As Polyend’s epic hit Tracker gains momentum, their gorgeous Medusa synth continues to mature – even as it reaches the end of its production life. A new FM engine, more playable options, and LFO sync make this a complete refresh – and a tastier companion to Tracker (or whatever your rig includes).

Make no mistake – music production is attracting investors. Just weeks after announcing it was acquiring a majority stake in Native Instruments, Francisco Partners now will create a parent company for both NI and iZotope, making two of the largest names in audio software “sister companies.”

Everybody could use something to look forward to these days, right? How about Flying Lotus plus African samurais, mechs, and magic?

Online festivals have often made us miss physical meetings even more, but Apotome at CTM Festival was a real bright spot of the past year. A long-running creation of composer/researcher Khyam Allami in collaboration with creative studio Counterpoint, it became a tool to explore and a platform for collaboration and expression.

Beatport DJ is a browser-based tool that combines finding music with mixing it right away. It is definitely where the company’s LINK subscription is going. And we’ve got a first look at the interface – plus what it might mean for anyone making and releasing music (and what’s missing so far).

It’s like something out of a William Gibson plotline. Nothing is headquartered in London and will make … something. And apart from tapping alumni of Apple, Twitch, Reddit, YouTube, and a CEO from OnePlus – they’re also bringing in Swedish designers Teenage Engineering.

You’ve seen some feature lists – and this time Ableton is even doing a 90-day free trial. But how do you actually dig into what’s new in Live 11 and start working? Here’s a deep guide to all the essentials.

Notch is the latest “it” real-time visual effects tool. So as motion maven Defasten produced a dazzling science fiction video for my latest release, I asked him to share how it all works. Enter the nodegraph.

How do you set the mood to concentrate, especially in times of distraction and anxiety? Adjust the light, open a window to allow some air flow? Here’s a unique set of sound design tools and music to match that accomplishes that with audio.

Forget what platform it’s on for a moment – a Friday is a perfect time to support independent DIY music production, by directly supporting the artist and downloading something that you can come back to again and again.