Sweetwater partners with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to tackle hearing loss among music industry professionals: “Once the damage is done, there’s no going back to ‘normal’”Sweetwater has teamed up with the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to provide support for the growing number of music industry professionals facing hearing loss.
A new Hearing Health Fund, launched by the two organisations, gives those working in the music industry access to a free, three-part hearing screening with a certified audiologist, and free Etymotic Research ER-20XS High Fidelity Earplugs to protect their ears as they continue to work.

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As part of a free consultation, successful applicants will also benefit from a review of their screening results, with recommendations on how to continue caring for their hearing, plus general and individualised education on hearing health and personal sound exposure.
Musicians and other industry workers are at high risk of hearing loss, tinnitus, and other auditory health problems due to repeated exposure to loud sounds. Research shared in light of the partnership states that 7 in 10 music venue staff are exposed to noise levels above the daily recommended limit, with only 15 percent of workers reported to be using hearing protection regularly.
Todd Page, MD – Sweetwater’s in-house physician who provides medical care for employees and their families – states, “Screening is essential to protecting musicians from hearing loss because once the damage is done, there’s no going back to ‘normal.’
“It’s heartbreaking telling a fellow musician their tinnitus isn’t fixable; that it’s too late to reverse it, and all they can do is adapt and try to keep it from progressing. Getting musicians to respect the need for hearing protection despite a sense of ‘it won’t happen to me’ is so important when they’re just starting their musical journey.”
Aric Steinberg, Executive Director at the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, adds: “We’re thrilled to partner with Sweetwater to bring this vital resource to our music community, as we share a goal to keep musicians healthy. Music-induced hearing loss and disorders are 100 percent preventable. Our free hearing health screenings are another way for Sweet Relief to care for musicians and to help ensure that people of all income levels have access to quality medical resources.”
Music industry professionals based in the US can apply now for support from the Hearing Health Fund. Shop a massive range of musical instruments and gear at Sweetwater.
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Union Audio’s uber-compact Elara.4 MK2 mixer has the “versatility and quality to elevate any DJ set, anywhere”Union Audio has unveiled the second edition of its small yet mighty Elara.4 analogue DJ mixer, introducing several new feature upgrades.
The Cornwall-based brand says the revised model builds on its “winning combination of modern compact design and analogue warmth”, and is suitable for those working in all sorts of environments, be it a club, studio, or at home.

READ MORE: Union Audio’s Elara.4 is a small window into Andy Rigby-Jones’ legendary career in DJ mixer design

The first iteration of the Elara.4 was announced back in November 2023, hosting a fully-featured channel strip with auxiliary send, channel level trim, a responsive three-band EQ, and a high-pass filter with auto-variable Q – just to name some of its features.
This evolution of the Elara.4 now brings high quality RIAA inputs across all channels, 45mm faders (from its larger sibling, the Elara.6), an additional 3.5mm headphone socket, and balanced XLR mic input. It also has a brand new master EQ/isolator with variable crossover control, unique to the MK2 model, which is designed to complement the channel EQ and allow for creative sound sculpting.

“The original Elara.4 was designed to give those DJ’s who struggle with limited space, either in the booth, studio or at home, the option to use a compact four-channel mixer which still retained a high level of functionality and provided the exceptional sound quality Union Audio are known for,” reads a press release shared with MusicTech.
“Based on user feedback we decided to extend the high-quality RIAA inputs across all channels and make the isolator crossover frequency control more playable, before adding the mic and headphone inputs, and standardising the faders across the Elara range. The resulting Elara.4 mk2 now offers the versatility and quality to elevate any DJ set, anywhere!”
The Elara.4 MK2 is priced at £1,575.00 GBP, with pre-orders due to ship on 15 May. Find out more over at Union Audio.
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“You can learn how to be a better producer but you can’t learn how to be a genius”: PinkPantheress opens up on the best mentors she’s worked withPinkPantheress has opened up on the artists and producers she’s worked with throughout her career, branding one producer in particular as a “genius”.
The 23-year-old, known for her hit track Boy’s A Liar, has a new project arriving this year. Not many details about it have yet been shared, but there is something coming on 9 May. The release follows on from her debut album, 2023’s Heaven Knows.

READ MORE: Timbaland thinks today’s music is “bland” and “boring”, calls AI the only thing with a “pure soul” right now

So far, PinkPantheress has collaborated with the likes of Central Cee, Kaytranada, Skrillex, and a whole lot more during her career – she’s even outlined an ambition to become the “female Rick Rubin”. Speaking to Mixmag for a new cover interview, she shares that one of her former collaborators especially stands out for his natural talent: Mura Masa.
“Mura Masa’s whole music making process is born out of the genius in his head. You can’t really learn from someone like him because he’s making it in real time but he’s making it super quick,” she says. “You can learn how to be a better producer but you can’t learn how to be a genius. You can’t learn the innate way of music making that sounds amazing from the jump. But I get inspired from watching these people – especially Danny L Harle – and he’s one of the best mentors l’ve ever had. I love him!”
She also praises duo Basement Jaxx, who not only has she worked with, but has also sampled on the new mixtape: “They’re two of the loveliest men ever,” she states. “They were very pivotal in my learning. I went in there to make beats and songs with them, but I ended up leaving by just seeing their creative process and style and picking their brains…. ended up sampling them. I don’t want to leak how they work, but just seeing how they reach certain sounds or develop ideas was really interesting.”

Later in the interview, PinkPantheress also goes on to explain how she always has a strong vision for how she wants her music to sound, despite working with such influential artists: “I personally don’t go in the studio unless I have a vision of what I kind of want. I used to go in and be free-wheeling, but my biggest flaw l’d say as a musician is that I’m very hard to convince. If I have an idea, it would be hard to persuade me to go against it,” she says.
Find out more about PinkPantheress via her official website. 
The post “You can learn how to be a better producer but you can’t learn how to be a genius”: PinkPantheress opens up on the best mentors she’s worked with appeared first on MusicTech.

Get JST Extra Spice saturation effect for FREE
Usually priced at $69, Joey Sturgis Tones is now giving away their free JST Extra Spice plugin. Extra spice comes in VST3, AU, and AAX formats and works with macOS and Windows. Most BPB readers probably have a thick folder of saturation plugins at this point, but one can never have too many, right? Distortion [...]
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“My goal is to make synthesizers for $9.90 so we can make them accessible to kids in poor countries”: Behringer’s synths are cheap – but it wants to go furtherAccording to Behringer’s CEO, the budget-friendly gear brand wants its prices to be even more affordable.
Uli Behringer, who founded the brand in 1989, wants its products to be more accessible to young people in particular, and has hopes that his low-cost classic synth remakes will allow children to experience iconic gear they may otherwise have not been able to afford. Across the years, the brand has released a vast number of products inspired by brands like Roland, Universal Audio, Boss, and more.

READ MORE: Behringer’s DeepMind X Series has an aesthetic inspired by a particular classic Roland synth line…

In a new interview with Sweetwater, Behringer explains, “It’s very, very fascinating for me to see how young people now rediscover this, and how they use these synths in a very different manner, right? And how they start to explore the gift of music and through that, then start to play other instruments or try other synthesizers and hopefully have a lifelong relationship with music. That, to me, bringing these synths to children is something that I feel very passionate about.”
He goes on to add, “As you know, we have synthezisers starting at $49. My goal is to make synthesizers for $9.90 so we can make these accessible to kids in poor countries, right? And not just a VST, but actually a little hardware device you can plug in your headphones. We’re looking at the next synthesizer for $9.99 and potentially give them away for free, as we have done before, we donated the 1500 synthesizers and actually tried to figure out where the areas are where people never get anything. So we spent the year figuring out the most rural areas around the world, from Nepal to Latin America. We made it a point to find out where these little schools and orphanages are, and it was a great experience when you see the videos that come back and the pictures come back with smiling kids. That’s something I want to do for the rest of my life.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the Swiss founder explained that he is not motivated by money: “We have not invented synthesizers, nor will we ever claim [to], but hopefully people will remember us for having brought all these jewels back to life,” he says. “But only a few people can afford those, and I think it’s important to make them available, accessible to people who do not have deep pockets. That’s something we feel strongly about, and that’s the purpose why we exist.” He adds, “You have to have a purpose. You need to have a reason to get up. And it can’t be money, can’t be business.”
Though Behringer’s budget creations are loved by many, the brand has also faced criticism over the years for its gear emulations – including from the manufacturers of its original inspirations. Despite this, Behringer has reiterated that it follows the correct legal procedures. On its popular Facebook page, a post made back in January said: “IP refers to legally protected rights over creations, such as trademarks or patents. Unless these protections are registered, the content is typically in the public domain and free to use.
“This system is intentional. Society thrives on progress, and limiting rights to a few individuals or companies would stifle creativity. Imagine if only one company could produce cars or guitars – innovation would stall, and access would be restricted. If companies want to protect their IP, they must file for trademarks, patents, or other legal measures. At Music Tribe, we’ve done this with around 100 patents to safeguard our innovations.”
Find out more about the brand or view its full product range over at Behringer.
The post “My goal is to make synthesizers for $9.90 so we can make them accessible to kids in poor countries”: Behringer’s synths are cheap – but it wants to go further appeared first on MusicTech.

Bax Music files for bankruptcyDutch musical instrument retailer Bax Music has been declared bankrupt.
According to De Telegraaf, Bax Music was officially declared bankrupt today by The Netherlands’ Zeeland-West-Brabant court. The ruling reportedly comes after years of financial strain, with the company owing money to multiple investors and creditors, including the Dutch Tax Authority.

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The company also suffered financially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a fire in 2023 that damaged numerous pieces of expensive gear.
Reportedly, the company originally approached the court hoping to suspend repayments on its debt. This request was denied, and likely spurred on the official bankruptcy ruling.
Bax Music is one of Europe’s largest online music retailers, with six brick-and-mortar stores across the Netherlands and Belgium, 300 employees and an operation across Europe.
Despite the news, one of the company’s co-founders, Jochanan Bax is keen to relaunch the brand in the future. According to the NL Times, Bax insists that investors are already showing interest.
Bankruptcy rulings are slowly becoming commonplace within the industry. Bax Music follows in the footsteps of Sam Ash, a US instrument retailed that shut up shop last May. Instrument manufacturers have also been suffering as of late, with Japanese brand Fernandes Guitars also filing for bankruptcy in July.
Elsewhere, Brighton’s iconic GAK may be doomed to face Bax Music’s fate very soon. According to local newspaper, The Argus, the instrument store has been shuttered up for a few days, with the company’s website also being taken offline. Seemingly there are hopes that a buyer could save the business, as it has been listed on Business Sale Report.
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“You have eight months to soundtrack an AAA game in a style you’ve never done before”: Venus Theory on his ‘trial by fire’ soundtrack for Avowed“I did the entire soundtrack for Avowed from this room,” proclaims Venus Theory, gesturing to the compact but comfortable-looking spare bedroom he’s speaking to me from. “All the mixing, mastering, everything, right here from where I’m sitting.”
Decked out with acoustic treatments, video production gear, and some plush synths and keyboards — including a recently acquired Arturia Polybrute — this is not just any old spare room, it’s a formidable home studio. It’s also a familiar sight to the 380,000 subscribers of Venus Theory’s music tech YouTube channel.

READ MORE: “FL Studio’s duty is to get more people to stick with music-making”: CEO Constantin Koehncke on FL Studio 2025 and beyond

Venus Theory is well known for waxing lyrical on the nitty gritty of composing and production, the absurdities of the modern music industry, and the nature of creativity itself. He’s released a number of excellent, and often free, sample libraries and instruments, and boasts an extensive instrumental discography. By anyone’s measure, he’s a music expert. What’s his real name?
Working on the soundtrack for Obsidian Entertainment’s recently released AAA game, Avowed, demanded all of that prior knowledge, and more. “It was very much a trial by fire experience,” he readily concedes. “Like, ‘Hey, you have eight months to write a score for one of the largest games releasing this year, in a style that you don’t know how to do, and don’t do a bad job because everyone will gut you if you do’”.
Judging by the game’s critical reception, Venus’ intestines are safe for the time being.
Still from Avowed. Image: Press
Avowed takes place within the world of Eora – a high-fantasy RPG setting where gods, monsters, and magic are taken as daily facts of life. Despite occupying the same universe as the well-regarded Pillars of Eternity games, Avowed arrives with a more action-oriented play-style, and a narrative that is entirely independent from the main franchise.
“Avowed takes place in a location within the world that has not really been touched upon yet,” says Venus. “There’s essentially this island, way over there, that we know about, but we don’t go there because it’s crazy and everything is very, very different. Your player character works for the Empire – these people who want to essentially tame this super untameable, wild-west frontier.”
“You’re sort of an outcast yourself,” he continues. “The Emperor saw potential in you, so they took you on as their envoy and tasked you with going in and figuring out what’s going on. But, the whole time, you’re starting to question the nature of your own existence. It’s not ‘We have to take the ring to Mount Doom and overcome obstacles’, it’s a much more interesting story of ‘who am I, and why am I really here?’”
As a composer, Venus Theory says his first task was figuring out how to link Avowed to the existing narrative universe, while establishing a fresh musical voice for the story. “That was a really difficult part to face up front,” he recalls. “Pillars of Eternity is a distinct franchise, and this is Avowed – they’re related, but they’re not the same thing. There was a balancing act in doing something that pays respect to the universe, but also something that I find interesting and approaches things from my own direction.”
Image: Press
The solution lay in the story itself, which, according to Venus, gets progressively stranger as the player unravels the mystery. “When you first land on the island it’s pretty orchestral-ish, sort of standard fantasy.” he allows. “By the time you get to the end, we’re doing extreme time stretching stuff, bringing in weird spectral synthesizers.”
For weird and wonderful textures, Venus drew from UVI’s Glass Orchestra, and from a number of physical modelling synths – Reason Studios’ Objekt and Friktion instruments in particular. “Objekt is phenomenal,” he says without reservation. “I love that thing. I really, really wish it was available as a standalone plugin because I feel like a lot of people would just love the sounds you can get from it. Being able to run sounds through the modal resonator engine is ridiculously fun.”
Moulding, modifying, and mangling sound is all part of Venus’ day-to-day, the real challenge lay in tackling large-scale orchestration in an unfamiliar style. “Mostly I was unlearning how I’ve previously approached string and woodwind libraries,” he recalls of the experience. “I’ve done some chamber ensemble writing before, but, in this case, I was trying to step back and really understand the idea of orchestral sections.”
His key takeaway after tackling a massive amount of detailed orchestral composing? “Mostly I learned how tedious it is,” Venus laughs before quickly softening his stance. “It was cool, just very, very different from the normal chaos of how I approach music.”
Still from Avowed. Image: Press
Another curveball was the incredibly tight timeframe he had to work with. Initial plans for live orchestral recordings had to be scrapped as deadlines loomed, but the need to use pre-existing sample libraries quickly became something Venus spun to his advantage.
“The question became ‘Okay, since I have to do this with samples, what are some things I can do with samples that I can’t do live?’ I ended up using some custom sample libraries I’d made, and stuff like Lores from Native Instruments. I was blending between different layers and articulations based on the velocity I was playing, which brought some really cool sounds to the soundtrack.”
That isn’t to say there isn’t ample live recordings on the Avowed soundtrack – Venus Theory posits a 80/20 split in favour of sample libraries – there’s live banjo, violin, viola, cello, and even vocals from Venus’s wife, which feature in the game’s penultimate region.
Whether it was samples, live recordings, or the most experimental sonic textures, Venus says it was important for the timbre to be grounded in an acoustic reality. Detailing one experimental process, he says: “I took a big double bass that’s doing weird circular bowing articulations, ran that through a bunch of multi-band processing and then a massive tape delay. So, it’s still a very organic sound but it’s been transformed into something that almost misrepresents itself.”
Image: Press
As with many Obsidian titles, player choice is given special prominence throughout the narrative of Avowed. Dialogue options can drastically change a character’s moral arc, and there are five different end-game cutscenes for players to discover. For Venus, the game’s branching pathways were an irresistible challenge. “Being very much a big gamer dork myself, my first thing is always to just play the game. I have my notebook with me, I play each section and just take notes like ‘Who did I talk to? What did they want? What did I want in that moment? What did I feel?”
This systematic approach was essential for developing the main character’s theme, which Venus says is one of the most dynamic aspects of Avowed’s score. “I didn’t want it to be ‘the envoys theme’ because that’s super lame,” he emphasises. “I wanted it to be your envoy theme. So, I had to really analyse a lot of the story arcs and the branching cutscene possibilities to know exactly where the envoy theme is going to go, and what permutations I was going to create to reflect those choices.
“The thing I was most interested in exploring,” he continues, “was the sound of consequence, rather than the outcome of a specific choice. There’s so much moral ambiguity in this game that there isn’t really a ‘good’ choice or a ‘bad’ choice.”
Alongside the soundtrack itself, Venus has recently released a 20-hour deep dive on everything that went into making the music of Avowed. “I want to be able to share my work on this and to teach people how I did it,” says Venus. “For some reason, the game scoring industry is a very gatekeeper-y thing, and I hate that.”

It’s hardly a surprising turn for Venus, whose YouTube videos frequently examine and explain the process of music making in frank detail. “The content I make is half stream of consciousness, half video essay, and half personal narrative diary on the nature, psychology, and philosophy of doing creative work. Ultimately, I think that’s what I’m interested in.”
In a roundabout way, it was the process of capturing his thoughts in video format which eventually landed Venus the opportunity to work on his first AAA game. “The Production Director had been a fan of my music for a while and was following my channel,” he recalls. “So, he found the free instrument I did with UVI, Noctua, and wrote some temp music for Avowed using it. He really liked it and was like, ‘Oh… we should just go get that guy.’”
After breaking the back of such a colossal project, many might take time out for some R&R. Not Venus. Asked what’s next, he excitedly offers a laundry list of upcoming projects; new musical releases, a couple of Decent Sampler libraries, another in-the-works game soundtrack, and, of course, some new YouTube content. This perpetual busyness, he says, is “just the way it’s got to be.”
“I need to make things. Sometimes it’s better expressed through music. Sometimes it’s better expressed through writing a script for a video. Sometimes it’s better expressed through getting really into the cinematography of a video. I just have to make things or I feel like I’m going to explode.”
The post “You have eight months to soundtrack an AAA game in a style you’ve never done before”: Venus Theory on his ‘trial by fire’ soundtrack for Avowed appeared first on MusicTech.

Momma Discusses Friendship, New Album, and the Complexities of TouringMomma's 4th studio album, Welcome to My Blue Sky, is “an open letter to those who have come in and out of our lives,” detailing the ups and downs of love, friendship, and their summer 2022 tour. Allegra Weingarten and Etta Friedman spoke with AllMusic shortly before the release of Blue Sky, discussing the story and process behind the album, their upcoming tour, and current inspirations.

LIVE REVIEW OF MY SLUTTY VALENTINEThe Echo/Echoplex Los Angeles, CAContact: basic.cable.booking@gmail.comWeb: basiccableprogramming.com/my-slutty-valentine-festPlayers: Multiple bands with multiple playersThe My Slutty Valentine festival celebrates Valentine's Day but leaves out the cheesiness and vanilla romance. In its place, we get heaps of sex positivity, feminist and queer joy, and a ton of glorious outfits. Love is in the air, but lust won't be pushed out. Frankly, the event is a riot.Music Connection was at The Echo and Echoplex from the 5 p.m. start on Sunday. That meant 20 bands, conveniently overlapping, on three stages (inside at the two neighboring venues, plus a third on the Echo patio).The Memories have a sound that is somehow lo-fi and upbeat. Somewhere between Weezer and Dinosaur Jr. Bushfire upped the ante somewhat. Incredible tunes, boundless energy, and a frontwoman who looks like she's ready to kick everyone's ass.Mz Neon may well have stolen the night. "Check on your trans friends—we're not ok," she said. "Things are crazy." That is undoubtedly true, and the crowd at the Echoplex was quick to show its support. Naturally, we will too.The alt-rapper was spectacular, with tunes like "Pussy Stick" (we think) whipping up the Slutty crowd. L.A. punk vets The Urinals were playing to a younger crowd than what they might be used to, though they had fiery gems like "Ack Ack Ack" to blast through. They didn't disappoint. Neither did Chimera, who have a vocalist with one of the better hardcore voices we've heard in a while.If Mz Neon stole the night, Poppy Jean Crawford (pictured) ran her close. The alt-pop star-in-the-making recently announced a tour with veteran Brit goths The Mission UK, and on this evidence, she'll go down a treat. Elements of PJ Harvey and Siouxsie Sioux meld beautifully, as she purrs through her stunning set.Then it was time for Mac Sabbath. Yeah, it's all a bit silly. The band's rewriting of Black Sabbath songs to cover fast food subject matter is, frankly, ludicrous. But the yin to that yang is that the musicians inside the costumes are super-talented, the songs sound immense, and the showmanship is glorious.Songs like "Chicken for the Slaves" and "Sweet Beef" reinterpret Sabbath classics in a manner Ozzy could never have imagined. But shit, it's fun. The post LIVE REVIEW OF MY SLUTTY VALENTINE first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Backpack opens claims process for former FTX EU usersCrypto exchange Backpack has initiated the first phase of the claims process for former FTX users in Europe.According to an April 1 announcement, users will need to create an account on the exchange, submit Know Your Customer information, and connect it to their FTX EU claim account.Backpack has not set a deadline for this phase of the claims process and has yet to provide a timeline for when distributions will begin. Users will face a withdrawal fee of €5 ($5.39) for claims under €2,000 ($2,158) and 0.25% for amounts above it.Source: Armani FerranteBackpack acquired FTX EU in January 2025 to offer crypto derivatives, including perpetual futures, throughout Europe. The acquisition marked the end of a lengthy battle to buy the European arm of the bankrupt exchange. Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante said at the time of the acquisition that the company was committed to returning FTX EU funds as fast and as safely as possible.FTX creditor activist Sunil Kavuri told Cointelegraph in January 2025 that the sale of FTX EU to Backpack added “further confusion and nervousness among FTX EU customers and the repayment of their funds.”“Some FTX EU customers signed up to these distributors, and they are confused about who will be distributing their funds back to them — Backpack, Kraken or Bitgo,” Kavuri said at the time.Related: FTX’s 2-year repayment delay is a ‘win,’ claims trader who predicted FTX’s collapseDetails on the first part of the claims processFor distribution amounts, the FAQ page on Backpack’s website states that all positions were closed using market prices at the time the exchange was shut down, and each was settled in euros.Furthermore, users with pending cryptocurrency withdrawals on Nov. 11, 2022, should have filed a claim in FTX’s US bankruptcy proceedings. Such users may be eligible to receive distributions from the FTX Recovery Trust, which Backpack is not involved with.Additionally, EU residents who signed up for FTX before March 7, 2022, are not considered FTX EU customers and should file their claims with FTX International, not Backpack.FTX Estate’s next round of distributions on May 30FTX Digital Markets, separate from FTX EU, distributed its first round of reimbursements on Feb. 18, with exchanges BitGo and Kraken facilitating the distributions. That first round of reimbursements went to “Convenience Class” members, those with claims under $50,000. The next round of reimbursements tied to FTX’s US bankruptcy proceedings is set to go out on May 30 and includes creditors under Class 5 Customer Entitlement Claims and Class 6 General Unsecured Claims. FTX is expected to use $11.4 billion to make the paymentsMagazine: The $2,500 doco about FTX collapse on Amazon Prime… with help from mom

66% of Serato just got bought: but not by AlphaThetaIt’s a hard day for news – who would trust anything published on April 1st? But, no fooling, New Zealand-based Serato has announced a deal whereby Canadian investment tech company Tiny will purchase a 66% stake of Serato. The deal is noted to still require approval from New Zealand’s Overseas Investment Office. This is not […]
The post 66% of Serato just got bought: but not by AlphaTheta appeared first on DJ TechTools.

KVASS LAB Slap House & Brazilian Bass For SerumSlap House & Brazilian Bass For Serum is an essential collection of presets for one of the most popular genres of EDM right now, which combines Deep House and Future House. You'll find 90 top-quality presets for Serum synthesizer, including deep, and punchy basses, detuned and metallic leads and spacious plucks. This soundset will help you create hit tracks like top artists (Dynoro, R3hab, Imanbek, Dubdogz, VIZE, Lucky Luke and more). Each preset in this soundbank has 4 Macro Controls assigned. As a BONUS you will receive 15 unique kick samples ready to use in your newest productions. All sounds in this pack are Royalty Free. Contains | 90 Slap House Serum Presets: 41 Basses. 11 Plucks. 11 Leads. 13 FX. 6 Brass. 4 Synth. 2 Pads. 2 Ambience. Read More

Researchers suggest OpenAI trained AI models on paywalled O’Reilly booksOpenAI has been accused by many parties of training its AI on copyrighted content sans permission. Now a new paper by an AI watchdog organization makes the serious accusation that the company increasingly relied on nonpublic books it didn’t license to train more sophisticated AI models. AI models are essentially complex prediction engines. Trained on […]

Malfunctional Timekeeping With The Vetinari ClockLord Vetinari from the Discworld series is known for many things, but perhaps most of all a clock that doesn’t quite keep continuous time. Instead, it ticks away at random increments to infuriate those that perceive it, whilst keeping regular time over the long term. [iracigt] decided to whip up a real world version of this hilarious fictional timepiece.
The clock itself is an off-the-shelf timepiece purchased from Target for the princely sum of $5. However, it’s been deviously modified with an RP2040 microcontroller hidden away inside. The RP2040 is programmed to tick the clock at an average of once per second. But each tick itself is not so exact. Instead, there’s an erraticness to its beat – some ticks are longer, some shorter, in the classic Vetinari style. [iracigt] explains the nitty gritty of how it all works, from creating chaos with Markov chains to interfacing the RP2040 electronically with the cheap quartz clock movement.
If you’ve ever wanted to build one of these amusements yourself, [iracigt’s] writeup is a great place to start. Even better, it was inspired by an earlier post on these very pages! We love to see the community riff on a theme, and we’d love to see yours, too – so keep the tips coming, yeah? Video after the break.

Latin Music’s US revenues hit $1.42 billion in 2024, up 5.8% YoYLatin Music revenues accounted for 8.1% of total recorded music revenue in the US last year
Source