Arturia’s new MiniFreak 49 synth is tactile, exploration-friendly: tested

It’s not just some extra keys or minor feature tweaks. Arturia’s MiniFreak 49 has evolved the range into a synthesizer you can freely explore just by playing, not programming. It’s a fusion of tactile experience and sound, right when we need that. Here’s a full hands-on test.

Oldest recorded voices, haunted dolls, and more from Tempest Instruments

New sound technologies? Sure, okay, I guess. But haunted dolls of the 1890s as made by Thomas Edison? Oh, now you’ve got my attention. So in case you haven’t discovered this before, Tempest Instruments, a “small team” led by TV/film and video game composer Alex Davis, has been collected strange sound ephemera of the 19th […]

Peter Kirn - September 22, 2026

Optical analog video feedback in a massive, rotating 4K machine

It’s digitally controlled optical goodness: a humble Teensy translates analog knob turns into control of 4K displays, all built into beautiful mahogany enclosures and giant cranks. The result: elegant, precise fractals blossom out of 4K displays by literally tweaking the knobs on the units. Behold, The Light Herder!

Peter Kirn - August 31, 2026

Handmade experimental synths and DIY from Argentina’s Los Aparatos

Peter Kirn - August 17, 2026

Listen to the analog BBD sounds of Morphor; Echon 6 poly is shipping

Peter Kirn - May 14, 2026

Buchla Ziggy: the complex oscillator gets a friendly standalone synth

Peter Kirn - May 5, 2026

Endless joys of the Open Reel Ensemble and reel-to-reel performance

Peter Kirn - March 2, 2026

From Tehran’s Bernisaun, dreams, cortisol reduction, and analog rituals

Peter Kirn - March 2, 2026

Modor DR-2 – a delicious, overlooked drum machine – adds trig conditions

Peter Kirn - February 6, 2026