Reason Friktion review: an exquisitely playable physical modeling string instrument

From Reason Studios comes a new physical modeling instrument, Friktion, focused on bowed and plucked strings. The twist: it lets you push the envelope sonically, but never loses its cool.

Grab free modules for Reaktor Blocks from Toybox – now with a powerful Table Block

Toybox is one of the best software modular designers out there, bar none – and easily must-have for the Reaktor Blocks platform. There’s a lot of stuff you can use for free, inside and outside Reaktor.

Remembering house and techno legend Aaron Carl, in an intimate portrait

Legendary producer and singular voice Aaron Carl would have had his 47th birthday last week. It’s worth listening to what he had to say – in music and in words.

A freakier Arturia MicroFreak, with this editor

Think of it as an “I feel freaky” button for Arturia’s MicroFreak. In addition to useful automation and editing features, a new editor adds 4 random methods for making sounds.

In deep with the Synthstrom Deluge, the boutique do-everything synth sampler sequencer

A deep-dive, hands-on review of the boutique synth-sampler-sequencer hardware box that does it all.

Make orbits of planets and moons into music, with a VCV Rack module and an upcoming synth

In the early days of analog synthesis, you had to just turn knobs really slowly and imagine some planetary bodies moving around. Now we have computation. Let’s make ambient space music that’s accurate.

New KORG volca sample adds USB file loading, per-part groove, pattern chaining, more

The KORG volca sample was always a compact, hands-on, grungy little wonder box. Now a major revision solves its biggest problem – sample loading – and adds a ton of new features.

The best TR news is this free 808 emulator, made in SuperCollider

There’s been a ton of off-the wall TR-707/808/909 news this month, so let’s gather it in one place. But the really important development is having a powerful SuperCollider drum machine, for free – and here’s why.

Music with larvae, animism, low-tech soul, and Tad’s post-colonial guide to the Philippines

We get a deep decolonialist reflection on the Philippines, music, technology, and identity from new media artist Tad Ermitaño. And yes, some larvae make music as they eat their way through a log. Tad is a leading media artist from Manila; I got to know him through his participation in one MusicMakers Hacklab with us […]

closecontact contact-sharing app: the latest tool in the fight to keep Berlin clubs open

With backing from the Berlin Club Commission and an experienced development team, closecontact is a simple but promising solution to pandemic contact sharing in the German capital.