Music tech Software Tech
OB-Xf, free and open-source Oberheim-inspired synth, is now in beta
Here’s a good way to start 2026: the folks at Surge Synth Team now have their free and open-source OB-Xf synth in beta status in nightlies, with 1.0 just around the corner. And that means this long-running project is just about ready for primetime, bringing a fully open instrument inspired by the 1979 Oberheim OB-X. […]
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A free emulator of Roland JP-8000 and the love of supersaws and trance
Digital preservation is the new challenge for synths, just as it is in areas like games. And the Roland JP-8000 got a big leg up with a free and open source release from The Usual Suspects available this month, the JE8086. It’s one of several recent emulations, so let’s talk about why the 1998 synth […]
Peter Kirn - December 30, 2025
Gear Music tech Software Tech
Airwindows VerbThic, VerbTiny let you go even more rabid for reverb, for free
Chris Johnson, aka Airwindows, continues to share his love for DSP with free tools, open source code, and elaborate discussions of the joy of crafting reverbs. So just in case you don’t feel blessed enough with free effects after SuperMassive’s new Sirius reverb/delay, here’s the tiny and the thick in all-new Airwindows editions. And they’ll even run in VCV Rack or on a Raspberry Pi.
Peter Kirn - December 3, 2025
Music tech Reviews Software Tech
Free Envion Deepscan turns your hard drive’s lost files into a soundscape
Peter Kirn - October 29, 2025
DIY + Unusual Music tech Software Tech
Open Steinberg: VST3 and ASIO SDKs now have open source licenses
Peter Kirn - October 29, 2025
Motion Music tech Software Tech
Envion: a free, open, algorithmic drum composition environment in Pd
Peter Kirn - October 24, 2025
DIY + Unusual Music tech Software Tech
NAP, free visual and media framework, now dazzles anywhere
Peter Kirn - October 23, 2025
DIY + Unusual Motion Software Tech
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