15% of the general population in the US are ‘superfans.’ Here’s what that means for the music business.Recent sats published by US market monitor Luminate highlight the impact that superfans are having on the music business
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HarbourView acquires again, snapping up select music assets of artist, songwriter and producer, BlackbearBlackbear co-wrote Justin Bieber's six-time platinum single, Boyfriend
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Eplex7 DSP Time-limited plugin bundle: Psychedelic FM Superesonator + Particle Collider SX7 Eplex7 Time-limited plugin bundle: Psychedelic FM Superesonator + Particle Collider SX7 Discounted bundle -38% off is available only in Summer 2023. After the summer the included... Read More

Eplex7 DSP Time-limited bundle: Replikorp 2249 + Hitech SFX1 + Hitech SFX2 instruments Eplex7 Time-limited instrument bundle: Replikorp 2249 + Hitech SFX1 + Hitech SFX2 Discounted bundle -49% off is available only in Summer 2023. After the summer the included... Read More

Flock Audio’s Patch VT is now shipping Flock Audio's latest digitally controlled patchbay is equipped with 64 inputs and 64 outputs, and provides some handy features derived from the flagship Patch XT.

TikTok Music moves much closer to launching in USTikTok Music is on track to become the first new major competitor to Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music in more than five years, and two new announcements confirm that. Continue reading
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Recluse Audio is offering all its VST plugins for freeRecluse Audio has made all six of its VST plugins free to download forever.

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The move allows free access for users to the Pulsar 2.0, Reflections, Auto Visualiser (used on Max4Live), Flanger, Pulsar Vintage, and Rompler.
The plugins, that were originally $40 each, are now completely free of charge to use.
Recluse Audio founder Ryan Devens has also given a walk through of all the parameters of Pulsar, which you can check out below:

 
In more plug-in news, MusicTech has rounded up all of the newest plug-ins available this week.
Starting off with the Scheps Omni Channel 2 by Waves, it offers an extended version of the original strip which was co-designed by Grammy-winning mixer Andrew Scheps, combining compression, EQ, and saturation in one single window.
Next is the Octave Cat by Cherry Audio. This virtual instrument based on the 1976 synth The CAT by Octave Electronics offers over 300 presets, dual panel views, and extended effects capabilities.
Also up for grabs is Diffuse by Daniel Gergely, which is a unique plugin that combines delay, reverb, reverse, freeze, filter, modulation, tremolo, octave, and shimmer effects in a customisable XY pad.
To download Recluse Audio’s VST plugins, you can head over to their website.
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Ringo Starr on Beatles AI song: “For all the madness going on around it, it’s a beautiful track”Ringo Starr has shared his thoughts about the upcoming Beatles track, on which John Lennon’s old vocal recordings were extracted and refined using AI.

READ MORE: A petition for LEGO to make a Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus set is gaining traction

In an interview with Variety, the drummer assures fans that the new song, which is suspected to be the unreleased 1978 track Now and Then, sounds “beautiful”, despite the concerns over the use of artificial intelligence.
“It’s not down to AI,” he says. “It’s not like we’re pretending anything. That is actually John’s voice, Paul’s voice and bass playing, George [Harrison] on rhythm guitar and me on drums.
“The two things that are new are Paul’s bass and me on drums… I really worked at it just months ago here. And it works,” he added. “It’s a beautiful song. You know, for all the madness going on around it, it’s still a beautiful track. And our last track.”
News of this hotly awaited song first came to light in an interview with Paul McCartney on BBC Radio 4, where McCartney said that AI had been used to take John Lennon’s voice from old audio and strip it from its instrumental background.
As well as excited reactions from fans, there was also a great deal of “confusion and speculation” about the record. The bassist then made a statement saying that despite the use of AI, the song had not been “artificially created.”
“[It’s] been great to see such an exciting response to our forthcoming Beatles project. No one is more excited than us to be sharing something with you later in the year,” wrote McCartney on Instagram Stories.
“We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it,” he continued. “Seems to be a lot of guess work out there. Can’t say too much at this stage but to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It’s all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings – a process which has gone on for years”
“We hope you love it as much as we do. More news in due course.”
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US vinyl record sales increased by 21.7 per cent in the first half of 2023Sales of vinyl records in the US have surged by over 20 per cent during the first half of 2023, according to Luminate’s midyear report.

READ MORE: The music production industry has a gender problem – here’s how we can fix it

The report, conducted by the Californian data analytics service, highlights trends in the music industry from January 2023 up to and including June 2023.
According to the report, 23.6 million LPs were sold in this period, marking a 21.7 per cent increase from 2022’s 19.4 million sales.
Physical album sales overall also saw a notable rise of 13.3 per cent in 2023, with 41.5 million physical copies sold compared to 2022’s 36.7 million.
Notably, direct-to-consumer vinyl sales experienced substantial growth, reaching 2.6 million sales and increasing by more than 26 per cent in 2023.
Leading the vinyl sales of new music are Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, boygenius, and the classic album Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.
Another interesting stat from the report is that EDM fans spend +63 per cent more money on music categories per month than the average U.S. music listener.
While vinyl record sales are increasing year on year, it’s not wholly positive for record labels selling music in the format. In MusicTech’s recent interview with Mad Mats and Tooli, the founders of record label Local Talk, they said that due to rising pressing costs, the worth of distributing vinyl is dwindling.
“I got a statement for one of my other labels,” says Tooli, “and actually sold out a [vinyl pressing run]. It’s quite rare these days that you sell out the first pressing. And by doing the calculations, I made €120. It’s too much work, just to be nostalgic.”
While distribution costs are providing obstacles for many, the ever-rising popularity of the medium is still evident. In September, the world’s first multi-day vinyl festival, Haarlem Vinyl Festival, is expected to welcome a total of at least 15,000 visitors.
To read the full midyear report by Luminate, head to luminatedata.com.
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9 free and affordable apps and platforms every musician needs to useThe number of apps and platforms offered to help create and market music can be overwhelming. But thankfully, music marketing veterans Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert are here to help.. Continue reading
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How to make your own software sample instrument from a hardware synthesizerHardware synthesizers are fun to play and sound fantastic. But they’re not always convenient for producers, especially if your workflow is largely laptop-based or if you’re performing live. The solution? Sample those synths and turn them into readily accessible software instruments to use in your DAW.
READ MORE: Beginner’s Guide: Buying your first hardware synthesizer
Aside from the convenience of having hardware converted into software, working with samplers can expand the sweet sound of your synthesizers. Samplers can bend and warp sounds in new and exciting ways. You could turn a monophonic synth into a polyphonic one, for example. Then, of course, there’s the magical degradation and warping you get when pitch-shifting audio across a keyboard. (If you’d rather skip the hardware and fake a lo-fi aesthetic in the box instead, check out our tutorial on lo-fi effects.)
For this tutorial, you’ll need a hardware synthesizer and a way to record it into your computer. Assuming that’s covered, you’ll also need a software sampler. Native Instruments’ Kontakt is a comprehensive solution and is what will be used here but it’s by no means the only option on the market. There are plenty of others, including TAL-Software’s TAL-Sampler, along with some freeware options – perhaps your DAW’s stock sampler will do the trick, too. We’ll show you the best techniques, and you can adapt them to your desired sampler.
Here’s an example of what you can do with a homemade sample instrument. This house track features a multi-sampled Moog Grandmother playing chords.

Dial in your synth
The first step? Program your synth patch. Sometimes it’s useful to capture a wide, open synth sound for a flexible sample – but you may lose out on the inherent character of your synthesizer. Instead, try dialling in a target sound that you’d want to use in a recording. You can even include effects, such as on our Moog Grandmother, which has a spring reverb for atmosphere.
Image: Moog
Program MIDI notes
Next, in your DAW, draw in a series of MIDI notes that you want to capture. To ensure consistent volume, make sure they all have the same amount of velocity. Leave enough time between notes to fully record any tails.
As for what (or more correctly, how many) notes to capture, that depends entirely on how realistic of a sample instrument you want. Recording every note on the keyboard will give you the best results – if what you want is a sample instrument that sounds exactly like the source. To hear more of the sampler’s sonics, capture only one or two notes per octave. This will result in pitch shifting and can introduce slight artefacts that add some flair.

Record the synth twice to make two velocity layers
Now it’s time to record the synthesizer. As most software samplers support velocity layers, where a different sample is triggered depending on how hard you press down on a key, you can do two separate recordings; the second with a different setting on the synthesizer. For example, run two passes, each with a different filter frequency cutoff amount so that harder presses on the final sample instrument will result in brighter notes.
Feel free to add colour when recording your synthesizer as well. The Moog Grandmother here was recorded through an audio interface with a built-in compressor and saturation engaged.

Edit the captured audio files
Next, using your DAW or a dedicated audio editor such as Audacity, isolate each recorded note into its own audio file. Trim any silence from the beginning of the new file. Also, add a fade-out to the end of each note to address any sudden drops in sound. Be sure to label each file with its velocity layer and note position. You’ll need to know this when mapping out your sample instrument in the next step.

Create a key map and the first velocity layer
In your DAW, create a fresh project and add your chosen sampler to a new MIDI track. Open the sampler and prime it for importing audio files. Access the edit mode and then click on the appropriate button to start key mapping.
The first sample will likely be automatically stretched across the entire keyboard. Pull it back so it occupies the first half of an octave starting with C. Next, drag in the next file and edit the width of the sample coverage. Do the same for the rest of the notes, as in the video below.

Add the second velocity layer
Now it’s time to add the second, brighter velocity layer. In the key mapping section, pull down on each key zone until around the halfway point. This will be the velocity change point. Next, drop the corresponding second layer note into the top area and pull up on the zone until it sits nicely with the first layer.
In the video example below, velocity information at or below 65 plays layer one, while layer two gets triggered by stronger key strokes. Now is the time to save your new sample patch so you don’t lose the key mappings and velocity layers.

Choose sampler effects
For the final step, go ahead and add some internal effects to your new instrument if your sampler software supports it. Saturation is always welcome, as are reverb and delay. Feel free to get creative with your sampler’s editing capabilities. There are envelope settings, of course, but don’t forget about loops and loop points for additional sampler spice.

Learn more music production tips and tricks.
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This Is Phat! 808 Engine For Kontakt Is FREE For A Limited Time!
VSTAlarm is now giving away a Kontakt instrument called This Is Phat! 808 Engine for free by their sound design label Red Sounds. Mainly targeted to Hip-Hop/RnB/Trap producers, this sample library helps you can create your own 808 bass lines quickly, thanks to a few selected controls on the interface and a bunch of handcrafted [...]
View post: This Is Phat! 808 Engine For Kontakt Is FREE For A Limited Time!

A petition for LEGO to make a Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus set is gaining tractionLEGO has an idea portal that allows Lego fans to request ideas for new sets, and many have suggested creating replicas of classic pieces of music gear. One of the newest ideas put forward is the Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus Multi Player.

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The Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus is one of the most famous pieces of DJ equipment in the world, with users including David Guetta and more.
“This new-age classic piece plays a significant role in the life of clubs and parties,” reads the build’s description. “DJs are playing the best music on this, mixing the songs together with great precision.”
The set, designed by Hungarian builder Tamás Borján, contains a whopping 2,628 pieces, and features a removable USB stick, an adjustable tempo fader, a CD that can be ejected, two individual LED panels, an adjustable waveform panel and more.
As demonstrated by the video shared on the Lego Ideas site, you can also remove the screens to show song selection and wave forms.
The website allows users to submit ideas for LEGO products to be turned into potential sets available in shops and online, with the original designer receiving 1% of the royalties.
If the submission for the idea reaches 10,000 supporters, it may be made into an official LEGO set. As of writing, it is currently at just under 3,500.
LEGO takes the ideas portal seriously; a Fender Stratocaster set became available in 2020 after a fan design went viral.
The brick set was designed up by LEGO Ideas user TOMOELL, who based it on the dream guitar of their teenage years. The design presented the Stratocaster in a multitude of colours, including black, white, yellow, red and blue. The final product also includes a LEGO Fender combo amp – complete with a foot switch.
Fingers crossed the Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus recieves the same viral treatment.
You can have a look at the impressive design at Lego Idea’s website. 
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Flock Audio’s 128-point digitally-controlled PATCH VT is now shippingCanadian audio brand Flock Audio has officially launched the latest in its series of digitally-controlled analogue PATCH patch bays, the 128-point PATCH VT.

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PATCH VT features a 128-point patch bay with Flock Audio’s own Multi-Patented Matrix Technology, delivering conversion-free and sonically transparent analogue routing. With 64 inputs and 64 outputs, Flock Audio provides loads of room to plugin microphones, instruments, and other gear, making it the central hub for even the most advanced studios.

The rack-mounted unit gives you 32 independent channels, each equipped with 48V phantom power for accommodating various audio devices. Its rear panel includes 16 DB-25/D-SUB Tascam Standard Pinout Format Connectors, ensuring smooth connectivity for different setups.
The front panel provides access to two inputs and two outputs via Combination TRS/XLR Connectors, enhancing flexibility. Users can create, store, and recall routings effortlessly with PATCH APP Classic & PATCH APP DX Routing Software on OSX, Windows, and iOS.
“The PATCH series was designed from the onset to give users complete control of all of their analogue signal processing in a convenient and user-friendly way that would offer the best of both worlds of analogue sound quality and digital workflow convenience,” says Flock Audio Founder and CEO Darren Nakonechny.
“By expanding the range with PATCH VT, our users now have even more options in the series to build a system that suits their needs whether it’s in the recording studio or in a live sound application.”
The patching hub was a talking point at one of the world’s biggest music tech trade shows, NAMM 2023, in April. Here, the unit was showcased alongside gear by many other brands including Sequential, Korg, Moog and Arturia. The exhibition included everything from synths to audio interfaces, monitors and various other studio gear.
PATCH VT is now shipping and costs $2,999. Find out more at flockaudio.com.
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10 legit Spotify Playlist Curators to send music toBuilding legitimate Spotify stream counts for your music requires time, care, and attention to detail. Luckily, there are thousands of independent playlist Spotify curators to send your music to, so. Continue reading
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