The 20 best VST plug-in synths in the world today We asked you to pick from the hundreds available...
New music tech gear of the month: review round-up (October 2012) September's new products at a glance
Arturia MiniBrute $549.00 4.5 stars A great little synth, which manages to pack a lot of punch into its modest frame
Overloud Mark Studio 2 $169.00 4.5 starsComputer MusicNovember 2, 2012, 16:09 GMTOverloud's bass amp sim, back for another round The current cream of the virtual bass amp crop, Mark Studio 2 is awesome.
Beep Street Impaktor $4.99 4.5 starsComputer MusicNovember 1, 2012, 16:00 GMTThe must-have iOS percussion app Without doubt the most powerful and genuinely useful percussion app on the App Store right now.
Yonac Magellan $14.99 4.5 starsComputer MusicOctober 31, 2012, 16:00 GMTAn iPad synth that refuses to compromise A comprehensive, tactile synth for the iPad that's capable of creating some truly excellent sounds.
Acoustica Mixcraft Pro Studio 6 $199.00 4.5 starsComputer MusicOctober 30, 2012, 16:05 GMTMixcraft becomes a serious DAW contender Not as generational a leap as v5, but still a very powerful, well-equipped DAW.
Steinberg Padshop Pro $79.99 4.5 starsComputer MusicOctober 29, 2012, 15:39 GMTThe user-friendly granular synth gets updated Making granular synthesis easy and fun, Pro is a must-upgrade for Padshop users and a bargain for everyone else.
Rob Papen Predator-RE $119.00 4.5 starsComputer MusicOctober 26, 2012, 15:00 GMTA synth plug-in worth hunting down The best synth in Reason. Make it yours.
iZotope Alloy 2 $199.00 4.5 starsComputer MusicOctober 26, 2012, 9:34 GMTGet your channel strips in shape Alloy 2's take on the channel strip concept is futuristic, brilliantly designed and sounds fantastic.
Thermionic Culture Solo Vulture $2,550.00 4.5 starsSteve Evans (Future Music)October 22, 2012, 14:57 GMTWe examine the value of valves A highly desirable item for those who appreciate what valves can do in the right hands.
Unity Audio The Rock MK2 £2,100.00 4.5 starsStuart Bruce (Future Music)October 21, 2012, 8:21 GMTMonitoring progress An excellent pair of monitors that tell you the truth right across the audio spectrum.
Sinevibes Array $19.00 4 starsRonan MacdonaldOctober 20, 2012, 13:57 GMTEight steps to multiband heaven Delivers spectacular rhythmic multiband filtering, albeit with little in the way of fine control.