2023 acquisition season continues. The latest is the complete acquisition of DJ vendor Serato Audio Research by AlphaTheta; AlphaTheta is best known for the Pioneer DJ brand.

VR music has quietly evolved from fringe experiment to serious, fun musical tool – and it’s done so entirely through one app, PatchWorld. Released publicly last summer, it’s gotten steadily more capable and reliable, including on Meta’s affordable Quest 2 headset and HTC’s VIVE. But most recently, on top of additions like Ableton Live integration, PatchXR has added a true killer app: multiplayer.

ALM / Busy Circuits has two brilliant-looking modules out today. One is a unity gain summing mixer that works with stereo signals. The other is a dual-channel preamp, EQ, and mixer with some 80s and 90s character inspired by the BOSS BX series.

One week ago, we were shocked by the sudden death of Odai Masri aka ODDZ. Odai’s work extended from his own musical voice to untiring, fearless leadership for Palestine, Palestinians, and humans around the world. That included not only founding Exist Festival and its fledgling label imprint, but acting as a constant champion for others.

Here’s a refreshing new take on software drum synth plug-ins: Capulet takes inspiration from machines like the classic Vermona DRM1 to deliver an instrument that overflows with character. And while there are tons of extras, they’re tucked into a clean, friendly interface for step sequencing and sound design.

Resolume keeps adding to their live visual / VJ / media tools Avenue, Arena, and Wire. Here’s the latest quick rundown:

While there are plenty of folks lamenting the increasing banality and regressiveness of commercial techno, Black artists and labels are quietly reimagining the genre. Just take these recent, massively underrated outings from Black Techno Matters, Black Catalogue, and yes, even under-the-radar new music from a Moroccan artist on the mighty Metroplex Records.

It’s not just the firmware you can mod on Korg’s ultra-low-priced NTS-1 effect/oscillator. You can also mod the hardware. Here are two Eurorack conversion kits, other custom cases, plus Korg’s own resources for your own DIY efforts.

Another holiday in the USA means another day of deals on music tech. Here are a few of the best discounts for stuff we like.

Take 6HP of Eurorack space, add MIDI in and out, USB MIDI, and 8 outputs – then have those outs do whatever you want. It’s Univer Inter, or “UI” for short – and crucially, it does have its own UI, via a powerful Web configuration tool.