Search results for ""

Detroiters launch an Underground Music Academy; dig into the history and support their efforts

Legends Mad Mike and Wajeed have an idea to build support for communities of marginalized music makers – right in the heart of Detroit. That effort might have gotten upstaged by the election, so now is the perfect time to dig in – and recall some of Detroit’s own history.

Read more →

Big Sur and the new Macs look promising – but you’ll want to wait

No, you should not update to Big Sur right now. And yes, it is too early to judge M1 Apple Silicon-based Macs or even to ask if your favorite software is optimized yet. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t reason to be optimistic – if you can also be, you know, patient.

Read more →

Ableton Live 11 is coming; feature by feature, here’s what’s new in detail

Live 11 is coming. It may not seem radical at first, but it does three things enthusiasts may appreciate – it gives you stuff you asked for, it’s more creative to work with, and it’s got some serious nerd candy. Let’s take a look inside. Slow burn love There’s not much in this upgrade. Wait, […]

Read more →

norns, nerdy instrument as art, has a great new tracker app and a DIY option

norms from monome opens up an ecosystem of musical ideas. But if opening that door was out of your budget range, consider a DIY option – and marvel at what this can do with a terrific new app.

Read more →

Cherry’s CA2600 is a perfect ARP 2600 for $25 – here’s a tour

This could be the easiest and most inexpensive way to put the epic 1971 semi-modular synth in your rig. Cherry Audio has a killer ARP 2600 recreation – and it costs only US$25.

Read more →

Moog Werkstatt-01 is a $199 analog synth world to explore, hack, and patch

We may be unable to go anywhere this year, but the Moog synth class is coming to us. Moog’s Werkstatt-01 analog synth kit packs a ton of analog sound capabilities into a $199 package.

Read more →

Deep dive: Modulation and technique, patch notes with Moog Matriarch

Understanding modulation allows you to explore a new synth as an instrument. We invited artist Lars Hemmerling to patch Moog’s Matriarch – both as a showcase for what it can do, and to see techniques that can apply to electronic performance in the broader context.

Read more →

Deep dive: Master the Moog Matriarch – Guide

The Moog Matriarch is a unique encapsulation of Moog’s modular history in an instrument. Following up on our conversation with the engineers, here’s a guide to getting its capabilities underneath your fingers.

Read more →

From collaborative threads, a futuristic AV exquisite corpse and Beirut benefit

Xquisite Force began as what happens when an audiovisual thread is woven from collaborator to collaborator, exquisite corpse style. The resulting images and music have produced a stunning, futuristic compilation – and a benefit for Beirut.

Read more →

Teenage Engineering’s new product is an insane radio boom box with some surprises

Teenage Engineering has been teasing the OB-4 – sparking speculation that they might have a new instrument. Instead, we get a radio/boom box. But in typical Teenage fashion, it’s not quite what you’d expect.

Read more →