Music lost one of its most influential figures in October, as fellow stars and fans mourned the passing of Lou Reed.
On MusicRadar, we marked the rise of the affordable hardware synth by listing 15 of the best ones, and we also refreshed our guide to the best budget MIDI controller keyboards. If you were looking for something a bit different, we also told you about some of the more unconventional MIDI controllers on the market.
Elsewhere, we listed the tell-tale signs of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, an obsessive condition that all of us have been afflicted with at one time or another...
Here are MusicRadar's big-hitters from October 2013
15 of the best affordable hardware synthesisers
Buyer's guide: our favourite sub-£500/$700 hardware instruments
The 12 best budget MIDI controller keyboards
Updated for 2013, a dozen sub-£100/$150 keyboards that deliver the goods
Joey Jordison answers your questions!
Drummer talks Scar The Martyr, Slipknot and more
7 crazy but cool MIDI controllers
Bored of your keyboard? Here are some out there alternatives
7 stages of Gear Acquisition Syndrome
Got GAS? Learn to recognise the signs...
Will Lee picks 10 essential bass albums
"So many amazing records have inspired me. They all have a timeless quality."
![A comped image with a young George Harrison [left] onstage with the Beatles in Hamburg, a Gretsch Duo Jet strapped to his shoulder. On the right is his Futurama electric](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/b8Kr55ksRwtGJHnbs2GZvg-1280-80.jpg.webp)
