Playhead granular, Tuplet sequencer, Quantized Switches for Ableton Live

In a sea of complex Max for Live creations, sequencer.wtf is again a minimalist breath of fresh air. Playhead is an ultra-simple granular effect; Tuplet just makes tuplets. Quantized Switches flips the switch for any parameter based on Live’s current quantization level.

Free NAP Framework gets gorgeous rendering, non-profit organization

NAP Framework, the free and open-source, lightweight, open-source framework for artists and designers now looks and runs better than before. And keeping it free, there’s now a non-profit NAP Labs organization – while the creators merge with partners Studio DRIFT.

Black Techno Matters Liber8: open call, new music, mixes, and events

Black Techno Matters is making its calls for liberation louder than ever. Their multi-city Juneteenth event now also includes an open call beyond the US to the wider African diaspora—and for everyone, enjoy a slew of new music and mixes that “celebrate the blackness of techno” and restore that sense of freedom in the music.

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.