Madrona Labs’ plug-ins are now all M1-M2 Apple Silicon native

A big drop for owners of Macs with Apple Silicon: Madrona Labs has updated their innovative plug-ins as Universal Binaries. The developer reports a 30%+ boost in voice count compared to the Rosetta 2 Intel versions.

Smode, the all-in-one live show visual designer, gets a big update, Unreal grant – in videos

Smode is a powerful real-time compositing tool built for stage, projection mapping, and live use. That sounds out of reach, but designer licenses start at 60€ – and oh yeah, keep an eye out for Unreal Engine integration.

KORG SQ-64 poly sequencer now on $199.99 fire sale in USA, and discounted worldwide

KORG is again moving a big volume of gear through Reverb.com on a steep discount, with the SQ-64 polyphonic sequencer at US$199.99 (40% off).

After Later’s modules impress: a complex oscillator line, new takes on Mutable Instruments

Module makers Lenny and Clarissa are making a name for their After Later Audio line. Up for fall: all the best bits of a complex oscillator made more modular, and a growing line of reboots of now-discontinued Mutable Instruments modules.

Niche no more – Dials by AudioThing, Hainbach proves test equipment models can be essential

Amidst a sea of plug-ins modeling the same gear, Dials not only breaks from the pack but proves Hainbach’s beloved device collection serves everyday tasks, too. It’s a chance to rethink approaches to dynamics processing, saturation, filtering, and even what you want out of a channel strip – through the mirror of the distant past.

These are the voices of resistance: interviews from Iran, female-nonbinary radio takeover

As people take to the streets of Iran and Kurdistan shouting “Women, Life, Freedom!”, Iranian music artists are raising their voices, too. With a two-day takeover of Radio Alhara by Iranian female and non-binary artists, artists inside the country speak to us about this moment and its connection to a long history of resistance.

That time the band Journey made an Atari 2600 game

As Atari celebrates its 50th year, why not recall the pinnacle of gameplay that was “Journey: Escape” – the vivid Atari 2600 title to match the band.

Ableton Live 11.2 is out of beta – here’s what’s new, at a glance

Change the color of that launch screen. Live 11.2 is now official and out of beta. Let’s review what’s new, apart from the anticipated refresh to Reverb.

Befaco’s new Pony wavefolding oscillator module: funky modulations, rich timbres

The modular world this month pivots to Befaco’s hometown Barcelona, and they were ready to host the home game. Pony is a stable, “through zero” oscillator with wavefolding, and it looks seriously feisty both as VCO and LFO.

Acid Hit generates 30-second 303 tunes in your browser

The latest browser-tab antidote to bad news – treat yourself to 30 seconds of acid with some trippy animation.