BPB GIVEAWAY: Dawesome Kult + Oblivium Alpha & Omega Expansion Packs (For 3 Lucky Winners!)
Dawesome, HydraTek, and Spektralisk offer three FREE copies of the Dawesome Kult virtual instrument and a brand-new double expansion pack to one lucky BPB reader! The expansion pack project is called Oblivium, and it’s divided into two individual packs: Oblivium Alpha and Oblivium Omega. It’s a meticulous collection of handcrafted presets that explore dark synth tones. [...]
View post: BPB GIVEAWAY: Dawesome Kult + Oblivium Alpha & Omega Expansion Packs (For 3 Lucky Winners!)

This theremin-inspired synthesiser by Soma Labs is the trippiest thing everSoma Labs has unveiled Flux, a new algorithmic touchless synthesizer inspired by one of society’s most fascinating instruments — the theremin.

READ MORE: Knobcon 2023: 1010Music’s Bluebox mixer goes Eurorack

For the uninitiated, a theremin is a no-contact electronic instrument that works via the power of electromagnetic interference. Quite possibly the only instrument that’s played without anyone touching it, theremins create a sound when you move your hands and fingers around its antenna to interfere with the electromagnetic fields.
Like the Theremin, Flux can be played without touching it. The synth features a continual touchless keyboard that offers seamless control over a number of sound parameters — all based on the principles of magnetism.
To interact with the device, the player uses two magnetic ‘bows’ pressed between their fingers. The interface then registers the bows’ movements and positions, thanks to an integrated multipolar magnetic sensor. The X coordinate of the artist’s right-hand bow controls the note’s pitch, while the Z coordinate controls volume. The left-hand bow’s X, Y and Z coordinates control the various synthesis parameters.
Since a magnet has two poles, Flux is able to detect the bows’ angle in addition to their spatial coordinates. This means that flipping the right-hand bow on the Y-axis changes the octave, which allows a range of six continuous octaves without transposing the keyboard. The left-hand bow meanwhile controls the timbres.
In total, users have access to a total of sixteen parameters, which should allow for some pretty dynamic timbre compositions. The synth also sports an even and clearly marked note scale, which makes it much easier to learn and intone than a Theremin.
Image: Soma Labs
According to Soma Labs, Flux will feature a DSP-based engine with different synthesis algorithms covering distortions, complex FX and physical modelling models of non-existent, surrealistic musical instruments. It works in monophonic, duophonic, and polyphonic modes; Staccato-enabling and quantisation modes are also available.
Users can also save and recall presets with the entire states of the synth, including the engine, and all the tunings.
“Flux brings forth the musicality and expression of classical instruments, such as violin or vocals, enriched by new timbres and the flexibility of postmodern instruments, harnessing the power of current technology,” says the brand.
“Flux is a new Soma instrument under development. We hope to start selling Flux at the end of 2024.”
In the meantime, check out this impressive demo of the synth below.

Learn more at somalabs.
The post This theremin-inspired synthesiser by Soma Labs is the trippiest thing ever appeared first on MusicTech.

iZotope RX Elements Is FREE For A Limited Time At KVR Audio
KVR Audio offers the iZotope RX Elements ($129 value) audio repair suite as a free download until September 30th, 2023. Participants will also get a chance to win a free copy of Native Instruments Komplete 14 Ultimate Collectors Edition. RX Elements is iZotope’s entry-level software for noise reduction, audio repair, and audio enhancement. It packs [...]
View post: iZotope RX Elements Is FREE For A Limited Time At KVR Audio

‘Blinding Lights’ and how playlist culture is changing modern songwritingIt seems as though strategy in being interjected into music creation today in a way that may be hindering artistic authenticity. And it seems like playlist culture is the first. Continue reading
The post ‘Blinding Lights’ and how playlist culture is changing modern songwriting appeared first on Hypebot.

Fiedler Audio update Spacelab reverb Spacelab now seamlessly integrates with the company’s Dolby Atmos Composer software, providing immersive audio creators with a reverb that feeds directly into their Dolby Atmos mix.

10 musical patterns you need to know (rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic)
From polyrhythms to tertiary harmony, we explore ten rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic musical patterns that every music creator should know.

Stargazer Is A FREE Shimmer Reverb Plugin By Linda Audio (Windows)
Linda Audio releases Stargazer, a shimmer reverb and delay effect in VST2/VST3 plugin format for Windows. Wow, I rarely get blown away after using the plugin for only ten seconds, but that’s exactly what happened when I launched Stargazer for the first time this morning. I plugged in my guitar, played a few notes, and [...]
View post: Stargazer Is A FREE Shimmer Reverb Plugin By Linda Audio (Windows)

FL Studio 21.2 is set to include stem separation tools built into the DAWA new teaser video has previewed stem separation capabilities in FL Studio’s upcoming 21.2 update, letting you extract vocals, drums and instrumentation from any track directly in the DAW.
READ MORE: Group test: Six of the best stem separation tools in 2023
In Image-Line FL Studio’s 21.2, it seems stem separation is included right in the Sample menu. A user-uploaded video runs through the new feature, and it shows an ‘extract stems from sample’ option is set to be added, with options to extract ‘drums’, ‘bass’ and ‘vocals’ specifically, with an ‘other instruments’ option as well.
According to a post on FL forums by Image-Line’s CEO, Scott Fisher, the stem extraction feature will require an internet connection. Fisher explains that by making this an online function, the process becomes “1,000 times faster” by giving users access to ‘terabyte-sized machine learning models.’
“We just wanted to make sure the model was as good as it can be,” the comment reads. “If we can run something like this online (server farm) we can split stems 1000x faster than locally, although we will provide the local option, I am making the point that online connectivity has advantages. We can do things not possible locally. Such as [terabyte]-sized Machine Learning models.”
Responding to a user asking about the DAW’s effectiveness in separating stems from classical music, Fisher says: “The model was trained on contemporary music styles. We can train it for Classical music, but don’t have plans for that in the initial release.”
How effective is the feature? Take a listen below and see for yourself.

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Although there has been a flurry of new stem separation plugins and software released recently, none of the major DAWs have featured such tools. Tracktion Waveform Pro, a lesser-known DAW, is the only other to include it directly in the software.
News of FL’s stem separation tool also comes shortly after the announcement of FL Cloud Beta. Free to use while in beta, the addition of FL Cloud will allow users to search through a huge library of loops and samples right from their workstation.
Find out more at image-line.com
The post FL Studio 21.2 is set to include stem separation tools built into the DAW appeared first on MusicTech.

Full Bucket Music Releases Free Ny Polyphonic Ensemble
Full Bucket Music released Ny, a freeware VST plugin emulating the KORG Lambda ES-50 Polyphonic Ensemble. Ny is yet another impressive hardware-inspired virtual instrument from Full Bucket Music. The developer has already turned numerous Korg instruments into highly convincing software emulations. The list includes classics like the Mono/Poly and some more obscure instruments like the [...]
View post: Full Bucket Music Releases Free Ny Polyphonic Ensemble

Best free plugins and freeware of the month: September 2023It’s always nice when you uncover some useful or creative tools online – and it’s even nicer when they turn out to be free.

READ MORE: Best sample packs of the month

We’ve rounded up a handful of this month’s free releases for you to check out, including a chord-based ROMpler, a transparent limiter, a fully-featured spatial 3D instrument, an epic, endless reverb, and a fun sample chopping sequencer.
Polyverse Music – Filtron
Polyverse Music – Filtron

macOS and Windows
VST, VST3, AU, AAX
Download: Polyverse Filtron

Let’s start things off with the excellent Filtron from Polyverse, which is a vibrant-sounding, 12dB state variable filter plug-in, with state of the art zero delay filter design. It can smoothly transition between low-pass, band-pass and high-pass cutoff, is capable of self oscillation, and includes a fat sounding internal saturation.

There are also Cold and Hot post overdrive modes for some additional bite, and the parameters can be modulated via the sidechain signal. This means you can do some very cool “CV” style modulation, and each channel in the stereo pair is treated as a separate modulation source.
Artists in DSP – Transpanner
Artists in DSP – Transpanner

macOS and Windows
VST3, AU
Download: Artists in DSP – Transpanner

Transpanner is a simple but effective way to control and experience 3D audio panning through stereo speakers. The concise interface offers a main 360-degree Panning dial to control where the sound is placed around your head through clever use of phase. There’s also a Rear Filter slider that enhances the effect when it’s panned behind your, plus a button that flips the input between mono and stereo.

Although Transpanner works on headphones, it’s been primarily designed with speakers in mind, and features a Loudspeaker Distance slider to help optimise the crosstalk cancellation delay. It’s available as free/pay-what-you-want, so it’s worth considering supporting the developer.
Bertom Audio – EQ Curve Analyzer v2
Bertom Audio – EQ Curve Analyzer v2

macOS, Windows and Linux
VST3, AU, AAX
Download: Bertom Audio EQ Curve Analyzer v2

If you’ve ever wondered exactly what your analogue-modelled EQs are doing to your audio, then this could be the plug-in for you.
EQ Curve Analyzer is an analyser and signal generator tool that can show the magnitude and phase of any plug-in. You simply insert it on either side of the plug-in that you want to examine, then set the first one to act as a signal generator and the second as an analyser.

New features for version 2 include a Freeze button for the graph, latency estimation and level calibration features, persistent GUI scaling and resizing, and more. This one is also available as free/pay-what-you-want.
Ohmforce – Legacy Plug-ins
Ohmforce Legacy Plugins. Image: Ohmforce

macOS and Windows
VST, AU,AAX
Download: Ohmforce Legacy Plugins

Ohmforce has decided to make eight of its legacy plug-ins available for free.
The collection includes Ohmicide (4-band distortion), Quad Fromage (4-band filter bank), Hematohm (frequency shifter), Mobilohm (phaser), Symptohm (synth), Ohmygod (comb filter), Predatohm (distortion), Ohmboyz (delay).
Ohmicide and Quad Fromage in particular are fully featured products, so we love that they’re now available for free, and many of the plug-ins include innovative features like the ability to perform preset morphing via a MIDI keyboard. As with other announcements of this sort, there’s a possibility that they may not run on recent operating systems, and there’s no ongoing support, but they’re still worth a look.
Wide Blue Sound – Audio Plugin Uninstaller
Wide Blue Sound Audio Plugin Uninstaller

macOS
Standalone
Download: Wide Blue Sound Audio Plugin Uninstaller

How many times have you installed demos or bits of freeware, only to decide down the line that you no longer want them on your system? Our final piece of free software is a useful macOS-only utility for cleaning up your unwanted plug-ins.
Unfortunately, uninstalling a plugin often results in a number of unwanted files scattered across different folders. Audio Plugin Uninstaller reads the installation receipts and then reverses the process to uninstall all related files for a particular plug-in, while leaving all the other files intact.
The post Best free plugins and freeware of the month: September 2023 appeared first on MusicTech.

Sonnox announce Voca plug-in Voca offers an all-in-one vocal procesing solution that combines compression and saturation, and provides a simple set of controls intended to help users quickly acheive their desired sound.

SideKick2 Is A FREE Sidechain Plugin For Windows
Rewired Records has just released a free sidechain plugin for Windows called SideKick2. Apart from the naming and look-feel affinities with the renowned Nicky Romero’s KickStart 2, it looks like a solid plugin! As you would expect, its primary purpose is to create the classic sidechain pumping effect so common in EDM and similar genres. [...]
View post: SideKick2 Is A FREE Sidechain Plugin For Windows

Waves OneKnob Wetter Reverb Plugin Is FREE For A Limited Time
Waves Audio and ModeAudio offer the Waves OneKnob Wetter reverb plugin as a free download until Wednesday, August 30th. OneKnob Wetter is a plugin that lets you apply more reverb to a channel by using a single knob. As you rotate the knob, the reverb gets louder, with more decay and depth. BPB readers already [...]
View post: Waves OneKnob Wetter Reverb Plugin Is FREE For A Limited Time

Elon Musk and Mark Cuban hate Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s ‘guiding motto’Spotify CEO Daniel Ek shared his “guiding motto” on X (formerly Twitter) this week, and the reaction to it from other business leaders was swift and not particularly positive. Ek’s. Continue reading
The post Elon Musk and Mark Cuban hate Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s ‘guiding motto’ appeared first on Hypebot.

InMusic seeks to block AlphaTheta Corporation’s $100m Serato acquisitionUS audio equipment manufacturer InMusic has threatened legal action in several countries in an attempt to block the acquisition of Serato by AlphaTheta, Pioneer DJ’s parent company.

READ MORE: “Now you can do an orchestral piece on a computer with 200 tracks – but it’s good to impose your own restrictions”: Calvin Harris on the benefits of limitation in music production

AlphaTheta announced the $100-plus million buyout last month and said in a statement that both AlphaTheta and Serato will continue to operate as standalone companies after the deal.
Significantly, the move brings under the same umbrella Serato and Rekordbox DJ, which together account for a massive 90% of market share in the DJ software business.
Concerned that the buyout will “eliminate competition”, InMusic has taken out full-page advertorials in New Zealand media to publicise its position. The company says that it will be forced to discontinue a 20-year partnership with Serato (InMusic uses Sertao software in its DJ controllers) should the deal go through, given that Pioneer DJ is a direct manufacturing rival.
“When we work with Serato, we give them our product up to a year ahead of time so they can analyse it and put the software in. If I was handing it to the new dominant player, I’m essentially handing it to my competitor,” InMusic CEO Jack O’Donnell told The Auckland Post.
“I am quite confident what’s happening here and it’s an outrage as far as I’m concerned,” he continued. “In any market when you eliminate competition, it has an effect on consumers. It’s going to raise prices, eliminate innovation and limit choice. So it’s a big thing for a small industry.”
Speaking to the press, O’Donnell said that InMusic had “engaged legal representation in the US, UK, and Japan”.
“While New Zealand is the battleground, this is a global fight, as this is a global issue,” he said. “We’re in early discussions with them, but we think we have legal grounds to fight in multiple jurisdictions.”
As of now, the buyout is still subject to approval by the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office.
The post InMusic seeks to block AlphaTheta Corporation’s $100m Serato acquisition appeared first on MusicTech.