Roland just added a CR-78 and 808 bass to the TR-8S/6S [hands-on]

Just when you thought the Roland TR-8S (and its little sibling, the 6S) couldn’t do any more – there’s this. Surprise: Roland’s drum machine for the rest of us just packed in new CR-78 and chromatic 808 bass models, plus a ton of new content, and a compact UI for the TR Editor. I’ve been playing with the release candidate firmware and – yes, indeed. Happy 1209 day, everybody!

Mixing, FX, recording, USB in a module: 1010music bluebox goes Eurorack

Hot on the heels of Noise Engineering’s Eurorack mixer dream, we get a different approach. 1010music announces today at Knobcon that they’re bringing their bluebox mixer to Eurorack format, with quite a few extras. That means if this was closer to what you wanted in modular mixing, now you have a Eurorack-native device. CDM has both to test – but first, here’s a look at Bluebox.

Multi-effects, in motion: hands-on with Baby Audio’s Transit plug-in

You’ve probably seen Transit, the collaboration between Baby Audio and Andrew Huang, on the Interwebs and YouTubes. Well, surprise: it’s not just for massive EDM-style breakdowns or something like that. It’s an eminently tweak-able, programmable tool that lets you combine multiple effects and set them in motion. And it’s surprisingly fun to build up your own multi-effects from scratch. Let’s have a look.

Videosync 1.3: visual tool for Ableton Live adds Voronoi, shader browsing, more

Videosync 1.3 has landed. One of the better tools for integrating visuals seamlessly with Ableton Live, this version adds a new, unique method for generating and manipulating images, easy browsing of shaders for added visual effect inspiration, an intuitive new graphical Transform, and more. And there’s a Summer Sale on this week.

The power plant, back at full power: Berlin Atonal shows a resurgent scene

We’ve heard lots of promises of a revitalized post-pandemic scene, lots of talk about adapting to change, but that masks real suffering for so many artists. At last, Berlin’s upcoming Atonal promises to be something different: expanded scale, greater diversity, and energetic new ideas, just when electronic music needs it most.

HoRNet DeeLay vintage digital delay is free today only

“Made in Italy,” HoRNet DeeLay is just a good, simple, vintage-style digital dub delay plug-in. It runs on modern systems, too, but – with a little bit of extra effort on macOS. This deal runs today only, Tuesday September 5 Italy time; here’s how to grab it and make use of it.

People are speedrunning FL Studio: meet extreme DAW sports

If you haven’t been following the FL Studio speedrun phenomenon, you’re in for a treat – and it’s had a big week with a new record holder on a song that was supposed to have begun as a joke. (Whoops.) So yeah, nerds, if you thought you could escape competitive sports by using DAWs – think again.

What if modular cases were also modular? Geert’s 3D-printed solution

Call it GeertRack. Inventor/developer Geert Bevin (uwyn), also known for work on the Moog apps, has been 3D-printing modular cases that are themselves modular. And yes, there’s a can holder. Here’s a first look.

It’s always a Klubnacht online: FLASH_Lab’s techno marathon

The club can also come to you. FLASH_Lab from Berlin’s Flash Recordings is extreme streaming, running marathon hours just like a landmark Berlin club. But that means you can tune in even when a club isn’t accessible. And nowhere better to start than with a particularly epic stream pairing with the Ukrainian NOWA_ collective.

The best Labor Day deals on synths and plug-ins – starting at $10

Summer in nearly done in northern latitudes, and the US has a big holiday weekend – so gear purveyors are here with a bunch of discounts.