AIR Channel Strip plug-in currently free Designed for producers seeking a clean, professional sound, the all-in-one plug-in is said to be a great general-purpose tool that excels on everything from individual instruments to buses and full mixes. 

Applied Acoustic Systems Lounge Lizard EP-5 Review
Applied Acoustic Systems recently released Lounge Lizard EP-5, the latest version of their flagship modeled electric piano collection. At BPB, we’ve covered many virtual electric pianos, including some lovely free options, such as Sonokinetic’s EMP Mark II for Kontakt Player. I’m fairly new to Lounge Lizard, but I approached it with some lofty expectations because [...]
View post: Applied Acoustic Systems Lounge Lizard EP-5 Review

Tone2 has updated BiFilter to version 2.5, and it’s now freeware (Windows-only)
Developer Tone2 has updated its Windows-only plugin BiFilter to version 2.5, making it now freeware. BPB covered BiFilter way back in 2012, when Computer Music Magazine featured it as a giveaway for readers. Back then, if you didn’t pick up BiFilter through the giveaway, it would cost you around $39.99. Now, in version 2.5, BiFilter [...]
View post: Tone2 has updated BiFilter to version 2.5, and it’s now freeware (Windows-only)

MIDiA Global Music Forecast: Recorded Revenue RecalibratesThe global music industry is entering a new era of change and uncertainty. Explore an overview of the MIDiA Global Music Forecast, an in-depth 83-page report, built on detailed data and expert analysis that forecasts where the music business is headed next.
The post MIDiA Global Music Forecast: Recorded Revenue Recalibrates appeared first on Hypebot.

Beats+Bytes 2025 Halftime Report: Music & Culture In ChaosThe Nue Agency's mid-year culture report is out now. The Beats+Bytes 2025 Halftime Report looks at how everything from politics to culture is changing how smart marketers market including key recorded and live music takeaways.
The post Beats+Bytes 2025 Halftime Report: Music & Culture In Chaos appeared first on Hypebot.

M. Shadows: Spotify is run by “career people”: “I’m sure they love music, but they don’t give a damn about bringing up new artists” Unlike traditional record label structures, which see the scouting and development of talent as a long-term endeavour, today’s music executives are less concerned with bringing up new artists and more interested in those who already have “heat”, according to Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows.
He says an increasing number of music industry professionals are “career people” who “see music as a career” and as a numbers game.

READ MORE: “We’re taking power away from corporate networks, and saying, ‘No, we’re gonna reward our fans, not you’”: M. Shadows on Avenged Sevenfold’s new Fortnite-style Season Pass

In a new interview with Ryan J Downey of FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression), Shadows – real name Matt Sanders – explains that while once upon a time there were “old-school” record labels with A&R professionals interested in nurturing new artists, the industry has become “so numbers-driven”.
“As soon as you have these companies that go from private companies to public companies, and there’s shareholder meetings and things need to hit bottom lines and there’s money involved, you start getting ‘career’ people involved, because they see music as a career,” he explains.
“The same way you could go work at Facebook, Instagram or Warner Bros. – it doesn’t make a difference to you… You got out of college and you’re getting a career job. It doesn’t mean you’re a music lover.”
He goes on: “Same with Spotify… you go in there and these are career people. I’m sure they love music, but they don’t give a damn about bringing up a new artist or song structure, chords or all the things that artists love to do. They love to see if it’s got heat or not. And then they throw gasoline on the heat. Which is fine, but it really convolutes what the whole thing should be.
“It should be an expression, and you should be hoping for expressions from really creative people that make you think in a different way. And that’s what music and art [have] always done for me.”
But he says while music should chiefly be about making an impact on listeners through art, numeric figures for success remain at the forefront of many people’s minds.
“The longer you stay in this industry, the more you see that people are more concerned with the other thing: ‘What are my numbers? Is this gonna work?’ And then it’s all, like, well what’s working, let’s all do it.
“And you see that with the social media platforms, you see it with the labels, you see it with the way people write songs, songs are getting shorter. ‘Everyone’s songs are getting shorter, That’s a coincidence!’ No, it’s because people have shorter attention spans so they’re all trying to fit within a box. To me that’s not art. It’s chasing. It’s commerce.”

Last year, M. Shadows made clear his scepticism of modern-day record labels in a digital landscape where artists have more control than ever before.
“When Avenged Sevenfold were on Warner Bros., they were trying to figure out how to create a viral TikTok moment,” he recalled. “What? I’m a fucking 42-year-old man, I’m not trying to figure out how to do a viral TikTok moment. I’m sorry. You’re going to take 24 cents on our dollar and that’s all you can do, come up with a fucking fake viral TikTok moment?”
Avenged Sevenfold have a series of live dates planned in North and South America for the remainder of the year.
Visit avengedsevenfold.com/tour for more info.
The post M. Shadows: Spotify is run by “career people”: “I’m sure they love music, but they don’t give a damn about bringing up new artists”  appeared first on MusicTech.

Live Music News: UK Ticket Probe • Bonnaroo • Ticketplus • More
Get the latest Live Music News under the Live Industry News tab above.

The post Live Music News: UK Ticket Probe • Bonnaroo • Ticketplus • More appeared first on Hypebot.

What is trap music? Definition, artists, and characteristics
Explore the artists, subgenres, and characteristics that define trap music and learn how to make your own beats in the genre.

Steinberg’s new SpectraLayers 12 has “a strong focus on the needs of the post-production industry”Steinberg has launched SpectraLayers 12, the latest edition of its audio editing software, which introduces new and enhanced tools for unmixing and voice processing.
The upgrade follows on from SpectraLayers 11, which launched in June 2024 and delivered new, AI-driven features. The software – ideal for post-production use, restoration, sound design, or mastering – has also been improved with workflow enhancements, including the ability to operate on multiple layers simultaneously with all SpectraLayers tools and processes.

READ MORE: BandLab Licensing now lets creators opt in to training AI models

SpectraLayers’ unmixing updates are particularly handy for post-production work across mixed content such as film soundtracks, trailers, and radio broadcasts. There are now two new unmixing modules – Unmix Soundtrack and Unmix Instrument – which bring “even more precision and flexibility to the unmixing process”, according to Steinberg.
The Unmix Soundtrack module separates audio into dialogue, effects, and music layers to assist with dialogue cleanup, music replacement, and effects enhancement, whereas the Unmix Instrument module isolates and extracts user-identified instruments by analysing them, and then unmixing and fine-tuning.
Alongside these modules, the Unmix Song, Unmix Drums, and Unmix Noisy Speech processes have all been “significantly improved”. Unmix Song now delivers better vocal separation, and updated algorithms of the Unmix Drums process mean it can extract six kit elements: kick, snare, toms, hi-hats, ride, and crash cymbals.
As for voice processing, a new Voice Enhance module uses generative AI to process and reconstruct poor-quality voice recordings “while preserving the speaker’s unique identity”. A DePlosive module also automatically eliminates plosives in speech recordings.
Find out more in the video below:

“Since we first introduced unmixing algorithms in SpectraLayers, there hasn’t been any other application that could match its quality. Now, with version 12, the clarity of the separated stems is exceptional… You could almost believe that they were never part of a mix,” comments Marketing Manager at Pro Audio, Luis Dongo.
“This version also has a strong focus on the needs of the post-production industry, with innovative features like soundtrack unmixing and speech enhancement. Existing voice processing algorithms are constantly being refined and updated, while workflow and productivity improvements requested by our loyal users haven’t been forgotten.”
SpectraLayers 12 is available now. The Pro version is priced at $349.99, while a cheaper Elements version retails for $89.99. Find out more via Steinberg.
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The Velvet Sundown is an AI band after all, with its music created on Suno, confesses a spokespersonA spokesperson for indie rock ‘band’ The Velvet Sundown now admits that it’s not a real band and that all of its music is made with Suno, despite previously denying any use of generative AI.
The fictional group went viral in June 2025, with over 470,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. However, pretty much everyone had their suspicions that the band was fake after listening to the music and viewing the very AI-styled cover art and press photos.
Still, the band’s X account insisted on 29 June that The Velvet Sundown is not AI-generated in any capacity. Today, though, a “pseudonymous band spokesperson and ‘adjunct’ member Andrew Frelon” admits to Rolling Stone that: “It’s marketing. It’s trolling. People before, they didn’t care about what we did, and now suddenly, we’re talking to Rolling Stone, so it’s like, ‘is that wrong?’”
In the phone conversation with Rolling Stone, Frelon goes on to explain that the generative AI music platform Suno was leveraged to make some of the music. “I haven’t admitted that to anyone else,” Frelon said, adding, “I don’t want to say which [songs]” are Suno-generated. RS reports that Frelon also used Suno’s Persona feature, which producer Timbaland is using to create his AI artist TaTa.

Earlier this week, The Velvet Sundown refuted claims from online users, YouTubers and journalists that it’s fake and AI-generated. On its X account, it said that it’s “absolutely crazy that so-called ‘journalists’ keep pushing the lazy, baseless theory that the Velvet Sundown is ‘AI-generated’ with zero evidence.… This is not a joke. This is our music, written in long, sweaty nights in a cramped bungalow in California with real instruments, real minds and real soul.”
So, how did The Velvet Sundown get so big on Spotify? Even Frelon isn’t so sure. “I’m not running the Spotify backend stuff, so I can’t super speak to exactly how that happened,” he said to Rolling Stone. “I know we got on some playlists that just have like tons of followers, and it seems to have spiralled from there.”
Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek said in 2023 that the platform will not ban AI music — and it seems to be keeping that promise. Deezer, meanwhile, told TechRadar that it’s flagged The Velvet Sundown’s albums as AI-generated content together with the message: “Some tracks on this album may have been created using artificial intelligence.”
The Velvet Sundown reportedly have an album coming out in a couple of weeks titled Paper Sun Rebellion, which will be their third album in two months. Will it receive the same attention as their previous…um…hits, such as Dust On The Wind? Either way, the band’s spokesperson encourages listeners to have an open mind.
“I respect that people have really strong emotions about this,” says Frelon. “But I think it’s important that we allow artists to experiment with new technologies and new tools,  try things out, and not freak out at people just because they’re using a program or not using a program. People have this idea that you have to please everybody and you have to follow the rules. And that’s not how music and culture progress. Music and culture progressed by people doing weird experiments and sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. And that’s kind of the spirit that we’re [embracing].” 
Read more music technology news. 
The post The Velvet Sundown is an AI band after all, with its music created on Suno, confesses a spokesperson appeared first on MusicTech.

Is Zohran Mamdani really that bad for New York’s crypto industry?Zohran Mamdani has made waves after his primary election victory, but what would he mean for the crypto industry in NYC?

Lucid sales inch forward as EV maker pushes to ramp Gravity productionLucid sold 3,309 vehicles in the second quarter, a new record for the EV maker. Still, the company must ramp up production of its Gravity SUV to meet its 2025 target.

I was a co-founder of IMPALA. It saddens me to see how rabidly anti-major it’s become.Kenny Gates responds to claims made by IMPALA about Universal and Downtown
Source

Universal Audio Apollo x8 Universal Audio Apollo x8: Elite Audio Conversion & Realtime UAD Processing. The Universal Audio Apollo x8 is a rackmount 18 x 24 Thunderbolt 3 audio interface, designed for music producers, project studios, and post-production facilities demanding the highest quality audio conversion, expansive DSP power, and versatile monitoring capabilities. Building on Universal Audio's 60-year legacy, the Apollo x8 delivers an unparalleled recording and mixing experience. Key Features: Elite-Class A/D and D/A Conversion: Experience pristine audio fidelity with Universal Audio's flagship 24-bit/192kHz converters, featuring an impressive 129 dB dynamic range and ultra-low THD+N. The Apollo x8's new Dual-Crystal clocking system ensures incredibly low jitter for pure, artifact-free recordings and rock-solid stereo imaging. Four Unison Mic Preamps: Track through authentic emulations of legendary analog preamps from Neve, API, Manley, SSL, and more, thanks to Universal Audio's exclusive Unison technology. Unison intelligently reconfigures the Apollo's preamp impedance, gain stage "sweet spots," and component-level circuit behaviors to precisely match the modeled hardware. HEXA Core DSP Processing: Power your sessions with six UAD DSP chips, providing 50% more processing power than previous Apollos. This allows you to run more UAD Powered Plug-Ins in real-time with near-zero latency, whether you're tracking with classic channel strips or mixing with high plug-in counts in your DAW. Comprehensive UAD Plug-In Library: Access Universal Audio's vast library of over 200 award-winning UAD plug-ins, including authentic emulations of iconic compressors, EQs, reverbs, and more. The Apollo x8 includes the "Realtime Analog Classics Plus" bundle to get you started with legendary tones. Advanced Monitoring & Surround Sound: The Apollo x8 offers comprehensive monitoring features, including a built-in Talkback mic, Alt Speakers, and assignable Dim or Mono controls. It also provides up to 7.1 surround sound support with bass management, making it ideal for immersive audio production for games, film, and television. Apollo Monitor Correction by Sonarworks (optional add-on) ensures accurate playback in any room. Streamlined Workflow with UAD Console App: The UAD Console App acts as the digital hub, offering intuitive control over plug-in routing, low-latency cue mixing, and immersive monitoring controls. Features like Auto-Gain and Plug-In Scenes further optimize your workflow. Thunderbolt 3 Connectivity & Expandability: With two Thunderbolt 3 ports, the Apollo x8 offers blazing-fast connectivity and low latency (sub-2ms round trip at 96kHz). You can expand your studio by cascading up to four Thunderbolt Apollo interfaces for a massive 128 channels of premium I/O and shared DSP power. LUNA Recording System Compatibility: Seamlessly integrate the Apollo x8 with Universal Audio's LUNA Recording System (Mac only), a free, tightly integrated recording, editing, and mixing environment that leverages Apollo's onboard DSP for an analog-style workflow with zero discernible latency. The Universal Audio Apollo x8 provides a powerful and flexible solution for modern studios, delivering authentic analog sound and a world of processing power right to your rack. Read More

Subpixel Rendering For Impossibly Small Terminal TextWhen it comes to text, how small is too small? The experts say a six point font is the minimum for readability, but as [James Bowman] shows us, you can get away with half of that. 
The goal is to produce a 40-character display on a 24 mm x 24 mm LCD that has a resolution of 240 x 240 to show a serial terminal (or other data) on the “TermDriver2” USB-to-Serial adapter. With 24 lines, that’s a line per millimeter: very small text. Three points, to be precise, half what the experts say you need. Diving this up into 40 columns gives a character cell of six by nine pixels. Is it enough?

The raw font on the left, the subpixel rendering on the right. For once, it’s better if you don’t click to enlarge.
Not by itself, no. That’s where the hack comes in: sub-pixel rendering. After all, a “white” pixel on an LCD is actually three elements: a red, a green, and a blue subpixel, stacked side-by-each. Drive each of those subpixels independently and 240 pixels now becomes 720. That’s plenty for a 40 column terminal.
The article discusses how, in general terms, they pulled off the subpixel rendering and kept the font as legible as possible. We think it’s a good try, though the colored fringe around the characters can be uncomfortable to look at for some people — and then we can’t forget the physical size of the characters being 1 mm tall.
If this trick were being used on a larger display with a 240-wide resolution, we’d say “yes, very legible, good job!”– but at this size? We hope we can find our reading glasses. Still, it’s a neat trick to have in your back pocket for driving low-resolution LCDs.
It may not surprise you that aside from improving legibility, subpixel rendering is also used for pixel (er, sub-pixel) art.
 
The full set of glyphs in their subpixel-rendered glory.