Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz is retiringDustin Moskovitz is retiring from Asana, the software company he founded in 2008. Asana, a task management platform, announced his retirement as part of the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report, CNBC reported. Moskovitz informed the board he intends to move into a chair role when a new CEO starts. The company has raised more than […]
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Ben Winship & Tim O'Brien Wins 9th Annual Christmas Songwriting CompetitionThe list winners and finalists of the 9th Annual Christmas Songwriting Competition have been released. Songwriters Ben Winship and Tim O'Brien of Victor, ID won top honors with their song "Santa Ate a Gummy".“This is a great honor to win the top prize. We are thrilled to have been selected - happy and proud that you have selected our song!” said the top winners Ben Winship and Tim O'Brien.Victor, ID based Ben Winship is a songwriter and producer with credits from Mike Dowling that won a Grammy award in 2005 in the Best Pop Instrumental category. Ben has performed at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and NPR's "A Prairie Home Companion".Tim O'Brien is a songwriter as well as a former member of the group "Hot Rize". His songs have been recorded by kathy Mathea, Garth Brooks, Nickel Creek and the Dixie Chicks (now called the Chicks). He has won 2 Grammy awards: 2014 - Awarded Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album for "The Earls of Leicester" and 2005 - Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album for Fiddler's Green.Karin Bachner & Tobias M. Hoffmann from Vienna, Austria won the second prize with their song “In the Mood for Christmas”. "Mingle Neath the Mistletoe" by Jan Edwards, Lucy LeBlanc and Corey Lee Barker from Naples, FL won the third prize with their song “Mingle Neath the Mistletoe”.All top three songs were multi-way co-writes.Here is the list of the winners:1st Prize:"Santa Ate a Gummy" by Ben Winship & Tim O'Brien; Victor, ID 2nd Prize:"In the Mood for Christmas" by Karin Bachner & Tobias M. Hoffmann; Vienna, AUSTRIA 3rd Prize:"Mingle Neath the Mistletoe" by Jan Edwards, Lucy LeBlanc & Corey Lee Barker; Naples, FLTop 20 Finalists:"Santa Ate a Gummy" by Ben Winship & Tim O'Brien"Nights and Christmas Lights" by Robin Sandoval, Paul Laliberte,  Jeffrey Laliberte & Shelby Archer"Once Again It Is Christmas" by Clive Kennedy & Justin Wilde"Reindeer Rebellion" by Ava Della Pietra, Shane Stevens & Nash Overstreet"What Santa Wants" by Jan Edwards, Deema Homsi, TJ Kirby"Mingle Neath the Mistletoe" by Jan Edwards, Lucy LeBlanc & Corey Lee Barker"Song To The Longest Night" by Patti Shaffner"In the Mood for Christmas" by Karin Bachner & Tobias M. Hoffmann"Christmas X12" by Michelle Rose Bergh & Andy Karg"Christmas Angel" by Nadine Stockmann & Torsten Bader"Little Christmas Song" by Ayesha de Groot & Jan Flubacher"Ornaments" by Tamsin Lancaster, Max Jackson & Liam Quinn"There's A Candle" by Calvin Bridges & Tore W Åas"1-800-Santa-Helpline" by Marissa Hernandez, Joe Gautrey & Sean Price"Greater Than That" by Mary Dawson & Beverly Houston"Oh! Santa, Please" by Robby Johnson, Clarence Jey & Danny Rader"Sing His Name" by Harrison Kraft"Christmas Star" by Katie Pederson & Frankie Jason Turner"Wishlist" by Damon Sharpe, Eric Sanicola & Laura Bryna"Christmas Kiss" by Randi Soyland Sparrman & Donald James HarperFor more information, please visit:
https://www.songwriting.net/xmas-results
The post Ben Winship & Tim O'Brien Wins 9th Annual Christmas Songwriting Competition first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Patrick Moxey’s publishing company files amended copyright complaint against Sony MusicOriginal lawsuit was filed in New York in November on behalf of Ultra International Music Publishing LLC (UIMP) and Ultra Music Publishing Europe AG
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Klamper Audio Simple Reverb 2Simple Reverb 2 is an intuitive and lightweight reverb plugin designed for musicians and producers who need high-quality sound with minimal CPU usage. Key Features: WET – Controls t... Read More

Live Music Stocks continue to fall faster than MarketsLive music stocks from Live Nation, Sphere Entertainment. and MSG Entertainment followed the markets downward Monday continuing their week long spiral.
The post Live Music Stocks continue to fall faster than Markets appeared first on Hypebot.

Solar-Powered E-Reader With No ButtonsModern e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle are incredible pieces of engineering, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. A device custom-built to your own specifications is always going to provide a more satisfying experience than something purchased off the shelf. That’s why [fel88] put together this custom e-reader which offers a number of unique features, such as a solar panel on the back and button-free operation.
One issue with modern e-readers, at least as [fel88] sees it, is that they have a lot of unnecessary features. This project removes most of them, stripping down the device to its core functionality: a straightforward menu for selecting books and gesture-sensing for navigating the menu as well as changing the pages. The only physical input on the device is a small reed switch to turn the device on. A 3D printed case holds the e-ink display and encloses the inner workings, driven by an Arduino Mega 2560 and powered by three lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) and a small solar panel.
By dropping all of the unnecessary features, the device doesn’t need to waste energy with things like WiFi or Bluetooth and can get around 880 pages on a single charge, not counting any extra energy coming in through the solar panel while it’s operating. The LICs will also theoretically improve its life cycle as well. If you’re still stuck with a paperweight when you formerly had a working e-reader, though, there are plenty of ways to bring old devices back to life as well.

This industry-favourite hardware EQ by Heritage Audio has been turned into a plugin – and it’s much more affordableHeritage Audio and its sub-brand LANG Electronics have revealed the LANG PEQ-2 plugin, emulating the Lang PEQ-2 program equaliser from the ’60s, which was reissued in 2023.
Heritage has given several of its own hardware classics similar treatment in the past, recreating all of its Successor stereo bus compressor’s features as a plugin with new features. It also similarly transformed its Symph EQ, and its BritStrip console channel strip.

READ MORE: A recording studio honouring Les Paul has opened in LA – and it even features the pioneer’s own 8-track recording console

Available in both native and DSP formats, this authentic recreation of the PEQ-2 boasts a simple layout and user interface, with independent controls for Boost and Droop (cut) for high and low frequency bands.

The PEQ-2 also features a high peak boost with variable high frequency boost bandwidth settings that range from sharp to broad, covering a multitude of needs.
What’s more, all owners of the existing PEQ-2 hardware unit can fill in an online form to redeem a native version of the plugin for free. Native and DSP versions are also available for free to anyone who owns any of the Heritage Audio i73 Pro family products. For everyone else, a set price of $99 applies.
LANG was based in New York through the ’50s and ’60s before being acquired by Heritage Audio in 2022. The original PEQ-2 was released in the 1960s under the LANG brand, before Heritage reissued it in 2023 after extensive research and backward engineering. The visual design is the same, but it now has additional frequency adjustments for more accurate control. Its passive, inductor-based EQ saw it draw a lot of comparisons to the Pultec EQP-1A, but it’s significantly less expensive.
Learn more at Heritage Audio.
The post This industry-favourite hardware EQ by Heritage Audio has been turned into a plugin – and it’s much more affordable appeared first on MusicTech.

JMG Sound introduce WideFire  JMG Sound and United Plugins have announced the launch of a new, packed down version of their innovative saturation and widening processor.

SXSW Music Top Picks 2025: Panels, Meetups & ShowcasesAs the music takes center stage, we've got the SXSW Music Top Picks 2025 including panels, meetups, a free Summit, showcases and more.
The post SXSW Music Top Picks 2025: Panels, Meetups & Showcases appeared first on Hypebot.

A recording studio honouring Les Paul has opened in LA – and it even features the pioneer’s own 8-track recording consoleA state-of-the-art studio created to honour the legacy of legendary inventor and audio pioneer Les Paul has opened in Los Angeles.
The studio is located in the historic United Recording building at 6050 Sunset Blvd and features meticulously restored original equipment used by the legendary inventor and guitarist.

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No doubt, the centrepiece of the studio is Les Paul’s groundbreaking audio console and 8-track recording set up referred to as ‘The Monster’, which he built with Rein Narma in the 1950s. Sitting alongside the original console is his prized Ampex 5258 Sel-Sync machine affectionately known as ‘The Octopus’, the first 8-track recorder ever produced.
Credit: Les Paul Recording Studio
The studio is now open for use by the next generation of musicians, whether they are recording or studying music.
“We’ve painstakingly restored Les Paul’s original gear to working condition, allowing today’s artists to record using the exact tools that revolutionized popular music,” says producer and engineer Michael Braunstein in a press release. “Combined with the newest technology and digital recording tools, the Les Paul Recording Studio will welcome musical artists, producers, engineers and students to a new and innovative studio environment that is the only one of its kind in the world.”
Paul was responsible for pioneering a series of revolutionary recording techniques that would massively shape popular music to come. These included multi-track recording, sound-on-sound, close miking, overdubbing, speed manipulation, echo and more. Of course, he also had a prominent role in creating the solid body guitar. His prototype, the Log, served as the inspiration for the iconic guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul. Paul died in 2009 at the age of 94.
Learn more about the Les Paul Recording Studio at les-paul.com.
The post A recording studio honouring Les Paul has opened in LA – and it even features the pioneer’s own 8-track recording console appeared first on MusicTech.

Hans Zimmer says his Rain Man score was the “beginning of orchestras having to adapt” to synth-written movie scoresHans Zimmer feels his score for the 1988 film Rain Man marked the start of orchestras adapting to working with synthesizers for movies.
Rain Man won Best Picture at the 1989 Academy Awards, with Zimmer being nominated for Best Original Score. He went on to be Oscar-nominated for a number of other synth-laden scores, including Interstellar and Dune: Part One, the latter of which he won Best Score for in 2022.

READ MORE: Hans Zimmer concert film coming to cinemas to offer “peek behind the curtain” at his work

Speaking to Josh Horowitz for the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Hans Zimmer says, “I wrote Rain Man on a synthesiser with weird sounds and there’s an orchestra trying to play my music.
“Actually it’s really interesting that you say this because I’m only just realising as you’re saying it, it was the beginning of orchestras having to adapt. Like, ‘there’s this new guy in town and he works with weird electronic instruments, so we better have some stuff in the orchestra as well that can go and do that!’
“The following year I wasn’t up but Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture so they kept playing that tune over and over again, and then Gladiator won Best Picture and I was nominated but again it was like they played the tune over and over and over again… and then winning for Dune: Part One, I was so grumpy about the whole affair.”
Hans Zimmer goes on to recall what turned out to be his most-loved Oscars experience from his win in 2022, which didn’t actually involve his presence at the ceremony itself: “I phoned my PR people and said, ‘don’t bother me, I want to go to sleep’. I had my kids with me and they were downstairs doing whatever, and then the phone rings and it’s my publicist going, ‘It’s your category!’ and I’m going, ‘I told you I don’t want to be disturbed.’
“Two minutes later the phone rings again and I’m going, ‘I told you!’ and she goes, ‘But you won!’ At that moment the door burst open and I realised there was a devious plot between [my partner] and my children and they flew in and there’s a big party going on downstairs with the whole band. They didn’t care if I won or lost, they just wanted a great big party! That was the best Oscars I ever had.”
Check out the full podcast below:

The post Hans Zimmer says his Rain Man score was the “beginning of orchestras having to adapt” to synth-written movie scores appeared first on MusicTech.

These super-high-end studio monitors are designed by a techno veteran – and cost up to €31,200TEILE Elektronik, the brand co-owned by techno artist Rampa, has launched a new range of high-end studio monitors.
The new SL Series lineup offers three active studio monitors, including a two-way 6.5-inch model (SLs), a three-way 8-inch model (SLm), a three-way 12-inch model (SL2), plus a matching 18-inch studio subwoofer (SLw). Each has been handcrafted in Germany, with prices starting over €7,000.

READ MORE: “The story began 15 years ago when I was repairing Soviet synthesizers”: Eternal Engine’s tube-powered MARS is the wildest synth we’ve seen in ages – here’s how it came to be

TEILE Elektronik started out “as a fun project modifying hardware to be more user friendly for Djs and producers”. Rampa – whose real name is Gregor Sütterlin – runs the brand alongside Benjamin Hughes.
“We are two guys with a common enthusiasm for music and technology,” reads their official website. “Gregor, who produces and DJs under the name Rampa, also founded the record label Keinemusik. With a wealth of experience as a touring DJ and producer, he has an incredible knack for the micro details of how a product should feel and react, as well as what features are needed most. On the macro level, Benjamin takes these ideas and finds a practical way to implement them.”
All three monitors are powered by four channels of ABACUS Dolifet amplification, while the SLw subwoofer uses two channels. Additionally, the monitors also feature Air Motion Transformer tweeters, DSP crossover systems, and an EQ section. As for looks, their cabinets are all finished in a warm Santos Rosewood veneer, and have black front and back panels. Take a look below:

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A post shared by @teile_elektronik

As for pricing as a pair, the cheapest offering is the SLs at €7,019.81. The SLm comes in at €12,374.81, and the SL2 at a whopping €31,295.81. The SLw subwoofer is priced at €10,054.31 per unit.
Find out more or shop the full range now over at TEILE Elektronik.
The post These super-high-end studio monitors are designed by a techno veteran – and cost up to €31,200 appeared first on MusicTech.

MPG Awards 2025: Shortlist announced The MPG (Music Producers Guild) have announced the shortlist for this year’s MPG Awards, which will be taking place on 25 April 2025 at The Troxy, London, UK.

YouTuber says music theory makes you a “good analyst or technician” – but not necessarily a good songwriterGenerally speaking, knowing theory makes you a more proficient musician, and helps you understand why certain chord progressions, note sequences and arrangements work with one another.
But is a deep understanding of theory absolutely necessary to be a successful songwriter? One YouTuber certainly doesn’t think so.

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In a recent conversation with Rick Rubin on his Tetragrammaton podcast, Rick Beato touched on the often intangible nature of composition, and how there’s a gap between knowing theory and having the instincts to construct a solid melody.
Now, in his own video commenting on the conversation, Become The Knight agrees with Beato.
“Knowing theory isn’t actually necessary for making a compelling piece of art,” he says. “Music education – whether it’s formal conservatory education or courses you purchase from an influencer – kind of sells you this expectation in its undertones, that if you just learn this hidden knowledge from those with the nosis, you too can garner the fame and glory of the musicians you love.
“Now they never say directly that you’ll actually write better – or at least they rarely do – but it’s implied that this will help you accomplish your dreams of becoming a successful artist.” 
He says that in reality, music theory is great at helping you become a “good analyst or technician”, but not necessarily a good songwriter.
“Being an artist can include both of these things. These attributes can be incredibly helpful for providing you context on how to make great, compelling art, so I’m certainly not deriding them. But you can have all of these tools in your tool belt and still make pretty mediocre art. That’s because these lessons are trying to quantify the unquantifiable. They’re trying to introduce semantics to a world of semantic ambiguity.”

Also in Rick Beato’s original conversation with Rick Rubin, the pair discussed the impact streaming services have had on music, noting that the availability of having anything at our fingertips has “devalued music”.
Rick Beato also spoke about his theory that all babies “can develop perfect pitch up to nine months”.
See more from Become The Knight via his official YouTube channel.
The post YouTuber says music theory makes you a “good analyst or technician” – but not necessarily a good songwriter appeared first on MusicTech.