Jun Murakami Synth-80: the Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter finally emulated as a VST3/AU/AAX plugin
Japanese developer Jun Murakami has released Synth-80, which he presents as the first complete software…
Author Simon Janvier
Simon Janvier
After 20+ years in professional audio: live sound engineering, studio technical direction (Deep Forest, Pierre Jacquot), head of digital marketing at Playback.fr. A first-hand witness to the analog-to-digital shift, I track the whole audio landscape and break it down here — no fluff.
Behringer Mini Pops 7: the Korg rhythm box behind Jarre’s Oxygène edges toward release
Spotted in the latest Syntribe software, the Behringer Mini Pops 7 is no longer a rumor: the clone of the legendary Korg rhythm box Jean-Michel Jarre used on Oxygène is closing in — in RD-78 format, and this time fully programmable.
Asparion D700 Rack: the modular control surface goes rackmount, 16 motorized faders for $2,299
Asparion spins its modular D700 control surface into a 19-inch rackmount version: 16 high-resolution 100mm motorized faders, 17 RGB encoders, 76 LED buttons and a rare openness to the OSC and MQTT protocols. Available at around $2,299.
ASM Leviasynth firmware 1.2: the Sequencer Entropy engine goes live on ASM’s FM flagship
ASM has finalized the Sequencer Entropy Deviation engine on the Leviasynth. Firmware 1.2 turns the 16-voice, 8-operator FM flagship’s sequencer into a variation machine — the kind of long-haul software support that built the Hydrasynth’s reputation.
Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O. II: firmware 2.5 adds USB audio, arpeggiator and reverse
Teenage Engineering is rolling out OS 2.5 for its EP-133 K.O. II sampler as a…
Behringer CS Mini: the pocket-sized Yamaha CS-80 tribute resurfaces — and it’s getting close (around $100)
Three years after its first tease, the Behringer CS Mini is back — this time surfacing in the Synthtribe software, a sign a launch is nearing. A three-voice analog synth inspired by the legendary Yamaha CS-80, in a Volca-sized box, for a promised hundred dollars or so.
Xaoc Devices Skopje and Budapeszt: the most complete dual quantizer meets a wild stereo spectral processor
Xaoc Devices turns two Superbooth prototypes into shipping reality. The Skopje is a dual quantizer of rare precision, out now for around $419, while the Budapeszt is a stereo spectral processor that thrives on the interference between its filters. Two opposites, cut from the same demanding cloth.
Modular Audio Tools MAT 16X8: a 16-in/8-out audio and MIDI interface that fits in your pocket
At 135 grams, the MAT 16X8 squeezes sixteen inputs and eight outputs into a box the size of a phone. USB bus-powered, class-compliant on iPad, Android and Linux, with DC-coupled outputs for CV, it targets the mobile electronic rig. A rare proposition.
8 channel strips to color your tracks (free and paid)
The Acustica Mystic 2 put the tube console channel back in the spotlight with its neural modeling. Around the same idea (preamp, EQ and dynamics bundled to lay down a color), here are eight software channel strips, from big-console emulations to free ones, with an honest take on which truly do the same job.
Waves StudioVerse Mix Unlock: real-time stem separation arrives in the DAW, including third‑party plugins
With Mix Unlock, Waves moves source separation from an offline process to a real-time tool…