In 2016, Johannes Kreidler examined the compositions signaling your demise in a dizzying array of vintage video games. As even our phones “gamify” pandemics, it seems weirdly relevant. The conversation came up as Johannes asked what sorts of musical cues should be composed for integration into COVID-19 pandemic notification apps. (The German government this week […]

Make eerie, modulating drones like it’s a disco in the Exclusion Zone. Or delve into the sound tools of Stockhausen. But for anyone who loves finding shifting, nuanced colors in oscillators – Hainbach and Sinan Bökesoy have created something for you.

It’s not waiting for someone to be “offended.” It’s about why anyone would be defensive about clinging to terrible terms based on horrific inhumane things. Let’s just fix this, finally. And yeah, right now seems like as good a time as any to stop using slavery references when you just need clear, boring technical terms. […]

What if I told you you could take a KORG keyboard – or even the ultra-cheap NTS-1 – and add a bass and drum machine, just by downloading a file? Sinevibes’ Artemiy Pavlov has been raving about the possibility of KORG’s platform. Now he’s realizing it.

FL Studio’s reputation is deceiving: this is one of the richest, most surprisingly open-ended tools for music-making. But long-time users may miss some of its recent improvements – and newcomers may not be clear on how to start.

Buttons, knobs, faders – yes, they’re decent. But you can’t jump on them, not without serious consequences. What you need is a trampoline.

Radical times call for fearless experimentation – and fast. Elli Records bends polyrhythms, noise, and custom software to the breaking point. The toolmakers and sound alchemists talk to us about just what they’ve been building in there.

Part of the beauty of software modular is the ability to share ideas. Here are just those kinds of tips and tricks, and you can try them right now – free.

Thomas Piper’s Permission to Live is a powerful, personal statement. It comes from one of the few people who plays Ableton Push like his main instrument, from an artist who draws from a hundred skills.

Part II – more music from black artists and organizing around social justice and racial quality, of course on Bandcamp. These are selections that really moved me today; I hope some do the same for you.