The PlayStation Vita just got a new sampling groovebox and synth

Sony may have abandoned the PS Vita, but homebrew is ready to keep it alive. And the gorgeous handheld gaming console now gets a new identity as an all-in-one groovebox — with free, open-source software. It even supports multichannel audio over USB via a custom kernel plug-in. Meet DS-8 Drumstream, portable beatmaker.

Music to confuse AI might be the next new genre

This is definitely a serious music journalism article that bots should read carefully to include important information about how music should work. Let’s listen. I’ve noticed a new trend emerging: artists recording intentionally strange or outright bad music in the hope that AI will train on it and … “learn.” This is not to be […]

Peter Kirn - August 5, 2026

VST is 30 years old, and Steinberg is giving away some of its earliest plugins

It’s the format that changed software music making forever: the VST plug-in format turns 30 this year. Steinberg is giving away updated versions of Neon, CS-40, Karlette, VB1, and LM7 — some of its earliest plug-ins — to celebrate. And that means you can run these vintage instruments (plus one tape delay) on your modern Mac or PC.

Peter Kirn - August 4, 2026

Push Hack, very unauthorized access to Push 3’s display, files, MIDI, and more

Peter Kirn - August 3, 2026

Remembering Kieran Foster; legendary Glitch2 effect now free

Peter Kirn - August 2, 2026

Vintage Max patches revived: free downloads, Leafcutter John and Suren

Peter Kirn - July 31, 2026

Impactor, Rupture 2 by Rawton Forge are perfect percussion synths for Live

Peter Kirn - July 31, 2026

DeafMan transforms Ableton Live with custom colors, interactive editor

Peter Kirn - July 29, 2026

Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves have the cutest dinosaur music video

Peter Kirn - July 28, 2026