SAMPLED▌ FRONT AND CENTER
Is LUNA Really Free? The Free DAWs Worth Downloading on Mac, Windows and iPad
Universal Audio's LUNA now costs nothing on Mac and Windows. Here is what that gets you, plus the other free DAWs worth your time, including Sampledex on iPad, Mac and Windows.
// also right now
GearWhat Equipment Do You Need to Start a Video Podcast at Home?
A home podcast studio built from gear I actually use: a 4K webcam, a pair of tracking PTZ cameras and the headphones every broadcast booth already owns.
FeatureIs Sampledex for iPad a Real Free DAW, and What Can It Do?
Robert Clemons has brought Sampledex from the Mac to the iPad as a free download. Here is what it does, what it can't do, and who it's for.
// from the dispatch
LFOs beyond wobble: modulation that stays musical
Slow drift, keyed retrigger, and routing choices that add movement without cartoon effects.
Envelopes: attack, decay, and the shape of a sound
Most bad patches are envelope problems. A working method for shaping transients and tails.
Analog vs digital oscillators: an honest comparison
What analog genuinely does better, what digital does better, and where the difference stops mattering.
Sync your analog gear: clock, DIN, and drift
Master clock choices, why your machine rushes the downbeat, and how to fix timing at the source.
MIDI, CV, and gate: making old and new gear talk
Volts per octave, Hz per volt, S-trig, and the converters that stop a hybrid setup from fighting itself.
Building analog pads that do not turn to mud
Detune, filter tracking, and the arrangement moves that keep wide patches out of the vocal's way.
The 303 sound: how acid actually works
Slides, accents, and a resonant filter pushed past polite. Building acid lines on anything you own.
Analog drum machines vs sample-based boxes
Voice synthesis versus playback, and why most producers end up running both.
Portable synths worth taking on a train
Battery power, built-in speakers, and keybeds that survive a backpack. Sketching away from the studio.