Music Production

Roland Juno‑X Review: A Modern Reinterpretation of a Classic Synth The Roland Juno‑X is Roland’s contemporary take on one of the most iconic synth lines in history. Designed for musicians and producers who love the classic Juno sound but need modern reliability and flexibility, the Juno‑X blends vintage-inspired tones with hands-on control and studio-ready digital features. As of January 2026 in the UK, the Juno‑X typically retails around £1,618 at Andertons Music Co. ...

The Yamaha MODX M and Roland MC-707 make a surprisingly elegant pair when you stop thinking of them as separate instruments and start treating the MC-707 as a MIDI recorder and playback brain for the MODX. In this setup, the MODX becomes your hands and sound engine, while the MC-707 becomes the place where performances are captured, edited, looped, and arranged. It’s a simple idea, but it unlocks a very fluid, performance-first workflow. I use a closely related architecture with a Montage M instead of a MODX, which I cover in Hybrid systems: Montage + MC-707. ...

A curated, living list of the artists, players, and shows that have shaped my listening and playing over the years. Grouped by category and condensed into tables for quick scanning. Favourite Artists & Bands Genre Artist 90s Dance Awesome 3 90s Dance Cappella 90s Dance D:Ream 90s Dance Hyper Go Go 90s Dance Shades of Rhythm Dance / Electronic Jeremy Ellis Dance / Electronic Mezerg Funk & Jazz Jamiroquai Funk & Jazz Matt Johnson Funky House Purple Disco Machine Instrumental Al Marconi Instrumental Jean-Michel Jarre Instrumental The Piano Guys Pop Bronski Beat Pop Calvin Harris Pop Coldplay Pop Craig David Pop Curiosity Killed The Cat Pop Daði Freyr Pop Deacon Blue Pop Dead Or Alive Pop DJ Fresh Pop Enigma Pop Enya Pop Erasure Pop Gloria Estefan Pop Howard Jones Pop Jimmy Somerville Pop JLS Pop Josh Groban Pop Kool & The Gang Pop Kylie Minogue Pop Level 42 Pop Lighthouse Family Pop Limahl Pop Mariah Carey Pop Michael Bolton Pop Michael Jackson Pop Paul Hardcastle Pop Pet Shop Boys Pop Rozalla Pop Spandau Ballet Pop Take That Pop Technotronic Pop The Communards Pop Tony Mortimer Pop Westlife Pop Whitney Houston Pop Years & Years Pop Youngr Rock Eagles Rock Fleetwood Mac Rock The Beach Boys Rock The Cure Singer Songwriters Barry Manilow Singer Songwriters Carpenters Singer Songwriters Christopher Cross Singer Songwriters Stevie Wonder Synthwave Sunglasses Kid Trance Above & Beyond Trance Armin Van Buuren Favourite DJs Genre DJ Hard House Andy Farley Hard House Andy Whitby Hard House BK Hard House Carl Nicholson Hard House Guyver Hard House Paul Glazby Hard House Paul Maddox Trance Andy Bagguley Trance Armin Van Buuren Other Jaguar Skills Favourite Keyboard Players & Pianists Player Link Anthony Marinelli YouTube Barry Manilow YouTube Bartek Krzemiński YouTube Bert Smorenburg Website Howard Jones YouTube Jean-Michel Jarre YouTube Jordan Rudess YouTube Matt Johnson YouTube Robby Sharp YouTube Simeon Amburgey YouTube Stevie Wonder YouTube Thiago Pinheiro YouTube Favourite Composers Composer Notable Works Alan Menken Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, Pocahontas, Tangled, The Little Mermaid Andrew Lloyd Webber Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Phantom of the Opera Dario Marianelli Everest Hans Zimmer Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, The Last Samurai, The Lion King James Horner Aliens, Apocalypto, Apollo 13, Titanic John Williams A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Catch Me If You Can, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Harry Potter, Home Alone, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Superman Tom Salta Halo, Prince of Persia, Tom Clancy franchise Tom Salta is an ASCAP award-winning and BAFTA-nominated composer, one of the most versatile and prolific artists/producers working across film, television, advertising, and video games. ...

Playing by ear - discovering by accident The Joy of Surprise I don’t play the piano to master it. I play it because sometimes it surprises me. That sounds backwards, especially in a world obsessed with progress, scales, grades, and measurable improvement. But the thing that keeps pulling me back to the keys isn’t control - it’s discovery. It’s that moment when my fingers land somewhere they’ve never quite been before and something clicks. A sound appears that I didn’t plan, didn’t predict, and definitely didn’t know I knew. ...

How to Work Out the Number of Sharps in Each Major Scale Understanding the number of sharps in major scales is easier than it sounds once you know the circle of fifths and the pattern of sharps. Here’s a step-by-step guide to make it simple. 1. Start with C Major C Major is your reference point. It has: No sharps or flats Notes: C D E F G A B Think of C Major as the “home base” of all major scales. ...

Roland has long been a cornerstone of electronic music hardware, and two of its most popular modern devices - the TR-8S Rhythm Performer and the MC-707 Groovebox - often come up in the same conversation. While they overlap in some areas, they’re built with very different goals in mind. This post brings together everything you need to know to decide TR-8S vs MC-707, including workflow, genres, live use, and how they can even work together. If you are interested in pairing the MC-707 with a flagship synth as the master of a hybrid rig, I cover that approach in Hybrid systems: Montage + MC-707. ...

A selection of my music production work from January 2026. Browse other months All Tracks

Software synthesizers in 2025 are a study in contrast and creativity - flagship instruments with deep sonic universes, hybrid engines merging sampling with synthesis, and tools that make sound design feel like both art and play. Below is a panoramic view of the top soft synths this year, each with its release timing and why it matters to your creative workflow. Synth Developer Release / Update Notes Absynth 6 Native Instruments 2025 Revival Expanded synth engines, polyphonic expression (MPE) support, ideal for cinematic pads and complex timbres. Cherry Audio Spirit Cherry Audio 2025 Reissue Modern plugin version of Crumar Spirit, faithful sonic character, fun and characterful addition to any collection. Falcon 3 UVI 2025 Workflow Enhancements Hybrid synthesis and sampling environment; faster loading, expressive scripting, expanded additive and spectral engines. Korg Collection 6 Korg October 2025 Adds PS-3300 & Trinity modules; full emulations of rare classic synths. Omnisphere 3 Spectrasonics October 21, 2025 Tens of thousands of patches, granular and wavetable engines, expanded effects, deep hardware connectivity. Phase Plant 3 Kilohearts 2025 Updates Deeper routing, extended modulation, creative blocks for experimental synth architectures; no single release date. Pigments 7 Arturia December 16, 2025 Redesigned Play View, new tone-shaping tools (Rage, Ripple, Reverb, Corroder), more presets, expanded wavetables, samples, tutorials. Serum 2 Xfer Records March 17, 2025 Spectral morphing, multisample and granular oscillators, richer modulation; retains original workflow. Vital Pro 2 Matt Tytel 2025 Update Deeper wavetable morphing, AI-assisted content generation, light CPU use. VPS Avenger 2 Vengeance Sound 2025 Evolution Live macro morphing, new oscillators, creative grid for fast sound sculpting; performance-oriented powerhouse. Closing Thoughts What sets 2025 apart isn’t just feature lists or spec sheets - it’s integration and expressivity. Synth engines interweave sampling, granular processing, and spectral manipulation. Interfaces are more dynamic and interactive than ever. And tools like Pigments 7 are teaching users as they play, turning complex sound design into a tactile experience. Whether you’re scoring films, designing textures, or producing club‑ready tracks, this year’s synth roster delivers both power and inspiration.

Whether you’re sketching out your first track, pumping out hip‑hop beats, scoring films, or mixing for a full band, 2025 offers an exciting landscape of music production software (DAWs) with something for everyone. A digital audio workstation (DAW) is where ideas become demos and demos become finished releases - so choosing one that fits your workflow is crucial. Here’s where you’ll want to start. Ableton Live 12 – Creative Powerhouse for Electronic & Live Artists Ableton Live has long been the darling of electronic producers, DJs, and experimental musicians thanks to its uniquely flexible workflow and loop-based Session View. In 2025, Live 12 continues to lead with fluid real-time manipulation, robust MIDI and audio tools, and deep integration with controllers and hardware - all of which make it a standout choice whether you’re performing or producing. ...

Hardware (Current) Category Items Audio Interfaces Native Instruments Audio 6 MK1 Laptops Alienware M17 (Windows 11), Macbook Air M5 Storage WD Elements 5TB, Integral USB 3.0 128GB, Crucial P3 M.2 PCIe Gen3 1TB, Fikwot FN501 Pro NVMe 1TB, Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD 1TB, Orico M.2 NVMe SATA SSD enclosure Controller Keyboards NI Komplete Kontrol M32, Novation LaunchKey 61 DJ Controllers NI Traktor Kontrol S3 Drum Machines / Grooveboxes NI Maschine MK3, Roland MC-707 Portable Keyboards Yamaha EZ-300 Synthesizers Yamaha MODX M8, Yamaha Motif ES8 Hardware (Past) Category Items Desktops Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga (500, 600 & 1500) Tower Dell T5400 Twin Quad Core Xeon 3.0GHz 16GB RAM Peripherals C64 Music Maker keyboard, Microdeal PRO-MIDI Interface (Amiga) Drum Machines KORG ElecTribe R (ER-1), Roland R-8 Human Rhythm Composer Keyboards Casio PT-50, JVC KB-700 Sound Modules Roland Edirol SD90 Synthesizers Casio CZ-101, Yamaha SY85 Software (Current) Ableton German music software company behind Ableton Live 12 Suite - a complete studio with 70+ GB of sounds and all devices. ...