Unexpected collabs, Behringer surprises and more: The biggest music tech stories of NAMM 2025 We round up NAMM 2025's best new synths, controllers, studio gear and more MusicRadar · Jan 28, 2025
NAMM 2025: "This is the beginning of a really long journey": Native Instruments teams up with Akai, Korg, Novation and more to "empower millions of music creators" Native Instruments is expanding NKS integration to its competitors' controllers and making its software and sounds available on the Akai MPC platform MusicRadar · Jan 22, 2025
NAMM 2025 as it happened: rolling news from the world's biggest music-making gear show All the hottest new guitars, synths, drums and other gear from Anaheim 2025 MusicRadar · Jan 22, 2025
NAMM 2025: Latest news, rumours and updates as the show gets ready to open its doors LA wildfires threatened the world’s biggest musical instrument expo, but it's got the green light and the product announcements are coming in thick and fast MusicRadar · Jan 10, 2025
“The core thing to remember is that your beats are slow - 90 bpm maximum - and they are filthy”: Unpacking the dark, sample-based sound of trip-hop It's this genre that set a blueprint for today's down-tempo sounds MusicRadar · Nov 5, 2024
“Michael Stipe said it was his favourite dance album – he used to put it on and then write his lyrics for REM to it”: Rave icons Utah Saints on their legacy, sampling Kate Bush, and the challenges of making their debut album “Sometimes it would take three of us to make little adjustments as the track was going down live – we all had to get our cues in the right place”: The UK duo look back on their debut as it’s reissued over 30 years on MusicRadar · Nov 1, 2024
"Construct and sequence songs from start to finish in a true DAW-style workflow": Akai Pro announces huge update to its MPC software MPC 3 brings a new Arrange Mode, new mixer, new channel strips, enhanced automation capabilities and much more to standalone MPCs MusicRadar · Jul 26, 2024
MPC Stems goes standalone, bringing on-device stem separation to the Akai Pro MPC One, Live, X and more MPC owners can now split samples up into four layers of stems using tech from Zplane MusicRadar · Jul 16, 2024
"We’ve never had it so easy": 5 ways music gear has improved over the years... and 5 it hasn't We take stock of the progress that's been made in modern music technology - and consider where there might be room for improvement MusicRadar · Jul 9, 2024
Best MIDI keyboards to kickstart your home music production MIDI keyboards to take control of your music-making Evening Standard · Jul 8, 2024
"I didn't expect it to be as good as it is": Watch Roger Linn, creator of the original MPC, test out Akai's MPC Live II "Akai has done a very good job of honouring the workflow of my original design and bringing it into the present" MusicRadar · Jun 17, 2024
“There’s no way I’m spending more on a Rhodes than a car - it’s ridiculous for a working-class musician”: Prefuse 73 Fascinated by news media’s sensationalism ofcrime, Guillermo Scott Herren created his own soundtrack to an imaginary film. Danny Turner finds out more MusicRadar · May 10, 2024
"He transformed a piece of samba-flecked elevator music into one of the hardest hip-hop tracks of all time": 10 genius moments in hip-hop sampling history, featuring J Dilla, DJ Premier and more We spin the record back on ten hip-hop tracks that show samplists at the peak of their powers MusicRadar · May 2, 2024
SampleRadar: 537 free lo-fi sampler samples For our latest free sample pack, we ran a variety of loops and one-shots through the Casio SK-1, Akai S900 and Bugbrand BugCrusher MusicRadar · Apr 23, 2024
MusicRadar · Apr 9, 2024 "It puts ease-of-use, speed and versatility ahead of sound design depth – at least when it comes to the hardware": Arturia AstroLab review Those hoping for the full V Collection experience in hardware form might be disappointed. But, as we discover, AstroLab’s simplicity is its biggest selling point
Wallpaper · Apr 1, 2024 Cutting-edge sound machines celebrate the independent spirit Synths, effects, and even toys – these sound machines offer up new adventures in music creation, and showcase the idiosyncratic world of low-volume tech production
MusicRadar · Mar 26, 2024 "Hands down the best Amiga emulation I've ever used!": This old-school sampling plugin gets you the retro sound of the Commodore Amiga for only £10 PotenzaDSP's Amigo Sampler nails the "authentic crunch" of the Amiga and offers classic Akai-style time-stretching too
MusicRadar · Feb 20, 2024 How to use vintage samplers in a modern studio: "You can pick up a classic sampler for a fraction of their original cost, and adding one to your rig opens up a whole new world of sound design possibilities" Consider ditching the DAW and picking up a used hardware sampler as we show you how to turn the limitations of these classic machines into strengths
MusicRadar · Jan 12, 2024 Akai Pro promises “a new era in sampling” as it brings stem separation to its MPC platform Isolate drum, bass, vocal and other tracks in the software or on the standalone hardware
MusicRadar · Dec 13, 2023 What’s the biggest selling electronic music gear of 2023, we hear you ask? Reverb has the answer and it might not surprise you… Teenage Engineering dominates, with the OP-1 topping the overall and used charts once again
MusicRadar · Dec 7, 2023 6 of the best new controllers and sequencers in 2023 Ableton's vastly reimagined third iteration of Push takes the top spot this year, but who else made our shortlist?
MusicRadar · Nov 22, 2023 The gear that time forgot: 15 synths, samplers and controllers that could have been classics, but weren't We take a backwards glance at the groundbreaking music technology products that never quite made it
MusicRadar · Nov 8, 2023 808s, MPCs and Auto-Tune: The story of hip-hop production in 10 iconic bits of gear Hip-hop's evolution is intertwined at every turn with the development of music technology. As the genre turns 50, we chart its five-decade history through ten influential pieces of music-making kit
MusicRadar · Aug 7, 2023 Akai Pro MPC One+ review Akai’s MPC One+ upgrade brings Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a little more storage and a hot red finish. We give our verdict
MusicRadar · Jul 17, 2023 Lose the laptop: How to go DAW-less and make electronic music without a computer We explore the hows and whys of creating a production setup that lets you step away from the screen and puts less emphasis on a traditional DAW