Ableton quietly released an update to the Move mobile standalone instrument, and it’s got a surprise: you can now sample directly from the USB-C port.
Music
Sonification Tools for Ableton Live now has a synth that plays data
Sonification Tools v2 from Manifest Audio and Noah Pred can now sonify text, images, video, and OSC – plus it’s got an all-new 8-voice polysynth that lets you play that data like an instrument. Noah also reflects on what sonifying data can mean.
Quick tutorials: Perlin Generator and LUTs in Resolume Wire
Let’s get irrationally excited about a Perlin noise-generating node in Wire, the visual patching environment inside live VJ software Resolume. All that, Resolume 7.22, and just a lot of noise:
Minimal Audio Wave Shifter hands-on: warped frequency modulator effect
Minimal Audio’s tasty Wave Shifter was one of the best upgrades in their Current 2.0 synth. The various stereo shifter/FM/AM/ring modulation tools make a lot of sense as a standalone effect plug-in, too – and now that’s just what we get. Here’s a look.
1982’s PPG Wave 2 arrives in reimagined Eurorack form
It’s been a long time since the PPG name graced hardware. That brand and its founder, Wolfgang Palm, laid the foundation for decades of wavetable synthesis. Now the PPG name is back via an officially authorized collaboration with Liquid Sky d-vices and Cornel Hecht (Hell Modular) – and authentic Wave 2 sounds are arriving in Eurorack.
Re-released Lemur app is now a one-time purchase, not subscription
After overwhelming feedback, the new developer of Lemur has announced the app will be a one-time $99 purchase, not a subscription. You can still try the app for free (with some functionality limitations). Here’s the statement.
Ableton Move is a hit for blind and low vision users; more like this, please
Ableton Move’s screen reader support is still getting rave reviews from blind and low-vision users, even though it’s not officially documented. Here’s more about how it works and more about what’s left to do – and an appeal to the entire industry to add more accessibility features.
Free Looper adds the seamless fading loops Resolume forgot
Drop a video clip into VJ/media server tools Resolume Arena or Avenue, hit loop, and now with this free add-on, get automatic crossfades for more seamless playback. Looper is the loop crossfading Resolume forgot, and it delivers perfectly.
Worlds of sound from hacked hard drives, piano-triggered modular
NYC-based Purplish Records releases music on cassette in batches, and this double release is a serious gem. Ipek Eginli creates a magical cloud world of prepared piano interconnected with modular synths, as Jad Atoui transforms discarded hard drives into mechanical compositional machines.
Macs gain more even footing with Unreal – and about M4 for live visuals
Unreal Engine is looking good enough on macOS that Epic is starting to brag about it. That’ll still depend on which Apple Silicon machine you’ve got, though – which brings us to why the M4 Mac mini is starting to look like a serious live visual machine.