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…
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 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…
Erica Synths Razornator: the desktop stereo resonator that turns any signal into plucked strings
Erica Synths and Dutch developer 112dB present the Razornator, a desktop effect unlike anything else…
Isla Electronics Caladan: the 8-part hybrid synth with swappable voice cards heads into production
Isla Electronics’ Caladan is finally real: the multitimbral hybrid synth with hot-swappable voice cards is heading into production for a Summer 2026 launch. One chassis, eight parts, and a rack of analogue and digital engines you swap like cartridges.
M&W Pro Audio D24 and D32: Greg Mackie and Peter Watts launch their own digital mixing consoles
Greg Mackie and Peter Watts no longer design for other brands: with the D24 and…
Tweakbench Tendril: a cult plugin maker returns after 20 years with a generative instrument
After twenty years, Tweakbench is back with Tendril, a generative instrument with a Euclidean sequencer, per-note locks and a granular-sculpted subtractive engine. $10 in the bundle.