There’s no reason synthesizers have to always appear in dingy industrial spaces – love those spaces as we do. Musician Andrea Chichecki has just completed the release of a three-part outdoor series of live performances on modular, and you can expect the same feeling of calm you might get from going along yourself.
Music
Go support these Lebanese releases on Bandcamp
Music October 4, 2024
Asheville and southeast USA, we’re thinking of you
Music Music tech September 30, 2024
Lebanon’s cultural scene is responding with emergency crisis centers
Music Stories September 27, 2024
DivSkip: multimode rhythmic processor from DivKid, Making Sound Machines
You’ve seen plenty of gate sequencers and Euclidean generators. DivSkip is something different: It takes four channels of triggers and transforms them via eight different musical, performative modes. It’s a do-everything rhythmic wunderkind.
Mayss “On this Land” video, inner stillness, Mike Banks, David Lynch
Against a backdrop of daily horror across the Levant, there are voices like Mayss from Jordan. Her video “On This Land” accompanies the compilation for Palestine I covered earlier this summer. Now is also a time to discover her far-reaching mixing and podcasting work, including conversations with David Lynch and Underground Resistance co-founder Mike Banks. And now may truly be a time for inner stillness.
Chicago’s KnobCon, wrapped: DivKid walkthrough, more highlights
Don’t just call it a Second City to Berlin: Chicago’s epic KnobCon has become a major stop on the world’s synth and modular circuit. DivKid gives us the feel of the place, and here are a few highlights of what was introduced earlier this month.
Muse Kinetics new moniker to carry on the Keith McMillen legacy
Following the death of founder Keith McMillen, his company, Keith McMillen Instruments, has announced it will continue as Muse Kinetics. They’ve also got updates on stock in the latest versions of their tools.
SOPHIE is international Google Doodle today on her birthday
September 17, 2024, would have been hyper pop legend Sophie Xenon’s 38th birthday. Just over three years after her death, Google has put her in the spotlight internationally on its “Doodle” on the search engine’s homepage—hopefully a chance for folks to discover or rediscover her music, which seems more prescient than ever.
Nintendo DS as ultra-portable generative source, with homebrew and Lua
It’s generative music that can fit into a spare pocket of a backpack. Nintendo DS + CellsDS homebrew + a little Lua code hacking + Korg’s Pandora PX4D guitar multi-effects = pure bliss.
VDMX6 is the biggest live visual news on Mac in over a decade – and it’s $99
VDMX6 is the biggest update for the live Mac visual tool in over a decade. Wait, no – it’s the biggest single-day news for Mac visuals in over a decade, full stop. Metal support, TouchDesigner integration, HAP updates, and more have implications beyond VDMX6 to other live visual tools, too.
Roland P-6 pocket sampler with FX, granular engine: here’s what to know
Roland’s latest handheld boutique synth is a departure. Instead of a synth or drum machine, it was inspired by the SP-404. Here’s the skinny on its onboard sampling, effect, and sequencer features, direct from the source.
Ableton Operator FM synth at 20: 100 free presets; tons of history, tutorials
Ableton Operator, the FM instrument designed by Robert Henke, is celebrating 20 years since its (internal) debut. Want to celebrate? How about a ton of FM synthesis and Operator history, 100 free presets from Robert Henke and Christian Kleine, and more links? And now is a great time to celebrate those years – or even try Operator sound design for the first time.