Free Friday: GForce’s superb Axxess instrument is free until December

GForce has updated their site, branding, and pricing (now with both lifetime licenses and subscription options). And there are two freebies, time-limited through the end of November: a Mellotron M400 instrument, and the one I suspect most readers will be into, GForce’s take on the 1975 ARP Axxe synthesizer.

Arturia’s new MiniFreak 49 synth is tactile, exploration-friendly: tested

It’s not just some extra keys or minor feature tweaks. Arturia’s MiniFreak 49 has evolved the range into a synthesizer you can freely explore just by playing, not programming. It’s a fusion of tactile experience and sound, right when we need that. Here’s a full hands-on test.

Peter Kirn - October 20, 2026

Baby Roland is back: Boutique JUPITER-08, n/vision wavetable synths

The kawaii look of the mini Rolands in the Boutique series has returned. There’s one vintage remake — the JUPITER-08, this time with full polyphony and then some (up to 32 voices). And there’s something new: the n/vision wavetable synth.

Peter Kirn - October 20, 2026

teenage engineering op-xy added a drum synth, sound shaping, more

Peter Kirn - October 15, 2026

teenage engineering might quit synths, but parody can’t quit them

Peter Kirn - October 9, 2026

Watch what Herbie Hancock had to say about technology in 1984

Peter Kirn - October 6, 2026

West Coast, with penguins: Aaltoverb on Linux; Aalto 2 coming soon

Peter Kirn - October 4, 2026

Cook every day: read Suzanne Ciani’s 1976 Buchla Cookbook, for free

Peter Kirn - September 21, 2026

A patchable solar-powered synth with a speaker; birds, hot dogs, and more

Peter Kirn - September 2, 2026