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.

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

Oliver Torr is disrupting your sound waves, mangling your Ableton Live tempo (alongside the awesome duo MIRA新伝統), and assembling drum kits out of AI-surfed YouTube chaos. The Glazmo Network founder has been doing deep research into “sonic mythologies,” and that includes two tools that are must-have for fans of uncertainty, glitch, and general inspiration. Plus, you should look into Oliver’s and Mira’s recent albums if you missed them.

Peter Kirn - September 28, 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

Nuclear test equipment inspired this new Eurorack module

Peter Kirn - September 2, 2026

Vintage Max patches revived: free downloads, Leafcutter John and Suren

Peter Kirn - July 31, 2026

Last call on these summer sales on gear and software

Peter Kirn - July 27, 2026

With audio and VST3 support, Isadora is now a complete interactive canvas

Peter Kirn - July 14, 2026

Turn Ableton Push 3 into a single expressive percussive surface, free

Peter Kirn - June 15, 2026

Free: 4ms VCV Rack ROMplers put gobs of drums under voltage control

Peter Kirn - May 19, 2026