Music for the displaced from Tunefork Studios and Beirut Synthesizer Center

In Lebanon, over one million people, about a fifth of the population, have now been forcibly displaced by Israel. From inside the country and uniting an artist community around the world, Tunefork Studios and Beirut Synthesizer Center have issued a powerful protest in two musical compilations — and an urgent cry to support those displaced […]

Visuals in Ableton Live: Unreal-powered SenSei update, EboSuite sale on now

EboSuite and its 3D, Unreal Engine-powered companion, SenSei, put video and visuals into your Ableton Live set, plus integrate easily with other live visual tools and workflows. And now both are on a special Spring Sale — plus SenSei gets another update with more tools. (No, not the one I just mentioned — even another […]

Stillness and radical presence: Mercurial Cycles mix from Hüma Utku

Hüma Utku’s mixes and productions both delve into marginalia and mysteries of the unknown, the fragile gestures in the shadows. And it seems that’s what we need right now.

Hands-on sound: IRCAM’s ASAP apps transform audio, free on iPad

Reach out and draw and manipulate sounds, directly from the spectrum. IRCAM Forum’s Pierre Guillot lets us know three ASAP apps are now available on iPad, free of charge. It’s what it feels like the iPad was made to do.

Native Instruments issues a statement; likely closer to acquisition

Native Instruments this morning issued a statement that its restructuring is moving along, including advancing insolvency proceedings and “an active M&A [mergers and acquisitions] process that is progressing well.” Translation for humans: there’s a good chance we’ll see NI acquired soon, and by some company or companies in the audio tech space.

1010music shares live setup ideas for Bento

We’re in an unexpected golden age for compact sample, synthesis, granular, and sequence gadgets. So let’s give some extra love to 1010music’s awesome Bento — which, because it doubles as a mixer and recorder, goes well with any other bits of gear you may have collected. 1010music has this excellent video showing how you might […]

That time NIN made a perfect ambient industrial soundtrack for Quake

The year was 1996. And Trent Reznor and NIN loved id Software so much that they made a deep, dark, legendary soundtrack for the breakthrough game Quake, for no fee — just for “friendship.” At a time when creativity can feel under attack, and the real world is starting to seem a little, uh, Quake-like, […]

Max for Move: run RNBO patches on Ableton Move — like Granulator III

What if you could remake Ableton Move to do anything, using Max — the audio engine, I/O, every pad, button, encoder, and even the display? That’s RNBO support on Move. It’s labeled “experimental alpha,” but I’ve been testing RNBO Takeover Mode on Move, and it’s already really usable. There’s even a lot you can do without patching at all, like running Robert Henke’s now-iconic Granulator III. Here’s a first look.

Tour Ireland’s experimental music history, handmade instruments and all

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, so a good excuse to revisit this 2023 compilation of Irish experimental and electronic music back to 1960 — especially as the label has some updates from the underground scene recently. From handmade instruments to bedroom-produced tape constructions and a healthy interest in UFOs, get ready for the strange. “I wanted […]

Pikimov, free motion and video app, now $6 standalone for Mac and Windows

Pikimov 5.1.0 is now available as an offline app, bringing all the browser-powered video editing and motion graphics powers of this tool to a standalone tool — no internet connection required. The browser version is free forever; for offline capabilities, you need to pay $6 a month (no commitment). Pikimov is not free as in […]