Music tech - specific hardware - real innovations of recent times

The Lounge
#1

Hope I’m not duplicating another thread, but interested in this: what (non eurorack) hardware in the electronic music making realm has been significantly innovative in the modern non-vintage era? new products with a real wow factor?

For me, in no order:
The elektron silver boxes
The elektron trinity
The elektron analog heat
OP-1, POs, OPZ
VSynth
1010 music - black n blue boxes, nanos
Bastl Softpop, Thyme, Microgranny
Axoloti
Monome, Norns
Organelle
Chase Bliss blooper mood habit
856 Zellersasn & CT5
Shallow Water
OTO biscuit
Typhon
Kordbot
Micro freak
Roland AIRA FX (scooper etc)
Notation circuit
Squarp pyramid
Deluge
Osmose
Drolo Stretchweaver
Zoom ARC
Gekko synth
Roli seaboard and pad
Sensel
Plinky synth
KORG nts1
Bomebox
Electra One
Tonewoodamp
Retrokits RK00s
Microcosm

Some are innovative just because they are small, some are clever new ways of leveraging old ideas, some failed, some are very niche.

Any major ones I’m missing? Who’s still pushing the envelope today?

Plus I’d dare recognise Behringer too - for being so outrageously non-innovative, it’s innovative in its own way :sweat_smile: :sweat_smile:

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#2

There was a similar discussion here

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#3

ha, thanks Xidnpnlss. I was being ironically non-innovative starting another thread :crazy_face:. Expect the mods will fold me into that.

*edit perhaps this might be different enough as a focus on specific devices (rather than companies) more generally to differentiate it

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#4

Dirtywave M8 Tracker. Awesome tactile unit that blends music making with the feel of playing a handheld.

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#5

yes, how did i forget that. Have one and it is a marvel. probably one of the most stunning releases of recent times. Old ideas but done in such an amazing way.

credit to polyend too bringing the tracker back to the 2020s, in some ways the size of either unit is its own advantage.

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#6

Glou Glou Loupe
Beebo / Digit
Empress Zoia
Klein Bottle

#7

Haken Continuum
Lumatone

#8

Lyra-8 and almost all the other stuff from SOMA Labs.

#9

interesting, had never heard of lumatone before

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#10

sounds like Soma - but also Koma fieldkits (and their sadly discontinued RH301 – Rhythm Work Station)

Lyra 8 came very close to getting, and their cosmos too…

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#11

Monome grid : it has open a whole world of grid controllers.
Ableton Live Session view : new workflow and graphical paradigm.
Nord Modulars : best idea ever.
Osmose (?) : the future will tell if this is the perfect mix between traditional instruments feel and technology.

#12

i had an old 256 walnut that I sold back in the early days, but was using with my pc and apps which was a bit too screen based in how I approached it. MLRV etc. Though I could have turned off the screen and it would have made more sense.
That was back in the era when Daedalus would play some string section chops with some dirty drums on a big bright grid and your jaw would drop.
I find the 128 varibright and Norns to be so much more enticing to use. The non PC Norns aspect helps a lot, it is so well supported by clever scripters. A good gas killer too as always worth checking if Norns already does that new granular, sampling or sequencing thing you were about to buy

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#13

Pulsar 23, & most stuff from Soma.

Norand Mono

#14

Korg Volcas and Monotribe - miniaturising analog and digital grooveboxes and making them inexpensive was quite innovative.

Electrix Repeater - in many ways the best looper ever made so far, especially for dance/electronic musicians.

Korg Electribes - great sound, but arguably the quickest route from pressing buttons to ass shaking.

Roland Boutiques/ACB/Zencore/Aira - new spins on classic gear, with a fair bit of added innovation.

New MPCs for essentially taking the MPC workflow and combining it with a desktop computer, and managing to combine both the best and worst of both paradigms, yet somehow still being great.

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#15

Nord Modular
OTO Machines, Pedals and Biscuit
Elektron Analog Series
Soma Lyra 8, Pulsar 23
Make Noise Strega
Pittsburgh Modular VLR
Dave Smith Mono Evolver
IK Multimedia Iloud Micro Monitor and MtM
Cre8 Audio
Zoom F6
Moog Music One
Universal Audio Apollo 16

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#16

Lots of good stuff here. I might add the original nanoloop and lsdj cartridges. Kind of the first to bring that style and sound to a handheld hardware format.

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#17

If we could call the modern era since 2000, then I’d add the QY100

Years ahead of its time, decent GM+ synth, guitar FX, arranger and very fitting with the 2020s miniaturization craze. It can still claim there is nothing quite like it out there in its form factor.

Now that trackers are back being cool, next up … tiny arrangers.

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#18

Linnstrument.

#19

hours later, Roland release their tiny arranger boxes. I’m a genius! I’ve got the Shining!

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