In an epic year for Epic, November does it again. Unreal Fest 2022 brought a bunch of sessions on the latest from Unreal Engine, from sound to visuals. And it’s worth making sure that doesn’t fly under the radar of creative musicians, composers, and visualists, especially because there are some updates in their unique audio engine, too.

SoundCloud CEO Michael Weissman indicated today the company was set to cut 20% of its workforce, apparently across all offices.

Return to the days of MIDI-controlled LaserDisc players – Mark Coniglio, creator of Isadora, walks through this history of the work of Troika Ranch. It’s an incredible microcosm of where dance tech has come for – but you can do stuff today with Isadora, too, like finding a use for that Nintendo Wiimote.

From Yogyakarta, Indonesia comes a glitchy, powerful delay effect unlike any other. It’s a stompbox with an earthquake setting. And it’s a special collaboration – between Yogya’s engineer of sound and mayhem Andreas Siagian aka squaresolid and instrument builder and musician Wukir Suryadi of the band Senyawa.

Peope are finding new, organic inputs for synthesizers – the patterns of leaves, humidity and climate, and even electricity pulsing through your friendly neighborhood plants. It might be just the kind of Earth connection you need right now.

For the year 2022, it’s remarkable how much visual generation is still based on decades-old algorithms. But here’s one to watch – voraciously experimental media artist Robert Henke is into noise as his next jam. That makes it a perfect time to revisit some of the ubiquitous stuff that came before.

Creative visual software doesn’t get as much action in Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales – but don’t tune out, because it’s the only week of the year some major VJ tools get discounted. It’s a good thing, too, because with more global lockdowns looming, Earth needs visuals. Resolume is the biggest story here, with […]

The democratization of visual effects continues at a stunning pace, with or without acquisitions. But it’s hard to beat this example – an Academy Award-winning visual effects studio is now in the hands of a game engine.

If Apple and PC makers aren’t inspiring you, there’s always teenage engineering. The Swedish maker of synths, sound gear, and electronics are now offering up their own custom PC case – orange, aluminum, with carry-handle, for mini-ITX and dual-slot GPU. It could be the start of someone’s killer portable music/gaming/VJ rig.

You haven’t hit peak 90s until you’ve got a rave-y techno project with the track “Welcome To My Mind,” tons of vintage CGI, scores for Mortal Kombat and Halo predecessor Marathon, and an acquisition by Thomas Dolby’s Internet audio startup. Let’s take a moment and revisit Psykosonik and Power of Seven.