New, free TechAudioTools lets you get serious with Unreal’s MetaSounds

MetaSounds is a powerful platform for sound, synthesis, and procedural audio and music. And the price is right (free). But in the past, it had some gaps in out-of-the-box functionality. Epic has quietly released TechAudioTools Content, a bunch of free editor tools and widgets that anyone interested in Unreal or MetaSounds should go grab right this second. It’s always the little things.

Absynth creator Brian Clevinger on synths, emotions, and “weird-ass ideas”

We have updated hardware classics, so why not software? Absynth’s original creator, Brian Clevinger, weighs in on what motivates his instrument creations and what strikes emotional resonance. From Native Instruments, Hannah Lockwood joins to talk about the user interface and the collaboration.

Peter Kirn - December 9, 2025

Audacity 4: a glimpse of a new, more modern UI for the free audio editor

Audacity always had some appealing features, not least of which being free and open source. But a glimpse inside the design work being done on Audacity 4 suggests it could become something else: a slick, efficient wave editor that just happens to be free. This UI breakdown will be of interest to anyone pondering UI/UX in creative tools.

Peter Kirn - October 6, 2025