Reason is more than a soft synth package: it’s a platform, with rich support from a devoted community and, increasingly, an incredible amount of soundware tailored to the program’s unique features. IK Multimedia and Sonic Reality are going hog wild with new sounds for the app, and the quality of their Sonic Refills is very […]

It slices, it dices! It runs in GarageBand! (and every other AudioUnit host on the Mac) How much would you pay for an effect that has a stereo delay, random pattern generator, envelope follower, “glitchy” decimator, ring modulator, low and high shelf filters, lowpass filter, and a randomizer for parameters? That’s not one, not two, […]

Matrixsynth and Music thing have continued their coverage of Japan’s hated new PSE law, set to go in effect April 1, which would ban sales and purchase of used equipment that fails strict electrical certification — read, all that vintage game and music gear you love so much. Trying to follow this story is more […]

Plug-ins are great, and they’re a nightmare. They’re great because you have access to literally tens of thousands of virtual sound making and processing devices, from costly works of art to bizarre free toys. They’re a nightmare because the plug-ins in the latter category — the odd free plug-in you just downloaded — can crash […]

Music creation in your pocket — and a little Metroid Hunters to boot? Believe it. The Nintendo DS is taking off as a platform for homebrewed music creation. First glimpsed via comments here, Tobw has launched his NitroTracker for Nintendo DS. Based on tracker-style sequencers of old, NitroTrack is a sophisticated mobile composition tool, with […]

Soundtrack Pro 1.03 finally feels about perfect. The software itself aside, here’s why it matters to me — and why its transition to Intel will be different from its pro brethren. Standalone audio editors can save tremendous amounts of time, preparing samples for instruments, batch processing recordings, fixing problematic audio, and generally letting you focus […]

From the commentary on historical music software interfaces prompted by the colored bars of the Music Animation Machine, you won’t want to miss this: The Apple IIGS Anachronistic Application Ring: Creative Aural Applications

Sticking your desktop machine into a flight case doesn’t require a PC. You knew some high-end Mac audio customers would come up with something. Mike Salera writes us from the pro audio department at the legendary NYC Mac shop Tekserve. He’s got just the solution: We recommend the folks at Nashville Custom Cases, who offer […]

Bless Cakewalk. While most of the music software business lags behind on the latest computer tech, these guys are out on the bleeding edge. They’re one of the first developers in any product category (not just music) to take advantage of the 64-bit edition of Windows. And they’ve been busily testing all the high-end PC […]

Moog fever is now officially out of control. As anxious Moog fans wait for the announcement of — some new synth — March 29, they’ll take any tiny crumb suggesting details of the new instrument. Even when it’s wrong. Case in point: the Moog Solar, which sites like Gearjunkies have been declaring “the new Moog”. […]