After a long silence, VCV reveals some of what’s coming in VCV Rack 2, the new edition of the free and open source platform. Thought you were just waiting on a VST plug-in? Think again: check out “dark room” mode and some significant usability features.
Music
Lists aside, these 2024 albums are personal must-listens
Music Reviews Stories December 31, 2024
Saying goodbye to 2024 with music and reflections: David’s picks
Music Reviews Stories December 31, 2024
Tbilisi’s music scene is still out in the streets, defiant
Music December 27, 2024
Building on Shazam tech, Apple will pay artists and producers for tracks in DJ mixes
As Apple Music expands its selection of DJ mixes, it’s also set to compensate artists and producers. Here’s how it will work.
Roland TR-909: the hat, the shirt, a nearly-free sound pack
A pricey jacket may have overshadowed the rest of the news, but yes, Roland does have some 909 swag and sounds for those of us on a budget, too.
Plug your line inputs into Eurorack, mix, add FX – Bastl’s BUDDY is here
The minds at Bastl Instruments are already launching their September issue module – a “friendly stereo mixer” with line level ins, preamp, and mixing.
If you’re willing to void your warranty, you can make Erica’s Pico DSP run some epic effects
Erica Synths’ Pico DSP is already a tiny wonder – a 120EUR, tiny 3HP module with deep custom effects. But the folks at Xodes will let you go even further – at your own risk.
Retrokits RK008 is a pocket calculator for MIDI sequences, inspired by classic Alesis MMT8
Whether or not you remember late 80s gear, you might well want a device that lets you record and sequence real-time patterns. Retrokits has a tasty-looking gadget coming to do just that. And if the words “Alesis MMT8” do mean something to you, well, you’re probably salivating.
A massive free crash course in visual powerhouse TouchDesigner, including RTX goodies
The Interactive & Immersive HQ has launched a beginner series focused on making expressive media with TouchDesigner. It’s a chance to focus on all the power of that tool while getting over the intimidation. Oh, yeah – and they even cover the latest-and-greatest magic of NVIDIA’s RTX platform. Put that new GPU to work.
Dip your toes into D.zúk’s Ishkhan, fishwave trout musical dreams from Armenia
Are human life and human music getting you down? Maybe you just need to be a prince among trout, swimming through the Caucausus’ Lake Sevan. Yerevan’s D.zúk has your ticket, in a debut from over the summer.
Here’s a gorgeous chill jam and the excellent 1.9 firmware for the Blackbox sampler
Elektron Digitakt 1.3. Polyend Tracker 1.4. But don’t miss what boutique maker 1010music are doing with their Blackbox sampler. Here’s a look at there just-out 1.9 firmware update – and some lovely music, too. In this season of nuanced, musical updates for desktop hardware, it’s great to get this, too. Andreas Roman reviewed the Blackbox […]
FL Studio 20.8.4 – Apple Silicon, Frequency Shifter, video scrubbing, 3X oscillators
While everyone argues about subscriptions, let’s return to the lovely world of FL Studio. This time, the “Lifetime Free Updates” delivers new sounds, more visual tools, Apple Silicon support, and more.