Elastic OSC, Plaits-derived poly, is now a macOS and Windows plug-in, too

Elastic OSC expands on Émilie Gillet’s 24 original open-source Plaits oscillator models, adding 8-voice polyphony, expression (MPE), a modulation engine, and Elastic effects. And if that sounds like something you wish you had in your computer DAW and not just Android and iOS, now you’re in luck.

Rage with the machine: Pigments 7 with new filters, new FX, sound features

Bonkers new filters? A Play mode everyone will actually want to use? Yeah, December isn’t done with you yet, synth fans. Meet the new Pigments 7 with Rage, Ripple, and Reverb filters, Corroder effect, improved amplitude envelopes, FM modulation on the filter, and more.

Peter Kirn - December 16, 2025

Alien resurrection: Absynth 6 delivers a powerful update to a futuristic classic

Back in green: three years after Native Instruments announced its demise, Absynth 6 makes an unexpected return from the dead. What we get is not just a rerelease, but the biggest update for the polysynth in its history, with everything from new filters and engine enhancements to a new UI and MPE. Early review: this is a polysynth you need to explore all over again — or discover for the first time.

Peter Kirn - December 9, 2025

Cubase 15: Expression Maps, rich patterns, updated Modulators, plug-ins

Peter Kirn - November 5, 2025

West Coast dreaming: improvising with GForce MAP

Peter Kirn - October 31, 2025

GForce just made a West Coast, MPE-playable synth playground

Peter Kirn - October 28, 2025

Lush, warm Juno-style 6-voice for Ableton Live: Monomono Maya

Peter Kirn - July 25, 2025

GForce Halogen FM makes playing with frequencies fun all over again – review

Peter Kirn - June 24, 2025

Pigments 6: modal engine, vocoder, more expand this synth playground

Peter Kirn - January 28, 2025