Unreal Engine 5.8 is a major audio release, despite Epic staffing cuts

Epic layoffs in March cut deep into the audio and music teams. But there’s hope that their work will live on in Unreal Engine and MetaSounds, via what is arguably the most innovative sound work built into any game engine. Unreal Engine 5.8, now in preview, features a bunch of powerful tools for working with sound, one of the biggest sound releases yet. Here’s a look at what’s in that roadmap.

Apple AirPods Max Spatial Audio mixing, “pro” uses, demystified

Apple now offers two USB-C models of the AirPods Max 2 that support live mixing with Spatial Audio. Are there production uses for Apple’s flagship consumer headphones? Let’s explain.

Peter Kirn - April 30, 2026

Bastl’s new Déjà vu is the 4HP module for when you need to fader stuff

This looks like a good case of what happens when a simple idea does a ton of stuff — the opposite of a unitasker. Two faders, but there’s attenuator, attenuverter, crossfader, preamp, line level booster, panner, mixer, and and and…

Peter Kirn - April 10, 2026