Dorico 4 is finally engraving-level notation with MIDI editing powers, in a single tool

As Steinberg’s Dorico 4 matures, at last, we’re seeing a single, elegant tool that produces engraver-quality scores, but also the editing powers you expect from computer music.

Get lost in magical 1983 footage of Brilliant Trees, delicate IBM Dictaphone looping

Whatever you’re doing now, if you want to calm yourself and rediscover the love of slow production, watch this transcendent footage of David Sylvian with Ronny Drayton, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Holger Czukay, Jon Hassell, and Steve Nye.

An album released on Nintendo 64 cartridge – the next nerdy Remute ROM release

Vinyl? Done. Tape? Ha, as if. German artist Remute is using obsolete game technology to release music – and the latest is an album released on an actual, playable Nintendo 64 cartridge.

Bespoke visual noise is the next domain for Robert Henke – so let’s revisit Perlin, anyway

For the year 2022, it’s remarkable how much visual generation is still based on decades-old algorithms. But here’s one to watch – voraciously experimental media artist Robert Henke is into noise as his next jam. That makes it a perfect time to revisit some of the ubiquitous stuff that came before.

From Detroit and Berlin, a free set of sounds and a blazing compilation

Techno is just one angle – the lifeblood of music between Detroit and Berlin is a relentless underground drive that hustles harder. If you need some of that mojo now, here’s both a pay-what-you-will compilation and a free soundpack with the likes of Tyree Cooper, Sarah Kivi, and Eric D. Clark.

Softpop SP2 is next-level analog synthesis and processing from Bastl and Casper Electronics

It’s next-level chaos – literally. The radical sonic exploration of the original Softpop by Peter Edwards and Bastl has been massively expanded into a new modular analog synth and sound processor. In a chaotic universe, here’s the kind of unpredictability you want to swallow whole — rather than the other way around.

NVIDIA’s Omniverse and Studio let you create 3D worlds together – and they’re free to use

It’s a simple pitch to Windows and Linux users: so long as you have a compatible RTX GPU to render, NVIDIA is going to throw an insane amount of stuff at you for free to create and collaborate. That landscape is growing – and it’s now out of beta.

Ableton Live through the years, in vintage images, reviews, and even retro installs

Ableton Live turned 20 in October, and it goes without saying it’s had a profound impact on music making in intervening years. But want to really see how it’s evolved? Here are screenshots, dated reviews, and even retro installs as proof.

DIY Eurorack series kicks off with Erica Synths and Moritz Klein mki x es.EDU

Latvian legends Erica Synth are teaming up with German DIY electronics personality Moritz Klein for a 9-kit modular monosynth project. The first module is out now.

51 albums, loads of listening, and underappreciated music to fuel your playlists from 2021

Sometimes the way out of darkness is hitting play – to reach deeper feelings in a way only music can. The challenge can be just getting the track queued. All due respect to algorithms, half the joy of doing that is finding someone you trust.