MIDI starts with the obvious – in and out, easily understood. But then it throws us this curveball of a preposition – thru. Through? Let’s really talk about what it means, what a thru box or MIDI splitter is for, and how this knowledge can help you keep your gear timing perfectly tight.

Here’s a product name I didn’t expect to come back: it’s the Roland GAIA 2. But despite the name and form factor, the new GAIA has a different architecture – virtual analog plus wavetable, and support for (some) Model Expansions so you can swap out different instrument engines.

Moog Music has responded to concerns about last week’s layoffs in their Asheville, NC production facility, via their Facebook page.

Welp, now that we’ve been putting modular environments inside modules inside modular rigs, next we get to make TouchDesigner play Bitwig Studio and Bitwig Studio play TouchDesigner — and Bitwig’s modular The Grid and TouchDesigner’s modular UI interact. It’s all coming on the eve of the TouchDesigner Roundtable in Berlin – and it’s even part of the official Touch build. 3D and generative visuals, meet the DAW.

So far, it’s got just two DAWs behind it – Bitwig Studio and PreSonus Studio One – but DAWproject’s creators hope the format will become a new open standard that lets you move projects between software.

Machine Learning Poetry, the new LP from Tehran’s kāve, is not pastoral or pretty. It’s 10th-12 century poetry made into a brutal digital assault – machine learning sound that cuts like a full-force buzz saw. And it’s fantastic.

This week only, Puremagnetik is giving away their beautiful Voculon 3000 – a “retro-futuristic” vocal machine that can bring you into some alternate timeline, at least for a little while.

The excellent Nadia Struiwigh has taken out time from her busy production and live touring schedule to break down how she works with Push 3 standalone and hardware. There are tons of great ideas here – and while we’re on the topic, here’s a useful hardware accessory for expanding Push 3 with more CV outputs.

Memorex, Sony, TDK — most of the names once associated with selling blank compact cassettes to consumers have since discontinued production. But one holdout still making tapes is Maxell – and their social media manager does not what you to forget it.

Several reports have confirmed steep layoffs this week at Moog Music’s Asheville, NC headquarters, shortly following an acquisition by InMusic (parent of Akai, Numark, Alesis, and others). Even in a tough year, these cuts are uniquely significant, as they strike at the brand story of the single best-known name in synths.