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On 303 Day, acid bassline love abounds, and some freebies, too

Roland is fairly quiet on this 303 Day, but in the maelstrom of terrible news, it was a relief to see the Japanese music community out in force. This is what we really strive for: a world where we can just make bassline noises all day. Here are some highlights, and even some free Max for Live love if you need some acid therapy.

Sting 2.1 makes the most fun pattern, arp, acid maker even more funner

It’s the crazy-good acid maker, but more than that: Sting is fun for spinning all kinds of melodic and rhythmic patterns. (I’m constantly putting it on percussion tracks.) Now Iftah’s back with a Sting 2.1 update with new arpeggiator and pattern features. And it’s still pay-what-you-want / pay-what-you-can.

Peter Kirn - January 15, 2026

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Way more than acid: pay-if-you-can Sting 2 is instant inspiration

Sting 2, Iftah’s follow-up to the acid-generating Max for Live device, is packed with new features like accessibility and Push support. But that’s not the best way to describe it. It works on acid. It works on melodies. It works on percussion. You may wind up smiling as much as its UI is. Imagine a one-click source of pure joy.