VJ-U has posted a wonderful livecast on Operator 11 featuring the restoration of 3 Rutt-Etra raster analog video synthesizers. I was fortunate enough to be invited to check the machines out in person and have some time to try and help out. Mathew Schlanger and Benton C Bainbridge help explain the history and unique capability […]
Music
Jazz Szu-Ying Chen and Surgeon remind us why craft and art matter
Motion Music Reviews December 10, 2025
Windows Does Jack: Multi-App Audio on Mac, Linux, and Now PC
There’s something to be said for making connections in hardware studios: if you’ve got the cables, you can make it happen. In the world of the computer, it’s another story. The vision of Jack is to make routing audio between software as flexible. As the creators put it: Have you ever wanted to take the […]
Zoom H4 Mobile Recorder, In Action on NPR
Brad Linder, a freelance journalist, shared his Zoom H4 mobile battery pack hack at a recent coworking event in Brooklyn called Jelly. The idea of coworking is to get “virtual” electronic workers out of their apartments and in an environment where they can meet other people. “Lonely” I think is the wrong word, as many […]
Logic’s Environment Lives in Logic 8!
If you read CDM’s last ten blog posts backwards, you might discover the following: Paul is dead. The Environment is no longer in Logic Pro 8. Neither is true. Despite numerous rumors to the contrary, general speculation that it might go away as Apple refocuses on ease of use, and me misreading tech sheets and […]
Logic Express 8, Now US$199, Adds Pro Instruments
Apple has unveiled a new version of Logic Express to go along with its new Logic Studio. It’s a pretty capable program for the price, with the new, overhauled production interface, full-blown audio and MIDI editing and even notation, video playback and video scoring features, the new take management and comping features, mixing, and automation. […]
Logic Pro 8: New UI, MainStage, Soundtrack Pro, and No Dongle, $499
My inbox and IM queue is full today. After a long wait, rumors, and buzz, Logic Pro 8 is here. It’s a huge overhaul, from UI to features, but the big news for many will be the price: US$499 now buys you Logic Pro Studio, which now also includes Apple’s Soundtrack Pro audio editor. We’ll […]
Rax Rescued: Mac Virtual Instrument Rack Finds a New Home
Rax, the clever audio effect and instrument host for Mac, got a major update last year with performance rigs, custom visualizer support, and a slick UI designed by plasq. It’s an ideal tool for loading up some instruments and effects and playing on your Mac, especially if you want software that gets out of your […]
Wanted: NYC-Area DIY Music Hardware + Software, ASAP
A quick call to our New York readers: for various reasons, I’d like to know in advance some particular “featured projects” for the September 27 Handmade Music held by CDM + Etsy + Make. If you’re available and have something you can show, please contact me immediately.
We’re Nerdsters; 201 Kit Video; More Projects Wanted 9/27 NYC
Because hipsters love Theremin-y crutches. Okay, music fans: reach the very vanguard of geekiness, and you can become an entirely new demographic — the Nerdster. Or so says direct marketing guru Lauren Bell for DMNews, who much to my surprise reviewed the most recent CDM + Etsy + Make “Handmade Music night in Brooklyn”: Last […]
Music + Crafts Meet: Spins and Needles!
The crafting and DIY worlds are oddly divided, as are, too often, music making and hand-making other stuff. And with these divides comes a rather pronounced gender divide, as well. At the Maker Faire, the gender balance — while not fully split — was more than a little noticeable in the Craft and Make areas […]



