres thick, the EP-136 is a two-channel mixer with an integrated audio interface, designed to sit comfortably between the company’s EP series units and your DAW setup.
Physical mounting points allow it to snap onto devices like the TE EP-133 K.O. II, creating a streamlined rig that works just as well in the studio or on stage.
Alongside standard mixing duties, the Sidekick adds a surprisingly deep set of performance tools more often found on DJ mixers or compact grooveboxes.
Each channel offers dedicated faders and cue buttons for you to preview the audio signal. From there, users can push sound into six onboard fx types – including filter, delay, loop, tape, tremolo and siren. Those effects can then be manipulated in real time using a bi-directional modulation stick and a pressure-sensitive force pad on the right-hand side of the unit.
The Sidekick also features a high-resolution colour LCD for navigating settings, managing routing and keeping track of performance parameters.
In addition, the unit also functions as a USB 2.0 audio interface, enabling multi-channel recording and playback across eight input and four output channels.
In terms of connectivity, the EP-136 offers two 3.5mm stereo inputs for its channels, along with an additional stereo aux, for a third “session” input. Multiple units can also be chained together for expanded channel counts, and the device can run on two AAA batteries or via USB-C power.
For those looking to streamline their EP setup, Teenage Engineering has also released a K.O. Sidekick starter pack that bundles essential cables and connector pegs to instantly bridge multiple machines.
The EP-136 KO Sidekick is priced at $169.

Learn more at Teenage Engineering.
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Native Instruments acquired by InMusic, home to Akai Pro, Moog, Denon DJNative Instruments has been acquired by music tech conglomerate InMusic for an undisclosed amount. The merger comes almost five months after Native Instruments announced it was filing for insolvency. Since 2021, NI has been majority owned by private equity firm Francisco Partners.
In a press release, the brands state that “Native Instruments and InMusic unite,” building on a “strong and established relationship between the two companies.” Both companies have a number of subsidiaries that compete with one another: NI is also the parent company to iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx. InMusic, meanwhile, is home to Moog, Akai Pro, Numark, Denon DJ, Stanton, Alesis, M-Audio, Rane, and more.
In 2025, InMusic and NI collaborated on bringing NKS integration to a selection of gear by Akai Pro and M-Audio, which also introduced banks of NI sounds to the MPC platform.
For Native Instruments users, the two brands promise “business continues normally,” with products, services, platforms and customer support remaining available across all brands and territories. This echoes a previous promise from Nick Williams, Native Instruments’ CEO, in March 2026. For now, InMusic and NI state that they’re working towards completing the transaction “in the coming weeks.”
Speaking on the acquisition, InMusic founder and CEO Jack O’Donnell says that “Native Instruments represents everything we look for in a partner: exceptional products, a deeply engaged community, and a clear point of view on what musicians want…Bringing these platforms together allows us to move faster, deepen integration, and build better tools for creators.”
O’Donnell also promises “a long-term focus on innovation that serves creators…The tools you rely on today will keep working, and the tools you will rely on tomorrow are actively being built.”
Williams also shares enthusiasm in the buyout: “With inMusic, we have found a partner whose beliefs and ambitions align with ours — and whose understanding of what these brands mean to musicians and producers gives us real confidence in what comes next.”
What does this mean for Native Instruments’ future?
This is major news for NI customers, but news that many predicted. Upon the announcement of NI’s insolvency, Reddit users foresaw an InMusic buyout, pointing to the group’s portfolio of historic music tech brands.
Many of Native Instruments products actively compete with those of the InMusic stable: its DJ brand Traktor is a direct competitor to Denon DJ, Numark, Rane and Stanton; Maschine is a fierce rival to Akai’s MPC range; Komplete Kontrol is a leading MIDI controller system that competes with M-Audio and Alesis.
Will InMusic eliminate its competition? In 2023, O’Donnell attempted to block AlphaTheta’s $100m acquisition of Serato DJ, saying, “In any market when you eliminate competition, it has an effect on consumers. It’s going to raise prices, eliminate innovation and limit choice.” It’s unlikely, then, that O’Donnell would seek to close any NI brands, and InMusic’s history with Moog and Rane has shown that it largely lets its acquired brands operate independently. This is, however, the first time it’s acquired a brand with such crossover amongst its own portfolio.
InMusic now also takes on the Kontakt ecosystem, which many independent software instrument creators rely on. If InMusic places any strain on this brand, it could see a significant backlash from the music production community and a potential loss in revenue.
In any case, the acquisition concludes a turbulent moment in Native Instruments’ 30-year history and brings an end to its private equity ownership.
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Enjoy Electronics’ Memento is an instrument built “to translate the mechanisms of the human mind”Superbooth 2026: Enjoy Electronics has launched a new audio processor, the Memento, which it says “translates the mechanisms of the human mind” into sound.
The Italian audio company describes this new instrument as a “Mindscapes Synaptics Flow Processor”, and at its core are three sonic engines including Dry & Overlay, Bidirectional Stereo Delay, and a configurable processing space called Mindscape Textures.

READ MORE: This kalimba is also a synthesiser – and combines the feel of an acoustic instrument with digital synthesis

In the first engine, the dry signal travels through Memento along a dedicated path, preserved until the final stage, where it can be shaped or enhanced through filtering and processing, including harmonic excitation, as Enjoy Electronics explains. Alongside it, an additional layer operates as a variable-length loop.
In the second engine is a stereo delay with fully independent left and right delay lines. Each line can run forward or reverse, with timing set in milliseconds or synchronised to clock, and feedback is also adjustable and passes through dedicated high-pass and low-pass filters.
The Mindscape Textures space maintains “harmonic and temporal coherence even in the most complex configurations”, and its behavior is shaped by a set of operating modes: Multihead, Fragment, DPD, and Deja-Vu.​

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Memento can work with any sound source, including acoustic instruments enhanced with electronic processing, to synths, drum machines, and other electronic instruments. It offers an expressive touch surface to make things “direct, gestural and expressive”.
With Superbooth well underway, other unique launches from the 2026 event include the Cyma Forma RND. One of the wackiest synths to be unveiled so far, it boasts a single large button on its front face and is designed to make you “stop playing, start listening”.
Polish music tech brand Polyend has also newly unveiled Drums, a drum machine that might just rival the Roland TR-1000. Combining analogue voices, digital synthesis, samples, advanced sequencing and more in a single unit, Polyend Drums features eight tracks, and is built to feel “immediate”.
To find out more about Memento, head over to the Enjoy Electronics website. You can also catch the brand at Superbooth in booth W400.
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Can’t afford the $25k Schmidt synth? A plugin version “sonically on par” with the actual thing is coming your waySuperbooth 2026: The Schmidt Synthesizer Eightvoice is one of those mythical dream synths most producers will only ever admire through YouTube demos and blurry studio photos. With a price tag hovering around $25,000, it isn’t hard to see why.
Now, Schmidt Synthesizer is attempting to bring that experience to the rest of us mere mortals.

READ MORE: “Uncompromising in sound and workflow”: Polyend unveils Drums, a kitted out drum machine that might just rival the TR-1000

The company has announced Schmidt Vi, a software recreation of its flagship analogue polyphonic synth developed in collaboration with UJAM. According to Schmidt, the plugin – which has reportedly been in development for over a year – is “sonically on par” with the original hardware. Some pretty bold claims indeed.
Like the real thing, Schmidt Vi will be an 8-part multitimbral synth with flexible voice allocation and a frankly intimidating amount of synthesis power packed inside.
The plugin recreates the Eightvoice architecture in full, including four analogue-modelled oscillators with classic waveforms, PWM, sync, and ring modulation, alongside dual signal paths and multiple filter stages. There’s a Moog-style 24dB ladder filter, additional multimode filters, stereo panning modulation and enough routing flexibility to make even seasoned synth heads slightly nervous.
That said, the developers do seem aware that the original Schmidt’s interface can feel a bit like piloting a spaceship. Which is why they’ve released a second piece of software called the Schmidt deck. The virtual instrument allows you to play sounds created with the Schmidt Vi using simple Minimoog-style controls. Perfect for those who find the Schmidt VI interface too large and mind-boggling.
The Schmidt Vi and deck will be available in mid-2026 in VST3, AU, and AAX formats. Prices for the plugins will be announced in due course.

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Learn more at Schmidt Synthesizer.
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Project LYDIA 2: Roland’s neural sampling pedal returns with a more performance-ready design – shaped by “what creators told us they want from AI hardware”Roland Future Design Lab and Tokyo-based AI music technology company Neutone have announced Project LYDIA Phase 2, the latest evolution of their experimental AI-powered neural sampling pedal concept.
First introduced in late 2025, Project LYDIA was designed as a pedal-baed neural sampling processor exploring how AI processing could exist in a tactile, musician-centered hardware format.

READ MORE: Reel is a $10 app that turns your iPhone into a 4-track tape recorder – and it’s already hit No.1 on the App Store

According to Roland and Neutone, Phase 2 pushes the project much closer to becoming a performance-ready commercial device. The updated version arrives after months of “direct feedback from musicians, developers and live performers” who tested earlier prototypes.
That feedback has resulted in several major upgrades, including integrated audio inputs and outputs – eliminating the need for an external USB audio interface entirely – alongside User Preset memories for saving control settings, MIDI connectivity and an LCD display for real-time parameter feedback and navigation.
The hardware itself has also been refined to better support Raspberry Pi 5 installation and standalone USB MIDI controller operation.
Credit: Roland
Crucially, the project still seems focused on keeping AI in a supporting role rather than turning it into a replacement for musicianship. Project LYDIA emphasises “augmentation and control”, allowing performers to interact with neural models in immediate, physical, and musically expressive ways.
According to Roland, the familiar pedal format also places AI processing into a workflow many musicians already trust, bringing transparency and tactility to technology often associated with screens and abstraction.
“From the very first demos with professional audio developers through the overwhelming response from musicians worldwide, it was clear that Project LYDIA was resonating,” says PaulMcCabe, leader of Roland Future Design Lab. “That dialogue directly shaped Phase 2. This version reflects what creators told us they want from AI hardware in real musical contexts, while also bringing forward new ideas from our team.”
More broadly, the project also aligns with Roland’s commitment to responsible AI innovation, as outlined by AI For Music, the initiative co-founded by the company and Universal MusicGroup to establish ethical principles for AI use in music creation.
Project LYDIA Phase 2 is making its public debut at Superbooth 2026.

Learn more at Roland.
The post Project LYDIA 2: Roland’s neural sampling pedal returns with a more performance-ready design – shaped by “what creators told us they want from AI hardware” appeared first on MusicTech.

Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths’ long-awaited Bullfrog Drums machine is finally hereSuperbooth 2026: Back in 2024, producer Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths teased a drum machine not just for making beats, but for teaching people how to program and sample them too.
Two years later, Bullfrog Drums has finally materialised.

READ MORE: Superbooth 2026: The coolest new synths and music tech gear – and everything else you need to know

Built in collaboration with the Latvian synth company, Bullfrog Drums is a seven-voice drum machine that blends classic 909-style sequencing with modern sampling features, all wrapped in a bright, beginner-friendly shell.
Like the earlier Bullfrog Synth – Hawtin and Erica Synths’ educational semi-modular synth aimed at teaching subtractive synthesis – Bullfrog Drums is designed as both an instrument and a learning tool. Erica says the machine is “optimised for a learning path” in drum programming, sampling techniques, working with samples and integrating into various performance setups.
Credit: Erica Synths
The unit ships with seven banks of factory sounds alongside room for 16 additional user sample banks. Samples can be loaded via USB, through the rear audio input, or directly using the built-in microphone for quick-and-dirty field captures.
Once loaded, each sound can be pushed around with controls for pitch, decay, pan, cutoff, resonance, drive and loop points. Users can also program parameter locks and automations per track.
The sequencer itself offers up to 64 steps with ratchets, probabilities and micro-timing controls for more human (or gloriously broken) rhythms. There’s also a built-in speaker for portable jams, plus CV/Gate outputs around the back for controlling modular rigs and analogue gear.
Physically, the unit sticks to Erica Synths’ familiar industrial aesthetic, housed in an aluminium enclosure measuring 40.5 x 18.5 x 6 cm and weighing 2.7 kg.
Bullfrog Drums is available now for €600 excluding VAT.
Check out the drum machine in action below.

Learn more at Erica Synths.
The post Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths’ long-awaited Bullfrog Drums machine is finally here appeared first on MusicTech.

Kodiak AI raises $100M at a steep discount, sending its stock tumbling 37%The company made a series of other announcements during earnings, including a new commercial contract, a pilot program in Canada, and a collaboratio

Warner Music Group generated $1.73B in calendar Q1 2026; subscription streaming revenues rose 12.7% YoYWarner Music Group published its calendar Q1 results today (May 7)
Source

NEP at Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NCWeb: robertlesterfolsom.comContact: dshaw@baselinemusic.comPlayers: Nep, vocals; Tyler Pons, drums; Sophia Damiani, bass; Jake Sonderman, guitar

Grab your slide rules: Albert Einstein almost had it right, but the real equation on display at Cat’s Cradle was E = NEP².

That proof arrived in the form of NEP (yes, that’s really her name)—a shadow-boxing indie-pop artist who brought a cocktail of swagger, nervous laughter, and Daytona Beach daydreams to the adoring Back Room crowd.

NEP burst onto the stage with a quick four-song salvo: “Daytona,” “Fender,” “Lovelace,” and “Milktown,” followed by the brisk pop flash of “Rocket Ship.” None of it calmed the room. If anything, the next stretch detonated the place: “Teddy,” “Biketoberfest,” “All Around Beauty,” and “Soundtrack” spilled out in a sugar rush of jangling guitars and nervous giggles.

The crowd surged toward the stage in what became a kind of musical cyclone. The quartet itself looked almost comically small against the swell of bodies pressed forward—NEP, her guitarist, and drummer hovering around the five-foot mark, while the bass player stood like a benevolent giant beside them.

Add NEP’s constant giggle—somewhere between nervous energy and mischievous charm—and the whole affair began to resemble a cinematic “escape from the kids’ table at Thanksgiving.”

The guitar work was simple and unadorned—almost stubbornly so—but it carried a kind of innocence that fit the material. The grooves were uncomplicated, the structures tidy, and the melodies had the breezy, slightly sunburned feel of songs written somewhere between a dorm room and a beach parking lot.

At times, the silliness threatened to overwhelm the music. There were genuinely lovely musical moments that got sliced apart by NEP’s constant asides and laughter. The vibe in the room became so beach-soaked you could almost smell the Coppertone and feel sand under your feet. The sugary, slightly smug Hello Kitty delivery sometimes obscured the delicate little juxtapositions the band—competent if understated—was putting together.

Mid-set, the groove settled into something like autopilot before reanimating with “I Close My Eyes,” “Florida Girl,” and the crowd favorite “Pup.” Without a dominant soloist or any real instrumental grandstanding, the evening became less about virtuosity and more about atmosphere: a blend of sonic melancholy and occasional Beach Blanket Bingo chaos.

The songwriting itself showed care. Songs were thoughtfully paced and clearly diaristic. There may not yet be an obvious hit single lurking in the catalog, but a certain gravitational pull—something about Daytona, about leaving and remembering—kept the set moving forward.

That Florida lineage occasionally bubbled at the surface. The warm embers of Tom Petty and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers flickered here and there, and the ghost of Southern guitar traditions that ultimately fed into The Allman Brothers Band hovered around the edges of the sound.

Elsewhere you could hear faint splashes of quirky new-wave DNA—moments that hinted at the playful pop instincts of Bow Wow Wow and the bright theatricality later embraced by Culture Club—another clue to the mixing bowl of beach culture, pop instinct, and youthful irreverence that NEP seems to inhabit. The post NEP at Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Fund managers double down on Bitcoin as crypto sentiment rebounds — CoinSharesInstitutional investors are gradually increasing crypto exposure as Bitcoin leads allocation preferences amid rising fund inflows and improving market sentiment.

3D Printed Train Whistles Sound Out at Full ScaleThe age of steam is long gone, but there are few railfans who don’t have a soft spot for the old rolling kettles. So you’d best believe when [AeroKoi] talks about 3D printed train whistles, that’s steam whistles. Generally speaking, Diesels have horns.
You would not expect printed plastic to hold up to live steam– but that’s why [AeroKoi] uses compressed air. Besides, it’s a lot easier to both justify and maintain an air compressor than a boiler in the shop. At least some hobbyists say it doesn’t make a huge difference with brass whistles, so it should be good enough for plastic. What’s interesting is that even with 120 PSI blasting through them, these multi-part prints held together and sounded amazing.
[AeroKoi] does demonstrate there was a learning curve to climb before he had a good whistle design, and shows you what features worked best. He shared two successes on Thingiverse: A 6-Chime whistle from the Sante Fe Railroad, and a Northern Pacific 5-chime whistle, both 4″ in diameter and printed in vertically sectioned parts. The Northern Pacific is not to be confused with the totally different Union Pacific Railroad, whose famous “Big Boy” also had a whistle feature in the video — though evidently he’s not as happy with it, since he did not share the design.
Those are all North American designs, but there’s no reason this technique wouldn’t work to replicate a more European sound; one of his early experiments was kind of going in that direction already. Of course if you want a perfect replica, the old ways are the best ways: cast brass and live steam. We’ve had a few articles about train whistles in the past, one of which was a doorbell. 

This kalimba is also a synthesizer – and combines the feel of an acoustic instrument with digital synthesisSuperbooth is well underway, and here’s one of the wildest new synths being demoed at the event. Bastl Instruments – the company known for its playful approach to synth design – has unveiled Kalimba, which is basically exactly that: a Kalimba-inspired synthesizer combining a familiar interface with digital synthesis.
Put simply, the unit’s 12 velocity- and touch-sensitive tines, when played, are captured by microphones and touch sensors, which then feed into the internal six-voice synthesis engine, driven by FM synthesis and physical modelling.

READ MORE: This crazy synth has a single button – but four billion sounds

The result of three years of development, the Bastl Kalimba is designed to be a synthesizer which responds as expressively as an acoustic instrument. There’s also a built-in accelerometer which affects the FM synthesis engine when you physically tilt and rotate the unit. Neat, right?
Kalimba also features touch points on the front panel for creating pads, pitch slides, timbral modulation and more. There are also two function-assignable touch points on the back of the device.

Kalimba also comes with loaded with an arpeggiator with five modes, even a built-in layering looper, plus a host of presets, custom scales, octave shifting capabilities, and a range of effects, including reverb, delay, bit-crush, overdrive, filters and modulation.
As you might expect, the unit has a built-in speaker for standalone playing, but also has USB-C for MIDI and charging, as well as a stereo output, TRS MIDI input, analogue clock input and another mini jack socket.
“Kalimba has been one of the most challenging development projects Bastl has endured so far,” the company says.
Credit: Bastl Instruments
“We have spent more than three years developing this instrument, exploring different casing shapes, tine lengths, materials, internal designs, features and visual directions. We couldn’t be more grateful and proud of the entire Bastl team for what they have accomplished and how much heart they’ve put into this project.”
In terms of availability, Bastl Kalimba is live on Kickstarter, with a number of pricing tiers available ranging from €389 to €550.
Bastl Instruments is showcasing the Kalimba at Superbooth at booth O385.
Learn more at Bastl Instruments. Back the project on Kickstarter.
Credit: Bastl Instruments
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Nektar Panorama CS12: Reaper & Fender Studio Pro support In addition to its Logic Pro and Cubase/Nuendo support, Nektar's Panorama CS12 now boasts integration with Cockos Reaper and Fender Studio Pro / PreSonus Studio One.

Sender Spike releases DR.89, a FREE Roland TR-909 drum machine emulation for Windows
Developer Sender Spike has released DR.89, a free Roland TR-909 inspired drum machine plugin for Windows. If the name Sender Spike sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve covered a few of this developer’s plugins recently, including the SN Zero hybrid FM synthesizer, the qb (Kyubi) multimode distortion, and the filter.tank dual filter. SN Zero is one [...]
View post: Sender Spike releases DR.89, a FREE Roland TR-909 drum machine emulation for Windows

“Uncompromising in sound and workflow”: Polyend unveils Drums, a kitted out drum machine that might just rival the TR-1000Superbooth 2026: Polish music tech brand Polyend has unveiled Drums, a new drum machine that might just rival the Roland TR-1000.
Combining analogue voices, digital synthesis, samples, advanced sequencing and more in a single unit, Polyend Drums features eight tracks, and is built to feel “immediate” the company says.

READ MORE: This crazy synth has a single button – but four billion sounds

“Drums is a return to the fundamentals that defined Polyend from the beginning,” says Polyend CEO Piotr Raczyński. “We wanted to build the drum machine we would want to use and own ourselves. Something uncompromising in sound, materials and workflow.
“Like our earliest instruments, Drums is made in small batches, with close attention to every detail, and built to stay relevant for decades.”
Credit: Polyend
Built around a single-piece aluminium body with custom metal knobs and high-end components, Polyend Drums is made to feel expensive, and bears a price tag to match at $2,699 / €2,699.
At the heart of the machine lie four analogue voices based on modern SSI chips, with each combining dual analogue VCOs, a dedicated noise source, and an additional digital oscillator for hybrid layering or FM modulation. There’s also a multimode analogue filter and VCA to shape each voice.

Elsewhere, Drums features an instrument library of more than 40 instruments, each with its own “sub-mode mutations” – offering producers hundreds of sounds to experiment with.
“Designed for performance”, pattern switching on Drums is described as “instant”, with kits changeable without stopping playback. There’s also a X0Y fader which allows you to blend between two versions of a kit or pattern.
Credit: Polyend
The onboard sequencer is described as Polyend’s “most advanced and intuitive sequencing system so far”, with deep per-track control per track, as well as probability, micro-timing, parameter locks, pattern chaining, generative tools and multiple track play modes.
The unit can hold up to 64 patterns, 64 sound kits and 48 songs with arrangement options, catering to everything from “short loops to full sets”.
Internally, Drums runs on a dual-core main CPU, with auxiliary processors handling peripherals and analogue control. And on that note… the drum machine also has comprehensive I/O, with eight individual audio outputs for separate processing and mixing.
Polyend Drums is available now for reservation with a fully refundable $500 deposit. Final retail price will be $2,699 / €2,699. Learn more at Polyend.
Credit: Polyend
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