Beads, last of the Mutable Instruments modules, is now open source

Beads, the granular “texture synthesizer” that was Emilie Gillet’s follow-up to the legendary Clouds, is now fully open source. That completes the final missing piece in open-source code and free licensing for Mutable Instruments’ iconic and influential range of Eurorack modules.

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

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

In 1976, Suzanne Ciani reported back to the USA’s National Endowment for the Arts with a report on her compositions, in the form of a modular cookbook. Now you can read her notes and follow along using entirely free software, complete with sound examples. I love overusing the cookbook metaphor, maybe just because food is […]

Peter Kirn - September 21, 2026

MIDI Tape Recorder, precise capture, now standalone for macOS, iOS

Peter Kirn - August 31, 2026

The TR-808 is getting an MSW open-source firmware and a Tubbutec mod

Peter Kirn - August 11, 2026

The PlayStation Vita just got a new sampling groovebox and synth

Peter Kirn - August 6, 2026

The delicate, tiny sound machines in the world of Kuro Kasetto

Peter Kirn - July 24, 2026

Pac-Man, Befaco RANDOM8, and more free modules of VCV Rack

Peter Kirn - June 18, 2026

With Latent Terrain, crack open AI and explore neural synthesis in Max

Peter Kirn - June 17, 2026