Bitwig is having a hot, packed summer. And there’s one big teaser: we don’t know anything about it yet, but Bitwig Studio 6 beta is coming on August 27, as revealed briefly on Bitwig’s socials. In the meantime, let’s play with some Brazilian beats and explore controller integration.

What can the city of light be as a hub for TouchDesigner? Recently, the debut summit there offered a first look. The media art scene is defined by its communities — how they share practice and push one another further. So we invited Amir B Ash (OVVO Studio, MUTEK.AE) for insights into what Paris’ first TouchDesigner meeting brought and how you might apply it to communities where you live.

Erica Synths is reimagining a modular synth you’ve probably never heard of. In the late 1970s, Dutch publication Elektor Magazine put out something it called the Elektor Formant as a series of DIY kits. That modular system is getting a full reimagining and reboot from Erica Synths.

This has got to be one of the quickest routes to sheer drum happiness inside Ableton Live ever. Meet the pay-what-you-want/donationware Vertex by aorist (aka Tom Duncalf). It’s a bit like a Moog DFAM, but in the Live idiom, with a bunch of extras. You just need this one. Trust us.

I love this idea: take your LUTs (color Lookup Tables), and mess with them creatively via code. Resolume covers the technique in their latest tutorial, though you could also drop these into other environments (or your video editor). They’ve also got a how-to on packaging Wire presets, taking advantage of that functionality.

Eventide has quietly made their excellent H9 CrushStation free for a limited time, with code PIRATE100 — a $99 savings. I’m not sure how long it’ll last, but it’s worth grabbing and we’ve got some tips on mapping PS5 controllers to this and other Eventide plugs. Let’s get crushing.

Sonic Pi creator Sam Aaron is building something new. It’s early days, but Tau5 promises to be a “next-gen” creative coding environment. You can use it with your favorite tools, including Ableton Live, hardware, TidalCycles, Hydra, and others. And you never have to feel alone: you can jam with others, code with friends, and even code with AI — or keep it all-human if you prefer. Let’s explain.

Nope, this is not a contact mic. Intellijel added an omni microphone inside a 2HP module — the same microphone type as you’ll find in phones and other mobile gadgets. And that turns out to be a good idea.

Here’s the Roland news we really need: Bandai is expanding the ridiculously detailed miniature gear for miniature capsule machines. There’s a tiny TR-808, plus the JC-120 Jazz Chorus and Blues Cube Artist 212 amps and the JUPITER-X. Gotta catch ’em all. Here’s the full view. You’ll need to find a capsule machine, of course, so […]

Roland has largely shifted product announcements to other dates, but 808 Day is still a party. And every year brings some left-field surprise. This year, it’s animated films. But that’s perfect for your 808 Day celebration, even if it’s just a party of you, a drum machine, and a night off.