Audio Damage has released 33 classic legacy plug-ins for free – here’s a guide and a stupid test

Beloved boutique plug-in house Audio Damage has found a heck of a retirement for 33 of its vintage plug-ins: it’s giving them away for free for macOS and Windows. Here’s a complete guide and an ill-advised test scenario. Audio Damage’s Chris Randall explains in a blog post: Everything Old Is New Again… Here’s the skinny: […]

Teenage Engineering made a robotic LFO out of LEGO – and now offers barebones modules

Ever taught a synthesis course? At some point, you invariably try to explain an LFO as being like a machine turning the knob instead of your hand. Welp – Teenage Engineering just made that illustration literal. They also now have a line of barebones modules for €29 each a la carte, adaptable to Eurorack with some extra gear.

Legendary Syncussion SY-1 1970s 2-voice drum module is now a playable Mac plug-in

Once upon a time in 1979, Pearl – yeah, the drum maker Pearl – made its own drum module. And it’s been sought after ever since, as well as enjoying a nice renaissance thanks to hardware remakes. Now at last, you can get it in plug-in form, with that friendly, playable panel layout. Cost: just a few bucks.

Eyeballs, errors, and animal keys: Reed Ghazala’s wild circuit-bent electronics keep evolving

Reed Ghazala’s latest generation of instruments is here, gazing back at us with glass eyeballs and dubbed with names like “photon clarinet.” The father of circuit bending also espouses a new conceptual frame and philosophy – errism. And to err is human, but also is cat.

Happy 90th birthday to Herb Deutsch, educator, composer, and Moog synth co-inventor

It’s Herb Deutsch’s birthday today – and what better way to celebrate than listen to him talk about music, sound, and synthesizers? The co-creator of the Moog modular is featured in a just-released video and is a great professor to all of us as always. Pull up a chair.

Rift 2.0 arrives – here’s what to love about this deep distortion and multi-effects plug-in

It’s all about positive and negative distortion. Today Minimal’s Rift 2.0 hits, with refreshed features, an updated look, and must-have Apple Silicon support. I’ve had an advance copy; here’s a hands-on.

OP-Z gets Momo’s plug-in treatment, pairs nicely with Teenage Engineering’s own apps

Momo Müller continues a tear through our favorite music gear, with companion plug-ins to capture and recall automation and integrate with DAWs. The OP-Z is next – and gives your desktop some love alongside what Teenage Engineering already built for your mobile device.

Microhm aka Leslie García and Alyosha Barreiro explore sound in futuristic Mexican architecture

This is a nice unexpected gift – some favorite adventurous sound artists and favorite futuristic Javier Senosiain architecture coming together in a new Arturia feature from Mexico.

Resolume 7.9 keeps clicking on all cylinders – powerful monitoring, way faster Wire patching

Visual platform, VJ tool, and media server Resolume keeps adding cool stuff. 7.9 brings advanced monitoring right on your display, perfect for more complex settings and mapping, plus a big, easy search tool for bringing up all the modules (nodes) inside the Wire patching environment.

Free plug-ins: Finding beauty in the Emergence granular effect for Mac and Windows

Real-time granulator Emergence spins incoming audio streams into rich textures – and it’s a free download, with inexpensive Patreon options available to support the author. I’ve been hands-on with it lately; here’s how to get more out of it.