West Coast, with penguins: Aaltoverb on Linux; Aalto 2 coming soon

Madrona Labs’ patchable West Coast synth is one of the most playable, exploration-friendly, unique instruments around — a piece of software to last. And it comes with a reverb companion, now on Linux, too as a free demo you can beta-test. The big news: Aalto 2 is coming this fall for macOS, Windows — and Linux, too.

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

Mortal FM Kombat: Plogue’s meticulous OPMZ Yamaha emulation totally slaps

We’re awash with emulations at the moment, but this one is on another level. The chip that powered everything from Yamaha’s little-known CX5M computer to the best 80s FM synths and video game masterpieces gets a long-awaited (unofficial) rendition on your computer, and it’s just about perfect — both as a instrument plug-in and an ultra-authentic player for classic games. And where this emulation started was physical, not virtual: a workbench, vintage gear and documentation, research, and physical labor.

Peter Kirn - September 28, 2026

Virtual rendering of the Sting UI with knobs, piano roll view, and smiley face, angled next to a Novation Launchpad controller with light-up grid.

Eminently controllable, accessible by design, Sting is now a plug-in

Peter Kirn - September 8, 2026

Scales among updates to the free Ardour DAW — with tuning on the way

Peter Kirn - September 7, 2026

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

Peter Kirn - September 3, 2026

Septabee, an insane-looking free Linux/Windows DAW with pomegranates

Peter Kirn - September 3, 2026

Push Hack, very unauthorized access to Push 3’s display, files, MIDI, and more

Peter Kirn - August 3, 2026

Digital Arabic Maqām Archive and open-source MIDI plug-in now available

Peter Kirn - July 22, 2026