Make step-sequenced mayhem in this free plug-in – by dragging baby aliens around

Witchpig’s Alien Step Mutha is a free step-sequenced multi-effects plug-in. But in addition to controls like impact, destroy, and subsonic/hypersonic, you’ll tweak settings by dragging little aliens around and summoning sequences from their mum.

The 1990s Amiga with Video Toaster has a VFX cool factor that endures today

Todd Rundgren, Babylon 5, The X-Files, SeaQuest DSV, and even those demo videos – NewTek’s Video Toaster has plenty of 90s nostalgia behind it. But it also demonstrates workflow features in switching, titling, and animation that could easily inspire streamers today.

Microtuner for Ableton Live now supports Push standalone, Scala export

Ableton has been updating a lot of its Max for Live Devices this summer, including CV Tools and now Microtuner. Compatibility with standalone mode on the new Push is a must, of course, but there are enhancements for everyone, too.

A synth built around sonic exploration: Elmyra2, desktop and Eurorack

It’s the launch day for Neutral Labs’ Elmyra2, a hybrid digital-analog “platform for microtonal sonic exploration.” From experimental sounds and timbral play to ambient soundscapes and drones, this one looks promising. (And yes, it’s a sequel, though going way beyond the original.) This is a rich synth platform, 4-voice digital-analog hybrid with 31 modulation targets, […]

Imagine, Expressive E’s physical – synth hybrid, now has M1/M2 support and more sounds

It’s been a big year for Expressive E as their Osmose flagship hardware takes off. But they’ve got strong offerings on the software side, too – and now their Imagine software instrument adds Apple Silicon support and expanded sound capabilities. Imagine is a unique one, combining instrumental layers that model acoustic properties with a complete […]

2020 is the insane, single-window beat machine from the future – and it’s landed on macOS

Japanese electronic musician Yotaro Shuto has created a single-window, patchable, semi-modular beat machine packs an insane amount of functionality. And after a successful crowdfunding campaign, it’s now available on the Mac App Store. Yotaro Shuto is half of the duo DUB-Russell, and 2020 looks and feels like a toybox built by someone who makes electronic […]

In Phantasmagoria of Jathilan, enter the trance of a horse dance

Handmade instruments and electronic rhythms weave together with bone-chillingly moving vocals in the latest epic from Raja Kirk. This is serious anticolonial music: Jathilan recalls the horses enlisted in the fight against Dutch colonial forces, during a war that tore early 19th century Javanese society apart.

cables.gl, free patchable visuals in the browser, gets new features and tutorials

It’s free. It’s patchable / node-based. It’s low-code – but you can hack those shaders where you want. It’s cables.gl, and it’s been getting steady updates and a ton of new tutorials, now in EspaƱol alongside the English (and as we learn to speak shader). Perfect for tweaking, understanding graphics, and making your next hit music video.

TouchOSC controller does iOS, Android, desktop, gamepads – and keeps getting better

Same as it ever was: if you want a touch controller, or a mobile controller of your own design, the easy default answer is simple. It’s TouchOSC. And today’s little bump-update is a good time to talk about it again.

Sonic Bloom has a pack of presets for the new Ableton Live Drift synth

Ableton’s Drift synth continues to earn some love, especially as it’s included in all versions of Live 11. Sonic Bloom has a 64 preset pack for this one, plus a free 10 preset pack – and continues to release new Live Themes, too.