CH32V003 Makes for Dirt Cheap RISC-V ComputerThese days, when most folks think of a computer they imagine a machine with multiple CPUs, several gigabytes of RAM,  and a few terabytes of non-volatile storage for good measure. With such modern expectations, it can be difficult to see something like a microcontroller as little more than a toy. But if said MCU has a keyboard, is hooked up to a display, and lets you run basic productivity and development software, doesn’t that qualify it as a computer? It certainly would have in the 1980s.
With that in mind, [Olimex] has teased the RVPC, which they’re calling the “world lowest cost Open Source Hardware All-in-one educational RISC-V computer” (say that three times fast). The tiny board features the SOIC-8 variant of the CH32V003 and…well, not a whole lot else. You’ve got a handful of passives, a buzzer, an LED, and the connectors for a PS/2 keyboard, a power supply, and a VGA display. The idea is to offer this as a beginner’s soldering kit in the future, so most most of the components are through-hole.
On the software side, the post references things like the ch32v003fun development stack, and the PicoRVD programmer as examples of open source tools that can get your CH32V computer up and running. There’s even a selection of retro-style games out there that would be playable on the platform. But what [Olimex] really has their eye on is a port of VMON, a RISC-V monitor program.
When paired with the 320×200 VGA text mode that they figure the hardware is capable of, you’ve got yourself the makings of an educational tool that would be great for learning assembly and playing around with bare metal programming.
It might not have the timeless style of the Voja4, but at least you can fit it in a normal sized pocket.
Thanks to [PPJ] for the tip.

Generating a Lost Password By Traveling Back In TimeIt’s probable that some of you reading this will have been approached in the past by people who’ve lost the password to their crypto wallets. They hear that you’re involved in some kind of “hacking”, and they cling to the forlorn hope that you might just be able to recover their lost wealth. For most of us there’s little chance we can help, but in [Joe Grand]’s case he has made it something of a specialism. He’s given an account of how he and a friend recovered a particularly difficult password.
The password in question had been generated by RoboForm, a long random string that was impossible for its owner to remember. The only chance of finding it lay in discovering a flaw in RoboForm, and that seemed hopeless until the discovery of a changelog reference to improving the random number generation of the software.
The video below details some of the detective work required to find the password, first reverse engineering an old version of RoboForm to find the flaw, and then the discovery that the random seed was derived from the system time. A range of passwords could be created for a given time frame, reducing the odds of finding the password considerably. The story is not without its twists, but it ends with the wallet’s owner rather theatrically being presented with a giant fake Bitcoin check.

From Sony Music’s reported Queen catalog talks to Live Nation’s DoJ battle… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days…
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Kaytranada: “In my heart, I always wanted to be the producer, but the Kaytranada thing just really worked”Kaytranada has reflected on how his solo music career took off, sharing that he always saw himself as a producer.
During the early days of Kaytranada’s music journey, he would work alongside his younger brother, Lou Phelps, as hip-hop duo The Celestics. When his production work began to take off on a different level, the pair made the decision to go their separate ways.

READ MORE: “It’s the basic stuff but it’s going to make you unstoppable”: Kaytranada offers advice for budding producers

In a new feature with Rolling Stone, Kaytranada recalls, “I really studied [J] Dilla. Instead of studying for school, I studied his music — him and Madlib were producers where I was just trying to understand how they would chop a sample. Dilla would do those micro-chops that don’t make any sense, but sound like a big beautiful collage. I got so inspired by that.”
He goes on to recall the set up he had alongside Lou at the time, adding, “We had the microphone that came with a PC, and an audio recorder that could record 30 seconds of voice. We would play an instrumental from a 50 Cent website, and just rap over it and make full songs. I always wanted that for us, to have a career as a Gang Starr type of thing. The producer and the MC.”

He goes on to explain, “I think we went separate ways because I got too successful with the electronic things I was doing, and that was not easy for both of us. People were bringing up ‘Kaytranada and his brother.’ My brother really didn’t like that. I didn’t really appreciate it either. I just wanted us to be called a duo.”
He concludes, “In my heart, I always wanted to be the producer, but the Kaytranada thing just … I wouldn’t say got out of control, more like, ‘Oh, that really works. Continue with that.’”
Kaytranada’s new album, Timeless, is set for release on 7 June. It features collaborations with Childish Gambino, PinkPantheress, Thundercat and more.
You can pre-order it now.
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Audio Assault Deimos Amp Sim is FREE Until June 5
Audio Assault has made the Deimos boutique high-gain amp module free until June 5. Deimos is a module for Audio Assault’s free Amp Locker sim solution.  Amp Locker is a 64-bit only Windows, macOS, and Linux release for VST, VST3, AAX, and AU. Audio Assault describes Deimos as “an original high-gain amplifier featuring two channels [...]
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Sony Music CEO wants free streaming users to start paying – would it ever work, though?Rob Stringer, CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, is calling for an end to free music streaming.
During his presentation at Sony Group’s 2024 Business Segment Meeting on Thursday (30 May), the exec said that companies should start charging users “a modest fee” for using their free, ad-supported services.

READ MORE: Sharooz says Cubase has a sound quality that’s “superior” to most other DAWs out there

“The value of the paid music product remains incredible,” he said. “However, it also highlights that the price gap between free and paid has gotten wider in mature markets. We hope that our partners close that gap by asking consumers using ad-supported services to additionally pay a modest fee.”
While free subscribers make up the bulk of music listeners on streaming platforms, the ad revenue generated from those users often pales in comparison to that of paid subscribers. In the case of Spotify, even though free listeners made up more than half (62%) of its user base, ads only made up 10.7% of the company’s first-quarter revenue compared to 89.3% from subscriptions [via Billboard].
According to Stringer, ditching the ‘freemium’ model “would help develop this segment of the streaming business to be more than just a marketing funnel for paid subscription and still be a tremendous value for users.”
“We have a shared interest in better monetisation of free tiers. At Sony Music, we think everyone is willing to pay something for access to virtually the entire universe of music,” he said.
Stringer’s comments arrive in the wake of recent price hikes at major DSPs including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and Deezer. Last summer, Spotify announced heightened Premium subscription fees in the US and other major markets, with another planned increase reportedly coming this year.
The potential revenue boost from charging users for ad-supported music is obvious. With growing concerns about artists’ streaming payout in the digital era, the extra cash could make a big difference in terms of fair pay for smaller musicians – assuming profits actually enter the pockets of artists and not those of their labels or streaming giants, that is. On the flipside, there’s also the concern that the move will drive users towards illegal downloading and piracy as they seek free alternatives to access music.
And while getting users to start paying for ad-supported music that used to be free might prove unpopular, the concept of paying for ad-supported content is hardly new to consumers in the streaming era.
Services like Hulu and Netflix offer basic subscription plans with advertisements alongside higher-priced tiers that are entirely ad-free. Adopting a similar model in the music industry could enhance revenue without alienating users who prefer not to commit to fully premium subscriptions. Spotify’s main competitor Apple Music, for one, does not offer an ad-supported tier.
That said, charging for ad-supported listening will remain an uphill task so long as free, on-demand music platforms like YouTube Music and YouTube exist. For the shift away from freemium to succeed, industry-wide reform is needed so users have little free alternatives to turn to. Perhaps more importantly though, those who are accustomed to the notion of accessing music without payment need to be convinced otherwise.
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HYBE can’t remove NewJeans label CEO Min Hee-jin… for nowThe latest developments in the power struggle between Ador's CEO and HYBE
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How much would gigs pay if adjusted for inflation?Discover how inflation impacts musician earnings and expenses and what today's gigs would pay if they adjusted alongside the rest of the economy....
The post How much would gigs pay if adjusted for inflation? appeared first on Hypebot.

Spotify Clips for Artists is not ready for the mainstage…Spotify is slowly rolling out Clips, a 30-second vertical video feature for artists that will remind you very much of TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.....
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Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake: Analyzing the streaming success of their diss tracksDrake and Kendrick Lamar’s explosive jabs at each other through diss tracks have made headlines, and now that the dust has settled, what do the numbers say about who won?. Continue reading
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myVolts to launch The Alchemist power hubs myVolts' new power hubs aim to provide a flexible, high-quality solution for powering a wide range of audio equipment. 

NoiseWorks Audio Releases GainAimPro Vocal Editing Plugin (40% OFF)
NoiseWorks Audio releases GainAimPro, an AI and ARA-powered vocal editing plugin for macOS and Windows. GainAimPro is an all-in-one editing solution for dialogue and vocals. The plugin has five core features, which are: Gain riding Lufs-leveling De-essing Breath detection Smart Gate The features above are nothing new, but NoiseWorks Audio believes this plugin does it [...]
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