Ableton Live 13 hands-on: ARA 2, Drum Synth, new effects, more

Ableton Live 13 is now in limited public beta. That includes a lot of what you’ve asked for, like multi-band Racks, overhauled preset navigation, and ARA 2 support for tools like Melodyne. And it’s packed with new goodies: a very Ableton step sequencer, a multi-engine Drum Synth with some nice twists, new effects, a new ambient looper, and more. Also, I know some of you will like this: no mention of AI. It’s like we just get to talk about music-making tools again.

Mixxx could unlock free and open standalone DJing — but, like, stable

Daniel Schürmann of the long-running libre/free DJ software project Mixxx has a compelling proposal for uniting efforts to develop their DJ software on embedded hardware, from emerging cheap “open” hardware to DIY projects. It could mean a chance for openness to have a moment — while avoiding the chaotic slop of countless separate forks and hacks.

Peter Kirn - November 3, 2026

Free Friday: D16 is turning 20 and they’ve got a new free stereo delay

Straight outta Katowice, our friends at D16 Audio Group are celebrating 20 years with an all-new stereo delay: Echolite. And don’t let the “lite” in the name deceive you: this all-new giveaway has some power beneath its simple UI.

Peter Kirn - October 23, 2026

Max 9.2: V8 FFTs, better Windows support, Ableton abl goodies, more

Peter Kirn - October 14, 2026

UA Volt Gen 2, Max: built-in dynamics and preamp tone, displays, more

Peter Kirn - October 13, 2026

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

Peter Kirn - October 2, 2026

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

Peter Kirn - September 28, 2026

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

Peter Kirn - September 28, 2026

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

Peter Kirn - September 21, 2026