Week in Review – April 28, 2025

(Note from the boss man: We've decided to let Gianni the Intern write the intro this week. We apologize in advance.)

Hallo friends of Sonic Odyssey! It is with great excitement and extreme honor that I, Gianni Oberhausen, have been chosen to write this week's Week in Review introduction. After much reflection, I believe this opportunity was given to me because of my keen editorial insight — or as we say in Germany, my Redaktionsmeisterkraft (Editorial Master Power). ^[1]

This week, I have selected only the finest news, trends, and sonic developments for your enjoyment. I have worked very hard, double-checking everything (sometimes even triple-checking, because this is serious journalism). I hope you enjoy my curation and recognize the historic moment that is happening right now: Gianni’s First Official Week in Review Introduction.

Onward, to glory and tasteful blogging! ✨

Reviews & Roundups

• AC/DC Ranked: Every Studio Album from Worst to Best — MusicRadar
  Every riff, every bell, every questionable album — sorted and judged. ^[2]

• Audient iD48 Audio Interface Review — MusicRadar
  An interface aimed squarely at the "big boy" project studio crowd.

• Soniccouture Flowstate Review — Sound On Sound
  Textural, ambient, and very much designed for the "let's get lost" producers.

• SSL Alpha 8 Interface Review — Sound On Sound
  Preamp-less ADAT expansion that can double as an interface. ^[3]

• Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro Review by Dreamtonics — Rekkerd
  AI vocals are here whether you like it or not — and this one's terrifyingly good.

• Behringer 2-XM Synthesizer Hands-On Review — Synthtopia
  Yes, it's a clone. No, it doesn't care what you think. Behringer gonna Behringer. ^[4]

• Reverb Plans to Go Private Again — Synthtopia
  Big moves behind the scenes at everyone's favorite gear-flipping bazaar. ^[5]

News

• Watch This Bonkers Four-Note Piano in Action — MusicRadar
  Sometimes the internet gives you pure chaos, and it's beautiful.

• Neumann Launches Rime Headphone Software — Sound On Sound
  Neumann is getting weird. Virtual rooms, virtual head tracking — welcome to the matrix.

• AEA Launches AEA 1029 Compressor — Sound On Sound
  AEA brings their ribbon mic sensibilities into a new studio compressor. ^[6]

• Neural DSP Announces Nano Cortex FX Processor — Gearnews
  Pedalboard-sized Neural brainpower — amp sims and FX on the go. ^[7]

• ENGL EP635 Fireball IR Pedal Launches — Gearnews
  ENGL puts the Fireball into a stompbox. Expect melted faces.

• Plugin Alliance Launches Utopia Spectral Reverb — Rekkerd
  Reverb nerds, rejoice: spectral processing is here to ruin your CPU.

• Excite Audio Releases Bloom Vocal Choir Instrument — Rekkerd
  Virtual choirs that sound less "MIDI hell" and more "minor religious experience."

Trends

• Tencent Music Lets Musicians Send AI Tracks Directly to QQ Music — Music Business Worldwide
  AI-generated tracks straight to the masses. We are so back. Or doomed.

• Concerns Over UK Copyright Policy Changes — Music Business Worldwide
  Artists fight to not get totally screwed (again) by policy "softening."

• Do Listeners Even See a Problem? — Hypebot
  Industry panic vs. listener apathy: the eternal struggle.

Sonic Odyssey Highlights

• Best Plugin Deals — Sonic Odyssey
  Stay broke but happy — the best plugin steals updated weekly.

• Week in Review: April 21, 2025 — Sonic Odyssey
  Last week's highlights, if you missed them. ^[8]

• Best Audio Interfaces Under $1000 — Sonic Odyssey
  The best options if you're ready to level up but still like having rent money.

• Essential Studio Accessories: Must-Have Gear for Every Producer — Sonic Odyssey
  Tiny upgrades that actually matter. ^[9]

And while you're here — keep an eye out for our upcoming guide, How to Choose the Right Audio Interface for Your Needs. It's basically a Tolstoy-length epic about buying interfaces, because apparently I don't know how to do "short" when it comes to helping you make smart decisions. Drops May 9th.

And if that wasn't enough impending chaos, we've also got a new article hitting on April 30th: Hardware Synths for Guitarists. If you've ever looked at a synth and thought "what if I just hit it really hard with six strings of fury?" — this one's for you.

That's a wrap for this week's roundup.

Thanks for hanging out with us and a special thanks to Gianni the Intern for believing his "editorial master power" is what got him promoted this week. (We're letting him think that. For now.)

We'll see you next week — same Odyssey time, same Odyssey channel. 🎼