SecondLane shops Pump.fun equity stake at $1.5B FDVThe private market platform says $15 million in Pump.fun equity is for sale.

Minichord Wants To Help You Find Rad Chord ProgressionsIf you’re good at music theory, you can probably find all the chords and progressions you need just by using your fingers and a suitable instrument. For a lot of musicians, though, remembering huge banks of chords can be difficult, and experimenting with combinations can quickly become tedious and tiring. Enter the minichord, a tiny version of the Omnichord synth designed by [Benjamin] that offers to help out by putting all the chords you need a mere button press away.
The minichord is based around the Teensy 4.0, a capable microcontroller platform if ever there was one. It’s paired with a bunch of tactile buttons which are used to tell the Teensy which chord you desire to play. Various combinations of buttons can be used to play more advanced chords, too. There are potentiometers on board as well for volume control, as well as a touch pad for “strumming” arpeggios and other fine control tasks. An online interface allows modifying the presets onboard, too.
[Benjamin] hopes to get the minichord into production; it’s currently in a Seeedstudio competition that could see that happen, based on likes on the project video. The minichord isn’t the only player in this space, of course. The Orchard synth has been making similar waves this week. We’ve seen [Benjamin’s] work before, too. Video after the break.

GC Audio finalise Inherit Bank design GC Audio's clever modular system is now available in a four-channel version, along with with an extended range of processor cartridges.

Chocolate-Coating Machine Mk. 2: the Merry-Go-RoundThis holiday season, [Chaz] wanted to continue his family’s tradition of enrobing a little bit of everything in dark chocolate, and built an improved, rotating chocolate-coating machine.
You may remember last year’s offering, aka the conveyor belt version. Although that one worked, too much chocolate was ultimately lost to the surface of the kitchen table. [Chaz] once again started with a standard chocolate fountain and bought a round wire rack that fits the circumference of the bowl at the bottom. He snipped a hole in the center large enough to accommodate the business part of the fountain and printed a collar with holes that he cleverly zip-tied to the rack.
[Chaz] also printed a large gear to go around the bowl, a small gear to attach to a six RPM motor, a motor mount for the bowl, and an air blade attachment for a portable Ryobi fan. The air blade worked quite well, doing the double duty of distributing the chocolate and thinning out the coating. Plus, it gives things a neat rumpled look on the top.
Want to make some special chocolates this year, but don’t want to build an enrober? Get yourself a diffraction grating and make some rainbow goodies with melted chocolate.

Black Friday 2024: Here are the best music tech deals at ThomannBlack Friday 2024 is upon us, which means all the biggest music retailers are offering hundreds of products at discounted prices. Some of the best bargains we’ve seen are over at Thomann, which has slashed prices on gear from synthesizers to MIDI controllers to plugins and other software.
So we’ve made it our mission here at MusicTech to scour Thomann’s website for the very best deals, so you can make the biggest savings possible this Black Friday.

READ MORE: The best Black Friday music technology deals 2024: the biggest savings on synths, DJ controllers and plugins right now

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The Shure SM7B is one of the best podcasting mics around, used by the likes of Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, Conan O’Brien and more. If you’re looking to get in on the podcast hype, grab this sweet deal with £60 off.
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Focusrite makes some of the most popular audio interfaces in the business. And that’s because they offer crystal clear recording quality, unrivalled ease of use, and most importantly, they’re super affordable.
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Get this multi-application Rode NT1-A large diaphragm condenser microphone at a £62 discount right now.
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With 37 Velocity-sensitive full-size keys, an authentic reproduction of the original “SH-5″ circuit with tuned transistors, and 2 Analogue oscillators with 4 selectable waveforms, the Behringer MS-5 is the perfect synth for enthusiasts on a budget.
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Lose yourself in a hands-on production workflow with Circuit Tracks – an all-in-one groovebox with two polyphonic synth tracks, two MIDI tracks and four sample-based drum tracks. Get it at Thomann for just £211.
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Native Instruments’ Komplete 15 Ultimate package boasts an “extensive array of tools” for professional production, scoring, performance, and sound design. Includes over 150 premium instruments and effects, ranging from cutting-edge synths to symphonic sample libraries, and more than 70 Expansion sound packs.
The post Black Friday 2024: Here are the best music tech deals at Thomann appeared first on MusicTech.

The MIDiA 2025 predictions webinarOne of my favourite parts of the MIDiA year is creating the MIDiA predictions report and webinar. It is always a true team effort, with our team of analysts spending weeks brainstorming ideas, proposing predictions, stress testing those to within an inch of their lives, and then writing the report. It is always one of the most read reports by our clients and we do pretty well with our predictions, with an 80%+ success rate over the last half a decade.

Our 2024 predictions lead theme was ‘The algorithm is not listening’. This year it is ‘It’s social’s stage now’, exploring how social platforms will play an even more instrumental role in entertainment and culture in 2025 and beyond. In the first half of the 2020s, we saw social platforms steal the spotlight in the creator economy, redefining how entertainment is created, shared, and monetised. But as we step into 2025, we will see the second-order of effects begin to play out against the backdrop of attention saturation, content commodification, and an increased focus on profit.

On Thursday 5th December we will be presenting this and other key themes from the report in our MIDiA Predictions 2025 webinar. Join us to get ahead of the trends that will shape next year. The webinar starts at 16:30 GMT / 17:30 CET / 11:30 ET / 08:30 PT and lasts for one hour. Whether you work in music, games, the creator economy, social media, or audio, this webinar is for you! If you have not yet already done so, register to attend here. In addition to the presentation, there will be a 25 minute question and answer session where you ask your questions directly to the MIDiA analyst team.

See you there!https://www.midiaresearch.com/events/2025-midia-predictions?utm_campaign=webinar-2025&utm_medium=MBlog

The holy grail of lo-fi effects plugins is now 50% off for Black Friday[deals ids=”4UwlX0GyAx41ayCz7GndqE”]
“I think we put XLN Audio’s RC-20 Retro Colour on everything,” said Anna Lunoe in an interview with MusicTech this week. You can’t blame her — thousands of producers have this in their locker for when they want some lo-fi character in their sounds. If you’ve not got it yet, now’s your chance. It’s currently 50% off at Plugin Boutique, making it just $53 for a limited time.
XLN’s plugin has been a mainstay on Splice’s Top 10 plugin list for years — it’s sitting at number 2 at the time of writing, despite being available since 2016. Why? Because it does an easy job of adding subtle degradation to your sounds which, in a world of pristine high-end records, brings a comforting DIY element to your music. Need to make some lo-fi beats to chill and relax to? This’ll do the trick.
With six effects modules. RC-20 lets you instantly deploy noise, wobble, distortion and bit reduction to your tracks, letting you emulate the textures of vintage vinyl and VHS machines. You could crunch your drums and bass tones, or use the space, chorus and filter effects to make your keys and guitars sound drowsy and nostalgic.
Interactive features like the Flux Engine and Magnitude slider let you quickly change the intensity of RC-20’s processing, letting you dial in the perfect sound at any time. A large number of presets are onboard for drums, keys, guitars, full mixes and post-production duties, giving you plenty of inspiration for whatever kind of project you’re working on.
The deal is available on Plugin Boutique, but if you’re looking for a different kind of plugin, you’re in the right place. We’re rounding up all the best Black Friday deals on music production gear this weekend, including all of our favourite plugin deals.
In our guide, you can see where to save big on software bundles, synthesizers, MIDI controllers, monitors, plugins, headphones and more.
Find more music technology deals. 
 
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Arturia’s Black Friday offers Until 10 December 2024, new users can obtain half-price licenses for the likes of V Collection X, Pigments, Analog Lab and FX Collection 5, with existing registered users eligible for even greater savings. 

NewJeans just held a press conference to announce they’ve left HYBE’s ADOR… but the K-Pop giant says their deal is still ‘in full effect’"Staying at the agency will only prolong our psychological pain and waste our time," group member Hanni said
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FREE Mystery Plugin from FKFX Drops on December 6 (Sign Up Now)
FKFX Audio is offering a mysterious free plugin for Black Friday on December 6, 2024, and the sign-up to receive the freebie is open now. The chance to sign up for the free, previously unreleased plugin will run until December 6.  FKFX’s other plugins are Windows and macOS releases, so we can probably expect the new plugin [...]
View post: FREE Mystery Plugin from FKFX Drops on December 6 (Sign Up Now)

Staff Picks: Raleigh Ritchie, Jimmy Eat WorldOperations Manager Robin RoseRaleigh Ritchie"Stronger Than Ever"This song, as well as those on this album, send a message of resilience going back and forth between singing and rap, with an emotional backdrop of stings and pounding percussion.

Associate Editor Brett CallwoodJimmy Eat World"Sweetness"In honor of the Coachella lineup announcement, and the inclusion of emo heroes Jimmy Eat World, I've been listening to the Bleed American masterpiece a lot this week. "Sweetness" is an incredible tune, partly because it feels like somebody cut up a Bon Jovi anthem and then pieced it back together in a different order. The "whoah-oh" refrain comes in right at the top. Magnificent!

Photo of Raleigh Ritchie, by George Ezra/mouse555, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.The post Staff Picks: Raleigh Ritchie, Jimmy Eat World first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

As Believe UK celebrates its 15th anniversary, key executives Ben Rimmer, Alex Kennedy and Malena Wolfer talk recent successes and what comes next.Three top Believe UK execs celebrate the company’s 15 anniversary and look to its future...
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Get a pair of Yamaha HS5 studio monitors for under $300 this Black FridayDespite the fact we’re still a day away, the Black Friday music technology deals are coming in thick and fast. We’re seeing thousands of killer discounts just waiting to be lapped up by savvy music producers, and we’re making it our mission to bring the best ones to you.
Like this awesome deal over at Sweetwater: you can save $50 on individual Yamaha HS5 studio monitors, meaning you pay just $149.99 instead of $199.99. Obviously, you’ll need two of them for your home studio, but that means you can get a pair for just $299.98 in total.
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The drivers in Yamaha’s HS series offer top-quality audio performance, while a carefully designed arrangement of screws and a mounting ring eliminate unwanted vibration and resonance, allowing the speaker to realise its full sonic potential without distortion or colouration.

READ MORE: The best Black Friday music technology deals 2024: the biggest savings on synths, DJ controllers and plugins right now

The HS5 also features an advanced smooth-contour design tweeter frame to minimise losses, allowing you to hear high-frequency details with stunning clarity. This frame also dampens resonance which can interfere with treble clarity.

In terms of specs, the HS5 features a 5” cone woofer, 1” dome tweeter, large magnets in an advanced magnetic circuit design, dedicated power amps which are perfectly matched to the woofer and tweeter, and Room Control and High Trim response controls for optimum performance in any room.
Of course, if you’re after a little more firepower, the Yamaha HS7 and HS8 are also discounted at Sweetwater for Black Friday. Whatever your requirements, now’s the time to upgrade your home studio.
If you want to take advantage of this awesome deal, head to Sweetwater right now.
The post Get a pair of Yamaha HS5 studio monitors for under $300 this Black Friday appeared first on MusicTech.

Music production’s most beloved EQ is now on sale with 25% off for Black FridayHow many producers haven’t thought about picking up FabFilter’s Pro-Q3 EQ at least once? This ubiquitous and universally loved EQ plugin, which you’ll find in studios around the world, is now on sale for Black Friday.
Available at Plugin Boutique, the Pro-Q 3 plugin’s price has been slashed by $45, bringing it down to $134. This EQ is used by a plethora of different producers, from bedroom beatmakers like Satl to some of the most revered Grammy-winning mix engineers out there, including Dave Pensado. According to Plugin Boutique, Pensado says that “FabFilter Pro-Q 3 has one of the best GUIs of any EQ out there and sonically compares to the best.”
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Why does everyone love it so much? Well, its clean interface and real-time visualiser make it incredibly easy to see which parts of the frequency spectrum your sounds occupy. If you have a vocal recording that sounds a little too hissy, you can easily find the frequencies that you need to tame.
You can then apply a whopping 24 EQ bands onto your signal, if you need to, with a variety of curve shapes and an optional Dynamic EQ for all bands. Also, the ‘brickwall’ slope for low-pass and high-pass filters makes it effortless to cut low-end rumble or piercing high frequencies. Other smart features, like EQ Match and Spectrum Grab, make this a seriously modern EQ.
If you want to add more than just an EQ to your plugin folder this holiday season, FabFilter has plenty more plugins on sale. The 25 per cent discount is shared across the Pro-L 2 limiter, Pro-C 2 compressor, Pro MB compressor, Pro-G gate, Pro-DS de-esser. Pro-R 2 reverb, all on Plugin Boutique.
We rated the Pro-R 2 reverb plugin as a 9/10 in our review last year, and FabFilter’s Volcano 3 filter plugin was awarded our 10/10 Excellence Award back in 2021.
 
Find more music production deals
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Save £60 on the Shure SM7B, one of the best podcasting mics around, this Black FridayBlack Friday is almost upon us, and the team here at MusicTech are working hard to bring you the very best deals on gear from all the biggest music retailers. Naturally, as one of the biggest music retailers in the world, Thomann is hosting deals on thousands of pieces of gear, so there’s no better time than now to upgrade your rig.
Podcasting has never been more popular, and we’re sure at some point or another you’ve considered starting your own. But you can’t do that without a good quality microphone, right? The Shure SM7B, an all-purpose dynamic microphone which excels for podcasting, is discounted by a cool £60 at Thomann this Black Friday, meaning you pay just £333.
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But don’t just take our word for it. The Shure SM7B is used by some of the world’s biggest podcasters, including Joe Rogan, Conan O’Brien, Lex Fridman, so all you need to do is listen to their podcasts to hear how silky smooth this mic sounds.

READ MORE: The best Black Friday music technology deals 2024: the biggest savings on synths, DJ controllers and plugins right now

The Shure SM7B features a cardioid pattern, meaning sound in front of the mic is picked up in crystal clear detail, while sounds behind the mic are much quieter. This is perfect if you’re chatting with a guest and want to be able to adjust mic levels individually.
Other specs include a frequency range between 50 and 20,000 Hz, sensitivity of -59 dB, a bass roll-off switch, mid-boost switch, and a swivel mount so you can orient it how you like while recording.
Of course, the SM7B is a perfect podcasting microphone, but it’s impressively versatile, and great for recording musical elements, too.
Don’t wait around, we expect this deal to sell-through before the weekend is over. For more info, head to Thomann.
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