Music and Audio

41 'Music and Audio' stories October 2011 - February 2019

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Review: The OP-Z music & visual sequencer with iOS display is insanely powerful, but is it worth the price?

Justin Kahn Feb 17 2019 - 1:21 pm PT

OP-Z music and visual sequencer

This week we are entering the wild world of Teenage Engineering’s OP-Z. The tiny little portable gadget is essentially its own music making platform with built-in instruments. However, it is also capable of sequencing photos, unity 3D video, lighting rigs and more. Along with its beautiful hardware design, OP-Z uses your iOS devices as a display (among other things) and plays nice with your Mac too. Head below for a closer look.
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Logic Pros Review: Cypher2 has stellar sound design tools & 500+ MPE presets

Justin Kahn Sep 30 2018 - 10:52 am PT

Cypher2

FXpansion recently released the new Cypher2 software instrument for all major DAWs. It comes packed with hundreds of new 5D touch sounds and sound design capabilities, so we couldn’t wait to give it a run for Logic Pros. The fully-featured instrument features an impressive array of effects along with a powerful oscillator section and more. But at the same price as Logic Pro X itself, is it worth it?
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Logic Pros Review: IK’s new extremely affordable analog UNO synth for Mac/iOS

Justin Kahn Sep 10 2018 - 12:47 pm PT

Today it’s all about IK Multimedia’s latest analog synth hardware. IK’s lineup of music production and live sound gear is largely considered to be for those with a budget in mind or as amazing beginner rigs for aspiring producers. The new UNO synth is designed to be just that with an extremely competitive price tag and wide platform compatibility with your existing recording environment. After having the chance to put the portable analog synthesizer to the test over the last couple weeks in some electronic-based music productions and more, it’s time to see what the new IK Multimedia UNO Synth is packing.
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The best HDD/SSD solutions for Logic Pro X users, content creators and more

Justin Kahn Mar 28 2018 - 11:40 am PT

Today we are going to be taking a look at some of our favorite options for storing our sample libraries and other files for content creation. No matter what it is we are creating, at some point or other, storage is a must, whether it’s for project assets, backups or archival purposes. While this particular roundup will be focusing mainly on music producers and their sample libraries, many of our suggestions will work with other applications as well.
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Logic Pros: Hands-on w/ Apple’s new Logic Pro X reverb plug-in ‘ChromaVerb’

Justin Kahn Feb 4 2018 - 12:35 pm PT

This week on Logic Pros, we are continuing our deep dive into all the latest new features in Logic Pro X v10.4. Apple’s flagship music production software was the recipient of a massive new (and completely free) update a couple weeks back with loads of new features and gear. Last time we took an in-depth look at the new multi-effects units built-in to Logic (Step FX and Phat FX), and now it’s time for the new ChromaVerb.
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Best of NAMM 2018: Thunderbolt/USB-C interfaces, iOS controllers, synths, more

Justin Kahn Jan 26 2018 - 1:27 pm PT

NAMM 2018 is in full swing this week highlighting the best of what the audio/music production industry will have to offer over the coming year. All of the biggest music gadget companies flock to Anaheim, California to show off their newest products and this year is no exception. We have been bringing you some of the major announcements from the show over the past week (or more) and now it’s time to round-up the best of NAMM 2018…
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Logic Pros Review: Apogee’s next generation Lightning & USB MiC+ for iOS/Mac

Justin Kahn Jan 22 2018 - 7:43 am PT

Apogee has been one of the top names in digital audio in the music production world for years. It successfully jumped into the mobile game with its iOS friendly interfaces among other things a few years back, and recently launched the second generation MiC+ USB/Lightning Microphone. Apogee rarely opts for affordability over quality, but we had to give it a run for its money anyway.

We have now had a chance to go hands-on with the company’s latest portable mic over the last little while. Apogee has certainly stepped its game up here, but is it still worth the world-class price tag? Head below for our full review…
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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn Jan 14 2018 - 11:20 am PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS and Mac music production. Ahead of NAMM 2018, we are starting to see more hardware products announced/come available. Moog’s new semi-modular DFAM, Waldorf’s string/vocoder synth, another clone from Behringer, new iOS/Mac instruments and much more are making news this week.
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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn Jan 7 2018 - 11:02 am PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS and Mac music production. This week, we are getting a new flagship wavetable synth for Mac, more Behringer hardware clone teases ahead of NAMM 2018, and much more below…
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Review: IK’s latest iRig Keys I/O hybrid MIDI controller doubles as an audio interface

Justin Kahn Dec 18 2017 - 1:42 pm PT

IK Multimedia has released loads of new generation products for portable and mobile musicians over the last 12 months. From the iRig HD 2 condenser mic and the sub-$100 iRig Pre guitar interface, to the new Syntronik for Mac/iOS, IK has something for everyone this holiday season. Back in August, the company debuted its latest MIDI controller product known as iRig Keys I/O. As expected with IK, this appeared to come along with everything you could want in a sub $300 controller, but this time around IK decided to take it one step further with a more all-in-one approach.

The controller keyboard-meets-audio interface brings a lot to the table for the price tag, but is it all a little too good to be true? We decided to put the company’s latest flagship driver to the test over the last couple weeks in a typical home studio environment across a number of different projects. Head below to find out more…
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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn Dec 16 2017 - 10:06 am PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS/Mac music production. This week, one of our favorite plug-in makers has released a massive new FM synth for Mac, IK takes its analog emulations to iOS, apps that turn your Trackpad into a MIDI controller, and, as usual, more free instruments…
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Music and Audio

Apogee’s new Lightning/USB MiC+ brings world-class quality to your iOS and Mac setup

Justin Kahn Nov 14 2017 - 11:06 am PT

Today, Apogee is announcing the brand new MiC+ for iPad, iPhone, Mac, and PC, along with the official price and release date…
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Logic Pros Review: Seaboard Block brings 5D MIDI touch control to an affordable price tag

Justin Kahn Nov 12 2017 - 12:58 pm PT

After being unveiled back in the summer, the latest ROLI Seaboard recently showed up at the office much to our delight. The Seaboard Blocks is the first time ROLI has brought its unique 5D MIDI touch technology down to an affordable price tag, so we couldn’t be more excited to get a chance to go hands-on…
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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn Oct 29 2017 - 1:28 pm PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS/Mac music production. This week, we have loads of brand new instruments for iPad/Mac. Scythe brings spectral synthesis to your mobile setup and Thorn for Mac comes with analog-modeled filters and a grid-based glitch sequencer. Head below for that and much more…
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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn Oct 22 2017 - 12:03 pm PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS/Mac music production. This week, we have Audio Damage’s Axon 2 drum synth for iPad, a sub-$100 iOS/Mac interface, PreSonus gear, some free sounds for Logic Pro X and much more…..
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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn Jul 21 2017 - 3:39 pm PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS/Mac music production. This week, IK releases its new Syntronik analog synth beast, we get major price drops on the KORG iOS apps, new software instruments for Mac and much more…
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IK’s new ‘iRig Pro I/O’ pocket-sized iOS/Mac audio interface is available now

Justin Kahn Jun 29 2017 - 10:44 am PT

IK Multimedia is one of the biggest names in mobile audio recording these days. It has a slew of products to support just about any kind of iOS musician/producer out there and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Today, the company is unveiling the latest mobile interface with the new iRig Pro I/O.
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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn Jun 24 2017 - 9:31 am PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS/Mac music production. This week, Roland and Studio Electronics unveil a brand new mono analog synth, Native Instruments drops a toy box full of quirky sounds and Output introduces us to its new studio desk Platform…
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The best wireless & portable Bluetooth MIDI keyboards for iPhone, iPad & Mac

Justin Kahn Jun 14 2017 - 1:19 pm PT

We recently rounded up the best MIDI keyboards for Mac and Logic Pro X (2017 edition), and now it’s time to get portable. At this point in time, it’s hard for me to even believe that MIDI isn’t entirely wireless on every product that features it. But it is clear that some companies have been looking to the future for some time now, so we thought it would be good to run down the best wireless MIDI keyboards for Mac and iOS…

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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn Jun 10 2017 - 2:48 pm PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS/Mac music production. This week, Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression is more affordable than ever with the Seaboard Block MIDI controller, the Native Instruments virtual modular synth platform gets a new line of instruments/effects and our favorite new iOS music production app KRFT is getting some major MIDI updates and more. We also have some nice freebie instruments for your Logic Pro X/Kontakt setup…
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GarageBand for Mac updated with new Touch Bar support, Drummers, iOS integration, more

Justin Kahn Jun 5 2017 - 2:55 pm PT

As part of today’s WWDC festivities, Apple has now updated GarageBand for Mac and iOS. Most of the big changes come to the desktop version with some cross-platform integration, TouchBar support and more.

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Logic Pros: Sequencing FX, re-triggs, filters and more with the powerful Looperator

Justin Kahn Jun 4 2017 - 1:20 pm PT

Recently we reviewed the new iOS version of Unique from Sugar-Bytes. The company is among our favorite third-party instrument and effect makers. We have personally been purchasing and using its gear for many years with products like Effectrix and Artillery appearing regularly in our daily production setups. And now, after spending some time with its latest matrix multi-effects processing unit, it’s time to dive into the world of Looperator…
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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn Jun 2 2017 - 1:35 pm PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS/Mac music production. This week we have a new audio mangler from Audio Damage, major updates to Korg Gadget for Mac, the release of the latest Elektron drum machine and much more…
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Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week

Justin Kahn May 26 2017 - 2:45 pm PT

This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS/Mac music production. This week is headlined by a massive list of classic synths turned virtual courtesy of IK Multimedia, Roland’s Future Redefined event packed with new product announcements and so much more…
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