sonicLAB has introduced Protean, a new software synth and audiovisual instrument for macOS & Windows that uses fluid dynamics and particle forces/interactions to render and organize hundreds of sine waves.
Protean creates an immersive experience where particle interactions within a non-gravitational fluid simulation generate evolving soundscapes. As particles flow, coalesce, and interact, they trigger sound synthesis events; and these relevant particle forces/interactions render and organize hundreds of sine waves.
The official playlist of Protean demo videos:
Protean is available now for € 89 through May 31st, 2025 (normally €139).
Ableton is running a rare sale on Live, its flagship digital audio workstation, today through May 20th, 2025.
During this time, you can save up to 25% off Ableton Live, with the following pricing:
Live 12 Intro
Essentials – 16 tracks and 5+ GB of sounds
$99
Live 12 Standard
Full features – 38+ GB of sounds and more instruments and effects
Now $373 (Original price $439)
Live 12 Suite
Complete studio – 71+ GB of sounds, Max for Live and all instruments and effects
Now $562 (Original price $749)
Ableton Live 12 features new MIDI tools, support for alternate tuning system, new modulation options, workflow improvements, better accessibility and more.
At Superbooth 2025, held May 8-10 at the FEZ-Berlin, Flame Instruments introduced the Maeander-M, a wavetable synthesizer with analog filterbank and sequencer in 56HP.
This video, via Sonic State, captures an overview an demo of the Maeander-M from the Superbooth floor.
Here’s what Flame has to say about the Maeander-M:
“The Flame MAEANDER-M is a compact reimagining of a well-regarded classic from the Flame lineup – now more affordable and streamlined, but still packed with the same sonic depth. At its core is a wavetable synth engine, fed into the 12-channel analog bandpass filter bank, controlled by the internal pattern sequencer.
Sound sources include a polyphonic wavetable and FM oscillator, an analog white noise generator and an external audio input. The internal sequencer offers one polyphonic note track (up to 4-voice chords) and 14 mono tracks. The latter are dedicated to the filter channels, the audio input, and the noise source. Each track has its own VCA with individual envelope control and is accessible via MIDI notes.
Patterns can be created and saved as patches, and played live with ease. The built-in arpeggiator and keyboard scaler make the MAEANDER a powerful tool for live jamming and generative sequencing. Updates, patch management, and wavetable loading are handled conveniently via MIDI SysEx.
New in this version: direct oscillator output, stereo noise output, and stereo audio input. MAEANDER comes fully mounted in a powered 56HP wooden skiff to get started right away and is software compatible with the older desktop version.”
The Maeander-M is expected to be available in September 2025, priced around €900.
