Happy Holidays everyone!
Well, just before we lock up the office for a couple of days we would like to wish you all a very loving and warm holiday. Around our parts we say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Well, just before we lock up the office for a couple of days we would like to wish you all a very loving and warm holiday. Around our parts we say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

U-HE DIVA – which stands for (Dinosaur Impersonating Virtual Analogue Synthesizer) has been out for a while now and its latest incarnation is version 1.3. This update brings you the new digital osc which faithfully recreates a famous synth that was introduced at the end of the 90s. Famous for the classic ‘so called’ Super Saws. Also theres a new UHBIE filter this is an emulation of the OB-X/SEM filter and an arpeggiator.
Novation is pleased to announce a free update to its hugely popular Launchpad app for iPad, introducing the ability to record performances and share them via Dropbox, Soundcloud, and email. In addition, improvements to the Audio Import upgrade allow users to categorise their sounds and create individual libraries.
If you’ve been following things around here lately, you’ll already know about the Push instrument and its unique interface for playing melodies & beats and triggering clips. If you’re using hardware instruments, Push can also be a complementary performance and controller interface. Play scales according to Push’s scale mode, tap out drums on Push’s velocity-sensitive pads or go in deeper to tweak parameters straight from Push’s touch-sensitive knobs.
Below are some of the new releases we have encountered this week on the Loops and Samples front. Just like the quality of the audio software we use these days the quality of the content we use (loops and samples) equally matches the high standards of this software. Below is this weeks selection.
Rudimental are an electronic act from Hackney, London who continue to go from strength to strength. Their debut album “Home” went straight in at Number 1 on the UK Albums Chart (featuring two Number 1 singles “Feel The Love” and “Waiting All Night”), and the now Platinum album also won a MOBO Award this year, as well as picking up a Mercury nomination. Live-wise, they’ve played more than 40 festivals in 2013 alone including Glastonbury, Bestival, BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Benicassim and Made In America, and have a UK tour coming up in February 2014.
In 2003, the British broadsheet newspaper The Guardian famously declared that ‘dance music was in terminal decline’. Citing the greed of superstar DJs and unimaginative, uninspired music as the reason fans were leaving the genre, it seemed at the time to be the lowest point for dance.
Rob Papen Soundware is proud to announce availability of PunchBD-RE, a versatile and easy-to-use bass drum synthesizer Rack Extension for Propellerhead Reason 6.5 (or higher), as of yesterday.
Korg have announced that the KR Mini portable rhythm machine is now on its way to a retail store near you. The KR mini – an easy, simple and compact rhythm machine with a built-in speaker and optional battery power for play-anywhere convenience. It’s a great companion for practicing and performing with guitar, bass, keyboards, winds, or any type of instrument
Next Audio Labs is proud to announce the latest release of its flagship Rekord Buddy app. The world’s most advanced syncing tool for Rekordbox and Traktor just got better
Arturia is known for both their controller and software range. Lately they released two iPad apps. And they just released a new keyboard controller line, the Keylab series. The keylab controller series are accompanied with their well know Analog Lab software. Today we’ll take a look at the Keylab 49 keyboard.
Native Instruments released HALCYON SKY – a new MASCHINE Expansion delivering the downtempo rhythms, organic synths, and hazy atmospheres of contemporary ambient electronica. Designed exclusively for the MASCHINE 2.0 software, HALCYON SKY is the first MASCHINE expansion to feature exclusive presets for the PRISM synth – included in the MASCHINE 2.0 software update.
Announced at the recent BPM Show, Reloop and Algoriddim announce the availability of Beatpad, the professional iOS DJ controller, created and optimized for djay. Jointly developed, Beatpad is an all-in-one MIDI controller that offers mixer controls, ultra-responsive multicolor LED jog wheels, performance section with hot cue points, FX, Looping, Drum Pads. Beatpad features a built-in studio-grade audio interface to make the mixing experience complete.
Recently the touchAble controller app for Ableton Live has been updated to version 2. Countless artists around the globe – from bedroom producers to award winning artists – use it on stage, in their studio or while on the road. touchAble 2 has been completely redesigned from the ground up, with stability and performance in mind – as well as an array of new and improved features.
Wow! Even for ourselves this is an achievement we didn’t expect to make 10 years ago on that cold thursday morning. But, … we did. Today we are celebrating our 10th anniversary of gearjunkies.com. December 4th, 2003, our website went online. Back then the website was actuallyjust an online product database. A couple of years later we added the news section and started posting information on new gear, interviews, videos, etc.