Latest Products: Musical Instruments

The latest musical instrument products are items that have only recently joined the range: guitars, keyboards, drums, microphones, studio and sound equipment, lighting and music software. The listing changes every day. It is worth coming back when you want to see what has arrived since your last visit or when you are waiting for a new model from a favourite brand. New arrivals include brands such as Taylor, Fender, Yamaha, Roland, Arturia and Universal Audio.

How do you browse new arrivals by instrument?

New arrivals are organised into separate areas: guitars, bass guitars, keyboards, drums, wind, bowed string and traditional instruments, microphones, studio, sound equipment, DJ equipment, lighting and accessories. In the new guitar arrivals, guitarists will see only new electric and acoustic guitars, such as ST-style models, large-bodied dreadnought acoustics or folk guitars with electronics that you can connect to an amplifier or mixing desk. Drummers may be interested in drum kits without stands. These make sense if you already have stands or want to choose them separately.

What is new for recording, concerts and instrument care?

New recording and sound reinforcement equipment includes studio headphones and monitors, digital mixing desks, active speakers, studio furniture and USB cables for connecting your equipment. The new studio arrivals bring together equipment for home recording and work in a professional studio. Bands and DJs will find moving heads and stage lighting effects among the lighting arrivals.

Instrument care has its own new arrivals: guitar care products and cleaning kits for strings, fretboards and lacquer finishes. Small accessories for all instruments are brought together in the new accessories section.

What should you check when choosing new music software?

Music software makes up a large part of the new arrivals: sound libraries and samples, virtual instruments, effects plug-ins and program updates. A sound library provides recorded sounds, a virtual instrument lets you play synthesizer, drums or orchestral sounds from a MIDI keyboard, and a plug-in processes the sound of tracks you have already recorded. Most of the software is downloadable and comes with a perpetual licence rather than a subscription.

• Format: the plug-in needs to be compatible with your recording program. Most programs support VST3, Logic Pro uses AU and Pro Tools uses AAX. The Standalone label means you can also run the program on its own.
• System and performance: the specifications list support for Windows and macOS, processors (Intel, AMD Ryzen, Apple Silicon) and recommended memory, often 8 GB or 16 GB RAM.
• Disk space: large libraries take up tens of gigabytes, with some requiring more than 80 GB.
• Player: some libraries run in Kontakt Player or in the Spitfire Audio application.
• Upgrade: an upgrade builds on a licence you already own, so choose it according to the version of the program you use.