Spotify “Supremium” subscription and further details unveiledFurther details of Spotify’s premium tier subscription plan – known as Supremium – have been unveiled, including a reported price point.
Plans for a premium subscription option were originally announced in 2021 as “Spotify HiFi”, but the streaming giant has been relatively quiet on the matter since then.

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Spotify has of course rolled out other various new features in recent months, including its AI-powered DJ across select countries, where songs are selected specifically for the user and the DJ announces new tracks and speaks in between.
One of the key features that was rumoured as part of Spotify Supremium was the introduction of free audiobooks. This has already been rolled out across standard subscriptions and allows users to stream up to 15 hours of audiobooks for free each month in the UK and Australia.
This feature is set to be rolled out in the US by the end of the year too. It’s not clear as to whether or not the Supremium tier will offer no set limit on free hours for audiobooks or not.
According to a leak reported by The Independent, the new tier will cost $19.99 and offers a variety of new features.  The publication cites its source as technology expert Chris Messina, who found mentions of the update within Spotify.
One key addition is said to be lossless audio, which is already offered for free on rival streaming giant Apple Music, but it also says that advanced playlist mixing tools will allow people to choose songs by tempo, feel, activity and more. It will reportedly have new listening stats and AI playlist-generation tools too.
As for artists who upload their music to the streaming platform, no details have been found on whether or not Spotify will offer any more revenue to artists from the extra cost of the higher-priced lossless plan.
Keep up to date with all things Spotify via musictech.com.
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Austrian Audio’s MiCreator achieves no-nonsense stereo recording in a pocket-sized packageMiCreator Studio £179
Satellite mic £89
Y-Lav lavalier mic £45
MiCreator System Set (Studio, Satellite, cables, faceplates, stereo bar and case) £269, austrian.audio
Austrian Audio undoubtedly produces an impressive range of professional microphones and headphones. But the new MiCreator is the company’s first foray into the world of multi-purpose, creator-focused audio devices.

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The system is aimed at keen hobbyists through to professional podcasters, though its desk-based design means it’s probably less suited to recording out in the field. It’s still designed to capture high-quality audio quality, but minimises the fuss of setting up multiple devices. USB microphones aren’t a new phenomenon but, thanks to rapid tech advancements, are more versatile than ever. So what exactly is the MiCreator family all about?
The core product is the MiCreator Studio, a combined cardioid microphone and audio interface that’s almost small enough to slip into your pocket. There’s a family of accessories, too, but let’s start with the main unit. It’s well-built, more solid than many of its competitors such as IK’s iRig Pro Quattro I/O or Audio Technica’s AT2020USB-XP, and sports a premium metal finish. This is partly because it’s petite and needs that weight to keep it steady when in use.
Austrian Audio MiCreator and accessories
When placed on a flat surface, the MiCreator Studio is perfectly secure, helped by two rubber feet that also assist with sound isolation from vibrations from below. The front and rear plates are magnetic and can actually be detached – we were sent two different coloured sets – which is a nice cosmetic touch.
The unit connects to your recording device over the supplied USB-C cable, which also provides its power. It’s class compliant so any computer, tablet or phone with USB-C – including the iPhone 15 – will work just fine and the MiCreator shows up as an audio in and out device.
An onboard mic capsule sits in its own shockmount, again helping with isolation, and on a tilting head that can be angled upwards to better capture vocals when desk mounted. There’s also a screw thread mount on the underside and adapters supplied should you want to mount it on a larger mic stand for instrument recording or singing while standing.
Austrian Audio MiCreator plate compartments
The interface is actually stereo but there are a couple of things to understand about this. When used on its own, the signal from the mono capsule is sent to both the left and right channels. If you introduce a second source via the 3.5mm combo input on the rear panel, the capsule signal is sent to the left channel and the input to the right.
That second signal could be from a number of sources. A cable is supplied to connect an instrument such as a guitar, but Austrian Audio also makes a lavalier microphone and a Satellite MiCreator, a smaller version of the mic, that can be connected to record a second person’s voice, say for an interview. Or, use both capsules on a mount to record stereo signals.
The knob on the front panel has a couple of functions, with a small LED strip providing visual feedback. In Balance mode, it mixes between the two inputs; in Volume mode, it controls the overall monitor volume of the whole unit. It’s possible to use two sets of headphones, by connecting to the out and the in/out jacks on the rear, and these will both receive signals of an identical volume. The limited number of ports means you can’t use two inputs and two headphones at the same time, though you could try a third-party splitter if you really needed to. Direct monitoring is available, so latency isn’t a problem.
The two inputs also have their own gain switches that work independently. The one on the front controls the capsule and has high, low and mute options while the one on the rear just has high and low, since with nothing connected it’s effectively muted anyway. These are reassuringly solid to use and it’s nice to have physical buttons in a world where soft buttons are increasingly the norm. The difference between high and low gain is a significant 20dB, meaning that low gain is more suited to close capture and high gain for situations where your source is a little further away.
Austrian Audio black plate (front)
Austrian Audio has specially modified the capsule to give it an impressive SPL tolerance of 130dB to cope with louder sounds. It also features a frequency range of 20Hz – 20kHz and a dynamic range of 108dB. Recording quality goes up to a very respectable 48kHz / 24-bit which is more than enough for most people. While some USB mics (Audio Technica’s AT2020USB-X, for example) allow up to 96kHz recording, this is overkill for typical users.
Unsurprisingly, our recording results from the MiCreator are excellent. It picks up a strong and clear signal both in low and high gain modes, with appropriate placement. We were particularly impressed with the even pickup when placed on a desk and angled towards the person speaking. Recording acoustic guitar was similarly effective – this time much closer up – as was adding a second person via the Satellite mic that we were sent with the package.
The company says that this mic is aimed at people who want great results without the fuss, and it’s delivered on that goal. Though a product such as IK Multimedia’s iRig Stream Mic Pro has more features, it’s also relatively more complex and has a more lightweight build. Simpler mics like Logitech’s Blue Yeti lack a second input.
The MiCreator’s form factor makes us wish that it had an onboard recording option – internal flash storage that could be downloaded after recording, which would open up whole new use cases. That, however, would require an internal battery amongst other things and surely push the price up, perhaps considerably.
So, the developers have kept it simple, making an excellent-sounding mic and interface with a simple but effective set of features that are easy enough even for beginners to use. We even love its retro styling.
Key features

24-bit, 48kHz recording
USB-C data and power, class compliant
Onboard, shock-mounted condenser capsule
Cardioid polar pattern
130dB maximum SPL
Second input for stereo
20dB variable gain switches
Jog wheel for mixing and volume
Direct monitoring
Cubase LE and WaveLab Cast included
Compatible with other MiCreator accessories

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“The competition is actually Netflix or Steam”: CEO Niklas Agevik sees Reason as more than just a DAWMusicTech’s searching Stockholm for the Reason Studios headquarters. The brand, since the year 2000, has offered producers a software-based solution that mimics a studio rack, letting you drop in its own collection of new synths and classic emulations, such as the Objekt Modeling Synth, Algoritm and the Combinator. Ultimately, with this all-in-one visually appealing software hub, production becomes fun and at times educational.
After a short meander through a cobbled courtyard in the Swedish capital’s Hornstull area, we’re buzzed up to the office. It’s around 6pm on a Friday, so it’s virtually empty, apart from brand ambassador and producer Tobtok and collaborators farfech’d, who are shifting crates of beer, preparing for a launch party to celebrate the release of their new EP, My Friends.

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We and Reason’s CEO – as the kitchen space is transformed into a dancefloor – head to the quieter space of his desk.
“Our mission is to turn music dreamers into music makers,” Niklas Agevik starts, echoing the company’s longstanding mission.
“It should be inviting to make music. The competition isn’t other DAWs or plugins; the competition is actually Netflix or Steam – nothing to do with making music at all. When we say ‘turn music dreamers into music makers,’ it’s actually about making it so that you want to come home and start up Reason. It’s about making music-making as fun as it can be.”
There’s certainly a sense of fun in the – albeit empty – office. Behind Niklas is a life-size Daft Punk helmet. A sticker on a pillar reads ‘The anti expert expert club’.
Right now, Niklas says as he sips a can of Swedish IPA, Reason Studios is an office focussed entirely listening to Reason users to make their products better, as opposed to any side quests, if you will, such as apps and hardware.
There have been times where we’ve been too focussed on pioneering… we’ve come back and said, you know, we want to focus on Reason.
“There have been times where we’ve been too focussed on pioneering, you know? We built a social network for musicians, where they could share music with each other. We went into hardware, and I think all of those products were great products – the ReGroove is very well executed.
“But now, we’ve come back and said, you know, we want to focus on Reason. And I think that’s been a big part of the company’s journey over the last five, six years. All of the company is now focused on actually building Reason and making Reason better.”
Part of that is by breaking the fourth wall, opening up the floor to feedback from fans and interacting with Reason users. The Tobtok and farfetch’d EP launch party is one example of that.
“We try to participate in the community. There’s a community forum they run themselves called Reason Talk. We answer questions and try to be active on social media. We invite people to our office, we host parties here and invite users to come here and party with us.”
There’s even an open invite to book a lunch with Niklas himself with a queue forming. “That’s a lot of lunch!” We laugh.
Not only has the company opened up the floor to its fans, but it’s also given third party plugin developers the means to include its VST plugins within the Reason DAW. In 2020, Reason Rack then meant you could use Reason within your DAW.
“If you go back 20 years, “ he says, “Reason was more locked in and it couldn’t handle VSTs, for example. We’ve been on a journey to open up Reason and ensure that it plays a part in the ecosystem. We don’t expect our customers to come in and use only Reason’s devices or content when making music, but we want to make sure that Reason works well in whatever setup you have. If you want to use Reason for everything, that’s amazing. Go ahead. But if you have an existing setup and don’t want to switch DAWs, you can use Reason alongside your DAW or use Reason standalone.”
Reason Studios CEO Niklas Agevik in studio. Image: Oliver Payne
Reason 13?
We’ve seen the software develop a lot since it was first launched in 2000. The user interface has transformed from a basic single-window design to a modern, polished interface that’s resizable and more user-friendly. The number of available devices and instruments has grown, accommodating third-party extensions.
Perhaps the most substantial improvement is in audio recording capabilities. While Reason 1 offered limited audio recording functionality, Reason 12.6 now functions as a full-fledged DAW, providing advanced audio recording and editing capabilities.
So,when can we expect to see Reason 13? Not just yet, it seems.
We’ve changed our approach lately. We used to be a very secretive company, keeping our plans close to our chest… as part of our effort to be more open, we now publish our plans on our blog.
“We’ve changed our approach lately. We used to be a very secretive company, keeping our plans close to our chest,” Niklas explains. “However, as part of our effort to be more open, we now publish our plans on our blog. Currently, we’re very focused on Reason 12.
“We recently released version 12.6 just before the summer, which was optimised for the new Apple M1 Macs. We have another version, 12.7, in the pipeline, which will enhance how you handle content in Reason. You can find our future plans for Reason on our blog. We’re dedicated to making Reason better and more exciting, with a particular focus on developing innovative devices that are unique to Reason.”
Any reason to integrate AI?
AI technology is playing a more and more prominent role in music production, we point out to Niklas. However, it’s not going to play a predominant role in the future of Reason, Niklas says, as, for a software that is so dedicated to making producers realise the joy in making music. Hitting a button to eliminate that defeats the point of Reason, essentially.
“I think in a world of AI and generated music, the ability to make your own music is crucial. Reason is about sounding unique. It’s packed with devices that don’t exist elsewhere, featuring a distinct workflow. We believe this uniqueness is what truly helps you find your own voice.
“I’m sure we’re probably going to incorporate AI features into Reason, where you can say ‘write me a bassline’ or transition from a verse to a chorus. However, the essence of music-making, education, and inspiration remains central to Reason. Our focus is on refining your craft and simplifying music production. We’ll continue creating exciting devices, improving Reason’s user-friendliness, and providing more tools. While AI may evolve, our vision for Reason remains unchanged, emphasizing musical inspiration and craftsmanship.”
To quote Ode, a poem by Arthur O’shaughnessy: “We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams” – it’s a line that reflects Reason’s creative community, that have found its easy, fun-to-use workflow an essential part of their setups. This community are now informing the company’s decisions more than ever.
While Niklas Agevik keeps Reason 13 under wraps, we can look forward to 12.7 and be sure that the future looks bright. Move over Netflix and Steam, there’s a new entertainment powerhouse in play – it’s called Reason.
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