The early days of summer brought a wave of hot new music technology our way. Here are five June releases that particularly caught our eyes and ears…

Arturia Go Even Larger

Although best known for their massive and mighty V Collection bundle of virtual vintage synths and keyboards, French DSP geniuses Arturia are clearly focused on establishing a similar foothold in the effects market with their FX Collection, which reached version 3 in June.

Already comprising 22 stellar plugins, including exacting emulations of a range of classic analogue hardware preamps, EQs, delays, compressors, filters, modulators and reverbs (Chorus DIMENSION-D, Phaser BI-TRON, Comp VA-65, Filter SEM, Rev PLATE-140, etc), FX Collection 3 adds four new devices to the roster. Dist TUBE-CULTURE and DIST OPAMP-21 model “a certified studio classic” and “a ‘go direct’ guitar pedal” respectively, while Tape MELLO-FI is a preamp and tape sim inspired by the Mellotron, and Efx FRAGMENTS deals in granular synthesis and was actually one of our picks in March, when it launched as a plugin in its own right.

Indeed, every plugin in FX Collection 3 can be bought individually, of course; but with the bundle currently on sale for €100 off the regular (already very reasonable) price, the idea of going all-in on this signal processing equivalent to V Collection is certainly compelling.

Apple Unleash M2

Having addressed the needs of power users with the M1 Ultra-based Mac Studio back in March, Apple used this year’s WWDC to launch the next generation of Apple Silicon, named, unsurprisingly, M2. M2 Max and M2 Ultra variants will surely follow in larger computers, but Cupertino are beginning the transition to their new chips with the 13” MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, just as they did with the M1 before it. And the news here is… mixed.

The M2 MacBook Pro is essentially just a processor and RAM (now up to 24GB) upgrade from its M1 predecessor, sticking to the same aged physical design and ultimately making a rather puzzling offering for various reasons, not to mention an apparent halving of SSD speed from the M1. The M2 MacBook Air, on the other hand, has been completely redesigned to align with the flagship 14” and 16” MacBook Pros, and features a MagSafe charging port and two Thunderbolt ports, much slimmer bezels (with notch), a 1080p FaceTime camera and passive (ie, fanless) cooling, which trades an as-yet-unknown amount of sustained performance for total operational silence.

The M2 MacBook (which, you’ll have gathered, we can’t really recommend) is out now, while the M2 MacBook Air (which we’ll reserve judgment on until we actually see one, but looks ace on paper) hits the streets in July.

Krotos Take To The Studio

Over just a few years, Krotos have established a truly amazing catalogue of innovative plugins for media audio production, including Dehumaniser 2 (input-responsive ‘monster’, robot and animal sounds), Reformer Pro (input-responsive foley) and Weaponiser (multi-layered gun and sci-fi weaponry sounds). Realising that the logical next step is to create a more ‘unified’ and comprehensive platform for general sound design, the Scottish software house revealed Krotos Studio earlier this year and officially announced it in June at NAMM 2022.

Aimed at producers and content creators of all kinds, from podcasters to Hollywood, Krotos Studio puts – we’re told – hundreds of thousands of online assets under the control of a powerful but fast-moving and intuitive plugin that enables beginners to make quality foley, sound effects, transitions, ambiences, vehicle noises and much more in seconds, and advanced users to dive as deep into editing and layering as they like.

Currently in beta, Krotos Studio is due for release in 2023, and with their technology having already contributed to the soundtracks of many top-tier movies (Avengers, Captain Marvel), TV shows (Game of Thrones, Stranger Things) and videogames (Horizon: Forbidden West, Predator: Hunting Grounds), we have no doubt it’ll be another winner for Krotos.

IK Multimedia Have Us Surrounded

We’re big fans of IK Multimedia’s acclaimed iLoud MTM compact monitors, so the introduction of a multi-unit bundle for those working in Dolby Atmos and other multi-channel surround formats last month had us nervously fingering our credit card.

Consisting of 11 speakers, the iLoud MTM Immersive Speaker Bundle serves as a comparatively affordable route into Atmos at €/$3999, and includes the Dolby Audio Room Design Tool for setting up in compliance with Dolby’s recommended specs. Just as with the stereo version, you also get an ARC MEMS microphone for use with the iLoud MTM’s superb auto-calibration system, and, apart from the sheer number of them in the box, these are the very same MTMs we already know and love, with that size-defying low-frequency extension, extraordinarily revealing phase-coherent response, and easy mic stand mounting.

With more and more audio professionals finding themselves having to deal with Atmos in the course of their daily work, we envision IK’s keenly priced monitoring solution becoming a common sight in project and pro studios alike.

Roland Boldly Go…

June saw Roland add yet another stone cold classic synth to their Roland Cloud subscription service in the shape of the Jupiter-4 Plugin. Originally launched in 1978, the Jupiter-4 was not only the first in the Jupiter range but also Roland’s first ever polysynth, so to describe it as groundbreaking would be something of an understatement.

Deployed by the likes of Duran Duran, Vangelis, Simple Minds, Heaven 17 and Gary Numan, the ’4 was known for its gloriously warm sound and refreshing ease of use, and the Plugin version models it at the component level, recreating everything from the oscillator and filter to the famous Ensemble chorus effect.

As is always the way, though, the company have added a few new bits and pieces, too, including extra effects (Phase, Flanger, Overdrive et al), a sub oscillator volume control, velocity sensitivity (natch), an arpeggiator, and Condition and Circuit Mod knob for adjusting the ‘age’ of the circuitry and dialling in analogue drift/wobble. Oh, and Jupiter-4 Plugin also features Plug-Out compatibility, meaning you can upload it to Roland’s System-8 keyboard for live gigs or any other away-from-the-studio scenario. Very nice too.

What new music hardware or software turned your head in June? Let us know in the comments.