Breaking: cave-like reflections in Robert Henke’s free Lanzarote Verb

Surprise! We get a second free Robert Henke device for Ableton Live Suite, built in Max for Live. And this one is inspired by 60s techniques of Andy Moorer and Manfred Schroeder, and eminently hackable if you’re ready to dig into the patch. It’s “not exactly a realistic room simulation.”

Here’s Laurie Spiegel introducing Music Mouse in the 1980s

Eventide has posted a fantastic archival video in advance of their remake of Music Mouse. In this 1987 episode of Midnight Muse, composer and programmer Laurie Spiegel explains the software and takes call-in questions. “Even if we’re very good at the keyboard, sometimes we want our habits broken up,” she says, and “[this] allows you to push melodic lines around in space.”

Peter Kirn - February 16, 2026

Laurie Spiegel’s Music Mouse, the Mac’s first instrument, in Eventide reboot

It’s 1986. Laurie Spiegel creates something unlike any software available at the time — an “intelligent,” algorithmic composer you can play as an instrument, for Mac, Amiga, and Atari ST. You’re at NAMM, and it’s 2026. Surprising everyone, Eventide announces they’re working with Spiegel to bring the original software to modern computers, preserving a breakthrough moment in digital music making. The mouse is back.

Peter Kirn - January 25, 2026