O'Reilly LinuxDevCenter.com today has an extensive interview and featurette on the development of the flagship power app for Linux music, Rosegarden. Easily the most full-featured free application for music, Rosegarden features MIDI and audio sequencing, effects, soft synths, and even notation. I might take issue with the developers' claim that it matches most functionality of […]

For fans of vintage synths painstakingly emulated in software, Arturia are rockstars. They're best-known for their Moog emulations, but we've been waiting for Arturia to bring another classic to software, the ARP 2600 synthesizer, since the software was first shown at AES. It's here: the Arturia ARP2600 V. For those of you don't know what […]

Tom at Musicthing is stunned by this as I am. Follow the chronology: 1982: Roland creates the TB-303 mono synth and TR-606 drum sequencer, a cheezy device in itself but one that becomes the cornerstone for electronic dance music. 1982: Commodore introduces the C64 computer, with an enviable synth built-in. 2004: Prophet 64 is released, […]

Ah, old Acme and his disappearing, reappearing link. For those of you who were dismayed that Monday's link to vintage drum machines recreated as downloadable Flash files went down, that server appears to be back. In other news, for fans of Soviet Synths still not sated by an online museum of instruments, Scott Peer from […]

Digital?! Where? Tubes rock, dude. Eric Barbour, Metasonix owner and senior editor of Vacuum Tube Valley writes us to tell us about Analogue Heaven, a Bay Area California convergence of vintage synth lovers. Highlights for Barbour included the Wiard modular, Gino Robair's custom system and "Demoing my new effect box to Josh from XLR8R magazine […]

Many are disappointed by the announcement of Reason 3.0; it's an evolutionary release that still lacks key features like audio recording in an otherwise fantastic program. But on the upside, Propellerhead is pricing Reason and upgrade low enough that it's a great time to pick up the program or upgrade. According to Propellerhead's 3.0 FAQ, […]

Pro audio has been slow to go wireless, which is why the Tranzport, the first-ever wireless remote for DAWs, is very good news. The device from Frontier Electronics is due early in 2005 and will work out-of-the-box with your DAW software of choice, including SONAR, DP, Cubase, Logic, and Pro Tools. (I'm holding out for […]

Typical time stretching: Expensive software, rigid controls, wait for calculations. TimeToy: Free or US$17 'Pro' version, flexible controls, real-time, mic input. Now you're talking. TimeToy can be fun as an improvisatory sound-warping tool or used live in performance; use rubber band-style controls to plot time manipulations, or (with the Pro version) even scrub and warp […]

Having witnessed a Flash-based, circuit-bent Speak & Spell, what's next but a few dozen vintage drum machines recreated as downloadable Flash files? The Keyboard Museum has a healthy supply, from classic to obscure. Boss DR-55? Check. Wurlitzer Swing Rhythm 5020? Check. Oberheim DX? Check. Some other thingy you've never heard of? It's there. Have I […]

First colored blocks, now city blocks: Swiss-based collective Rosen & Spademan has constructed a "music building game table" for creating modular compositions with transparent blocks, converting improvised architecture into sound. (thanks, near near future) Their biggest goal, they say: getting people to grab the objects and play. You can explore this and other projects on […]