Arson Fire Impacts Euro Maker WMD

Eurorack maker WMD let us know that they’ve had a setback because of an arson fire.

WMD head William Mathewson says that there was a fire in the other half of his building that impacted WMD. While it’s a setback for the company, it sounds like it is a manageable one:

“It was an arson and the suspect has been caught and charged. Nobody was hurt fortunately, as there are residents in our building on the top floor.

WMD was affected by some smoke and water that ruined some cardboard, at the very least. And we’re doing facility water mitigation, drying out the antistatic floor. Fortunately, most modules/pedals were in sealed bags/boxes and are not damaged, aside from some mild smoke smell. We might have some mechanical parts that were exposed and I’m going to work through the insurance process there.

I’m unable to work in the space or ship things for a few more days, so bear with us while we pick up the pieces here.”

WMD has had a challenging few years, as a result of the pandemic-related global parts shortage. They announced that they were shutting down in 2022, because they weren’t able to get parts to build any modules and couldn’t pay their bills, as a result. In 2023, they announced that they were reorganizing and earlier this year they let us know they were back in business.

“I just want to make art and music,” says Mathewson, “but here I am sweeping up the charred debris of trying to do good in the world.”

 

FuncBud, New Sequencer For iOS + Mac, Lets You Create Music With Math

Developer Cem Olcay let us know that they’ve introduced a new AUv3 generative sequencer app today – FuncBud.

FuncBud is a unique and fun sequencer that uses simple math functions to generate patterns. You can create your own math functions with the function builder.

The function builder lets you create functions using simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division operations, as well as square, square root, sum, and product operations.

A simple x + 1 function would sequence all the notes in the scale in order. But it gets more interesting when you use different formulas and chain them.

“It’s really fun to explore the possibilities, especially if you are interested in math,” notes Olcay.

FuncBud is available now for $5.99

 

KOMA Elektronik Intros Chromaplane Polyphonic Electromagnetic Synthesizer


KOMA Elektronik and Passepartout Duo have introduced Chromaplane, a unique new polyphonic electromagnetic instrument.

The Chromaplane features a touchless interface, organic analog sounds, and an intuitive way of playing, all made possible by invisible electromagnetic fields.

KOMA says that the Chromaplane “combines the expressivity of traditional acoustic instruments, with the endless experimentation of electronic sound design.”

Official Chromaplane intro video:

Audio Demo Vodeo:

KOMA is planning to fund production of the Chromaplane via a crowdfunding campaign, which they say will be launching soon. See their website for more information.