Peter Kirn
@pkirn.bsky.social
Music and music technology journalist, composer and electronic artist/dj. I make cdm.link, work on the meeblip.com synth, and cover creative technologies. Activist. Lebanese-American background, came from Kentucky, now in Berlin.
Never too many sequenced effects. Exploring the joys of Mario Nieto's Novagrid... @isotonikstudios.bsky.social
cdm.link/novagrid-seq...
cdm.link/novagrid-seq...
February 11, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Never too many sequenced effects. Exploring the joys of Mario Nieto's Novagrid... @isotonikstudios.bsky.social
cdm.link/novagrid-seq...
cdm.link/novagrid-seq...
Deeply affecting ambient album inbound -- and a portal to Lia Ouyang Rusli's stunning output both as film composer and with her OHYUNG project.
@transmusicarchive.bsky.social continues their essential imprint -- and vinyl purchases benefit the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund.
@transmusicarchive.bsky.social continues their essential imprint -- and vinyl purchases benefit the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund.
OHYUNG's IOWA on Trans Music Archive is as powerful as a glacier - CDM Create Digital Music
Take a moment for the arresting stillness of "all dolls go to heaven." IOWA, the full-length opus by film composer Lia Ouyang Rusli ("OHYUNG"), hits you deep in the gut. The first 2026 release by must...
cdm.link
February 11, 2026 at 12:59 PM
Deeply affecting ambient album inbound -- and a portal to Lia Ouyang Rusli's stunning output both as film composer and with her OHYUNG project.
@transmusicarchive.bsky.social continues their essential imprint -- and vinyl purchases benefit the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund.
@transmusicarchive.bsky.social continues their essential imprint -- and vinyl purchases benefit the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund.
Missed this one, but it's great! Eurorack - visual sync! (if you're curious for more on this, I can try and do a little roundup...)
Introduction to syncing visuals in VDMX with Eurorack clocks, featuring the infamous Pamela's Pro Workout! #Eurorack
VDMX Eurorack Clock Sync Tutorial with the Pamela's Pro Workout — VDMX - MAC VJ SOFTWARE
When working with Eurorack systems alongside VDMX, a particularly useful technique is to synchronize the clock timing between the systems using MIDI. In this tutorial we will be looking at two differe...
vdmx.vidvox.net
February 11, 2026 at 10:27 AM
Missed this one, but it's great! Eurorack - visual sync! (if you're curious for more on this, I can try and do a little roundup...)
Move 2.0 may have gotten less attention, but this is big: Audio Tracks for live audio processing and some warping, too. That's in addition to Link Audio, Erosion, and Pitch Shifter. Move owners can try this beta just by connecting to a computer.
More:
More:
Move 2.0 adds Audio Tracks with clip warping, live processing; more - CDM Create Digital Music
If you’ve got an Ableton Move, you can take advantage of its public beta today, too, just by connecting Move to your computer. And this is a huge release: in addition to other new functionality, Audio...
cdm.link
February 10, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Move 2.0 may have gotten less attention, but this is big: Audio Tracks for live audio processing and some warping, too. That's in addition to Link Audio, Erosion, and Pitch Shifter. Move owners can try this beta just by connecting to a computer.
More:
More:
I think even Ableton may not realize how excited people will be about Erosion. Literally, some FL users say people switched to Live just for this effect. And that's not that you can't recreate it -- it's this soul of the software. (see how people responded to Absynth!)
February 10, 2026 at 10:28 AM
I think even Ableton may not realize how excited people will be about Erosion. Literally, some FL users say people switched to Live just for this effect. And that's not that you can't recreate it -- it's this soul of the software. (see how people responded to Absynth!)
Ableton Live 12.4 is in public beta. So let's dive in -- what Link Audio is about and why you might want it, every major new feature in detail, and an exhaustive look at the updates to Erosion, Delay, and Chorus-Ensemble for sound designers.
Here's your beta testing guide:
Here's your beta testing guide:
Ableton Live 12.4 adds Link Audio, updated effects, more: hands-on details - CDM Create Digital Music
Ableton Live 12.4 enters public beta today. New features include continued refinement of Live’s audio effects and the ability to merge stems and separate stems for just a selected portion of time. And...
cdm.link
February 10, 2026 at 10:25 AM
Ableton Live 12.4 is in public beta. So let's dive in -- what Link Audio is about and why you might want it, every major new feature in detail, and an exhaustive look at the updates to Erosion, Delay, and Chorus-Ensemble for sound designers.
Here's your beta testing guide:
Here's your beta testing guide:
Separately was just chatting with someone about finding one of the surviving pieces of hardware and getting some kind of restoration / rebuild going (or to make some modern mechanical take!)
February 9, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Separately was just chatting with someone about finding one of the surviving pieces of hardware and getting some kind of restoration / rebuild going (or to make some modern mechanical take!)
This isn't the only way, but it's a fun implementation! And yeah, totally ... have to do a roundup of these soon; this one already prompted some other folks to get in touch!
February 9, 2026 at 8:40 PM
This isn't the only way, but it's a fun implementation! And yeah, totally ... have to do a roundup of these soon; this one already prompted some other folks to get in touch!
Live the UPIC lifestyle with this clever (evolving!) tool by @jeongho.bsky.social -- your browser tab can't possibly be doing anything better than this right now.
Live out your Xenakis fantasies, free in your browser, with SonicSketch - CDM Create Digital Music
JeongHo Park, a self-described "algorithmic composer" and artist, is building a delightful instrument that turns images into scores with full drawing capability for making paths. Inspired by the likes...
cdm.link
February 9, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Live the UPIC lifestyle with this clever (evolving!) tool by @jeongho.bsky.social -- your browser tab can't possibly be doing anything better than this right now.
Exactly the sounds I wanted to start out this week ... four transcendent performances. And love the way Lorenzo Colombo is combining percussion/acoustic/electroacoustic with the machines -- expect this will inspire some of you!
Dream with this: solenoids, percussion, and circuits in live Torso session - CDM Create Digital Music
Here's a perfect way to treat your ears at the start of the week. Sound artist and percussionist Lorenzo Colombo recorded this ethereal, cosmic live set at Torso Electronics in Copenhagen. The dadamac...
cdm.link
February 9, 2026 at 2:20 PM
Exactly the sounds I wanted to start out this week ... four transcendent performances. And love the way Lorenzo Colombo is combining percussion/acoustic/electroacoustic with the machines -- expect this will inspire some of you!
There's something to be said about a drum machine that isn't exactly like everybody else's drum machine. And the DR-2 keeps adding refinement and new tricks.
Modor DR-2 - a delicious, overlooked drum machine - adds trig conditions - CDM Create Digital Music
Massive sound, lots of unique tricks, hard-hitting personality, onboard basslines -- more people should be talking about the Modor DR-2. And amidst the blizzard of news last month, you might have miss...
cdm.link
February 6, 2026 at 12:00 PM
There's something to be said about a drum machine that isn't exactly like everybody else's drum machine. And the DR-2 keeps adding refinement and new tricks.
So if you were thinking about open samplers -- here you go!
(Anyone else working with ShortcircuitXT or building libraries? Can do a little roundup!)
(Anyone else working with ShortcircuitXT or building libraries? Can do a little roundup!)
I made a FREE Guitar Library for ShortcircuitXT today, the new free & open source sampler plugin by the surge xt team. Download & Demo Video can be found here:
tildesounds.gumroad.com/l/openstring...
#opensource #surgext #shortcircuitxt #audio #linuxaudio #sounddesign
tildesounds.gumroad.com/l/openstring...
#opensource #surgext #shortcircuitxt #audio #linuxaudio #sounddesign
Open String Guitar [Shortcircuit XT]
A free guitar library for shortcircuit xt.Each Open String sampled at 3 different velocity level & as 3 different round robins + some percussive hits.Demo Video:Get Shortcircuit…
tildesounds.gumroad.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:34 PM
So if you were thinking about open samplers -- here you go!
(Anyone else working with ShortcircuitXT or building libraries? Can do a little roundup!)
(Anyone else working with ShortcircuitXT or building libraries? Can do a little roundup!)
ha! no, there's some other stuff out there that does that... I think it's like any creative software; people are wedded to a particular tool (of course). There was also the insult of Adobe telling people to use After Effects which doesn't even overlap the feature set.
February 5, 2026 at 11:29 AM
ha! no, there's some other stuff out there that does that... I think it's like any creative software; people are wedded to a particular tool (of course). There was also the insult of Adobe telling people to use After Effects which doesn't even overlap the feature set.
spittake - "What we shared did not meet our standards" ;)
February 4, 2026 at 7:14 PM
spittake - "What we shared did not meet our standards" ;)
Ah that happened, like, in the last few hours, it seems. Yeah.
Well, "maintenance mode."
And yeah, that just moves everybody from "pitchforks" to "still seething" I presume.
Well, "maintenance mode."
And yeah, that just moves everybody from "pitchforks" to "still seething" I presume.
February 4, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Ah that happened, like, in the last few hours, it seems. Yeah.
Well, "maintenance mode."
And yeah, that just moves everybody from "pitchforks" to "still seething" I presume.
Well, "maintenance mode."
And yeah, that just moves everybody from "pitchforks" to "still seething" I presume.
No paywalls, no splash screen ads, no subscription ransom you have to pay to do your work, no features you don't need -- just fast, free motion and video in your browser tab.
@pikilipita.com Pikimov V5 was already a big deal, but the "classic" video editor make it a must-try.
@pikilipita.com Pikimov V5 was already a big deal, but the "classic" video editor make it a must-try.
Pikimov, free Web visual tool, now has a classic editor for video editing - CDM Create Digital Music
Pikimov, the community-supported free Web visual tool, keeps getting better. Pikimov 5 dropped today with a "classic" editor that makes it competitive with tools like CapCut -- or any time you need a ...
cdm.link
February 4, 2026 at 6:43 PM
No paywalls, no splash screen ads, no subscription ransom you have to pay to do your work, no features you don't need -- just fast, free motion and video in your browser tab.
@pikilipita.com Pikimov V5 was already a big deal, but the "classic" video editor make it a must-try.
@pikilipita.com Pikimov V5 was already a big deal, but the "classic" video editor make it a must-try.
Must-hear playlist from the Blacktronika professor himself.
@kingbritt.bsky.social x Moog x Black History Month:
@kingbritt.bsky.social x Moog x Black History Month:
King Britt shares a Moog-filled Black History Month music playlist - CDM Create Digital Music
You've got to feed yourself -- that goes for music just like everything else. So your ears don't just want this playlist from King Britt and Moog. They need this playlist. And you can bet, given King'...
cdm.link
February 4, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Must-hear playlist from the Blacktronika professor himself.
@kingbritt.bsky.social x Moog x Black History Month:
@kingbritt.bsky.social x Moog x Black History Month:
"Shortcuts" is the Apple app I always forget, but -- yeah, Acorn supports Shortcuts, whereas a year after Apple's acquisition, Pixelmator still does not.
@sinevibes.bsky.social heh it may be Pixelmator v Acorn now!
@sinevibes.bsky.social heh it may be Pixelmator v Acorn now!
February 4, 2026 at 10:46 AM
"Shortcuts" is the Apple app I always forget, but -- yeah, Acorn supports Shortcuts, whereas a year after Apple's acquisition, Pixelmator still does not.
@sinevibes.bsky.social heh it may be Pixelmator v Acorn now!
@sinevibes.bsky.social heh it may be Pixelmator v Acorn now!
It's not really music software but I'll try to write up a proper review -- I think even if you get Creator Studio, you should at least buy Retrobatch for that batch processing. Acorn vs. Pixelmator is another discussion, but it's great that Acorn is still independent (and on sale now).
February 4, 2026 at 10:44 AM
It's not really music software but I'll try to write up a proper review -- I think even if you get Creator Studio, you should at least buy Retrobatch for that batch processing. Acorn vs. Pixelmator is another discussion, but it's great that Acorn is still independent (and on sale now).
Been playing with Retrobatch on the Mac and -- wow, it's great to see independent software. Apple failed to add Actions for their own tools or any automation features in their Creator Studio.
These are the makers of Acorn, too -- @flyingmeatinc.bsky.social
Macworld wrote a review in 2022:
These are the makers of Acorn, too -- @flyingmeatinc.bsky.social
Macworld wrote a review in 2022:
Retrobatch review: Easy-made process workflows for image processing
Retrobatch and Retrobatch Pro remove all the effort for any imaging task that needs automation, including rules-based outcomes.
www.macworld.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Been playing with Retrobatch on the Mac and -- wow, it's great to see independent software. Apple failed to add Actions for their own tools or any automation features in their Creator Studio.
These are the makers of Acorn, too -- @flyingmeatinc.bsky.social
Macworld wrote a review in 2022:
These are the makers of Acorn, too -- @flyingmeatinc.bsky.social
Macworld wrote a review in 2022:
Before I slip into old man yelling at cloud, I also can't help but notice it's all my damn generation pushing these things and like young people saying PLEASE STOP and pointing out the dire state of the Earth...
February 3, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Before I slip into old man yelling at cloud, I also can't help but notice it's all my damn generation pushing these things and like young people saying PLEASE STOP and pointing out the dire state of the Earth...
The next one is they're convinced we all need a personal robot.
I can't keep up with all the things we need. I'm really fairly happy with just a rice cooker -- now that's living in the future!
I can't keep up with all the things we need. I'm really fairly happy with just a rice cooker -- now that's living in the future!
February 3, 2026 at 8:32 PM
The next one is they're convinced we all need a personal robot.
I can't keep up with all the things we need. I'm really fairly happy with just a rice cooker -- now that's living in the future!
I can't keep up with all the things we need. I'm really fairly happy with just a rice cooker -- now that's living in the future!
The follow-up to our NAMM and Buchla & Friends portraits:
Soundbites: the music inventions of NAMM, Buchla and Friends - CDM Create Digital Music
Gear-mas comes but once a year. But with swirling doom and gloom, just how is the world of making musical instruments? We sent Nadia Says, along with Burak Yerebakan, Portrait XO, Franck Martin, and M...
cdm.link
February 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM
The follow-up to our NAMM and Buchla & Friends portraits:
Joy of instruments and gear, distilled: yep, walk the show floor virtually with photographers @goestagraph.bsky.social and Mehdi Hassine.
Best of show: walk NAMM with us in a gear-mas gallery - CDM Create Digital Music
Who stood out at this year's NAMM show, that festivus of gear that brightens our winters from Anaheim? We've given you some idea with NAMM and LA's Buchla & Friends. Here, in images, are our favorites...
cdm.link
February 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Joy of instruments and gear, distilled: yep, walk the show floor virtually with photographers @goestagraph.bsky.social and Mehdi Hassine.