ALM’s new MCO mk2 packs a studio of classic digital synths into 6HP, VCV

You won’t fit more synths into 6HP of Eurorack (or VCV Rack module) than the newest ALM/Busy Circuits module, MCO v2. It’s a wavetable synth, an additive synth, a Roland JP8000 voice, a vocoder, a 90s VA, a bass and drum synth, and a SID chip emulation all in one.

Last chance: new AIR Multiband Filter for free through today

Even I can’t keep up with Black Friday. AIR Music Tech is making their new Multiband Filter free for its intro only – you have through tonight, December 2, midnight Eastern to grab yours.

Mood Machine: The rise of spotify and the cost of the perfect playlist - book cover by Liz Pelly showing Spotify-style thumbnails on a black background.

Mood Machine, Liz Pelly’s book on Spotify, will be a must-read

We know that Big Tech and Spotify have reshaped music listening – and at a cost. But that impact is often hidden inside a black box, closely guarded by its masters’ secrecy and mythmaking. Liz Pelly is one of the few people who managed to get inside that black box, meaning her upcoming book will be essential.

Squash plugin UI with X/Y grid, puck, depth on y axis, tone on x axis, and dry/wet control. Menu open, showing framerate / window size/ OpenGL options and oversampling off / 2x / 4x.

Minimal Audio’s Squash is a free OTT that doesn’t sound like OTT

OTT, the “over the top” multiband compression preset that began life in Ableton Live, was due for a modern refresh. It gets just that with Squash, a new free plug-in from Minimal Audio. And if you’re celebrating Buy Nothing Day instead of Black Friday today, you’re having a decent run.

Burn it all down with Obliterate, new free plug-in from Newfangled Audio

If I had to guess what would best fit the current audio zeitgeist, “free” and “violent distortion” would probably be exactly it. Obliterate, released today by Newfangled Audio, delivers. Get angry. Destroy everything.

The best Black Friday deals in music tech right now

Fall discounts have gotten hard to track, with most makers offering some discounts around now. But here is a select running list of some of the most exceptional deals.

FL Studio 2024.2: Transporter looping FX, scalable UIs, latency fix, more

In an unexpected US Thanksgiving Day announcement, Image-Line has a new version of FL Studio. Here’s what’s new, including various goodies but, importantly – more scalable UIs and a fix to monitoring settings for solving recording latency issues.

Play around with miniature, interactive Rooms – now with Actions

Need to escape for a while? Rooms is a delightful set of miniature interactive voxel worlds that can be toys or games, all living for free in the browser (or iOS app). In version 3.0, Rooms adds interactive actions in addition to coding.

BOSS DR-55 drum machine from 1979, now a free plug-in

The first Dr. Rhythm device, the DR-55, was used by post-punk artists and the likes of Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, and Thomas Dolby. And now its sounds are in a free plug-in.

Tired of controller lock-in? Mixxx is a free DJ alternative; 2.4.2 out now

The free/FLOSS DJ tool Mixxx has quietly evolved into a powerful software DJ tool that rivals commercial alternatives. And it’s open to whatever hardware controller you want, thanks to developer and community support. The just-released 2.4.2 for Linux, macOS, and Windows builds on that with new and updated controller compatibility.