sndstation will transform cheap gaming consoles into music handhelds

Cheap handheld gaming consoles now often pack surprising processing power. But many risk ending up as e-waste. A new open-source project is turning them into powerful Linux music workstations, instead, complete with the ability to run plug-ins—and original games, too. Oh, and the project has some familiar faces involved. Here’s an exclusive first look.

Pure Data (Pd) 0.57 inbound, enduring free software for tinkering with sound

Technology keeps asking us to speed up. Pd is happy to let you slow down: tinker, patch, make mistakes, obsess over a number or signal routing, and do it all visually. The free and open source software is getting a nice 0.57 update with new features, relevant to Pd and tools like libpd and plugdata that are based on it.

Peter Kirn - October 2, 2026

Audacity 4, free and open-source audio editor, arrives with a revamped UI

It’s been a long time coming. Audacity, the ubiquitous open-source audio editor now owned by Muse Group, reaches version 4 with a reworked UI and enhanced usability. Here’s a look at what’s new and a first run. And there is one fork to consider, too.

Peter Kirn - September 3, 2026

Open Steinberg: VST3 and ASIO SDKs now have open source licenses

Peter Kirn - October 29, 2025

plugdata 0.9.2 is huge update for this free sound exploration powerhouse

Peter Kirn - September 24, 2025

This site is promoting Linux plug-ins with resources for developers and users

Peter Kirn - May 4, 2025

Cat from Flow with Blender logo, cat floating in the water and staring forward Splash artwork: Flow © Dream Well Studio, Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five Image licensed under CC-BY-SA – https://flow.movie/

Free Blender 4.4 adds animation and video features, improves stability

Peter Kirn - March 21, 2025