Time-bending, granular-powered HyperWarp: hands-on, free pack

The granular engine in Baby Audio’s HyperWarp can bend time along graphical paths you create with curved and stepped drawing tools. The result: glitches, timbres, and grooves, rhythmic chops, sweeping pitch shifts, rich coloration, and stasis-leak madness when you want it. I’ve got a hands-on, plus a big CDM-exclusive bank of free patches.

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.

Peter Kirn - October 4, 2026

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

FLpad 8×8 grid comes to FL Studio — can you add a grid to a speedrun?

Peter Kirn - October 1, 2026

Agitate Ableton Live tempos, chop up YouTube slop, more with Oliver Torr

Peter Kirn - September 28, 2026

Resolume 7.28 uses vision to let you play with intelligent live effects and blends

Peter Kirn - September 25, 2026

Cook every day: read Suzanne Ciani’s 1976 Buchla Cookbook, for free

Peter Kirn - September 21, 2026

MOTU DP12 arrives, adding Dolby Atmos and more to a DAW classic

Peter Kirn - September 16, 2026

Elgato’s Stream Deck as a DAW companion; new Reaper controller

Peter Kirn - September 15, 2026