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Latest News

Fast updates on tools, platforms, and the industry.

AlphaTheta CDJ-1500X DJ multi player with 10.1-inch touchscreen and mid-size jog wheel

Dubspot TeamJul 7, 20268 min read

AlphaTheta CDJ-1500X: The Flagship Player, Shrunk to Fit

The AlphaTheta CDJ-1500X brings the CDJ-3000X's 10.1-inch touchscreen, streaming, and new CoBeat feature to a smaller, booth-friendly DJ multi player.

iZotope Ozone mastering suite, part of the iZotope lineup now owned by Boris FX

Mixing & Mastering

iZotope Joins Boris FX: What It Means for RX and Ozone

Boris FX acquired iZotope on July 2, 2026, moving RX, Ozone, Neutron, and Nectar to a new owner. Here's what changes for your licenses and updates.

Dubspot TeamJul 7, 20267 min read

Steinberg SpectraLayers 13 spectral audio editor interface showing a spectrogram display

Dubspot TeamJul 5, 20268 min read

SpectraLayers 13 Adds AI Sound-Effect Unmixing

Steinberg SpectraLayers 13 arrives July 1, 2026 with Unmix Sound Effects, Reconstruct, and two-voice separation. Here's what changed, the €359 price, and how it stacks up to iZotope RX.

Anukari 3D physics synthesizer interface showing masses and springs

Dubspot TeamJun 30, 20268 min read

Anukari 3D Physics Synth: Build Sound From Springs

Anukari is a GPU-powered 3D physics synth that builds sound from masses and springs. Our guide covers its features, specs, pricing, and who it's for.

Dubspot TeamJun 30, 20268 min read

Forma Labs Filament: Real-Time Orchestration Plugin

Forma Labs Filament hosts up to 64 instruments and voices your chords into a live orchestra. Full breakdown of features, pricing, and who it's for in 2026.

Tracktion Waveform Free 14 DAW interface on a home studio screen

Dubspot TeamJun 30, 20268 min read

Tracktion Waveform Free 14: Free DAW With AI Built In

Waveform Free 14 brings a built-in AI assistant, a redesigned interface, and refreshed stock plugins to Tracktion's free DAW. Full features, specs, and pricing.

Software Spotlight

DAWs, plugins, and the software shaping modern production.

Roland Melody Flip palette library showing creative palettes tagged by mood, BPM, and key

Roland Melody Flip Review: AI Co-Writer Explained

Roland Melody Flip analyzes your audio and suggests melodies, chords, bass, and drums. Here's what it does, how it works, and who it's for in 2026.

Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin Version 2 wavetable synthesizer interface

Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin V2: From 8 to 32 Voices

Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin V2 quadruples polyphony to 32 voices and adds two arpeggiators, a new delay, and Robin modes. Here's what changed and the €99 price.

Excite Audio Evolve Dark Matter sample-based synthesizer plugin interface

Evolve Dark Matter: A Quad-Engine Synth for Dark D&B

Excite Audio Evolve Dark Matter is a quad-engine sample synth for dark drum and bass and atmospheric techno, with XY morphing and 250 sound sources.

Cherry Audio Ensoniq ESQ-1: The 1986 Hybrid, Licensed

Cherry Audio's Ensoniq ESQ-1 revives the 1986 hybrid synth as an officially licensed $69 plugin, built from the original 32 waveforms with modern extras.

Production

Workflow, technique, and the craft of finished tracks.

Akai MPC 3.9 oscillator synth engine update on a standalone MPC

Dubspot TeamJun 23, 20263 min read

Akai MPC 3.9: The Update That Turns Your MPC Into a Synth

Akai MPC 3.9 adds a built-in oscillator synth engine, hybrid keygroups, new Arrange tools, and flexible time signatures. Here's what's new and if it matters.

Dubspot TeamJun 12, 20267 min read

Best Sample Pack Sites in 2026: Loopmasters, Loopcloud, Splice, ADSR + Free Sources

An honest 2026 guide to the best sample pack sites. We compare Loopmasters, Loopcloud, Splice, and ADSR on price, library size, licensing, and value.

From AI Sketch — To an Arrangement You Own

Dubspot TeamJun 12, 20268 min read

How to Turn an AI Track Into a Real Arrangement You Own (2026)

A 2026 workflow for taking an AI-generated track, exporting stems, and rebuilding it in your DAW into an arrangement that's genuinely yours.

Suno AI music generator interface representing the AI music lawsuits with Warner, Universal, and Sony

Dubspot TeamMay 19, 20267 min read

The Suno & Udio Lawsuits, Label Settlements, and What 'AI Music Tags' Mean for Producers in 2026

Warner settled with Suno, Universal settled with Udio, and Sony is still fighting. Here is what the AI music lawsuits, Deezer's tagging system, and Spotify's verified badge mean for producers in May 2026.

Hip-hop culture - DJ, turntable, graffiti and microphone

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20269 min read

Hip-Hop Culture: A Producer's View of the Four Pillars and the Music That Came With Them

A producer's overview of hip-hop's four pillars (DJing, MCing, breakdancing, graffiti) — how each shaped the music, the equipment, and the production techniques that followed.

Home studio built with IKEA furniture hacks

Dubspot TeamMay 10, 20268 min read

IKEA Studio Hacks: Build a Pro Creative Space on a Budget (2026)

Real IKEA hacks producers use to build studio desks, racks, monitor stands, and acoustic treatment for a fraction of pro-furniture prices. Tested 2026 picks with parts lists.

All production →

Stay in the mix

Weekly picks from the editors — gear drops, production tips, and the stories shaping music tech.

DJing

Best DJ Controllers in 2026: Beginner, Gigging, and Standalone Picks

Dubspot Team · 8 min read

Best DJ Controllers in 2026 — Beginner, Gigging & Standalone Picks

DJing

DJ Tips: 12 Techniques That Will Improve Your Live Sets

Dubspot Team · 9 min read

DJing

Beatport Key Finder vs Mixed In Key: Accuracy Tested (2026)

Dubspot Team · 16 min read

Key-detection accuracy compared across Mixed In Key, Beatport, Rekordbox and KeyFinder

DJing

Harmonic Mixing Part 3: Is Mixed In Key Actually Accurate?

Dubspot Team · 6 min read

Mixed In Key analyzing tracks for accuracy testing

More DJ Culture →

Hardware

Novation FLkey 2: An OLED Screen for FL Studio Users

Dubspot Team · 4 min read

Novation FLkey 2 49 MIDI keyboard controller for FL Studio, top view

Dubspot Team · 3 min read

EP-133 K.O. II Firmware 2.5 Adds USB Audio, Free

Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O. II sampler running firmware 2.5

Dubspot Team · 3 min read

Akai MPC One G2 & Key 37 G2: 8-Core, New Synth Engine

Akai MPC One G2 and MPC Key 37 G2 standalone grooveboxes

Dubspot Team · 2 min read

Korg phase8: The Synth That Plays Real Steel Resonators

Korg phase8 acoustic synthesizer with steel resonators

More Hardware →

Sound Design

Synthesis, sampling, and the architecture of sound.

d16 Group PunchBox 2 kick drum design plugin interface

Dubspot TeamJun 28, 20263 min read

d16 PunchBox 2 Adds a Wavetable Engine for Kick Design

d16 PunchBox 2 adds a wavetable engine, four sound generators, and 1,100+ presets to the kick-design plugin, launching at €79. Here's what changed.

Dubspot TeamJun 12, 20268 min read

The Best Free Synth VSTs in 2026 (That Actually Compete With Paid)

The best free synth VSTs of 2026, tested honestly: Vital, Surge XT, Dexed, OB-Xd, Odin 2, and Tunefish. Synthesis types, CPU load, sound, and real limits.

Visual diagram showing analog sine wave versus digital aliasing with fold-back artifacts and frequency spectrum