Novation last week released a new set of tutorials for their Circuit. These cover scales, melodies, and chords. Those are interesting not just for those with limited skills on other instruments, but also, ironically, as a way to get away from your usual habits if you are used to something like a piano. The tutorials […]
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Groovebox, a music app rigorously designed to give you a place to start
There are two stories about this app, and which one you care about depends on who you are. If you’re still someone trying to get into music making, the important thing to know about Groovebox is, it’s never going to leave you stuck for inspiration with a blank, silent screen. The moment you add a […]
Don’t miss Chagall’s mesmerizing live glove performances, new video
For up and coming cyber-pop talent, look no further than Chagall, the Amsterdam-born London-based cyborg diva. Chagall van den Berg (full name) was an early adopter of the mi.mu gloves, a wearable interface that’s the latest generation of a tradition of interfaces that dates back to Amsterdam’s own STEIM research center and pioneering work by […]
Dub Machines gives you powerful delays as plug-ins; get Diffuse free
The right delay is more than a filter. It’s an intoxicant; it’s a powerful hallucinogenic trip. We’re not so much technicians when we use them as we are shamans. Now, of course, the right way to do this theoretically has been to lug some vintage analog gear, or some specialized digital equipment. But in the […]
Ableton have now made it easy for any developer to work with Push 2
You know Ableton Push 2 will work when it’s plugged into a computer and you’re running Ableton Live. You get bi-directional feedback on the lit pads and on the screen. But Ableton have also quietly made it possible for any developer to make Push 2 work – without even requiring drivers – on any software, […]
ROLI now make a $299, ultra-compact expressive keyboard
ROLI are filling out their mobile line of controllers, Blocks, with a two-octave keyboard – and that could change a lot. In addition to the wireless Bluetooth, battery-powered light-up X/Y pad and touch shortcuts, now you get something that looks like an instrument. The Seaboard Block is an ultra-mobile, expressive keyboard for your iOS gadget […]
Arturia AudioFuse: all the connections, none of the hidden settings
After a long wait, Arturia’s AudioFuse interface has arrived. And on paper, at least, it’s like audio interface wish fulfillment. What do you want in an interface? You want really reliable, low-latency audio. You want all the connections you need. (Emphasis on what you need, because that’s tricky – not everyone needs the same thing.) […]
Andrew knows how to YouTube, makes fidget spinner music
It happens. You get older. Slower. You wake up one day, and you’re definitely not a YouTube star with your own Patreon account and free sound pack downloads to go with it. You didn’t even figure out that there was a big trend involving something called fidget toys, “spinners” and “cubes” that kids use to […]
Exclusive: Ableton acquires Max maker Cycling ’74; what you need to know
Ableton is announcing today they have fully acquired Cycling ’74, the California-based company best known for producing Max and Max for Live. It’s perhaps an auspicious moment for Cycling ’74 as the company reaches its 20th anniversary – and 20 years of availability of the MSP tools for synthesis and sound processing. But if acquisitions […]
A conversation with David Zicarelli and Gerhard Behles
Today’s Ableton have announced they’re acquiring Cycling ’74. There’s no two better people to talk to about what that means than the founders and CEOs of the two companies, Ableton’s Gerhard Behles and David Zicarelli of Cycling ’74. That’s big news. But it’s also a long time coming, based on a relationship that has evolved […]













