Cubase Pro 12
Price: Cubase Pro 12 (Education): £308 SRP Update from Cubase Pro 11: £85
This is another impressive upgrade from the team at Steinberg. Cubase 12 includes a significant number of new features and improvements such as improved editing tools, enhanced audio-to-MIDI conversion, and a suite of new effects. Highlights also include MIDI Remote integration for enhanced external controller mapping, and improved ‘audio warp’, making it easier to adjust and refine audio. The new FX Modulator will enable you to get creative with your effects, which now includes ‘verve’ – a new and atmospheric VST piano. The audio to MIDI chords function enables users to drag an audio recording to the Chord Track and Cubase will lay out the chord progression for you; the Scale Assistant in VariAudio makes editing pitch and finding the correct scale very easy. Cubase 12 also offers native Apple silicon support. All of this and no more USB eLicenser dongle! Full review to follow.
PreSonus AudioBox Go
Price: £64.00
This compact and affordable interface is great for recording on the go or in small spaces. The AudioBox Go is powered by a connected USB-C device so there's no need for an additional power supply, making it a genuinely portable device. It comes with high quality analogue to digital convertors (24-bit/96 kHz) which produce a clear and clean sound. The unit has a TS (Tip/Stem) line input for instruments, such as for electric guitar, and an XLR/line input for a microphone or instrument. A useful feature is the separate mix controls for your headphones, and it also has two balanced TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) 1/4” outputs for studio monitors or speakers. There is +48V phantom power for condenser mics. The unit comes with a free software bundle including a DAW (digital audio workstation), music tutorials and a sample library. It works with Apple and Android devices.
www.presonus.com/products/AudioBox-Go
Dubreq Stylophone Gen X-1
Price: £59.99
Many of us will remember the original Stylophone; this new and updated version has all the fun and easy to play features of the original with some cool new additions. The keyboard is now nearly two octaves, and there are two ways to play the synth using the stylus; you can use the keyboard to make distinct notes and the sound strip enables you to slide between notes in the scale. New features include a Low Frequency Oscillator, Low Pass Filter and Envelope controls. This makes the tool a great way to learn about analogue synthesis for any budding engineers or producers! The Gen X is powered by four AA batteries but there is no means to plug into the mains, so you will need to switch it off when not in use.
Casio Music Space
Price: free
This is a free app for users of Casio digital keyboards and digital pianos and replaces the former learning app Chordana. Casio Music Space connects to your Casio keyboard and has a range of functions to help with learning to play, reading and writing notation, and composing your own music. For learners, the Piano Roll function is useful, displaying the correct note pitches and durations as you play along, and you can alter the speed of the music with the Tempo Control. There is also a library of music scores and recorded songs to practise and play. The app connects via Bluetooth or cable with many Casio devices, although the Piano Remote Control function of the app doesn't work with every Casio keyboard.
web.casio.com/app/en/music_space
