Arduino + TFT = Micro Star ChartWe always look at the round LCDs and wonder what to do with them other than, of course, a clock. Well, [shabaz] had a great idea: use it as a star map display. The project combines the Arduino, a round TFT, a GPS receiver, and some external flash memory to store data. You can get by without the GPS receiver or flash memory, but you’ll lose features if you do.
We like how he approached the problem. The project contains four major parts and he developed each part independently before integrating them into a whole. The four parts are: reading the GPS, driving the LCD, providing storage for star data, and determining the position of stars. The heavy lifting is done using some public domain code ported over. This code derives from a book called Astronomical Algorithms and uses the Yale Bright Star Catalog database.
The post mentions that the screen might well be a larger rectangular screen and we agree that would make this more usable. Now if you could cram it all into a watch, that might be different. If you want to play with the code, you can actually run the core on Linux. You’ll have to settle for a PNG output of the night sky, but that would be handy for debugging.
We have seen a star chart in a watch before. While this is more a star chart than a planetarium, we have no doubt the early planetarium builders would be suitably impressed.

How Wendy Carlos pioneered the evolution of synths
Learn about how Wendy Carlos helped bring synthesizers into the mainstream and pioneered the evolution of the instrument.

Sony Music inks partnership with India’s Maddock Films to produce soundtracks, pop singlesThe move comes amid remarkable growth in India's music market, and in the popularity of Indian music worldwide
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Spitfire Audio Abbey Road Orchestra Symphonic Strings Spitfire have completed the Abbey Road Orchestra string line-up with Second Violin, Violas and Basses libraries, as well as combining the entire section into one plug-in with Abbey Road Symphonic Strings.

“He said ‘What’s wrong with this instrument? It only plays one note at a time!” Producer recalls Stevie Wonder’s first encounter with the TONTO synthSynth history buffs and fans of ’70s classics like Stevie Wonder’s Superstition and Boogie On Reggae Woman might be familiar with The Original New Timbral Orchestra or TONTO, the instrument behind many of these iconic tunes.
In a new interview, producer and TONTO co-creator Robert Margouleff looks back on the first time Wonder laid his hands on the legendary synth and the creative partnership that blossomed following their initial collaboration.

READ MORE: This DJ has a price list for overplayed song requests, and Mr Brightside will cost you a grand

According to Margouleff, Wonder had approached him and fellow TONTO mastermind Malcolm Cecil after hearing their 1971 album, Zero Time.
“Stevie came in and we showed him the instrument [TONTO] and he put his hands all over it,” says the producer [via Music Radar], recalling the way Wonder showed up at their studio with a copy of the record in hand. “And then he started trying to play chords on it and he said ‘Malcolm! Bob! What’s wrong with this instrument? It only plays one note at a time!’”
“And Malcolm said ‘Stevie it’s sort of like a trumpet or a saxophone. You have to use your whole body just to get the mood and the sound and it only plays one note at a time and it comes out of your mouth.’”
“Stevie got it in a second,” he continues. “We started recording that weekend — we recorded like 15 or 16 songs. We went completely bonkers.”
“We never recorded [music] to create an album, so to speak. We just recorded music and we had a huge library of music, all in different kinds of places.”
The producer adds that this happened while Wonder was renegotiating his contract with record label Motown: “He was sick of Motown,” Margouleff explains. “Why? Because there was a formula for Motown — it had four guys dancing in sort of uniforms and a front person, male or female. It was a formula and Stevie didn’t want to be inside the formula. And also, his music was so socially significant and important it wasn’t just about ‘do-bop’ and ‘how I love you baby.’”
Watch the full interview below.

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Recording Academy updates 2025 Grammy categories and eligibilityStay ahead of the curve with the latest updates from the Recording Academy for the 2025 Grammy Awards, featuring new categories and eligibility criteria. via CelebrityAccess The Recording Academy, the. Continue reading
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Protect your music rights [Free Split Sheet Download]Here are the essential steps to master your music rights and ensure you’re properly credited with this comprehensive guide. Download your free split sheet today and take control of your. Continue reading
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Rock falls as Electronic Music rises at Festivals in 2024Over the past decade, multi-genre festivals like Bonnaroo and Coachella have seen a surge in electronic music bookings, while genres like rock and alternative are falling. by Harry Levin of. Continue reading
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“We didn’t want to live and die by someone else’s sword”: Avenged Sevenfold’s Zacky Vengeance on ditching major labels and nurturing better fan connections with the blockchainWith the launch of their NFT-based fanclub Deathbats Club back in 2021, and a 2023 album, Life Is But A Dream… – which divided opinion, to say the least – Avenged Sevenfold are defined by their drive to innovate and keep things fresh.
Indeed, they’re always gracefully riding the wave of wherever the music industry is headed next, and aren’t afraid to call out redundant industry practices which no longer serve them.

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

The band recently parted ways with longtime label Warner Bros. and decided it was time to go their own way. Last week, frontman M. Shadows took aim at major labels and their relevance in 2024, saying: “You’re going to take 24 cents on our dollar and that’s all you can do, come up with a f**king fake viral TikTok moment?”
Now, in an interview with NME conducted before the band’s recent set at Download Festival, guitarist Zacky Vengeance elaborates on why the band have chosen to part with major labels, and use the blockchain to facilitate a better connection with their fans.
Vengeance says the decision “came after spending an entire career depending on record labels and radio”, adding: “We didn’t want to live and die by someone else’s sword – we have true fans and we need to connect with them in our own way.”
“The technology emerged and a light bulb went off collectively in all of our heads,” he says. “We’ve had to dodge arrows from everyone because of it. People saying it’s a cash grab or that it’s stupid, but we actually have a real connection with our fans and it allows them to reap some rewards.
“We have probably the coolest fan club through the Deathbats Club, and they have complete ownership of it. If ever they want to sell it to somebody else because it doesn’t suit them anymore, they can. They can get early access to concerts, join us at exclusive parties, get free tattoos. It’s just a way that we can instantly connect to them.
“So companies steal your information and use it for themselves to sell ads to you, but we’re asking you to volunteer your information as a fan so we can reward you for being a fan.”
Elsewhere in the interview, ZV explains why it’s important the band continues to stylistically innovate and take their music in new directions.
“The easy route would be writing songs similar to our most-played hits, or the ones that go over the best at festivals,” he says. “But, truthfully, I think that’s just career suicide. We want to have fun, make new memories for people, give them an experience to remember for the rest of their lives and maybe even change their whole perspective.”
Head to NME to read the full interview.
The post “We didn’t want to live and die by someone else’s sword”: Avenged Sevenfold’s Zacky Vengeance on ditching major labels and nurturing better fan connections with the blockchain appeared first on MusicTech.

Aphex Twin announces Selected Ambient Works II reissue featuring two new tracksAphex Twin has announced an expanded reissue of Selected Ambient Works Volume II in celebration of the album’s 30th anniversary.
Arriving on 4 October via Warp, the record will be available in digital, 3xCD, double-cassette, and 4xLP standard and box set editions.
Included in the limited box set are special features such as a fold-out poster, sticker sheet, and a booklet containing original artwork sketches by designer Paul Nicholson. It will come in a hinged oak case and a bespoke etched copper plate. Each copy is made to order and no two are the same.

READ MORE: “Streaming incentivises songs to be consumable over and over again”: St. Vincent says “excellent” music is missing out on streaming payouts because it doesn’t fit the mould

This marks the first time that every track from the album will be universally accessible across all formats, bridging a gap that previously limited access to certain tracks, notably the vinyl-only release #19. The expanded edition also features two additional songs, th1 [evnslower] and Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev. The reissued record is now up for pre-order from Aphex Twin’s web store.
Originally released in March 1994, Selected Ambient Works Volume II is Aphex Twin AKA Richard D. James’ second studio album, and is characterised by a beatless ambient sound the musician once likened to “standing in a power station on acid.”
Listen to the track #19 below.

Last year, Aphex Twin made his official return to live performances after a four-year break at London’s Field Day festival. The performance saw Aphex Twin sampling tracks from his extensive discography, including hits from his new EP Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760. NTS Radio has also released a 360 video of the full set online.
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Steinberg SpectraLayers 11 has arrived The latest version of Steinberg’s powerful spectral editing software comes packed with new features that they say take unmixing and spectral repair to a new level.

At $5 per month, is Apple’s Logic Pro 2 for iPad the best DAW for tablets?£5/$5 per month or £50/$50 per year
1-month free trial available
apple.com
Almost exactly a year ago, Apple released Logic Pro for iPad, alongside Final Cut Pro for the same device, in a bid to convince you that iPadOS has the potential to replace your computer.
In our review, we lauded the remarkable achievement of adapting such a complex application to a touch interface. Here was a product that answered critics who complained that a lack of Pro apps kept the iPad from being considered a serious platform for audio.

READ MORE: The best DAWs for music producers in all genres, styles and workflows

Those expecting a radical overhaul from version 1 won’t find it — this is mostly an iterative upgrade in the same way that Apple develops the desktop version of Logic Pro. But the pricing model – a monthly or yearly subscription – means that the upgrade isn’t technically free because you pay to use the app on a rolling basis.
You might find yourself in one of two positions; wondering whether to keep subscribing, or contemplating Logic as a new user. The question that arises either way is: is it worth it?
Much core functionality remains the same as version 1, including that Logic will run on a wide range of iPads with the A12 Bionic chip or better. As you’d expect, a newer M-powered model feels slicker and handles higher track counts but performance on older devices is more than respectable. One way in which the more recent models do have an edge is that most have increased internal storage — important for tracking 24-bit audio at higher sample rates and downloading instrument content.
Tracks on Logic Pro 2 for iPad
Logic can use your iPad mics and speakers but you’ll want to connect a dedicated audio interface that supports iOS, like models from Focusrite, Steinberg and IK Multimedia to name a few. Bluetooth and networked MIDI are supported so there are plenty of options for getting signals in and out, if you have the correct kit.
User interface and design remain extremely impressive, making excellent use of the space available and of touch input.
As we noted, version 2 is really about additions rather than changes, so let’s look at the big ones.
There are new Session Player instruments as found in Logic Pro 11 for Mac. Joining the Drummer are Bass and Keyboard Player instruments which work in a similar way with controls to change the melodies, timing and patterns generated by the instruments. Since they are pitch-based (unlike Drummer), Logic has a Global Chord track which is used to make these parts and others like Apple Loops follow chord changes over time. The two new players are tied to the new Studio Bass and Piano plugins which can also be used on their own as regular instruments, and require a few gigabytes of downloadable library content.
Drummer on Logic Pro 2 for iPad
Logic has had audio and MIDI loops in its library for many years but the Players are much more organic, generating entirely human-sounding piano and bass parts that can be modified, and variations created without messing around editing MIDI. The extent to which you use them will depend on your approach to songwriting but they’re certainly capable of providing inspiration, backing, ideas or indeed entire songs for you should you choose. New downloadable lessons that can show you how to use them are also on tap — a nice touch.
Elsewhere, Logic Pro for iPad gets the same Stem Splitter as the desktop version, which can separate out mixed tracks into vocals, bass, drums and ‘other’ for remixing, sampling or editing. Stem separation techniques are being explored by an increasing number of developers and it works well here. It’s nice not to have to go back to the desktop to do it, and as a process it will likely get more advanced in time. Even with a relatively simple four-component capability like this you can easily extract a vocal or a beat from a mixed track and the results are impressive. There’s sometimes a small amount of bleed from other parts but this can happen on other systems too, and is barely noticeable except when the track is soloed.
A new ChromaGlow plugin joins Logic’s impressive effects lineup — a useful way to warm up and add saturation to tracks. You’re now able to route MIDI internally, like from an effect to a software instrument, giving greater flexibility. And real-time bouncing of external instruments is now supported, so externally-triggered sounds can be included when bouncing a project in place.
In our original review we questioned why a company as wealthy as Apple has gone down the subscription route with Logic for iPad. In the year since, the answer to this question has become clearer: Apple has been pushing ‘software as a service’ more actively to the point it is now its second biggest earner behind iPhone sales – far bigger than its Mac or iPad profits. So that’s your Apple Music subscription, iCloud storage, and now, apps like Logic Pro for iPad too.
Inserts on Logic Pro 2 for iPad
Those who dislike subscriptions won’t be playing tiny violins for Apple but it’s a model that is increasingly employed by developers as market conditions change. If you only need to replace your iPad every five years, Apple wants to make some money out of you in the meantime. Honestly, Logic for iPad is such an impressive and capable app that $5 a month (or $50 annually) isn’t a huge ask.
It’s not the only game in town when it comes to iPad DAWs, but Logic remains the most comprehensive and powerful DAW in its class. FL Studio for iPad is fun and more lightweight, while Cubasis is a serious contender but lacks the sheer depth of tools and features Logic has. BandLab is a free DAW with some superb songwriting tools and collaborative features, but Logic really is the benchmark for pro-level mixing tasks on an iPad.
Combining desktop-class tools and workflows with an innovative, approachable design, additions such as new Session Player instruments and stem separation bolster its capabilities and bring it even closer to the functionality of the Mac version, with which it can exchange projects via iCloud.
Ultimately, Logic for iPad is powerful enough that you really can use it for end-to-end music production, entirely on its own.
Audio Edit on Logic Pro 2 for iPad
Key features

Complete audio/MIDI recording and editing environment
For iPads with A12 Bionic chip or later
Up to 32-bit, 96kHz recording
Library of loops, effects and instruments
Multiple touch-based performance options
Session Player instruments to generate parts
Stem Splitter
Live Loop mode
Project exchange to desktop version
Downloadable content and lessons

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How To Play A Piano Montuno on Any SongPlaying piano montunos can transform any song, giving it that infectious Latin groove that makes everyone want to move. Today, we’ll take a jazz standard like “Satin Doll” and turn it into a piano montuno. By the end of this lesson, you’ll know how to create a montuno pattern from any chord progression and apply these concepts to any montuno pattern you want.

Step 1: Choose Your Montuno Pattern

First, we need to decide on the montuno pattern we’re going to use. Here’s a classic 2-3 clave montuno pattern:

Key Tip: Choose the correct pattern for the clave you’re using. The downbeats go in the 2 part of the clave, and the upbeats on the 3 part. A 4-measure pattern works best for most forms.

Step 2: Decide on the Compound Line

Next, we need to decide on the compound line for our montuno. Compound lines emerge from different layers when you play patterns. For example, in a previous video, we used Billy Joel’s “Summer, Highland Falls” to illustrate this concept.

Piano montunos have two layers:

Outside Layer: Creates the montuno line, usually a guide-tone line.

Inside Layer: Provides the harmonic context.

For example, in an Em7 to A7 progression, we can play:

Notice how the line D to C# acts as a guide tone for the Em7 to A7 progression.

Guide Tones: These are the 3rd and 7th of the chord.

Em7: G (3rd) and D (7th)

A7: G (7th) and C# (3rd)

In an Em7 to A7 progression, the D moves to C#, and the G stays fixed, turning from the 3rd of Em7 to the 7th of A7.

Step 3: Create the Inner Layer

The inner layer provides harmonic context. For Em7, you can play G and B, completing the chord since E is already in the bass. For A7, you can play G and A or G and E. A more effective inner line for A7 is G and B, the same as Em7, because it reinforces the guide tones.

Now, choose the other note for the inner harmonic line:

Options: Chord-tone (E or A) or tensions (9th B or 13th F#)

The 9th (B) works great and is easy to play as it’s the same note as on Em7.

Simplified Approach: The left hand often mirrors the bottom notes of the right hand. This straightforward approach opens up the sound of your arrangement.

Applying the Concepts: “Satin Doll” Example

Here’s how we applied these concepts to “Satin Doll”:

First Measures: The b7 of Dm moves to the 3 of G7 (C to B). Inner harmony uses F and A for both chords. The same technique is applied in measures 3 and 4 with Em7 to A7.

End of Measure 2: Notes anticipate the Em7 in the next measure, acting as pickup notes.

Turnaround: Break the montuno with interesting voicings or tensions like #9 chords.

Line Cliches: Use them to create movement in static chords (e.g., 7-6-5 over Fmaj7).

Conclusion: Practice and Create Your Montuno

These techniques are foolproof for creating that classic montuno sound.So, what are you waiting for? Start practicing your montuno patterns and let’s see your creativity in action!

Remember that the pdf with all the exercises and concepts is available to all “exclusive access” members on the mDecks Music Youtube Channel.

If you enjoy this content remember there’s a library of more than 200 music lessons and piano tutorials in our mDecks Music Journal

Learn More on mDecks.com

Musical IQ Test: What’s Your Musical IQ?

Scan or click on the image (or here) to take the test

About the mDecks Musical IQ Test

In this test we will evaluate your abilities in 10 essential music topics:Meter • Timing • Shuffle vs. Even • Beat Perception • Tempo • Tempo Variation • Melody • Range • In-Tune • Harmony

You don’t need to know anything about music or music theory. Anyone can take this test and have a blast!

Remember, this is an interactive test. If you want to answer the questions while you watch the video, use the QR code at the top of the page (or click on it). This will load the interactive test on your device. We recommend using headphones for this test.

• The questions are synced to the video’s playing time and will be automatically highlighted.• You can pause or rewind the video if you want.• Pausing the video also pauses the sync, letting you scroll back to answer any previous questions.• You may watch the video on a different device and just answer the questions on the webpage.• Once you’ve answered a question, it will be disabled, so you can’t change your answers.• An explanation will appear immediately after you answer the question.• Concentration is key! Many people achieve worse results simply due to lack of concentration.

Each topic has three multiple-choice questions, with three choices: A, B, or C. You’ll get instant feedback as you answer each question, including an explanation for each choice. The three questions for each topic will gradually get harder.

Each topic is worth 30 points, for a maximum Musical IQ of 300. Fifty percent of people score around 150.

At the end of the test, you’ll receive a complete report with your Musical IQ results and a picture of your Musical Brain.

Take the Musical IQ Test