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:

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Our friend DeafMan is back with another retro take on the Ableton Live color scheme. This time, the idea is making Live look attractive and legible in low light – even extreme low light. So get set for that late-night session, light a couple of candles, and travel back to the screen aesthetics of the 80s and 90s.

Few instrument designs have ever come as close to science fiction as Synplant – and the alien breeding lab for sound has gotten more otherworldly in this update than ever. Replace those knobs with a double helix and start genetically engineering new paths from any sound you want to load. Here’s a first hands-on.