Music Radar Team

Bearing the name of one of metal's true greats, the biggest snare from Pearl's current production line sounds monstrous, as you'd expect

Ludwig makes a serious attempt at attracting a wider audience with this plastic-shelled, penetrating kit

A well constructed pedal with fantastic features that's suitable for a broad range of styles

The A is still the biggest selling all-rounder and can enhance any type of music from punk to symphonic

Ignore the mid-price tag, this massive kit serves up a sound and feel that befits its impressive physical status

Slotting in at the top end of Premier's hardware offerings, the 6000 series should be considered by anyone who needs an affordable update

It needs to support more applications, but Dexter has the potential to make you look at your software in a completely new way.

We'd say that Boss has nailed the character of the original RE-201 both on the echo and spring reverb fronts.

The Prophet '08 is going to be the answer to many a keyboardist's dreams.

The Compact offers a combination of features and value for money that's currently hard to beat.

Orange's first Chinese-made valve amp is a little stunner. Be prepared to want one.

It'll lighten your wallet considerably, but when EL34 power and real tone are all that matters the Stiletto is hard to beat.

GarageBand '08 doesn't revolutionise the brand, but it certainly adds a lot more interesting stuff than the last update. Great for beginners and for using as a musical scratchpad.

Reason is still one of the most fun and inspirational pieces of music software on the market.

The third version of the virtual drummer arrives with two new agents in tow

With its new apps, sounds and low price, Logic Studio is going to be a tough product to beat.

Sonar remains - at least in its Producer Edition guise - perhaps the single most comprehensive Windows production suite money can buy.

These Warlord Snares may not match the rest of your kit but the immaculate finish and build quality make them a real pleasure to own and play

The loud and proud Saturn LA kit is the perfect balance of shell materials and dimensions but it's certainly not for those seeking quietness

Les Paul reissues become ever more accurate with the new Vintage Original Spec (VOS) range. Here's the Holy Grail...

This Meinl model of the popular box drum comes super-sized and if you can master the operating pedal, the rewards are more than worth it

A powerful and impressive looper, but a little counter-intuitive and a touch pricey. Worth sticking with, though...

Splash out a little extra for the Zaolla and you'll notice the tonal difference immediately.

 You certainly get what you pay for with Yamaha's mixer that's been designed with the live musician in mind.

Paiste have modernised the classic signature series and managed to stay true to the hallmark bright, crisp sound