In Expressive E’s Noisy 2.6 synth, expression everywhere, MIDI to MPE

Expression control is integral design feature of each component of Noisy, in each building block of the sound. And now Noisy 2.6 vastly expands the software’s sound palette — just in time to make this a worthy companion to Expressive E’s own Osmose and Osmose CE.

Zebra 3 is here, a sprawling semi-modular plug-in that runs deep

What if an integrated plug-in instrument could rival even full-blown modulars? That’s the question posed by u-he’s Zebra 3, out now at long last for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It’s unlikely any other soft synth takes on just this much synthesis territory, or with this much depth. From spline-based morphing oscillators to physical modeling and […]

Peter Kirn - April 21, 2026

The best way to learn Bitwig Grid, Serum 2 is in Japanese from LOBOTIX

LOBOTIX is another reason to have hope in musical imagination. Even without speaking a word of Japanese, these are instantly some of my favorite tutorials. Here, these cover the spectral synthesis modes in Serum 2 and the modular capabilities of Bitwig Grid (and Vital and PhasePlant and more). And thanks to 2020s tech, we get her in the form of an anime character.

Peter Kirn - March 5, 2026

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

Peter Kirn - December 16, 2025

ZAVOLOKA’s high-protein live set on the new Waldorf synth is don’t-miss

Peter Kirn - December 11, 2025

Waldorf’s Protein: soul of Microwave in an 8-voice wavetable synth, €329

Peter Kirn - November 27, 2025

How Elizabeth Parker wove the score of 1984’s The Living Planet

Peter Kirn - August 28, 2025

A little-known Nintendo DS piano peripheral meets homebrew sound

Peter Kirn - July 31, 2025

The best of Universal Audio’s native plug-ins, in Spark or standalone

Peter Kirn - March 30, 2025