Elektron is making its powerful music-making sequencers more affordable

Elektron has a reputation for building high-end synths, samplers and grooveboxes with matching high-end prices. It's "affordable" options -- the Digitakt and Digitone -- have a list price of $759. Yikes. For NAMM 2019 though, it's making a legitimate...

Roland’s TR-8S drum machine is ready to tackle the stage

If you know the history of drum machines, the first thing you want to do with the TR-8S, is load up the 808 kick drum. It's a deep, satisfying boom that's been an important part of everything from hip-hop to rock. But after you get done having fun wi...

Roland’s TR-8S mashes all your favorite 80s drum machines together

In the 80s, Roland drum machines were at the epicenter of hip hop, house, techno, acid house and other music genres. The 808, 909, 707, and 606 helped create the beats of some of your favorite songs. But if you wanted to pick up any of these vintage...

Teenage Engineering adds vocal and sampler options to pocket synth line

We've been massive fans of Teenage Engineering's affordable pocket-sized synthesizers since their debut. The company has added new, more capable models over the last couple of years, too, adding more sounds to individual units and import/export capab...

Teenage Engineering’s new pocket synth is its most versatile yet

Teenage Engineering debuted its first trio of pocket-sized $59 synthesizers almost exactly two years ago. In 2016, the company followed those with a second set of three Pocket Operators featuring the sounds of the '80s. Now the company is back with a...

Korg’s fun-to-use Electribe sequencers pack big features into a tiny frame

Creating music has become incredibly easy thanks to computers and low-cost (sometimes free) software. For example: Using just a MacBook and GarageBand, aspiring rock gods can pump out the jams without hunting down musicians and booking studio time. B...