Physical Synthesis Blue Marble Kickstarter campaign Physical Synthesis have announced an ambitious project which hopes to launch a synthesizer into space aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 1 November 2023.

PAUSE THAT PLAYLIST: Today is College Radio Day!Today, October 6th marks the 13th annual World College Radio Day, and hundreds of college radio stations worldwide are celebrating this unique medium. Even – or perhaps especially – in. Continue reading
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Audiomovers launches Binaural Renderer plugin providing ability to hear how audio will sound on Apple Music while still in any DAWAudiomovers has today (5 October) launched its Binaural Renderer plugin, which provides creators with the ability to sample what their Dolby Atmos mixes will sound like on Apple Music whilst still working in their DAW.
This new tool should streamline a mixer’s workflow, offering additional features like Mute/Solo for every channel, and the ability to switch rendering profiles (e.g. media, movie).

READ MORE: The next step for remote music collaboration? Abbey Road-backed Audiomovers adds MIDI streaming to its Listento platform

Audio engineers can monitor their multichannel audio with the Binaural Renderer in any DAW, and listen live on built-in MacBook and iMac speakers or headphones. As Audiomovers explains, without the use of a plugin like this one, the process of checking the binaural rendering translation of a mix might involve attempting to export the mix from one DAW into another.
Oli Morgan, Mastering Engineer at Abbey Road Studios (Abbey Road Red, a subsidiary of Abbey Road Studios, acquired Audiomovers in 2021) says in a statement, “Audiomovers Binaural Renderer for Apple Music has immediately improved my workflow. Previously I had been forced to use various frustrating workarounds to emulate how a consumer hears Dolby Atmos content.
“It’s my job to make sure a release sounds the best it can, no matter where or how it is listened to. Apple Music is one of the major platforms for the consumption of Dolby Atmos content, so it’s imperative I’m on top of how my masters sound there. The Binaural Renderer plugin allows me to do that with accuracy and ease – my top priorities when adding anything to my workflow,” he concludes.
Audiomovers also clarifies that the Binaural Renderer is not made or endorsed by Apple itself. It works in Mac OS 12.6 and later, but Mac OS 13 is recommended for full experience. The plugin comes in VST 3, AAX and AU plugin formats and is available now.
The Binaural Renderer for Apple Music is available for $79.99, and you can purchase it directly via Audiomovers.
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Pro-Ject unveils Dark Side Of The Moon turntable to celebrate Pink Floyd album’s 50th anniversaryAudiophile equipment manufacturer Pro-Ject has unveiled The Dark Side of the Moon Turntable to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd‘s iconic album and to pay homage to its album cover.

READ MORE: Pro-Ject teams up with Fred Perry and unveils its most fashionable record player yet

Set to release sometime in October, the unique turntable recreates the iconic album artwork of the 1973 album. The cover features a beam of white light split into its constituent colours, representing the album’s themes of exploration and transformation.
Pro-Ject’s homage to this is a limited-edition record player that features an LED-backlit rainbow, replicating the iconic album cover’s visuals. It incorporates high-end components, including an acrylic and black aluminium tonearm, a Pick it PRO Special Edition cartridge, and a precision belt drive offering two speeds.
Credit: Pro-Ject
There’s a 10 mm heavy glass triangle platter on which your record can be placed, which mimics the album cover’s triangular dispersive prism. Under this, a solid aluminium sub-platter supports the heavy glass structure for stability. Coming off this triangle platter is the aforementioned LED-backlit rainbow, where the turntable’s tonearm sits. This rainbow has a dimming function.
There’s also a pre-adjusted Pick it PRO Special Edition cartridge, a speed switch to flick between 33 and 45 rpm and gold-plated RCA connectors for high-quality sound. There’s a precision belt drive with electronic speed control and a semi-symmetrical phono cable.
In August, Pro-Ject also launched its T2 W turntable, an upgrade from 2019’s T1. It features WiFi connectivity instead of Bluetooth for 24bit/48kHz lossless wireless playback and, as with the Dark Side Of The Moon turntable, a “zero-resonance” glass platter.
No official shipping date has yet been announced by Pro-ject, but The Dark Side of the Moon Turntable will be available for £1,599 or €1,799, with stock arriving at UK Pro-Ject dealers this month.
Find out more at project-audio.com.
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Spotify Audiobooks: Another brick in the audio wall [Mark Mulligan, MIDiA]There will soon be more to listen to on Spotify, with the addition of 15 hours of free audiobook hours for all premium subscribers. However, the move has multiple implications. Continue reading
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Superproducer Rick Rubin says, ‘I know nothing about music’I chose this week’s Hypebot Flashback Friday post because I’ve finally gotten around to reading superproducer Rick Rubin’s wonderful book “The Creative Act: A Way Of Being.” As part of. Continue reading
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This Blue Marble Synthesiser only works in space – here’s how you can help get it thereEver wondered how musical instruments might work in zero gravity? Here’s your chance to find out with the Blue Marble Synthesiser Kickstarter Project, featuring the first-ever music synth that can only work in space and that is playable from here on earth.

READ MORE: Make music on the fly with MEDO, Donner’s new pocket-sized beat-making powerhouse

At its core, the system involves using data generated by observing the movement of a marble in zero gravity to control synthesiser architecture.
This data will be collected during the marble’s journey in the Blue Marble Synthesiser Capsule – a miniature spaceship pretty much – consisting of a pressurised CubeSat module, computer, camera, sensor array, fan, LED array, microphone, and speaker.
Image: Physical Synthesis
Interactions between the floating marble and various sensors occur inside the capsule. Those interactions, along with audio and video, are then sent back to earth in real-time, where they can be accessed via a web-based interface.
As Physical Synthesis, the team behind the project, explains, the web-based interface is an interactive and self-contained web audio synthesiser that anyone with a link can interact with. The application is inspired by Patatap, and is said to be highly visual which should make it easy to pick up even if you’re new to synths. A VST plug-in is also in development, so you can hook up data directly into your DAW or other third-party synths.
In addition to the Web-Based Interface and VST, there’s also a pretty cool ‘Live mode’ feature which can be accessed by one user at a time. In this mode, users can send data/interactions directly to the capsule such as sending audio files to play from the USound speaker, pulse the fan, or change the lighting conditions. Access to this feature will be determined by project reward level and then by the order a particular commitment was received.
The Kickstarter campaign for the Blue Marble Synthesiser Project is now live. If the goal is met, the system will be launched 1 November 2023, aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket.
Andrew Huang, Benn Jordan, Trovarsi, and Maysun have also been invited to compose original music using the Blue Marble Synthesiser and the resulting tracks will be released for backers on an exclusive album post-mission.

Learn more at Kickstarter.
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“I like to discover what you can do with gear that it wasn’t designed for”, says Brian EnoBritish electronic producer and ambient legend Brian Eno has revealed the ways in which he uses music tech in new ways to inspire him.

READ MORE: Peter Gabriel says he was in the studio with Skrillex: “I think it is good for me to be taken outside my normal comfort zone sometimes”

The revelation was made as part of a new op-ed feature for the Financial Times. In it, Eno writes about how new technology has inspired him throughout his career, how he finds new ways to use gear and how technology such as 3D audio is opening up new production possibilities for him today.
“Most equipment is invented to do an existing job faster, or cheaper, more cleanly, or more easily,” he says. “What I like to do is to discover what you can do with it that isn’t historical – something that it wasn’t designed for, something new (I’m sure the inventors of early microphones didn’t anticipate that their tools would lead to totally new ways of singing, just as the inventors of multitrack recording probably didn’t imagine Bohemian Rhapsody).”
Eno goes on to emphasise the excitement of music creation, writing that it lies not in meeting expectations but in the unexpected synergy of familiar elements, leading to something bigger and more surprising.
“The feeling at that moment – “now I’m somewhere new” – is the sense of freshness you get in creative art,” he says. “For me alertness, being attentive, is the key state for creative behaviour. And the key to a long life. Or one that feels long . . . ”
Also in the piece, he talks about how 3D audio is opening up newfound possibilities in audio recording, providing “another step away from traditional listening”.
“It turns out that our ears are much more directional than we usually allow for. Working in 3D as opposed to stereo (which is how we have been listening to recorded music until recently) it’s possible to have much more, and more subtle, information. You can hide things in corners for people to find. You can make the listener’s movements a way of “mixing” the piece. Sitting in one corner of such a space gives a different impression from being in the opposite corner. This is another extension of listener engagement, another step away from traditional listening.”
Brian Eno is to perform four rare shows with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic Orchestra in October. Find out more at brian-eno.net.
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Erica Synths launches feature-packed Black Stereo Delay2 and Black Stereo Reverb modulesErica Synths has added two new effects modules to its Black Series, the Black Stereo Delay2 and the Black Stereo Reverb.

READ MORE: Erica Synths’ new Steampipe synth mimics wind instruments

These hi-fi stereo effects modules are packed with a range of unique features, all based on the custom DSP engine developed by the Latvian synth and effects manufacturer.
The Black Stereo Delay offers a widely applicable range of delay options, including Tape, BBD, and digital delay emulations, each with three distinct modes. You have full control over delay time, feedback, feedback tone, and stereo spread, allowing you to craft intricate and delicate effects. Plus, its CV control over various parameters and the capacity to store up to 10 presets, makes it ideal for performance setups.
The Black Stereo Reverb takes your sound has selectable reverb sources, including, again, Tape and BBD, alongside “dirty BBD” digital emulations. With three modes (Room, Hall, and Cathedral), you can shape your reverberation effects precisely. Like its counterpart, this module offers CV control, preset storage, and a range of adjustable parameters, including room size, feedback, tone, dry/wet mix, and stereo spin.

This isn’t the only effect to be released by Erica Synths this year. In March, it released the digital version of its Zen Delay, Zen Delay Virtual.
In our review of the plugin, MusicTech said: “Despite a couple of small misgivings, Zen Delay Virtual is a fantastic emulation of a beautiful and unique hardware delay. It’s not especially cheap, but it sounds superb and expands on the hardware in meaningful and useful ways that maximise its sound design credentials. With the valve overdrive, analogue filter, noise and bit-crusher elements, it’s also a surprisingly versatile multi-effects unit that’s a lot of fun for creating experimental dub effects and spicing-up any sound.”
Both the Black Stereo Delay2 and the Black Stereo Reverb are set to ship around 10 October. Both modules each cost £240/€280/$294.
Find out more at Erica Synths.
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Make music on the fly with MEDO, Donner’s new pocket-sized beat-making powerhouseLooking for a device that allows you to make music anytime and anywhere? Donner has got you covered with the new MEDO, a portable sampler, synthesizer, looper, MIDI controller, and speaker that fits right in the palm of your hands.

READ MORE: Behringer says it’s “getting close” to finishing a new Groove Box

Despite its many features, MEDO is designed for both beginners and seasoned musicians, and is controlled mainly via 16 touchpads.
Equipped with a built-in microphone and a robust sound engine, MEDO can record up to 5 seconds of audio, allowing for real-time sound sampling without the need for third-party devices. Users can easily switch between various modes, including SCALE, DRUM, BASS, CHORD, and LEAD, to start making music immediately.
The device also lets you record up to 128-bar loops, offering quite the spectrum of musical possibilities. Meanwhile, the quantize feature ensures that your performance is automatically synchronised to the beat, taking care of all the timing intricacies.
When paired with the MEDO Synth app, users can toggle between various preset sounds, including 15 sets of drum kit sounds by Loopmasters, and benefit from a powerful sound engine that combines subtractive synthesis and authentic samples. The device also features bluetooth connectivity, RGB lights and a 2000mA lithium battery that can be charged via USB-C.
More importantly, at just 177 grams, MEDO is highly portable, making it your ideal companion for both indoor and outdoor creative sessions. The device can be seamlessly connected to common DAW software and hardware, providing advanced music production tools and gameplay options. It is also compatible with most MIDI applications and all major digital audio workstation software that supports MIDI.
Donner has launched their latest invention via Kickstarter, featuring an early bird pricing of $149 (only on 5 October). Though if you’ve missed it, the device is still available at a discounted price of $169 until 10 November.

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FMD Is A FREE FM Distortion VST Plugin For Windows
Mensla releases FMD, a FREE FM distortion plugin for Windows Angelo Fazari is a developer and musician working out of Toronto, Canada. Using the brand name Mensla in his role as a developer, Angelo has released two plugins so far: MS-2 and FMD. MS-2 is a free FM synth plugin that we covered back in [...]
View post: FMD Is A FREE FM Distortion VST Plugin For Windows

Black Stereo Delay2 & Reverb from Erica Synths The latest modules in Erica Synths' Black series feature effects that have been developed in collaboration with Dutch software company 112dB.

Croshal Entertainment Group Celebrates 20th AnniversaryCroshal Entertainment Group (CEG), a leading music consulting, marketing, artist management and label services firm, continues to thrive thanks to a leadership vision that incorporates flexibility and an insightful understanding of the markets it services, as well as solid business fundamentals emphasizing client service and support with the ability to embrace change.

This philosophy has been the cornerstone of the Croshal Entertainment Group for the past 20 years, and the company continues to experience exponential growth despite constant technological and business upheavals in the music industry. Led by President/CEO Fred Croshal (former executive at Sony Music and General Manager at the Maverick Recording Company), CEG has a proven track record in serving its clients, consistently earning them numerous GRAMMY® wins and nominations and setting Billboard chart records, all the while providing unparalleled label services for a wide range of clientele in various genres of the music industry. 

The formation of Croshal Entertainment Group in 2003 was both timely and prescient, as all manner of artists, from independent up-and-comers to major-label stars, have explored alternative distribution models in the new millennium. CEG was formed to provide an infrastructure and alternative way for artists to release their music competitively. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary beginning in October of 2023, CEG continues to be at the forefront of this trend and is proud to have provided services that include establishing independent record labels and coordinating the marketing of releases from major artists like Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Herb Alpert, Collective Soul, The Immediate Family, Gnarls Barkley, Jason Mraz, CSN (Crosby, Stills and Nash), TLC, Smokey Robinson, Tommy Lee, AJ McLean, Sinead O’Connor, Seth MacFarlane, New Found Glory, The Doobie Brothers, and more. CEG is currently working on the development of Bella Rios and Trinity Bliss, who will both have new music out in 2024.

For more information, visit www.croshalgroup.com.

Latest update — Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried trial [Day 3]The former FTX CEO faces seven counts of conspiracy and fraud. A New York court will decide his fate.

Alameda had a $65B line of credit and ‘unlimited withdrawals’Alameda's "unlimited funds" came from FTX customers, the crytpo exchange's co-founder says on the stand.