Image: Moog via AFP Relaxnews
Electronic instrument manufacturers Moog and Korg have offered their synthesizer apps for iOS and Android devices for free at a time when social distancing and self-isolation are encouraged.
“Schools, workplaces, and meetings worldwide have been requested to close by their respective governments and so many people are studying and working from home. To help you with a musical way to occupy your mind we have decided to make the Kaossilator app for iOS and Android free of charge for a limited time,” Korg wrote in its announcement post.
The Kaossilator app reproduces the features of the portable touch-based Kaossilator, offering 150 built-in sounds to produce a broad range of dance music styles such as EDM, hip-hop, house, techno and electro.
The Android version of Kaossilator is free through Friday, March 20, while the iOS app is available completely free of charge through the end of March.
Moog followed suit a few hours later, describing the free release of its Minimoog Model D Synthesizer iOS app as “a gift to spread positivity, creativity, and expressivity.”
“A moment to slow down, appreciate our innate strength, & experience the uplifting power of sound … Stay open, stay safe, and #synthesizelove,” the company added on Twitter.
The Minimoog Model D app notably emulates the original sound and features of the company’s portable synthesizer.
Musicians can also enjoy a bank of over 160 presets, a polyphonic playing mode, a powerful arpeggiator and a handy stereo delay effect, among other features.
The free releases of the Kaossilator and Minimoog Model D Synthesizer apps arrive at a time when musicians, songwriters and producers are facing the detrimental impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.
While industry experts are projecting that the live concert business could lose billions, artists are increasingly live-streaming their concerts in an effort to entertain their fans cooped up at home.
British rising star Yungblud will live stream a concert this Monday, March 16 at 7 am (PDT) via his YouTube channel, with guest appearances from Bella Thorne, Machine Gun Kelly and Oliver Tree.
“This is a time for our fookin hearts to be together because we are gonna beat this sh– TOGETHER. spread the world tell ya fookin mates,” he told his fans on Twitter.
Earlier this week, superstar Lizzo also held a 30-minute meditation session via Instagram Live to help fans deal with fear and anxiety amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
“A lot of people are sad right now because a lot of their favorite artists can’t play shows, or somebody they know is sick, or they might be sick, or we might be afraid of what this means for life as we know it. And I wanted to take the time today to just do a mass meditation,” she explained, also leading fans through deep breathing exercises and telling them about the necessary safety precautions. JB
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