Another Monday, another sonic deluge. Plugin launches, audio interface wars, and just enough corporate dystopia to keep us twitching. We dug through the mess and found the gold — or at least the rust that shines brightest. We tried to add a link shortener this week but Gianni spilled some Yerba Mate energy drink on the boss's laptop. Never trust the intern with... well, anything.
Top Picks
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The MD 421, But Smaller
The classic 421, now travel-sized. Same snarl, less weaponized body. -
Forge’s Genre-Bending Yacht Sabbath
Yacht rock riffs with Geezer Butler lyrics? Tobias Forge delivers the most melodramatic, theatrical thing you’ll hear all week. -
Guitar Anthems with Horsepower
V8 riffs, FM radio nostalgia, and more vehicular innuendo than necessary. Sammy Hagar approves. -
This One Goes to 11 (and Stays There)
Turns out going to 11 actually did change the world. Or at least the volume knob.
Reviews and Roundups
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Soma Lyra-4 Review (MusicRadar)
This semi-modular analog synth doesn’t care about your DAW. It wants to drone, warble, and possibly summon forgotten gods. -
Spitfire x BBC Radiophonic Workshop Plugin Review (MusicRadar)
A deeply weird and often brilliant Kontakt instrument that channels vintage sci-fi and radiophonic chaos. -
Sennheiser MD 421 Kompakt Review (MusicRadar)
Sennheiser shrinks the classic MD 421 into a modern compact format — same snarl, less bulk. [1] -
EastWest Sounds Iconic Review (MusicRadar)
A retro-leaning rompler loaded with iconic 80s sounds — equal parts nostalgia and serious production utility. -
Freqport FreqInOut FO1 Review (Sound On Sound)
Hardware plugin interface with hands-on control for your virtual studio. Overkill for some, indispensable for others. -
DJ.Studio Review (Sound On Sound)
Arrange DJ sets like a DAW — because DJing shouldn’t require a caffeine IV and six open tabs. -
Cars and Guitars – Rock Anthems About Cars (Gearnews)
A celebration of automotive-themed rock, filled with V8 riffs and lyrical burnout. [2]
Industry News & Highlights
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Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke on 'Tall Tales' (MusicRadar)
Behind the scenes of a collab that almost collapsed — until Yorke told him to trash everything. -
Ghost’s New Album: AOR Meets Sabbath (MusicRadar)
Tobias Forge says the quiet part out loud: it’s yacht rock now, and we’re okay with that. [3] -
ART Celebrates 30 Years of Tube MP (Sound On Sound)
That little blue box turns 30. Still budget. Still everywhere. Still somehow working. [4] -
EastWest Announces Lo-Fi Plugin (Sound On Sound)
New lo-fi textures incoming — EastWest gets in on the crusty, dirty synth plugin game. [5]
Trends to Watch
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Waves Launches 'Curves' AI EQ (Sound On Sound)
AI-assisted EQing from Waves. Because of course they did. [6] -
Trump Tariffs Threaten Gear Prices (Synthtopia)
Looming import hikes could double synth and interface costs. Time to hoard. [7] -
How Spinal Tap Changed Volume Controls Forever (Hypebot)
A lovingly serious look at the joke that went to 11 — and stayed there. [8]
From Sonic Odyssey
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Week in Review – April 7, 2025
Last week’s post, in case you missed it (or blacked out from gear envy). -
Best DAWs for Beginners (2025)
No gatekeeping here. Just the facts. And a few strong opinions. -
Best Mixing & Mastering Plugins (2025)
Compress, EQ, limit, repeat. Our top plugin picks for 2025. -
Best Plugin Deals (Updated Weekly)
Still your go-to page for deals that may or may not ruin your bank account.
Outro
That’s a wrap on another week of music tech mayhem. Whether you’re demoing plugins, contemplating yet another interface upgrade, or trying to figure out why your intern redirected 200 links to a rickroll, we’re here for it.
We’ll be back next Monday with more reviews, trends, and side-eye commentary.
Until then: stay noisy, stay weird, stay loud.
— The Sonic Odyssey Team
I don't have anything quippy to add here. I dig that Sennheiser did this. I know this is primarily intended for toms but I would love to have a smaller 421 for guitar cabs. ↩︎
I clicked on this ready to rage about Highway Star not being included but there it is! AND Radar Love! That's offset by including one of the blandest, most overplayed Metallica songs, unfortunately. [9] ↩︎
I still don't really get Ghost. At least Tobias is admitting what they are, though. ↩︎
I'm not saying I have or haven't ever owned one (that I tried to 'upgrade' with a 'premium' tube) but I will glare at you judgingly if you've got one in your rig. ↩︎
Gianni saw this and immediately decided he was doing a lofi chillwave project ↩︎
I remember when people started learning the word 'algorithm'. I feel like that with AI now — every moderately sophisticated algorithm is now 'AI'. ↩︎
We live in the worst fucking timeline. I swear, this is like a fucking 80s X-Men comic or something. Days of Future Past x10. ↩︎
As a rapidly aging GenX metalhead, this movie holds a special place in my heart but goddamn the 'goes to 11' thing is almost as overdone as 'more cowbell'. Did you know Marshall did a whole 'GOES to 20' promo video with Nigel Tufnel back in the 90s? It's on YouTube. Go find it. ↩︎
That said, I need to have a little tangential side rant about Steppenwolf: I CANNOT stand this fucking band. 'Born To Be Wild' is just the worst Boomer 'I like to pretend I was at Woodstock but I was working a church bake sale' anthem. ALSO, have you ever really listened to the song 'The Pusher'? There's some fucked up vigilante, fascist, power trip fantasy going on in the last verse of that song. ↩︎
