The perfect MIDI visualizer keeps growing by leaps and bounds. New open-source tool ShowMIDI shows MIDI data in a structured, readable way. And now it’s got a slick new UI and runs on iOS as well as macOS, Windows, and Linux, among other features.
Music
Utrecht’s Le Guess Who? festival chronicles a broken visa system
Music November 7, 2024
Arash Azadi’s music returns to primordial states of human existence
Music November 6, 2024
Any level, including guitars, in Eurorack: Nive Grad level shifter
Noise Engineering’s latest module is a simple one, but it solves a very common problem. In 4HP, add 12 dB or 24 dB, or subtract 12 dB or 24dB, with high input impedance, so you can work with just about any gear – including passive guitars inputs.
Magical Synth Adventure on autism, music, gifts, and challenges
Paulee Aex Bow, who has lately given us tours of the Commodore Amiga and Roland V-Synth, speaks in an extensive, poignant video about their experience with autism. It’s a much-watch for neurodivergent and general audiences alike.
This script makes endless looping samples out of YouTube
Okay, before someone takes this down – ColugoMusic has made a script that’s ready to generate endless random YouTube audio clips and fill up your hard drive! And who wouldn’t want that?
Free utility converts between multisample formats: ConvertWithMoss
Take any multisample format (including WAV files), and output in any other multisample format: meet ConvertWithMoss, free and open-source software for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Newly-added: TAL’s excellent TAL-Sampler (pictured).
Ableton Push 3 freebie: unMute uses one button to toggle Devices
Here’s a quick, simple one: want to enable or disable devices on Push 3 with just one button instead of two? valium|du|peuple has us covered with this free download. At the risk of boring folks with Push 3 updates, I’d say we’re well on our way to a nicely-updated guide to hacking and customization. (I’ll […]
More Max for Live control for Push 3 standalone: OktoPush is born
The idea of a full-featured, dynamic, customizable performance template for Push 3 standalone continues to grow. Now, Darren from Isotonik is unveiling OktoPush Three, with dynamic chains, variations, and other improvements – and explains more of the Max for Live magic behind the scenes.
Early Black Friday: the best deals on synths, machines, and software
Black Friday, it seems, is not so much a day now as a state of mind. Whatever we’re calling it, we’ve got some terrific early deals from the KORG ARP 2600M at an all-time low price to stuff from Soundtoys, AAS, Plasmonic, Shaperbox, and some of the stores, and the big holiday week hasn’t even hit yet. Here are some hand-selected deals.
Captivate is a free, open source visual synth and DMX lighting tool
This live visual newcomer is off to a promising start: live DMX lighting, generative visuals (with video and photos), MIDI control, Ableton Link – and it’s free and open source. It’s coded in TypeScript, with downloads for macOS and Windows; Linux promised soon.
Roar, Ableton Live 12’s coloration-saturation effect, is a gem: video
Just when you thought you didn’t need another multi-stage distortion/coloration tool, along comes Roar. Live expert Madeleine Bloom (of Sonic Bloom) says it’s her favorite so far in Live 12, and she’s got a terrific in-depth video going through each feature. If you watch just one tutorial/feature before diving into the Live 12 beta when it arrives, this might be the one. Take a look: