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This Week in New Music Gear: UDO DMNO ON, Behringer JAM, Google Flow Music & More

Writer: Sunwarper
Sunwarper
3 days ago
3 min read

After a couple of weeks dominated by custom firmware and community-built operating systems, this week's new music gear announcements has shifted back toward hardware and creative production tools.


UDO introduced a new desktop version of the DMNO, Behringer revealed a pair of compact sequencing keyboards, Google is letting producers turn custom AI-built tools into plugins, and Baby Audio released a new granular effect built around time manipulation. Arturia also gave AstroLab a pretty substantial official update.


Here are a few of the things that caught my attention this week.


UDO Introduces the DMNO ON

UDO has introduced the DMNO ON, a desktop version of its DMNO synthesizer that keeps the same eight-voice, two-part multitimbral architecture in a smaller format.

Like the keyboard version, DMNO ON is essentially two complete synthesizers in one instrument. Each layer gets its own FPGA-powered digital oscillators, analog stereo filter, modulation and effects, while eight different Play Modes determine how the two synth engines interact with each other.


What makes the desktop version particularly interesting is UDO’s new ON System, which allows the control surface itself to be expanded. The optional ONM-1 module adds a second set of synth controls, effectively recreating the dual-panel workflow of the full-size DMNO keyboard, while the upcoming ONM-2 adds dedicated hands-on controls for the onboard effects and EQ.


That modular approach is a little unusual for a desktop synth. Instead of choosing between a compact module or a larger hands-on interface from the beginning, users can potentially build out the control surface over time depending on how they actually use the instrument.



Behringer Announces JAM and JAM PLAY

Behringer also introduced two new compact keyboard sequencers this week called JAM and JAM PLAY.


Both use 32 velocity and aftertouch-sensitive keys and include a 64-step polyphonic sequencer, chord mode, arpeggiator, assignable controls and dedicated transport buttons. The sequencer supports features like ratcheting and random gate functions, while CV/Gate, MIDI and sync connections allow the keyboard to control hardware as well as software.


The biggest difference is that JAM is primarily a MIDI controller and sequencer, while JAM PLAY includes its own sound engine with 128 instrument and drum sounds. That means JAM PLAY can function as a small standalone music-making device without needing a computer or external synth connected.


I’m generally interested in compact hardware that can work both as a controller and as a quick standalone sketchpad, so JAM PLAY is probably the more interesting of the two for me. It sits somewhere between a small MIDI keyboard and a portable groovebox, depending on how deep the sequencing and onboard sounds turn out to be in practice.



Google Flow Music Can Now Export VST and AU Plugins

Google is taking an interesting approach to AI music tools with a new update to Flow Music.


Flow Music already allowed users to create custom instruments and effects using natural-language prompts through a feature called Spaces. Now, those custom tools can be exported as VST3 or AU plugins and loaded directly inside a DAW.


That means instead of asking an AI system to generate an entire track, producers can describe a very specific tool they want to use inside their existing workflow. Google demonstrated the idea with custom processors built around particular production tasks, with the resulting tools exported and used like normal plugins.


This is the side of AI music tools I find much more interesting. Using AI to build specialized effects, instruments or workflow tools still leaves the actual creation process with the musician, while potentially making it easier to create software designed around a very specific problem.



Baby Audio Releases HyperWarp

Baby Audio released HyperWarp, a new granular multi-effect designed around manipulating the timing and playback of incoming audio.


At the center of the plugin is a graphical editor that lets users draw changes in speed, direction and timing across a rhythmic grid. The incoming signal is then broken into tiny pieces and reconstructed according to that pattern, allowing everything from simple stutters and tape-stop effects to much more extreme granular processing.


HyperWarp includes seven different processing profiles that change how the granular engine behaves, along with controls for pitch, resolution, randomness and feedback. There are also randomization options for generating patterns and parameter combinations that can then be refined manually.


This feels especially useful for taking loops or samples and pushing them somewhere less recognizable. I’m always interested in effects that can turn existing audio into completely new material, and granular processing is particularly good at creating those kinds of happy accidents.


 
 
 

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