Music tech Software Tech
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.
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West Coast, with penguins: Aaltoverb on Linux; Aalto 2 coming soon
Madrona Labs’ patchable West Coast synth is one of the most playable, exploration-friendly, unique instruments around — a piece of software to last. And it comes with a reverb companion, now on Linux, too as a free demo you can beta-test. The big news: Aalto 2 is coming this fall for macOS, Windows — and Linux, too.
Peter Kirn - October 4, 2026
Music tech Software Tech
Pure Data (Pd) 0.57 inbound, enduring free software for tinkering with sound
Technology keeps asking us to speed up. Pd is happy to let you slow down: tinker, patch, make mistakes, obsess over a number or signal routing, and do it all visually. The free and open source software is getting a nice 0.57 update with new features, relevant to Pd and tools like libpd and plugdata that are based on it.
Peter Kirn - October 2, 2026
Music tech Software Tech
MOTU DP12 arrives, adding Dolby Atmos and more to a DAW classic
Peter Kirn - September 16, 2026
Music tech Software Tech
Elastic Melody now does bass and DFAM-style percussion, too (Mac, iOS)
Peter Kirn - September 2, 2026
Apps iOS Music tech Software Tech
Reason 14 arrives: Dark Mode, better Track workflow, RV-9 reverb, more
Peter Kirn - May 12, 2026
Music tech Reviews Software Tech
