Terrence O'Brien
Engadget
New York, United States
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Past articles by Terrence:
SSL's UF8 adds physical controls to your virtual music studio
Solid State Logic’s UF8 gives you immediate access to eight tracks in your DAW (digital audio workstation) of choice — be that Ableton, Pro Tools or Logic complete with high-resolution faders for controlling you volume levels. → Read More
This portable, rechargeable synth focuses on the pretty side of modular
Pluto is the latest instrument to try and shrink modular synthesis down to something portable and battery powered. → Read More
Liven XFM is a $199 groovebox for '80s fetishists
Liven XFM features three "fusion" FM engines that allow you to blend and morph sounds to create entirely new ones. → Read More
Strega is a compact modular synth for crafting dreamscapes or hellscapes
Strega (Italian for witch), is a complex drone machine built in collaboration with Alessandro Cortini of Nine Inch Nails fame. It can sound like a hazy memory or a night terror. → Read More
Poly Effects fully merges Digit and Beebo into one super pedal
The Poly Effects Digit and Beebo are two of the more interesting guitar pedals to come out in the last few years. They were built on the exact same platform and their firmware are completely interchangeable. Now the company is taking the next logical step, and combining them into a single firmware and single pedal under the Beebo name. → Read More
Polyend Tracker review: A powerful but confounding groovebox
The Polyend Tracker is an exceptionally built and almost intimidatingly powerful groovebox. It can record samples, edit them, turn them into playable synths, and control external gear. It will carry you all the way from germ of an idea to polished track. The workflow isn’t for everyone, but it’s impossible to deny the value packed into this $599 instrument. → Read More
Hector is a virtual modular synth you can put in your real modular synth
Hector is essentially a Poly Effects Digit and Beebo modular guitar pedal, but in a 30 HP Eurorack module. → Read More
Korg teases Drumlogue, a hybrid analog / digital groovebox
Korg announced the next member of the ‘logue family: the Drumlogue. It will be a hybrid analog / digital groovebox. Judging from the short teaser video, that means some analog drum voices similar to the Volca Beats, as well as PCM and digital synthesis voice. → Read More
The miniKORG 700FS is an overdue reissue of its first landmark synth
Korg is finally giving its first synth the miniKORG 700 the recognition it deserves with a 100-percent analog reissue: the miniKORG FS. The company even brought back the original designer, Fumio Mieda to oversee the development. → Read More
Korg reinvents a cult favorite with the Modwave wavetable synthesizer
In 1985 Korg released the DW-8000, an analog-digital hybrid synth that combined at the time cutting edge digital oscillators with analog filters. The Modwave is an all digital take on the DW, updated to fit in with the company’s modern lineup, including the Wavestate and Opsix, which focus heavily on knob-per-function controls and live performance. → Read More
Korg's ARP 2600 M is a 'mini' version of an iconic synth
The ARP 2600 M is about half the size of the original and one-third the weight. But it still packs all the classic sound design modules. → Read More
Arturia updates the MicroFreak synth with three new oscillators
The MicroFreak gets perhaps its biggest update yet with three new oscillators from Eurorack experimentalists Noise Engineering. → Read More
Uno Synth Pro is IK Multimedia's attempt to move beyond budget instruments
IK Multimedia is stretching its wings yet again, this time with the Uno Synth Pro. This three-oscillator paraphonic instrument goes well beyond the portable and affordable Uno Synth and looks to carve out space among higher-end competition like Korg and Moog. → Read More
Sensel's touchpad tech could bring realistic haptics to Windows laptops
Sensel wants to bring its shape-shifting touchpad to laptops. → Read More
Roland's Verselab is a groovebox built for vocalists
The Verselab is a music studio in a box complete with a vocal processing unit. It's aimed squarely at singers, songwriters and rappers. → Read More
Hologram Electronics Microcosm: A cheat code for making ambient music
The Microcosm can be a rhythmic glitch machine, a top-notch loop pedal or a straightforward delay. It’s more than just a one-trick pony, which is important given the $449 price. → Read More
Arturia's JUN-6 is a free chorus plugin based on the iconic Juno synth
Arturia’s new V Collection 8 added a recreation of the iconic Juno-6, so in the spirit of the holiday season (and a dash of self promotion), the company is giving away a free version of the chorus effect from that plugin until December 29th. It’s hard to overemphasize how simple the interface for the Juno chorus is. Of course, being modern software VST means that Arturia was able to add a bunch… → Read More
Atom SQ review: An affordable and powerful companion for Studio One
PreSonus built the Atom SQ explicitly for its Studio One DAW, and it shows. The integration between the two is excellent. The price is right and the unique staggered layout bridges the gap between a traditional keyboard and a grid-based pad controller. But, if you don’t use Studio One, the Atom SQ probably doesn’t have a ton of appeal. → Read More
Artiphon Orba review: Much more than a musical fidget toy
Orba’s goal of lowering the barrier of entry to music creation is admirable. And it errs closer to a musical fidget toy than an intimidating and unusual instrument. But, those willing to push its limits will find surprising depth. → Read More
Arturia's flagship instrument bundle is getting a major upgrade...
In the world of softsynths Arturia’s V Collection and Analog Lab are two of the best bangs for your musical buck. Version seven which launched in mid 2019 included 23 instruments, many of them basically unobtainable in vintage physical form. Arturia V Collection 8 is somehow even more comprehensive. → Read More