Lying somewhere between organic and artificial in its sound, the vocal synth Pipa – available as both an iPad app and a Mac and Windows plug-in – is genuinely new and refreshing.

It really sounds like we want our drums to beat us up. Anyway, Diablo Lite, a new free plug-in from Cymatics, is all about harder-hitting drums – and it in fact is some nice boutique software.

“This stompbox provides some of the most over-the-top, insane distortion tones in the world” – or, you know, some people are insanely over-the-top distorted enough to think it’ll be inside a vaccine.

When you can’t necessarily make sense of time, but feel the need to mark its passage, there is the entire discipline of music. David Abravanel returns for year-end Pairing Mode picks and words on why you should give them deep listening.

The wonderfully mysterious analog LYRA-8 synthesizer world now has an unofficial digital cousin – and it’s free-or-pay-what-you-can for Pure Data (and cross-platform AU and VST).

In dark moments, sometimes the most vital gesture is acknowledging uncertainty and feeling. So as we pass the milestone of one year into the next, I’ll be talking through some mixes alongside our year-end music review.

2020 saw the gaming industry supplant film as the predominant AV medium. There are plenty of great possibilities for immersion now on sale for Mac and PC – and titles music makers and nerds won’t want to miss. Here are some favorites, including some that might fly under the radar.

You deserve some instant ambience – ready to pour over your sounds like so much maple syrup. Hell, yeah – and download this now, as it’s free only in December.

Go bright and daring with Ableton Live color schemes – including one very green option – and load up with some samples from a Christmas ornament. It can be festive, or it can be … something else entirely.

One of the best adaptations to this year’s adverse conditions – of course – came from the Detroit scene. Techno Club responds to everything wrong with streaming, and if you’ve got some days off and want to bring quality club music home, here’s your shot.