Look Out, MPC: Homestar Runner’s MixMastah 800, Free in Flash

Okay, Akai. You’re going to have to get on the ball, fast. Sure, the new MPCs have all kinds of sophisticated music production capabilities. But can they remix the sultry, animal call of The Cheat, or make the ladies swoon with a solo by Strongbad?* Onetwo, short video made with looping … uh … things […]

Star Wars, Performed by Electric Moog Orchestra on LP

We can’t truly celebrate the anniversary of Star Wars without a nod to the Electric Moog Orchestra’s rendition of the soundtrack, as observed by Matrixsynth. Unfortunately, this only exists on LP, and I imagine George Lucas would hurt us if we somehow got the thing online. That, and apparently — according to Matrixsynth commenters — […]

Musical, Audio Graffiti; Mobile Music and Crackleboxes

Graffiti with audio tape instead of paint. High-tech graffiti is all the rage these days. Alongside various forms of LED graffiti and “photonbombing” with non-intrusive video projections, some artists are moving to the medium of sound. It’s not quite the same as the geniuses risking their lives to tag subway cars and long-forgotten tunnels, and […]

Bizarre Retro Ads: CV Sequencer for Laundry

In that rare combination in which an ad campaign is both sexist and nonsensical, Dataton promotes the versatility of its 3301 Control Voltage sequencer by arguing you could hook it up to washing machines. (And we know how much women love doing laundry. Enough that they’d be interested in a CV sequencer. Because it’s not […]

Greatest Synths, and Most Underrated Synths, of All Time; Your Choices?

What synths make it to the top of the pile? The Minimoog and Korg MS20 are unlikely to spark any controversy. Beyond that, of course, any list will prompt debate. This enviable gear collection photographed by jo_co, via Flickr. “This Week in Synths” by Matrix is on a short holiday; in the meantime, you can […]

Virtual NIME Conference: Call for Entries!

CDM needs your help. The massive, international, annual New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) Conference is descending on New York City. That’s great. There are only two problems: 1) it’s too huge. 2) Most CDMers are not in New York. That’s where you come in. If you’re traveling to town to attend NIME, to present […]

energyXT2: Low-Cost Plug-in, Sequencer, DAW, for Windows and Now Linux

The $75 app energyXT2 starts out sounding similar to other music apps — but after a long list of twists, seems anything but. It’s a DAW. It’s a sequencer. It’s an audio multitracker. (Okay, not so interesting so far …) It’s a synth. It’s a sampler. It’s a drum machine. It’s a looper. It runs […]

Geek Gawking: An Opticon Podcast and a Plogue Maestro

Chris Randall of Analog Industries (and, of course, Audio Damage) is on a roll in his latest around the Interwebs roundup. Not to steal your post here, Chris, but on the off chance someone missed this, he nets both: 1. A podcast episode with music made entirely on the Optigan, Mattel’s bizarre “optical organ” of […]

Listeners Test New 256kbps iTunes Plus Tracks — Can You Taste Test the Difference?

Apple’s iTunes Plus is here, featuring higher-res files and no DRM. CDM reader Ryan Pollack points us to Slashdot, where readers are abuzz about a Maximum PC taste test shootout: “Maximum PC did double-blind testing with ten listeners in order to determine whether or not normal people could discern the quality difference between the new […]

Free U-NO-60 Windows Plug-in, Modeled on Roland JUNO 60

Okay, JUNO lovers: while we ponder why Roland won’t reissue some of its classic JUNO models, you can get your fix from some very responsive indie developers, at least on Windows. VST U-NO-60 from Togu Audio Line Before we get into the specific features of the plug-in itself, let’s talk about the features of the […]