Cableguys releases TimeStop tape-stop plugin and launches Black Friday sale + GIVEAWAY
Cableguys has released TimeStop, a $16 tape-stop plugin for macOS and Windows, alongside its Black Friday sale. They are also offering two free TimeStop licenses to BPB readers What is TimeStop? TimeStop lets you draw slowdowns directly in your DAW’s automation lanes. You can automate the large Pitch knob to decide exactly where the sound [...]
View post: Cableguys releases TimeStop tape-stop plugin and launches Black Friday sale + GIVEAWAY

Circle shareholder sues Trump, World Liberty and Steve Witkoff over crypto dealsAccording to a Circle shareholder, the US president’s “corruption” through USD1 left the company unable to compete with stablecoins, harming USDC.

New Country Music Roundtable 2026Country music means many things to many people, and it isn’t solely the stomping ground of truck drivers and rhinestone wearers. It’s a big tent that incorporates many cultures, religions, and political ideologies. Importantly, there are fresh artists looking to carry the genre forward into a new era. We spoke to a handful.

Chris Johnson

hollywoodhillbillies.us

What drew you into country music originally?

Well, it was really big in my hometown, which was an equestrian, agricultural, and farming community. The town had regular country music concerts at the local fair and rodeos, and there were several local nightclubs that featured live country bands where I would go to see musicians perform.

Who were your early influences?

I was really into all kinds of music, but mostly country, Southern rock, and blues rock. For country, my influences were Merle Haggard, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, David Allan Coe, Johnny Paycheck, Gram Parsons, and The Byrds.

My Southern rock influences were the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Eagles, and The Black Crowes. My blues-rock influences were The Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Arc Angels, George Thorogood, Buddy Guy, J.R. Wells, and Little Walter.

How do you think the genre has changed since your involvement, if at all?

Well, it has changed somewhat. It has become a big tent of musical sounds and themes. On the charts now, you have really traditional stuff, ‘90s-sounding material, along with all types of mashups and influences, with folk, pop, rock, and hip-hop overlapping.

There’s always a battle between the traditional and contemporary. Where do you sit?

I lean more toward the traditional side of storytelling, but on this record I experimented with modern production styles, hoping to reach a greater audience.

How do you describe your sound, and where does it sit on the country spectrum?

I would say this record is more traditional. However, it’s somewhat folk on the ballads and darker-themed songs, a little country-pop on the up-tempo stuff, and perhaps has a little sprinkling of Southern rock on the songs with higher-gain guitar sounds.

Tell us about your latest release.

It was recorded and produced by Nick Morzoff. It features Jordan Ziff on guitar, Federico Delfino on bass, Stephen Haaker on drums, Skip Edward on keys, Randall Hess on pedal steel, and Aubrey Richmond on fiddle and harmony vocals.

The songs were all pulled from my catalog of tunes that I had written and that we auditioned for this record.

Redd Faye

reddfaye.com

What drew you to country music, and who were your early influences?

I don’t know. By 5 or 6, I loved to sing. To anything. Dog, doll, the sky. I grew up in a place where I could sing wildly and expressively, without borders. When I visited my grandfather on his farm in Oklahoma, on later visits my signed recording artist and great-uncle Stoney Edwards would play guitar and we would all sit on the porch and sing together. That seed grew after his death. To continual lineage, which belongs to me. Dolly Parton, Crystal Gayle, the Judds and Stoney Edwards.

My love for country music began [with] the storytelling, the connection, basic emotion, a freedom to exist.

How do you think the genre has changed since your involvement, if at all?

The game has changed a lot in country music since my great-uncle Stoney and his generation. Charmingly enough, so many people still love the recognizable sounds of country, folk, Appalachian that those roots have remained.

Music is like a wire—how far can you stretch it? It can stretch and evolve, but it still has a starting point. Collaborations have come from every walk of music to country now and some of them work.

There’s always a battle between contemporary and traditional country music. Where do you stand?

I suppose from the outside looking in, it can look like a battle. But from the inside looking out, I see banjos the steel guitar, drums, fiddles notes, and expression.

Yes, some of it is very different, but it all comes from an organic place. Finding the two that actually work together—that’s where something spectacular happens. It’s inevitable, to fit some of that in, but you’ve got to know when and when not to.

How do you describe your sound, and where does it sit in the country spectrum?

When I put my phone to someone’s ear or my mouth close to the microphone to sing, I expect to hear something warm, I recognize—something traditional—but I also expect to hear something surprisingly intelligible. Roughness versus softness. Desperation versus subtlety, anger versus love. Telling the story. Giving life to those origin expressions that come from us all. Like yodeling.

I don’t think music has to have boundaries, but the emotion and essence of what makes my voice my voice must be there. I think it’s important to have foundation in traditional country, but from there, it’s completely natural to take a fork in the road.

What inspired your next release?

I’m ecstatic to answer this because my next release is called “Yippee Ki Yay Mothertrucker.”

It’s about empowering us women and celebrating the unsung heroes I’ve met out on the road.

They’re great people, dedicated men and women with big hearts who just want to get the job done.

It’s truly about women truck drivers, but it’s also about the trucking industry as a whole. This industry has kept America moving for many years, as it will for many years to come. I’m proud to say it’s kind of a truckers’ anthem!

What’s next for you?

I’ve been putting my band together so we can begin our USA tour, and hopefully, in the coming months, take it overseas. I’m excited putting the name Redd Faye really out there and letting people commune with what we’re creating. Everything I’m doing is to connect and flow.

Jesse Lynn Madera

instagram.com/jesselynnmadera

What drew you into country music, originally? 

Love this question. I write songs that seem to fall into a few different genres, but country is pretty much always somewhere in there. My sensibilities as a songwriter come from growing up on country music. Willie, Kris, Dolly… they were gods. I was born In Parkersburg, West Virginia, and my grandparents were self-described hillbillies. Country music was always on the radio. Grandma sort of sounded like Kitty Wells when she sang around the house and Grandpa taught himself how to play banjo. I think I was just born with it in my ears. 

How do you think the genre has changed since your involvement, if at all?

Well, it has changed a lot, and I know that’s a sensitive topic. Modern day country, on pop country radio, does sound a lot different from what I grew up on. And it’s not to say that the songs themselves aren’t good. I think those hitmakers still crank out some well-crafted songs. The '90s were a glorious time in country music, and I miss those kinds of songs, that kind of production, that kind of musicianship. On the other hand, we have never had so many incredible singers all at once! I just guess that the demand may have changed or something. I’m not sure. But I don’t consider myself a true country artist anyway, so maybe I should just keep quiet!

There’s always a battle between the traditional and contemporary. Where do you sit?

Team traditional, I’m sentimental. 

How do you describe your sound, and where it sits on the country spectrum?

I am an artist like a painter is an artist and I see what I do as creating collections. I’m indie so I have some freedom to just write and sing what comes naturally. We moved around a lot when I was young so I picked up a lot of different sounds. Country music tends to show up somehow, somewhere in most of my songs but I don’t know that I’d be officially classified as a country artist. Some of my songs, like ‘Austin’ or ‘Sweet Pretender’ or ‘That House’ fit neatly on the spectrum. I’d say they’re more '90s country with some southern rock. There’s a Hammond on Austin for instance, which probably immediately gets it kicked out of the Country Club. 

Tell us about your latest release...

My latest single is called ‘Woke Up In L.A.’ and it’s my version of country. There’s a lot of Dolly influence I can hear, there’s an Appalachian feel to the melody. I wrote it several years ago about moving from New York to L.A. and fantasizing about Montana. I love so many places and am an escapist. I’d left my band in N.Y.C. and moved to L.A. for love. It was scary to leave the momentum I’d achieved for a place where I hardly knew anyone and to start over from scratch. I was scared. I was not fun to live with and I take responsibility for my own discontentment. I learned from that time of life and I don’t regret the move at all. 

What do you have planned for the coming months?

I’m about to go on tour with Amy Speace in October, play festivals in winter, more shows in the early spring, and then I’m heading out late spring with Colin Blunstone to tour in the Netherlands. I’m also finishing writing songs for my next album and will be recording those soon. Looking forward to all of it!

Hailey Benedict

haileybenedictmusic.com

What drew you into country music, originally?

From an early age, I remember twirling in my living room with my mom to artists like The Chicks, Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, and Martina McBride. A couple of years later, I was gifted a CD and discovered my love for Taylor Swift. I was immediately enthralled by her picturesque storytelling and the sheer relatability of her music. Looking back, it’s funny because I never even realized the music I was listening to was “country” at the time. To me, it was always just great, relatable music that made me feel something. One thing I always admired about my parents is that they listened to all types of music without ever putting it in a specific box or genre. Although they weren’t musical themselves, we had music of all kinds playing around the house. When I started writing songs at age nine, much of what I grew up listening to naturally infused itself into my sound. As I developed, it became very apparent that storytelling, the true core of country music, was always the North Star of my writing and became the true home for my music.

How do you think the genre has changed since your start, if at all?  

I think the genre itself has embraced a crossover spirit over time, and it has been so exciting to watch it grow. Country music has so many different influences nowadays, and with so many diverse voices, its landscape has become incredibly rich and special. There is a reason it is one of the biggest genres today, and I believe that’s due to its ability to embrace so many subgenres. But the really special part is that no matter where it explores musically, country storytelling always lies at the center.

There’s always a battle between the traditional and contemporary. Where do you sit? 

I would definitely say contemporary, but it often depends on the song. Part of the joy of being a songwriter is that sometimes a song naturally writes itself, and almost in a kismet kind of way, it chooses its own style. Those writing moments can exist separately from my specific artist brand, letting the song dictate whether it leans more traditional or modern.

How do you describe your sound, and where it sits on the country spectrum? 

I’d describe my sound as a true country-pop mix. The heart of it is always in the lyrics, and like any good country song, my favorite challenge is nailing the “hook” or the “flip.” Musically, I love to experiment and infuse whatever I’m currently listening to into my own songs, regardless of the genre. I like to think of musical genres like a really good painting: you can paint a beautiful picture using just the color red, but there are so many other colors on the palette. Adding those different shades makes the art more vibrant, dynamic, and full of depth, so why not use all the colors available to you? I feel the same way about creating music and trying not to let anything keep me in a box.

Tell us about your latest release... 

“Chem History” is my newest single, and it captures that country-pop fusion I was describing earlier. Sonically, it features staple country instrumentation like steel guitar, banjo, and shimmery acoustics, but we also layered in luscious vocal stacks, unique synths, and pop-leaning melodies. The song actually started as a hook I had saved in my phone. It’s not just a play on words, but a clever, tongue-in-cheek way to describe that one relationship that always has a funny way of reappearing in your life. It tackles that age-old question: could it be fate, or is it just a bad habit? I had so much fun co-writing this one with my incredibly talented friends and co-writers, Claire Douglas and Clara Park!

What do you have planned for the coming months? 

It’s been such an exciting year getting to release the music I’ve been working on for the last couple of years. I’m incredibly grateful for my team at Big Loud and how much they’ve encouraged me to write and push myself to constantly beat my own catalogue. On top of having new music out, I’m continuing to write and work toward my debut album. I’ve been collaborating with Josh Kerr (Keith Urban, Maddie & Tae, Thomas Rhett) on producing, and it has been so inspiring to watch his process and learn alongside him. Beyond the studio, I absolutely can’t wait to get back out on tour and connect with fans everywhere!

Timmy McKeever

timmymckeever.com

What drew you into country music, originally? 

For as long as I can remember it’s always been country music playing around the house and in the car. It was always legends like Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Toby Keith… guys who influenced me as well as many other artists. Growing up on the West Coast, people think it’s strange that I fell into country music but because that’s all that we listened to, it felt right.

How do you think the genre has changed since your start, if at all?

I think it’s definitely widened as far as what can classify as a “country” song. I believe streaming has had a huge impact on the genre as a whole because artists are now being influenced by whatever kind of music they want to listen to. I think some artists have been influential in the sonic trends of the mainstream genre, and that goes back to the roots of it. There have always been trailblazers like Hank Jr. and other legends that redefined the genre, but I think the interesting thing about country music today is not the mainstream trend but all the different subgenres that fall beneath it. I think this aspect of it will only continue to grow as country music expands its global reach.

There’s always a battle between the traditional and contemporary. Where do you sit?

Full transparency I pull from so many different influences that I think my music has flavors of both. I listen to classic country just as much as I do contemporary. But I also listen to rock & roll, pop punk, rap, and many other genres, and I think all of it comes to light in its own unique way with the different melodic, lyrical, and production decisions I make.

How do you describe your sound, and where it sits on the country spectrum?

I describe my sound as rock-leaning country with pop elements. At the end of the day, I make music that feels authentically cool, and music that feels like me. I’m just grateful that my music has been able to reach an audience that connects with my sound like I do.

Tell us about your latest release…

My latest release is a track called “Drove Her Away.” It’s a feel-good take on a breakup situation about taking accountability for the relationship ending. It lives up to its name and is a great song to bump with your windows down on a backroad, on a boat, or anywhere in between. I love the track so much and I hope the fans love it as much as I do!

What do you have planned for the coming months?

Our next release is one of my favorite songs I have ever written, and I absolutely cannot wait to get it out. Aside from that I’m grateful to be able to spend some time in Nashville as touring for the year winds down and pull back the slingshot as we head into next year. Right now, I’m in the works with what is in my opinion the best music I’ve ever created.The post New Country Music Roundtable 2026 first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Rivian buys world model startup to accelerate self-driving ambitionsThird Dimension's technology uses AI to match the physical world, which when combined with Rivian's reams of data could turn into a valuable simulator.

BruceJames Catch and ReleaseInfinite variation and inspiration Put Catch and Release on a part you've heard too many times. It feeds the part through a delay and changes it on every pass: the pitch and filter drift, fragments stutter and freeze, and reverse grabs, dropouts and octave jumps turn up by chance. Set how much happens and how often, then let it play: Random modulation on every sound-shaping knob, each with its own range and direction. Three Mischief engines for reverse grabs, dropouts, octave jumps, stereo swaps and filter sweeps, on the input, inside the loop or on the output. Stutter and Freeze grab fragments of the loop, free or on the grid. Organism, Jitter, Chorus and Shimmer change the sound a little more on each pass. Synced to tempo or free up to 1200 ms, and the loop can also modulate the part itself (Amp, Ring or Phase). Put your own plugins inside the loop with Catch and Release on an FX track. One purchase includes Origin, Catch and Release. Formats: Windows VST3, CLAP, AAX · macOS VST3, AU, CLAP, AAX · Linux VST3, CLAP. Get it at https://brucejames.studio/downloads/catchandrelease https://youtu.be/liBp4y9RJEs?si=92LEKwB3XlWKmMYt Read More

Latin America is catching North America as Spotify’s second-biggest subscriber market – and over 1 in 10 people there now pay for it.Spotify's Q3 2026 shareholder deck shows that Latin America accounted for 24% of the company's 306 million Premium subscribers at the end of September.
Source

An Open Source Linear Capacitive EncoderIf you’ve ever pulled apart a set of digital calipers, you’ve probably marvelled at the capacitive encoder that does all the measuring work. There’s nothing stopping you from using the same techniques yourself, as [Nick] demonstrates with an open-source capacitive encoder of his own design.
The sensor PCB works by by having a grid of eight transmitting antennas, etched into a PCB, beneath a larger receiving antenna. The transmitting antennas pulse out a pattern as the sensor PCB moves, with the signals bouncing back from the reflector PCB which is fixed in place. The varying capacitance caused by the position of the reflector elements relative to the sensor PCB varies the strength of the pulses hitting the receiving antenna. A microcontroller—in this case an STM32—can read those pulses to determine the displacement of the sensor PCB relative to the reflector down to a very fine degree. In this case, to an accuracy of 40 micrometers. Not bad!
If you need ultra-fine linear tracking for something you’re building, you might find this project very useful. Files are available on Github for the curious, along with a great explainer on exactly how the capacitive coupling becomes a positional reading. You can also study previous teardowns we’ve featured on cheap digital calipers, just to round out your education further. If you’re working on your own impressive workshop equipment, or subcomponents of such things therein, don’t hesitate to let us know on the tipsline!

Akai just launched its next-gen MPK Mini Plus keyboard controller – here’s what’s newAkai Professional has launched the MPK Mini Plus II, the next generation of its acclaimed 37-key MIDI keyboard.
The next-gen MPK Mini Plus brings a number of new creative tools “designed to help producers develop ideas and explore variations directly from the controller”. But what are they?
First and foremost, the new MPK Mini Plus II features a redesigned look, departing from that of its predecessor to bring it more in line with Akai’s MPK Mini IV keyboards introduced a year ago.
The front panel features a number of changes, with redesigned pitch and modulation wheels, octave and transpose buttons, and a newly upgraded 37-key mini keybed with eight velocity- and pressure-sensitive RGB MPC pads.

READ MORE: Daft Punk x LEGO: New creative partnership sees viral pyramid stage LEGO Ideas submission brought to life

Elsewhere, there’s a new full-colour display, plus additional creative tools including Glitch, Mutate, Strum, Freeze, Chords and Follow, plus an expanded Arpeggiator, Chord Creator, and Note Repeat modes.
Credit: Akai Professional
“Together, these tools give beatmakers, songwriters and performers more ways to move from a starting idea toward something unexpected while keeping creative decisions in their hands,” Akai says.

The MPK Mini Plus II functions both standalone and with MPC Desktop, allowing producers to expand the MPC workflow to a compact keyboard controller. It also offers dedicated integration with MPC 3, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, FL Studio and other DAWs, plus full NKS compatibility with Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol ecosystem.
In terms of ins and outs, you’ve got a USB-C power input, MIDI connectivity – with a full-size five-pin MIDI output for connecting external MIDI instruments – plus three CV/Gate outputs for connecting external synths and modular systems. There’s also a quarter-inch sustain pedal input, too.

“MPK Mini has introduced a lot of creators to hands-on making music, and MPK Mini Plus II is built for the creator who’s ready for the next step,” says Andy Mac, Executive Manager of Content, Artist Relations and Business Development at Akai Professional.
“Tools like Glitch, Mutate, and Strum help turn simple ideas in new directions, while deeper MPC, DAW, MIDI and CV integration gives creators room to build a much bigger setup around one compact keyboard.”
Each MPK Mini Plus II comes with Akai’s Studio Instrument Collection, which features over 1,000 sounds from AIR Music Technology, Moog Music, and Akai Professional.
The MPK Mini Plus II is available now, priced at $169.99 / £134.99 / €159.99. Learn more at Akai Professional.
Credit: Akai Professional
The post Akai just launched its next-gen MPK Mini Plus keyboard controller – here’s what’s new appeared first on MusicTech.

Daft Punk x LEGO: New creative partnership sees viral pyramid stage LEGO Ideas submission brought to lifeDaft Punk have partnered with the LEGO Group in an unexpected new partnership spanning “product, content and brand experiences”, starting with a new film which presents the robots – Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo – as LEGO figures. 
Not for the first time, though, as they appeared in Pharrell William’s 2024 LEGO animated documentary Piece by Piece… 
The new film, though, is soundtracked by Voyager, a bassline tribute from Daft Punk’s landmark 2001 album Discovery, and Human After All, the title track from their 2005 album of the same name.

The origins of this partnership go far back – to a submission in the LEGO Ideas community, in which a father and son from Luxembourg captured the hearts of Daft Punk and LEGO fans with their Daft Punk Pyramid Stage idea, based on the duo’s famous pyramid stage from their 2007 ALIVE tour.

READ MORE: Stop sending me vibecoded plugins, I’m begging you

The idea was crowned the Grand Prize Winner of the LEGO Ideas Music to Our Ears challenge in 2020, and later reached 10,000 supporters on the LEGO Ideas platform. Now, it will become a reality, with LEGO fans around the world able to purchase and build it themselves.
“This all started as a creative escape during lockdown between my son and I because of our shared love of Daft Punk and LEGO building,” says Patrick Harboun, owner of the original submission.
“We never dared imagine it would take off in this way. Watching our passion project become part of an official collaboration is an incredible experience, and it’s a reminder of what makes the LEGO Ideas community so special. That a simple idea, shared by fans, really can become something much bigger.”
“The Pyramid Stage is one of the most recognisable expressions of Daft Punk’s visual world, so it feels fitting that this fan-created design will be centre stage of this partnership,” adds Cédric Hervet, Creative Director for Daft Punk.
“Fans have always played an important part in Daft Punk’s story, and we are excited to see that creativity reflected through the LEGO universe.”
Cards are being kept close to the chest, but beyond the new film and upcoming LEGO set, the Daft Punk x LEGO partnership will see the duo “brought to life in new ways across the LEGO brand, through a mashup of surprising events and content that crosses music, culture, and creative spaces”, with “more to come in 2027”.
“What makes this partnership so special is the enduring appeal both brands share,” says Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at the LEGO Group. “Like the LEGO brand, Daft Punk inspires generations through creativity, innovation and a deep connection with fans. We’re excited to build on these foundations to reimagine the Daft Punk legacy in a fresh and unexpected way, creating something unique that resonates with fans across all ages. This is just the beginning of a bigger journey – a creative collab made for fans ready to lose themselves to play.”
Learn more at LEGO.com.
The post Daft Punk x LEGO: New creative partnership sees viral pyramid stage LEGO Ideas submission brought to life appeared first on MusicTech.

Akai Pro release MPK Mini Plus II Akai's 37-key MIDI controller gains expanded performance features, deeper MPC integration and CV/Gate connectivity for hardware and modular setups.

What the ultimate nostalgia gig showed me about the future of live soundDisclaimer: MusicTech was invited as a guest to Düsseldorf’s Merkur Spiel-Arena by L-Acoustics.
The Backstreet Boys have me surrounded. No matter which way I turn, an expanse of white singlets, pants, and jackets spread out like some Arctic tundra. “I want it that way…” echoes across the cavernous space.
No, this isn’t an anxiety dream; it’s night six of the Backstreet Boys’ sold-out ten-date residency, Into The Millennium – Homecoming.

READ MORE: Why festivals are booking hi-fi sound systems on their lineups

As a human being who was alive during the 90s and early 00s, I have, of course, heard my fair share of the iconic boy band’s numerous hit singles. But unlike the 45,000 uber-fans packing Düsseldorf’s Merkur Spiel-Arena, I didn’t come for the nostalgia — I’m in Germany to hear the future of live sound.
You see, this isn’t just any concert: it’s an immersive audio spectacle on a scale I wouldn’t have previously thought possible. Working with L-Acoustics’ L-ISA—a spatial sound system complemented by a comprehensive software suite for object-based mixing—the stadium has been kitted out with 350 loudspeakers to provide a 360° sound field encompassing the entire space.
As a company, L-Acoustics’ hi-fi pedigree is hard to match: it invented the modern line-array system, helping to make it the industry standard for any large-scale concert; its SoundVision software fundamentally changed the way audio engineers design concert setups; over 50% of the world’s largest music festivals use its hardware; artists such as Adele, Lorde, and Bon Iver have used L-ISA to produce their immersive concert experiences; and L-Acoustics speakers power the new Apple Music Hall in London.
Yet, with all that experience, L-ISA has never been deployed in a venue this large before, and, with almost half a million eager fans attending over the course of the residency, it’s something of a gamble. “It’s the first time we’ve ever done this,” says audio engineer and immersive systems designer, Carlos Mosquera. “Because of the size of the venue, you get more challenges. So, I started with the basics to see if it would work or not.”
Image: Carlos Mosquera, Systems Designer for Backstreet Boys
Mosquera previously worked at L-Acoustics and was part of the team that designed the software for the L-ISA system. A quick look around is enough to tell me that nothing about his setup for this concert is ‘basic’. There are six hanging line arrays covering the entire breadth of the stage, two more hangs at the rear corners of the stadium’s standing area, and 15 more dotted around the circumference of the venue to reinforce the sound for the higher seating tiers. It took eight months of planning to create the show I’m about to hear.
That time was needed not only to design a bespoke speaker configuration, but also to prepare the musical material. Veteran front-of-house engineer James McCullagh worked with the band and a musical director to recreate and, in some instances, re-record musical parts so that they could be effectively spatialised.
“We knew it could work in theory,” McCullagh tells me. “But we had to roll the dice on making it a reality.” Having toured with Journey, INXS, Katy Perry, and extensively with the Backstreet Boys, McCullagh knows exactly how to craft crowd-pleasing live sound. But moving his mix into 3D space presented a range of new opportunities and challenges.
“In a stereo system you’re using equalisation, compression, panning, and reverb to create separation, and panning, to create separation,” McCullagh explains. “But there’s a compromise because you’re taking a source and putting in compression or EQ to make it fit into a space with a large composition of frequencies. Whereas on this system, you don’t need to degrade or change the tone or sonic characteristic because the sound is being physically placed [in the sound-field].
Image: Carlos Mosquera, Systems Designer for Backstreet Boys
“The flip side of that comes when you want something to gel and sound like a big ball,” McCullagh continues. “That’s 90s pop, right? It’s all squashed. And so it can be a struggle, because you’ve got inherent separation [between sources] and you’re trying to counter that and make it sound big.”
The answer to this conundrum is still compression and EQ, but in a spatial system those tools become artistic choices instead of mandatory processes. As McCullagh and Mosquera explain this to me, in the background I can hear the crowd getting restless. A few final snatched words and its time the pair returned to the matter at hand: Mosquera sets off with an iPad to walk the upper seating tiers and tweak the sub-mix as needed, and McCullagh takes the driver’s seat in what looks more like a space-ship bridge than a mixing station.
Across a dozen monitor screens, visualisations show the placement of sounds around the stadium. Spectrograms depict incoming frequencies in exquisite detail. Countless volume meters flicker. Stacks of outboard gear, including 147 of L-Acoustics’ amplified controllers, shine a constellation of green dots.
It’s a very impressive setup – but all of those technical details fade into the background when, against all logic and laws of physics, the Backstreet Boys arrive on neon-lit hoverboards. Surfing down from the heavens they land on stage, and the show begins.
Image: Carlos Mosquera, Systems Designer for Backstreet Boys
There was a time, not that long ago, when attending a stadium gig was a trade-off: you got a massive spectacle but had to accept an echoey blur of audio, especially if you found yourself in the cheap seats. But that was then and this is now. The sound design that accompanies the band’s entrance could be mistaken for an IMAX mix, and as they launch into their opening number Larger Than Life, every word and note is audible over the audience’s enthusiastic screams.
Of course I’m safely ensconced behind the mixing desk, a spot that is usually the best listening position in the house. What does it sound like down on the floor? Taking a stroll across the arena, dodging denim-clad Deutschlanders and their foaming pints of wiesbier, I’m amazed at the consistency of what I’m hearing. From the desk down to the standing area there’s no obvious change in the acoustic image or the volume balance.
The efficacy of the sound system is most obvious in the vocal mix. I’m quickly learning that harmonies are the bedrock of every Backstreet Boys track, and McCullagh’s mix manages to keep each of the five vocal timbres distinct and recognisable, while still landing as a solid harmonic block when necessary.
That vocal clarity is aided by another nifty piece of kit from L-Acoustics – Source Intelligence. Running on a dedicated L-ISA Processor II Core unit, this AI-powered tool ‘cleans’ the vocals of any spill that gets in from the stage mix. The benefit is a focused vocal signal and, crucially for an immersive concert, no feedback.
“The difference is massive,” Mosquera says. “Here, you have sounds coming from so many different places to the microphones. Source Intelligence cleans [the signal] and leaves just the voice. There’s no drums, there’s no guitars, it’s just the voice. We need that; otherwise, I don’t think we could make it work.”
Image: Carlos Mosquera, Systems Designer for Backstreet Boys
Onstage, the Backstreet Boys are now being pelted with packets of Haribo gummy bears. Far from being annoyed, it seems to signify a touching bond between band and fan. I keep moving.
After getting all the way over to the awkward corner spots next to the stage, and worryingly close to a truly chaotic public bathroom, I’m still hearing a fully balanced mix. That isn’t to say everyone in this stadium will be getting a perfect balance. “There’s always better seats,” Mosquera concedes. “It doesn’t matter which system – when you have a space this big, it’s impossible for everyone to have the same experience. But a different experience doesn’t mean a bad experience, and, using L-ISA, I think at least 70% of the people in the venue get a really good immersive experience.”
A giant disco ball has now descended, and a climactic rendition of Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) closes out the evening’s entertainment. I’m struck by the restraint in McCullagh’s mix. Only in the moments between songs did I get a taste of L-ISA’s capacity to move sound around; effects whizzed and spiralled in a satisfying manner, but most of that fell away when the next song kicked in, leaving the clear, tight harmonies that fans came for.
“You don’t want to draw attention to yourself,” McCullagh explains of his mixing philosophy. “It’s not about me. The fans are here to see the Backstreet Boys, and if somebody is distracted by moving sounds then you’re doing it wrong.”
With another fully immersive stadium residency planned for Toronto, Canada next. The team supporting the Backstreet Boys say this initial outing laid the groundwork to take things even further next time. “Now that I know it works, I can take more risks,” says Mosquera.
Looking around at the departing crowd, it’s hard to say whether the audience consciously noticed how cutting-edge this concert’s sound was – but everyone looks very satisfied. That’s the effect with immersive systems like these: when done right, they’re almost invisible, seamlessly supporting the music without stealing the spotlight. For people like Mosquera, who has worked with spatial audio for years, that paradox helps explain why it’s taken so long for the technology to hit the mainstream.
“Some people don’t want to understand it,” shrugs Mosquera. “Or they don’t care. Usually they care about how big the screen is or how many lights you have. They’re used to going to concerts where it sounds like shit. Stadiums always sound like shit, but that’s what I’m trying to fix; stadiums should sound better.”
Learn more about L-Acoustics spatial systems. 
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Minimal Audio offers Element downtempo sample pack for FREE
Minimal Audio is offering Element, a collection of 184 samples for atmospheric downtempo beats, as a free download instead of its usual $10 price. The pack includes 107 loops and 77 one-shots, covering drums and percussion, melodic synths, deep basses, and organic textures. You can preview the individual sounds on the product page, with tempo [...]
View post: Minimal Audio offers Element downtempo sample pack for FREE

DYMAI Sound releases GLUECOMP-3B, a FREE multiband compressor
DYMAI Sound has released GLUECOMP-3B, a free adaptive three-band compressor for macOS and Windows. This is one of the nicer-looking plugins I’ve seen lately, and it’s also quite versatile for a freebie compressor. GLUECOMP-3B splits your audio into lows, mids, and highs, then compresses each band separately. It brings louder peaks down while lifting quieter [...]
View post: DYMAI Sound releases GLUECOMP-3B, a FREE multiband compressor

Tantrum Audio NEXUS: a compact hardware DSP processor built for room correctionTantrum Audio has announced NEXUS, which offers room correction in a neat little hardware DSP unit.
The company, which is based in the UK, explains that the unit routes a DAW, an artist’s laptop and an external playback device into a single time-aligned monitoring system. Room correction, EQ, crossover and alignment all run on the device itself, not on the connected computer. Nexus is configured through Tantrum’s Omnissiah software for macOS, Windows and Linux. The software is included with no licence fee or subscription and the unit runs standalone once set up.

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Processing latency is 0.85ms from analogue in to analogue out. Tantrum quotes a 120 dB noise floor and a 0.0013% THD.
Each DSP output gets 15 filters, covering parametric EQ and all-pass. Crossovers are 24dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley or Butterworth and time alignment goes up to 10ms per output, with phase rotators. Presets are unlimited.
Credit: Tantrum Audio
Inputs are two balanced TRS analogue connections (+20dBu maximum), a stereo 3.5mm aux input for phones and external players, coaxial S/PDIF and 2-channel USB audio playback. S/PDIF and USB both for up to 96kHz. Outputs are two balanced TRS analogue outs (+18dBu maximum) plus a subwoofer/mono/utility output.
Control is over MIDI and OSC. Tantrum says macros can reach virtually and function, including output mute, gain, delay, polarity, crossover bypass, master volume, input selection and routing, correction bypass, test noise and preset store and recall.
The unit is 169.6 x 43 x 100mm, 1U high and weighs 600g. It has twin rear-panel USB-C ports, one for control and audio and one for power (0.5A). It comes with a two-year warranty.
NEXUS is available now for preorder, priced at £429, with shipping expected from 17 November. Learn more at Tantrum Audio.
The post Tantrum Audio NEXUS: a compact hardware DSP processor built for room correction appeared first on MusicTech.

Roland launch two new Boutique synths New compact instruments celebrate the JUPITER-8’s 45th anniversary and bring dual-layer wavetable synthesis to the Roland Boutique range.