Lucid slices, stretches, and scrubs sound like no other granular FX

Talking granular effects is like talking ice cream — it’s all about the different flavors. So look at what Minimal Audio has given us: Lucid is a pulsing purple granular multi-effect. And it’s capable of everything from bleeding-edge and ambient drones to animated, tempo-synced rhythmic sliced mayhem. It’s in control when you want it — rhythmically, and in key — and totally extreme when you want that, too.

otophon is a plug-in to play tones inside your head

This one’s for the heads, literally. Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are sounds produced by your ear, ghostly tones emitted from inside the cochlea itself. The phenomenon has been employed in experimental music (and medical applications), but it has been hard to explore on your own — until now.

Peter Kirn - August 14, 2026

VST is 30 years old, and Steinberg is giving away some of its earliest plugins

It’s the format that changed software music making forever: the VST plug-in format turns 30 this year. Steinberg is giving away updated versions of Neon, CS-40, Karlette, VB1, and LM7 — some of its earliest plug-ins — to celebrate. And that means you can run these vintage instruments (plus one tape delay) on your modern Mac or PC.

Peter Kirn - August 4, 2026

Remembering Kieran Foster; legendary Glitch2 effect now free

Peter Kirn - August 2, 2026

Impactor, Rupture 2 by Rawton Forge are perfect percussion synths for Live

Peter Kirn - July 31, 2026

Last call on these summer sales on gear and software

Peter Kirn - July 27, 2026

NI after NI: which brand is where, and who owns whom

Peter Kirn - July 17, 2026

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

Peter Kirn - July 14, 2026

EPROM built an instrument for Current: complete guide

Peter Kirn - July 8, 2026