The pioneering inventor behind the fabled Moog synthesizer legacy, Bob Moog, would be celebrating his 78th birthday today if he hadn't lost his battle with a brain tumor back in 2005. In his honor, Moog Music has announced it will donate 50% of all clothing and merchandise sales over the course of today to the late inventor's Moog Foundation, an organization founded to continue Bob Moog's legacy "through innovative science and music education for future generations." Read more »
MSRP: $310, Korg
Korg's Monotribe unit is the big brother to the company's succesful Monotron series, beefing up the pocket-sized analog synthesizer with a few extra features, a sequencer, and some actual knobs. Read more »
MSRP: $99.99, Sony
For any self-respecting audiophile, finding a winning pair of headphones that suits each and every one of your needs to a tee feels next to impossible. You want high-quality, honest sound in the form of balanced drivers, a wide frequency range, and strong impedance to power your time spent both in the studio and on the street. Sony's new MDR-V55 DJ Headphones offer a variety of interesting takes on the traditional swivel earcup DJ model, bringing in features that cherry pick from both the worlds of the four-channel mixing maestro and the casual commuter looking for attractive design and solid sound. Read more »
MSRP: $89, Soniccouture
A proper electric piano is not the cheapest or easiest thing in the world to acquire and keep in good, working condition, especially a classic like the Fender Rhodes Stage 73 or the Wurlitzer 200A. In an attempt to address this problem, Ableton has teamed up with the botique software instrument designers at Soniccouture for Electric Pianos, a Live-only instrument that aims to offer those low on funds access to pristine electric piano sounds. Read more »
Normally, announcing the tenth anniversary of Korg's Micro synthesizer line wouldn't make for the most tantilizing of news. But considering that the Japanese company has decided to pair this news with word of a monthly contest—in which it gives away a free product from its Micro line (such as the MicroKorg XL pictured above) every month for the rest of the year—we couldn't help but get a little excited. Read more »
Noted writer, producer, DJ, Keysound co-owner, and Rinse FM host (along with his cohort Dusk) Martin "Blackdown" Clark has taken on an essential, though often overlooked topic, over on his blog—attempting to answer the question, "How do I get started in production?" Read more »
MSRP: $5.99, Mike Gao Mobile
Los Angeles beatsmith Mike Gao has designed an iPad app aimed at allowing users to easily create complex chord structures and melodies using color-coded buttons and geometric patterns rather than a traditional piano keyboard. The result is a program that is part MIDI controller, part music-theory lesson, and part music-making mind fuck. In other words, not your average app. Read more »
