Apple has come through with Intel-based MacBook laptops (replacing the iBook), and the bottom line is, they’re a terrific bargain. As a portable music machine, unless you prefer bigger screens, it’s hard to go wrong with these computers. The only big downsides: black costs you extra, and like the mini before them, the integrated graphics […]

Thomas Dolby’s blog continues to induce rabid gear lust. After drooling over Mr. Dolby’s live rig and repurposed vintage MIDI controller, we now get a glimpse at Johnny DeKam’s live video rig. (Kevin Johnsrude caught this one, and reminds us that “envy is one of the seven deadly sins.” Better keep that in mind.) Actually, […]

Thomas Dolby’s blog continues to induce rabid gear lust. After drooling over Mr. Dolby’s live rig and repurposed vintage MIDI controller, we now get a glimpse at Johnny DeKam’s live video rig. (Kevin Johnsrude caught this one, and reminds us that “envy is one of the seven deadly sins.” Better keep that in mind.) Actually, […]

Jesse Kriss, who created an interactive visualization on the history of sampling, is back with a new project that translates live turntable scratching into computer visuals: Visual Scratch At the heart of the system is the computer turntable control system Ms. Pinky, as seen here previously powering vibrating furniture and hiding out in tree trunks. […]

I don’t think I’d be inaccurate in thinking that this site’s readers tend to interact with more than one computer in their daily quest to do whatever they do. Just looking through the obligatory “What’s in your rig” forum thread turns up a lot of people who have a desktop and laptop, some who have […]

Want to share audio between applications easily on an Intel Mac? Now you can. JACK OS X, the superb open-source solution for routing audio between applications and computers on Mac OS X, is now a Universal binary for Intel/PowerPC Macs with today’s release of version 0.73. That means if you’re running an Intel Mac, you […]

Being an electronic musician is doubly challenging — on top of learning musical skills, the technology is basically an instrument to be learned. Regular CDM tipster Michael Weeks has put together what has to be the most condensed guide to synthesizer programming I’ve ever seen. Beginners, if you aren’t quite ready to dive into a […]

Okay, imagine the simplest possible multitrack audio tool. Drag and drop audio files from an integrated browser, and add envelopes. Now imagine this tool free and open-source: Gungirl Sequencer At version 0.3, so your mileage may vary, but could be a fun tool to have around — or the beginning of your very own audio […]

DIYers, ready to dive into multichannel and streaming audio? nSLAM is an open-source suite for creating your own streaming, multichannel audio applications. Sample apps (like the one shown below) and online help are included to get you started, and the “jimmies” low-level DSP objects have been broadly updated in this release for the geekiest audio […]