Technology

Novation has unveiled a series of new products in time for this year’s Superbooth, which is currently being hosted in Berlin. The new offerings include the Launch Control XL 3 MIDI control surface, two white Launchkey MK4 keyboard controllers – in 49-key and 37-minikey formats – and a limited-edition Bass Station II designed in partnership with famed British graphic designer Ian “Swifty” Swift. READ MORE: Moog Messenger: Everything you need to know on features, pricing, and availability La

Thomann has officially kicked off its Synth Days sale, offering up to 80 percent off a wide selection of synthesizers, grooveboxes, drum machines, and plugins. Running from 8 May through 18 May, the sale coincides with Berlin’s Superbooth 2025 and features over 100 deals aimed at synth enthusiasts, sound designers, and producers. READ MORE: Plugin Boutique is hosting a massive Excite Audio sale – including all 10 Bloom plugins for just £149 Here at MusicTech, we’ve sifted through the full r

Grammy-winning Nigerian producer, Udoma Peter Kelvin Amba, otherwise known as Kel-P to Afrobeats fans, is shifting from behind the desk to the front of the stage. The producer has worked with the likes of Burna Boy to Wizkid, generating billions of streams, and is now making a name for himself as a solo artist. READ MORE: Clive From Accounts: “Give me a phone and I’ll happily make you tunes all day” His latest record, Best of Both Worlds, which was released in collaboration with fellow Afrob

Moog has launched a new compact and “performance-ready” synth that promises to “deliver the iconic Moog sound through a modern lens”. The new product, which is called Messenger, is a monophonic analogue synth suited to both beginners and seasoned pros. It mixes analogue warmth with innovative functionality, and it has an intuitive hands-on interface suited to players of all levels. The synth was shortly teased by the brand earlier this month (6 May), with more details landing just in time for S

Erica Synths has offered the first glimpse of its HEXDRUMS drum machine, which is due to launch later this year. HEXDRUMS is an analogue drum machine made in collaboration with Canadian Eurorack module manufacturer, Hexinverter. In 2022, the company announced its closure, and Erica Synths later took over its catalogue. The brand has since re-released a number of its products, namely its drum modules. READ MORE: Reason Studios’ Arpeggio Lab is a pattern-generating “cure for creative block” H

Though far from the same scale as the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, Berlin’s Superbooth is a big date in the calendar of any synth nerd or music technology obsessive.  Hosted over three days – this year 8-10 May – at the German capital’s FEZ centre, Superbooth sees exhibitors in the form of some of the industry’s biggest players – many of which earmark the event to showcase exciting new products. Which brands will be at Superbooth 2025? Superbooth is one of the biggest events in the music

Scientists found life on another planet before we got GTA VI. Rockstar dropped a new trailer this week to alleviate fans’ disappointment after delaying the game’s release to 26 May 2026. At this rate, we might actually make contact with aliens before anyone plays the next instalment of Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Rockstar’s modern, crime-driven role-playing game series. At least, that’s the joke amongst avid gamers. The previous game in the series, GTA V, was released in 2013. After 12 years, its

Zynaptiq has rolled out Intensity 2, the latest iteration of its acclaimed one-knob loudness plugin. The updated version doubles down on the classic’s core features and workflow, adding exciting new features and improvements across the board, including new algorithms with low CPU use and near-zero latency, support for up to 16 channels for immersive workflows, more Bias Curve presets, mid/side processing options, and more. READ MORE: Plugin Boutique is hosting a massive Excite Audio sale – in

As Spotify continues to grow its already-massive subscriber base – last week it announced its highest subscriber net adds since 2020 in Q1 of 2025 – interest in alternative streaming platforms is also on the rise. As a result of this industry growth, in the first quarter of 2025, Deezer has seen a revenue increase of 1.1% YoY, with Q1 2025 revenue sitting at €134 million. READ MORE: “Your subscription goes to the artist you listen to”: Deezer boss explains what it does differently to other st

Searching for inspiration? Reason Studios might have the perfect solution. The Swedish software company has just released Arpeggio Lab, a creative tool designed to spark ideas. Promising to be “a cure for creative block”, Arpeggio Lab is not only able to conjure up patterns, but is also able to push each pattern a step further. The tool can generate new ideas from patterns, fill in gaps and pluck out fresh melodies from chords. READ MORE: Sample like it’s 1994: Iconic sample editing software

The Met Gala is famously an event in which the world judges the eccentric fashion choices of entertainment’s elite, and this year didn’t disappoint. While the mainstream fixated on the looks donned by the likes of Zendaya, Gigi Hadid and Rihanna, it was hard for us music fans not to notice André 3000 – who turned up to the event with a grand piano on his back. To be fair, it was probably hard for anyone – music obsessive or not – to ignore such a getup. READ MORE: Plugin Boutique is hosting a

Until 15 May, Plugin Boutique is hosting an exclusive sale on Excite Audio plugins and bundles – and the savings range from 50% right up to a massive 78% off, if you know where to look… One of the hottest deals comes in the form of the Complete Excite Audio Bundle, which now costs just £239 rather than its usual price of £478. The bundle comes with all 16 of Excite Audio’s extensive library of plugins and instruments, from the Bloom series of vocal and instrumental effects, to visual analysis p

Djrum’s new album Under Tangled Silence is now out, and it’s a swirling blend of fractured rhythms, ambient washes, and warped acoustic textures. But for all its intricate sound design, the producer’s relationship with the tools of electronic music hasn’t always been so intuitive. “It took me a long time to be comfortable using synths at all,” Djrum – real name Felix Manuel – admits in a new interview with MusicRadar. “When I first started using them, I wasn’t very good at it and made sounds th

They say every penny counts, and a low-cost UK ticket levy has proven that is very much the case. The voluntary scheme was first introduced last year and asked artists to pay forward just £1 from every arena or stadium ticket sale – and it has already helped raise £500,000 for grassroots venues. According to a new statement from the LIVE Trust, the voluntary pledge of £1 per ticket has just amounted to half a million pounds. Plenty of artists have helped contribute towards the figure, with Ente

British producer Danny L Harle is shining a light on what he considers an “undervalued” skill among musicians today: taking the time to listen and reflect on one’s own music. Harle, who co-produced Dua Lipa’s 2024 hit album Radical Optimism and worked with the likes of Charli XCX and Caroline Polachek, is currently lending his expertise to the Amex Unsigned initiative — a mentorship program offering six unsigned artists the chance to work with him at London’s iconic Metropolis Studios. In a ne

Should producers and beatmakers be calling more upon sounds heard in everyday life when making music? TOKiMONSTA does, and it’s a key part of her artistic process. In a new episode of MusicTech’s My Forever Studio podcast – in which we sit down with producers and have them select gear for their fantasy Forever Studio – the veteran DJ and producer dives into her approach to using field recorders to source sounds for her beats. READ MORE: My Forever Studio: TOKiMONSTA nabs a historic synth As

Fancy taking a dive into the underbelly of the Berlin rave scene? Techno drama Rave On is set to debut later this month at Cannes Film Market, and it promises to be a “rave odyssey” like no other. Written and directed by Nikias Chryssos and Viktor Jakovleski, the film will sink viewers into the vibrant world of Berlin’s nightlife. The film is a “singular cinematic experience that blends a fictional narrative with a guerrilla documentary approach and immersive cinematography,” Variety reports.

Bastl Instruments has launched a new “experimental”, patchable sample player, inspired by its popular Kastle Drum synth launched in 2020. The new Kastle 2 Wave Bard brings the Kastle range “to the next level”, according to the brand, with user-uploadable samples, stereo, effects, plus better sync and patch capabilities. It’s compact and runs on 3 AA batteries or USB-C, and it “loves to jam” with other portable gear thanks to sync in/out ports and an audio input. READ MORE: Splice’s final inst

Spotify has recorded even more growth across the first quarter of the year, with its highest subscriber net adds since 2020. The platform has shared its latest Q1 report, revealing a record high operating income (its profit after deducting operating expenses), which rose to €509 million across the quarter, and a premium subscriber count of 268 million – an increase of 12 per cent year over year, marking the the second-highest Q1 in Spotify’s history. Monthly active users reached 678 million (up

Editor’s note: BandLab Technologies and MusicTech are both part of the Caldecott Music Group. BandLab Technologies has formed a strategic partnership with Sony aimed at “redefining” music creation for independent and emerging artists worldwide. The initial phase of the partnership – beginning this summer – is set to integrate Sony’s Spatial Sound technology, 360 Reality Audio, directly into the BandLab app, giving its 100 million worldwide users the ability to experience and make music in spat

Lewitt – purveyor of microphones and pro audio gear – has just released its very first plugin, and it could be a godsend for mix engineers. If you’re unable to get down to a studio, club, or simply working on the go, Lewitt’s Space Replicator is a quick and convenient way to to test out your mix in its intended environment. The Space Replicator plugin virtually emulates the acoustics of different spaces, from “million-dollar mixing studios”, to a bluetooth speaker playing in a kitchen. READ M

Epidemic Sound has acquired Song Sleuth, a company which uses music recognition technology to identify copyrighted music and claim “undiscovered royalties” from user-generated content. The acquisition sees the immediate launch of Aentidote, a new service which combines Song Sleuth’s “cutting-edge AI technology” with Epidemic’s industry expertise to identify music usage that traditional detection systems struggle to find, like in remixes, covers and live recordings. Aentidote is said to offer an

In this episode of My Forever Studio, brought to you in partnership with Audient, experimental veteran TOKiMONSTA tells us about a cheap synth she adores for bass, explains how she peppers her tracks with field recordings, ponders which historic synthesizer she’d steal off an electronic music pioneer, and all while skillfully bending our important Forever Studio rules. TOKiMONSTA, real name Jennifer Lee, joins hosts Will Betts and Chris Barker following the release of her album, Eternal Reverie

Fancy getting your hands on a new Moog synth? Well, you’re in luck. The Bob Moog Foundation is hosting a raffle, and a $25 ticket could score you a Geddy Lee Minimoog Model D synthesiser. The satin red Minimoog pays tribute to the Rush frontman, taking inspiration from the shiny red stage setup of the band’s 1984 Grace Under Pressure tour. It is also branded with Rush’s signature Starman logo, and received a limited run, with only 500 being made. READ MORE: The best free and paid-for plugins

Back in 2005, Moby launched mobygratis, an extensive digital library of royalty-free music. 20 years on, Moby has given mobygratis a new lease of life, relaunching the online music resource with a wealth of new instrumental tracks and audio files. Relaunched in partnership with Little Walnut Productions, mobygratis now boasts 500 new instrumental tracks, with plans to add 250 later this year. The library is also set to continue growing over the coming years, with 500 new instrumental tracks alr