CDM Mixes: Meet Moe Nagasi, must-hear Ukrainian composer-DJ-violinist

The best mixing doesn’t just jam some bangers together – it creates an emotional topography to traverse. So it’s a pleasure to welcome Moe Nagasi aka Surface Crawler, whose compositional imagination and musicianship shines through in her mixes. Good timing, too, as she’s got a score for a film premiering this weekend in Leipzig.

VCV Rack, free modular, adds four more free modules to play with

VCV Rack, the software Eurorack modular you can use standalone for free, has four handy modules for your patching enjoyment.

Minimal’s Current is a granular-wavetable synth with tons of FX and extras

Minimal Audio, the maker of some of the more unique effects in recent years, is now stepping into the synth space with Current. And they’ve got a real mothership of a synth, merging tons of synthesis and effects ideas into one instrument. It is subscription-based – and they have a particular take on that, too. Here’s a breakdown:

Sonification Tools for Live uses data for sound, offers educational potential

Data visualization tools are now numerous, but sonification – transforming information into audio – holds untapped potential. Manifest Audio has a set of tools that makes it uncommonly easy to translate data into MIDI, modulation/control, and sound. You can use data as a creative source – and use music and sound as a way of […]

Ardour 8 – what’s new, and why this free, open-source DAW is worth a look

Ardour 8 has arrived with easier editing, automation, improved tempo mapping, arpeggiators, Launchpad Pro controller support, and more. The DAW is a workflow powerhouse – and it’s free and open source for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Check these tips for getting around Soundtoys’ SuperPlate reverb

Our friends in Vermont have shared this video tour of their SuperPlate reverb plug-in – the unique, five-plate reverb with some extra options. The key: listen to pick up the differences in each of those plate models.

“Trembling Earth” – a compilation for Morocco, plus a Maze DK premiere

Communities inside and outside Morocco are still reeling from the earthquake last month. Berlin-based art Artist Znzl, whose name literally means “earthquake,” has pulled together threads across international lines and genres, techno to industrial to ambient, for a gorgeous and moving charity compilation. It’s a musical message you won’t want to miss – plus, crucially, direct giving resources here for those who can. And we have a premiere by artist Maze DK from the compilation.

Free today only: HoRNet Graffio multiband distortion plug-in

Here’s another freebie for you from Italian plug-in maker HoRNet, if you act fast. Graffio is 3-band (or fullband) distortion and saturation with switchable excited and bitcrusher.

Bandcamp union describes workers locked out of systems, coming layoffs

Bandcamp United, the staff union recently organized and Bandcamp, is sending out a petition to see that the union is recognized by the company’s new owners, Songtradr. They also describe some alarming conditions at outgoing owner Epic, with a threat of job losses looming and workers locked out of systems – just as October’s Bandcamp Friday is about to arrive.

Learn to connect TouchDesigner to Bitwig – and make visuals for music

If you’re ready to make visuals for music using Bitwig Studio and powerhouse dataflow 3D/generative tool TouchDesigner, we’ve got free videos and a free workshop today. Yo dawg, it’s a modular tool for your modular DAW that connects to your modular visual tool so you can modulate mod makings with your modules while you modulate.