Ableton has announced Live 12 today, with new tools for creating sounds, exploring musical ideas, and playing with the software as an instrument.

Soundtoys is again giving away their superb Little Plate reverb plug-in – normally $99 – through December 1. It’s a model of the vintage EMT 140 but with extras like infinite Decay Time, a Mod switch, and an adjustable lowpass filter.

There are some big deals through October 31 – and happy Halloween. That includes the last call on Universal Audio’s beautiful LA-2A tube compressor plug-in and a ton of discounts over at Perfect Circuit (with Eurorack, drum machines, and more).

To see what’s in store for the audiovisual / generative-interactive 3D powerhouse TouchDesigner, look at the bleeding-edge “experimental” build release notes. And there’s a ton here – just a few highlights:

Roland has been steadily overhauling their plug-in range, but this one you shouldn’t miss. The 1983 JX-3P was always an overlooked gem – think a JUNO with two oscillators, cross-mod, and more pitch modulation. But now Roland finally nails their software recreation by improving the sound and adding a simulation of the PG-200 programmer for hands-on control.

It’s the lunchtime juice box of samplers – and an answer to the complexity of both hardware and software without sacrificing power. We’ve gotten our hands on this one; let’s have a look.

If you like your effects with a heaping side serving of envelopes and modulation, MOTIONS is for you. Triggers and dynamics, texturizers and distortion, filters and panning, and a whole lot of tools for creating shapes and rhythms combine in a semi-modular multi-effects that just won’t sit still. But – that doesn’t mean you can’t use it for precise and subtle effects or skip the over-the-top stuff. Let’s explain.

Synplant 2: it’s still leafy and organic – just more so. Now it has AI-powered sonic analysis and generation which – can sound completely glitchy and unexpected. It has a DNA view full of parameters. It’s weirder than ever, from top to bottom. So here are some more insights from Magnus Lidström about how the original 2009 Synplant led to 2023’s Synplant-further-out follow-up.

Communities inside and outside Morocco are still reeling from the earthquake last month. Berlin-based art Artist Znzl, whose name literally means “earthquake,” has pulled together threads across international lines and genres, techno to industrial to ambient, for a gorgeous and moving charity compilation. It’s a musical message you won’t want to miss – plus, crucially, direct giving resources here for those who can. And we have a premiere by artist Maze DK from the compilation.

With Ableton Push 3, Max for Live effects, instruments, sequencers, and other tools can work on standalone hardware – even without your computer. So it’s a perfect time to look at how Max for Live devices can work without a computer display – and, by the way, that’s just as useful on Push and Push 2, as well. Here’s what you need to know, as a user, a first-time patcher, or an experienced developer.