With a career spanning over 50 years, the “Diva of the Diode” is busier now than ever, demonstrating the power of the Buchla synthesizer to a new generation of enthusiasts around the world. During a short break between concerts, Suzanne Ciani sat down with me to discuss what it has been like to come back to the Buchla synthesizer after 40 years and how she approaches performing with the new Model 200E. For Suzanne, the resurgence of analog modular synthesizers has been a deli

So, you have decided to start making music now what? First of all, I would like to say congratulations! You have taken the first steps towards a highly enjoyable and fulfilling activity. Music is something that you can continue to develop over a lifetime. There are many ways to pursue music. Depending on what you have in mind, there are many ways to achieve the experience you are looking for. For instance, if you are interested in learning banjo, all you need to get started

One of the first manufacturers to embrace portability with the TB-303, Roland pulls out all of the stops with its latest incarnation of grooveboxes. Roland has always been at the center of innovation. With a history filled with ground-breaking instruments, they are no stranger to portable devices beginning with the TB-303 in 1981. Since then, they have continued to produce instruments with mobile musicians in mind. Their latest creations called AIRA compact combine some of

In September 2019, Roland released Zenbeats a cross-platform DAW that promised to be a mobile music production powerhouse. Let’s take a look at the new version 3.0 When Roland released Zenbeats in 2019 it was their first foray into mobile music production. When I tried version 1.0, it was very impressive in many ways. However, it was very unstable on my iPad so I thought I would wait a while before I tried it again. Now they have just released the latest update, version 3.

Based upon their popular pocket-sized modular synth, the Kastle, Bastl Instruments has taken the same hardware and repackaged it into an experimental modular drum machine. Bastl Instruments is a small company in Brno, Czech Republic, that specializes in eco-friendly electronic instruments and eurorack modules. In 2016, they released the original Kastle Synth, which gained instant popularity. After considering user feedback, they released an improved version 1.5 a year later