Ins & outs

FOCUSRITE BUYS SEQUENTIAL UK company Focusrite is celebrating the purchase of Dave Smith’s Sequential synth brand. Both parties seem pretty pleased with the new arrangement, with Smith – whose company will continue to operate independently – saying he expects “great things”.

OP-10 Believe it or not, Teenage Engineering’s quirky OP-1 synth has just celebrated its 10th birthday. While not everyone’s cup of musical tea, few contemporary synths have become as iconic, and we’d argue that it can now be considered a modern classic.

BACK TO LIVE? We don’t want to speak too soon – and we know the situation is different all round the world – but it seems like live music and club culture might be re-emerging, and we could (everyone touch wood) be set for a fun-packed summer. Let’s hope so.

AL SCHMITT RIP

A giant of recording engineering, Al Schmitt worked with some of the biggest musical names of the 20th century, including Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, Steely Dan and Ray Charles. In fact, he won more Grammy awards than any other engineer or mixer.

THE FRAHM BEFORE THE STORM

We’re still bewildered by the concept of NFTs, and it’s fair to say pianist Nils Frahm isn’t a fan either. He recently called out artists who’ve sold them, calling NFTs “the most disgusting thing on the planet right now.”

SNARE ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN

They say don’t touch the classics, but that’s precisely what Steve Aoki and other EDM artists have done with their Beethoven

Remixed album. To be honest, we’re not sure “classicalelectronica crossover” is what the world needed right now.