Find whole worlds inside samples: Baby Audio Grainferno deep dive

Per-grain processing, automatic pitch controls, drag-and-drop modulation, and audio-rate oscillations — Grainferno proves there are still unexplored frontiers in granular synthesis and hand-crafted DSP. It’s addictive to add the synth to projects, drag in sounds, and see what you can discover.

Making music on the TI graphing calculator — and a TI-inspired plug-in synth

Time to dust off that TI-82, TI-83, or TI-84. The graphic calculators that a lot of us used in school can become ingenious chip synths and even run trackers. And that translates to a surprisingly powerful graphing calculator-inspired synth — one that instantly became one of my favorite plug-ins.

Peter Kirn - March 6, 2026

Michigan Synth Works has an open-source 303 processor and a new kit

Call it the Bride of x0xb0x. Michigan Synth Works today teased a new, Arduino-compatible, open-source 303 processor, plus a full DIY kit. They’re both affordable ways to build your own all-analog, modern TB-303 with current components. And it feels like the early spirit of the open x0xb0x is back. The x0xb0x is the device that […]

Peter Kirn - March 3, 2026