Scales among updates to the free Ardour DAW — with tuning on the way

Ardour 9.8 continues the rapid, detailed development of this free and open-source DAW, with improved session recovery and clip recording, expanded support for controllers and hardware, and an arpeggiator MIDI tool. The 9.8 update also adds scales and keys, but with a twist: unlike competing software, scales/modes will soon be tuning-aware.

Play together with Ableton Live, pt. 1: playing in tune

Feeling the need to make music making a little less solitary? In this multi-part series, we’ll be exploring some resources for adapting Ableton Live to playing with others — playing in tune, in sync, sharing ideas, and producing together. So let’s start as instrumental ensembles do: by tuning up.

Peter Kirn - March 31, 2026

4 channels of generative voltages with Noise Engineering Gamut Repetitor

Call it a Source of Sequences. Like the classic Buchla Source of Uncertainty, the Gamut Repetitor makes use of generative voltage and randomness. But it’s scaled and quantized for making triggers and voltages that you can generate continuously or loop – for far more than just chaos.

Peter Kirn - June 21, 2024

Ableton Live 12: a guide to everything that’s new

Peter Kirn - November 14, 2023

Sequential Take 5 polysynth v2 doubles up sounds, adds tuning and tweaking tools

Peter Kirn - April 7, 2023

Not in C: transform pitch with Scale-O-Mat for Ableton Live [M4L/Suite]

Peter Kirn - April 8, 2020

Grids in key, with Novation’s new Launchpad Pro scales

Peter Kirn - August 16, 2016

Maschine 2.2 Proves Playability Matters: Scales, Chords, Arp for Your Pads

- November 25, 2014