The first Dr. Rhythm device, the DR-55, was used by post-punk artists and the likes of Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, and Thomas Dolby. And now its sounds are in a free plug-in.
Music
Inside the Dune 2 score with Osmose and Hans Zimmer
Gear Music Music tech Stories Tech December 11, 2024
Mood Machine, Liz Pelly’s book on Spotify, will be a must-read
Music Music tech Tech Web December 2, 2024
Tired of controller lock-in? Mixxx is a free DJ alternative; 2.4.2 out now
The free/FLOSS DJ tool Mixxx has quietly evolved into a powerful software DJ tool that rivals commercial alternatives. And it’s open to whatever hardware controller you want, thanks to developer and community support. The just-released 2.4.2 for Linux, macOS, and Windows builds on that with new and updated controller compatibility.
Ableton Live’s new options fix latency recording problems: here’s how
There’s a critical new feature in Ableton Live 12.1 if you’ve been frustrated in the past by tracks recorded with unwanted lag.
Tim Exile’s cancer recovery project is a generative, morphing groovebox
What began in a hospital bed as a Reaktor ensemble for making music into a video has become a fully generative, morphing take on a groovebox and music studio. Tim Exile is back in action with Shapeshift, out today. And this being in 2024, there’s even a promise: no generative AI.
Artists and labels unite in Resiliencia following Valencia flooding
Valencia, Spain has suffered unprecedented trauma in the deadliest flooding in decades, flooding made worse both by climate change and by government negligence. Artists and labels are responding in support of the communities, in an epic three-part collaborative compilation spearheaded by Valencia’s Ximo at Industrial Complexx. Here, again, communities and volunteers have become essential to […]
Imaginando TV3 acid synth and bassline generator, free through Dec 1
Imaginando has made a brutal 303 acid synth, complete with a melody generator that supports dragging clips to your host. And it’s free through December 1.
Sumu arrives, with unique semi-modular take on spectral sound design
Madrona Labs’ Sumu, after an extensive development and Early Access period, is now at version 1.0. It’s semi-modular, it’s an additive synth (with the ability to import your own partials), it does FM, it has a powerful fine-grained spatialization tool. It’s simply a spectral sound design and soundscape powerhouse.
Free Supermassive reverb gets a silky, stellar new mode: Pleiades
Few plug-ins at any price can compare with the free Valhalla DSP Supermassive echo/reverb – and version 4 brings what might be its best mode yet. It’s smoother, more natural, more organic, more versatile than anything Valhalla has added before. Plus, let’s go visit that object cluster in space.
Jumping ship to Bluesky? Here’s where to start for music and tech
The exodus from X is in full swing. That opens up a variety of federated platforms. But if you’re missing the Twitter experience, Bluesky might be worth a look. Here’s where to get started. I will refrain from getting on a bandwagon about decentralization here. And I remain most excited about Mastodon, which I’ll talk […]
A fantasy combo of Chicago footwork and Polish folk rhythmic asymmetry
You may need to buy some new sneakers for this one. “Anthropologist-dreamer” Piotr “Gary” Gwadera has combined the intricacies of Polish folk rhythms with Chicago footwork grooves. Catch the CTA to some oberek, kids.