Get Miroslav Philharmonik 2 CE for just $1 in IK Multimedia Humble Bundle
Right now, you can score Miroslav Philharmonik 2 CE (normally $99.99) for just $1 in the cheapest tier of the IK Multimedia Ultimate Music Production Bundle Encore at Humble Bundle.  The three-tier deal ends on October 30 at 6 PM UTC, as noted on the countdown on the bundle page.  All the products in all [...]
View post: Get Miroslav Philharmonik 2 CE for just $1 in IK Multimedia Humble Bundle

Last Chance to Win Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Guitar PickThe iconic Kurt Cobain Unplugged exhibition at the Royal College of Music Museum in London is nearing its final days, and with it, your last opportunity to own a piece of rock history: one of Cobain’s original guitar picks used during Nirvana’s legendary MTV Unplugged performance.

This rare Dunlop 60mm plectrum was discovered in the case of Cobain’s Martin D-18E guitar, which was purchased at auction in 2020 for a record-breaking $6.01 million USD by RØDE Founder Peter Freedman AM. The guitar currently serves as the centerpiece of the exhibition, and now the plectrum becomes the focus of a global prize draw, with entries open worldwide for just £5 per entry.

All proceeds will directly support the Royal College of Music’s Future Music Fund, an initiative empowering the next generation of musicians from diverse backgrounds to shape the future of music.

True to his promise, Mr. Freedman has ensured that Cobain’s guitar has not been locked away in a private collection but has instead become a symbol of inspiration and support for the global creative community. “When I purchased this guitar, my intention was to have it begin a worldwide tour of exhibitions to support performing artists,” he said. “I wanted it to be seen, to inspire, and to give back to the creative community that helped shape my life. Its inclusion in this exhibition has honoured that intention, and I’m delighted that it has been realised at the Royal College of Music, an institution incredibly close to my heart.”

The Kurt Cobain Unplugged exhibition, running until November 18, 2025, has drawn thousands of visitors to experience the story behind one of music’s most iconic performances. At its heart is Cobain’s Martin D-18E guitar, alongside other legendary artifacts, including Cobain’s olive-green mohair cardigan from the MTV Unplugged performance. This exhibition marks the first time these items have been displayed together, offering fans a deeply personal glimpse into the artistry and legacy of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana.

Entries for the plectrum prize draw are open now and will close on November 18, 2025, the final day of the exhibition. Unlimited entries are allowed, and every £5 entry directly supports the Royal College of Music’s Future Music Fund.

Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of rock history and support the future of music. Enter the prize draw now and help shape the next generation of musical talent.

For more information and to enter the prize draw, visit the Royal College of Music's official website.

Exhibition Dates:June 3rd – November 18th, 2025Royal College of Music Museum, Prince Consort Road, London

The post Last Chance to Win Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Guitar Pick first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Fracture Sounds introduce Majestic Brass Soloists Majestic Brass Solo Instruments aims to fill some of the more niche gaps that can be left in composers’ toolkits by larger orchestral collections. 

Is StubHub doing all it can to police 10% Maine ticket resale cap?The new Maine concert ticket law is the toughest in America. Enforcing the landmark law will test its effectiveness. But leading ticket resale platform StubHub is not going out of their way to ensure compliance.
The post Is StubHub doing all it can to police 10% Maine ticket resale cap? appeared first on Hypebot.

More Artists join ROSTR + Bandsintown EARLY Showcase next weekROSTR and Bandsintown's new live music industry showcase EARLY debuts next week in Los Angeles. Two more artists have joined the four act bill. Read on to find out who's performing and a link to attend.
The post More Artists join ROSTR + Bandsintown EARLY Showcase next week appeared first on Hypebot.

Get free vintage synth presets for Splice INSTRUMENT
Download our free vintage synth presets for Splice INSTRUMENT—grab these presets during the drop window and they’re yours to keep forever.

Get Parallax Audio’s Virtual Sound Stage 2 virtual instrument spatializer for FREE
Parallax Audio is now offering the Virtual Sound Stage v2.0.2 virtual instrument spatializer for free download. The plugin is for macOS (Intel CPU and Apple Silicon – M-Series) and Windows (x86 64-bit, Windows 10 or higher).  The Windows formats are VST3 and AAX, while for macOS, it’s available in VST3, AU, and AAX.  Parallax Audio [...]
View post: Get Parallax Audio’s Virtual Sound Stage 2 virtual instrument spatializer for FREE

From Drake losing his UMG lawsuit to HYBE’s new services division… it’s MBW’s weekly round-upThe biggest headlines from the past few days – all in one place
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Xone:K3 controller from Allen & Heath Allen & Heath have announced the launch of a new customisable MIDI controller designed to provide DJs and producers with comprehensive control over their software and hardware setups.

Get Black Rooster Audio VPRE-73 Halloween Edition for FREE in LIMITED time offer!
Black Rooster Audio is offering its limited VPRE-73 Halloween Edition for free this month. However, there is a three-step process to claim the plugin. Here’s how it works: Visit any product/bundle detail page on blackroosteraudio.com. Set your star rating & write your review. Send a screenshot alongside your registered e-mail to info@blackroosteraudio.com. After that, you [...]
View post: Get Black Rooster Audio VPRE-73 Halloween Edition for FREE in LIMITED time offer!

iZotope Ozone 12’s AI assistant is cool, but the Stem EQ is the real starAdvanced £479 / Standard £209 / Elements £55, izotope.com
Over the last 20 years, iZotope Ozone has grown into one of the most capable all-in-one mastering solutions there is. The new 12th edition brings with it some rather novel new processors and further enhancements to the AI-driven features first seen in Ozone 8.

READ MORE: Mastering The Mix’s Faster Master has made me completely rethink my mastering chain

Is it now the undisputed master of mastering? Let’s find out.
Ozone 12 Master Assistant. Image: Adam Crute
What is iZotope Ozone?
As has become the norm for the product line, Ozone 12 provides a single ‘mothership’ plugin and, if using the Advanced edition that I’m working with here, a suite of individual module plugins.
The mothership plugin provides the means to host a full chain of Ozone’s mastering processors, along with additional tools useful in mastering, such as dithering, previewing the impact of MP3 encoding at different data rates, and the ability to compare with a reference track.
The individual module plugins are simply the individual Ozone processors packed into their own plugins. These function exactly as they do when loaded into the mothership’s mastering chain, but have the full freedom of your DAW’s routing system, allowing for chains that are more complex than the mothership’s simple serial arrangement. Also, despite being designed for mastering applications, many of the module plugins can be put to good use during tracking and mixing too, a fact that significantly adds to the value and utility of the package.
Ozone 12 Stem EQ. Image: Adam Crute
Can Ozone 12 master for me?
Ozone’s Master Assistant, part of the mothership plugin, is an AI-driven system that analyses a portion of a mix and then chooses the processors and settings that it considers most appropriate for mastering that mix. It also provides a simplified, intuitive interface through which you can tweak and adjust the settings without needing to delve into the details of the underlying processors. Those who do wish to delve can switch to the Detailed View, which provides full access to the processing chain and the processors within it.
Improvements in version 12 bring a new workflow to Master Assistant that allows the system to be pre-configured prior to analysing a mix – choosing the processors that the assistant is allowed to use, dialling in a target loudness, and specifying the musical genre. To support this, the Stabilizer processor now has a set of 25 genre targets, plus the ability to create custom targets by analysing a reference track. This newfound pre-configurability makes the Master Assistant far more controllable, saving a lot of time in the long run, but the option to leave all of these initial details to the assistant remains, as does the ability to modify and overrule the assistant’s decisions once they’re made.
Master Assistant’s results are normally acceptable but rarely perfect, but this is to be expected. iZotope stresses that Master Assistant is intended as a guide, not a decision maker; it takes care of the donkey work, but it is always expected that the user will adapt the Assistant’s configuration to their own tastes. Perhaps the best way to think of it is as an eager studio assistant, albeit one that can’t be sent to make the tea.
The other important AI-powered tool found in the mothership plugin is Stem Focus, which allows the processing chain to be targeted at a specific stem within the mix – vocal, drums or bass. First introduced in the previous version, Ozone 12 improves the accuracy of the stem separation and produces fewer sonic artefacts, but I’m disappointed that no new stem types have been added, not even an ‘other’ category.
Ozone 12 Unlimiter. Image: Adam Crute
What are the new processors in Ozone 12?
Proof that iZotope’s neural network technology can extract an ‘other’ stem in real time can be found in the new Stem EQ processor. This splits the mix into Vocal, Drums, Bass and Other stems, and allows a separate EQ curve of up to eight bands to be defined for each stem. This means you can, for example, add presence to a vocal, remove the harshness from cymbals, and/or fatten a bassline, all without impacting any other instruments within the mix. It’s an absolute game-changer for mastering engineers, enabling the sorts of corrections that would otherwise require a new mix to be produced or requested.
Another common problem that can render a mix unmasterable is heavy-handed use of mix compression and/or limiting, but Ozone 12 has a fix. Unlimiter restores transients and dynamics in over-compressed sources via an easy-to-configure interface.
Unlimiter works well when it’s largely the transients of a mix that have been crushed, and here it does an impressive job of restoring dynamic space and detail. But it’s less effective when dealing with a mix that’s more generally over-cooked, although it still improves transients. Combining Unlimiter with cunning use of multiple mothership instances and Stem Focus modes does provide more remedial options, but if you start needing to resort to such things, it’s probably a sign you need to request a new mix!
Moving on, we come to Bass Control – a remarkably versatile way of shaping, taming and/or enhancing the low end of a mix or stem. It can add or remove weight, add punch and/or smoothness, and generally pull the often-awkward bass frequencies into line. Also, with low frequencies tending to be the hardest to judge and balance, Bass Control’s visualisations prove useful in highlighting details that are extremely difficult to detect by ear.
The final all-new feature in Ozone 12 is a new IRC (Intelligent Release Control) mode for the Maximiser. Like the other modes, IRC 5 constantly analyses the incoming signal and uses psychoacoustic principles to shape the response of Maximiser’s limiter. But unlike the other modes, IRC 5 does this using a four-band multiband limiter. This results in a phenomenal ability to add loudness whilst retaining clarity and avoiding clipping, crushing, pumping and other undesirable artefacts. If you’re still engaging in the tiresome loudness wars, there’s little else that will deliver such high integrated LUFS values with such transparency.
Ozone 12 Maximiser with IRC 5. Image: Adam Crute
Should I get Ozone 12, and which edition is best for me?
Ozone 12 comes in three editions: Elements, Standard and Advanced. Elements has its uses but doesn’t have much to offer to anyone seeking a comprehensive mastering solution. The affordable Standard edition, on the other hand, contains everything you need to add the final polish to your own tracks and mixes.
Although more than twice the price of Standard, Advanced is the only version that includes tools that can fix gnarly mix problems that would normally necessitate a new mix, principally Stem EQ, Unlimiter and Stem Focus. As such, it’s a no-brainer for those who master other people’s music. Advanced is also the only edition that includes the individual module plugins. These do add value in their own right, but it’s a bit tight to make them exclusive to the Advanced edition – it’s not like it would cost iZotope anything to supply the individual module plugins with the Standard edition.
That aside, there’s no question that Ozone 12’s powerful, often innovative, processors and assistive AI technology that never interferes can deliver masterful masters, whether you’re new to mastering or an experienced engineer with credits under your belt.
Ozone 12 new module list. Image: iZotope
Key features

Up to 20 mastering processors with AI-assisted configuration
Compatible with macOS Ventura+ and Windows 10+
AAX, AU and VST3
Mothership plugin hosts processor chain and other mastering tools
Ozone modules also come as individual module plugins (Advanced only)
Improved Master Assistant
Improved Stem Focus algorithm
NEW IRC 5 Maximiser mode
NEW Stem EQ (Advanced only)
NEW Bass Control (Advanced only)
New Unlimiter (Advanced only)

The post iZotope Ozone 12’s AI assistant is cool, but the Stem EQ is the real star appeared first on MusicTech.

Discord data breach affects at least 70,000 usersThe platform said in a press release that hackers breached a third-party vendor that Discord uses for age-related appeals.

Jack Dorsey urges tax-free status for ‘everyday’ Bitcoin paymentsJack Dorsey’s payments company, Square, also announced the integration of Bitcoin payment services for businesses on Wednesday.

LR Baggs Announces Exclusive Dan Tyminski Video SeriesOn Thursday, LR Baggs announced "the launch of an exclusive video series with 14-time GRAMMY® Award winner Dan Tyminski. The series highlights Tyminski’s transformative experience with the groundbreaking HiFi Duet pickup system, capturing his unmistakable sound with unparalleled clarity, balance, and depth. Best known for his iconic voice and masterful guitar work, Tyminski shares how the HiFi Duet has reshaped his live performances."

“I’m currently running the HiFi Duet in both guitars I’m playing out," Tyminski says. "In the past, I would never use a pickup because it never suited the way I needed to sound. I’d rather my guitar have been a little quieter and sound great than be loud, harsh, and bad. But audiences have grown, the demand has grown, and these new Duets have changed the way we’re able to do things now. I can play louder than ever and still feel the breadth of my instrument. It’s been a pretty amazing crossover for me—to go into a wired sound and still hear acoustics.”

"The series begins with an in-depth interview exploring the HiFi Duet’s capabilities and Tyminski’s journey with the system. The following episodes will showcase powerful performances of his favorites, featuring both his Gallagher and Johnny Gray guitars outfitted with the HiFi Duet and running through the Venue DI for a pure acoustic experience."

The post LR Baggs Announces Exclusive Dan Tyminski Video Series first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Drake lawsuit against UMG over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ dismissed by US courtA US federal court has dismissed Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, ruling that Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us constitutes protected opinion rather than actionable defamation. Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York granted UMG’s motion to dismiss all claims on Thursday (October 9), finding that accusations made about Drake … Continued
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