GEMA is a delay pedal effect-synth that rumbles like an earthquake, by Senyawa x Squaresolid

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.

Catch Berlin CTM Festival talks, music, and audiovisuals online, from anywhere

CTM Festival in Berlin remains one of the more adventurous international music festivals on the European scene – but in case you aren’t here to enjoy it, there are more ways than ever to take it in online, for free. Of course, I’m biased – things with three-letter acronyms the first of which is ‘C’ and the last of which is ‘M’ always warm my heart. (What do you mean, it’s confusing? Bah.)

Animistic technology: MusicMakers Hacklab CTM Festival flashback…

CTM Festival is here, rescheduled to May, so with it another collaborative performance laboratory – MusicMakers Hacklab. I find myself revisiting the ideas of former co-host Tad Ermitaño and “animistic technology,” perhaps now as essential a time as ever.

MOD Devices made a guitar synth you can actually play like a synth – so your guitar is the CV

It’s the sound and expression of a modular synth, but you can mix it with guitar sounds and play it with the guitar techniques you already know. Here’s the latest no-extra-cost addition to MOD Devices do-it-all mobile effects boxes.

EboSuite 2.0 hands-on: live video recording and more makes VJing feel native in Ableton Live

Ableton Live’s improvisatory clip- and device-based interface make the software feel like it could be as natural for visuals as it is for sound. But EboSuite 2.0’s plug-ins – some 54 of them – are the first that make the “V” side as complete as “A.”

Vangelis has died at 79, as the electronic music world mourns

The legendary Greek composer and electronic musician Vangelis Papathanassiou is the latest of a generation to leave us in 2022.

The Oberheim OB-X8 is a beast – here are more sounds from it, straight-up

The OB-X8 was live in action at Berlin’s Superbooth – one big highlight was getting to see Dave Smith, Marcus Ryle, and team. But more sounds are coming out, as well.

The best way to integrate Ableton Live and Eurorack modular – for any rig

It’s spring, it’s Superbooth – modular is in the air this May. So you’ve got your modular, and you’re an Ableton Live user – now’s a great time to revisit how to use the two together effectively.

MIDI Polyphonic Expression has been updated with one powerful feature: better documentation

At the beginning of May, The MIDI Association quietly announced MPE 1.1. What’s new? Absolutely nothing. It’s the same spec. So why the new version number? They listened to your questions, issues, and feedback, and made the whole document easier to read, understand, and implement. And that might be better than any new feature.

Dreadbox’s new 200€ Dysmetria kit is an insane amount of analog groove fun

My favorite thing from Superbooth, the one thing I’d pull out a wallet right away and get? It’s none other than Dreadbox’s utterly brutal-sounding, wildly fun analog semi-modular groove synth for Eurorack or desktop.