Peter Kirn

Boxcar averagers, used in vintage nuclear test equipment, inspired the latest creation from AI Synthesis. What you get is the AI250 BXR: it's an oscillator, a voltage generator, and an audio mangler all in one. And it's a pathway into DIY modules, even on tight budgets.

No, this is not one of the slew of weird new DAWs people just vibe-coded. Lost Robot spent 20,000 hours on this over several years, making a free, graphical DAW in secret. And from deep, sample-accurate performance to a wild, glowing Star Trek -but-it’s-real UI, this is first contact with some new alien software.

It’s been a long time coming. Audacity, the ubiquitous open-source audio editor now owned by Muse Group, reaches version 4 with a reworked UI and enhanced usability. Here’s a look at what’s new and a first run. And there is one fork to consider, too.

"U Get Me"? Yes. Out today, Friday, Loraine James' newest LP It’s Nothing Personal. is the kind of massive, glitchy percussive syncopation I would want to use to break in an excellent, brand new pair of trainers. Then comes deep bass, explosive rhythm, and heart-skipping vocals. ("Oi!")

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.

Ardour 9.8 continues the rapid development of this free and open-source DAW, with improved session recovery and clip recording, expanded support for controllers and hardware, and an arpeggiator MIDI tool. The 9.8 update also adds scales and keys, but with a twist: unlike competing software, scales/modes will soon be tuning-aware.

Now this is how to do generative melodies. Add expression. Get control with your hands. Make melodies accessible — including if you’re blind and visually impaired. Sting, the beloved maker of acid melodies and other patterns, is confined to Max for Live no more: now, it’s available as VST3, AU, CLAP / macOS, Windows, Linux.

Dirtywave M8 is already superb as hardware, whether you run their pre-made device or build your own “headless” rig. Now, it has its own official iOS app for iPhone and iPad, too, and it looks hot.

The best 909 Day reveal yesterday was this: on Saturday, Kevin Saunderson, techno originator and one of the Belleville Three, teaches a free workshop on the 909 with Roland (with Dustin Good). You can tune in online, and until tomorrow, there are in-person slots in Detroit, at Waajeed's Underground Music Academy.

It's Stem Ripper, and its expansion module accomplice, "With Mixer." Patch it up quick, record individual stems, and perform stereo mixing with aux sends, panning, and even external USB MIDI control. And fit it all in 6HP + 8HP, with clever Eurorack modules from ALM/Busy Circuits.