All about the world of music from the inside

  • AI legislation could unintentionally affect cover bands.
    #AI #Music #Technology #Artist

  • What happens when a musician dies? How to protect your music nowIt’s better to be safe than sorry, so make sure your music rights and assets are all set to go in the right places so your music can live on. Continue reading
    The post What happens when a musician dies? How to protect your music now appeared first on Hypebot.

    It’s better to be safe than sorry, so make sure your music rights and assets are all set to go in the right places so your music can live on. Continue reading

  • Out Take: Matt NovackMatt Novack

    Composer

    Web: mattnovack.com

    Contact: kate.twilley@impact24pr.com

    Most Recent: Miracle Workers: End Times

    Composer Matt Novack, who wrote the music for TBS’ Miracle Workers: End Times, which premiered this summer, says this most recent project was a challenge in experimenting with synths to match the show’s ‘80s, VHS-movie aesthetic with the use of junkyard sorts of instruments working in conjunction with the synths. 

    Novack’s credits also include the cult comedy series Children’s Hospital and Neftlix’s A Murderville Holiday Special, as well as work for podcasts and video games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. With such a variety of genres and types of projects he’s worked on, including co-composing credits, Novack says he’s not sure if he has a distinct composing voice. “That’s something I think about a lot. I don’t know if I have a voice and could quantify it. There are things I know instinctively that I want to do musically with particular scenes, but I’m always trying to grow as a composer.” 

    Novack said the comedy series Miracle Workers pushed him as a composer. “I’d used synths before, but never had the opportunity to dive deep with particular synth sounds and writing,” he says. “It was so much fun to get out of my comfort zone and learn new things. It reminded me of working on Children’s Hospital, which involved writing for so many parodies in different styles. That experience was a boot camp for a young composer.” 

    With a degree in film scoring from USC, and an early-career gig as a composer’s assistant to Steven Stern, Novack took his own advice to aspiring composers: get a formal education and apprentice under a composer for real-world experience. 

    “From a technical standpoint, aspiring composers should get to know different digital audio workstations (DAWs) like it’s your instrument, and learn how to write music in these programs and produce it,” Novack says. “And when you’re cold-emailing composers, producers, directors, etc., do your research on whomever you’re contacting. No one wants to read a generic email, and it’s obvious if you send one. If they’re a composer, check out their scores. If they’re a director, research their films.”

    Matt Novack Composer Web: mattnovack.com Contact: kate.twilley@impact24pr.com Most Recent: Miracle Workers: End Times Composer Matt Novack, who wrote the music for TBS’ Miracle Workers: End Times, …

  • Estate of ‘Let’s Get It On’ co-writer drops appeal in Ed Sheeran ‘Thinking Out Loud’ copyright battleEstate of Ed Townsend withdraws motion for appeal
    Source

  • Spotify has developed an AI-powered voice cloning tool that can translate podcasts into multiple languagesThe new AI tool can translate podcasts into additional languages, all in the podcaster’s own voice
    Source

    The new AI tool can translate podcasts into additional languages, all in the podcaster’s own voice…

  • 6 Great Music Marketing HacksThese six music marketing tips from our friends at ReverbNation will help you impress listeners, gain new fans, and get you closer to success. Let’s dive in… by ReverbNation You’ve. Continue reading
    The post 6 Great Music Marketing Hacks appeared first on Hypebot.

    These six music marketing tips from our friends at ReverbNation will help you impress listeners, gain new fans, and get you closer to success. Let’s dive in… by ReverbNation You’ve. Continue reading

  • How Autumn Maria Reed uses music to fight gun violenceIn a country that is ridden with gun violence, one Berklee Online graduate uses the power of music as her weapon to fight the issue. by Talia Smith-Muller from Berklee. Continue reading
    The post How Autumn Maria Reed uses music to fight gun violence appeared first on Hypebot.

    In a country that is ridden with gun violence, one Berklee Online graduate uses the power of music as her weapon to fight the issue. by Talia Smith-Muller from Berklee. Continue reading

  • Over 500 songs will be in the Spotify Billions Club by end of 2023One million seconds is 12 days. One billion seconds is 32 years. So it is crazy to think that almost 500 songs have surpassed a billion streams per month, but. Continue reading
    The post Over 500 songs will be in the Spotify Billions Club by end of 2023 appeared first on Hypebot.

    One million seconds is 12 days. One billion seconds is 32 years. So it is crazy to think that almost 500 songs have surpassed a billion streams per month, but. Continue reading

  • Dave Mustaine Discusses Touring, Early Thrash, and Lita Ford's AdviceSpeaking to AllMusic in the midst of Megadeth's latest tour, Mustaine spoke about the new album, when he realized that thrash metal was a global movement, and some valuable advice he once heeded from Lita Ford.

    Credit: Travis Shinn Musical trends may come and go, but you can always count on Megadeth to deliver good ol' fashioned thrash metal. And since the band's inception, its leader…

  • Q&A with Alice CooperSeventy-five is an auspicious age for any rock star—especially if you’re one who cavorts with snakes and gets your head chopped off every night on stage. Alice Cooper turned 75 in February, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shock rock pioneer is still more active and working harder than artists a third of his age. He released a new studio album—Road, recorded with his regular touring band and longtime producer Bob Ezrin—at the end of August, following deluxe reissues of his Killer (1971) and School’s Out (1972) classics and a new mix of 1973’s chart-topping Billion Dollar Babies. 

    Cooper also came up with a new stage show he debuted at the end of April and has been on the road all year since, both on his own (including the Freaks on Parade 2023 tour with Rob Zombie and a support slot on Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe’s The World Tour) and with the Hollywood Vampires, the all-star collective with Johnny Depp and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry that launched during 2013. 

    Other projects he maintains include his Solid Rock Teen Centers in Phoenix, AZ where he resides, and Mesa, AZ and his “Nights With Alice Cooper” radio show that’s currently on hiatus due to an ownership change with his syndicator but that he hopes to bring back in the near future. And don’t be surprised when he pops up at a Comic Con near you. The road has been a long one, but Cooper is happy to keep it under his wheels for the foreseeable future...

    Music Connection: Road is your 29th album. Do you still get excited about putting something new out?

    Alice Cooper: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I never have gotten bored with the idea. A lot of people just go, “Well, why are you still going?” I go, “Look, I love writing songs. I love recording songs. I love making albums that are thematic albums. I love working with Bob Ezrin and all the great musicians we play with. And I love hearing it on the radio and going out and playing those songs in front of an audience.” I say, “That’s what I do. What am I gonna do—go home and play golf? I play golf anyway. I play golf in the morning and rock & roll all night.” So, no, there’s no thought of retirement here. 

    MC: As the Road song says, the dead don’t dance...

    Cooper: (laughs) That’s right. Everybody is retiring now. This is gonna be the great rock & roll retirement year. I talked to Gene Simmons (of Kiss); we did a show with him in France and he says, “December, it’s over.” And you always go, “Yeah, yeah, that’s gonna go on forever” and he goes, “No, it’s over. December,” pretty vehement about the fact it’s gonna be no more Kiss live shows. And Aerosmith, same thing. Elton, the Eagles. So I’m gonna be the last band standing. 

    MC: It’s appropriate, then, that you have this new album that completely celebrates being on the road and really lays out why you love it.

    Cooper: I see the fun in the road. I see the disasters. I see the humor. If you don’t know how to navigate the road, it’s gotta be awful. But I’m in a great situation; I finally maneuvered myself into a point where Sheryl is in the show, so I don’t have to leave her at home. And without her, the way our show runs, we can’t really do it without her. She does all the high vocals in both bands...

    MC: And she cuts your head off every night.

    Cooper: (laughs) Yeah, and that. So that’s one problem solved. I don’t have to leave home; I take home with me.    And secondly, I’ve got the best touring band out there and they’re all best friends and I never hear anybody griping about, “Oh, I don’t get enough solos,” stuff like that. Everybody in that band cares about the show as much as I do.    So all the ducks are in a row and all we’re doing is having fun out there. It does get a little bit exhausting, the travel, but you just have to put your mindset into the fact that for the next four months we’re gonna be living in and out of a suitcase, in a hotel, on a bus, in an airplane—”Alright. Great. It’s gonna be fun!”

    MC: What led you to make Road this way, with the road band?

    Cooper: I felt this was the way I can show this band off. I went to Bob Ezrin, I said, “I want to do an album with my live band,” and honestly I haven’t done that since The Eyes of Alice Cooper (in 2003). That was the only other time. We would write the song in the morning, rehearse in the afternoon and record it that night, live in the studio, and I think you could tell. There was a freshness to it. It didn’t have time to get old. Same thing with his. They brought the songs in; I said, “I want everybody to write songs about the road. I don’t care what the concept is, as long as it’s about the road, some angle about the road, and then Bob and I will do surgery on it and we’ll turn it into what we want it to be for this album.” And that’s what happened. 

    MC: Sort of like giving the inmates the keys, or some of the keys, to the asylum.

    Cooper: Exactly. Everybody brought songs in and Bob and I just kind of took off in the studio and started constructing them the way we wanted them to be, then we brought it back and the band would come in and play it live in the studio.    I said, “I want you to play it live, every bed track is gonna be live” and then we would just pick the best bed track and I’d put the vocal on. It really shows how good the band is, to take a brand new song, play it live and make it sound like they’ve been playing it for years.    I like the freshness of it. If it speeds up a little bit, if it goes a little bit left or right, as long as the feel of that song is great, that’s what I care about. I don’t want to make a perfect album.

    MC: The opening track, “I’m Alice,” sounds like your next show opener. 

    Cooper: It has to be. When I got done with that song, Bob and I looked at each other and went, “Opener!” And that’s Alice again, exaggerating, talking about himself. I’m not talking about me; I’m talking about Alice talking about himself, and of course he’s an overblown, egotistical, condescending villain—so of course he’s talking about how wonderful he is. I think that’s just part of it; Alice is talking about, “Okay, here’s the album. It’s all about me. It’s all about the road, and here we go!” 

    MC: A few of the songs address Alice as this hated character, the pariah you were, or he was, back in the ‘70s when you started out. That’s not really the case anymore, though.

    Cooper: I think that there’s still a smattering of people out there that don’t get it. There are people that are so out there they get Ozzy (Osbourne) and myself and Kiss and Rob Zombie confused. One day a guy walked up and said, “Oh, man, I thought it was so cool when I saw you bite the head off a bat,” and I go, “That was Ozzy.” They put us all into one little place and they think we’re all the same guy somehow. But I want the Alice Cooper character to still have that danger involved, to still have that certain amount of villain involved. So, yeah, I paint him that way on the album. 

    MC: There are some other great and archetypal characters on this album. “White Line Frankenstein,” for instance.

    Cooper: I know guys like that in both Europe and in America—truck drivers, bus drivers. When they’re done with our tour they go right to another tour and I’m going, “So, you basically live in the cab of this truck? This is, like, your world?” I take each character as they come along and exaggerate them, so now I’ve got this guy who lives in his truck—he’s a White Line Frankenstein. All he sees is white lines all day on the highway, and there’s probably white lines in other places in his life. But he is the king of that cab. He’s the Frankenstein of that cab, and he loves it. 

    MC: “Go Away” seems like a timeless tale of the rock & roll road.

    Cooper: It’s one of those things where every guy, I think, in his career has had that one girl that obsesses and cannot give you up and will go to space to find you, or go to the Bermuda Triangle to find you. I think everybody’s had one or two characters like that in their life. I just said, “Yeah, that’s a common denominator with most rock guys to find that one somebody who’s so obsessed, and that (song) is a funny way of talking about it—”Could you please just go away?”

    MC: You preceded Road this year with deluxe reissues of the Killer and School’s Out albums as well as a new Quadio mix of Billion Dollar Babies. What’s it like having your past and present coexist in the marketplace like that?

    Cooper: Those (reissues) never affect me. I never, ever think about them. They just happen. It doesn’t affect the show. It doesn’t affect the new album. Every day somebody comes up to me and says, “Hey, it’s the 64th anniversary of Lace and Whiskey” and I go, “That’s nice.” I honestly can’t keep up with any of that stuff. As much as I enjoy the history of Alice, I just don’t live there. People remind me all the time of anniversaries and this and that, and I do appreciate it. I understand how the fans, especially the collectors, love those things. But I don’t live in the past. 

    MC: Let’s ask you to, for just a second, though. Muscle of Love, the final album with the original Alice Cooper band, turns 50 in November. What’s your 2023 perspective on it?

    Cooper: There were a lot of great songs on that album, but it wasn’t cohesive. The album didn’t feel like it was locked together by one idea; and as much as the production is great on it and everything like that, it still missed the Bob Ezrin cohesiveness. The band didn’t want to work with Ezrin, but I did. I was the one going, “No, we gotta stay with Ezrin.” Like I said, (Jack Richardson and Jack Douglas) did a great job on production. The album sounded great. I just felt there was something missing in it that (Ezrin) would usually get out of us. But, I mean, I listened to “Man With the Golden Gun” the other day, and I listened to Teenage Lament ‘74. There were some really good songs on that album. I just felt like we were sort of reaching for straws there. 

    MC: That was the second album you released that year. What a different time that was.

    Cooper: But it was that era where that’s what you did. You did an album and then you’d tour and then while you were touring you were writing the next album, and then as soon as that tour was over you went in the studio and did an album. And then you toured again. In fact, there was a period of time where if you were to say to me, “I want to send you this” I’d go, “I don’t live anywhere. Send it to the next Holiday Inn,” because we didn’t really live anywhere for a long period of time. It was just touring and recording. 

    MC: What wisdom do you have now that you’d impart on those guys if you could time travel back to 1973?

    Cooper: Y’know, you’re bulletproof at that point. You don’t mind that you just did 64 cities in 72 days. As long as there was beer, we were fine. It’s the most exciting time of your life; not only are you out there on stage doing this kind of show, but it’s successful and people are paying you, which is something we weren’t used to. I could tell them whatever, but they wouldn’t listen. (laughs) 

    MC: You put together a new show this year, which is always notable.

    Cooper: We had the Haunted Castle for a couple of years, which was really a lot of fun to do. That was sort of like what my Friday night horror movie would look like if I had a Friday night horror movie. But this show is totally different. Like anything else, we have to do the hits; the audience wants to hear the hits, so it’s how do you decorate those hits? How do you put them into a storm form or some kind of new way of looking at the show? So, we added some new things and really made use of video technology more than we ever have before. 

        Like, when Alice does “The Ballad of Dwight Fry,” you can see all the facial things he’s doing, right up close. We just kind of got tired of people not being able to see some of the real intricate parts and details, so we made that a real focus this time out.

    MC: How hard is it to put a set list together every time you go out?

    Cooper: It happens while you’re doing it, really. We take a set list into rehearsals and it’ll change seven or eight times—”Ah, that song doesn’t go into that song right. Let’s put this song in there,” that kind of thing. It’s putting a puzzle together, really, just connecting the dots in the right way. But I’ve got people who have done this for 50 years. Sheryl and I have been putting a show together like this forever. And musically my (band) can learn a song in an hour, any song, so we’re not crippled in any way.

    MC:  Something else exciting this year was having “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” from Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (1976) show up on the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 soundtrack. 

    Cooper: Y’know, I was at the new Ant Man movie and Michael Douglas and Catherine (Zeta-Jones) were there. They said, “You gotta come down to the premiere, so we went down and there was a guy from Marvel and he was a big Alice Cooper fan and he says, “I’ve got one of your songs in the new (Guardians of the Galaxy) movie.” I said, “Really?!” I didn’t even know about it, but I’m a big fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy. I think they’re really funny. It’s what Marvel should do. It’s all that action, all that great CGI stuff, with a sense of humor. 

    MC: How did it feel to have the Hollywood Vampires back in action this year?

    Cooper: I’ll tell you what; the band is as tight as I’ve ever heard it. The band is really, really good now. We’ve had enough time off, so everybody’s ready to get back out there on the road.    It’s funny, ‘cause I hadn’t seen Johnny in three and a half years because of the Covid thing, and he was playing with Jeff Beck here in Phoenix. So I went backstage and I opened his door and went, “So...what’s new? Did I see you on TV or something?” (laughs) We were laughing ‘cause of the whole Amber (Heard) thing. I said, “I have either the best idea or the worst idea I’ve ever heard in my life.” He goes, “What?” I go, “You and Amber do a remake of War of the Roses,” and he started laughing, and then he kinda went, “Not a bad idea...” I mean, who wouldn’t want to see that? The press for it is just built-in, you don’t even have to push it. Just let it happen and report on it.

    MC: The group put out a live album (Live in Rio) earlier this year. What are the prospects for new Vampires music? 

    Cooper: We haven’t had time, really, any chance to record anything new. We had a lot of live tapes, and this band is great live. We were surprised that the Wembley show was voted the best show of the year at Wembley, which had a lot to do with the fact the band was really good and tight and unique, so we were really proud of that. It’s basically a bar band, but it puts out a really good vibe, a really fun vibe on stage and yet it’s still a little dark. But in the end people are just having a great time, ‘cause all the songs that are being played are songs everybody wants to hear.

    MC: You’re working on some other new music too, right?

    Cooper: Well, I can’t talk about that one too much, but let’s just put it this way—it’s historic and at the same time really kind of quirky. Sometimes you’re working and you go, “Really? Okay, let’s go with that and see what happens.” So, that one will be really cool. What I like is it’s a very creative time now. We put a new show together this year—that’s always the most creative time you can have—and there’s a lot of laughing and a lot of “Let’s try this” and it doesn’t work and all of a sudden something works that you’re never expecting to work... That’s really why I do this, for the creativity and these adventures we’re having. There’s so many of them now; it’s really inspiring. 

    Contact Zoe Hines, zoeh@grandstandhq.com

    Photos by Jenny Rischer

    Cooper & Crüe

    By all rights, Alice Cooper should have cut the heads off the founding members of Mötley Crüe during the past couple of years. 

    The shock rocker—who, of course, has his own noggin lopped off every night of his own concerts—served as the special guest for nearly the entirety of the Crüe’s Final Tour during 2014-15. On Jan. 28, 2014 announcing the trek the four Crüe members—Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee—signed a binding Cessation of Touring Agreement preventing them from going on the road again under the band name.

    And part of the punishment for breaking the deal was a trip directly to Cooper’s guillotine. 

    Flash forward to 2019 and Mötley Crüe, fresh off the success of the Netflix film adaptation of its band biography The Dirt, decides to reunite for The Stadium Tour, co-headlining with Def Leppard. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the outing until the summer of 2022, but Mötley was nevertheless back on the “Wild Side.”

    “We did that Final Tour and that’s it, and then, of course, when they came back out I went, ‘Okay, so I’m the big liar,’” Cooper says now. “But I laughed about it, and their explanation was, ‘We’re Mötley Crüe, man. We don’t believe in contracts.’ And I said, ‘That’s so perfectly rock & roll, and so perfectly Mötley Crüe.’”

    By accounts, the Cessation of Touring Agreement was able to be set aside if all four of the signees decided to play together again. That ultimately resulted in more drama, of course; after the 2022 leg guitarist Mars, who’d long suffered with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis, since he was 17, retired from touring but with the intent of remaining in the band. The Crüe, however, hired John 5 as his full-time replacement, setting off dueling lawsuits. 

    The current Crüe, meanwhile, made good to Cooper by having him open the six U.S. dates on The World Tour, a continuation of The Stadium Tour. “They said, ‘It’s gonna be Mötley, Def and you,’ and I said, ‘That’s fine,’” explains Cooper, who did the dates alongside his continuing Too Close For Comfort Tour. “I don’t care when we go on. We’re gonna do our show no matter what. I’m past the ego thing of, ‘We have to go on last!,’ that whole thing. We’re gonna do our show, I don’t care what slot we’re in.

    “Tommy Lee recently said that the worst thing you can ever do is have Alice open for you. I thought that was great, a nice compliment.”

    Seventy-five is an auspicious age for any rock star—especially if you’re one who cavorts with snakes and gets your head chopped off every night on stage. Alice Cooper turned 75 in February, but the…

  • Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y. & Indie MusicLast week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers out there covered how to start cold emailing, how to protect your online accounts, and more.,, NFTs promised to save. Continue reading
    The post Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y. & Indie Music appeared first on Hypebot.

    Last week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers out there covered how to start cold emailing, how to protect your online accounts, and more.,, NFTs promised to save. Continue reading

  • REWIND: The new music industry’s week in reviewA busy week by any definition, the music industry was no exception, with college bans on TikTok, modern streaming problems, and more… 5 ways Propeller helps Artists drive Impact and. Continue reading
    The post REWIND: The new music industry’s week in review appeared first on Hypebot.

    A busy week by any definition, the music industry was no exception, with college bans on TikTok, modern streaming problems, and more… 5 ways Propeller helps Artists drive Impact and. Continue reading

  • XP Music Futures Announces Conference SpeakersXP Music Futures, the leading music conference in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), reveals the first phase of speakers for its highly anticipated 2023 lineup.Taking place between December 7 and 9, this year’s XP sets the stage for the next generation of musical minds, welcoming visitors of all ages for the very first time. 2023’s programming promises an experience that’s as eye-opening as it is star-studded, led by none other than Emirati superstar Balqees Fathi, multi-platform hip-hop sensation Abyusif, and businesswoman Golnar Khosrowshahi.

    This year's event builds on its already unparalleled platform, spotlighting MENA’s thriving nightlife industry, fostering collaboration, and boasting the talents of artists and professionals from the region to eyes and ears worldwide.Diversity has always been at the heart of XP Music Futures, with the previous edition boasting an impressive 44% representation of women speakers. The upcoming conference is no exception, featuring an array of prominent voices from a range of backgrounds– both personal and professional.

    mdlbeast.com/events/xp-music-futures-2023/tickets

    XP Music Futures, the leading music conference in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), reveals the first phase of speakers for its highly anticipated 2023 lineup.Taking place between December 7…

  • Rhodes Unveils Its MK8With its integrated, fully analogue front-panel effects section, the Rhodes MK8 electromechanical piano is set to inspire an entirely new generation of electronic pianists, electromechanical synthesists and sound designers, taking the classic Rhodes sound to new and uncharted musical territories.

    Rhodes newest instrument, which has been launched in parallel with the re-emergence of the globally renowned musical instrument brand, is a wholly reimagined and painstakingly designed instrument that builds on the integrity of a long line of universally loved and now classic instruments. The MK8's new stereo analogue effects section, which delivers the same premium, tactile experience as other groundbreaking features on the instrument, features a classic VCA compressor, 4-stage VCA phaser and bucket brigade chorus and delay — all controllable via the front panel or by using up to two expression pedals simultaneously. Notably, the MK8FX can also function as a standalone stereo analogue FX processor for external sound sources connected via the included FX loop.

    "The MK8 builds on the quality and legacy of previous Rhodes instruments, taking them to the next level," commented Matt Pelling, CEO of Rhodes. "The analogue effects section vastly extends the sonic palette of this instrument in a highly customized way. Each effect delivers the rich sound and control one would expect from analogue circuitry, and is crafted to map to the specific timbral and sonic parameters of the MK8. This ultimately delivers a uniquely creative playing experience for each and every player — whether they be composers, live performers or studio musicians."

    VCA Compressor: smooth it out or pump it upUseful for evening out the dynamics of a performance or for achieving creative pumping effects, the VCA compressor is highly adaptable so users can adjust the levels in a way that compliments his or her own playing style. The compressor control is equipped with an LED light that increases in brightness as the player applies more compression.

    Phaser: add shimmer, movement or sonic depthWith the MK8’s built-in phaser, users can manipulate the MK8's sound by modulating notched filters applied to the audio signal. By adjusting the rate and depth knobs, performers can also manipulate the speed and amount of the phase effect being applied. This use of creative comb filtering can be used to spice up a phrase or add funk to a performance. ‘Alternative mode’ also allows user control over phaser frequency.

    Bucket Brigade Chorus: an integrated classicOn older Rhodes instruments, a classic 'trick' was to run the piano's output through a chorus pedal for smooth modulation and expanded stereo width. Now, with the new built-in chorus module, users can seamlessly add the effect to their sound by turning an integrated knob. Push the depth and rate knobs clockwise to further the pitch modulation — adjust on the fly to add color to your performances. ‘Alternative mode’ also allows user control of chorus time.

    Delay: flexible timing variation and controlWith a range of 60ms to 0.8 seconds, the integrated Stereo Delay section can add depth and character to the sound along with pitch-modulated and reverb-esque effects too. Create interesting grooves that are perfectly synced by using the “tap tempo” feature. Play with the mix knob or assign an expression pedal to time and mix while performing to create movement and add variation to a track. Whether embellishing a jazz solo or creating ethereal textures, the delay module brings sounds to life, no matter what the genre. ‘Alternative mode’ also allows user control of delay spread and jitter.

    Inputs and InterfaceThe MK8 is a highly versatile future-facing instrument designed to plug directly into any modern or classic studio or stage setup. The piano is equipped with both ¼” jacks and balanced XLR outputs as well as the familiar send and return ¼” jacks for integrating external audio and FX pedals for even further flexibility. The MK8 features the most advanced preamp found in any Rhodes piano, as well as a 3-band equalizer providing the user with the ultimate degree of tonal control. The preamp also features an envelope knob, which allows users to create an auto-wah / touch-wah effect working in conjunction with the analogue mid-range filter of the EQ section. This wah-effect can also be assigned to an expression pedal for classic foot-controlled wah, negating the need for an external wah-wah pedal.

    To achieve the classic Rhodes vibrato effect along with new synth-like textures, ring modulation and sound FX, the MK8 also includes a Vari-Pan section. There are two LED lights that are on by default, which flickers in and out in accordance with the rate and depth settings. This provides a lovely visual of the effect in action, as well as important visual feedback for the performer. Four waveshape presets — including square, upwards ramp, triangle and sine — can also be selected to achieve nicely varied textures.

    Alternative ModeThe MK8 also contains an extremely advanced analogue control system, providing the user with the ability to modify performance of both the onboard preamp and FX and the front panel. However, if the user wishes to change any parameters, they can do this in “alternative mode", where features can be edited in real-time and saved even after powering off the instrument.

    While in “alternative mode”, knobs on the front panel are mapped to new functions not previously available. As an example, if a user wants to have control over the ratio of compression, they can adjust this by entering alternative mode and adjusting the amount knob. Now, the user has even more control to dial the specific amount of compression. Similarly, when moving the “chorus rate” knob in “alternative mode” the user is actually adjusting the time of the chorus effect. These additional functions add more exact control and can lead to experimental and creative outcomes.

    In a time when every DAW and VST developer offers a variation on the classic ‘electric piano’ preset sound, The Rhodes MK8 is a potent reminder of the power and mystique that analogue instruments can bring to recording and performing live. With this abundance of new sounds and features, the MK8 is set to redefine and confidently extend the sound of electromechanical pianos for a new generation of artists, producers, and recording engineers.

    With its integrated, fully analogue front-panel effects section, the Rhodes MK8 electromechanical piano is set to inspire an entirely new generation of electronic pianists, electromechanical synthe…

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