I don’t think they’ve done it just to spite Peter and CDMu readers, but not 3 days after the “is it vapourware” conversation, Thinkgeek have unboxed the first step towards Optimus. It’s still not yet shipping, nor OSX or Linux compatible, and not really in the realm of truly useful gear ($169? How about a […]

It’s impossible to continue just to make music and ignore the serious threats to our security and the safety of passenger aviation. Tightened security has focused primarily on threats from the past, and reactive measures that can only prevent existing, known dangers. You know where I’m going with this: we need to evaluate screening methods […]

It doesn’t surprise me that so many discussions of technology have to do with tools rather than “art.” Odds are, you know what art you want to make — it’s the tools that may or may not help you get there. On that note, I want to point to an interesting chat I’ve been having […]

James Carey, games editor for the UK’s PC Format magazine, ripped the guts out of a toy guitar and built it into his very own USB guitar controller: Frets on Fire [PC Format Blog] Via The Guardian Gamesblog (Thanks to Guitar and Gaming Hero Chris from Pixelsumo) The results look fantastic: it’s an instant USB […]

Whether using your home MIDI gear and software or building an elaborate DIY MIDI project, better understanding MIDI is essential to getting the results you want. Many musicians are aware that the applications of MIDI aren’t limited to traditional musical implementations, but a broad range of creative DIY projects. Explaining what MIDI is, how it […]

Cycling ’74 has made the final version of Jitter 1.6 for Mac (and its corresponding SDK) available, concluding a public beta test. You can download the beefed-up new Jitter for Mac as a free update, provided you own Jitter 1.5. Intel Mac owners, this is the release you’ve been waiting for, with native support for […]

Everything’s coming up soundflowers over at Cycling ’74: Max/MSP/Jitter Free Upgrades, Now Universal: Max/MSP 4.6 and Jitter 1.6 are available as a free update for Max/MSP 4.5 and Jitter 1.5 users, respectively. (The beta is over; this is the final version.) In addition to various new features and fixes, the software is Mac Intel native. […]

People continue to pump out eye candy using the free Java-based tool Processing. This week’s example: a test of a new surfaces library for Processing: Go check out examples and download the library on the Processing boards. Via the German-language blog eskimoblood. And yes, this resembles more than a passing resemblance to Autechre’s Grantz Graf. […]

In addition to carrying cool stuff no one else does, like the Faderfox controllers for Ableton Live, San Francisco’s Robotspeak sells various circuit bent creations, like this mangled Teletubby: TinyFlaccid TubbyBox: LAla [Robotspeak] Modified from an interactive children’s toy, the Microsoft/ActiMates Interactive Teletubby LaLa, the bent LAla makes sounds everywhere you touch it, and cycles […]

If you’re finding massive soundware libraries to be a little overwhelming — on your hard drive, your brain, and your wallet — you’ll like the idea of the new expansion packs from Tone Research. The first two are 13MB downloads priced at US$4.99 each. They work with Live 5 and get bonus features from Live […]