Isadora, the node-based, open-ended live performance and media tool especially loved by theater and dance, gets a major update this summer. There’s a lot in there, but the biggest is something called IzzyCast, a remote functionality that lets you run any video, audio, and data in full resolution around the world. Here’s what’s new in Izzy 4.

Palestinian multi-instrumentalist and experimental DJ Falyakon has long been an inspiration to anyone who’s met her – for her energy, her vision, and the depth of feeling and activism threaded into her music mixes. We were fortunate to have her in the Refuge Worldwide studio over the weekend, in a mix that says what no opinion piece or social media post can.

This live visual newcomer is off to a promising start: live DMX lighting, generative visuals (with video and photos), MIDI control, Ableton Link – and it’s free and open source. It’s coded in TypeScript, with downloads for macOS and Windows; Linux promised soon.

Wait, Apple may be reading this – uh, my mistake. Did I say there was a workaround? No, no, that orange dot on the menu bar belongs there, and if it’s screwing up your live visual projection, hey, security. Oh, look, your Apple Watch is telling you it’s time to meditate and close your eyes! Ommmmmm…. (okay, are they gone? read on…)

Let it all hang out. Put together that live set you want. Make a “meeting” happen, “not a planned performance.” Need inspiration? It was a “typical [June] day in Coney Island,” the boardwalk buzzing, and Sun Ra met John Cage for a live set.

The best-known projection mapping tool now lets you do more with lasers. Oh, and if you’re not qualified to mess with those, there’s a bunch of other stuff, too.

Smode is a powerful real-time compositing tool built for stage, projection mapping, and live use. That sounds out of reach, but designer licenses start at 60€ – and oh yeah, keep an eye out for Unreal Engine integration.

Ars Electronica is vast – and this year doubly so, as it tackled topics from planetary climate down to microscopic microcosms. So we turn to guest contributor Sofy Yuditskaya aka The Source, media artist and educator, to navigate highlights and insights from the landmark media festival.

The free browser-based patching environment for visuals cables.gl has one hot summer update. New ray casting and the power to walk around and walk into walls.

Quick! Make visuals for that track! Uh… yeah, normally visual tools aren’t nearly as immediate and playable as music ones. And that’s where Videosync comes in – now with a vastly expanded feature set belied by today’s 1.1 release.