Digital synthesis, reenvisioned: Madrona Labs’ Sumu hands-on

Sumu is a true virtual instrument from Madrona Labs, with some unique approaches to demystifying and visualizing additive resynthesis and FM. David Abravanel takes us on a tour.

TouchDesigner will add POPs for GPU-powered 3D operations

Points, polygons, point clouds, particles, line strips – and therefore simulations of everything from fog to cloth and collision – are now getting a powerful set of operators in TouchDesigner. It’s a generational leap forward for the tool that powers a lot of the world’s most bleeding-edge visuals. Details, plus more from Berlin:

Endlesss hits its end in a few days; users urged to download content

Online collaborative app and platform Endlesss will terminate at the end of May, rendering the apps and services inaccessible. In a statement, Endlesss tells users to download and archive all content.

Premiere: Thomas Fehlmann, in a playful garden of sound and drawings

Thomas Fehlmann, the Swiss-born, Berlin-based legend teams up with director/animator Sveta Rybkina (modellogia) for an alluring audiovisual journey, a garden in both the literal and imaginative sense. Did you ever, as a kid, get lost in spirals of doodled lines, desperately trying to draw the visuals unfolding in your mind? Watching this video recalls that […]

Robert Henke’s Granulator III update for Live 12 expands modulation powers

Granulator III, by Ableton co-founder Robert Henke, has received a small but meaningful update. It now allows audio-rate modulation (as in Granulator II) and new modulation possibilities.

Tour Superbooth with Afrorack – featuring the show’s best instruments

In the deluge of videos from Berlin’s Superbooth synth show, don’t miss the walkthrough by Brian Bamanya (Afrorack). The Ugandan artist finds some of the most unique instruments and gives them the time they deserve.

MiniBrute V, a modeled software rendition of Arturia’s baby wonder

Arturia’s virtualization of its instruments continues. Following MiniFreak V, they’ve now turned to the compact analog MiniBrute keyboard, modeling the synth’s analog circuitry and adding polyphony and digital effects.

CRUM2 “generative percussive harmonic device” with lush design

A dream team of designers has gathered in the north, producing a swoon-worthy, ultra-sexy instrument that looks straight off the set of a high-budget new sci-fi show. CRUM2 is just a series of images but with Analog Sweden, Hultén, and Nyström signed on and these pics, who can resist?

Remake Live 12 with retro refinement: updated workstation, ultra-dark themes

If you’re staring at Ableton Live for extended periods of time, why not dress it up so it has all the panache of a high-end 90s UNIX workstation? DeafMan’s retro-chic theme collections have now been rebooted for Live 12, where they look better than ever.

RNBO 1.3.0, now a powerful RasPi raw MIDI tool – plus, chats with Max artists

Cycling ’74 quietly released an update for RNBO, their tool for patching sound for web, plug-ins, and hardware. Here’s a look at what’s new, plus their lovely Office Hours series with artists like Jessica Ekomane and Suren Senevirante (My Panda Shall Fly).