Deezer lowers revenue forecast for FY 2023, with no net global subscribers added in latest quarterDeezer generated EUR €233.2 million in overall revenue in H1 2023, up 6.5% year-on-year at constant currency
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Get UA PolyMAX Synth FREE With Any Loopcloud Subscription Plan
During August, you can claim a free copy of PolyMAX vintage-inspired synth by Universal Audio with any Loopcloud pricing plan, starting as low as €6.99 / month with the Artist plan. This can be a great deal if you consider that the value of PolyMAX is 217,00 €, and it runs natively on your Mac [...]
View post: Get UA PolyMAX Synth FREE With Any Loopcloud Subscription Plan

Music Merch study shows what’s selling and other 2023 trends in merchA new study by atVenue offers an in-depth look at trends in music merch sales, including what’s selling and what’s not. The data was derived from the company’s point-of-sale technology,. Continue reading
The post Music Merch study shows what’s selling and other 2023 trends in merch appeared first on Hypebot.

KRK unveils the limited edition Scott Storch Classic 8ss studio monitorsPro audio manufacturer KRK has launched their first artist signature release with the new limited edition Scott Storch Classic 8ss studio monitors.

READ MORE: New AI plugin TextToSample lets you generate samples for free

Designed in collaboration with the legendary producer whose work has been featured on eight Grammy-winning albums, these eight-inch studio monitors offer all the features that have cemented the Classic 8 as Storch’s speaker of choice.
Like the original, the Scott Storch Classic 8ss is an active (self-powered) two-way studio monitor that utilises a 1″ textile soft dome tweeter paired with an 8″ glass aramid woofer. The built-in power amplifiers provide a total of 100 watts of power, with a 75-watt amp driving the woofer and a 25-watt amp for the tweeter.
Borrowing concepts from KRK’s previous ROKIT lines of professional monitors, the Classic 8ss defaults to a new flat frequency solution towards more critical listening – translating into more accurate mixes. Though users who prefer an enhanced bass response can also engage the +2 dB KRK Bass Boost.
On the outside, the monitors come with a distinctive gold chrome electroplated front baffle with Scott Storch’s signature. A Scott Storch logo – complete with his iconic sunglasses ― and signature are also featured on the rear panel.
“For years, the KRK Classic 8 monitors have been essential to my artistic music-making process,” Storch says. “To now have personalised versions of my favourite studio monitors is an exciting venture for me. Designing these monitors has been such a cool experience ― one that you don’t often see happen. I’m honoured that KRK chose me for its first-ever artist collaboration. I can’t wait to see everyone rocking the Scott Storch Classic 8ss monitors.”
“Between his initial adoption of the original Classic 8 models in his studio and serving as a mentor for the KRK Kreator Classic, Scott’s partnership with the Gibson family has been a significant one,” says Sterling Doak, Senior Director of Marketing for Gibson Brands. “This signature model was designed with Scott to emphasise the eccentric, unique flair that brought him to the level of notoriety he has today.”
Each speaker retails at $299, with just 500 units available.

Learn more at krkmusic.
The post KRK unveils the limited edition Scott Storch Classic 8ss studio monitors appeared first on MusicTech.

Time Management Hacks for Musicians [Bobby Borg]Author, teacher, and artist advocate Bobby Borg shares some time-saving tips and hacks that can help every musician focus on what really matters – the music. from Bobby Borg [Video. Continue reading
The post Time Management Hacks for Musicians [Bobby Borg] appeared first on Hypebot.

Top 6 Apps for Music Producers: LALA, AudioMovers, Tracklib, Landr, Splice & SoundtrapLooking to become a better and more successful music producer? These 6 tools can help you reach your full producing potential. By Joseph Capalbo from SoundFly Technology is revolutionizing the. Continue reading
The post Top 6 Apps for Music Producers: LALA, AudioMovers, Tracklib, Landr, Splice & Soundtrap appeared first on Hypebot.

Timehri Dig Assistant is an accurate dance-centric Discogs recommendation toolA UK developer, DJ and record label owner has built a tool that supposedly provides more accurate recommendations for dance music on Discogs.

READ MORE: US vinyl record sales increased by 21.7 per cent in the first half of 2023

The work-in-progress Timehri Dig Assistant, built by Timehri Records head honcho Toby Dunn, is, according to Dunn, literally a digging assistant that recommends similar records as you dig through collections on Discogs. It works exclusively on dance music genres such as house, deep house, tech house, prog house, UKG, grime, UK funky, techno, jungle/DnB, electro, acid, breaks, breakbeat, minimal and more.
Dig Assistant works by simply entering the Discogs URL into the site. It will then return up to six recommendations. You can then click ‘dive’ next to each track to go further into the tracks similar to that suggestion.
The tool was created using coding frameworks Rust and Python and is based on a sophisticated machine-learning data pipeline developed by data engineers at Timehri Records over the course of 2022/2023.
In a recent post to Instagram, Dunn shares the reasoning behind the tool:
“As many of you know, I’m an avid digger and record collector, last I checked I had a few thousand vinyl in my living room. However, I always found the recommendations Discogs threw up to be a little watered down and often missing the mark.
“I’ve been writing code since I was around 14 and my ‘day job’ revolves around Data / Software Engineering, with a special focus on big data and distributed data processing applications.
“The problem of recommendations is well suited to this, so I took it upon myself to improve the digging experience for me and the vinyl digging community, via the Timehri wormhole.
“The result is Dig Assistant. Think of it as a helper to browse vinyl releases on Discogs.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by T Dunn (@tdunntimehri)

Dunn isn’t the only dance music figure to create a tool that helps guide music buyers towards new releases. Avalon Emerson recently told MusicTech about Buy Music Club, her own platform which lets dance music artists post lists of music with links to Bandcamp. She also said that these tools are important as digging for music all by yourself is now a “dying pastime”.
Try out the beta of Timehri Dig Assistant at digassistant.xyz.
The post Timehri Dig Assistant is an accurate dance-centric Discogs recommendation tool appeared first on MusicTech.

You can now pre-order a BE@RBRICK portable bluetooth speakerMedicom Toy and acoustic engineering company Rinaro Isodynamics have launched a collaborative portable bluetooth speaker edition of the Japanese toy company’s iconic BE@RBRICK figurine.

READ MORE: Sonos Era 100 review: A compact smart speaker with features to spare

The speaker – 28cm high – is 400% of the size of a standard seven-centimetre BE@RBRICK. Because of this, over 20,000 hours of engineering time, says Medicom, and 214 newly-designed parts were required to build the bear.
The BE@RBRICK boasts Quad 360, an omnidirectional sound technology by Rinaro. Built using this tech, four tailor-made acoustic drivers are found within the BE@RBRICK’s head.
Be@rbrick portable speaker head
As with most Bluetooth speakers, there’s a single button that enables swift wireless connection to your iOS or Android devices. In a cool design move by Medicom, the volume and track adjustments can be found on each of the figurine’s paws. Simply twist the right paw to skip the track and twist the left paw to adjust the volume. Just don’t twist its arm. The bear bites.
If you place two BE@RBRICK speakers next to one another, you can pair the bears to create a true stereo pair. Not only have you now found a friend for your bear, you can also hear your music in more immersive way.
The speaker has up to six hours battery life with a charging time of 1.5 hours via a USB-C port in the back of the bear’s left legj. According to Medicom, the battery has been designed to be replaced easily.
Medicom bea@brick speaker
BE@RBRICK toys were first introduced in 2001. Since then, these cute, distinctive figurines have become popular among collectors. Medicom have worked with artists, such as KAWS, and brands such as BAPE, END. and Chanel to create limited edition versions. A limited BAPE BE@RBRICK was sold for $14,000 in 2021, for example.
Pavlo Shymanowych, Founder of Rinaro Isodynamics, says in a press release: “As a BE@RBRICK collector myself, I was excited to take BE@RBRICK into the world of audio. The development of the speaker has been an extremely interesting yet highly complex task. Our challenge has always been to retain the shape, dimensions and functionality of the original 400% BE@RBRICK whilst delivering an impressive sound output. The limitations have required innovative solutions that are typically not found in conventional audio speakers. After more than 20,000 engineering hours, we’ve created a product that our entire team is proud of.”
This isn’t the only collectable figurine to collide with the music world recently. In July, a Sotheby’s auction of iconic hip-hop artefacts listed a KAWS item from the personal archives of Mo’ Wax and UNKLE founder James Levelle. It’s estimated to sell for upwards of $70,000.
If you’re looking for a less bear-based bluetooth speaker, we recently gave the Sonos Era 300 speaker a solid 10/10 review, commending its premium playback and surround sound abilities.
Medicom and Rinaro Isodynamics’ BEA@BRICK bluetooth portable speaker will launch in November 2023 and will cost $499. Find out more at bearbrick.audio.
The post You can now pre-order a BE@RBRICK portable bluetooth speaker appeared first on MusicTech.

Pssst! Instruments NOIZZZ: Playable Noise & ASMR Noizzz: playable noise & asmr For full Kontakt 6.6 or higher (free Kontakt Player will run in a demo mode). Imagine that sound of a drawing pencil can be playable. Imagine... Read More

Everyone’s A Singer workshops & events Everyone’s A Singer is an organisation that was established with the goal of promoting the benefits that singing and songwriting can have on a person’s wellbeing.

Record label launches funding page to help give 74 year old techno lover a trip to IbizaRecord label Hedkandi has launched a funding page to help give a 74-year-old techno lover and ex-DJ a trip to Ibiza.

READ MORE: LEP’s Raymond Scott-inspired generative analogue groovebox, ArpoLoop, nears completion

The English techno label has set up a GoFundMe page to cover the cost of Robert Johnson’s trip to the Spanish island.
The 74-year-old, who is from the Wirral, England, was first employed as a DJ at Liverpool’s Cabin Club, before being introduced to rave music at aged 40.
He then made his first trip to Ibiza in 2007 when he was 58, and loved it so much he would return every year for 11 years, only stopping in recent years due to financial reasons.
“For us, he’s proof you’re never too old to have fun so why can’t we help him to do something he enjoys doing,” Hedkandi founder Mark Doyle told The Echo. “We’re just going to give him a great time.”
“I’m so grateful to all these lovely people, I know lots of them,” explained Johnson. “When they announced they were going to do this night in Hedkandi, which I’ve been to lots over the years when I was working and could afford to go, I thought, ‘I have to go.’ And then Mark sends me an email and says ‘what are you doing in August’ and he said ‘I’m going to take you there’. I was so happy.”
“I learned that Robert went to Ibiza regularly and had a club schedule that would terrify a 21-year-old,” wrote Doyle on the funding page. “Quite simply Robert is a legend and most importantly an example to all of us. And beyond all of that, he’s part of our family.”
You can visit Hedkandi’s pledge over at GoFundMe.
The post Record label launches funding page to help give 74 year old techno lover a trip to Ibiza appeared first on MusicTech.

Berlin announces €947 million culture fund to support new clubs and cultural spacesBerlin’s Senator for Culture has announced a €947 million culture fund for 2024 in a bid to rejuvenate the city’s arts and nightlife scene, Euronews reports.

READ MORE: “Stanley Kubrick level of planning” went into Daft Punk’s RAM, says Chilly Gonzales

The fund, which sees a €13 million increase from this year, will go toward adding 500 cultural spaces including night clubs, venues, museums, and theatres to Berlin’s current 2,000-strong roster, with the goal of doubling the amount of state-owned cultural space by 2030.
Projects that will benefit include the renovation of the Komische Oper, one of Berlin’s biggest opera companies, as well as funds for museums, exhibitions, memorial sites, drama schools and theatres.
According to Euronews, the move is part of an ongoing commitment by the State Minister for Culture and Social Cohesion, Joe Chialo, who has pledged to raise the budget to €1 billion for 2025.
“The crisis that we are fighting now with lots and lots of money will last for a while,” Chialo told Flux FM last month, referencing the threat of inflation and the increasing cost-of-living across Europe. “The club operators can definitely count on my support.”
The announcement has also sparked comparisons between the UK and Germany’s culture fund, with researcher Ruth Hogarth noting that the Berlin budget was over double that for the entirety of England in 2024.

The city of Berlin’s culture budget (population 7m) for 2024 has been set at €947m. The whole of England’s culture budget (population 57m) for 2024 is £458.5m. I know there’s lottery and local authority funding on top, but it doesn’t add up to anything like the per capita spend. https://t.co/YwshmIeKG8
— Ruth Hogarth (@ruthhogarth) July 13, 2023

Earlier this year, the Berlin senate implemented the ‘Jungendkulkarte’, a new initiative giving 18 to 23-year-old Berliners €50 to cover their entrance fees for participating nightclubs, as well as a range of other cultural activities.
The post Berlin announces €947 million culture fund to support new clubs and cultural spaces appeared first on MusicTech.

Sequential Trigon-6 is Dave Smith’s final love letter to American synth iconsIt was with a heavy heart that the music world bade farewell to Dave Smith in 2022, founder of Sequential Circuits and synth designer extraordinaire. Smith’s swan song, at that time, was considered to be the mammoth Oberheim OB-X8, a collaborative design with long-term friend and fellow pantheon member, Tom Oberheim, which was announced shortly before Smith’s passing, and released not long after. Little did we know, however, that Dave Smith had one last gift: the Trigon-6, a six-voice polyphonic beast that was “a passion project for Dave Smith,” in the words of Sequential product designer Carson Day.

READ MORE: Why the Oberheim OB-X8 is MusicTech’s Product Of The Year for 2022

Three is a magic number when it comes to the Trigon-6, which you may have already guessed from both its name and the triangle in its logo.
Sequential’s six-voice polyphonic subtractive synth has three analogue oscillators and completes a trinity of instruments that pay tribute to some of the most iconic designs in synthesis. It also happens to have a filter that first made an appearance on the Sequential Pro 3, but we’ll accept that’s a tenuous link. That filter, however, is key to understanding the Trigon-6’s place in the Sequential ecosystem, and in that trinity in particular.

The preceding two synths are, of course, the Prophet-6 and the OB-6. The supremely popular Prophet-6 is a tribute to the iconic Prophet-5 (which has since seen a reissue), taking cues from the Prophet-5’s oscillators and four-pole filter but adding a step sequencer, onboard effects and more. The OB-6 – a collaboration with Tom Oberheim that predates the OB-X8 – meanwhile, enlisted a classic Oberheim SEM state-variable filter and even endeavoured to recreate the sound of the original Oberheim phase shifter and ring modulator effects.
Sequential: check. Oberheim: check. Who could be the last giant of American synthesis to commemorate with a six-voice poly? You guessed it: Moog.
The Trigon-6 is Sequential’s love letter to Moog. It features a Moog-style ladder filter and a formidable trio of beefy oscillators, giving it more than a little in common with the layout and architecture of the Minimoog and the polyphonic Memorymoog, released just over a decade apart.
Perhaps it’s in our imagination, but something about the Trigon-6’s lighter wood finish feels highly Memorymoog-ish; it certainly eschews the darker finishes of previous Sequential instruments.
Sequential Trigon-6 oscillators. Image: Sequential
Just like the Prophet-6 and OB-6, the Trigon-6 features a four-octave, semi-weighted keyboard and measures around 32 inches in length. Another design aspect of the Prophet-6 and OB-6 channelled by the Trigon-6 is an almost purely single-layer, WYSIWYG panel, with no screen menu to speak of and certainly no menu diving. The Trigon-6 literally presents its functions on a plate – a refreshing thing to behold – with a humble, retro-looking (and rather bright) three-figure seven-segment display employed to show preset numbers, indicate global settings, and not much else.
Dual envelopes, a decent selection of digital effects (including a well-tuned bucket brigade-style delay and Oberheim-style phaser), a Prophet-6-esque Polymod section and a simple arpeggiator and sequencer are all on offer. Aftertouch is available, too, which is given its own panel section, but leaves a little to be desired physically – there’s almost no travel distance on the key before reaching full modulation value.
Overall, the build quality here is excellent, with bright LEDs, a solid feel and firm knobs; these even take some effort to turn, in some cases. The Trigon-6’s layout is truly classic and incredibly clear, though fair to say some visual indication of LFO rates would have been appreciated. It may carry a premium price tag, but in a vacuum would make an excellent synth for newcomers with a well-illustrated signal flow and quick and easy parameter edits.
Sequential Trigon-6 filters. Image: Sequential
The Moogfluence is writ large on the Trigon-6. Just like the Minimoog and Memorymoog, its three oscillators are arranged one above the other, with each getting its own Minimoog-like stepped octave knob (something not offered by the Prophet-6 or OB-6), tuning knobs for oscillators 2 and 3, an oscillator sync button, and a noise generator. Also similar to the aforementioned Moogs, oscillator 3 can dive to sub-audio frequencies to become an LFO, and has a handy button to toggle keyboard control on and off.
Let’s be clear; there are no complaints about this whatsoever. A triple-oscillator, Sequential take on Moog architecture is no doubt what many have been dreaming of, and the Trigon-6 delivers magnificently.
The Trigon-6 is far from a clone, however. For one thing, its filter is switchable between two- and four-pole modes, which is a lovely touch and offers a decent amount of control over its character.
Sequential Trigon-6 top. Image: Sequential
Beyond combining “all of the best qualities of Sequential’s Prophet-6 and OB-6 synths” (in Carson Day’s words), the Trigon-6 excels in the realm of distortion, overdrive and feedback. A bipolar feedback/drive knob can dial in anything from subtle crunch to all-out, sonic mangling, toeing a line perfectly between the Minimoog trick of feeding its output back into its audio input and designs previously seen in synths like the Dave Smith Instruments’ Mopho. There’s also a distortion knob, as seen on the Prophet-6, which augments this with further harmonic overtones.
Thankfully, you can crank the levels of all three oscillators into the ladder filter, really squeezing them through the circuitry and pushing them up into its headroom. Dial in some component drift with the Vintage knob – something of a Sequential favourite that also found its way onto the OB-X8 – and the Trigon-6 does a great job of imitating all the warmth and character of an old-school instrument.
The Vintage knob is a worthy inclusion to the Trigon-6, but in many ways, this is a synth that manages to feel vintage anyway. It has a distinct character and real bite, perhaps more so than we’re used to on a Sequential instrument.
The Trigon-6 stands tall next to its celebrated six-voice peers; a fitting conclusion to the monumental legacy of one of the synth world’s most revered minds. Thank you, Dave.
Key features

6-voice polysynth
3 discrete voltage-controlled oscillators
Switchable 2/4-pole Moog-style ladder filter per voice
Polyphonic step sequencer
Semi-weighted, 4-octave keyboard with velocity and aftertouch
Vintage knob
Onboard effects

The post Sequential Trigon-6 is Dave Smith’s final love letter to American synth icons appeared first on MusicTech.

How a file named ‘Deadmau5 Meets Two Shell’ became Ineffekt’s new hit, The LightWith the power and portability of plugins, Ineffekt’s studio is wherever he opens his MacBook. And what a studio it is – crammed full of digital synths, one-knob wonders and modulation effects that have played a huge part in shaping the Dutch producer’s off-kilter, pop-tinged electronica.

READ MORE: A major record deal after three years: How did MARGE do it?

This sound can be found on the producer’s debut album, High Hopes, due out this month. Ineffekt used mostly plugins to create this, so he happily tells us about the album’s staple synths, which saturation plugins added warmth, and the FabFilter effect that helps to avoid his songs “sounding generic”.
High Hopes by Ineffekt
Ineffekt – hello! What’s the latest?
Heya! I’m kinda in a nerve-wracking summer, to be honest. It’s my first year playing big shows, figuring out how to handle them, but having a lot of fun, too. Additionally, I’m working on a bunch of music. I just did a remix for Avalon Emerson’s record and started writing new demos. High Hopes wasn’t finished that long ago actually, I finished mixing it last April. So, it still feels fresh and I’m figuring out what’s next musically.
What feelings inspired the track High Hopes?
In the past year, I’ve found there’s a difficult dynamic between having high hopes and expectations. In life in general, but also in music, you want to keep having high hopes and stay positive, but it’s hard to avoid turning them into expectations and ultimately disappointing yourself.
How does it tie into the music? Tracks like The Light, Silver Lining and What I Mean feel neither moody nor extremely happy to me. It’s this in-between mood I was sometimes in last winter.
What’s your latest plugin purchase?
I bought the Waves NLS Buss saturator recently, which I got from watching Jaycen Joshua (mix engineer Rosaliá). I really really really (really!) love the sound of his mixes. They’re heavy, yet soothing on the ears. They have clarity yet stay warm.
Waves NLS Buss saturator. Image: Waves Audio
He has this trick to give your drum bus an ‘analogue-sounding’ boost by putting eight separate instances on the bus. It gives this warm wide effect that sounds amazing.
What plugin would High Hopes be incomplete without?
Definitely Native Instruments’ Kontakt extension, Scarbo. It has extremely rich sounds that make up a chunk of the synths on the EP. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many options to adjust the presets, but enough to make them fit in. A couple of pads in The Light and Hold on Me are Scarbo for example, but also all those gritty sub-basses that I use on every song. It’s just this very particular sweet spot in between sounding warm and futuristic.
Scarbo. Image: Teleton Audio
There are so many exciting sounds throughout this EP. Can you tell us the melodies we’re hearing in The Light?
It’s funny, The Light was one of the first demos I wrote for the record and still feels like it was one of the first moments I noticed a new sound was forming. In my previous work, I always wrote bright melodies and chords – stuff would sound cute and wholesome. After a while, the bright melodies didn’t hit that much anymore and I was starting to gravitate towards something more nuanced.
High Hopes by IneffektWhen listening to Caroline Polachek, I often found that this in-between of bright and moody was a cool nuance that attracted me. It’s funny, the project name of The Light was ‘Deadmau5 meets Two Shell’ for a while. The Light and Silver Lining are the most extreme examples of this new melodic adventure, the rest of the EP came after that and explores this sound in a more subtle way.
Your collab with French II, Silver Lining – tell us all about you created the vocals and how is that powerful main synth created?
So, about the vocals: it’s a couple of vocal chops from Output’s Arcade – a handy tool for vocal samples. You can adjust the key in the plugin and it has built-in chop/effects options that are useful for making the samples sound less generic.
After messing around for a while we came up with this little loop. I feel like to keep a degree of catchiness to your songs it’s important to keep it simple. To avoid my songs sounding generic, I often use off-kilter-sounding synths and effects. For example, the vocal on itself is quite basic, but then adding FabFilter Saturn gave a bit-crushed glitch effect.
Arcade. Image: Output
Same goes for the chords. There’s not much happening rhythm-wise in the chords but using that powerful modulating pad from Sculpture, a stock Apple Logic Pro plugin, gives it an interesting twist while still keeping it simple at the core.
Do you have any secret sauce plugins?
Honestly, mostly those cheap, simple saturation plugins. I use Soundtoys’ Little Radiator and Waves’ Magma Lil Tube A BUNCH. Waves’ NLS Channel for a little more expansive sounding saturation too. For me, it’s all about making things warm without losing that high-frequency range too much. Saturation is just the way to go. I used to have this inside joke that I put Soundtoys’ Decapitator on literally every channel. I don’t do that anymore!
Ineffekt. Image: Angelina Nikolayeva
What about a guilty pleasure plugin?
The One-knob Brighter exciter effect from Waves.
What do you use without fully understanding?
Cableguys’ ShaperBox for sure. I have no idea how to work that thing without a preset. But I use it in every track – the presets are amazing. Someday, I’ll learn how to use it and go crazy with it.
Ineffekt’s High Hopes is set to be released August 11.
The post How a file named ‘Deadmau5 Meets Two Shell’ became Ineffekt’s new hit, The Light appeared first on MusicTech.

Best sample packs of the month: August 2023We’ve got a new round up of scorching sample hits for you to check out. Our top picks for the month of August include club-ready techno and tech house loops, soulful female vocals, nostalgic lo-fi synths, found sound and world percussion, and a whole load of Reese bass.
READ MORE: Best free plugins and freeware of the month: July 2023
BandLab Sounds – Found Sounds & Foley
Found Sounds & Foley. Image: BandLab Sounds

Free
Download Found Sounds & Foley

Adding found sounds to your beats can be a great way to give them an organic flavour and make them stand out from the crowd. Our free pack from BandLab Sounds this month includes 104 one-shots of scrapes, motors, clangs, doors, engines and more.
A portable Zoom recorder was used to capture a range of sources including a wine glass, a tractor engine, a toaster, a tap, a large spring, some scissors, an oven door, a gas lift chair, an extractor fan, a car door, and a bike bell.
Editor’s note: BandLab Technologies is part of Caldecott Music Group, which is also the parent company of MusicTech, NME Networks.
ModeAudio – Symbolism
Symbolism cover. Image: ModeAudio

£18
Download ModeAudio Symbolism

Although it was released 25 years ago, Boards of Canada’s Music Has the Right to Children album still sounds fresh due to its characterful sound design that blends woozy analogue synths, crunchy hip hop beats and lo-fi ambiences.
ModeAudio’s Symbolism takes its cues from this sound along with that of other artists such as Aphex Twin and Autechre, who also released on Warp Records around the same time. The pack includes 156 loops from 74 to 104 bpm, and 75 drum one-shots, plus 89 MIDI files, and 69 synth tails that bring the loops to a smooth conclusion. It’s an atmospheric collection of drum, synth, guitar, vocal, FX and field recording sounds that feels both nostalgic and futuristic at the same time.
Loopmasters – Latin House Bangers
Latin House Bangers cover. Image: Loopmasters

£29.95
Download Loopmasters Latin House Bangers

This new Loopmasters pack fuses weighty house beats with Latin musical elements to create an intoxicating mix that draws influence from artists like Hugel, Classmatic and Andrugss. It includes 151 loops and 217 one-shots of driving synth bass, syncopated drums, mixed percussion and FX, plus guitars, pianos and keys.
Arguably the best part though, are the 25 live trumpet loops that have been captured via a Neumann TLM67 mic. Although it’s designed for Latin house music at 128 bpm, these loops could be relevant for a range of house sub genres.
Thick Sounds – Tech House Oscillations
Tech House Oscillations cover. Image: Thick Sounds

£24.95
Download Thick Sounds Tech House Oscillations

There are a lot of tech house packs out there, but this one especially pricked up our ears because of the tight production and infectious grooves. Tech House Oscillations is inspired by artists such as Mark Knight, D. Ramirez, Carl Cox and Dusky, and includes 725MB of club-ready content.
In detail, there are 136 loops, 132 one-shots, 10 bass and synth multisample kits, and 3 construction kits, with 6 stems each. On top of this, you also get 71 MIDI files and 10 preset files for NI’s Massive synth.
Loopmasters – Lovers Rock Vocals
Lover Rock Vocals cover. Image: Loopmasters

£27.95
Download at Loopmasters

This beautiful pack of sultry female vocals draws inspiration from the golden era of lovers’ rock reggae and artists such as Carroll Thompson, Janet Kay and Luisa Mark. It features six distinct song kits from 90 to 130 bpm and in a range of keys.
Each features expertly captured dry female vocals, covering lead lines, and a handful of adlibs and spoken loops. Although these parts were written for over lovers’ rock backing tracks, the excellent, soulful performances could make them useful for a range of genres. Each song kit is also available to buy separately for £5.95 each.
Industrial Strength – BHK Samples Golden Age Drum & Bass
BHK Samples Golden Age Drum & Bass. Image: Industrial Strength

£49.95
Download Industrial Strength – BHK Samples Golden Age Drum & Bass

If you’re looking to craft forward thinking drum and bass but with a nod to the classics of the genre, then this new pack from Industrial Strength is well worth a look. It includes 117 expertly crafted breakbeats, top loops and basslines from 171 to 177 bpm.
Of more interest though, is the massive collection of 461 one-shots that cover bass hits, drum sounds, FX, leads, synths, atmos sounds and pads. There are even 67 different Reese bass sounds, which says a lot about the detail of the pack.
Spitfire Audio – BBC Symphony Orchestra Piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra Piano. Image: Spitfire Audio

£149 (Pro), £79 (Core), Free (Discover)
Download at Spitfire Audio

It’s been a long time coming, but Spitfire Audio has finally added a piano to complement its BBC Symphony Orchestral library. It faithfully captures the sound of a pristine Steinway Model D grand recorded at Maida Vale Studios.
There are 15 mic positions to choose from and blend, including specific close mics, plus pedal and hammers volume for added control and realism. There are also two bespoke mix presets that offer an all-purpose orchestral sound, or a hyped, more vibrant mix for cinematic music. Other features include 4 round robins, 6 dynamic layers, reverb and tightness controls, and velocity curves, with the full library weighing in at 35GB. It’s also worth noting that you can get stripped back versions for the Core and Discover editions.
Mind Flux – Hypnotic Techno
Hypnotic Techno cover. Image: Mind Flux

£29.95
Download at Mind Flux

Mind Flux know a thing or two about techno music, and this latest sample pack release is no exception. Hypnotic Techno blends entrancing synth patterns, driving and powerful sounding beats, and deep atmospheric loops inspired by artists such as Drunken Kong, Slam and KiNK, and labels like Moonshine, Soma and Hypercolour.
This concise but captivating collection includes 65 drum loops, 9 bass loops, 10 synth loops, 10 atmosphere loops and 10 FX loops. You also get 11 FX one-shots to help punctuate big moments and smooth over transitions.
Organic Loops – KV Bala Master of Percussion
KV Bala Master of Percussion cover. Image: Organic Loops

£39.95
Download Master of Percussion

This massive percussion pack sees multi-percussionist K.V. Balakrishnan performing a wide range of instruments, with a fusion of traditional Indian rhythms and popular western music across 60 construction kits.
There are 1365 loops in total, which include Afro Shakers, Bongo, Cabasa, Dholak, Ghatam, Kanjira, Maracas, Finger Cymbals, Tabla, Egg Shakers and more. Tempos range from 80 to 100 bpm, and you get both individual loops, and mixed percussion groups for a fuller sound. You’ll also find 76 male vocal loops that can be layered in to create more intricate rhythmic textures.
Crazy Sampling – Pringles Kit
Pringles Kit cover. Image: Crazy Sampling

Free
Download Pringles Kit

We thought we’d end with something a little different. This unique free sample instrument has been crafted using only the sounds of a Pringles tube. It includes 2 octaves of percussive sounds that have been performed by tapping, hitting and scraping different parts of the tube. There are also 3 octaves of tuned percussive sounds so that you can play melody parts.
It’s a simple but fun and effective instrument for adding some organic sound to a track, and the GUI includes controls for Cutoff, Volume, Reverb and Distortion.
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