IR Point and Shoot Has a Raspberry Heart in a 35mm BodyPhotography is great, but sometimes it can get boring just reusing the same wavelengths over and over again. There are other options, though and when [Malcolm Wilson] decided he wanted to explore them, he decided to build a (near) IR camera. 
The IR images are almost ethereal.Image : Malcom Wilson.
The housing is an old Yashica Electro 35 — apparently this model was prone to electrical issues, and there are a lot of broken camera bodies floating around– which hides a Pi NoIR Camera v3. That camera module, paired with an IR pass filter, makes for infrared photography like the old Yashica used to do with special film. The camera module is plugged into a Pi Zero 2 W, and it’s powered by a PiSugar battery. There’s a tiny (0.91″) OLED display, but it’s only for status messages. The viewfinder is 100% optical, as the designers of this camera intended. Point, shoot, shoot again.
There’s something pure in that experience; we sometimes find stopping to look at previews pulls one out of the creative zone of actually taking pictures. This camera won’t let you do that, though of course you do get to skip on developing photos. [Malcom] has the Pi set up to connect to his Wifi when he gets home, and he grabs the RAW (he is a photographer, after all) image files via SSH.  Follow the link above to [Malcom]’s substack, and you’ll get some design details and his python code.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation’s NoIR camera shows up on these pages from time to time, though rarely so artistically. We’re more likely to see it spying on reptiles, or make magic wands work.  So we are quite grateful to [Malcom] for the tip, via Petapixel. Yes, photographers and artists of all stripes are welcome to use the tips line to tell us about their work.
Follow the links in this article for more images like this.Image: Malcom Wilson

Professor Emeritus Barry Vercoe, a pioneering force in computer music, dies at 87MIT Professor Emeritus Barry Lloyd Vercoe, a pioneering force in computer music, a founding faculty member of the MIT Media Lab, and a leader in the development of MIT’s Music and Theater Arts Section, passed away on June 15. He was 87.Vercoe’s life was a rich symphony of artistry, science, and innovation that led to profound enhancements of musical experience for expert musicians as well as for the general public — and especially young people.Born in Wellington, New Zealand, on July 24, 1937, Vercoe earned bachelor’s degrees in music (in 1959) and mathematics (in 1962) from the University of Auckland, followed by a doctor of musical arts in music composition from the University of Michigan in 1968.After completing postdoctoral research in digital audio processing at Princeton University and a visiting lectureship at Yale University, Vercoe joined MIT’s Department of Humanities (Music) in 1971, beginning a tenure in the department that lasted through 1984. During this period, he played a key role in advancing what would become MIT’s Music and Theater Arts (MTA) Section, helping to shape its forward-thinking curriculum and interdisciplinary philosophy. Vercoe championed the integration of musical creativity with scientific inquiry, laying the groundwork for MTA’s enduring emphasis on music technology and experimental composition.In 1973, Vercoe founded MIT’s Experimental Music Studio (EMS) — the Institute’s first dedicated computer music facility, and one of the first in the world. Operated under the auspices of the music program, EMS became a crucible for innovation in algorithmic composition, digital synthesis, and computer-assisted performance. His leadership not only positioned MIT as a hub for music technology, but also influenced how the Institute approached the intersection of the arts with engineering. This legacy is honored today by a commemorative plaque in the Kendall Square MBTA station.Violist, faculty founder of the MIT Chamber Music Society, and Institute Professor Marcus Thompson says: “Barry was first and foremost a fine musician, and composer for traditional instruments and ensembles. As a young professor, he taught our MIT undergraduates to write and sing Renaissance counterpoint as he envisioned how the act of traditional music-making offered a guide to potential artistic interaction between humans and computers. In 1976, he enlisted me to premiere what became his iconic, and my most-performed, work, ‘Synapse for Viola and Computer.’”During a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1982–83, Vercoe developed the Synthetic Performer, a groundbreaking real-time interactive accompaniment system, while working closely with flautist Larry Beauregard at the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM) in Paris.In 1984, Vercoe became a founding faculty member of the MIT Media Lab, where he launched the Music, Mind, and Machine group. His research spanned machine listening, music cognition, and real-time digital audio synthesis. His Csound language, created in 1985, is still widely used for music programming, and his contributions helped define the MPEG-4 Structured Audio standard.He also served as associate academic head of the Media Lab’s graduate program in Media Arts and Sciences (MAS). Vercoe mentored many future leaders in digital music and sound computation, including two of his MAS graduate students — Anna Huang SM ’08 and Paris Smaragdis PhD ’01 — who have recently joined MIT’s music faculty, and Miller Puckette, an emeritus faculty member at the University of California at San Diego, and Richard Boulanger, a professor of electronic production and design at the Berklee College of Music.“Barry Vercoe will be remembered by designers, developers, researchers, and composers for his greatest ‘composition,’ Csound, his free and open-source software synthesis language,” states Boulanger. “I know that, through Csound, Barry’s musical spirit will live on, not only in my teaching, my research, and my music, but in the apps, plugins, and musical compositions of generations to come.”Tod Machover, faculty director of the MIT Media Lab and Muriel R. Cooper Professor of Music and Media, reflects, “Barry Vercoe was a giant in the field of computer music whose innovations in software synthesis, interactive performance, and educational tools for young people influenced and inspired many, including myself. He was a superb mentor, always making sure that artistic sensibility drove music tech innovation, and that sophisticated expression was at the core of Media Lab — and MIT — culture.”Vercoe’s work earned numerous accolades. In addition to the Guggenheim Fellowship, he was also honored with the 1992 Computerworld Smithsonian Award for innovation and the 2004 SEAMUS Lifetime Achievement Award.Beyond MIT, Vercoe consulted with Analog Devices and collaborated with international institutions like IRCAM under the direction of Pierre Boulez. His commitment to democratizing music technology was evident in his contributions to the One Laptop per Child initiative, which brought accessible digital sound tools to young people in underserved communities worldwide.He is survived by his former wives, Kathryn Veda Vaughn and Elizabeth Vercoe; their children, Andrea Vercoe and Scott Vercoe; and generations of students and collaborators who continue to build on his groundbreaking work. A memorial service for family will be held in New Zealand later this summer, and a special event in his honor will take place at MIT in the fall. The Media Lab will share details about the MIT gathering as they become available.Named professor emeritus at the MIT Media Lab upon his retirement in 2010, Vercoe’s legacy embodies the lab’s — and MIT’s — vision of creative, ethical, interdisciplinary research at the convergence of art, science, and technology. His music, machines, and generously inventive spirit will continue to forever shape the way we listen, learn, and communicate.

Southside (Future, Lil Durk) cooks up a beat and shares his sounds
GRAMMY-nominated producer and rapper Southside (Future, Lil Durk) shares his new sample pack and showcases his beatmaking process.

Musicians ‘missing millions’ in PRO royalties for 100K UK gigsMusician are suing PRS For Music saying they're missing millions in PRO royalties for songs performed at UK gigs. The suit claims the PRO failed to track the setlists for more than 100,000 UK gigs.
The post Musicians ‘missing millions’ in PRO royalties for 100K UK gigs appeared first on Hypebot.

Thomann Music Days 2025: Save BIG (up to 65%) on synths, controllers and pluginsThomann has kicked off its 2025 Music Days sale, offering huge discounts on a massive range of synths, keyboards and other music tech gear until 22 July.
To save you the hassle, the team here at MusicTech have been scanning the Thomann website for the very best deals available.
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READ MORE: The best free and paid-for plugins you need to know about this week

Hardware picks
A selection of keyboard controllers have seen hefty discounts applied so far, including the Arturia KeyLab MkII 49, which is now £261, down from £363. That’s a cool 28% off a controller which boasts 49 velocity-sensitive keys with aftertouch, faders, colour-illuminated performance pads, rotating control knobs and much more.
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Elsewhere, you can grab the Native Instruments Kontrol S49 MK3 controller at 10% off, bringing its usual price of £511 down to £459. With 49 semi-weighted keys with polyphonic aftertouch, pre-configured mapping for all NI virtual instruments, eight touch-sensitive rotary controls and a high-res screen, this is certainly money well spent if you’re already plugged into the Native Instruments eco-system.
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In the synths department, there are also some pretty big savings to be had, including nearly £400 the Arturia MatrixBrute Noir, which is now priced at £1,299 down from £1,659. This desktop-ready synth features three analogue oscillators, a noise generator, arpeggiator, three LFOs and more, and comes loaded with 256 presets, too. Get yours below:
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If you’ve got a little extra budget to spend, you’re also well catered for with the Thomann Music Days sale. Check out this Sequential Prophet 10 Special Edition; it’s still £4,275, so you’ll need a little extra, but it’s had over £400 knocked off its price tag, which is not to be sniffed at…
In terms of specs, you’ve got a 61-key velocity sensitive Fatar keyboard with aftertouch, two oscillators, a wide range of filter options, pitch and modulation options and so much more. You can, of course, check out the Prophet 10’s full spec sheet by clicking the link below:
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Software picks
If you’re the type to prefer your synths in the box, Music Days has you covered, too. The u-he Hive 2 soft synth is discounted by over 30%, meaning you pay just £86. Features include a simple user interface, two oscillators with wavetable options and tuneable suboscillators, up to 16 unison voices per oscillator, multiple filters and loads more.
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How about a virtual synthesizer for less than £25? Cherry Audio’s Miniverse is a faithful emulation of the classic Minimoog, and features three oscillators with multiple waveform options, monophonic and polyphonic modes with 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 voices, and loads more. Get it now for £24.90.
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Browse the full Music Days sale at Thomann.
The post Thomann Music Days 2025: Save BIG (up to 65%) on synths, controllers and plugins appeared first on MusicTech.

Ultimate YouTube Guide for MusiciansYouTube for Artists helps reach more fans and make more money from content with easy to use tools and new features. This Ultimate YouTube Guide For Musicians is a manual for success on a platform with 1 billion monthly music users.
The post Ultimate YouTube Guide for Musicians appeared first on Hypebot.

Synchron Solo Violin 2 from VSL Synchron Solo Violin 2 captures the unique tonal character and musical identity of the second violin, played by the Vienna Synchron Orchestra’s concertmaster Damir Oraščanin.

Oasis fans to watch more than 12 minutes of each show through their phone, new study claimsDespite the high demand for Oasis tickets, it seems a vast number of attendees across the Live ‘25 reunion tour will be watching through a screen – new research estimates that 17.3 million minutes of the global trek will be recorded on mobile phones.
Disturbingly, that’s more than 33 years worth of non-stop Oasis performances. The research, conducted by Compare and Recycle, was gathered from 1,100 UK smartphone-owning, gig-going adults, surveyed between 7-11 June 2025. It also finds that with dedication to filming gigs clearly not dying out anytime soon, one in four people admit they never actually watch these videos again.

READ MORE: The Velvet Sundown is an AI band after all, with its music created on Suno, confesses a spokesperson

The average attendee is expected to watch more than 12 minutes of their attended Oasis gig through their phone screen. 41 percent of participants in this new research also say they have missed parts of a performance before because they were too busy filming.
However, 38 percent say they find it annoying when other people film at live music events, with 36 percent also backing a ban of phones and recording devices at gigs – something a number of artists have already been putting into place at their shows.
Joining the likes of Ghost, Jack White, and more, Sabrina Carpenter has even pondered the idea of a total phone ban for her concerts. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Carpenter recently said: “I went to see Silk Sonic in Vegas, and they locked my phone. I’ve never had a better experience at a concert.
“I genuinely felt like I was back in the ’70s. Genuinely felt like I was there. Everyone’s singing, dancing, looking at each other, and laughing. It really, really just felt so beautiful,” she explained.
Antonia Hristov, Head of Marketing at Compare and Recycle, says of its study: “While it’s tempting to record moments from live music events on your smartphone, our new research highlights a growing concern amongst concert-goers about doing so.
“Not only is a huge amount of phone storage wasted on never-to-be-rewatched footage, but many fans are also missing out on the very experiences they came for. Artists like Chris Martin and Bob Dylan have already championed phone-free shows, and we may see more acts follow suit,” Hristov explains.
“Recording a clip or two of your favourite track is fine. But for the sake of your memories, and your phone’s storage, consider enjoying the rest of the night through your eyes and ears, not your screen.”
You can view the full list of Live ‘25 global tour dates via the official Oasis website. 
The post Oasis fans to watch more than 12 minutes of each show through their phone, new study claims appeared first on MusicTech.

Lunacy Audio releases FREE Haze and Filter plugins for creative sound design
Lunacy Audio has released Haze and Filter, two free audio effect plugins for macOS and Windows. I’m familiar with Lunacy Audio’s work based on their premium plugins like Cube Mini and BEAM 2.0. Both are among my go-to tools for cinematic sound design, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that they’ve released a pair [...]
View post: Lunacy Audio releases FREE Haze and Filter plugins for creative sound design

Get the Lifeline Format Multiband Bitcrusher for FREE at Plugin Boutique
Plugin Boutique is currently offering a freebie for new users: you can get Lifeline Format by Excite Audio completely free when you sign up for a new Plugin Boutique account. Lifeline Format is a versatile bitcrusher that typically costs $20, so this is a nice opportunity to add a gritty sound design tool to your [...]
View post: Get the Lifeline Format Multiband Bitcrusher for FREE at Plugin Boutique

Song Athletics launch Alt Perc Fuego Song Athletics have collaborated with classically-trained percussionist turned producer, composer and ethnomusicologist Magnus Mehta to create a collection of Cuban-inspired drum sounds.

‘Improved’ Grok criticizes Democrats and Hollywood’s ‘Jewish executives’On Friday morning, Elon Musk declared, “We have improved @Grok significantly. You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions.”

Diagnosing Whisker Failure Mode in AF114 and Similar TransistorsThe inside of this AF117 transistor can was a thriving whisker ecosystem. (Credit: Anthony Francis-Jones)
AF114 germanium transistors and related ones like the AF115 through AF117 were quite popular during the 1960s, but they quickly developed a reputation for failure. This is due to what should have made them more reliable, namely the can shielding the germanium transistor inside that is connected with a fourth ‘screen’ pin. This failure mode is demonstrated in a video by [Anthony Francis-Jones] in which he tests a number of new-old-stock AF-series transistors only for them all to test faulty and show clear whisker growth on the can’s exterior.
Naturally, the next step was to cut one of these defective transistors open to see whether the whiskers could be caught in the act. For this a pipe cutter was used on the fairly beefy can, which turned out to rather effective and gave great access to the inside of these 1960s-era components. The insides of the cans were as expected bristling with whiskers.
The AF11x family of transistors are high-frequency PNP transistors that saw frequent use in everything from consumer radios to just about anything else that did RF or audio. It’s worth noting that the material of the can is likely to be zinc and not tin, so these would be zinc whiskers. Many metals like to grow such whiskers, including lead, so the end effect is often a thin conductive strand bridging things that shouldn’t be. Apparently the can itself wasn’t the only source of these whiskers, which adds to the fun.
In the rest of the video [Anthony] shows off the fascinating construction of these germanium transistors, as well as potential repairs to remove the whisker-induced shorts through melting them. This is done by jolting them with a fairly high current from a capacitor. The good news is that this made the component tester see the AF114 as a transistor again, except as a rather confused NPN one. Clearly this isn’t an easy fix, and it would be temporary at best anyway, as the whiskers will never stop growing.

Hipgnosis is back: Merck Mercuriadis launching new company with ‘hundreds of millions’ in investment secured (report)Merck Mercuriadis aims to buy back the music rights he sold to the private equity firm while building a new investment company
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Polyverse release Filterverse 1.2 Along with five completely new filter types, the latest iteration of Filterverse benefits from a number of performance improvements and workflow enhancements.