It’s not just Eurorack. It’s UkRack – the all-Ukrainian module. And while today marks three years of full-scale Russian invasion of their country, it’s a chance to mark the power of Ukrainian resistance in sound. We join our friends at MachineRoom in Kyiv.
Music
Expressive playing with MPE, demystified
MPE, MIDI Polyphonic Expression, can make playing digital instruments expressive in ways we’ve desired for decades. It’s just down to understanding everything you can do – and composer Josh Madoff has a fantastic tutorial and Osmose demos that make this technology more accessible to anyone.
AAS Multiphonics CV-3 modular review: an expressive and sonic landmark
AAS Multiphonics CV-3 realizes the potential of this modular software as a synthesis and physical modeling powerhouse. It’s the biggest update to date, with 3-op FM, new physical modeling components, effects, and sound tools. And it’s polyphonic and expressive, with full support for 8-voice polyphony and glides and expression with MPE.
TouchDesigner has a free meetup today on kinetic installations
London’s Music Hackspace has kicked off a series of free TouchDesigner meetups – and anyone can join from anywhere online. Today’s episode is on at 5 pm London time (check that world clock!), featuring kinetic installations.
Acidwerk is a totally bonkers free and open source Web acid synth
Acidwerk puts the acid in acid. Yes, this is a generative bassline and drum synth. No, it does not make the vanilla acid you might be imagining. It’s a beautifully bizarre instrument perfect for creating some chaotic noise in a browser tab right after you’ve closed … the news.
Waverazor, MOK’s insane wave-slicing synth, just got a huge free update
Waverazor, the utterly, wonderfully mad wave-slicing synthesizer people too often overlook, just got a massive update with a bunch of new features. (Ring Delay!) It’s free for new users, or there’s an intro deal if you’re intrigued. Mac, Windows, and Linux.
TROVARSI x ALX-106 deliver brutal techno fed by serious live chops
Nothing puts life back in the groove quite like playing live. In a pairing of two total legends, Trovarsi and ALX-106 team up to drop some hard-slapping techno in the classic mold out on DC-based Black Techno Matters. And it’s got all the animation of their live sets combined with pitch-perfect production. It’s top-quality techno right when we need it: no hype, no TikTok genres, just a devastating kick from the kick.
Here it is, a cover of Kendrick Lamar and more awesomeness for the Otamatone
What the world needs now is more unicorn chaser. And it’s hard to beat the adorable Japanese ribbon controller/squeezable mouth formant instrument, the CUBE Works/Maywa Denki Otamatone.
Universal Audio is giving away their 1176 compressor for Valentine’s Day
It’s a Valentine’s Day giveaway: UA is giving away their newest model plug-in, the UA 1176 Classic FET Compressor, today through February 28. This is the native plug-in that runs in any DAW.
Ableton Move 1.3: sample from USB-C, polyphonic expression over MIDI
Ableton quietly released an update to the Move mobile standalone instrument, and it’s got a surprise: you can now sample directly from the USB-C port.