SampleScience Releases FREE Toy Keyboard v3 VST/AU Plugin
SampleScience has just released Toy Keyboard v3, an update to their older v2 release, with a refreshed GUI and more effects included. Toy Keyboard is a free VST ROMpler instrument featuring the sounds of the Yamaha PSR-78 home keyboard. It comprises 72 patches, including one drum kit. Each patch contains only one sample stretched over [...]
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How curbside pickup caused Wing to rethink its approach to drone deliveryIn many ways, drone delivery still feels very pie in the sky in terms of scalable e-commerce. In smaller, controlled pockets, however, the concept is going swimmingly. Among the spots is a small Google satellite campus in the Palo Alto foothills. The buildings, which neighbor larger Tesla and HP offices, are home to a handful of Google divisions, including Nest and Wing (an accidental theme, one imagines).
Fixed-wing drones are a regular sight in the tiny airspace, courtesy of the latter. The front parking lot is quickly converted into a launch pad for testing these systems and various related mechanisms. Wing rolled out a handful of its delivery planes when I paid the company a visit this week, in part to demonstrate its new system.
Parking lots are an ideal launch pad in a rural area, assuming you’re able to block it off from cars. They’re ubiquitous and offer an unobstructed path for vertical takeoffs. As such, it’s unsurprising that they’ve become foundational to the company’s approach to bringing delivery to dense suburban areas.

It’s a market the young company has been focusing on for some time. I’ve long suggested that the ideal application for these technologies are more rural areas and places with insufficient travel infrastructure. It makes a lot of sense for emergency deliveries in spots with impenetrable roads.
“My belief on this is that delivery is always going to require a bunch of different offerings, in the same way that, if you show up to an airport, there are short-haul flights and long-haul flights and there are aircraft designed to take 300 people across an ocean,” CEO Adam Woodworth tells me as we watch the team prepare for launch. “The market segment that we focus the most on is dense suburban, getting close to rural. There’s an immense amount of demand there. That’s where people get the sort of order numbers that skyrocketed over the pandemic.”
The pandemic also saw an emergence of curbside pickup. As many establishments temporarily closed and consumers continued to fear exposure, it became a quick and easy middle ground between online and in-store shopping. While it largely seemed temporary, many stores have maintained what’s proven a popular option — particularly in suburban markets.
The prevalence allowed Wing to rethink an approach that had previously relied on an employee to be present for the drone handoff.
Image Credits: Wing
“The original idea for this was: Could you just bolt it to the [curbside pickup] sign?” says Woodworth. “The opportunity exists with the existing workflow. How can you make it so the airplane works like a car that’s driving up? How do you make it so the plane picks up the box, rather than the person having to time sync it there? It took a long time to get a robust mechanical solution for that that didn’t require more electronics.”
In spite of the name, the AutoLoader is a fully passive system. It’s stands roughly four feet tall, not including the two PVC pipes that jut out the front like a pair of horns. Operation is simple. Once the order is placed, an employee packs it into a cardboard box with a plastic ring on top that looks a fair bit like a Happy Meal. Loading it onto the rig is simple: you place the two pegs on the AutoLoader through a pair of holes in the box.
When the drone comes by, it hovers over the AutoLoader for a bit, to scope out the situation and make sure everything looks right. If it encounters an issue that it can’t correct for (say the employee forgot to load up the package), it will return to the hub. One downside of the fully passive system is that it can’t alert the drone or operates to potential issues.
If everything looks good, the drone lowers a tether, while the two poles ensure that it doesn’t drift too far from the target. Once the tether is properly positioned underneath the box, it begins to retract, snapping the payload up like a fishing wire, pulling it up for the journey. Once the drone reaches the pickup spot determined by the customers, it lowers the box gently to the ground. This area needs to be roughly six by six feet, with no foliage obscuring the area.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
Granted, the length of the Wing building is significantly shorter than the journey these drones will take in the wild, but things went swimmingly the first demo. The Wing rep opened the box and I helped myself to the banana inside, thus spoiling my lunch. Suddenly it occurred to me that there was an even better way to test the cargo. I asked one of the Wing employees to grab a soda.
The drone repeated the journey (though the specifics of its approach are somewhat randomized) and lowered the cargo. The Wing employee opened the box, grabbed the Coke bottle inside and popped off the cap. There was no exploding foam — a definite positive sign. He took a swig for posterity.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
“We expect that, by the end of the year, we’ll be rolling these out in parts of our operation,” says Woodworth. “And then by mid-next year, the full delivery network with have them.”
Wing doesn’t give specifics on the number of drones currently in operation. Instead, the company quantifies growth by the number of deliveries it has completely. It’s done more than 340,000 of those, and says it’s built “thousands” of drones over the course of its existence. Australia makes up the bulk of its deliveries, followed by the U.S., with Europe trailing at a distant third.
How curbside pickup caused Wing to rethink its approach to drone delivery by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

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Industry Icons Stewart & Salvatore CRAS Headline Inspirational Event for CRAS StudentsThe Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), the premier institution for audio engineering education, is proud to announce that it once again recently hosted renowned industry professionals Candace Stewart of East West Studios and Paula Salvatore of Universal Music Group at its Gilbert, Ariz. campus. Stewart and Salvatore led a panel discussion on the state of the industry and to inspire students who are about to start their pro audio careers.

“For 20 years, we have had these two incredible industry leaders selflessly share their perspectives on the audio industry and offer sage advice to our students,” said Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “These two amazing ladies have touched the lives of thousands of our students over the years in an effort to provide the insight and direction that will guide them in the music recording industry as they well know it.”

Both Stewart (studio manager at East West Studios), and Salvatore (V.P. Client Relations and Studio Marketing, Universal Music Group) are on the CRAS Advisory Board, and come to the school’s campus once a year to speak to the students about the realities of the industry, what it takes to work in a studio environment, and to provide guidance on the dos and don’ts as a recently turned audio pro in the industry.

They discussed the interviewing process along with how to offer a proper presentation, while also commenting on how to present themselves and make the best impression. Stewart and Salvatore both encouraged them to start their careers by getting as close to their desired job description as possible and practice patience.

“A lot of what we talk about is how we think the students should direct their focus, such as music recording, post, broadcast, etc.,” explained Stewart, who has been the CRAS Advisory Board Chairperson since 2002. “We also gently explain how to manage their expectations and how to allow themselves enough time to really learn all the different skills both technical and social involved in recording engineering. It's always great to meet the students and hear what they are hoping to achieve, as well as it being quite rewarding to be able to help them along their journeys.”

Stewart has been a studio manager for nearly 40 years and said it has been her privilege to serve artists, engineers, and producers and help bring their musical visions to life. “My advice to the students is to listen to their teachers and learn not only the technical skills required in order to become a successful audio engineer but to also pay attention to the social skills required. Artists are sensitive, and being a good hang and knowing how to ‘read the room’ so that you are an asset to the session and not a distraction. I hire GRAS grads because I know they are getting a great foundation from the curriculum with professionals as their teachers.”

Salvatore agreed with Stewart’s sentiments, and added, “We shared some fun stories about our interaction with artists and how to handle strange situations and keep a sense of humor. We explained some problems and incidents that needed extra care when finding solutions. Most importantly, we expressed the importance of keeping their passions alive and allow time for things to come together and make the most of all encounters.”

With a legacy of managing legendary recording facilities and establishing viable and lasting relationships within the music industry including artists, producers and engineers, Salvatore has enjoyed her continued interaction with CRAS students for the better part of the past two decades.

“By sharing new ideas and industry developments with Kirt (Hamm), the extraordinary CRAS staff and, most importantly, with the eager students, we can inspire the next generation of audio professionals with our personal experiences and stories,” Salvatore continued. “We want to give them an honest and authentic example on how to survive and navigate their career in a creative environment.”

Said CRAS student DAndre Creer, “Candace and Paula gave everyone amazing insight going into the industry, but what stuck out to me was how they were themselves. You could tell that they practiced what they preached and took studio etiquette seriously.”

Added CRAS student AJ Frable, “The presentation was funny, enjoyable, full of good information, and included a lot of industry insight. Hearing [Candace and Paula’s] stories, which were both serious and humorous, helped provide some context as to what students can expect if they go into the studio realm after CRAS.”

The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences is composed of two nearby campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz. A CRAS education includes broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have all excelled in their individual fields, including sound reinforcement, audio recording and production, digital recording, troubleshooting/maintenance, and music business.

CRAS structured programs and highly qualified teaching staff provide a professional and supportive atmosphere, which is complemented by its small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and assistance for students in engineering audio recordings. CRAS has been providing quality vocational training in audio recording for more than three decades. The curriculum and equipment are constantly being updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music and sound recording industries. CRAS’ course offerings and subject matter have always centered around the skills and knowledge necessary for students’ success in the audio recording industries.

The 11-month program is designed to allow every student access to learn and train in all of the Conservatory’s studios which are comprised with state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing gear, the same equipment used in today’s finest studios and remote broadcast facilities, including Pro Tools 12, API Legacy consoles, SSL AWS consoles, Studer Vista consoles, and much more. All students must complete a 280-hour industry internship to graduate from the Master Recording Program II that may ultimately lead to industry employment.

For more information on the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, please visit www.cras.edu, contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-800-562-6383, or email to info@cras.edu.

Studio Brootle Brootle Bazille Preset Pack Welcome to our U-he Bazille preset pack. Bazille is my favourite VST by far, the way it's laid out, all the different FM/PD features, the filters and their drive, as well as the sequencer.... Read More

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Samplitude Pro X8 from MAGIX Samplitude Pro X8 and Pro X8 Suite aim to provide musicians and engineers of all skill levels with a professional set of recording, mixing and mastering tools.

How AI can generate new revenue for existing music catalogsAlongside concerns about how AI will change music and the music industry for the worse is the realization that there are many ways that it can improve it. One application. Continue reading
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Announcing Transitions, the collaborative Creator Class sample pack
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The Musician’s Guide to Physical Product SalesEven though most music is streamed digitally these days, physical products are proving to be especially crucial for artists, and here’s how… by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0 If you’re. Continue reading
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Zrythm Is A FREE DAW That Offers 25 Tracks
Zrythm DAW is a copyleft, open-source digital audio workstation. The free version of the software offers up to 25 audio tracks per project. There are scads of free synths, effects, samples, and what have you readily available on the web. Free DAWs are an entirely different matter, as the available options are far more limited. [...]
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