Throng, a 3D BlueSky interface, imagines social media as a mob

You’re just relaxing by a peaceful campfire. You hear voices in the distance. Then, like a really chatty zombie invasion… they come. And keep coming. It’s a 3D user interface for BlueSky, but it says something poetic — and hilarious — about the absurdity of social media.

Test what you’re hearing, scientifically: free ABX testing website

Can you really tell the difference between encoding methods? Two different kick drum emulations? 16-bit versus 24-bit? These aren’t subjective questions: you can actually test them–with science. (Science!) Here’s a site that lets you create your own ABX tests, or try some pre-built ones. Argue about other stuff instead!

Peter Kirn - August 24, 2026

Digital Arabic Maqām Archive and open-source MIDI plug-in now available

Khyam Allami presented his long-term research project in Beirut yesterday, and it’s an exciting one. Hundreds of tuning systems, ajnās, and maqāmāt are now in a free, open archive, and there’s a free MIDI plug-in that lets you apply tunings (and tweak them by ear) across all major software tuning formats.

Peter Kirn - July 22, 2026

Ableton quietly launched Learn, powered by the engine from Note, Move

Peter Kirn - July 7, 2026

Francisco Partners exits Muse Group (Audacity, Hal Leonard, MuseScore)

Peter Kirn - June 3, 2026

Pikimov, free motion and video app, now $6 standalone for Mac and Windows

Peter Kirn - March 16, 2026

SonicSketch DAW interface with audio controls, post-processing for image, and audio effects. In the center, the Indaw Anticline visualized seismic data, with a waveform puck in red moving across a teal path through the black and white image.

Live out your Xenakis fantasies, free in your browser, with SonicSketch

Peter Kirn - February 9, 2026

Pikimov, free Web visual tool, now has a classic editor for video editing

Peter Kirn - February 4, 2026

ANIMEVOX by castpixel is a free retro anime-style sound fx generator

Peter Kirn - January 18, 2026