As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the gear that truly made an impact this year—whether it’s the latest innovations or rediscovered classics that sparked fresh inspiration. The landscape of synthesizers, drum machines, Eurorack modules, samplers, and effects has continued to evolve, offering an ever-expanding array of creative possibilities. From highly anticipated new releases to vintage pieces that hold timeless appeal, this year has been rich with instruments that push boundaries and ignite creative exploration.
To gain deeper insights into what resonated most with musicians and creators, we reached out to a select group of friends and content creators, posing a straightforward yet revealing question: What was the coolest piece of gear that you discovered this year? For some, the answer lies in the cutting-edge synthesizers and hardware that emerged in 2024, while for others, it’s about reconnecting with the soul of older gear that still holds a special place in the creative process.
In the following list, you’ll find a diverse and growing collection of gear—ranging from the unconventional and experimental to the timeless classics—that has captured the imagination of artists across genres. These are the instruments that have inspired new music, shaped new workflows, and brought new sonic textures to life this year. Keep reading to explore the innovative pieces and hidden gems that have been sparking excitement in the music and gear communities this year.
Part 1
First up, we're hearing from some truly talented and insightful friends: the all-around brilliant and inspiring Andrew Huang; the charismatic and impressively talented synth reviewer Starsky Carr; writer and musician Robin Vincent/Molten Music Technology; musician and pedal reviewer Cyberattack; YouTuber/synth reviewer The Unperson; and pedal guru Mark Johnston, the mind behind the popular Secret Weapons in-depth review series.
That's an eclectic crew—and their picks span a wide range of musical approaches and perspectives. We'll see Eurorack modules, semi-modular synths, samplers, and more—so let's take a look at each of their picks in turn.
Andrew Huang: Elektron Digitakt II
Andrew Huang's top pick for the year shouldn't come as a surprise: it's the Elektron Digitakt II, undoubtedly one of the most all-around exciting releases of 2024.
The Elektron Digitakt II is the highly anticipated successor to the original Digitakt, bringing substantial upgrades to the beloved sampling workstation. With expanded capabilities, the Digitakt II doubles the original's track count, offering sixteen stereo tracks—up from the eight mono tracks of its predecessor. Each track can now serve as either an audio sampler or a MIDI channel, giving musicians incredible flexibility to create complex, multi-layered compositions. The new model also boasts a significant increase in storage, featuring 20GB of internal memory and 400MB of sample RAM, enabling artists to work with larger sample libraries and build more intricate projects.
The Digitakt II introduces a range of new "machines" that offer fresh ways to manipulate samples and sound. The Oneshot machine is perfect for linear sample playback, while the Werp, Stretch, and Repitch machines bring advanced time-stretching and pitch-shifting options. The Grid machine allows for precise sample slicing, ideal for chopping up breaks or large samples into smaller, playable segments. Additionally, a selection of filter machines—including the Multimode, Lowpass 4, and Comb filters—adds further depth to its sound-shaping possibilities. The instrument's expanded signal routing options and global effects—such as chorus, delay, reverb, and compression—greatly enhance its versatility for creative sound design.
With its expanded modulation and sequencing features, including extra LFOs, built-in Euclidean sequencing, and new trig modes, the Digitakt II becomes a powerful tool for crafting evolving, polyrhythmic sequences and dynamic performances. Whether you're composing full tracks, designing intricate soundscapes, or performing live, the Digitakt II offers an upgraded workflow and greater musical expression. Additionally, as one of Elektron’s more user-friendly mid-tier devices, the Digitakt II serves as an excellent entry point for those new to advanced sampling and sequencing.
Check out Andrew Huang on YouTube!
Starsky Carr: Pittsburgh Voltage Lab 2
Starsky Carr picked one of our favorite instruments from the last year: the Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Lab 2. We'll include a brief summary of some of our favorite features here...but if you want to truly understand our feelings about the Pittsburgh Voltage Lab 2, check out our full review. We can't always dive deep into every new product, but when something truly exceptional comes along, we make sure to find the time. The Voltage Lab 2 is one of those rare gems, and it stands as an incredibly unique and powerful instrument.
Building on Pittsburgh's original Voltage Research Laboratory synthesizer, the Voltage Lab 2 takes everything to the next level. This all-in-one system blurs the lines between "modular" and "semi-modular." Though all the modules are integrated behind a single faceplate, it largely avoids normalled signal paths, giving musicians the freedom to design their own signal routing. This bold design decision is one we truly admire, especially given the innovative and often groundbreaking nature of its internal circuits. Combining distinctive sound-shaping tools with an advanced touch keyboard and sequencer, the Voltage Lab 2 offers a fresh take on performance and synthesis, with echoes of the Buchla Music Easel and vintage Serge systems.
One of the most notable features is found in the sound generators themselves: the two Laboratory Oscillators. These oscillators each offerunique approaches to waveshaping that push far beyond standard waveforms. The result is a wealth of evolving, complex tones—from growling basses to gurgling textures. With voltage-controlled waveshaping, deep FM, bidirectional sync, ring modulation, downsampling, and more, these oscillators provide a vast array of sound possibilities right at your fingertips. Pair these oscillators with the two Dynamics Controllers—Pittsburgh's innovative take on the low-pass gate—and you have access to a range of tones that span everything from classic analog sounds to West Coast-style plonks and beyond. The Florist effect delivers resonant, Karplus-Strong-like textures, flanging, and chorus, while the Echo effect creates rich, swirling repeats that transform your sound.
The Touch Controller is a true powerhouse, acting as a multi-lane sequencer, pressure-sensitive keyboard, and algorithmic control generator all in one. It allows you to create dynamic, evolving sequences, ratcheting effects, and voltage-controlled sweeps, making it an essential tool for exploring automation, gesture-based control, and intricate sound design.
It's impossible to capture the full depth of the Voltage Lab 2 in just a few paragraphs, so we encourage you to try it for yourself—or better yet, go ahead and get one. If you're looking to explore the world of modular synthesis within a self-contained, thoughtfully designed instrument with a distinct creative philosophy, this is one of the best options we've ever encountered.
Check out Starsky Carr on YouTube!
Molten Muic Tech: Gamechanger Plasma Voice
Robin Vincent of Molten Music Technology is awesome. He's a fun, calm, and highly experienced voice about all things electronic music and music tech, and he shares his passion and creativity in a huge number of ways. He's a contributor to many music tech-oriented publications (including our very own Signal); he runs a rad YouTube channel; and he heads Molten Modular, a company that produces forward-thinking tools for Eurorack modular synthesists. This year, his top pick was a wild, weird, and fun Eurorack synth voice: the Plasma Voice by Gamechanger Audio.
While much ink has been spilled about how electronic instruments sonify the modern world's ubiquitous electricity, on rare occasions is this metaphor so audibly apparent to the degree found in Gamechanger Audio's Plasma Voice Eurorack module. A fully featured synthesizer voice with MIDI and CV control, Plasma Voice offers the sound of electric discharges pressed through the sizzling crackle of a xenon tube. While the appearance alone of this phenomenon is enough to enchant inspired synthesists with its dancing, literally electric blue sputters and shocks, such a digression would betray the Plasma Voice's overwhelming character, musical flexibility, and downright dirt-forward deviance.
If you missed the Plasma Voice this year, its functionality is much simpler to understand than the complex sound artifacts it creates. Under the lovely xenon tube, a two-track selector screen allows you to select from seven banks of sound types, each with seven preset sounds to start from. Covering a wide range of use cases, the Plasma voice readily morphs between thick basses, biting leads, crunchy percussion, and much more. From here, Plasma Voice offers a cornucopia of methods for modulating, waveshaping, filtering, and driving your sound, enabling complex transformations. While expansive multi-algorithm voices are now fairly commonplace in the Eurorack market, this is decidedly one of the gnarliest, yet finding musically useful sounds is fast and efficient.
With both MIDI and CV controls, Plasma Voice gives you plenty of ways to interact with, perform, and shape its electrified utterances. Thanks to a definable Multi-CV input, which can affect not only the module's sound parameters but even its bank and sound selections, wildly complex changes can be made with just a single CV source. For example, one of my personal favorite ways to use Plasma Voice is by sending stepped CV sequences to affect sound selections, creating complex hockets of radically altered sounds.
As we see increasingly, the emergence of MIDI-capable full voice modules paves the way for musicians to capture some of the complexity and character of modular synthesis without committing to a large system. Likewise, they offer a fantastic way to expand an established modular system that is both cost and HP effective. Because of its ingenious sound generation and legitimately unique sound character, Plasma Voice is one such module that refuses to be ignored in this year's round up, ready to shock and awe all sorts of synthesists.
Check out Molten Music Technology on YouTube!
Cyberattack: Vongon Replay
Ivan Anderson—perhaps better-known as YouTuber + musician Cyberattack—chose the Vongon Replay as his favorite new gear of the year. And frankly, we can see why: scope out the video above to see a beautiful + fun musical example of how the Replay fits into his personal workflow.
The Vongon Replay is a six-voice virtual analog synthesizer that captures the warm, lush sounds of early 1980s classics like the Roland Juno and Korg Polysix. As the first synthesizer from boutique pedal designers Vongon, it offers a profusion of rich and warm tones, packed into a slick minimalist interface. Replete with nostalgic flavors, yet highly modern in looks and performance, Replay pays a tribute to the widely loved vintage sounds, while positioned firmly in the present.
At its core, the Replay boasts a straightforward yet powerful sound engine paired with a multimode arpeggiator. The layout of the instrument is clear, and straightforward, and its voice architecture follows a familiar subtractive paradigm—a single oscillator with ramp, square, sine, and triangle waveforms and PWM feature, a 4-pole low-pass filter with selectable modulation sources, an ADSR envelope with exponential release stage, an LFO with different clocking options, a noise generator (which can also be substituted for external input), and a VCA. The performance arpeggiator which clearly adds to the distinct character of the instrument can be set to run in a variety of modes and patterns: up/down, order, and random, latch, keyed, as well as three poly modes hidden behind the alt function. The two-octave wide Cherry MX mechanical keyboard interface is compact yet renders a powerful means for expressive interaction.
Designed with both simplicity and depth in mind, the Replay provides easy access to primary functions on its main panel, while additional options are available through alt functions or a web-based interface. With up to 31 preset slots and versatile connectivity—including MIDI, USB, and line-level I/O—the Vongon Replay is a streamlined instrument that reliably delivers wells of timeless analog sounds, making it a wonderful choice for those seeking a premium virtual analog experience with modern conveniences.
Check out Cyberattack on YouTube!
The Unperson: Melbourne Delia
The Unperson picked one of the most revolutionary new instruments of the year: Delia, an all-new polysynth from Melbourne Instruments.
The folks at Melbourne Instruments aren't just turning heads—they're turning knobs! Melbourne previously launched their desktop synthesizer Nina back in 2023, with the unique inclusion of motorized knobs to aid in preset recall, contextual haptic feedback, and other features that make you wonder how you've gotten by using regular ol' knobs all this time. Add in the ultra-flexible hybrid sound engine, and you've got an unbelievably powerful music machine on your hands.
This year, Melbourne Instruments has introduced Delia: a bi-timbral keyboard synthesizer based on many of the same features and philosophies found in Nina. While Delia actually features a fewer number of motorized knobs on its panel, each control will handily snap into its proper position upon navigation through pages and menus. The inclusion of a 49-note keybed offers immediacy in accessing Delia's sounds, but like Nina it is also highly expandable thanks to a variety of audio, MIDI, and USB ports.
As for its sound palette, Delia delivers a hefty dose of wavetable and virtual analog oscillators combined with real analog ladder filters and digital highpass filters. Technically, Delia is a six-voice synthesizer, but you can use the unique 12 Note Mode to achieve paraphonic-style behaviors and unlock more "polyphony". Delia also offers Phrase Looping and Sequencing, which exists independently of its bi-timbral operation, so that you can compose musical phrases and morph between timbres at will for endlessly evolving sounds.
Delia isn't just a great-sounding keyboard synthesizer, but it's one packed with forward-thinking features and design considerations that truly make it a 21st-century electronic musical instrument.
Check out The Unperson on YouTube!
Mark Johnston: Universal Audio Apollo x8p Gen 2
Mark Johnston's pick perhaps fall more on the "utility" end of the spectrum. However, sometimes building a strong infrastructure for your studio can be critical for establishing a backbone for your musical workflow. He made the decision that many of us on the Signal staff have made: to upgrade our audio interfaces to a Univeral Audio Apollo.
When Universal Audio introduced the Apollo series back in 2012, it instantly became a crunch point in the evolution of audio interfaces. Pairing high-grade components, internal DSP engine, and deep software integration, the Apollo series interfaces bridged analog character with the power and flexibility of digital audio. The proprietary Unison technology delivered a nearly zero-latency recording and monitoring experience, and sound shaping through faithful emulations of analog consoles, tape machines, and outboard gear. The iconic tones of iconic Neve, API, and SSL channel strips, praised guitar and bass amplifiers like Marshall Plexi and Fender Tweed, classic effects like Galaxy Tape Echo and Lexicon 224 reverb, even boutique pieces like Thermionic Culture Vulture and OTO Bisquit—all could be easily accessible through the UAD interfaces, and more so a big chunk of the processing power is offloaded to the interfaces themselves. This is more than appealing, but the recent Gen2 upgrade makes it even more so.
The Universal Audio Apollo x8p Gen 2 is a high-end 16-input, 22-output Thunderbolt audio interface. Designed to meet the demands of professional recording studios and serious home setups, It strikes a perfect balance between power, connectivity, and price. Building upon the legacy of its predecessor, this next-generation interface features eight Unison-enabled mic preamps, two Hi-Z instrument inputs, eight line inputs via DB-25, two headphone outputs, and potential for digital expansion via ADAT and S/PIDF. Gen 2 introduces a major upgrade to the A/D and D/A converters offering up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution and a dynamic range of 129 dB. This is significant as it translates to an improved sound across the board: depth, clarity, frequency representation.
One of the standout features of the new generation x8p interface is its powerful HEXA Core DSP processing. Equipped with six DSP chips, it enables complex and CPU-intensive UAD plugin processing in real-time without overburdening your computer. The updated UAD Console app enhances your workflow with features like auto-gain control, plug-in scenes, low-latency cues, and bass management. Additionally, the Apollo Monitor Correction powered by Sonarworks calibrates your monitor and headphone outputs to compensate for room acoustics, providing a reliable reference point for mixing and mastering.
A built-in monitor controller with speaker switching and talkback functionality further streamlines your studio operations. Whether you're recording a full band or layering complex arrangements, the Apollo x8p Gen 2 provides the flexibility and sound quality that professional projects demand.
Available in two editions—the Studio+ and Essentials+—the Apollo x8p Gen 2 caters to different production needs. The Studio+ edition comes with a comprehensive bundle of over 50 UAD plugins, including premium instruments and effects, offering a robust toolkit for any recording, mixing, or mastering task. The Essentials+ edition includes a selection of 33+ UAD plugins, providing all the fundamental tools needed to start producing pro-grade audio right out of the box.
Catering to producers, engineers, and musicians who demand exceptional audio quality and advanced processing capabilities, the Universal Audio Apollo x8p Gen 2 serves as a powerful asset in any professional studio setup. Its combination of premium preamps, real-time plugin processing, and versatile connectivity offers the resources needed to significantly enhance recording quality and streamline workflow. This interface not only elevates the technical aspects of production but also contributes to a more efficient and creative studio environment.
Check out Mark Johnston on YouTube!
Part 2
We're back with Part 2 of our Artist Picks for 2024. In this round, we hear from Emily Hopkins—the internet's favorite harp lady. We also hear from mild-mannered synth aficionado and chill guy Midlife Synthesist, our pal Son Wu, the ever-informative Monotrail, and modular techno connoisseur Surco.
They picked new synths, classic samplers, and some forward-thinking new Eurorack modules—scope it all out at the video above, or in the paragraphs that follow.
Emily Hopkins: Expressive E Osmose
Emily Hopkins—everyone's favorite harp lady—chose two new instruments as her go-to favorites: the Vongon Replay and the Expressive E Osmose. We discussed the Replay in relation to CyberAttack above, so here, let's dive into the details about the Osmose.
Once in a while there comes a musical instrument that truly breaks new ground, and in a meaningful way alters the ways we interact with sound. Expressive E Osmose is one such instrument, as it redefines the conventional keyboard as a multidimensional performance interface. Unlike conventional keyboard instruments, which are usually just a collection of switches primarily sensitive to only where and how hard you play, the Osmose allows musicians to control sound parameters in three dimensions—adding expressive gestures like vibrato, pitch bends, glissandi, and dynamic modulation directly through the keys.
The Osmose's unique keybed senses not only the initial velocity of a key press but also the pressure and lateral movements applied by the player. This means each note can be individually shaped in real-time, offering unparalleled control over timbre, articulation, and dynamics. This innovation enables a level of nuanced expression typically associated with string or wind instruments.
As an instrument Osmose stands on the shoulders of giants, harnessing the power of the Haken's EaganMatrix sound engine which previously was only accessible on the Continuum-series instruments. This means that you get access to an incredibly advanced and flexible synthesis environment which can seamlessly integrate methods as varied as analog and physical modeling, subtractive and additive synthesis, and much more—it is fully modular.
However, if the power of EaganMatrix feels a bit too much, fear not—Osmose's intuitive interface is designed to be intuitive and expressive without imposing a steep learning curve on the user. You can edit and modify a vast range of existing preset sounds to a great extent and variety without ever having to launch the software editor. And if/when you are ready to dive even deeper into the instrument's sound design potential, the EaganMatrix is a well of creative inspiration in its own right.
All in all, the Expressive E Osmose represents a significant leap forward in electronic instrument design, bridging the gap between traditional keyboard familiarity and cutting-edge expressive control. This makes it equally appealing to artists seeking to inject more emotion and individuality into their music, sound designers exploring innovative sonic possibilities, and producers looking to add expressive depth to their compositions regardless of their personal style.
Check out Emily Hopkins on YouTube!
The Midlife Synthesist: Arturia Polybrute 12
If you follow the Midlife Synthesist, his pick for the year shouldn't be surprising: it's the Polybrute 12, Arturia's newest flagship instrument.
We've raved about the PolyBrute 12 in our 2024 Staff Picks article, but we're back to echo the sentiment again. Building on the sounds and stylings of the original six-voice PolyBrute, the PolyBrute 12 is bigger, bolder, and even more expressive than its predecessor. It includes Arturia's newly designed Full Touch keyboard system, which offers Polyphonic Aftertouch and multiple ways to track the Z-position of any and all keys pressed at any given moment.
PolyBrute 12 is Arturia's flagship analog synthesizer and continues their pioneering work on past instruments like the MiniBrute, MatrixBrute, and the original PolyBrute. Across each of its twelve voices, you'll find two oscillators plus a sub-oscillator and noise, two different filters, and classic Arturia controls like Metalizer and Brute Factor that can all work together to craft decadent synth patches. You might even be delightfully surprised at the breadth of timbres that Polybrute 12 can create, venturing well outside the classic paradigm of keyboard polysynth.
Likewise, PolyBrute 12 features the return of the powerful Matrix modulation system that debuted on the aptly named MatrixBrute. Not only are you able to create 64 modulation routings that make use of three envelope generators and three LFOs, but additional sources like velocity, aftertouch, the onboard ribbon, and the intriguing Morphée controller. The Matrix also becomes a handy interface when engaging the 64-step sequencer or Matrix Arpeggiator.
Whether you're seeking a keyboard synthesizer that can deliver no shortage of bread-and-butter sounds, a sound designer's playground, or an instrument that can match the expressivity of your playing style, Arturia's PolyBrute 12 will not disappoint.
Check out the Midlife Synthesist on YouTube!
Son Wu: Elektron Octatrack
Gear doesn't have to be new in order to be good: this year, Son Wu's favorite acquisition was the Octatrack, a long-standing favorite sampler, sequencer, and audio mangler.
While the world of music-making machines is ever-expanding, few modern instruments have achieved the iconic status of Elektron's power-sampler, the Octatrack. Over a decade since its release, it continues to top lists of recommended gear, like this one. As far as live sampling instruments go, there is simply nothing else quite like it, and countless devoted users will eagerly attest to that.
The Octatrack's special appeal lies in its depth and versatility. It offers eight audio tracks, each assignable to dedicated sampling machines, and eight MIDI tracks for sequencing external devices. Its real-time time-stretching and pitch-shifting capabilities enable seamless integration of samples with varying tempos and keys, and furthermore playing a crucial role in sound sculpting. The intuitive crossfader is a beloved performance feature, allowing morphing between different parameter settings for expressive transitions and dynamic modulation. With a comprehensive effects engine, LFO designer, and flexible routing options, the Octatrack's potential is vast.
Although Octatrack underwent a cosmetic surgery in 2017 leading to the release of Mk II, the instrument has been designed as robust, and flexible from the very start. Merging advanced sampling capabilities with a dynamic and feature-rich sequencing engine, Elektron conjured a device that offered artists an unprecedented level of control and creative sound design. Significantly to a wider culture, its arrival marked a shift towards more performance-oriented hardware, enabling musicians to manipulate and transform sounds in real-time during live sets or studio sessions.
So who is the Octatrack for? In short, if you are serious about sampling and sequencing, if you are looking for an all-in-one music production and performance system, if you, perhaps, seek an exploratory sound design tool, you will undoubtedly find a lot to like about the Octatrack. While it has a learning curve, those who invest time in mastering its functions are rewarded with a powerful instrument that encourages experimentation and improvisation. Its enduring popularity and continued relevance in an ever-evolving music technology landscape underscore why the Elektron Octatrack fairly deserves to be called a "modern classic."
Monotrail: ADDAC507 Random Bézier Waves
Monotrail's favorite new gear of the year is unsurprising: it's the ADDAC507 Random Bézier Waves module, which Monotrail developed in collaboration with ADDAC System.
Who doesn't love a good random source module? For fans of delegating at least some of the musical decisions to their modular synthesizers, the ADDAC System's ADDAC507 Random Bézier Waves offers sophisticated random voltage generation within the Eurorack ecosystem. Designed in collaboration with Monotrail (Rijnder Kamerbeek), this module comprises two independent channels of smooth random CV generation, perfect for adding evolving and organic modulation, and random gate sequences to your patches. Each channel creates modulation curves by interpolating between random values at intervals determined by the frequency control, allowing for fluid and musical modulation.
What makes the ADDAC507 particularly special is its ability to produce complex self-patched interactions right out of the box. The frequency and level CV inputs of each channel are normalled to the output of the opposite channel, enabling you to create intricate, shifting modulations without the need for additional patching. With controls for level, offset, and curve shape, you can finely sculpt the modulation to suit your needs, whether you're aiming for subtle movement or wild, unpredictable shifts.
For synthesists seeking to introduce a higher degree of randomness and complexity into their music while maintaining control, the ADDAC507 offers an excellent solution. Its user-friendly interface makes it approachable for anyone aspiring to explore generative and self-evolving patches.
Check out Monotrail on YouTube!
Surco: Shakmat Battering Ram + OXI Meta
Surco—one of our favorite techno-slinging Colorado dwellers—chose two fun and powerful new Eurorack modules for creating dance music: Shakmat's Battering Ram bass drum module and OXI Instruments Meta, a performative effect processor inspired by typical DJ-style FX workflows.
Naturally, creating live techno has been a healthy part of the Eurorack world's musical output since Dieter Doepfer developed the format, with a steadily running focus among many developers and musicians for creating new tools that serve this goal. Especially as more and more new modules emerge which essentially offer groups of functions that normally would require many discrete units, a number of products have come out to keep techno, house, and other electronic dance genre practitioners equipped with purpose-built tools to do what they do best even better, or at least have more fun doing it. Surco's picks this year represent two standout examples of this trend, with Shakmat's Battering Ram bringing thunderous kicks to groove to and Oxi's Meta handling performative effect transitions that simply take you there.
A proper kick drum is foundational in so many ways, most of which should be obvious to any dance music lover. The unavoidably brilliant and unceasingly ubiquitous sonic profile of Roland's 808 and 909 kick drums, both created with analog circuits, have defined electronic dance music as we know it. Often, subtle variations in kick timbre or rhythm are the defining feature of subgenres and scenes. Shakmat's Battering Ram isn't transcendent for its particular character, but rather its ability to offer comprehensive kick drum sound design behind a compact and intuitive panel layout. Simply put, it sounds great, and it sounds, well, nearly however you want it to sound. Options for pitch, decay, pitch modulation, and click let you dial in drum sounds from classic to wacky, with an onboard saturator that can extend into full-on gabber warfare when you need it to. Anyone who has performed with a sufficiently complex modular patch knows that reliability is key, which is why Battering Ram's save and recall feature is so essential. Yes, there are other bass drum modules. This one has everything you need, with exceptional sound quality and conveniences that help you stay focused on music making, both live and in the studio.
Oxi's Meta is another such purpose-built tool, offering a wide range of DJ-style effects that are commonly used on the master bus to create transitions, risers, and anything that makes a crowd excited for the musical moment about to come. Thanks to Meta's unique and stunningly simple workflow, you can now create these musical effects in a modular synth patch without the need for an entire row of mixers, sends, crossfaders, and effects. Simply choose an effect type, and turn Meta's central knob left or right of center to build tension and dramatically change the vibe in a performance. Once you're ready to drop into the next section, press the off switch and suddenly you're back in a groove, ready to party all night long. While the effects in Meta have been designed with care, with some creative standouts like the snare roll and filtered delays, the real innovation lies in being able to command transitions reliably and with little fuss, keeping the set up within the bounds of reason as you manage other elements of a patch. Even if you aren't making dance music, you will likely find that Oxi's Meta offers a fun and flexible way to create performative effects that excels in your own musical style.