Roger Linn didn’t just develop the LinnStrument and then check out. He’s provided a steady stream of musical advice both of his own makings and from the device’s user community – all while being a driving force in MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE). The latest video is a must-watch addition to that ongoing series.

If what you crave is not so much a groovebox/sequencer as a synthesizer, behold the latest from Polyend. Simply dubbed Synth, it’s a 499 $/€ instrument packed with playable synth engines. And you could see it as the first dedicated synth instrument from the company since their original flagship Medusa.

It’s an FM/sample-based synth, sampler, drum machine, and connected music maker. And most noticeably, it sees Yamaha return to the kinds of fun design we associate with 80s Yamaha and Casio.

It’s a sequencer. It’s a generative music maker. It’s microtonal. It’s packed with synth engines and effects. But if other tools get you stuck in presets, this world-builder for Reaktor makes each preset and parameter a gateway to something creative and unexpected.

The music nerd cultural happening – modular pilgrimage is back, and with it… way too much gear to wrap your head around. Here are the not-to-miss picks and of course the exhaustive CDM monster guide.

You’ve got an iPhone or an iPad, and you want to control …. a Max patch, a live visual or VJ app, Unreal Engine, a live-coding synth in Tidal/SuperCollider. Finally, there’s a worthy, fresh option for making it happen – one that makes making layouts uncommonly easy.

It’s liberating – just take your phone or tablet, plug in a USB cable, and you can make music on this hardware synth anywhere. Here’s how to do that, with our MeeBlip geode, plus some tips on the best apps for both iOS and Android. Inspiration is a funny thing, and somehow in the process […]

Yamaha is the one giant name that has mostly shied away from revisiting its past synth glory – but all that could soon be set to change.

Bliptronic is powered by AudioKit and might remind you of some hardware from the last decade or so. If you can remember the Bliptronic 5000 that is

From the creators of the monome grid, there’s a teaser out now for a new standalone box that could replace the computer for various creative tasks – and that builds on the legendary mlr patch.