Madrona Labs’ patchable West Coast synth is one of the most playable, exploration-friendly, unique instruments around — a piece of software to last. And it comes with a reverb companion, now on Linux, too as a free demo you can beta-test. The big news: Aalto 2 is coming this fall for macOS, Windows — and Linux, too.
Aalto is a joy: Buchla-ish, but also unique. West Coast, but Seattle. For a reminder, here’s Aalto in a groove I made last year while covering MPE developments — which in turn is a reminder to me that I should actually make some tracks out of these sketches!
The timing feels perfect. Plenty of people are ready to cut ties with Silicon Valley — but then best to take at least one true desert island soft synth with you. And even if you’re not ready to deal with departing Windows or macOS, now is a great moment to find soft synths that cut above the noise, something you learn a little more deeply. Madrona Labs’ instruments fit the bill, both in sound design and instrumentalism, including MPE support. (Madrona Labs helped drive expressive MIDI in the first place.)
Aaltoverb is the first software from Madrona Labs to come to Linux. Randy excitedly announced that he’s picked up a very sporty-looking ThinkPad T480 for just $200 — upcycling! Aaltoverb is now in beta on Linux — it’s Aalto’s reverb, basically, but one you can play like an instrument. You know the slogan of this site: Democracy dies in darkness and yes you do need another reverb:
So Randy is already testing on Ubuntu and Mint, and you Linux experts can contribute information to more. You can test via their Discord. Interestingly, they’re taking a CLAP-first approach — that’s the newer, open format backed by Bitwig and Surge team (Surge, the wonderful free and open source soft synth). Those then lead to full support for the big three desktop OSes and plug-in formts — Kaivo and Virta are coming soon to VST3. (Hello, Cubase.)
Aalto 2 is the big story here, though — built on the new development framework. This weekend we got to find out what’s coming — quoting from their newsletter:
Linux support!
CLAP format support!
A cool new undo widget!
a GUI settings menu w/ numbers on/off, scroll
new file chooser w/ scroll bar
LFO / learn popup can move to other controls while open
keyboard shortcuts: undo/redo, arrow keys and esc for popups
slower LFO rates, finer precision on LFO popup dials
And yeah, if Big Tech has been getting you down, here’s a reason to love your computer again — even to pick up a new machine, irrespective of your budget.
I write every day, yes, but that’s also an opportunity to look around for patterns and what stories survive. If hardware synths sometimes increase in value with time, why not software, too? So it’s funny to take a time machine all the way back to 2011. Randy at Madrona Labs checked in to share thoughts on Aalto, and it’s worth re-reading that take now, even if you’re diving in for the first time:
Aalto 2 will be a free upgrade for Aalto 1 users who bought up to 12 months from release — meaning this could be your sign to buy Aalto 1 now. (Given how long Aalto has been out, an upgrade fee for everybody else seems reasonable! Corrected: in a Sunday night haze, I implied it’s a free upgrade — fixed; I regret the error.)
Aaltoverb is $35, and I see there are drop quotes from me and Noah Pred, including a sentence I don’t really remember writing but I do agree with!
I’ll repeat their disclaimer:
“Remember that beta testing is not a good way to “just get the software early”—it may have bugs, it certainly won’t have a complete manual, and reporting bugs well takes some care, all of which may add up to some time commitment on your part. If you understand all that and you do have the time to spare, we very much appreciate the help.”
That said, you can get the beta and more wonderful things in your life at their Discord:
I don’t want to just be nostalgic. I hope some GenZ get their first ThinkPad, and their first Linux distro install, and wonder for the first time what’s up with that red rubber nip. And then start making new music. Let’s all get Seattle soft synth dreaming.
Okay, fine, let’s put in a random vintage Japanese ThinkPad ad from the IBM era, with Donald Fagen synced up.
What a beautiful world this will be.