OCD, techno producer and DJ, is fighting cancer and raising awareness

Dark, hard techno producer and DJ Chiara Bubu, aka OCD, is working through chemotherapy and fighting cancer. She’s also using that as an opportunity to talk about the disease and treatment and remind audiences that young people can get cancer, too.

MC-101/707 Zen-Core get the comprehensive editor Roland forgot

Devotees of the new Roland MC boxes said it all along: these boxes are deep — if you’re willing to dive in. Developer Benedetto Schiavone has done what Roland didn’t and created a comprehensive editor for everything the MC-101 and MC-707 can do, hacking into the hidden features of the MCs.

MeeBlip geode synth is back in an ultra-limited Nightshade Edition

“I’ve been too long, I’m glad to be back”: our MeeBlip geode synth is finally available again in a limited, 100-unit run. For the Nightshade Edition, we’ve given it an all-black livery and aluminum knobs, and we’re hand-signing and numbering every synth.

Osmose 2.0 makes this expressive MPE instrument more navigable, powerful

Expressive E’s 2.0 firmware has arrived for their flagship Osmose expressive keyboard. With better external MIDI support and improved preset management and navigation, this significant release addresses some of what users most wanted.

Squiggy’s WaveTracker: open-source tracker – and other free tools

WaveTracker is a fun, free tracker for Windows that features wavetable editing, more than 100 instrument macros, and visualization for a glitchy good time. And that brings up the many other free trackers you might try out these days…

Aslice to close: an experiment in revenue sharing reveals sobering inequities

Aslice, an experimental community-based model for sharing DJ revenue with producers, announced today it is closing its doors after paying over $400,000 to producers. The announcement is accompanied by an independent report on Aslice’s data – with some sobering revelations.

Lisbon this week will be a haven for DIY sound, video synthesis, and AV

Against the unlikely backdrop of top horror film festival MOTELx, Lisbon will host a beautiful spectrum of DIY workshops, audiovisual experimentation, video art, and synth building from across Portugal and Europe this week.

Sinevibes’ Artemiy in free KORG sound design showcase

Sinevibes’ Artemiy Pavlov features in a free online sound design showcase this Wednesday on the ultra-affordable KORG NTS-1 and NTS-3. And we already have an exciting sneak peak of what Artemiy is bringing to those platforms soon.

Sync and licensing workshops online for women, trans, and nonbinary people

For women, trans, and nonbinary people, if you’re looking to unlock the value of your music, UK nonprofit Saffron is working with music publisher Cavendish to share opportunities. A three-month series of online workshops, accessible worldwide, starts later this month.

Keith McMillen, instrumental innovator, has died

Keith McMillen has passed away at the age of 67. There’s a complete obituary posted this evening by Keith McMillen Instruments.