Roland's $199 Aira Compact series are a serious play for the entry level
The T-8 and J-6 offer classic Juno and 808 sounds, but the E-4 Voice Tweaker is the unexpected standout.
Drum machine
Elektron's Syntakt wants to be the only groovebox you'll ever need
The all-in-one machine combines digital and analog synthesis, plus it can be the brains of a larger setup.
Novation's Circuit Rhythm groovebox is $100 off for Black Friday
The sampler is $300 until December 6th.We have two newsletters, why not sign up for both?
Artiphon's quirky Orba now lets you create musical 'selfies'
The new Orbacam app expands it into a 'creative multimedia studio.'
Pērkons is Erica Synths' thunderous new drum machine
The four voice instrument comes loaded with features for music pros.
87Novation Circuit Rhythm review: A modern sampler inspired by a classic
Novation's latest groovebox borrows heavily from the SP-404 and is perfect for lo-fi hip hop and house.
Mooer crams a drum machine, effects and a looper into a six-string guitar
The GTRS S800 could make you a one-person band if it works as promised.
Moog's Sound Studio bundles are modular synth starter kits
$1,399 gets you two synths, a mixer, cables, a patch book and adorable carboard cutouts.
Circuit Rhythm is Novation's stab at a lofi hip hop machine
The sampling focused sibling to the Circuit Tracks groovebox will ship this summer.
Novation Circuit Tracks is a worthy successor to a beloved groovebox
It improves on the original Circuit in almost every way.
8628Polyend Tracker review: A powerful but confounding groovebox
The features are impressive, the hardware solid but the workflow won't be for everyone.
Korg teases Drumlogue, a hybrid analog / digital groovebox
It will support the 'logue SDK for future expansion and customization.
Korg Gadget-VR takes music producing from the studio to the headset
Electronic music production will be possible in VR with an upcoming app from Korg.
10Roland's Verselab is a groovebox built for vocalists
In addition to classic drum and synth sounds, there's also a dedicated vocal processor.
85Artiphon Orba review: Much more than a musical fidget toy
This strange, novice-friendly instrument is also a unique and powerful MIDI controller.
80Roland TR-6S review: An impressively small and powerful drum machine
But squeezing this much sound into such a tiny box leads to a lot of menu diving.
Elektron's Analog Four and Rytm get both design and software upgrades
The flagship synth and drum machine now have all the features and sleek black look of their affordable siblings.
Native Instruments crams its powerful music-making software in a standalone groovebox
Machine+ brings Maschine and Komplete out of the computer and into the real world.
Roland marks TR-808's 40th anniversary with a documentary and freebies
The drum machine changed the music landscape.
Kovaluu's Beats and Loops app uses your phone as a drum pedal
Change the beat by swinging your foot near your phone.
