While Apple goes Intel, let’s return to that machine with PowerPC guts — the Xbox 360. Microsoft’s new console has a controversial feature that requires developers to let users replace the game soundtrack with their own custom playlists. Some of you readers say that’s bad for game music, while others are looking forward to turning […]

See part one of Brent’s story on the Xbox 360, and Microsoft’s decision to force developers to let users replace the game soundtrack with their own custom playlists. You’ve heard from the CDM staff, and we’ve heard from you, but what do game composers think? -PK CDM took some time to speak with some of […]

Our friend Phillip at MAKE: Blog links to new photos of the DIY clone of Roland’s legendary TB-303 synth, the x0xb0x. This is one serious project: MIDI-enabled, and with a full synthesizer. The specs are totally public domain and available online so you can build your own. Watch jonnay build one in a flickr set, […]

Aydiosmio has instructions for hacking a vintage NES controller for wireless function, by ripping apart the guts of a Targus wireless keypad. Brilliant! (via MAKE:blog) Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Aside from making an interesting Max/MSP controller, this is perfect for controlling emulated Game Boy music, like LSDJ, which is available as a ROM […]

Everything old is new again: several sources are reporting Nintendo plans to make its back catalog of downloadable games free for its upcoming Revolution console. (Wow, without digging them out of the ground in Animal Crossing?) Revogaming even claims to have a preliminary list of what games will be available. You’ll have at least one […]

CDM’s man in San Fran, Lee Sherman, is on-hand at the WWDC keynote to bring us the latest. We’ll know if there’s anything music-related, or anything related to an upcoming apocalypse (like Apple’s switching to Intel, or pre-installing Windows, or Dell is pre-installing OS X, or Apple is marking all machines with the mark of […]

Live from WWDC: Steve Jobs has announced that podcasting will be built into the next version of iTunes, and the iTunes Music Store will incorporate a podcast directory. Jobs calls the tech “Wayne’s World for radio” but notes that, of the 8,000 podcasts available, it’s not just amateurs. This is the “hottest thing going in […]

It’s true: Apple is making a transition to Intel processors because Jobs says Intel delivers better performance per watt, and IBM has let them down with no 3 GHz processor and no PowerBook G5. The transition will last “a few years” starting next year at this time with the first Intel-powered Macs. According to Jobs, […]

Only Apple. Only Apple could pull off five years of secret underground development for a rival processor, while its marketing arm said something entirely different. Only Apple could spin dumping its major processor vendor as good news — and only Jobs could actually get philosophical about it. (The “universal binary symbol” is yin and yang? […]

In other Macintel news: What about Windows? Developer contacts tell CDM that they think in fact you’ll be able to run Windows apps alongside Mac apps, a la Xwindows. Just don’t expect a dual-boot machine; that would require Apple’s involvement (and they won’t go there.) And, of course, you’ll lose the advantages of the Mac […]