I’ve done the deep dive. Here’s the fast explanation of why it’s too soon to upgrade to macOS Catalina – either if you’re pressed for time, or to forward to your friends.
Music
RIP Dax Pierson, Árni Grétar Jóhannesson aka Futuregrapher
Music January 6, 2025
Lists aside, these 2024 albums are personal must-listens
Music Reviews Stories December 31, 2024
Saying goodbye to 2024 with music and reflections: David’s picks
Music Reviews Stories December 31, 2024
macOS Catalina is here; Final Cut update, Logic compatibility, don’t update your Mac yet
macOS Catalina is here as a free update today, along with updated information on Apple’s own pro apps. But music users should continue to delay upgrading for now.
Polyend’s Medusa still looks unique amidst wavetable rush, and now it’s €798
With characteristic engineer’s modesty, Polish maker Polyend calls its Medusa wavetable+analog grid “slightly different.” But it’s really rather different, and a €798 price makes it more accessible.
Make an ultra-simple DIY oscillator, inspired by vintage Heathkit
With a stupidly simple number of parts, you can make this oscillator on just a breadboard. Its inspiration is classic, vintage DIY gear from Heathkit.
What are all the synths hiding in Mutable’s modules (and their free VCV ports?)
Mutable Instruments packed a lot of different sound models into a single module with Braids and “spiritual successor” Plaits. Learn what they do in these videos.
Natural-sounding reverbs come to Eurorack: Tasty Chips stereo convolution reverb
It’s one more way your Eurorack modular is starting to look like a total replacement for your computer: stereo convolution reverb is next.
Barker, Berghain resident, has found his voice – and meaning – in electronic sound
Barker’s Utility is a tour-de-force – economical but sensual, precise compositions that nonetheless sound immediate and personal. And there’s deeper thought behind those sounds, too.
The spirit of Synthi is back, in the new Erica SYNTRX
It’s the Latvian Synthi that never was – an all-new instrument, not a clone, built around the signature analog matrix. England’s EMS Synthi AKS is simply one of the greatest-ever standalone designs for experimentation. The 1972 instrument inspired Jean Michel Jarre and Pink Floyd. But it’s not a modular – all that sonic possibility is […]
Native Instruments is struggling to provide customer support following changes
Changes this year to customer support channels have left some customers frustrated, according to sources familiar with the matter and user complaints. Despite promises from NI management that the direction of the company would “improve the experience for all users of our products,” users may see constrained support options and increased service backlogs. Native Instruments […]
This video makes it easy to mod KORG’s ultra-cheap monotron for analog CV
Punk, inexpensive analog, anyone? The KORG monotron is an easy choice for modding for your synthesis needs – and now this video makes the process easier.