Offbeat and daring music in games 2025 — most on sale now

For all the twin woes of the gaming and music worlds, last year saw even more imaginative explorations of music and games. Steam has extended sales on some items and third party sites have codes from a recent sale; Epic Game Store’s sale runs through January 8. And there’s a lot of winter ahead, so let’s dive in.

Eventide’s indispensable CrushStation overdrive/distortion is free right now

Eventide has quietly made their excellent H9 CrushStation free for a limited time, with code PIRATE100 — a $99 savings. I’m not sure how long it’ll last, but it’s worth grabbing and we’ve got some tips on mapping PS5 controllers to this and other Eventide plugs. Let’s get crushing.

Peter Kirn - August 11, 2025

Essential Ableton Live M4L: bounce MIDI, use gamepads, acid synth

It’s a hot Max for Live summer: here are three more don’t-miss tools for Max for Live for you. There’s a tool to bounce MIDI without the usual manual legwork. There’s a controller app that lets you play Live with gamepads. And there’s the synth follow-up to the blockbuster acid sequencer Sting! Let’s go:

Peter Kirn - August 5, 2025

Gamepad Control for Ableton Live unlocks gamepads for music

Peter Kirn - June 18, 2024

CDM Newswire

brings together the latest breaking news on music, technology, gear, and live visuals. Got a project, found a news tip, or want to share your product? Submit to us directly.

Submit to CDM NEWSWIRE