Harmony Lab Audio releases Harmony Pro, a FREE harmony assistant
Harmony Lab Audio has released Harmony Pro, a free harmony assistant designed for musicians who want to explore chord progressions and alternative harmonic directions. First, let’s get the GUI out of the way. It looks very vibe-coded, and since we obviously won’t be living in a world without vibe-coded plugins anytime soon, I hope at [...]
View post: Harmony Lab Audio releases Harmony Pro, a FREE harmony assistant

Tracktion Waveform 14 Pro, as reviewed by an Ableton Live user
The older producers among us may faintly remember Waveform. Younger producers may not have heard of it at all. In either case, it’s a name rarely mentioned in the same breath as today’s most popular DAWs – the likes of Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or FL Studio.

READ MORE: Logic Pro 12.3, as reviewed by a Cubase version 1 user

Originally launched as Tracktion in 2002, Julian Storer’s DAW stood out for its streamlined single-window workspace, an approach that feels more like the default among today’s workstations.
Nonetheless, it endures as a mature and feature-rich ecosystem in both free and paid forms – so, more than two decades on, is Waveform 14 Pro a credible alternative to the heavyweights? And if so, who’s it actually for?
Getting started with Waveform Pro 14
Waveform makes an eccentric first impression. I’m reminded of old open-source software – it feels like a less considered experience than Live’s German utilitarianism or Logic’s skeuomorphic approach.
The default font is a little toylike, though I discover I can replace it with almost anything. Comic Sans in a DAW? Apparently so. It’s a small detail, but one that hints at just how much of Waveform can be bent to your will.
Central to that intent is the newly updated Actions panel, which has absorbed the functionality of Properties from Version 13 and earlier. It exposes relevant commands based on what’s currently selected, though it’s unusual to see this much text in a DAW. I’m sure its immediacy suits experienced users, but as a newcomer, I find it overwhelming.
Actions panel. Image: Press
Otherwise, Waveform feels mostly familiar, with the usual left-to-right timeline, a mixer, a browser, and transport controls – all of which can be individually hidden.
As a Live loyalist, I instinctively hit the tab key and Waveform’s Clip Launcher appears. It looks nearly identical to my home DAW’s Session View, where I usually begin composing.
Making music with Waveform Pro 14
As I navigate my session, Waveform feels reassuringly snappy and responsive, though actually building up an arrangement presents more friction than expected – even beyond the usual learning curve of new software.
Basic operations don’t always feel intuitive, and I find myself regularly digging for routine functions until I realise how integral the Actions panel is. Fifteen years of Ableton Live inevitably skews my expectations, but I don’t remember encountering this much resistance when learning other DAWs.
Stability also proves mixed. At one point a Soundtoys plugin crashes and, because plugin sandboxing is disabled by default, takes the entire application with it. Thankfully, Waveform’s recovery system appears dependable, returning me precisely where I left off.
I encounter a few bugs. Most are minor, but one is more concerning: MIDI notes sporadically fail to trigger during clip looping. Based on forum threads, this is a longstanding problem, and it’s enough to make me wary of relying on Waveform for live performance.
Nonetheless, there are some genuinely slick ideas here. In-line MIDI editing is a feature I wish Live would incorporate. Every plugin is visible from the arrangement view and can be accessed with a single click for quick changes. Automation is unusually precise too, with each node’s value and curvature editable directly via Actions, plus multiple ways to transform each curve. When Waveform’s depth is this immediate, it feels completely justified.
In-line MIDI, automation, and plugins. Image: Press
Elsewhere, Waveform’s Racks—modular patching environments for custom plugin chains—feel more flexible than Live’s Racks. The latter still wins when it comes to warping pitch and time, as Waveform takes some time to enact such changes.
Using Assistant in Waveform 14 Pro
The most significant addition to Version 14 is Waveform’s LLM-driven Assistant. I tell it I’m coming from Ableton Live, and it helps me orientate myself, explaining equivalent functions and philosophical differences between the DAWs.
Assistant also plugs into Waveform’s API, which means it can carry out tasks on your behalf – such as channel and plugin routing, changing settings, or even generating MIDI. I ask it to help build an acid-inspired track; it loads Waveform’s drum sampler but fails to select the TR-808 preset it promised. However, my request for rolling hi-hats, trilled accents, syncopated kicks, and a snare backbeat fares better, delivering a surprisingly to-the-brief drum pattern:

I ask for a bassline, and the limits are exposed more clearly. Assistant spits out some vague chromatic wandering, and it takes several back-and-forth refinements to get something passable, let alone acidic. Assistant also fails to configure Tracktion’s own BassOsc plugin into a 303-style patch because it can’t interpret the plugin’s parameter names. Frustrated, I settle for a preset.
AI MIDI generation. Image: Press
Assistant requires an Anthropic or OpenAI API key to function, so it’s effectively pay-as-you-go. My acid experiment costs around half a dollar in usage, which feels expensive given I’ve spent more time correcting than creating. Responses can also be slow or fail entirely without explanation.
Still, it’s an ambitious implementation. Like other LLM-based tools, its capabilities will rapidly improve as time goes on. And even if the execution is not yet convincing, the level to which it can interact with your project is already impressive.
Using macros in Waveform 14 Pro
One area Assistant proves particularly useful is creating macros – custom commands that carry out repetitive jobs with a single key press. Previously, users had to write these manually using JavaScript, but you can now transform a single-sentence prompt into an advanced workflow tool.
I ask for two macros: one that duplicates a selected MIDI clip and transposes the copy up an octave, and one that applies swing to every clip in the session. Assistant produces working code for both in around half a minute.
Macro page. Image: Press
I’m not sure I personally need that level of control, but for editing-heavy workflows where the same sequence of actions is repeated dozens of times, the appeal is obvious. It also makes some of Waveform’s earlier complexity easier to understand.
By partnering Assistant with its macro system, Tracktion has significantly lowered the barrier to in-depth DAW customisation, and it’s one of Waveform 14 Pro’s most compelling ideas.
Should I buy Waveform 14 Pro?
No doubt, Waveform 14 Pro is immensely capable. Tracktion continues to enhance the wider ecosystem, and the DAW now comes with a substantial collection of instruments, effects, and content – but so does the competition, making $249 a more difficult proposition.
Waveform’s strongest argument is customisation, while Actions, Racks, and Assistant-powered macros will particularly appeal to power users with idiosyncratic workflows. However, this niche is already well served by the cheaper yet endlessly tweakable REAPER, which also benefits from a far larger community of users, scripts, and accumulated knowledge.
As for bedroom producers and beatmakers, Waveform’s flexibility is more likely to create friction than remove it, which makes cheaper alternatives like Logic Pro and FL Studio more sensible options.
One huge caveat here is Waveform Free, which flips the whole argument on its head. Despite no upfront cost, it retains a strong core feature set that can be expanded à la carte if you don’t need a full Pro licence.
When I jumped from Ableton Live 9 to 12, the numerous additions were already beginning to dilute the distilled experience I originally fell for. For me, the ideal DAW knows what to keep out of my way. And while Waveform 14 Pro is definitely a credible workstation, it tries too hard to prove it.
Key Features

Clip Launcher with launch modes
Precision timeline and clip-level automation curves with touch and latch modes
Advanced MIDI editor with randomisation and probability features
Modular plugin racks
In-depth macro system and API
Plugin sandboxing
Multichannel audio support from Version 14
15 refreshed audio effects
Native stem splitting
Responsive user interface with customisable colour schemes

The post Tracktion Waveform 14 Pro, as reviewed by an Ableton Live user appeared first on MusicTech.

Rockheyday VelorX v2VelorX is a high-fidelity Algorithmic Reverb Processor designed to provide total spatial control through advanced visual feedback. Built around a precision dual-layer FFT engine and a real-time stereo correlation monitor, VelorX eliminates the guesswork of spatial mixing. It includes a dedicated Stereo Correlation Meter to protect your mix clarity. Expanding the soundstage can often introduce phase issues that weaken the signal in mono. By monitoring correlation in real time, you can confidently dial in wide. "Fully coded DSP & GUI — optimized for CPU efficiency. No images, no SVGs, no skins. Pure signal." "Please download the free demo to test compatibility with your system and DAW before purchasing. If you love the sound and workflow, your support helps drive future updates and new tools across the Rockheyday Collection." Demo Version Limitations: • All saving and project recall features are disabled. • 20-minute session limit. Simply reload (remove and re-insert) the plugin to reset the timer. Windows and macOS VelorX is officially signed and notarized by Apple. Key Features • Engine: High-Fidelity Algorithmic Reverb with Dual-Layer FFT Analysis. • Spatial Controls: Adjustable Room Size (0–100%) and High-Frequency Damping. • Stereo Imaging: Variable Width Control (Mono to Wide Stereo). • Mix Logic: Equal-Power Dry/Wet Blending for Constant Perceived Volume. • Pre-Delay: Up to 250 ms. • Output Gain: -12 dB to +12 dB. • Spectrum Analyzer: Dual-Layer spectrum display with adaptive 4096 / 8192-Point FFT. • Spectral Calibration: 4.5 dB internal spectral tilt with 350 ms ballistic decay. • Dual-Layer Metering: LR Peak meters (background = input, foreground = output). • Correlation Meter: Real-time phase relationship display (-1 to +1) for mono compatibility checking. • Interface Scaling: Dynamic 3-Size Layout (Compact, Standard, and Large). • Preset Manager: Dropdown menu with Prev/Next navigation and XML save/load. • Sample Rates: 44.1 kHz - 96 kHz, automatically matching the host DAW sample rate. CPU-Efficient Processing The DSP and GUI are written entirely in code, without heavy images, SVGs, or skins. This lightweight architecture helps keep the plugins responsive and CPU-efficient, even under heavy analysis workloads and at high sample rates. Version History v2.5 - September 2026 • Upgraded core graphics engine to JUCE 9 for enhanced UI rendering performance. • Added preset bar with drop-down menu, next, previous, and save buttons. • Added Large size mode. • Optimized under-the-hood mechanics for UI knobs and parameter snapping. v2.0 - August 2026 • Added license management system. • Added native DAW host bypass sync. • Optimized audio processing flow and improved CPU cache efficiency. • Improved spectrum rendering performance. Read More

A Vacuum Tube Computer For The HomeThe earliest all-electronic computers used vacuum tubes, and most of us will know about machines such as ENIAC or Colossus. Vast machines that required the budget of a country at war to build, andfill very large rooms. It’s very pleasing then to see that a useful vacuum tube computer can be made which has neither of these requirements, as with this example from [Mike] that uses former eastern bloc double-triodes.
It’s an 8-bit design following a von Neumann architecture with 16 instructions, whose operational block diagram would be instantly recognisable to anyone used to working with a 1970s-era 8-bit microcomputer. It follows a NOR-based design in the same manner as the famous NASA machines from the Apollo programme, and as we understand from the description it uses more modern parts for its I/O circuitry. Physically it’s a surprisingly compact wall-mounted unit, and it has an accompanying ex-British Rail flip-digit display as well as a control panel for a simple airship simulator game. There’s a website with full details, if you are interested.
We like this machine, a lot. It may not be the largest computer we’ve seen and it certainly isn’t the first one with vacuum tubes, but it’s a very impressive achievement to have created it. If tubes in computing interest you meanwhile, we took a trip to see the daddy of them all.
Should [Mike] enter this into the Retrocomputing Challenge? We think so.

Opaque recurrence, and other AI terms that you should probably knowThe rise of AI has brought an avalanche of new terms and slang. Here is a glossary with definitions of some of the most important words and phrases you might encounter.

Tencent Music prices USD $1B bond offering, with proceeds earmarked for refinancing and buybacksTME is selling $500 million of 5.050% senior unsecured notes due 2031 and $500 million of 5.650% senior unsecured notes due 2036.
Source

DPA to launch the 6388 Core+  DPA have announced the launch of a new directional headset that’s been designed with the most demanding live environments in mind.

Roland releases Melody Flip, a FREE AI-assisted songwriting plugin
Roland has released Melody Flip, a free AI-assisted songwriting plugin for macOS and Windows. I was quite surprised by this one. We see independent developers release free MIDI generators all the time, but it is unusual to get one from a company as established as Roland, especially considering it uses technology developed through a collaboration [...]
View post: Roland releases Melody Flip, a FREE AI-assisted songwriting plugin

François Pé releases the FREE Euclid3an Arp plus two chord/arrangement tools for macOS
Developer François Pé has released the free Euclid3an Arp plus two chord/arrangement tools for macOS. Euclidean algorithms come up fairly often in rhythmic audio tools, like Euclyd (multitap delay) by Artists in DSP, and the free Constellations Sequencer from Factor8. Euclid3an Arp is the latest addition to this category, and you can now download this [...]
View post: François Pé releases the FREE Euclid3an Arp plus two chord/arrangement tools for macOS

Hit the Decks! It's SorayaFilipina-American DJ and producer Soraya grew up in Southern California, and started going to raves and small renegades when she was super young (around 14, 15 years old).

"I asked my parents for decks for my 17th birthday," Soraya says. "When I went to college in Hawai’i, I played house parties and various smaller shows for fun. By the time I moved back to San Diego, the shows exponentially got bigger & I began working in dance music full-time and growing my network in the industry. I met my manager when I was working as an artist liaison at a festival around three years ago, and he asked if I was represented a few months later. In the last year alone, I signed to UTA and am officially touring full-time (on top of running a dance music PR agency on the side!), and played Coachella, EDC, and Lightning in a Bottle – so I guess I’d say it got serious pretty recently. I’m super grateful for the path that I’ve been on, and I look forward to seeing where this journey takes me next."

Soraya says that she's describe her sound primarily as indie dance with rock, '80s disco, and '90s tech house influences.

"However, I like anything darker and funky, so I tend to just play whatever is fun to me and I’d like to hear loud."

She recently dropped her set from Lightning in a Bottle Festival on YouTube.

"It definitely was a career highlight for me," he says. "It was my ninth year going, and I played at The Junkyard stage, which helped shape my sound over the years into what it is today. I’m always so inspired by the artists that play there, and with this year’s stage renovation, the sound & production was insane. It truly was a full circle moment for me, as I’ve been going since I was 17, and it’ll be something I think about for the rest of my career."

As for gear: "I always love mixing on the V10, and have recently been dabbling with the RMX-1000 in my sets. For production gear, I produce in Ableton and love anything Arturia – I use Analog Lab and Acid V the most, and also love the staples such as Serum and Diva. Subtronnic and Weapon Sounds are also great, smaller companies that specialize in Indie Dance packs, and I use their sounds quite often in my productions."

Looking ahead, Soraya has plenty planned for the coming months.

"I have three releases slated for the next three months – the first is a collaboration called ‘Dance W Me’ on one of my favorite labels, Club Sweat, with an artist named POPS, who is on the rise in Chicago. The second is an original called ‘Movement’ on Omakase Records from New York. Following that up with one of my personal favorites, ‘All I Want’, which I’m releasing with Project 91 Recordings. There’s a ton of new music coming in the next year, and I’m so excited to show my fans a new direction of my sound that aligns more with what they hear in my DJ sets. 

On the touring front, I just wrapped my summer tour, which included Coachella, Shabang Festival, EDC Las Vegas, Lightning in a Bottle, Electric Castle in Romania, and more amazing shows across the country," she says. "In the coming months, I have some incredible shows including Experts Only Festival, Echostage DC with Gorgon City & Hayden James, Los Osos Richmond, Breakaway Utah, and Rouge Room Las Vegas – I’m truly excited for all of them, and it’s been such a blessing to play for so many new markets and meet so many new people. It really never gets old."

Photo credit: @christianxblake 

The post Hit the Decks! It's Soraya first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

GameSoundCon 2026 GameSoundCon have announced that they will be returning to the Marriott Burbank Convention Center in Burbank, CA, on 20 and 21 October 2026 as a hybrid event, with both in-person and online tickets available.

Autodafe releases Vintage Emulator Studio, a FREE MAME-powered instrument collection
Autodafe has released Vintage Emulator Studio, a free and open-source plugin that brings more than 40 vintage synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, and sound modules into one interface. VES takes a very different approach from the usual sampled instrument or software recreation. It embeds selected machines from the MAME emulation project, so the emulation layer reproduces [...]
View post: Autodafe releases Vintage Emulator Studio, a FREE MAME-powered instrument collection

New ZERO9 plugins have a gloriously simple UI: “We’ve removed anything that doesn’t need to be there”Keen to add character to your production without all the fuss? ZERO9 is a new collection of intuitive, character-driven tools to help you out. Designed by electronic music producer James Harcourt, ZERO9 serves up nine tools built around his own genuine creative process – and it’s designed with an intentionally simple and minimalistic UI.
ZERO9 boasts eight effects, as well as a utility tool, Signal Switch, to tweak your gain/mono/phase. As Harcourt explains, the collection is thoroughly tried-and-true – every plugin was created to fill a gap, aid his workflow or provide a solution in his production process. “A lot of the ZERO9 range started with something I genuinely wanted in my own sessions and then grew from there,” he says.

READ MORE: Polyend has unveiled a new MIDI controller – and it looks an awful lot like a QWERTY keyboard

Plenty of creative and rhythmic tools are included in the ZERO9 arsenal. First up, there’s Fusion Filter, which puts five different filter characters into one workflow and allows you to filter between engines while using the same amount, resonance and mix controls. There’s also Cosmic Chorus, with its two fixed chorus voicings, free vibrato and extra LFO controls to add movement and tempo-synchronised undulation.
Rhythmic plugins include Eccentric Echo, which utilises a pair of delay engines – one continuous and one granular – which are pair capable of feeding into one another. The engines also have serial/parallel routing, echo, splice, pitch settings, as well as the ability to tweak reverb, analogue, saturation and more.
There’s also Super Stutter, which allows users to draw patterns and transform loops into something fresh, as well as Severed Space, a gated reverb with onset-triggered closure, spectral declashing and final analogue movement.
Credit: ZERO9
Fractured Frequency also provides a four-stage, tempo-locked glitch chain to allow users to develop an evolving rhythmic system. Reactive Reverb is another plugin that can evolve in its own right, with an input-reactive algorithm that reshapes source material.
Finally, Crushing Compressor allows for four frequency bands of upward and downward parallel compression to experiment with the density and dynamics of your track. And there’s of course Signal Switch, your gain/mono/phase utility tool (which is the only plugin you can download for free, outside of the collection).
The minimal UI also comes as Harcourt’s way of allowing his plugins to be an “immediate” aid to your creative process. “I wanted the plugins to feel immediate – something you can open in the middle of making a record, understand almost instantly and start manipulating without breaking the creative flow,” he notes. “ZERO9 plugins find new sounds quickly, has some character of its own, and doesn’t give twenty pages of options before you can make a musical decision.”
“We’ve removed anything that doesn’t really need to be there,” he adds. “It’s less about making the plugins technically simple and more about hiding the complexity that doesn’t need to be in the user’s way.”
In terms of the future, ZERO9 could potentially expand its selection of tools – depending on what Harcourt feels he’s missing during his next studio session. “If something develops out of our own production work that we find genuinely useful or interesting, that’s a good reason to turn it into a ZERO9 plugin,” he explains. “I’d rather the range stayed relatively focused and every new plugin had a reason to exist.”
To find out more, head to ZERO9.

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Sony launches ULT TOWER bass-powered speakers: here’s everything you need to know – features, pricing and availabilitySony has unveiled three new speakers for its ULT POWER SOUND series: the ULT TOWER MAX, ULT TOWER 7 and ULT TOWER 5.
Blurring the line between consumer and professional use, this trio caters to all kinds of needs, from hosting parties to DJing, or even karaoke sessions. Built around newly developed large circular woofers, this next generation series delivers “stronger low-frequency bass performance than ever before”.

READ MORE: Denon DJ’s new Prime 4 G2 is an all-in-one DJ controller with MPCe pads

The new ULT TOWER lineup has been built with input from hip-hop sound creators including Grammy-nominated producer Dot Da Genius, award-winning drummer, producer and musical director Daru Jones, record producer, DJ and songwriter Dready, and audio engineer and producer Dennis “ROC.am” Jones.
What are the key features of the Sony ULT TOWER speakers?
The ULT TOWER MAX – the most premium model of the trio – features three woofers: two front-facing and one rear-facing, accompanied by a high-powered amplifier delivering up to 2150 watts of output. ULT TOWER 7 delivers up to 420 watts of output, while ULT TOWER 5 has a compact design, with up to 300 watts of output.

All three ULT TOWER models include Sony’s signature ULT button, offering access to different sound profiles. The pre-existing ULT1 and ULT2 feature within these new speakers, plus two new additions: FLAT and LIVE. All sound can be fine-tuned with Custom EQ in the Sony Sound Connect app.

ULT1 enhances deep bass for a rich, low frequency sound “that makes your heart tremble”
ULT2 boosts greater power and strong sound pressure
FLAT reproduces music as intended, delivering a true-to-source listening experience
LIVE recreates the spacious feel of a live performance while preserving vocal clarity

ULT TOWER MAX and ULT TOWER 7 also feature 360 degree Party Sound, projecting audio all around a space. On the ULT TOWER MAX, four tweeters, mid-range speakers and rear woofer work together to deliver “rich, room-filling sound with deep, impactful bass”.

Enhanced Sound Field Optimization tech analyses both speaker placement and surrounding noise levels across all three models, and adjusts the overall sound balance across the full frequency range. The ULT TOWER speakers also support flexible positioning, able to be placed vertically or horizontally.
The range further welcomes new lighting modes that meet different uses, from lighting that synchronises to rhythm to ambient effects for social gatherings. Plus, the new Party Chain feature uses Auracast broadcast to connect multiple compatible Sony speakers and synchronise both music and lighting.
How much are the ULT TOWER speakers?
The ULT TOWER MAX has a suggested retail price of £1299, with the ULT TOWER 7 coming in at £499 and the compact ULT TOWER 5 at the most affordable price of  £349.
Availability of the ULT POWER SOUND speakers
All ULT TOWER speakers are available from September 2026.
Head over to the Sony website to learn more.
The post Sony launches ULT TOWER bass-powered speakers: here’s everything you need to know – features, pricing and availability appeared first on MusicTech.

Autodafe Vintage Emulator StudioVintage Emulator Studio (VES) brings a curated selection of vintage synthesizers, samplers, drum machines and sound modules emulated by MAME into a modern, musician-friendly environment. Rather than working through the standard MAME interface, VES provides a unified application where supported machines can be loaded, played from a MIDI keyboard and, in many cases, used directly inside a DAW. VES is available for macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows and Linux, both as a standalone application and, where supported, in AU and VST3 plugin formats. Important: VES does not include or distribute ROM files. Any required ROMs must be obtained separately by the user and used in accordance with the applicable licenses and local laws. In short, VES makes it possible to use vintage instruments emulated by MAME in a much more practical music-production workflow — including directly as plugins. The source code is available on GitHub. Read More