Contributors / Deals & Gear Editor

Elena Marsh

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.

Deals & Gear Editor

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Latest from Elena

Teenage Engineering EP-35 K.O. AMP, a cube-shaped portable amplifier with speaker grille, antenna and orange controls, on a dark background
Hardware

Teenage Engineering EP-35 K.O. AMP: 35W, Battery, Interface

Teenage Engineering's first amp, the EP-35 K.O. AMP, packs 35W, a mic preamp, a guitar input, a USB audio interface and Bluetooth 5.3 into a battery-powered box.

Elena MarshOct 30, 20269 min read
Kazrog Vac Rac TSL plugin interface showing two channels of detector HPF, ratio, reduction and makeup gain controls with twin VU meters
Mixing & Mastering

Kazrog Vac Rac TSL Puts Boutique Tube Opto Limiters in a Plugin

Kazrog Vac Rac TSL models four Inward Connections tube optical limiters with ratios to 12:1, THD drive, M/S and sidechain filters. $49.99 intro, from $79.99.

Elena MarshOct 29, 20267 min read
Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator analog drum machine front panel
Hardware

Roland TR-1000 v1.50 Adds Keyboard Mode and Melodic Sequencing

Roland's free TR-1000 v1.50 update adds a Keyboard play mode, NOTE sequencing, 50 FM instruments from the TR-8S, four new effects and uninterrupted kit changes.

Elena MarshOct 29, 20269 min read
Akai MPK Mini Plus II 37-key MIDI keyboard controller with RGB MPC pads and color display on a studio desk between two monitors
Hardware

Akai MPK Mini Plus II: 37 Keys, MPC Pads and CV for $139

Akai MPK Mini Plus II adds a color screen, aftertouch pads, MPC 3 control and generative arp tools to a 37-key controller with CV out. $139 at Thomann. Specs, rivals.

Elena MarshOct 27, 20269 min read
Osterhouse Sounds Ripple Viola plugin interface with articulation buttons, speed, direction and sync options
Software

Osterhouse Ripple Viola: Two-Note Viola Phrases for $59

Osterhouse Sounds Ripple Viola turns chords into tempo-synced two-note viola slurs: 516 phrases, three articulations, VST3/AU/AAX. $59 intro, specs and rivals.

Elena MarshOct 26, 20268 min read
Arturia V Collection 11 box art, one of the plugin bundles compared for Black Friday 2026
Software

Best Plugin Bundles to Buy on Black Friday 2026

Seven plugin bundles worth buying on Black Friday 2026: V Collection 11 Pro, Komplete 26, FabFilter, Soundtoys 5.5, MPS 9, Waves Platinum, Total Studio 5 MAX.

Elena MarshOct 23, 202611 min read
Yamaha CK76 stage keyboard being played, with the CK88, CK76 and CK61 lineup shown
Hardware

Yamaha CK76 Adds a 76-Key Model to the CK Series

Yamaha's CK76 brings a 76-key semi-weighted model to the CK stage keyboard line, with 363 voices, built-in speakers and OS v2.0's Advanced Split Mode.

Elena MarshOct 23, 20268 min read
Serato DJ 5.0 showing Lucid Beatgrids analysis on a waveform with BPM labels
DJing

Serato DJ 5.0: Lucid Beatgrids and iOS Transfer

Serato DJ 5.0 rebuilds beatgrid analysis with automatic tempo tracking, adds Open Streaming and Cue Loops, and sends your crates to the new iOS app.

Elena MarshOct 22, 20268 min read
UVI Player free plugin showing Augmented Orchestra, Ravenscroft 275 and World Suite 3 instrument screens
Software

UVI Player: Free Plugin Now Plays Every Falcon Expansion

UVI Workstation is now UVI Player, a free host that loads every Falcon Expansion without a Falcon licence. Specs, system needs, Kontakt Player comparison.

Elena MarshOct 22, 20267 min read
Stride Engine plugin window with a dozen colored automation lanes moving across a Serum 2 patch
Software

Stride Engine First Look (2026): Modulate Any VST3 Plugin

Stride hosts the synths and effects you own and writes a fresh, tempo-locked curve on every mapped knob per click. Price, specs, rivals and who it suits.

Elena MarshOct 20, 202611 min read
Sonuscore LUX Orchestral Brass artwork with the LUX logo and glowing ring
Software

Sonuscore LUX Orchestral Brass Brings Six Dynamic Layers

Sonuscore LUX Orchestral Brass records six real dynamic layers on the LUX Strings stage, with Auto Divisi and 53 mics. Features, specs, price and rivals.

Elena MarshOct 19, 202611 min read
Tupos MPE Subtractive performance view with oscillators, filter, and expression badges
Software

Tupos MPE Subtractive First Look 2026

Tupos MPE Subtractive is a 19.99 euro MPE synth for Mac and Windows, with two oscillators, a resonant filter, an arp, a sequencer, and eight effect slots.

Elena MarshOct 14, 20269 min read
Bogren A-Class Vocal plugin window beside a vintage Type-A hardware unit
Mixing & Mastering

Bogren A-Class Vocal: Dolby A Air for $89

Bogren A-Class Vocal uses a Type-A encode stage for vocal air. Drive, Mix, and Mod shape the sheen, and the intro price is $89 through 25 October 2026.

Elena MarshOct 12, 20267 min read
Squarp Core 6HP Eurorack MIDI-to-CV/Gate module front panel with OLED display
Hardware

Squarp Core Turns One 6HP Module Into 64 CV Outputs

Squarp Core is a 6HP Eurorack MIDI-to-CV/Gate brain with 14 generative engines, driving up to 64 outputs through one or two xp32 expanders. From 190 euros.

Elena MarshOct 11, 202612 min read
UDO DMNO ON desktop synthesizer top panel with its vacuum fluorescent display and rotary controls
Hardware

UDO DMNO ON: The Desktop DMNO With Expandable Control

UDO DMNO ON puts the full 8-voice, 2-part DMNO engine in a desktop box with an expandable ONM control system, binaural analog filters and eight Play Modes.

Elena MarshOct 9, 202612 min read
Arturia AstroLab 61 stage keyboard top panel showing the macro knobs and navigation dial
Hardware

AstroLab 2.0 Adds Front-Panel Editing and 60+ Sounds

Arturia's free AstroLab 2.0 update brings front-panel Sound Edit, 60+ new sampled instruments and better sampler polyphony to the stage keyboard. Full details.

Elena MarshOct 7, 20268 min read
Arturia AudioFuse Studio Rev2 desktop audio interface on a studio desk
Hardware

Arturia AudioFuse Studio Rev2 Review: One-Box Studio Hub

Arturia's AudioFuse Studio Rev2 refines its 18x20 desktop interface with optimized DiscretePRO preamps and an upgraded Bluetooth module. Full specs, price, and verdict.

Elena MarshOct 6, 20267 min read
The six Universal Audio Volt Gen 2 and Volt Max USB-C audio interfaces lined up together
Hardware

Universal Audio Volt Gen 2: Tone Shaping on USB-C

Universal Audio Volt Gen 2 and Volt Max are six USB-C audio interfaces from $149 up to $499, with 32-bit conversion and three-mode Tone Shaping preamps.

Elena MarshOct 5, 202611 min read
AAS Player 2.0 free plugin interface with preset browser and macro controls
Software

AAS Player 2.0: 650 Free Sounds, Six Synth Engines

AAS Player 2.0 is a free plugin bundling six Applied Acoustics Systems physical-modeling engines with 650+ sounds, a new browser, Play-view macros and NKS support.

Elena MarshOct 2, 20266 min read
Soniccouture The Attic 3 artwork with a row of rare vintage synthesizers under the title
Software

The Attic 3: 24 Rare Synths, Sampled Every Key

Soniccouture The Attic 3 samples 24 rare synths on every key, with 600 presets for Kontakt Player. The intro is $175 through 6 October 2026, then $250.

Elena MarshOct 2, 20269 min read
Phoenix hybrid synth interface from Spitfire Audio and BT, with the spectral display and engine controls
Software

Phoenix: Six Engines Under One Cinematic Patch

Phoenix is Spitfire Audio and BT's hybrid cinematic synth: six engines, dual stereo chains, and 16-voice MPE. Intro is $239 or £199 through 25 October 2026.

Elena MarshSep 30, 202611 min read
Northstar mastering console with Dual, Mid, and Side EQ banks, compressor panels, and loudness meters
Mixing & Mastering

Northstar: One Mastering Window, With Linux

Northstar is a one-window mastering console with three EQ banks, FET, VCA, and Vari-Mu, plus a true-peak limiter. Launch price is $59 through 4 October.

Elena MarshSep 29, 202613 min read
mo0kid wave open-source Waldorf Wave emulation plugin interface with monochrome display
Software

mo0kid wave: An Open-Source Waldorf Wave for Your DAW

mo0kid wave is a free, open-source emulation of the 1993 Waldorf Wave that runs the original firmware, with 48 voices, for macOS. Here is how it works.

Elena MarshSep 28, 20268 min read
Expressive E Osmose expressive MPE synthesizer keyboard
Hardware

Osmose Firmware 2.3 Adds DAW Control and Free Ctrl-e

Expressive E Osmose firmware 2.3 adds hands-on DAW control and a free Ctrl-e license with 900+ expressive presets, free for all Osmose owners.

Elena MarshSep 26, 20267 min read