Peter Kirn

Perhaps taking a page out of pro wrestling, there’s a good chance that Grimes staged her “technical difficulties” at Coachella as a kind of performance art.

Eletkron’s Digitakt II, leaked earlier today, is now official. This beefs up some of the specs under the hood to keep pace with features like expanded effects and modulation, 16 voices (up from 8), 20 GB internal storage, and stereo sampling, all with a more refined shell and display. It’s an incremental update, but it does sweeten the deal.

Applied Acoustics Systems’ software modular, Multiphonics CV-2, just got a big update with the ability to follow an input’s dynamic level and pitch, plus new modules for pitch shifting and working with control voltage math.

From an ultra-meta cover of Lana del Rey’s “Video Games” on video game consoles to poignant chip ballads and Underworld covers, plus “8-dimensional” spatial electropop, if you don’t know Seattle-based synthpop music artist Leeni Ramadan, now is the time. Oh, and if that hasn’t already made your day, stick around for “doom-wop” covers of Britney Spears.

It’s all about wiring this into that. So why not connect VIDVOX’s evergreen Mac VJ software to your Eurorack modular, using the LFO and step sequencer as modulation sources? The mind boggles at the potential, and this video shows you how.

Put your Apple Watch to work. MidiWrist Unleashed transforms the device into a standalone Bluetooth MIDI controller, complete with touch and motion controls, for use with your Mac, iPad and iPhone apps, and even Bluetooth LE devices.

While we’re talking retro, here’s a full hour of the work of Robert Abel, the innovative computer animator who worked on projects like the 1982 Tron.

Polyend’s Tracker+ completely enhances the standalone stereo sampler, sequencer, synth, and drum machine all-in-one. There’s more of everything: stereo sampling and playback, USB audio, more synth and drum machine engines, and expanded tracks and memory sample. At $/€799, it’s looking really competitive – and those new engines with this full-sized grid also bring back some of what was great about Polyend’s classic Medusa.

Rekordbox 7 from AlphaTheta (née Pioneer DJ) promises to address the biggest needs for the popular DJ software and CDJ prep tool. The UI is cleaned up and more flexible, prepping cues is less of a chore, and at last the company says it won't slam your CPU like past versions. And yes, this is yet another music software update touting machine learning functionality, though what's there looks potentially useful.

You dreamt of it; it’s here. Arturia has unveiled a beast of a flagship. More than just a 12-voice version, the PolyBrute 12 is a deep instrument with 3-mode poly aftertouch and MPE for expression and imaginative morphing and control.