Amidst the noise of end-of-year lists and Bandcamp Friday, here are two compilations rooted in the music scenes of Lebanon and Palestine and diaspora and allies, as well as organizing aid there and for Sudan and Congo.

Are you skipping past Rekordbox updates? Maybe don’t pass on this one – AlphaTheta finally stopped deleting histories when you import them from USB sticks.

Ryk Modular sends us their latest, and it looks like a delicious combo of the stuff you often need, all in one. Envy Machine is a quad mod monster: four channels, each configurable as envelope, LFO, random voltage, and recordable knob voltage control.

It’s called “1.05.” But the update to this iconic free and open-source tracker is massive, with a new UI option, new built-in MilkySynth, new effects, and more.

The software most associated with mapping video and LEDs has v6 in beta now. There’s a lot of new stuff, but the big banner is obvious – timelines.

You won’t fit more synths into 6HP of Eurorack (or VCV Rack module) than the newest ALM/Busy Circuits module, MCO v2. It’s a wavetable synth, an additive synth, a Roland JP8000 voice, a vocoder, a 90s VA, a bass and drum synth, and a SID chip emulation all in one.

Even I can’t keep up with Black Friday. AIR Music Tech is making their new Multiband Filter free for its intro only – you have through tonight, December 2, midnight Eastern to grab yours.

We know that Big Tech and Spotify have reshaped music listening – and at a cost. But that impact is often hidden inside a black box, closely guarded by its masters’ secrecy and mythmaking. Liz Pelly is one of the few people who managed to get inside that black box, meaning her upcoming book will be essential.

OTT, the “over the top” multiband compression preset that began life in Ableton Live, was due for a modern refresh. It gets just that with Squash, a new free plug-in from Minimal Audio. And if you’re celebrating Buy Nothing Day instead of Black Friday today, you’re having a decent run.

If I had to guess what would best fit the current audio zeitgeist, “free” and “violent distortion” would probably be exactly it. Obliterate, released today by Newfangled Audio, delivers. Get angry. Destroy everything.