Elena Marsh

Deals & Gear Editor

A studio tech turned writer, Elena tracks gear prices the way other people track sports scores. She runs the deals desk and the buying guides, and has strong opinions about which discounts are actually discounts.

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Latest from Elena

The Cakewalk Sonar mixing console, one of the best free DAWs in 2026

Best Free DAWs in 2026: Every Pick, Compared and Scored

The best free DAWs in 2026, compared and scored — Cakewalk Sonar's new free tier, Waveform Free, GarageBand, BandLab and more, with who each one is for.

Dubspot TeamJun 12, 20265 min read

Roland TR-808 drum machine

808 Day: How the Roland TR-808 Became the Most Important Drum Machine Ever Made

August 8th is 808 Day. A look at how a commercial failure at launch became the foundation of hip-hop, electro, house, techno, and trap — and why the 808 still defines modern music.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20267 min read

DJ performing a live set in a club

DJ Tips: 12 Techniques That Will Improve Your Live Sets

12 practical techniques working DJs use to improve live sets — from set construction and cueing to crowd reading, EQ mixing, and the soft skills that separate good DJs from great ones.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20269 min read

Comparison of key detection accuracy across DJ tools

Mixed In Key vs Beatport Key Detection: Which Is More Accurate? (2026 Lab Report)

We tested Mixed In Key 12, Beatport's auto-detected key data, Rekordbox's built-in detection, and KeyFinder against a 200-track reference set. Which one gets the most tracks right?

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20269 min read

Mixed In Key analyzing tracks for accuracy testing

Harmonic Mixing Part 3: Is Mixed In Key Actually Accurate?

We tested Mixed In Key 12's accuracy across 200 tracks spanning dance, pop, hip-hop, jazz, and ambient. Here's where the algorithm gets it right, where it doesn't, and what to do about the misses.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20266 min read

Camelot wheel with harmonic mixing keys

Harmonic Mixing: A Practical Guide for DJs (Part 1)

Harmonic mixing in 2026: how the Camelot wheel works, why some key changes feel right and others jar, and the practical workflow for using key info in Rekordbox, Traktor, and Serato.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20268 min read

External hardware effects routed through a DAW

How to Route External Hardware Audio Effects in Your DAW (2026)

A practical guide to routing outboard analog effects through Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, and Pro Tools — send/return loops, plug-in delay compensation, and the gain staging that keeps everything clean.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20269 min read

Traktor and Maschine synced for hybrid DJ-producer set

How to Sync Traktor and Maschine: A Hybrid DJ-Producer Setup (2026)

Step-by-step guide to syncing Native Instruments Traktor with Maschine — Ableton Link, MIDI clock, audio routing through one or two interfaces, and the live workflows that actually work.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20269 min read

Windows PC optimized for DJing and music production

How to Optimize a Windows PC for DJing and Music Production (2026)

A 2026 producer's guide to tuning Windows for low-latency music production and DJing. Power plans, audio drivers, background services, ASIO, and the BIOS settings that actually matter.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20268 min read

Roland TR-8S drum machine on a producer's desk

Roland TR-8 / TR-8S Tips: Getting More Out of Roland's Modern Drum Machine

Practical tips for the Roland TR-8 and TR-8S drum machines — sound design, sample loading, performance techniques, and the hidden features that take your patterns from generic to musical.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20268 min read

Vinyl records and turntable in a record store

The Vinyl Resurgence Continues: How We Got Here and Where It's Going

Vinyl outsold CDs again in 2025 for the third year running. A look at how the format came back, what producers should know about pressing in 2026, and why independent record stores are quietly thriving.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20267 min read

Opening DJ behind the decks during a club warm-up

Opening DJ Tips: How to Set Up the Headliner (and Build a Career)

What working pros teach about opening DJ sets — energy management, restraint, BPM ranges, the warm-up arc, and how doing this well leads to repeat bookings and bigger slots.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20268 min read

Audio interface lineup on a producer's desk in 2026

Understanding Audio Interfaces: A Producer's Guide for 2026

Choose the right audio interface in 2026. We cover connection types, specs that actually matter, the best models from $99 to $5,000, and the buyer mistakes to avoid.

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20269 min read

Make Noise Plexiphon Eurorack module front panel with Plexus, Size, Diffuse, Color, Couple and Skew controls

Make Noise Plexiphon: A Modeless Stereo Space Effect From Tom Erbe

Make Noise and Tom Erbe's Plexiphon is a 16HP Eurorack module that morphs continuously between reverb and multi-tap echo, with no mode switch in sight.

Dubspot TeamMay 8, 20265 min read

Teenage Engineering EP-136 K.O. Sidekick stereo mixer with FX pad and mod stick

Teenage Engineering EP-136 K.O. Sidekick: The Pocket Mixer the EP Family Was Waiting For

Teenage Engineering's EP-136 K.O. Sidekick is a $179 two-channel mixer, USB interface, and performance FX unit that snaps onto the EP-133 and EP-1320.

Dubspot TeamMay 8, 20266 min read

Buchla Ziggy desktop analog synthesizer shown from the front, with sliders, encoder dial, and screen visible on its slanted panel

Buchla Ziggy: A Sub-$1,000 West Coast Synth From the Originators

Buchla Ziggy is a $999 desktop analog monosynth built around a complex oscillator, low-pass gate, and the Cycler — announced ahead of Superbooth 2026.

Dubspot TeamMay 5, 20265 min read

Native Instruments Maschine+ standalone groovebox alongside the Maschine 3.5 desktop software interface

Maschine 3.5 and Maschine+ 2.2: The Standalone Catches Up

Maschine 3.5 redesigns the Sampler UI and adds Sound Focus, while Maschine+ 2.2 brings the Kontakt 8 engine and more Play Series instruments to standalone.

Dubspot TeamMay 5, 20264 min read

Akai MPC 3.8 firmware update on MPC standalone hardware and MPC Sample

Akai MPC 3.8 Firmware: The MPC Sample Joins the Family

Akai's free MPC 3.8 firmware connects the new MPC Sample to the standalone lineup, ports five effects across, and tightens the studio-to-couch workflow.

Dubspot TeamMay 1, 20263 min read

Auxy Svensson 49 looping keyboard with metal body and oak side panels

Auxy Svensson 49: A Looping Idea Keyboard from a Swedish Software Studio and Cuckoo

Auxy's debut hardware is a 49-key, always-listening looping keyboard with sounds by Cuckoo, German-built oak-and-metal construction, and a $999 price tag.

Dubspot TeamMay 1, 20264 min read

Chase Bliss Big Time hybrid analog digital stereo delay pedal

Chase Bliss Big Time: An 80s Rack Delay Reimagined as a Stereo Hybrid Beast

Chase Bliss and EAE's Big Time is a $999 hybrid analog/digital stereo delay-and-looper with motorized faders, modeled on early-80s rack delays.

Dubspot TeamMay 1, 20264 min read

Expressive E Osmose CE 49-key MPE MIDI controller in white with black base

Expressive E Osmose CE: The Famous MPE Keybed, Now Without the Synth

Expressive E's Osmose CE strips the EaganMatrix engine and keeps the Augmented Keyboard Action, pairing it with Ctrl-e and 900+ presets at $999.

Dubspot TeamApr 30, 20264 min read

Akai MPC Sample — portable battery-powered standalone hardware sampler from Akai Professional

Akai MPC Sample Review: A Portable, Battery-Powered Standalone Sampler That Channels the MPC60

The Akai MPC Sample brings 16 RGB pads, 60 effects, a 5-hour battery, built-in mic and speaker, and classic MPC workflow to a $399 portable standalone.

Dubspot TeamApr 28, 20265 min read

Softube Flow Studio compact desktop control surface with five knobs and color display

Softube Flow Studio: Compact Hardware Controller for Faster Mixing

Softube's new Flow Studio is a $399 desktop control surface with 25 included plugins and 100+ macro signal chains designed to speed up mix decisions.

Dubspot TeamApr 27, 20267 min read

Leaked image of Akai MPC XL flagship standalone workstation with 10-inch touchscreen and MPCe pads

Akai MPC XL Leaked: Flagship Standalone Workstation Coming in January?

Leaked images reveal Akai's rumored MPC XL flagship workstation featuring a 10-inch display, MPCe pads, and CV/Gate connectivity. Expected January 2026.

Dubspot TeamDec 22, 20254 min read