Music

Boss has added a new desktop model to its impressive Katana range of app-enhanced modeling amplifiers for electric guitar and bass. The 35-W Air EX allows for wireless connection between instrument and combo amp, and can also run on batteries.

Those crazy soundsmiths over at Soundboks in Denmark have launched the fourth generation of the company's stupid loud Bluetooth speaker, which promises improved sonics and a longer battery life at full whack.

The Made-in-Mexico Vintera line is only four years old, but Fender has overhauled it anyway. We've had the quirky 70s Strat for a week, and at less than half the cost of an American Vintage II, it plays beautifully and presses all the retro buttons.

For more than 35 years the NS-2 stomp has been an effective set-and-forget solution to background noise in an electric guitarist's signal chain. Now it's being joined by a "highly tunable" next-gen noise suppressor and gate called the NS-1X.

Presonus has overhauled some of the world's best-selling studio monitors. The new Eris speakers deliver reference-grade audio at surprisingly affordable prices, with more low end, wider sweet spots for mixing, and the nifty inclusion of Bluetooth.

For more than 10 years, Duolingo has been helping folks to learn a new language with ad-supported mini lessons designed to be fun and engaging. Now the company is taking its gamified model to music education.

Fender is pushing hard to expand and refine its flagship DAW software package, a recording-studio-in-a-box packed with everything you need to write, record, mix, master, perform, livestream and present music, podcasts and videos. It's a monster.

The Woovebox micro music workstation rocks a stripped-back design reminiscent of Teenage Engineering's Pocket Operators, but has more to offer the mobile groove creator – packing in a synthesizer, sequencer, sampler and beat maker.

Back in the late 1960s, creating music anywhere was made much easier with a now iconic toy-like pocket synth called the Stylophone. Now Dubreq is aiming to do the same for beat makers with a portable drum machine.

Boss has added an interesting new amplifier to its acoustic range. The AC-22LX battery-powered compact amplifier for acoustic instruments rocks Air Feel processing for faithful natural tones at performance volumes.

Shenzhen's Natasha Guitars has launched a Kickstarter for a bamboo smart guitar called the NBSG that comes with sound processing brains offering different tone presets, onboard effects, app control, and wireless output.

Having finally accepted that I'm destined for singer/songwriter territory rather than shredville, I've been feeling a little Gretsch-curious lately. So I decided to spend some time with the Rolls-Royce of the range and something more affordable.

For more than 10 years, Loog has been making learning to play a guitar a less daunting task for youngsters. Now the company has teamed up with Fender for a pint-sized Tele and Strat – each rocking three strings, a single pickup and a short skinny neck.

To mark what would have been the 100th birthday of the Father of Loud, Marshall has introduced the Studio JTM series, an amp head with matching speaker cabinets plus a combo amp – all looking like they might have stepped straight out of 1960s.

Last month, tone veteran Orange Amplification stepped out of its comfort zone to launch its first Bluetooth speaker. Now the company has returned to familiar ground for what's described as "probably the loudest 30-watt amp on the market."