Ins & outs

SINE O’ THE TINES

We know that the DX7 is a prized synth, but we never expected Prince’s trusty old Yamaha keyboard to fetch more than $70,000 at auction. It was used by the star when he was in his 80s pomp, including on classic albums such as Purple Rain.

JEAN-VIRTUAL JARRE

With ‘real’ gigs still off the agenda in most places, Jean-Michel Jarre picked the perfect time to perform his first live VR gig, which could be viewed in 2D or 3D on tablets, smartphones and computers. Could this be the future of live music for the foreseeable?

THAT SINGING FEELING

As an electronic music producer, you might be reluctant to get in front of the mic, but recent research shows that singing can help keep you looking younger, imbuing a ‘natural glow’ and tone to the face – which sounds good to us pallid studio hounds.

NI PLEDGES TO DO BETTER

Native Instruments’ public support of the Black Lives Matter movement was called into question when ex-employees said the company hadn’t done enough to deal with racism when they worked there. NI say they’re now working to improve matters.

TEMPEST BLOWN OUT

After nine years in production, synth legend Dave Smith has said that Tempest – the drum machine that he created with Roger Linn – is to be discontinued, taking its place in “the great electronic retirement community in the sky”. So long, ta for the beats!

A HARD SELL

A site that lets you buy and sell music software licenses sounds like a reasonable idea – if you have the rights to do so, of course – but there were a few raised eyebrows among UK producers when it was revealed that it was called Knobcloud...