Making solder wick less painful
For some people (e.g. this author) solder wick is a tool of last resort. Unfortunately, solder suckers and vacuum pumps lose most of their utility when you move from through-hole to SMD components, forcing us to use the dreaded wick. For those of us in this mindset, [nanofix]’s recent video which we’ve placed below the break on tips for solder wick could make desoldering a much less annoying experience.Most of the tips have to do with maintaining proper control of heat flow and distribution. [nanofix]’s first recommendation is to cut off short segments of wick, rather than using it straight from the roll, which reduces the amount of heat lost to conduction along the rest of the length. It’s also important to maintain a certain amount of solder on the soldering iron’s tip to improve conduction between the tip and the wick, and to periodically re-tin the tip to replace absorbed solder. Counterintuitively, [nanofix] explains that a low temperature on the soldering iron is more likely to damage the board than a high temperature, since solder wick getting stuck to a pad risks tearing the traces. [nanofix] also notes that most boards come from the factory with lead-free solder, which has a higher melting point than tin-lead solder, and thus makes it harder to wick. He recommends first adding eutectic lead-based solder to the pads, then wicking away the new, lower melting-point mixture. Other miscellaneous tips include cutting a more precise tip into pieces of wick, always using flux, avoiding small soldering iron tips, and preheating the board with hot air. We’ve seen a couple of guides to desoldering before. If you’re looking for more exotic methods for easing the task, you can always use bismuth.

Do not settle.Ed Newton-Rex pens an open letter to the major music companies as they reportedly enter talks with Suno
Source

Live Workflow Tools Simpler TunerAutomatically tune your Samples in Simpler. Using Simpler with tonal one-shots often means manually pitching each sample due to mismatched keys. Simpler Tuners reads pitch info from sample filenames (like E, D#, Bmin) and auto-corrects the Simpler's tuning to the nearest C — fully automatically. Drop it after any Simpler device, and it just works. No mapping needed. Highlights: - Auto-detects pitch from sample names (e.g. C#, Fmin, A). - Instantly retunes Simpler samples to match your session key. - Fully automatic — drop it in and go. - Preserves correct MIDI info for accurate filter tracking and modulation (only the Sample is rep itched). - Works in the background without affecting other Simpler settings or Session Performance. Continued support and free feature updates included. If you find an issue or have an idea that makes the device better simply send me a message. Read More

Tilr releases FILT-R, a free modulated filter plugin for macOS, Windows & Linux
Tilr has released FILT-R, a free modulated filter plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux. If you’ve been reading Bedroom Producers Blog lately, you’ll know Tilr has been on a roll. Their recent GATE-12 and TIME-12 plugins received plenty of praise from both me and BPB readers in the comments. And for good reason—they’re free, fun [...]
View post: Tilr releases FILT-R, a free modulated filter plugin for macOS, Windows & Linux

Get the Baby Audio TAIP Tape Plugin for just $24.99 until June 18
Audio Plugin Deals is currently offering TAIP by Baby Audio for only $24.99 until June 18, 2025. That’s a massive 75% discount on a unique tape saturation plugin that takes a different approach. I’ve been a fan of Baby Audio for a while now. For one, their freebies are excellent. Magic Dice is a personal [...]
View post: Get the Baby Audio TAIP Tape Plugin for just $24.99 until June 18

Sound Particles launch MiniDust Designed as a more accessible version of the company’s flagship SkyDust 3D synth, MiniDust aims to deliver the same creative power in a more streamlined and affordable offering.

Pete Lally of Spectacle Live: In The TrenchesPete Lally is president and CEO of Spectacle Live, a concert promotion and management company with 10 venues throughout New England. He jumps into the live music trenches daily solving problems and working to sell more tickets.
The post Pete Lally of Spectacle Live: In The Trenches appeared first on Hypebot.

Set your own price for a Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field. Why? “Why not?”Teenage Engineering is setting its sights on making “[the] year 2025 even more flipped out”, starting with a ‘Set your own price’ for its coveted OP-1 Field synth, sampler and drum machine. Why? “Why not?”, says the brand — or, more specifically, because it’s running “a delicate experiment.”
As of today, the homepage of Teenage Engineering’s website is dedicated to this wacky OP-1 Field experiment. An interactive slider lets you set a price between  $1,399 and $9,999. Sadly for some, this slider doesn’t reach down to $99.
READ MORE: All the music gear to buy instead of Teenage Engineering’s $2,300 OP-XY
Once you set your price (presumably $1,399), you can check out on the TE store. Except, you can’t right now — unfortunately, it looks like the Swedish brand is fresh out of stock of its sought-after synth. You can, at least, sign up for an alert for when it’s back in stock, and it appears TE will be running this experiment for the rest of June.
Judging by the new webpage, the brand will be running similar ‘experiments’ throughout the rest of 2025. “new flipped out ’25 offers will be presented during the rest of the year…(or until the world is a little bit more stable),” adds some copy by TE.
Why is the beloved company doing all of this, anyway?
“This is a delicate experiment,” says Teenage Engineering, “and a question. It’s about why, how, and why not? It’s for us to understand the market, for us to figure out how you think, how you act. And if it’s possible to really please you 100%. This is also a reflection of the world and the time we live in. Let’s try new things! Good things. Try crazy ideas – like what would happen if people voted with their wallets? What if it was up to you? Well now it is.”
A screengrab of Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 Field experiment
OK — so, let’s get one thing straight. This is a sale, right? But Teenage Engineering is disguising it as a “delicate experiment”? Well, hey, we’ll take it — at least you can save $600 off the original price. The real question we have is, ‘Which cashed-up thrill-seeker will crank this slider up to 11 and drop $9,999 for some clout?’ We’d like a word, if that’s you.
If the price is still a little steep for you, we’ll gladly recommend any of TE’s Pocket Operators, which come in at under $100. You might also be the right market for the retro-future EP-133 K.O.II, which you can pick up for a cool £269.
Pick your own price at teenage.engineering
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Learn if the SAG AFTRA musician fund has money for you NOW!5% of royalties collected by SoundExchange are paid to the SAG-AFRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund. If you are a nonfeatured musician or vocalist, you may have money waiting for you in this SAG AFTRA musician fund.
The post Learn if the SAG AFTRA musician fund has money for you NOW! appeared first on Hypebot.

“Nothing changes. I’m still writing new music and doing everything I do”: deadmau5 speaks on selling his catalogueThree months after selling the rights to his entire catalog to Create Music Group, deadmau5 has spoken on the sale.
In a new interview with Billboard Canada, the DJ and producer – real name Joel Zimmerman – shares his reasoning behind the monumental sale, which reportedly netted him a cool $55 million.

READ MORE: Get Massive for £24.50 in Native Instruments’ Summer of Sound sale – yes, we’re serious

“It was time to just let it go,” deadmau5 says. “I’m not so attached to [my catalogue] that I think it would’ve been some huge asset 20 or 30 years down the line.” The sale included all of Zimmerman’s biggest hits, including Strobe and Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff.

 
The sale also included the entire catalogue of Zimmerman’s record label, mau5trap. Since its founding in 2007, a huge number of prominent dance music artists have contributed to its catalogue, including ATTLAS, Matt Lange, Rezz and Excision.
The label remains a space for exciting newcomers, too, including Skellytn, EMSKI and Lamorn.
“I mean, I’m sure they’ll make all their money back and more,” deadmau5 tells Billboard. “But for me, it was just time to reel everything back in, throw some money back into production for the next couple of years, and then start over. So, nothing changes. I’m still writing new music and doing everything I do.”
Zimmerman made the sale to Create Music Group, which reportedly agreed to a joint venture between Zimmerman and the mau5trap artists should they engage in any future plans for previous releases. Under this venture, Create Music Group has also opted to remaster certain staple tracks in addition to building on the brand with new content and partnerships.
Upon the sale in March, Create Music Group CEO Jonathan Strauss said: “Now, as the stewards of deadmau5 and mau5trap’s legendary catalogue, we inherit a legacy that changed music forever. Joel’s influence reaches far beyond sound – his mastery bridges music, gaming, and technology, inspiring a new generation to think bigger. This is more than an acquisition; it’s a responsibility.”
The post “Nothing changes. I’m still writing new music and doing everything I do”: deadmau5 speaks on selling his catalogue appeared first on MusicTech.

Arturia’s V Collection 11 Intro review: A shocking price tag on a fantastic bundle$199 / €199, arturia.com
Arturia’s virtual instrument offerings don’t just go wide, they go deep. Next to the enormity of Arturia’s V Collection 11 Pro, it would be easy to attach epithets like ‘modest’ or ‘diminutive’ to V Collection 11 Intro. But, in reality, the plugin bundle is still a highly substantial offering that more than doubles the number of instruments in the original V Collection– and packs all the power we could want from a suite of its considerable size.
After all, at this point, if V Collection 11 Pro’s suite of 45 instruments carries one primary danger, it’s of overwhelming producers with choice. If that’s you, V Collection 11 Intro might be just what your DAW needs to keep the music flowing.

READ MORE: Arturia’s V Collection 11 Pro almost made me forget I had other plugins

It’s worth mentioning that the Mini V is the only instrument in 11 Intro that was also in that very first V Collection. But that by no means renders Intro inferior, which presents a similarly lauded set of iconic instruments. A skilfully curated selection from across the world of V, Intro presents a mixture of familiar favourites and newer additions.
Arturia V Collection 11. Images: Arturia; edited by MusicTech
Mini V
Arturia’s Mini V, the original classic, emulates the Minimoog Model D. The MusicTech review of 2024’s V Collection X notes that, in many ways, a software instrument developer is only as skilled as its emulation of the Model D. For that edition of the Collection, Arturia gave its Mini V design a complete overhaul to improve sound and accuracy.
Now, the Mini V boasts Arturia’s proprietary True Analog Emulation technology, which means that certain behaviours are far better expressed in the software environment. Take its digital oscillators, for example: instead of being samples, wavetables or generated from a zero-point, the Mini V’s oscillators are free-running with notes generated dynamically, more like they would be on the hardware. There are also a few extras on offer, such as additional modulation sources and effects, but also carefully worked-in functions such as Filter Bass Compensation to maintain low-end even at high resonances.
Arturia Mini V. Image: Vincent Joseph
Keys dreams
The Mini V can, of course, be played polyphonically, but that’s not stopped Arturia from including faithful emulations of three classic polysynths in V Collection 11 Intro, between them presenting a vast sonic range.
Arturia’s emulation of the Sequential Prophet-5 was also recently upgraded as part of V Collection 9. Boasting the same True Analog Emulation as the Mini V at the core of its engine and a comparable slew of extra features, the classic polysynth has multitudes beneath its panel, covering smooth baritone chords to soaring leads and brassy pads. Arturia has done an excellent job of making this emulation deep but still abundantly accessible, with a spacious panel that’s easy to navigate for synthesists and keyboardists of all experience levels.
The Jun-6 V, of course, channels the Roland Juno-6, which debuted in 1982 and has become famous for contributing its mammoth, chorus-infused polyphony to music by artists from Eurythmics to The Weeknd. This is a wide and lush synth that comes to life in glorious stereo. As with the Prophet-5 V, its well-laid-out panel combined with Arturia’s TAE-driven digital engine delivers both power and immediacy in equal measure.
DX7 V. Image: Vincent Joseph
The DX7 V, meanwhile, emulates one of the most celebrated digital polysynths of the 20th Century — the Yamaha DX7. I’d say Arturia has been successful with the DX7 V in translating what is commonly considered an unwieldy interface into a faster-moving, digital environment. FM synthesis is at the fore here, handling sounds from growling to glassy, from plucked to bowed with its six operators.
Arturia claims the Stage-73 V to be ‘the most authentic, versatile, and accessible electric piano plugin ever made’, and I’m inclined to agree. Replicating the soulful sonic signature of the venerated Rhodes electric piano, it’s driven by an advanced physical modelling engine and also throws a virtual amp and pedal setup into the mix to deliver a sound that far outdoes a majority of the virtual electric pianos available, of which there are multitudes.
Pure LoFi. Image: Vincent Joseph
Modern machines
As for digital versions of more modern instruments, the MiniFreak V represents Arturia’s unapologetic and much-welcomed venture into emulating its own hardware. Making its debut in V Collection X, this characterful synth is touted as an ‘experimental virtual instrument’ that combines digital voicing with analogue-style filters. Warmly received by MusicTech upon its release, the MiniFreak V more or less directly ports the original’s formidable digital engine into your DAW, with the exception of its analogue filters, which nonetheless receive lovingly accurate emulation here.
The V Collection 11 Intro is topped off with four of Arturia’s original software instruments. This includes two instruments from the Augmented range in the form of Augmented Grand Piano and Augmented Strings, both of which make tremendous use of the range’s innovative workflow to combine deep-diving synthesis with expertly captured sample-based acoustic instruments. Bringing out characteristics of both that you might never have known were there, I’m mightily impressed with the Augmented range.
Pure LoFi comes fresh from V Collection 11 Intro, an intriguing ‘low-fidelity synthesiser’ steeped in nostalgia for all things grainy, distorted and degraded. As noted in the MusicTech review of the full V Collection 11 Pro, I’m particularly impressed by the three lo-fi engines, each of which offer nine hardware modes emulating samplers of yore, from the E-Mu SP1200 to the Akai MPC.
Neat package
Tying things together is Analog Lab Intro, a more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts library of 500 presets from across 28 V Collection instruments. Analog Lab’s grouped controls can stray perilously close to over-simplification, but it’s excellent for quick referencing and on-the-fly sound sculpting. Arturia has worked hard to make Analog Lab’s presets as navigable as possible, and it shows.
Yes, for those in need of a vast instrument library ready for all manner of composition, sound design and production applications, V Collection 11 Pro is a formidable tool that covers most conceivable bases. But for the rest of us, there’s V Collection 11 Intro. Large enough to accommodate far-reaching exploration but selective enough so as not to overwhelm with options, the suite may even end up guiding you toward getting more out of its instruments, which all bring something unique to the table.
V Collection 11 Intro is excellently-priced, amply-stocked and bursting with potential.

Key features

Standalone and AU/VST/AAX plugins
10 celebrated Arturia software instruments blending emulations, modern hybrid synth engines, modelled keyboards, and augmented acoustic sounds
2500 presets
Included instruments: Prophet-5 V, Jun-6 V, Analog Lab Intro, Augmented Grand Piano, Mini V, DX7 V, Stage-73 V, Augmented Strings, Minifreak V, Pure LoFi

The post Arturia’s V Collection 11 Intro review: A shocking price tag on a fantastic bundle appeared first on MusicTech.

Get Massive for £24.50 in Native Instruments’ Summer of Sound sale – yes, we’re seriousNative Instruments has launched its Summer of Sound sale, and over at Plugin Boutique until 30 June, you can get up to 74 percent off a huge range of NI products. Most notable, perhaps, is Massive, which you can get for just £24.50…
For those new to the music production game or simply needing a refresher, Massive is widely regarded as one of the go-to soft synths on the market, alongside the likes of Serum 2, which was launched earlier this year.

READ MORE: IK Multimedia Total Studio 5 review: Almost a must-have — with a few must-fix

Normally priced at £89, Massive comes loaded with over 1300 sounds crafted by leading artists and sound designers, including the full libraries from former products Massive Expansion 1 and 2, Urban Arsenal 1 and 2, and Massive Threat. Add this to a host of wavetable oscillators, filters and effects, and the options for sonic exploration are truly endless.
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Other products included in the Summer of Sound sale include Session Strings 2, a collection of string samples – four violins, three violas, two cellos and two double basses – all recorded by professional session musicians before being packaged for digital use. Get it now at 50% off for just £45.
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For the producers out there who want the full package, KOMPLETE 15 Collector’s Edition is part of the sale as well for £1,079.40. Given the original price of £1,619.00, that’s almost $600 off. It is certainly a big purchase, but it includes 165 instruments and effects, over 125 sound packs, and more than 150,000 sounds. This includes everything from classical instruments to revered soft synths like Reaktor 6 and Kontour to drums and percussion.
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For those who would prefer not to dive that deep just yet, there are more scaled-back versions of KOMPLETE 15 at a more affordable price.
Head to Plugin Boutique to see the full range of products and deals in the Summer of Sound Sale.
The post Get Massive for £24.50 in Native Instruments’ Summer of Sound sale – yes, we’re serious appeared first on MusicTech.

Melda announce Analog Empire: Plucks & Keys  Melda Production have released Analog Empire: Plucks & Keys, a new software instrument offering vintage synth sounds.

Polyend celebrates 10 years in business with sleek limited-edition Tracker Mini – here’s how to get yoursPolish music tech company Polyend has reached 10 years in business, and to honour the occasion, is putting out a 10th anniversary edition of its Tracker Mini handheld groovebox.
While the original Tracker Mini sports a sleek black enclosure, this new limited-edition model features a silver aluminium frame and newly designed buttons, alongside its distinctive high-resolution glass display. It also comes in a newly designed black enclosure, if desired.

READ MORE: Polyend’s Tracker Mini is a portable, standalone audio workstation

Meanwhile, the unit’s celebrated functions for sampling, sequencing and synth replication remain unchanged, and all are delivered in stereo audio via USB.
The 10th Anniversary Tracker Mini is built to order at Polyend’s headquarters in Olsztyn, Poland, and only a limited number will be manufactured.

The unit can be reserved from now until 1 August with a deposit of $199. The remaining $799 will be charged to complete the sale upon shipping, with units expected to be sent out in November 2025. Along with the Tracker Mini, buyers will receive $199 worth of Polyend Palettes, the brand’s in-house sample packs. Those will be delivered upon reservation to get the creativity flowing before the new Tracker Mini arrives.
“We are very happy with where the Tracker Mini is today. We’ve kept improving it with regular updates, adding features our users have asked for, like synth engines and note input mode,” says Piotr Raczyński, founder and CEO of Polyend. “But for our 10th anniversary, we wanted to do something special that reflects our roots.
“We revisited the core of our design philosophy and are creating a small batch of refined, all-aluminium instruments, without the compromises that come with large-scale production. It’s a reflection of what we’ve learned in the past 10 years, made to order for the people who’ve supported us through this journey.”
Earlier this year, Polyend also introduced the Step, the “first fully programmable drum machine in guitar pedal form.”
To learn more about the 10th Anniversary Tracker Mini – and to order yours – head to Polyend.
The post Polyend celebrates 10 years in business with sleek limited-edition Tracker Mini – here’s how to get yours appeared first on MusicTech.

“Our own take on the iconic reed-based electric piano”: Rhodes packs the classic Wurlitzer into plugin formRhodes has added a new instrument to its virtual arsenal: the Wurli. It’s modelled on the Wurlitzer, a historic electric piano which generates sound from hammers striking metal reeds.
This plugin is specifically based on the 200A, a variation of the Wurlitzer which has been used in classic songs like What’d I Say by Ray Charles, I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye, and You’re My Best Friend by Queen.

READ MORE: Can Linux really replace Windows and macOS for music production?

“As part of our ever-expanding library of classic instruments, we’re proud to share our own take on the iconic reed-based electric piano,” says Dan Goldman, Chief Product Officer at Rhodes. “Sampled by the same expert team behind the Rhodes V8 and Anthology plugins, the Rhodes Wurli brings the 200A to a whole new level of musicality and playability. Paired with Anthology’s powerful sound-shaping tools, effects, and intuitive interface, the result is something truly special — raw, warm, and beautifully expressive.”

The Rhodes Wurli utilises the same engine that powers Rhodes Anthology, which features virtual editions of four classic instruments:  Rhodes MK1 Stage 73 (1976), Sparkletop 73 (1965), Rhodes MKV 73 (1984), and Rhodes MK7 73 (2010).
With this pre-existing framework, the new addition includes an interface that accurately reflects the original Wurlitzer, complete with rotary dials and retro LEDs. Other than standard effects like delay, chorus, and reverb, the interface also offers unique options for sound manipulation. Apply Timbre Shift to move through different eras of the instrument’s aural quality, and a Vibrato function is designed to capture the same warmth as the classic hardware circuit.
The Rhodes Wurli is available now in VST, AU and AAX formats from the Rhodes Music online store. Additionally, you can pick it up for a short time at a 30 percent discount until 30 June.
Standard Pricing:

GBP: £89.95
EUR: €99.95
USD: $129.95

Introductory Offer – 30 percent off through June 30, 2025:

GBP: £62.97
EUR: €69.97
USD: $90.97

There’s also a 14-day free trial available, too. For more information, head to Rhodes.
The post “Our own take on the iconic reed-based electric piano”: Rhodes packs the classic Wurlitzer into plugin form appeared first on MusicTech.