“It might have been easier if I used AI, but I didn’t”: How Giles Martin created the backing vocals for The Beatles’ Now and ThenGiles Martin has opened up about the production process behind one of the most highly anticipated songs of the year, Now and Then, by the Beatles.

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Released on Thursday (2 November), the song — touted as the fab four’s “last” – features sonic contributions from all four Beatles: George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Before the song’s release, talks about the alleged involvement of AI in the track’s making had caused a stir among fans. In a new interview with Variety, Martin clarifies that AI software was only used to extract and clean up Lennon’s vocals on the demo track, with the bulk of the song being recorded or spliced together from the Beatles catalogue.
Of the song’s backing vocals in particular, Martin says: “No, it’s not artificial or intelligent. No, it’s the same process that I used, as you say so rightly, in Love.”
“And Paul was nervous about this, actually… My thought was this: that I really thought this needs to sound like the Beatles. And I have Paul, and he’s definitely the producer of this track, and I’m producing it with him.”
He adds, “The band would have probably sang “ahhhhs” in those things, but they’re not around anymore. So I’m not using AI to recreate their voices in any way. I’m literally taking the multitrack tapes of Eleanor Rigby, some stuff from Because and Here, There, and Everywhere, just in the same way the Beatles are splicing that in.”
“So, no AI, no. It might have been easier if I used AI, but I didn’t,” Martin continues. “And it’s funny, because it gives a different quality. I was listening to the song today, and the backing vocals have a sort of tape feel to them, like they’re on tape.”
“They feel like they’re from the Beatles, and they are from the Beatles. I think if they were from some machine learning program, they wouldn’t sound right.”

The post “It might have been easier if I used AI, but I didn’t”: How Giles Martin created the backing vocals for The Beatles’ Now and Then appeared first on MusicTech.

Cubase 13 lets you produce “more naturally, intuitively, and conveniently”Steinberg has launched the latest version of its flagship DAW, Cubase 13, giving it a significant user interface redesign and new features.

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This update introduces a sleeker MixConsole interface for improved mixing focus, Steinberg’s new VocalChain plugin for professional vocal recordings, enhanced MIDI composition tools, and redesigned Chord Pads.
Credit: Steinberg
It also features Iconica Sketch, a compact orchestral library for scoring film, games or TV. This includes 140 articulations for 34 instruments in a 5 GB library.
Cubase 13 also sees the return of its renowned Steinberg Vocoder, letting you craft vintage robotic vocals or infuse analogue character into instruments. With extensive features including 24 filter bands, sidechain input, and precise control, the possibilities are broad. Additionally, two new equalizers, EQ-P1A and EQ-M5, contribute a touch of sophistication to productions. Notably, the inclusion of Black Valve, a classic tube compressor renowned for its warmth, character, and sonic richness, pays homage to an iconic studio processor, making it a standout feature of this release.

New effects in Cubase 13 include the Black Valve compressor and EQ-P1A and EQ-M5 equalizers. Additionally, the software offers Spectral Warp modes in the Sampler Track and exclusive sample packs.
The new DAW also prepares for MIDI 2.0 adoption and offers improved video handling on Windows. Steinberg, with tusi update aims to introduce a more balanced approach to music making, combining workflow improvements and new creative tools to enhance the music production process.
Steinberg’s product marketing manager Matthias Quellmann says on the release of Cubase 13, “Cubase 13 is the result of many conversations and interactions we had with our user base in the last years. Our primary goal was to help our users to stay in the flow when they are creative and we are very happy about the balance of workflow improvements and new creative features in Cubase 13.”
Cubase 13 comes in three forms: Cubase Pro 13 is priced at €579, Cubase Artist 13 at €329, and Cubase Elements 13 at €99.99. Grace period updates are available for customers who activated Cubase Pro 12 or earlier from August 23, 2023.
Find out more at Steinberg.
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Why artist subscriptions are the perfect partner to two-tier licensingWith two-tier licensing now a thing, it is time to focus the discussion on how to add new components to the DSP ecosystem that will help long-tail artists continue to thrive in this brave new world. There are many positives that two-tier licensing will bring (helping mid-tier artist remuneration, attaching an appropriate premium to lean-forward listening, etc.) even if the streaming fraud efforts will likely soon be offset by bot farms increasing their minimum streams thresholds. But the potential downturn to long-tail artist income is a very real prospect. Not only could artist subscriptions re-level the playing field, but self-releasing artists (artists direct) also have an opportunity here that label artists do not.

For more years than we care to remember we have made the case for artist subscriptions, most recently in this MIDiA report. The data in the report shows that what fans want to pay for most (and by some margin) is early access to music, exclusive merchandise, and songs. On one hand, this makes artists subscriptions relatively low effort, as there is no need to produce backstage access videos or host live Q&As, among other things. On the other hand, it is problematic for record labels that have to consider factors such as release campaigns driving large stream volumes to trigger the algorithms, and commercial agreements with DSPs that can complicate exclusives. Artists direct, however, have no such constraints. 

MIDiA’s data shows strong willingness among fans to pay, up to $5 an artist. But, if a long-tail artist was to price their subscription at just fifty cents, it would only take five fans to subscribe to generate the same amount of income a thousand streams would. Get that to ten fans (surely eminently achievable for many long-tail artists) and they would be earning double the minimum stream threshold of the two-tier system. It is a mechanism that enables DSP streaming to deliver on the elusive long tail promise and, to boot, everyone wins:

Artists direct get income that is more meaningful income than in today’s one-tier system

Bigger artists continue to get a more meaningful share of streaming royalties

The beauty of this approach is that the infrastructure is already in place, it just needs a little tweak. In August, Spotify and Patreon announced a new initiative for podcasters, enabling them to create premium subscriptions for exclusive podcast content. Artist subscriptions thus already exist on Spotify, they are just not called artists subscriptions, yet.

Starting in 2024, Spotify and other DSPs face a delicate balancing act. They must navigate the demands of larger rightsholders – a term that covers not only major labels but also a very large number of indie labels and publishers of all shapes and sizes. At the same time, they are going to have to convince the wider creator community that they are there for them. 

This is particularly pertinent because DSP streaming no longer hold a monopoly over music creators. In 2022, the number of creators releasing outside of the traditional digital supply chain grew twice as fast as those releasing into streaming. This is the second successive year that this has been the case. A forking is taking place. These creators are choosing share their music on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Soundcloud, BandLab, Discord, Twitch, Instagram, etc. rather than risk getting lost in the DSP ocean. From a creator economy perspective this is no bad thing, in fact, it will probably be a good thing. However, from a DSP perspective, they will want to utilise every resource at their disposal to position themselves as the most attractive platform for artists.

Dear Reality introduces dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT to Cubase 12 for extended Dolby Atmos capabilitiesDear Reality has introduced its dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT mixing controller to Steinberg’s Cubase 12 for improved Dolby Atmos capabilities.
The virtual reality-lead music brand says it “streamlines spatial audio productions” and “enables extensive in-headset control of the most-used DAW functions and the dearVR PRO spatializer plugin.”

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In case you aren’t already familiar, the dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT utilises gesture control in a virtual 360 degrees environment for music production. In combination with Dear Reality’s dearVR MONITOR headphone monitoring plugin for multi-channel speaker setups, Cubase users can now bring their spatial productions up a notch.
Users can simply link a VR headset like the Meta Quest or HTC Vive with their DAW, to position and automate audio tracks in the virtual space by pointing at them with two handheld controllers. Users have direct VR access to the position, channel volume, solo and mute, and the automation status.
Additionally, dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT provides overlay modules for extended navigation and control in the VR headset. There’s a main control module for direct control of Cubase 12’s transport functions, a metre bridge module which brings the traditional mixing console to the VR world, and a  “minimap” module to provide a comprehensive overview of all audio sources in the scene.

“With the latest dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT update, we make our VR mixing solution available to a wide range of music producers mixing Dolby Atmos in Cubase 12,” says Dear Reality co-founder, Christian Sander.
“This combination enables them to experience a revolutionary way of working with spatial audio. By optionally adding our dearVR PRO spatializer and the dearVR MONITOR virtual headphone mix room, engineers benefit from a complete spatial audio ecosystem where they can spatialize, control, and monitor spatial audio sessions.”
The dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT is on sale now for a lower price of £219 (as opposed to £409).
Find out more via Dear Reality.
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Cacophony Is An Open-Source MIDI Sequencer By Subaltern Games
Subaltern Games has released an open-source MIDI sequencer called Cacophony, and it’s free if you want to compile the program for yourself. The developer wanted its strength to be its minimalist and ergonomic design, which is why the software looks like an old video game and has a strong tracker influence. It’s minimalist because it [...]
View post: Cacophony Is An Open-Source MIDI Sequencer By Subaltern Games

Exoverb Micro By Dear Reality Is FREE For A Limited Time
Dear Reality offers the Exoverb Micro (€25 value) realistic reverb plugin as a free download to its email subscribers (including new signups) for a limited time. Exoverb Micro is a compact reverb plugin that emulates realistic spaces in your DAW. Because of this, the plugin is more suitable for use as a reverb for mixing [...]
View post: Exoverb Micro By Dear Reality Is FREE For A Limited Time

Over 200 GrimesAI records now available for content creators to use on any platformGrimes and CreateSafe have teamed up with music technology platform Slip.stream to make over 200 GrimesAI songs available for use by content creators on any platform.

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Earlier this year, the singer rolled out Elf.Tech, an AI software that allows users to mimic her voice in any song of their choosing. Powered by CreateSafe’s Triniti API, the platform enables artists to distribute their new creations to DSPs like Spotify, Apple, Tidal, and others. Over 1000 songs have been created since its launch.
Of the new collaboration, CreateSafe co-founder and CEO Daouda Leonard says, “Central to the mission of Grimes and CreateSafe is empowering artists with the means to not only conceive and collaborate on their creations but also to share them with a global audience.”
“Through our partnership with Slip.stream, creators will now have the unique opportunity to enhance their videos with GrimesAI music, opening up new horizons for artistic expression. Simultaneously, musicians will gain access to the burgeoning creator economy at an unprecedented scale via Slip.Stream.”
Jesse Korwin, CMO and co-founder at Slip.stream adds, “We’re beyond excited to be collaborating with a groundbreaking visionary like Grimes. At Slip.stream, our mission is to change the music industry by breaking down barriers and enabling creators and musicians to elevate their creativity by bringing them together. This partnership is a big step forward in that endeavour.”
Known for her support of artificial intelligence and its intersection with music, Grimes has previously spoken about where she thinks the technology is headed, saying: “I do think AI is gonna be the next thing.”
“I have a lot of opinions about how it should be pursued,” she told Wired. “So another reason I’m here [in San Francisco] is that I’m trying to meet with all the people making generative AI music to try to convince them to do things in ways that are safe for the human psyche.”
To create a GrimesAI track, head to elf.tech.
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Chart data collection change will under-report physical sales by 95%, say indie music storesIndie music stores and labels are sounding the alarm over plans by Luminate, the music data provider for the Billboard charts, to change how it calculates physical sales at independent. Continue reading
The post Chart data collection change will under-report physical sales by 95%, say indie music stores appeared first on Hypebot.

What is a DAW (and how do I choose one)?
We take a look at what a DAW (digital audio workstation) is, explore their rich history, and discuss how to choose one that's right for you.

Games need decentralized randomness to be fairDoes your RNG have sufficient randomness? Is it secure against tampering? Is it decentralized? These qualities are critical to building a viable metaverse.

Charlatan3 FREE Virtual Analog Synth Is In Public Beta!
BlauKraut Engineering has announced the beta version of Charlatan 3.0, a freeware softsynth classic and one of the best released over the years available for Windows and Linux users. It has been redesigned from the ground up to better meet the needs of today’s productions. The original Charlatan is still one of our favorite free [...]
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The latest version of Reaper is now available with new features and bug fixesUS-based digital audio brand Cockos has announced the newest update to its Reaper DAW, including a range of new features and fixes.
Reaper 7.001 landed just earlier this week (16 October), and a huge changelog has been made available online listing all of the adjustments made to the software.

READ MORE: Universal launches claims-free music and sound effects subscription service for content creators

As also summed up by Sound On Sound, Reaper 7 most notably now has a Track Lanes feature, which allows users to manage and organise alternative versions or takes of their in-progress piece. Using a new Swipe Comping tool, you can also quickly create composite takes by selecting parts from multiple versions of your track, and you can also run A/B comparisons with just one click.
Reaper users can also store and recall self-contained FX chains, even with complex routing configurations, and apply parallel routing to multiple plugins and FX Containers. Track channel and MIDI In/Out counts have been increased, with tracks now supporting up to 128 channels.
MIDI routing is able to handle up to 128 buses, and there are no restrictions on the number of tracks, send/receive paths, FX and ReScripts you can use. Other key features include:

V6 option for overlapping recording to create new media items is replaced by option to add lanes, but playback behaviour is identical to V6
Supports adding lanes by dragging media to a hashed ‘parking area’, automatically removing empty lanes
Supports naming individual lanes, resizing lane name area
Supports reordering fixed lanes by dragging lane buttons up/down
Displays media item volume knob, FX button, mute button by default
Enables preference to record media, copy imported media to project media directory by default
MIDI editor defaults to one editor per project

The update is free to those with a licence. View the full list of changes and find out more via Reaper.
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Analog Obsession Releases FREE Rare Bundle Of EQ Plugins
Analog Obsession’s Rare Bundle vintage EQ plugins are available for FREE download. Analog Obsession is undoubtedly one of the most trusted names in audio freeware. The ever-popular developer made all Analog Obsession plugins available for free a few years ago and released a few notable freebies in 2023, including UREQ and KolinMB. KolinMB is the [...]
View post: Analog Obsession Releases FREE Rare Bundle Of EQ Plugins

Sonicware update SmplTrek firmware The latest SmplTrek firmware introduces new features such as a Performance mode and loop playback support, as well as numerous improvements and bug fixes.