CDM Create Digital Music

MIDI Tape Recorder, precise capture, now standalone for macOS, iOS

Peter Kirn — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 17:58:27 +0000

Geert Bevin's terrific MIDI Tape Recorder precisely captures MIDI performances, including MPE, verbatim -- not the slightest variation in sound. v2.0 adds a host of new features, plus a standalone version alongside the existing AUv3 plug-in. It's low-level, direct CoreMIDI capture of what you played, exactly as you played it, with every expression intact. And it's and open source.

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Optical analog video feedback in a massive, rotating 4K machine

Peter Kirn — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 17:29:33 +0000

It's digitally controlled optical goodness: a humble Teensy translates analog knob turns into control of 4K displays, all built into beautiful mahogany enclosures and giant cranks. The result: elegant, precise fractals blossom out of 4K displays by literally tweaking the knobs on the units. Behold, The Light Herder!

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End-of-summer sales on gear and software

Peter Kirn — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:46:30 +0000

US Labor Day looms. Summer days are waning. Sales are expanding. I am ... barely awake because of ragweed/ambrosia pollen. It must be that time of year. Let me refocus my mind by sharing these sales with you quickly.

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Playing KORG’s phase8, acoustic synth, with videos (mine and others)

Peter Kirn — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 20:17:48 +0000

KORG's phase8, engineered by the skunkworks office in Berlin, has found some visibility. But what does it mean as an actual electroacoustic instrument? What's it like to play? My Lemonade Stand video from Superbooth is out, along with others, so I thought I'd do some reflection

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Lucinate video synth animates and live-codes visuals on Mac and iOS

Peter Kirn — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:44:10 +0000

From the makers of the utterly indispensable iPad app AUM (among other things), Lucinate is a real-time visual environment for macOS and iOS, based on Apple's Metal technology. You can approach this as a ready-to-play, Ableton Link and Link Audio-enabled video synth. And when you want to hack or make your own shaders, you can live-code those, too.

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Reason now offers 15 Reason devices, plus Rack Extensions access, for free

Peter Kirn — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:01:52 +0000

Reason Free brings some of the best of Reason to your DAW of choice, totally free. That includes instruments like the excellent Europa synth, effects like Audiomatic and Scream 4, and more. And there's especially good news for the Rack Extensions ecosystem: the full marketplace of third-party add-ons will run in the free plug-in, too.

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Dennis DeSantis on Eastman’s new degree; electronic music as instrument

Peter Kirn — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:10:05 +0000

Dennis DeSantis is known by a wide swath of the music production community as a face of education at Ableton, including the Making Music book. His new role is at the Eastman School of Music, where he's helming their new BM in Music Creation and Technology. Let's talk to Dennis about that program, and more broadly, how to think about music technology and education.

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The Soft Pink remembers — and more Dolly Parton

Peter Kirn — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 14:25:06 +0000

Now, we've lost Dolly Parton, which is a wake-up call to stand up for the values she stood up for—in music and in life.

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Ableton Note 2.1 for iOS update is subtle, but it can change how you work

Peter Kirn — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 10:00:18 +0000

Note 2.1, the iPad and iPhone app from Ableton, might not strike you as a big update. But new ways of working with Clips, Warp Markers, and a refined UI (Landscape Mode!) can make Note way more usable.

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

Peter Kirn — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:27:40 +0000

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!

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