Music can make us stronger, helps us face challenges. So forget talking about which music was “best.” Here’s some music that made us better.

If The Mad Music Machine thought that getting young Caitlin in her Christmas crown to explain modular clock signals would grab attention … they were right.

So, you’re ready to try a free and open platform for modular synths – even if you’re new to modular. Here’s how to get started.

Arturia now offer these classic instruments individually – with another 50% off through January 10 – and have video tutorials to teach you how to use them.

The Roland-Serato combination stakes out a clear niche: adding live techniques to DJ routines. Now some free sounds and videos will get you started.

Holiday greeting cards: you can buy them in a supermarket. You can draw them in crayon. Or you can custom-code a generative interactive Web greeting.

You’ve seen kick drums that emulate the 808 and such, or synths with a couple knobs. UltraKick goes way past that, for complete sound control.

Year-end lists, while valuable, can blur into vague hype, dizzying lists of artists and tracks. Let’s start by spending some time listening.

Not just for gamers any more: Razer’s high-spec Blade laptop holds promise for music making, too. I’ve taken one for an extended test to see how it holds up.

A defining feature of the original SH-101 was its ability to take trigger ins as clock. Here’s what that means and how to use it on the new Roland SH-01A.