Category Archives: Music Hardware

1010 Music Nanobox Fireball Review – All About this Portable Polyphonic Wavetable Synthesizer

What is the 1010 Music Nanobox Fireball?

The 1010 Music Nanobox Fireball is one of two Nanobox synths designed by the team at 1010 audio and as a result, it follows much the same outline as its sister synth the Lemondrop, bar a few key differences and the fact that it is red instead of yellow. The trend for small, portable synths has been a relatively small but significant part of the synth market since the launch of the Volca by Korg in 2013. Nevertheless, with the Lemondrop and Fireball, what 1010 music has done so well is taken every feature you would want in a smaller piece of kit and streamlined them into an updated, cutting edge little polyphonic synth which grabs both the ear and the eye.  

How does the 1010 Music Nanobox Fireball differ from other synths on the market?

One of the most stand-out features of the Fireball’s design is an overall pattern as opposed to a single piece of kit or specification. 1010 music have gone out of their way to create a synth which takes all the features needed to craft fantastic sound and executed their assembly with outstanding efficiency. The result is a synth which is really geared towards the modern musician in the sense that it is easy to learn from, portable, but also follows the natural process of sound designers in the way it facilitates ease and flow of work. Are there any cons?

The Fireball is not as stand out as its sister synth simply due to the fact it is competing against a much larger market due to wavetable synthesis being generally more common than granular. Therefore, if you already have a solid synth collection there may not be as much incentive to buy the Fireball; however, there is something to be said for its portability which sets it apart from other wavetable synths.

Specs and features

For all intents and purposes, the Fireball is much the same as the Lemondrop . The team behind 1010 music does actually market the two synths together, especially in the tutorial videos they have on their website. What’s more, the synths have the same interface and features – right down to details such as the number of inputs and outputs, compatibility, design, and layout of software. Off course, another thing they share is the extremely useful and intuitive touchscreen which allows users to mold the waveform to their liking, enabling them to get hands on experimenting with sound so as to control the custom synth patches they create.

However, there is one very big difference between the Fireball and the Lemondrop, which is that the fireball is a wavetable synthesizer in comparison to the Lemondrop, which is a granular synthesizer. This means they are capable of creating extremely different sounds and as a result it can be helpful to buy them alongside each other. You might not be getting two for the price of one, but the transferrable skills which are gained from learning the ins and outs of one mean that you can easily double the amount of creative possibilities open to you.

What is it like when getting your hands on the Fireball? One thing this synth does very well – like it’s companion – is using simplicity to get a lot of results. With two dials which control multiple parameters it is easy on the eyes and doesn’t require a lot of complicated hardware to create great sound. By simplifying things it leaves a lot more up to the musician’s own capabilities as opposed to spelling out every single possible way that sound can be shifted and altered. Nevertheless, it does have a good selection of default patches all of which share a characteristically creative way of looking at wavetable synthesis from the minds behind 1010 music. And for wavetable as opposed to granular synthesis like the Lemondrop, this means you are taking a type of synth which is more frequently seen on the market and with its bright hardware, easy to use software, and most of all the extreme control which can be had over the waveform, it gives any user a new spin on a form of synthesis which is more frequently seen. The combination of polyphony and visualisation of the wave in particular means that musicians are shaken out of their normal working patterns – this is really a synth which facilitates creativity.

The 1010 Music Nanobox Fireball has:

  • 123 presets and 103 wavetables
  • A USB-C cable and 3.5mm audio input and output
  • 24-bit DAC and ADC resolution and 32 bit internal resolution
  • A 96kHz oscillator sample rate
  • MIDI support for all the following: note on/off, modulation wheel, sustain, pitch bend, mono & poly aftertouch, assignable CCs, and clock

Price and availability

At 399 USD, the Fireball is a mid-range wavetable synth and due to its high quality it isn’t necessarily made in bulk, though nevertheless is generally always available from the 1010 music website. Check out Reverb.com for a price update.

Final thoughts

Overall, the Fireball is essentially the wavetable edition of 1010’s attractive little nanobox synth series and because of this that it really depends on your priorities as a musician. Whilst wavetable synths are much more common than granular synths such as the Lemondrop and therefore the fireball is up against some stiffer competition, if your priority is portability, design, aesthetics, and simplicity – whilst all the while being an intuitive synth – then the Fireball is as worthy a synth for your collection as the Lemondrop despite having more features in common with other products. In fact, perhaps due to it doing similar things but more simply and cleanly than other synths on the market, it is a synth to really push you to use your maximum possible creativity.

And if you have an affinity for Music Hardware, we have a full category waiting for you, just click here!

Teenage Engineering TX-6 – Portable Audio Interface, Tabletop Mixer, and Synthesizer

What is the Teenage Engineering TX-6?

The TX-6 is marketed primarily as a tabletop mixer and audio interface, but also includes a synthesizer and drum machine, and it is it’s clever design and portability which make it so appealing to the musician on the go. The technologists at Teenage Engineering have left nothing unthought of when it comes to making a product which both suits the needs of musicians who may need to travel – as well as one which is technically well put together and doesn’t sacrifice it’s software or hardware just for being easy to manage. If anything, the TX-6 has so many features that its size and design is deceptive, this could, at first, be slightly overwhelming to a beginner sound designer and thus it may not necessarily be an ideal first mixer; then again, the ability to hook it up to your iOS device does make it an extremely attractive prospect for those who have not yet built a full studio of gear.

Ultimately the Teenage Engineering TX-6 is incredibly useful to have as a well-balanced middle ground between audio and digital. It’s unobtrusive enough that you can continue working mostly with your DAW if so desired – but the fact that it is a fully functional mixer as well as including the synthesizer and drum machine elements means that it is in some ways a stepping stone to the lush, hands on world of an analogue studio. In keeping with this happy medium between different ways of working, it’s design and aesthetics sit somewhere between modern and retro, with a pixelated LED display and sleek yet incredibly durable shell.

How does the Teenage Engineering TX-6 compare to other tabletop mixers?

Is there really anything comparable to the TX-6 on the market? It doesn’t fall cleanly into any particular category of gear as in addition to being a mixer, it also acts as a synthesizer with its own low frequency oscillator and envelope. How does this work? The TX-6 may be a little counter intuitive to work at first due to having to dig through it’s different parts to discover all that it can do, and this is one of the few cons of it as a piece of hardware. It takes a bit of getting into before you can really figure out all its features, plus how they interact with each other – and as a result it holds hidden surprises for you as you go along. That being said, this also means that after purchasing one you may not be able to fully predict how it will fit into your pre-existing workflow. Ultimately the TX-6 is part of a trend of synthesizers and tabletop mixers which are all about packing the best possible options into a small space – not necessarily from the perspective that more is more but instead, this is a synth which has really been designed to bring freedom and give you the most creative possibilities.

Features and specs

One thing which sets the Teenage Engineering TX-6 apart is what it is capable of when hooked up to an iOS device. It allows you to mix multiple tracks onscreen using GarageBand or the DAW of your choice, which works perfectly in keeping with the portability which is a huge selling point – Teenage Engineering have really taken into account the increasing number of high quality apps such as samplers or other pieces of music gear which musicians now carry with them on their phones – and despite the TX-6 being a high quality and pricy bit of hardware, the designers have chosen to work with these trends as opposed to against them. In this way, they have carved themselves a niche in the market which allows them to sit in a comfortable place at the crossroads of some sort of new evolution of music technology. In fact, the tech behind this synth means that it is actually – as boasted by the website – the smallest of its kind, and the kind of craftsmanship which has gone into creating it is evident in the fact that it is high quality and by all accounts hard waring. In some ways, the TX-6 is unprecedented in the combination of effects it has – one of the things Teenage Engineering has really thought about is usability.

The Teenage Engineering TX-6 has:

  • An included USB-C cable so it can be used as a classic 12 channel audio interface, as well as MFi which allow you to attach it to any iOS device.
  • An 8 hour rechargeable battery, user-sensitive display and customisable LED.
  • 4 oscillator waveforms, 4 drum sounds, and tempo sync mode to stay on the beat.
  • 8 built in FX – reverb, filter, delay, freeze, tape, distortion, and chorus
  • Wireless connectivity as well as specialist made slimline cables and a field bag so you can take the TX-6 wherever you go
  • In addition, the innovative DJ mode means that the TX-6 can be turned on its side with three of the 12 channels able to be used to crossfade.
  • 6 3.5mm audio inputs

Price and availability

With all of this, the TX-6 really does not come cheap. But is it worth it? This is a truly unique piece of kit, the likes of which you won’t find anywhere else on the internet- and one which certainly hasn’t really been seen before in the evolution of synthesis. However, at 1199 USD, it is on the pricier end. Nevertheless, it can be bought directly from Teenage Engineering’s website.

CHECK THE CURRENT PRICE BY CLICKING HERE!

Final thoughts on the Teenage Engineering TX-6

Does the TX six have too many things in one small machine? When reading it’s list of specifications, it could be easy to conclude that there is simply too much going on. However, the real test is whether a musician needs anything else. It is not necessarily the amount but how the features of the TX-6 fit into a musician’s lifestyle – instead, they have judiciously chosen features that offer the most based on what they are, and combined these into a small package to fit with the flow of a wide variety of kinds of sound designers. Therefore while it may take some investigation to discover everything that the TX-6 has to offer, it nevertheless is an extremely useful piece of kit and well worth the investment for those who want a more flexible way of working with sound design – or those who are really looking for something bold and parameter changing for a turning point in their work.

If you are interested in Music production hardware, we have a full category right here!

EQ for Guitar – Four Tips to Understand How to Get Started

Equalisation is one of the most important parts of the mixing and mastering process, but what if you’re a guitarist trying to mix and master a track by yourself? By understanding what sounds make up a guitar strum or picked note, it becomes easier to learn the basic principles of EQ which can be applied to all parts of a track – whether a heavy riff, a lead line, or some acoustic fingerpicking for an indie ballad.

Know the ins and outs of what makes up sound

A note on any instrument is made of the pure tone itself as well as undertones and overtones. You may know these from guitar techniques such as natural and artificial harmonics. However, beyond this, knowledge of the frequencies which make up sound in general is the first stage to understanding how EQ works, as well as its purpose in a mix, and therefore how it is applied specifically to guitar.

The spectrum of sound which is audible to the human ear can be divided up into different sections called bandwidths. You may have heard mix engineers talk about sub bass, bass, or use terms like ‘mids’ or ‘high mids’. These all refer to different frequencies of sound, whereas bandwidths are the groups themselves, often as they show up on an EQ plugin – a range of frequencies between two different set points on the spectrum of sound. Below is a rough guide to how audible sound can be divided up and how this shows up on a typical EQ plugin such as the default which comes with Logic X Pro.

Below 50 Hz – sub bass

50–150 Hz – bass

150–200 Hz – low mids

200-800 Hz – mids

800-2k Hz – mids to high mids

2k-5k Hz – high frequency, verging into noise and overtones (think a hi hat or cymbal crash)

5k-20k Hz – noise

Understand how EQ affects guitar in your track

Electric guitars – specifically rhythm guitars – are going to hover around the 200-500 Hz mark in terms of the main note – low enough in the mix to bulk it out and support a soaring vocal or guitar solo. Knowing this means that you can focus on these bandwidths while understanding that anything significant which is much lower or much higher could potentially be room noise, noise from outside the studio, or other unwanted sound.

Things can get confusing when you realise with any given instrument, a note can span the whole range of frequencies, including those at the extreme high and low ends of the spectrum, which often give it it’s fullness and richness. Another example would be sound at 2-5 KHz, which is often called ‘presence’ and adds brightness to the sound. These extra frequencies are the ones you are generally removing when EQing. For example, removing the lower frequencies from your lead guitar can prevent them clashing with other instruments which sit lower in the mix and giving the track overall a muddy sound where nothing stands out clearly. Essentially, EQ is all about understanding where instruments naturally sit, and altering other frequencies to carve out space for them in these places in relation to other instruments.

For guitar solos and harmonies, you may be going into the range of anything from 500-800 Hz +. However, the most important thing to remember is that when EQing, you are separating instruments, so they stand out cleanly in the mix, and these bandwidths and the way they are commonly divided are a useful guide as opposed to hard and fast rules. The main point of EQ is to clean up unwanted frequencies surrounding the main tones, meaning that each instrument is more distinct on its own – as well as boosting frequencies which you want more of, such as if a guitar low in the mix is lacking impact, at which stage it can be given more presence to make the sound brighter. 

Learn how EQ works with multiple guitars

Separating your rhythm and lead lines can be relatively straightforward, but what if you wanted to double track a guitar or add some subtle harmonies over your main riff? The same principle as above follows – find where your instrument sits naturally in the mix and see where some of the frequencies which make up the spectrum of its sound may be clashing with other instruments. By removing the lower frequencies from your high guitar harmony, you will not only prevent muddiness but also give more space to your lower riff.

When EQing, rhythm and lead guitars much be treated separately not only due to generally occupying different bandwidths but also due to having different purposes within an overall track. Higher sounds tend to pop out of the mix more than lower sounds, meaning that your guitar solo may not need equalising as much as a groove or riff might do, as it stands out already, but could benefit from lower frequencies being removed so that the chord progression could be heard. On the other hand, rhythm guitars can benefit from being more aggressively equalised with the higher and lower frequencies around them being cut more dramatically so the sound sits cleanly, especially in relation to other instruments around the same bandwidth such as bass and drums.

Understand EQ with other instruments such as bass and drums

Another thing to bear in mind is that different instruments bring different things to the EQ spectrum. A bass isn’t going to bring as much to the high end of the spectrum, but a full set of drums generally adds noise in terms of echoes, overtones, and undertones to all parts of the EQ spectrum due to the different parts of the kit ranging from high cymbals to the low kick drum. Guitars tend to sit somewhere in the middle of these two extremes but can sometimes be particularly sensitive to room and outside noise.

Overall, EQ may use different skills than simply playing guitar, but it is nevertheless one of the most powerful tools you can have in your arsenal – not just in terms of creating a fantastic track but also in honing you’re playing and taking it to the next level. By getting a better idea of what your lead lines and riffs are like in the context of not only other instruments but also how they are affected by the mixing process, you can gain mastery over your sound when working both alone and with a professional producer simply by understanding some of these basic EQ principles.

All About Tone – Ten Lessons I’ve learnt in using Digital FX to find the perfect sound

Tone is the feeling, the “vibe” that your instrument reproduces, and from a technical point of view it is close to “timbre”. However, it is much more, is is what defines you as an artist and it is something that you never fully consider as finished or final, always improving and expressing your creative identity.

Less is more

It may sound obvious to seasoned professionals, but a common mistake of beginner sound designers is using too many FX and plugins layered on top of each other. Not only can this slow down the processing power of your computer, it can also make your music sound extremely muddy and difficult to distinguish between the different tones, sounds, and even, in extreme cases, instruments.

Separate different sounds

Separating different sounds in the mix means that each one can truly shine on their own. By keeping your distorted guitars at one frequency and your acoustic guitars at another, you ensure that they end up being appreciated for what they are. This may sound like an obvious piece of sound design and production advice; however, it goes deeper and means not just producing cleanly but also mentally separating the distinct qualities of sound within your mix so you can more easily decide what to do with them.

But also learn how they relate to each other

Separating sounds in only one part of this technique, however, by learning how different sounds relate when next to each other, you can decide what plugins to apply and how to position your different tracks. This means understanding that when placed immediately after that slow part, your epic guitar solo might sound completely different than if you put it at the end of the song after the climax.

Balance rich and thin tones

Just like a meal, every song needs balance – for example, those fat, bassy sounds of the analogue-modelled valve amp plugin you just picked up need to be counterbalanced with something to ensure your tone doesn’t get too muddy. Adding another plugin designed to work on the top end of the EQ spectrum such as a phaser or flanger could ensure your track doesn’t become monotonous or too overwhelming.

Ensure your plugins work with your guitar

This can be an easy one to overlook, but your guitar itself is responsible for a lot of your tone, as is how you play it. As sound designers, it is easy to get bogged down in the wealth of plugins and FX out there and easy to get extremely carried away with testing new ones, however, the relationship between your guitar, your interface, and your DAW is just as important to keep in mind. A guitar designed for metal such as an Ibanez will react differently to those fat, bluesy plugins you might be using for some of your slower tracks or guitar solos – especially if you sit somewhere in between genres- as a Les Paul would.

Make sure nothing gets lost in the mastering process

When mastering, it is important to remember that in the process of reaching for a polished song, it is vital not to let the quest for perfection get in the way of a real, human sounding recording. This is especially important for guitarists as whilst specialist production advice exists out there, a lot of the tutorials on how to use DAWs such as Logic X Pro are geared towards pop artists who may not necessarily be looking for a rough and ready sound in the same was as blues, rock, and metal artists might be. Therefore, whilst mastering any track, allow some of the imperfections to shine through, because they are what make each of them have a unique fingerprint.

Mix different instruments according to tone

Have you ever considered the tone of different instruments before you add plugins and FX? Your guitar might have a naturally really clean, bright sound, so adding a valve amp could be a good idea if you want it to sit a bit lower in the mix in order to bulk your track or leave room for other instruments on top. This is just one of the ways you can mix according to tone, and one of the best tricks is to consider your instruments as comparative and understand the before and after of each one – therefore, making heavy use of any mute switches for plugins can be a real-life saver.

Don’t forget to acknowledge the design and makeup of your plugins

This can be one for real lovers of sound design but acknowledging the design and creation process which went into your plugins means that you can understand them better and thus mix and master more cleanly and efficiently. Are you using true-to-life plugins modelled after real amps and FX pedals with all components inside just as exact? Or are you using strongly digitally inspired plugins such as some of the spacier sounds which have developed through plugins designed for the era of DAWs? It makes a difference it then you can know not only how these plugins interact with others technologically, but it will also inspire you to use them in more creative ways once you are more confident with them.

Know what you’re looking for as a result

Knowing your desired results can go a long way towards choosing plugins. Having an overall picture of the track complete with how you want it mixed and mastered as well as arrangement and how this will affect elements such as EQ means that this can enable you to understand how all your creative choices bounce off each other and interact. This can make the mixing and mastering process much easier because it makes you able to see how tracks are put together and taken apart again and how plugins, AUs, VSTs, and other FX come into this. Building a track from the results backwards can be a great exercise in experimenting with gear, and it also allows you to develop an identity for the track as a whole and thus yourself as a sound designer, guitarist, producer, and more.

But also, don’t be afraid to experiment.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. There’s a reason why tracks often have multiple versions including demos, bootlegs, remixes, and radio edits. It can sometimes be hard to identify what a track really needs to feel complete, but this doesn’t matter because with multiple possibilities, you can experiment with your gear to your heart’s content. It can become easy to get carried away with plugins, so why not harness this into something which becomes a creative bonus? You may thank yourself for it in the future when you have more material to draw on or are looking for inspiration for something entirely new.

Conclusions

These are just some ideas which can help on your creative journey as a sound designer – allowing you to think about your musical endeavours differently and not get hung up by the common mistakes and misconceptions which can plague a lot of beginners by using the same deep understanding of your gear which underpins any great piece of sound design.

TOP 5 BEST Guitar VST Plugin products [2023]

Hello and welcome to our run down of the best Guitar VST Plugins. We will go straight to the list, make sure you bookmark them and check our Deals category for a chance to get them at a better price. The order of this list is random and we do recommend you get them all as the overlap is very big.

BEST Guitar VST Plugins: Positive Grid Bias FX 2

Ok, so the praises of this pedalboard have been sung by just about every guitarist and magazine out there. But does it live up to the hype. Absolutely. Beyond the dizzying array of pedals, effects, and other features which it contains – which would take an entire article to fully do justice to – its main draw is its guitar match feature.

What does it do? Essentially it takes the guitar you are using at the time of playing and turns it’s tone and overall sound it into any model of guitar digitally – giving you the ultimate freedom, variety, and flexibility in how you sound. Playing a Fender but always wanted to try a Gibson SG or an Ibanez? For those who love tone – or even major audiophiles who are not guitarists but want to try out different models before buying – this can be one of the most freeing features of an already stellar piece of kit. In addition, it comes in three versions: standard, professional, and elite.

Specs: macOS Sierra 10.12 to Big Sur 11.6.1, Windows 8 or later

CHECK PRICE AND BUY BIAS FX2 BY CLICKING HERE

BEST Guitar VST Plugins: Baby Audio Crystalline Algorithmic Reverb

Baby Audio Crystalline Algorithmic Reverb can be calibrated to the very BPM of your track. How does this work – and why is it so fantastic for guitarists? It means that reverb can recreate almost exactly the echoes and rhythms of soundwaves in real spaces as they bounce off the surroundings in time with your music – or even with a bit of delay.

For genres which rely heavily on rhythm such as the chugging riffs of metal or djent, this can also add that extra oomph to your tracks in order to really make them groove. However, it’s not just for metalheads – this reverb is notably used by Stephen W Taylor, the mix engineer for 80s acts such as Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, and when applied to guitar, it can easily give those lush, far out sounds which were characteristic of the era and which can be achieved either by synths or by a carefully produced 6 string – as well as tackling the nuances of a lot more genres besides.

Specs: Mac OS 7 and up, Windows 7 and up

CHECK PRICE AND BUY CRYSTALLINE BY CLICKING HERE

BEST Guitar Sounds/Loops: Perry Frank’s Ultimate Guitar Sounds Bundle

This one is a little different as it is aimed at producers as opposed to guitarists themselves. Designed for those who either don’t play guitar or don’t have access to a guitar, but who want proper rock, blues, and metal -inspired sounds to add interest and edginess to their tracks, it takes samples and loops from a wide collection of real guitars to provide you with the very best for your current project. What makes it stand out so much? Simply the breadth and depth of the samples, and the way they have been carefully selected so there is something for every piece of sound design which you may desire to add a bit more crunch to. There really isn’t anything else out there like it for those who want the sheer variety of different guitar sounds – as well as the realism and human feeling which comes from sampling real guitar as it is being played. This might be one of the most expensive plugins on the list, but is well worth investing in for those who love guitar beyond simply playing it – and who want to see how it can add to pieces of music far outside the typical genre conventions associated with the instrument.

Specs: As a bundle of samples as opposed to a plugin proper, this is available for practically all operating systems, including lesser-used DAWs such as Reaper. It’s versatility – and the fact that samples can be transferred without the constraints of software incompatibility -mean that in many ways, it is well worth the price.

CHECK PRICE AND BUY THE LOOPS FROM PERRY’S BANDCAMP

BEST Guitar VST Plugins: UJAM Silk

So many plugins out there are designed for electric guitar as opposed to acoustic. Even in physical guitar shops, acoustic guitars are generally further towards the back of the store in comparison to the huge market, which is rock, metal, grunge, blues, indie, and all other genres which use classic Fenders, Gibsons and others. In this way, it’s very rare that you find plugins which are so good at replicating acoustic guitar – and which do so with such attention to the guitar itself.

This isn’t just any acoustic guitar being turned into a virtual instrument – the classic nylon-string sounds heard here come from a model made by a renowned luthier and add just the right amount of softness and feeling to your track – something which can only come from the campfire-ready tones of an acoustic six-string. If you’re looking to go off the beaten track in terms of bringing acoustic guitar to your electric-guitar based sound design, then there is nothing better.

Specs: Note – this plugin is 64 bit only and available for Windows 8 or later as well as MacOS X 10.11 or MacOS 10.12 or later

CHECK PRICE AND BUY SILK BY CLICKING HERE

BEST Guitar VST Plugins: HY – MBMFX2 by HY Plugins

Although not as memorably named as some other plugins on the market, the HY – MBMFX2 is certainly a memorable plugin to use. As guitarists, we are often more oriented towards doing things physically and practically, and the purely digital sphere of DAW-based sound design can occasionally clash with the way we compose music.

That’s where plugins like the FX2 come in handy so much – by detailing every single variable feature in order to break down the process of how it’s sounds are formed, this multi-FX processor lets guitarists get hands on in shaping their sound digitally just the same as when they are using their instruments. Control over tone and sound processing is paramount in this plugin. It’s got seven kinds of FX, five FX per band, ten modulation options, and 22 other randomizable functions.

Specifications: MacOS 10.12 Sierra and up, 64 bit only as AU, VST2 and VST3; Windows 7 or higher as VST2 or VST3 as 32 or 64 bit.

CHECK PRICE AND BUY HY – MBMFX2 BY CLICKING HERE

Conclusions

These are just a handful of the plugins out there which can really make you reconsider how guitar works and how music can be put together, especially through the process of sound design. Though they are all very different from each other, what the designers have shared is a fresh approach in looking at the instrument and adapting it creatively for DAWs – so that the nuances and tone which have made it one of the world’s most popular instruments are properly translated to the digital sphere.

The Hippie era and the Californian Desert: A guide to the guitar sound which created a musical phenomenon

Note – this article is not necessarily intended as a guide to the specific pedals out there on the market or used by musicians. Instead, it gives a deeper look into the mechanics of each of these kinds of effects – how they work to create the sounds that they do, and how this in turn shaped the musical era when these became popular- both in the public imagination and in the way guitarists continue to use them today. Any of these kinds of pedal can be found in both digital and analogue form, with digital pedals for sound design altering the wave form in a very similar way to their analogue counterparts.

The two decades spanning the 1960s to the 1970s were a seminal and pioneering period of music. As society became less restrictive, all forms of new subcultures were born. Beginning with The Beatles, who took a strong influence from Indian ragas – and ending with Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, in this period music technology saw exponential growth in response to changes in demand by the music industry. Luthiers, technicians, and electronics specialists were able to showcase their skills with the design of new sounds and repurposing of old sounds.

These new sounds led to musicians redefining what it meant to play guitar. Sound recordings became increasingly complex, and memorabilia from the era has become prized within the market. Conjuring up vistas of the desert areas of California, with their rocky outcrops, stunning saguaro cacti, and the backdrop to many a Hollywood movie, guitarists in the sixties were all about distorting the sound of the original note through effects which aimed as much for edgy rebellion as for a mellow, rich, soulful tone with plenty of harmonics and different layers. Jimi Hendrix is one of the most notable as he held the stage through the raw feeling of his distorted version of the Star-Spangled Banner. Below are some of the pedals which became popular within the era – and a guide to their internal mechanisms for anyone curious about the creation of its signature sounds.  

Wah

This pedal was most famously used by Hendrix – and is designed to make a crying sound come out of the guitar. Wah pedals work by adding a filter to the original sound which is controlled when the pedal is activated, as well as by controls which may vary from pedal to pedal. As a result, parts of the soundwave are chopped off, boosting the midrange, and excluding the extremities to make the guitar sound as if it has literally developed a voice of its own. This mid-range boost is a very characteristic part of its technology, mellowing out the sound- making it richer, fuller, and more human. On any DAW, the wah pedal is one of the most commonly included pedal in any FX library, due to its popularity and versatility.                                                      

Fuzz

The fuzz pedal – another characteristic sound of the sixties and seventies desert rock era – uses a phenomenon called clipping to create a very different kind of distortion from both wah pedals and the myriad overdrive pedals available on the market. This means that so much gain is applied to the signal that it distorts, hitting a threshold which essentially causes the soundwave to double back on itself and overlap, causing a very grainy, thick sounding wall of noise. Whilst clipping is undesirable in the mixing and mastering process, within a fuzz pedal, all runs smoothly based off a very simple circuit and the resulting sound is much softer than the process within the mechanics might suggest. In fact, this is one of the gentler forms of guitar distortion, used by pop rock bands all throughout the sixties and seventies but also perfect for the slower ballads of harder rock acts. Like the wah pedal, the fuzz pedal is a staple of pretty much all DAWs, and there are plenty of options.

Tremolo

Tremolo bars became a characteristic feature of classic American rock ‘n’ roll towards the end of the era as guitar effects moved on in their sophistication. As rock music became more complex and the solos contained higher and more intense riffs, tremolo bars were favoured to give a ‘wobbly’, distorted sound to high notes.

Tremolo can refer to both the tremolo or whammy bar – which is a feature on certain kinds of guitar – as well as to tremolo pedals, which use very small, frequent alterations in either pitch, volume, or both to create a vibrato effect. Both square and sine waves distort the original signal differently, with distortion in this case referring to a way of altering the notes, which is different to the emphasis of undertones, overtones, and overlapping waves in fuzz, wah, and overdrive pedals. Therefore, they are invaluable for cleaner solos and different sounds when rock or metal guitarists want to take a break and go clean again. A tremolo is easily found on many FX plugins on DAWs such as Logic and Ableton.

Distortion/Overdrive

Classic distortion is one of the most recognisable sounds of the era, and music legend has it that it first became a significant part of rock history when the Rolling Stones stomped on their amps to record their now classic song (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. As a result, millions of other artists craved the sound which set them apart and provided a sense of edgy rebellion against the puritanism, clean sounds and lyrics of the fifties as middle America really came into being. The distorted sound became synonymous with music which set its listeners apart a little bit. It’s not hard to find distortion/overdrive on any DAW – and the multitude of choices means there is something for everyone, though as a result careful consideration is needed to find the perfect sound for your track.

Phaser

This pedal is most synonymous with the early seventies when Led Zeppelin began using it in their guitar solos to great effect. During this time, rock music began getting heavier. The phaser pedal is one which creates a sweeping sound by filtering the original signal via a sound processor. It has a series of peaks and troughs in its frequency attenuation graph, and thus when the positions of the peak’s changes, it makes the original note sound as if it is sweeping up and down due to the constantly changing frequencies within the pedal’s filter. As a result, this can be used to great dramatic effect. Phaser plugins range from state of the art to basic and can be found for all styles of guitar from psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll to heavy metal.

How have these sounds become associated with the Californian desert and how have they been repurposed for today?

Every era of music has its distinctive and characteristic sounds, but these sounds are some of the most evocative of a particular place and time because of the emotional and historical significance of the music which was created there. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix were pioneers of the music which shaped the minds and hearts of the youth at the time as well as bands such as Deep Purple, America, and earlier bands such as The Beatles and the Mamas and the Papas- and which for many who remember the era, this music still holds an extremely special place due to the memories of freedom and rebellion associated with it.

The Californian Desert was also the location of many historical festivals such as Woodstock – and saw the birth of musical get togethers which are still going on to this day. As a result, it is sometimes impossible to think of this era without also recalling the desert sounds and mesa outcrops which painted the backdrop to these festivals. Even to this day, the branding and decoration of some of these evokes the period with psychedelic lettering and bold colours, and the types of pedals in this article are perfect for bringing this era back to life or repurposing it’s sounds.  

Audio-Technica AT2035 Review

The Audio-Technica AT2035 is a side-address cardioid condenser microphone that is perfect for both studio and live applications. It has a large diaphragm that provides natural sound reproduction, and its low-profile design makes it ideal for use in tight spaces.

The Audio-Technica AT2035 is a great microphone for anyone looking for an affordable alternative to some of the more expensive models on the market. This mic is perfect for home studios, project studios, and even live applications.

Audio-Technica AT2035: Build quality

The Audio-Technica AT2035 is very solid with a metal body casing and a durable metal grill protecting the microphone capsule. The mic is made of all-metal construction, and it feels very solid in your hand. This makes it less likely to suffer damage from accidental drops or impacts, which can be important if you’re using it in a live setting.

The shock mount on the Audio-Technica AT2035 is very well-designed, and you won’t have any issues with it. The mount will help to keep the mic stable and free from vibration, which can cause noise and degradation in your recordings.

Audio-Technica AT2035: Recording pattern

The AT2035 has a cardioid polar pattern, which is ideal for capturing vocals and instruments in a close-up setting. This ensures that the sound picked up by the mic is focused on the front while minimizing noise from the sides and rear. This makes it well-suited for recording solo artists or small groups in a studio setting.

Audio-Technica AT2035: Frequency response

The AT2035 has a frequency response of 20 Hz-20 kHz, which makes it suitable for a wide range of applications. It will provide accurate recording of vocals, guitars, and other instruments, making it a versatile option for studios of all sizes. 

However, if you need a mic with a greater frequency response, then you may want to consider looking at some of the other options on the market.

Looking to build a studio or just for a refresh in your gear? Be it digital or hardware, come on down to our Reviews category by clicking here!

Audio-Technica AT2035: Sensitivity

The AT2035 has a sensitivity of -33dB, meaning it is capable of capturing sounds at lower volumes. This is great for recording quieter sounds, like a singer’s voice or a piano.

This is great because it means your pre-amp won’t be overloaded. In other words, you can use a lower-powered microphone pre-amp to get the same or better results than you would with a higher-powered pre-amp. This is important if you’re using a portable audio recorder, which often doesn’t have a lot of power.

This low sensitivity makes it very difficult for the AT2035 to pick up background noise, making it ideal for situations where there are lots of things that could cause interference. This is why the AT2035 is such a great choice for home studios and professional studios, where capturing every detail is critical.

When used in a quiet recording environment, the AT2035 can produce very clear and rich sounds. This is due to its low sensitivity which allows it to capture quieter sounds without being overwhelmed by background noise. This makes it an ideal microphone for use in professional studios and home studios.

Audio-Technica AT2035: Sound quality

The Audio-Technica AT2035 microphone is designed to provide the best sound possible. This microphone has a cardioid polar pattern, which helps to isolate the sound source and reduce feedback. It also has a low-cut filter to remove any unwanted low-frequency noise.

The AT2035 microphone is also designed for durability. It has a die-cast metal housing that can withstand regular use, and the included stand mount helps to keep it in place. This microphone is also compatible with most standard audio interfaces, making it easy to use with any recording software.

The Audio-Technica AT2035 produces very clear and natural sound. This is due to its large diaphragm, which helps to capture all the nuances of your recordings. The mic is also very sensitive, allowing you to capture sounds at lower volumes without having to worry about background noise.

This mic is known for its clear, crisp sound. It’s perfect for both home and studio recording, as well as live performances. Additionally, the AT2035 is very versatile, and can be used with a variety of sound sources.

The Audio-Technica AT2035 is an excellent microphone for the price. It produces sound quality that is comparable to much more expensive microphones. I have tried several other microphones in this price range, and the AT2035 is the only one that comes close to matching the sound quality of the NT1-A.

Microphone Setup

The Audio-Technica AT2035 is a condenser microphone that connects through an XLR interface. It requires phantom power, which is pretty much standard for condenser microphones. This microphone is also back electret, meaning it is forgiving about voltage (Rated 11-52V DC).

If you are interested in a bundle for setting the microphone in the studio (alongside a microphone arm and the associated cables), Amazon has you covered, click here to see the bundle at a very good price point!

Conclusion

The Audio-Technica AT2035 is a great all-around microphone that is well-built and has some great features. The mic is perfect for recording vocals, acoustic instruments, and other sources.

If you are looking to spend under $300 on a microphone, the Audio-Technica AT2035 is one of your best choices. This microphone has great sound quality, and it is built to last. It also comes with a variety of accessories that make it easy to get started recording right away.

DIGITAL and ANALOG – How you can use ANALOG effects with DIGITAL MUSIC production

While analog seems like a pretty much forgotten domain, digital music production using DAWs such as Logic, Reason, and Ableton, has become the norm in the modern music industry. With so many instruments, FX, and VSTs in one place, they seemingly have everything a modern musician needs. Yet to expand the sound of your music you may want to combine digital and analogue sounds. 

Choose your DAW

All round BEST DAW: Logic

Logic is by no means the only DAW on the market yet is the first option which many musicians jump to. Nevertheless, to combine digital with analogue it isn’t always the best option. Logic has such as wide range of different VSTs, plugins, FX, and ways to mix and master your music – but producing everything similarly can starve your creativity. There is no true BEST when checking out DAW options, but Logic is a great all-rounder that can do everything you need.

Check out these other DAWs for alternative options, if you are on a budget or if you are still learning digital music production: 

Budget friendly DAW: Reaper  

Reaper is basic, but this can be exploited by the savvy musician to further creativity. Due to not using much power, it can be modified with many of your own plugins or external equipment like external FX plugins for a low cost and streamlined way of working.

Great for beginners: Ableton

Meanwhile, Ableton live is a great way of bringing analogue gear into digital music production. By pushing the buttons on the live pads, even with entirely digital sounds, layering them can free up your creativity and create thicker, richer, and more nuanced sound. Loading both digital and analogue sounds, which can be run through FX pedals for a richer warmer sound or combined with digital instruments like synths.

Digital and Analog Music Gear: What’s on the Market? 

Using electric guitar and pedals, or stomp boxes, may not be immediately obvious in electronic music but can be done to great effect with low key guitar and heavy usage of FX making the humble Fender Strat or Telecaster sound otherworldly and unique, generating sounds which could not be achieved with digital FX or production but which you would not necessarily know were analog. For the rest of the article, we will only focus on pedals, leaving analog synthesisers and other instruments to a separate one.

Of course, if you want some more in-depth information you can check the Music Hardware section here on idesignsound and also the “ANALOG” tag.

Guitar Pedals

I have experimented with combining analogue stompboxes and other FX pedals with digital production, especially with digital drum patterns. They work together very well when combined with electric guitar as this can be produced in such a way that its rich, raw analogue sounds are modulated and toned down to combine with slick electronic synths and drumbeats.

They can also change the sound of your guitar. So that it is less obviously a six-stringed electric or acoustic, making it ambiguous and therefore creating all sorts of fantastic and ethereal sounds. This can open up more options than may even have been on your DAW in the first place. It’s a reminder that sounds do not just come from our computers and online but that the world around us can be a constant source of inspiration.

Music producers usually group the pedals into different circuits on a Pedalboard

Best analog stompboxes for combining with digital music production:

Naturally there are loads of different stompboxes to choose from on the market, even within any one category such as fuzz or wah pedals. These are only a few of the possible options out there and are simply a good place to start.

Behringer

Behringer pedals are relatively cheap and are great pedals for beginners. There are many different kinds and they can easily be combined with your existing digital gear due to the fact that their controls are very similar to those which exist on DAWs such as logic. A basic Behringer distortion pedal can be used with Logic to bring some authentic, raw sounding distortion to low key electric guitars for bedroom pop or indie music.

EVH Phase 90

Phaser pedals are a great way of introducing weird sounds to your electronic music. Synths and other forms of sound modulation are great for creating tense and exciting electronic beats but missing out on the variety of other sounds out in the analogue world would be a mistake.

Phaser pedals are generally used with electric guitar for classic rock and roll sounds, especially in the 80s. With the current focus on retro and the vinyl revival, why not bring them to the present era by recording phased guitar and using it as a sample or synth patch for high-powered electropop.

Wah Pedals

Like the phaser, it may not occur to you to use retro sounding pedals in modern electronic music. Nevertheless, with enough production, a fuzz pedal or wah pedal can be used to add layers of depth to your electronic music.

With digital, bedroom-based production one thing which is lost is the warmth and depth of tone of analogue production. There is always a fine balance between creating depth or interesting sounds and keeping the crispness which makes electronic music so listenable.

A wah pedal can be used to create a wall of sound effect which is great for combining with mixed vocals and synth sounds for big choruses. Dunlop pedals are a great middle of the road brand for this as for a pedal you may use quite a lot but which needs to stand up to the wear and tear of production, they are not too expensive but still provide great sound. Try the cry baby pedal for big noises to mix down and combine with synths and electronic drums.

We also recommend you check out our article on the BEST DELAY pedals by clicking here.

Ways to Combine ANALOG and DIGITAL MUSIC workflows

Dry Recording

It isn’t every guitarist’s first preference to record guitars dry into their interface and DAW, but for electronic musicians who are not bound by the conventions of rock history, it is a way to get subtle and low-key electric guitar sounds into otherwise electronic songs and have them still work, without sounding overpowering or like two completely disparate genres have been mashed together.

Try it and then layer FX to your choice over the top of them. The dry base can give you more options for creativity as you add different musical textures and ingredients.

Recording and then adding FX

Recording wet sounds such as by miking up amps can result in a rich sound which is not always desirable in electronic music as it can drown out the other elements. However, if you choose to record this way, good, pro level EQ plugins can allow you to mix to your liking and have the best of both worlds – the multiple tones and the appeal of real instruments, as well as the cleanness of electronic sound and the ability to manipulate sound to your liking to create bigger, punchier dynamics like pulsing EDM drums for a danceable pop song or the hazy atmosphere of dreamy bedroom pop by adding reverb and delay.

Digital and Analog Music – Conclusions

Combining analogue and digital sounds is as simple as using your gear creatively and making sure that you understand the contexts in which different sounds are used.

Best portable electronic music studio gear – for production and live acts

Hello and welcome to our round-up of the best portable music studio gear in 2023, for producing electronic music on the go and also for live music shows. This list is by all means non-final, and will get updated when the market provides us studio-heads with more options. So if you want to go on the road, you found a nice spot that gives you inspiration or even if you don’t have a permanent place to stay, this one is for you.

In the latest update, we look at some new additions in a year that has been surprisingly fruitful for creative portable electronic music gear. 

With innovations from Roland with the Roland S-1 and with Teenage Engineering’s much anticipated EP33 KO-II, we also have ome lesser known, up and coming brands such as Polyend, as well as the Liven Lo-Fi 12 from Japanese synth makers Sonicwear.

Below you will find only the greatest portable music production equipment, we bring you the best of the best and the second offer, so don’t expect an all inclusive 15-item list, just our own selection.

Best portable electronic music studio mixer: 1010music blue box (very) compact studio mixer

This one is a no-brainer basically. It is the most compact portable digital audio mixer in existence, and had a very good reception when it was introduced back in 2019. While the 1010music blackbox studio – compact sampling and mixing device does not have the hands on control of a traditional mixer, it packs in all the features.

1010music bluebox provides 6 stereo 3.5 mm TRS inputs. Of course you are not going to get your studio-grade 16, 24 or 32 input mixing console, but if you are travelling, you will not be doing so with your full collection of synths to actually plug in to 24 audio channels. Yes you cannot do the smooth fader movements, often 3-4 at one time, but again going portable is all about compromises.

So yes, there is menu-diving and yes you rely on a touch screen for most of your work with this, but the size in unbeatable and the price is extremely good too. You can record everything on one or more micro-sd cards which is also a very nice feature as it can completely remove your laptop from your portable setup if this is what you want. If you are travelling on a plane and you are limited in weight of your luggage, it is excellent.

It also has two outputs plus headphones, so there is the option to have some outboard processing as well, as it has the option to create bus style routing. Overall, it can be the centre of you portable music studio or live act setup as it also comes equipped with MIDI I/O, a four-band EQ for each channel,

The Bluebox mixer supports USB power so it most definitely can run off an USB power bank, just make sure you get a name-brand one as the cheaper alternatives are not that stable and may end up frying your gear or just cutting the power without saving your work.

For live acts, it might not be the best weapon that you have as it lacks tactile speed of a normal mixing board. This one is more of a set-and-forget device, so you have to be aware of it’s shortcomings.

You can buy the 1010music bluebox mixer on Amazon right here.

You can also check out second hand options for the 1010music bluebox mixer on Reverb by clicking here.

Yamaha MG06x 6-Input Compact Stereo Mixer with Effects

This portable music studio mixer is more for the old-school types that want to have a more hands on approach, and prefer to trade off some space for this (obviously). This Yamaha mixer does not have a screen, but it does have two microphone XLR connections with phantom power, plus two stereo/four mono inputs. It does not have the ability to record on external media, but it offers a metal rugged chassis and you can just use what recording device you can get including a sound card and a laptop; maybe take them from your fixed studio?

Yes while it has it’s drawbacks, it still boosts an extra compact layout and has some rather good built-in effects, two sets of (identical) outputs, phone outputs and high pass filter option on the inputs (to filter out the low 80hz frequencies). While 1010music are a newcomer to the game, Yamaha has been building studio gear for a long time, and knows its way around mixing equipment.

The inputs of the Yamaha MG06x are studio grade and other than the effects, the sound processing is fully analog. It is also good for the money you pay for it, and weight in at just about 2 pounds, it will fit into your bag without problems. Just don’t expect to run this thing off batteries, it will only work with mains level power.

You can buy the Yamaha MG06x 6-input portable music studio mixer on Amazon right here.

You can also check out second hand options for the Yamaha mixer on Reverb by clicking here.

Best portable electronic music studio sampler: 1010music black box (very) compact sampling studio

Again a piece of studio gear from 1010music, who specialises in very portable equipment. The blackbox is a very interesting sampler with extra features. It has a touchscreen that is both bright and generous (given the full unit size).

Again, the purpose is mostly to replace your computer as it features an arranger and song builder completely out of your samples, but you can also use it to capture performances on your $20.000+ synths that never leave the studio and just jam with what you recorded when out and about.

For that purpose it gets the job done with a bit of creativity to spare thanks to the internal effects and presets.. The 1010music blackbox also supports an SD card like the blue box and takes in both mono and stereo samples at 16, 24 and even 32bit. It has a 24 bit DAC so your recordings from the analog world will sound best.

Just like the Bluebox portable music studio mixer, the Blackbox sampler can run off an USB power bank, just make sure you get a good one that provides a stable voltage.

As i/o connectivity goes, you can put one stereo channel in and get three stereo channels out but don’t forget that you can internally mix these analog signals with the samples that are run internally (16 channels). It also supports 16-note polyphony and USB and TRS midi (you will need an adapter if you want to MIDI interface with other traditional 5-pin sockets).

So this portable music studio piece of equipment seems to tick all the boxes, but what it does not have is hands on approach. So while it is good for production, in a live show you might not really want this as it takes a bit of time to do significant changes to your sound and also because of the touchscreen interface, the control might be a bit wonky.

Still we think it has it’s place arround gear-heads and you can buy the 1010music Blackbox sampling studio it by clicking here.

Polyend Tracker MINI 

Ok, we can’t believe nobody has done this before. The tagline for what looks like a small piece of retro technology is ‘make an album on the go’. What the Tracker Mini is essentially, is a portable audio workstation.  That means it includes a sequencer, sampling and sound design tools, a built in microphone, and all the other capacities you would need to create working versions of your ideas even when you are miles away from your studio.

Does it live up to what it promises? It’s very dependent on the individual, so if you’re a studio purist you probably won’t like this one. However, their site does have a section where you can hear albums made entirely with the Tracker Mini, and the interface, which essentially acts as a DAW, is not to be sniffed at, with all the functionality and simplicity of a less popular DAW like Reaper. 
We’re hoping to potentially go more in depth with this one soon, so watch this space. But for now, if you want to check out all its features, you can see them here on the Polyend website. However, remember that it doesn’t come cheap, at 699 EUR,and this is likely to be a highly in demand product. However, you can pre order from their same website.

Elektron Model:Samples portable music studio sampler

While the previous sampler is considered by us the best, this is mostly because of the portability factor and also because most people use samplers more as sample players, and just changing the sample recorded from time to time without serious editing in real time.

However, for those that want more control and are willing to sacrifice a bit of portability, there is the Elektron Model:Samples.

Yes we are huge Elektron fans here at idesignsound. These Swedish guys nailed it with their grooveboxes, their workflow is fun and their specialty is flexibility. With the exception of the mixer and effect category, Elektron are present with offerings on all portable music studio gear types presented in this article

The Elektron Model:Samples is considered a very entry-level way of getting familiar with the way that this company handles it’s workflow. Everyone will tell you that they have a bit of a learning curve and that they see things a bit differently. Some will even say that they tend to make user experiences that are overly complex, even for the most trivial of tasks. But we tend to disagree, as all things that they do, they do for flexibility and power.

It is clear to us that with the Model:Samples they tried a bit of simplification. They offer a lot of one-function-per-knob controls which is very rare these days, especially in compact gear. They seem to create a lot of space between these knobs so they are perfectly suited for live performances where you don’t really get great lighting and you may twist the wrong knob if the controls are very close to each other.

The features are great on this product, and we would like to firstly point out the sequencer. Yes, Elektron have probably the best and most powerful sequencing options in the game and have made this their most important trademark. You can record live, you can program changes of parameters in each step, you can have odd sequencing times and you can have probabilities and micro-timing settings too. This is basically standard for this company, and the Model:Samples makes no exception. Then, you have the six velocity sensitive pads to get finger drumming, the retrigger and the stereo effects, all very useful.

While the sampling and sound engine is limited, this is to be expected as the company offers more products with a higher price tag and better sampling features. Let’s remember that this is an entry level product and that sampling is mostly just sample playback.

You can buy the Elektron Model:Samples portable music studio sampler from Reverb by clicking on this link.

LIVEN Lo-Fi 12 – Portable Unique Sampler

Whilst we are big Elektron fans, we also do like to give the spotlight to lesser known companies. One of these is Japan’s Sonicwear, who are capitalising on the trend for LoFi music that doesn’t seem to be slowing any time soon. 

They’re doing this with the Liven Lo-Fi 12 portable sampler and groovebox. If you’re looking for a synth that you can make beats with from scratch it may not be the best. However, this isn’t because it’s no good – instead, it specialises in one thing and does it really well, and you guessed it – that’s Lo-Fi. 

Sonicwear claims that the Lo-Fi 12 ‘makes creating music fun’, well, most of you readers here will already think that it’s fun on its own merit. However, we do have to commend the Lo-Fi 12 for taking the Lo-Fi trend and running with it to the absolute limits. 

The product video on their website even claims that it ‘turns everything into Lo-Fi’ and this is an accurate assessment, but you’d be forgiven for thinking that was the only gimmick. 

Obvious if you don’t want a lofi sound, this synth won’t be any good. But within this, it has a retro 12 bit sampler, bitcrusher, reverb, delay, high pass and low pass filters, and so much more. Plus, the demo video shows that it’s remarkably versatile, even being able to create gritty jungle beats under a lo-fi veneer. Additionally, the ‘laid back’ knob creates ‘drunk’ sounding beats, a feature that we love for its creativity. 

As it’s also released in v.2.1 this year, we felt it was a must include for a unique and portable sampler and groovebox that does something different. However, it doesn’t come cheap, at 239 USD. 

Best portable electronic music studio polyphonic synth: Elektron Analog4

Ok, now we get deep and dirty with the Elektron offerings. While the previous product we discussed, the Model:Samples was considered an over-simplification, the Analog4 ticks all the boxes of the Elektron not-so-beginner-friendly way. The Analog4 is an excellent sounding and extremely versatile synth. Most people swear by it in every live show, although some consider the oscillators and sound engine to be a little thin. We personally disagree, and we have alywas enjoyed the sound that you can get with an Analog4.

This is mostly because of the complex modulation routings possible with it (basically you can modulate every parameters of the synth) and the waveshaping possibilities (all oscillator wave types can have the pulse wave modulated). There is a very interesting trapezoid wave type, there is partial oscillator sync, there are a lot of envelope shapes to choose from and there is AM. The new MK2 version of the Elektron Analog4 has a redesigned outer shell, it looks very pretty but if you want extreme compactness, you should look for a used MK1 as they have the classic rectangle groovebox shape profile.

The 4 in Analog4 stands for the separate synth channels that this thing can output. This is called multi-timbrality. What this means is that while you are buying one single unit, it is capable of creating four individual and distinct sounds that can have their own sequences and their own modulations (albeit these four distinct channels will be monophonic meaning you can only play one note at a time)

If you don’y want four mono channels but actually need some polyphony, this thing can switch to four-note polyphonic play (so you can do chords with it). The voice routing is extremely flexible and you can have eveything in between (two mono channels, one 2-note poly) including four note unison.

The sequencer on the Analog4 is state of the art, with every possible creative trick at your disposal. There is a lot spoken about the Elektron sequencer, it being an entire subject on its own, so it is important that you actually research this if you plan on buying this product. What is important to say si that with the most recent patches applied, you can even send the sequencer notes via MIDI to other gear and have the Analog4 as a midi brain, sending notes to the other compact equipment that does not have a means of inputting notes.

There are three stereo effects on board this beast, and there are also two audio inputs so you can use these effects for your other sound generators. The delay shines and you can sync it via MIDI too. Speaking of audio inputs, the Analog4 can even work as a sound card via USB, getting two mono channels of sound in your computer or getting two mono channels of sound from your computer in the analog realm. The converters on this are 48khz-24bit.

You can buy the Elektron Analog4 MK2 from this link as new on Amazon.

You can also check the Analog4 MK2 as second hand on Reverb by clicking here.

Last but not least, you can also try the older Elektron Analog4 MK1 as it is cheaper and somewhat similar. You can explore Reverb options for the MK1 by clicking here.

Oh, and if the Analog4 is up to your taste but not your budget, you can also check the Elektron Digitone – not analog, more compact, more cheap. We will write a review soon!

Moog Minitaur portable monophonic synth

So for those of you that were a bit intimidated by the Analog 4, there is a much more streamlined option: the Moog Minitaur.

Sure, the first thing you will loose is features like a sequencer, polyphony, midi output, sound card features, modulation matrix, pulse width modulation, FM/AM modulation. Now that we got that out of our heads, the Minitaur is the easy way into the Moog Sound. And boy what a sound that is. if you are into bass-heavy music, you can’t go wrong with it. They even call it a “bass” synthesiser, but that is mostly because of the limited feature set.

What you actually get is a two oscillator one lfo synth. The wave shapes are limited; pulse or triangle and there is no way of modulating anything other than the pitch and filter. You do get two ADR/ADS envelopes, glide/portamento and an audio in for either plugging in external gear through the filter and envelopes or (more commonly) creating a feedback loop to thicken the sound.

Although by using a computer and the control VST you will get some added features including a preset management library, in a portable setup that can or can not be achieved. It all depends if you use a computer or not.

Although the computer brings in more flexibility (and midi – USB), we still think that the Minitaur is made to be tweaked-upon. The sound is lush and the filter is what you expect from a Moog.

You can buy the Moog Minitaur on Reverb by clicking here.

Other portable synth mentions

There are some new Synth offerings from 1010music that we covered separately in individual reviews:

1010music fireball – wavetable synth – read our review by clicking here

1010music lemondrop – granular synth – read our review by clicking here

We have another blast from the past with the Roland S-1, a new portable synth that is modelled on the legendary Roland SH-101. This portable polysynth uses modernistic features such as wave manipulation and onboard sequencing. It also has unique options like oscillator chop, which use technology for newer than ever sounds. Ultimately, it’s super portable, and a great mixture of old and new. Billed as a tweak synth, we think this one is all about the ability to sculpt, shape, design, and pus the boundaries of music. Check it out on their website here.

Best portable electronic music studio drum machine: Elektron Analog Rytm

As we said, we are big Elektron fans. Elektron Analog Rytm MK2 is made to be paired with the Analog4 and is Elektron’s take on drum machine, and also a successor to the highly sought-after digital drum machine from the previous generation: the Elektron Machinedrum.

What you get with the Analog Rytm is: basically everything.

You want to do finger drumming like on the MPC – you got it!

You want to use samples – you got it!

You want analog drums – you got it!

You want to modulate as much as possible – you got it!

You want to control other gear with the sequencer and midi – you got it!

You want to output individual tracks – you got it!

You want to process external sounds in each of the total eight tracks – you got it!

Coming it with it’s distinctive sequecing power, individual step settings (p-locks) and all the workflow improvements that this company is known for, the Analog Rytm is an eight-track monster packed in a very compact format.

The sounds it’s analog engine make are world class, you can hear it in most modern productions and if you still don’t like them, you can switch to your own samples without issues. You can even mix both in a single drum kit.

Drum machines are, in our honest oppinion more simpler than synths, so there is not much we can cover about them, the sounds you can either love or hate but the workflow, once you get used to it, will raise your standards for life.

You can buy the Elektron Analog Rytm MK2 here.

You can also check the Analog Rytm MK2 as second hand on Reverb by clicking here.

Last but not least, you can also try the older Elektron Analog Rytm MK1 as it is cheaper and somewhat similar. You can explore Reverb options for the MK1 by clicking here.

If you would rather have something even more compact and more affordable than the Rytm, while still keeping true to the Elektron workflow, you should check out the Elektron Digitakt.

MFB-522 portable drum machine

Yes this is a classic and yes this is discontinued for a long time. Yes this is an 808-clone. But it is by far one of the most compact drum machines ever.

While really very simple and very hard to use, especially if you have big fingers, we still felt the need to mention this tiny piece of 100% analog gear. We just love it.

Yes we love it’s weight and it’s color scheme. We love that it has four outputs given it’s size and that you can really get some punchy sounds out of it. The hi-hats choke, and the kick bounces.

Just throw it in your bag, purse or even your pocket (this thing is tiny) for some instant 808.

What we don’t like is the sequencer. You really should not fiddle with the 522 during a live show, but for a portable music studio you really can’t go wrong.

You can find the 522 on the used market, however in recent times it’s becoming a rare sighting. You can check Reverb by clicking here.

The Teenage Engineering EP 33 KO II

And, we’ve saved this one for last because of how exciting it is. Finally, we have a successor to the Teenage Engineering PO 33-KO. With PO standing for pocket operator, it’s pretty obvious that this sampler is super portable. Essentially, the biggest thing about the update is a reworking of the sequencer. 

But we have to give this one a mention just because we love the innovation of Teenage Engineering products anyway. 

What is has: 

  • Ability to sequence your samples, loops, and beat
  • Tons of great pre-loaded stuff with the classic Teenage Engineering high sound quality 
  • A hadheld, portable sampler and sequencer that lets you take in the sonic environment around you and play it back in whatever form captures your imagination. 

We can’t go into the full details of every great sampler and piece of gear in one article, but we definitely think this is one of the most anticipatory new pieces of portable gear this year. You can check it out on their website here

Portable Music Studio Gear: Honorable Mentions

Here we will put other compact studio gear with some notes, they are good just not the go-to for us so they did not have their own article sub-section.

Conclusion

While the portalble music studio equipment landscape is as dynamic as ever, nothing will be able to replace the laptop or even an eurorack modular setup in terms of flexibility. This is why we did not bother to go into effects, because these tend to be one trick ponies and it’s a good idea to actually add effects in the digital realm. We have a great article about using analog effects right here, if you are interested. Most hardware effect units are actually digital inside so the whole analog vs digital battle does not apply to them. There is also something magic when you max in the digital realm and use a laptop, or max the opposite, analog spectrum and get a very multipurpose eurorack module selection. These are maximums for compactness that also allow you maximum flexibility and the most efficient storage space management possible.

While we did make a point into not discussing these two tools – modular and laptops, having a portable music studio for both production and live performances is extremely fun and inspiring. Just breathe in that fresh mountain air and sport a nice solar panel to recharge your batteries (you should have multiple packs of them), while you make your own flavour of music and soak all the inspiration that the outdoors can provide!

Conductive Labs NDLR – opinion and ideas

So we have had this excellent Conductive Labs NDLR sequencer, or how we like to call it: the midi “brain” for quite some time now. And boy what a brain this is.

We have been comparing it a lot to the Torso T-1 sequencer (review coming very soon). It is different but not quite that different. As loopop said in it’s video, the NDLR is quite unique. Traditional sequencers allow you to input notes fast on a grid type structure. In turn, they allow you to listed to the idea that you have laid down pretty fast, and judge A. it’s own musical qualities and specifics and B. how it sits along with the rest of your tracks. Thus, sequencers are a very powerful creative tool, most of us techno and minimal heads consider them the centre of our creative process (mostly because we can’t be bother to take the proper time to learn to play keys properly).

Traditional sequencers vary in complexity and flexibility, from the very primitive ones that can be found in groove-boxes (like the old Roland drum machines and Korg volca line) to very sophisticated ones that can allow you to program velocity, note length, probability and all the other parameters that can be tweaked on that specific piece of gear (think Elektron with it’s parameter locks). At the top of the line of traditional, note-input sequencers is the Cirklon, which is a dedicated step sequencer that can do all kinds of fast, creative tweaks and has a great workflow that most producers swear by. Let’s not forget software, basically all DAWs have a sequencer, be it direct like fruity loops or a piano roll (which is a two-dimensional sequencer, with time and pitch in the same screen). Also, pad-style instruments like the Ableton Push and Novation Launchpad can be configred so that the pads work as a sequencer.

Conductive Labs NDLR: a non-traditional midi sequencer

Now, let’s move it up a bit. We talked about the traditional sequencer, what they all have in common is that they always start with a blank slate, a noteless sequence of 16 steps (usually). You place notes there in the order and pitch that you desire and you can instantly hear how that ‘sequence’ sounds. You can ajust the notes and hear changes, so you immediately get a feel for where you want to take the melody of drum tracks of your music.

Non-traditional sequencers differ because you usually input the ideas and the midi hardware takes care of the notes. For the NDLR, you input the key, the degree and if we are talking about chords, the type of chord that you want and it spits the notes on it’s own. There is swing of course (called “Humanization”) and there is velocity. For monophonic melodies, there are two aspects that contribute the most to your notes: the patter and the rhythm.

Conductive Labs NDLR: Motifs

So the way sequencers work is that they create a rhythmic pattern for your sound generators. With the NDLR midi sequencer you get two dimensions to control this: pattern and rhythm. The pattern controls the notes, or pitch of each step in the sequence. There are three types of patterns: scale, chord and chromatic. The values that each pattern step takes indicates the note in an imaginary piano roll: chromatic is in absolute terms, not keeping any scale, scale limits the values to notes in the selected scale and chord is like scale, functioning with limited note choices but also makes the notes relative to the degree of the chord that you choose from the main panel.

Rhythm is similar to pattern but the value per step actually indicates velocity. You can create ties and rests here. For both rhythm and pattern you can select clock division and total length, separately from each other to get extremely interesting sequences.

The way that NDLR presents the sequence pattern and rhythm that you chose this is truly unique. Instead of providing you with a blank slate for rhythm and pattern settings, it always provides you with a filled sequence. This is so you can get grooving A.S.A.P. There are 20 presets and 20 user generated rhythms and patterns. To mark the departure from traditional sequencers (which present the sequence is a straight line), NDLR shows the pattern and rhythm as a circle, going clockwise.

This is just a slight scratch on the surface for what NDLR can do. The way described above is called Motif in NDLR, and represents the monophonic sequence way. Other than Motifs (which NDLR has two independent ones), this midi sequencer can output two more midi sequences, which are polyphonic and independent.

The way it works is very simple, you just select the rhythm, pattern, the way you want it to be played (left to right, right to left, random 1, random 2), clock division, etc and just press play. The sequencer takes care of all the note placements, so you can start tweaking in real time.

Conductive Labs NDLR: Drone and Pad

While Motifs are the core aspect of the NDLR Midi sequencer and the most flexible parts that this tool has to offer, they are monophonic. We like monophonic sequences but there is much more composition possible than this. NDLR has two poly modes as well: Drone and Pad.

Drone is a very basic form of note generation. It can be polyphonic but also in mono. What it does is play the root note of the scale that you selected, and if you want, you can add a 5th interval, and then you can add an octave on top. It has a simpler rhythm section than Motifs, but it is there in case you want to go a bit deeper.

Pad mode is for chords. You have a bit more flexibility than Drone and also you can select which chord you want NDLR to play. You do this with the circle of buttons that is close to the centre screen. With the same buttons you select the degree of chord in that scale as well as the type of chord you want to play. This is especially useful for producers that do not know music theory. You can instantly listen to any chord progression that you want, with pushing a minimal number of buttons. You can have the option to strum the chord, playing each note with a small delay so that they individually stand out.

We said Pad mode is a bit more complicated than Drone. This is in part because you can set up the voicing by using some presets that in NDLR talk are called “spread”. There are a lot of spread types, and we fully encourage you to explore them as they can lead to extremely interesting harmony. You can also select the number of notes in the chord, which goes pretty high if your synth has the proper polyphony.

NOTE: There is no rhythm section for Pad mode, The Conductive Labs NDLR midi sequencer sustains the chord for as long as you don’t press the chord type/degree button. If you want to trigger the same chord again, press the same degree button.

For an in-depth feature and usability review, we recommend this excellent loopop video. It is from an earlier firmware version, but still pretty much on-spot:

very in-depth Conductive Labs NDLR review

Extra modulations and MIDI I/O

This Midi sequencer has a lot of modulation options, you can use a multitude of sources to modify any parameter that you want. There are LFOs and Randomisers as sources, and they can be synced to time as beat divisions or actual seconds. There are four modulation busses, so the possibilities are virtually endless.

As far as Midi I/O goes, the offering is diverse. You have four channels on midi USB mode. Then you have two midi ins and two midi outs. You can configure each NDLR output to your preference. There is no power connection and on-off switch, NDLR gets power from the USB.

Overall, this little piece of gear has become the centre of my midi synths, the ones that don’t have a sequencer. It is flexible and it is fast, with extreme ideas flowing extremely fast. There is always a melodical touch to what it outputs and I really can’t part ways with it, nor can I see myself doing this in the foreseeable future.