teenage engineering op-xy added a drum synth, sound shaping, more

teenage engineering, the company that made news for slipping in an interview that it isn’t making new synths (maybe), might also make news for making its synths do new things. There’s an official (not hacked!) firmware update for the op-xy flagship, and it adds a new drum synth, multichannel audio, dynamic filter, and detune. The […]

Elektron is halting sharing of mods and hacks on its forums; official comments

Music gearmaker Elektron last week announced it would not allow sharing hacks and modifications for its devices on its official Elektronauts forum or social media channels. In a statement, the company says a sudden surge in firmware hacking, apparently driven at least in part by AI, helped motivate the decision. Here are the details.

Peter Kirn - September 23, 2026

1010music Bluebox 1.5 mixer module and desktop is your do-everything tool

There are all these extra things you need in hardware rigs or Eurorack modular. You need to mix stuff together — and then add effects, and it’d be great to record, and you do still need to connect to your computer. Bluebox 1.5 fills out that wishlist with details that could make this an absolute must-have module or device.

Peter Kirn - August 20, 2026

The TR-808 is getting an MSW open-source firmware and a Tubbutec mod

Peter Kirn - August 11, 2026

Akai’s pint-sized MPC Sample has already gotten a couple of updates

Peter Kirn - April 13, 2026

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

Peter Kirn - February 6, 2026

New, playful arpeggiator features for Sequential Take 5, Oberheim TEO-5

Peter Kirn - November 10, 2025

Two by two: microKORG2 2.0 splits, slices, rewards — and does Sinevibes

Peter Kirn - October 9, 2025

Torso S-4’s 2.0 OS makes it the performance sampler it wanted to be

Peter Kirn - June 18, 2025