Ed.: Pairing mode is a new series focused on music to which we feel connection – mostly new, some back catalogs, all stuff we’re listening to. And maybe that’s the most essential way to approach music, finding what excites us. Resident music editor David Abravanel launches his new column.

Many of us imagine visuals when we close our eyes and listen to music. Here are two devices you can drop directly into Ableton Live to make that happen – from an artist whose work weaves together visual and sonic realms.

120 bpm. 4/4. C major. Yawn. What if you could use those same Ableton Live project defaults to do something different? A new Max for Live devices dares you to do just that.

What do you do when you can’t get a virus off your mind? Channel that into a bioscience audio-vision of immunity that reflects that new reality. We talk to Defasten and Kero about their music video for “Lodge.”

Control live streaming and recording tool OBS Studio with other apps and tools, and route video live. Free add-ons make it all possible.

Brian Bamanya made a name making DIY modular synths, but now he’s applying voltage to another task – making sodium hypochlorite (aka bleach). Science! That joins a growing number of efforts of DIYers turning to fight the pandemic head-on.

There are cameras. There’s video and 3D. What happens when you create a futuristic mixed reality space that combines them, live? I headed to a cavernous northern New Jersey warehouse to find out.

We’ve gazed into grainy video feeds and literally watched multi-camera shoots of empty clubs. But we’re also starting to see a move into futuristic 3D and mixed reality – starting with one unique album premiere from the Innervisions mastermind.

Start with OBS, the now industry-standard streaming app, and add a bunch of special sauce to make it easier and friendlier. Now you’ve got Streamlabs – and it just added Mac support to its other platforms.

SoundCloud is talking about a host of new support initiatives, but there’s one you might want to switch on right now – a direct support button for your profile.