CDM Create Digital Music

Disquiet’s Junto is community music making — now in its 750th edition

Peter Kirn — Fri, 15 May 2026 20:44:42 +0000

It's been running continuously, without a break, since 2012. Every Thursday morning, Disquiet's Marc Weidenbaum posts a call to a community for a new compositional assignment. And this week, the project reaches the 750th (!) week. That means a call for something epic.

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This free tool lets you create interactive, live graphic scores in Ableton Live

Peter Kirn — Fri, 15 May 2026 15:17:40 +0000

It might blur the line between VJ/animation tool and score generator. But SIGN/e lets you produce graphical scores that live inside an Ableton Live session, as abstract shapes appear and shift in time with the electronic music. And with the right players, it looks like a godsend -- free, provided you can run Max for Live.

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High schoolers can learn production at Eastman this summer: interview

Peter Kirn — Fri, 15 May 2026 11:19:35 +0000

If you're in high school, take note -- and if you're not, this may make you wish you were. Electronic music production gurus Dennis DeSantis and Erin Barra are hosting a week-long intensive at the storied Eastman School of Music. I wanted to know how Erin and Dennis would approach the program, so they've shared their ideas about music tools, creativity, and pedagogy with us.

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Bastl Instruments Kalimba, acoustic-digital hybrid, is already a megahit

Peter Kirn — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:11:37 +0000

The best of show at Superbooth 2026 is an easy pick. Bastl Kalimba, with its combination of acoustic and physical interaction with fluid digital synthesis and sensing, is a triumph of instrument design.

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Listen to the analog BBD sounds of Morphor; Echon 6 poly is shipping

Peter Kirn — Thu, 14 May 2026 09:51:43 +0000

You know what would be a crazy idea? Making a polysynth out of analog BBD (bucket brigade delay) chips. Well, Morphor has been doing just that with the polyphonic Echon 6, building on their work on modules like the ultra-lovely Plectrum. And it's worth just listening to the music flowing out of this device -- now shipping.

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Reason 14 RV-9 guide: it’s a reverb, a granular and spectral effect, more

Peter Kirn — Wed, 13 May 2026 19:48:44 +0000

Reason's RV-9 is a major addition to Reason 14, with algorithmic reverb, spectral and granular effects, and plate, spring, and reverb, plus a ton of extras from shimmer to patchability. Let's take a deep dive and learn how to get the most out of it.

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Reason 14 arrives: Dark Mode, better Track workflow, RV-9 reverb, more

Peter Kirn — Tue, 12 May 2026 11:21:22 +0000

Reason 14 is out of beta now, with faster workflows and a bunch of new effects packed into the new RV-9 Reverb Station, plus Dark Mode. I've been testing the beta for a few weeks now. Here's your snapshot guide to what's new and how to upgrade.

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Schreibmaschine’s colorful Eurorack creations now do paraddidles, too

Peter Kirn — Mon, 11 May 2026 09:00:41 +0000

Lavendel Kranz's lavender- and gold-colored Eurorack modules and eye-popping stand have long been a show favorite. But it's time to free up some space to bring these home, because two must-have modules are in stock and production is ramping up. That includes ingenious ideas like a Eurorack module that outputs paraddidles.

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Teenage Engineering K.O.-sidekick, a 2-channel performance-friendly mixer

Peter Kirn — Sun, 10 May 2026 11:33:20 +0000

Teenage Engineering's two-channel K.O.-sidekick is an answer to the question "what if a battle mixer, but for mobile gear, with live FX?" And that could make it an ideal companion to more than just the Teenage Engineering kit you see in the photos. €189/$179. First impressions:

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inMusic will acquire Native Instruments, as NI joins brands from Akai to Moog

Peter Kirn — Fri, 08 May 2026 10:00:23 +0000

inMusic Brands, the US-based owner of Akai, Moog, Denon, Numark, Rane, and M-Audio, announced today that it will acquire Native Instruments. That puts NI tools like Traktor and Kontakt under the inMusic umbrella along with Plugin Alliance, iZotope, and Brainworx.

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