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.

Superbooth is back in the woods of Köpenick for the second time in under a year – an unmatched meeting point for synths, instruments, and music. Whether you join on CDM or (ideally) come in person in Berlin, here’s what to look forward to in May.

Arturia’s pint-sized weirdo is full of tricks. One of the best ways to get maximum freak-age is to make use of its multiple oscillator types, which is why this tip comes in especially handy.

NAP, the free and open-source live visualization toolkit, has an all-new look, powerful GPU computation capabilities, a Web portal … and it even runs on a Raspberry Pi. Your next installation is calling. Let’s check it out.

It’s about time – shuffled time. For all the beauty of quantized machine beats, what the world needs now is something that can shuffle and trip. And that’s just what this new teaser ahead of Superbooth promises.

There is a scene that now, more than ever, is decentralized. But that doesn’t mean simply “out of major hubs.” It can be people getting closer together over further distances. And so witness the new chapter of Exist, from Ramallah festival to events and connections elsewhere and this transcendental premiere release.

Music merger and acquisition season continues. The latest development is the addition of Brainworx and Plugin Alliance to the conglomeration of NI and iZotope. But there’s one important note you might have missed – and some software you should go download for free for the occasion.

For all the crises, Beirut’s international connections continue to grow. Next up is an extensive residency-exchange project, starting in Berlin this week and returning to Beirut later this month. And that’s an excuse to give you some music to check out.

Ableton has released another free Max for Live device. It’s cool, it can be useful, it’s free (if you have Live Suite or a Max for Live license). But it’s worth pausing to consider whether tuning solutions could be more.

Grains of Peace may be the essential addiction of this week. Wars are designed not only to produce physical harm but anxiety and hopelessness. From Kyiv comes a beacon of peace and calm – with a call to make a material difference for those fighting to end the war and protect Ukraine.