Epic’s free 3D scanner is now RealityScan, and does desktop and mobile

Get a phone, scan the world, make 3D models and scenes. You know the pitch, and it’s been powerful for advanced pros and visual hobbyists alike. But Epic’s own RealityCapture had fallen behind offerings like PolyCam, Luma 3D, and others. Now Epic is back, and we might have a reason to reconsider, with a rebrand, a mobile update, and some powerful features on desktop (Windows-only at the moment). Plus, the price is right: free for anyone with revenues below $1 million. Let’s look:

1996 peak Microsoft chillwave: if you heard it at all, you only heard it once

Move over, Brian Eno. “Velkommen” by Stan LePard is 90s Microsoft chillwave at its best. But like catching a fleeting glimpse of Brigadoon, for many years this song was heard over Microsoft installations and then lost to time–until passionate fans archived it for the ages. Even if that happened before you were born, you owe it to yourself to experience the supreme calm that only this track can bring.

Emptyset on “Performing Architecture,” alternate sonic futures, and community through sound

Emptyset’s live performance was an experience that blew my mind — and my nose. Let me rewind. If “Electronic Body Music” weren’t already its own thing long before Emptyset came along, the term would be a fitting description of the music that Paul Purgas and James Ginzburg make together. The curves, blood, and nerves are […]

These retro and SGI-inspired Ableton Live themes will make you smile

Deafman’s set of retro themes for Ableton Live, originally inspired by Silicon Graphics workstations, impressed when I first wrote about them. This summer, Clem has a bunch of updates: improved themes, a theme editor, a new pack, updated fonts (with Retina and bold versions), and easy installers. It’s a one-stop makeover kit for Ableton Live. But it’s more than that: it’s a mood enhancer. I smiled, like, literally.

Sampleslicer MKIII, the definitive real-time sampler looper slicer module

Live performance requires practice. And creating a truly performance-oriented module also requires a long process of iteration and refinement. Sampleslicer MKIII, the live sampling-looping-slicing labor, by Jan Willem (ginkosynthese), is the culmination of that process. And it just keeps getting better: today’s beta update, just announced, adds features like momentary reverse, non-repeating one-shot, and gate-triggered resets.

FL Studio 2025: Mixer add and delete, AI help, more plugins, Python scripts

FL Studio, the everlasting DAW that the uninitiated think is way less powerful than it is, just got more powerful again. And if you were perplexed by it in the past, it has a new AI-powered chat to help you out, called Gopher. The good news is, you’ll need help less, thanks to in-Playlist audio editing and Mixer tracks finally working the way you’d expect. FL continues to be underrated, overpowered, and seriously fun, so let’s take a look.

RIP, Mark Snow: listen to the composer talk about scoring X-Files and more

Mark Snow, the mind-bogglingly prolific composer behind scores for Blue Bloods, Smallville, and the X-Files has died at age 78. From TV to film to games, Snow’s take on electronic music scoring has left a mark on many of us. Here he is talking about his take on music, and some reflections on that unforgettable X-Files score.

Renoise 3.5 is huge: phrase scripting, tuning support, splitter effect, more

Has that DAW grid got you down? Do you feel like you’re caught in the 1980s looking at a multitrack editor? Have your friends stopped talking to you because they want more breaks and intelligent rhythms so they can put those new sneakers to proper dancing use? Renoise is back with features like a phrase scripting engine powered by the new open-source pattrns (with Tidal notation support), full tuning support, sub-signal effects splitting, and more. $88 new. Holy mother of God, it’s nerd Christmas in July.

Tom Oberheim turns 89 today; a conversation with Tom

Tom Oberheim may be in retirement, but the instruments and his legacy are just getting started. Artists are rediscovering vintage classics, and instruments like the new TEO-5 are taking off. So to celebrate his 89th birthday, here’s a recent conversation with the man behind that famous synth name.

Way more than acid: pay-if-you-can Sting 2 is instant inspiration

Sting 2, Iftah’s follow-up to the acid-generating Max for Live device, is packed with new features like accessibility and Push support. But that’s not the best way to describe it. It works on acid. It works on melodies. It works on percussion. You may wind up smiling as much as its UI is. Imagine a one-click source of pure joy.