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

Ardour 9.8 continues the rapid, detailed development of this free and open-source DAW, with improved session recovery and clip recording, expanded support for controllers and hardware, and an arpeggiator MIDI tool. The 9.8 update also adds scales and keys, but with a twist: unlike competing software, scales/modes will soon be tuning-aware.

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

Suddenly, a bunch of the producers I follow are buzzing about the music-mangling possibilities of Septabee, a free DAW for Linux and Windows developed “in secret” over “20,000 hours.” And it looks like insane fun: a bonkers dataflow interface and “violently unfinished” early-access software available through an intentionally broken website that autoplays music and makes you hunt for the click zone like it’s 1994.

Peter Kirn - September 3, 2026

Renoise 3.5 is huge: phrase scripting, tuning support, splitter effect, more

Has that DAW grid got you down? Do you feel like you’re caught in the 1980s looking at a multitrack editor? Have your friends stopped talking to you because they want more breaks and intelligent rhythms so they can put those new sneakers to proper dancing use? Renoise is back with features like a phrase scripting engine powered by the new open-source pattrns (with Tidal notation support), full tuning support, sub-signal effects splitting, and more. $88 new. Holy mother of God, it’s nerd Christmas in July.

Peter Kirn - July 8, 2025

Rhizomatic Synestia, an otherworldly effect from Absynth, Plasmonic creator

Peter Kirn - December 13, 2024

Live 12 is here, including Performance Pack and new tuning site

Peter Kirn - March 5, 2024

Tuning, polyphonic expression: Black Corporation’s Roman Filippov

Roman Filippov - December 13, 2023

Microtuner for Ableton Live now supports Push standalone, Scala export

Peter Kirn - July 21, 2023

Pyr: A free 12-voice string model for Ableton Live with polyphonic pitch bend

Peter Kirn - April 6, 2023

What’s new in Arturia V-Collection 9.2: more performance, more compatibility, tuning

Peter Kirn - March 13, 2023