A Look At 3D Printed Shoes: Hybrid, Fully Printed and Plain WeirdIn the eternal quest to find more things to do with 3D printers, shoes have been in the spotlight for a while now. But how practical is additive manufacturing in this field really?
Adidas Ultra 4D running shoes with 3D printed midsole.
This is where [Joel Telling] of the 3D Printing Nerd YouTube channel puts in his two cents, with a look at a range of commercial and hobbyist ideas and products. Naturally, the first thing that likely comes to mind at the words ‘3D printed shoes’ is something akin to the plastic version of wooden clogs, or a more plastic-y version of the closed-cell resin of Crocs.
First on the list are the white & spiky Kaiju Gojira shoes from Fused Footwear, printed from TPE filament to order. TPE is softer to the touch and more flexible than TPU, but less durable. In contrast the Adidas Ultra 4D running shoes (from their 4D range) are a hybrid solution, with a standard rubber outsole, 3D printed midsole with complex structures and mostly fabric top part. Effectively a Nike Air in initial impression, perhaps.
Meanwhile ‘3D printed’ shoes ordered off Chinese store Shein turned out to be not 3D printed at all, while [Joel] seems to be really into fully 3D printed shoes from Zellerfeld, who appear to be using TPU. While it’s hard to argue about taste, the Adidas shoes might appeal to most people. Especially since they’d likely let your feet breathe much better, a fact appreciated not only by yourself, but also family members, roommates and significant others. So which of these (partially) 3D printed shoes would you pick, or do you have some other favorite?

Get Firestarter Cinematic SFX for only $9 until May 26th!
Flame Sound offers the Firestarter SFX ($59 value) cinematic sound effects library for only $9 until May 26th, 2024. Regular BPB readers already know about Flame Sound – it’s my sound design label that offers free cinematic sound effects and premium SFX collections. Firestarter SFX, one of the best-selling premium packs, is currently available at [...]
View post: Get Firestarter Cinematic SFX for only $9 until May 26th!

New version of Juicy Loops brings FL Studio’s step sequencer into Ableton LiveYRAKI’s original Juicy Loops M4L device was a game changer for FL Studio lovers shifting over to Ableton Live. The emulation allowed users to feel more at home, dragging FL features over to their new DAW of choice.
Now, YRAKI has worked on a new version of its helpful M4L device. Juicy Loops 2 recreates yet another much loved FL features for Ableton Live – FL’s nifty, intuitive step sequencer.

READ MORE: Ableton launches Ableton Live 12 – here’s what’s new

FL Studio’s versatile step sequencer is famously simple to use. With its six tracks, each with individual settings, the DAW makes it simple to create polyrhythms and carve out interesting sonic patterns. Thankfully, YRAKI has entirely recreated the familiar UI – as well as adding a few extra perks.
The polymetric Juicy Loops 2 MIDI sequencer also allows users to toy with the velocity of each track, as well as tweak velocity deviations with percentage dials. Track length can also be varied individually, while the direction of play can also be reversed.
YRAKI have also made it so Juicy Loops patterns can be directly exported as MIDI clips, allowing users to drop them into Ableton channels, meaning you wont lose your pattern in the process.

A few reviews are already in, with one reading: “Love this! It’s like a magic box packed with infinite sequencing ideas. Glad I can finally program beats this way on Ableton.”
Another reviewer suggests a potential way of making the sequencer even more useful than the FL original. “Adding a chance per step feature and BPM sync/free mode would make it even better,” they write.
Juicy Loops is currently available for £20 on Gumroad.
The post New version of Juicy Loops brings FL Studio’s step sequencer into Ableton Live appeared first on MusicTech.

“No matter where I lived, I was still an insecure, anxious little weirdo”: Moby says money from Play success did little to change his personalityElectronic music legend Richard Melville Hall aka Moby has reflected on the unexpected success of his breakthrough album Play and the effects (or lack thereof) of all that money on his personality.

READ MORE: Steve Albini’s four-hour Mix with the Masters lesson is now available to watch for free

With the release of Play in 1999, Moby’s life was forever changed — along with the public’s consciousness of a genre referred to at the time as “electronica”. Despite its slow commercial start, Play would go on to become the biggest-selling electronica album of all time, with over 12 million copies sold globally, and all 18 tracks licensed for commercial use.
Asked about how the windfall from the record had changed things for him at the time, Moby tells Billboard: “When I started licensing music and making money from it — and it’s tricky because it might sound self-serving or even self-aggrandising — the deal I made with myself was, ‘Make money so you can do something good with the money.’”
“So It seemed creepy to draw too much attention to that, so I’m very hesitant to mention it. But my idea was, ‘if I have money, I can try and use it to a good effect.’”
The musician credits his upbringing for his relationship with money, having grown up in “in the world of hardcore punk rock in and around New York in the early ’80s”, where one of his favourite bands, “like everybody’s”, was Minor Threat.

“One of my musical and spiritual heroes was Ian MacKaye from Minor Threat who famously would only charge $5 for a show,” he explains. “As you know, the straight edge punk rock scene of the early ’80s was aggressively non-capitalistic.”
That said, Moby concedes that there were some “very selfish, stupid things” that he’d spent money on, though he soon realised that “no matter where I lived, I was still an insecure, anxious little weirdo.”
“So I was quickly disabused of the idea that buying a giant house was going to fix any of my problems,” he says. “Rather, I said, okay, I’ve made some money. Let me figure out how to live a comfortable, simple, life then ideally use the money to sort of move the needle away from this current, terrible status quo, this current terrible system regarding food production, environmental destruction, attacks on democracy, voter suppression. In my way, I’ve been trying to stay true to that.”
The post “No matter where I lived, I was still an insecure, anxious little weirdo”: Moby says money from Play success did little to change his personality appeared first on MusicTech.

Warm Audio’s WA-44 expertly revives a vocal microphone design from the 1930s£999, warmaudio.com
With a portfolio of over 40 products, mostly recreations of classic microphones, analogue preamps and processors from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, we wondered where Warm Audio chief Bryce Young would go next. The answer is, of course, even further back in time…to the 1930s!

READ MORE: IK Multimedia’s iRig Stream Mic Pro is a hassle-free solution for all recording artists

The WA-44 is an authentic replica of a classic figure-8 ribbon mic from the mid-30s, once (and still) used by professionals in the recording, broadcasting and film industries.
The original RCA 44 BX can be seen in iconic photos of a young Elvis Presley, who used the mic to record many of his classic early rock ‘n’ roll recordings, regarded as the foundation on which modern pop music is built. There’s no denying this is one seriously cool-looking microphone.
As usual, Warm Audio has cut no corners recreating this ancient design, with the WA-44 weighing almost 3 kg. It’s a large beast for sure yet, by nature, ribbon mics are extremely delicate so the sturdy, foam-lined case the company has designed for it should be used for protection when not in use.
Inside the hefty metal casing is the ribbon itself, a ‘true-to-length’ 60 mm design manufactured in Japan from 99.1% pure aluminium. This ribbon is bigger than those found in most other designs and is crucial to the lush, larger-than-life sound it delivers.
WA-44 with case
While this new 44-style microphone is authentic to the vintage design in most ways, it embraces modern technology with the choice of magnet in which the ribbon is suspended. Original RCA 44s used AlNiCo (aluminium, nickel and cobalt), however, the WA-44 employs a Neodymium magnet, which is more efficient, stronger and durable than the ancient type.
A custom, American-made CineMag output transformer is used (these transformers are premium designs as found in several Warm Audio products), which helps the WA-44 partner with modern mic preamps as well as providing a degree of protection against the accidental use of phantom power. Usually, the application of phantom power will destroy or badly damage a ribbon instantaneously, however, this circuit design offers protection for the delicate ribbon. Even so, the use of phantom power is best avoided.
The fragile nature of the ribbon should also be considered when subjecting it to large gusts of moving air. A thick, protective ‘sock’ is provided for transportation yet it’s also advisable to use a windshield or pop filter (not provided) when using the mic to record, say, close-mic’d horns or kick drum.
Like all ribbon mics, the WA-44 is relatively insensitive in comparison with other types of dynamic microphone and condenser designs, which means it requires a liberal amount – at least 65 dB – of amplification. Most decent outboard mic preamps will deliver adequate gain, however plugging directly into an interface will not provide enough juice to enable the mic’s true tonal quality to be appreciated. With that in mind, Warm Audio has created the WarmLifter, an inline active preamp that can be inserted between mic and interface to provide an additional 26 dB of gain. This is sold separately for £159, which could be a cost-effective way of providing gain without the expense of buying an outboard mic preamp.
WarmLifter
Also common to ribbon mics is the figure-8 polar pattern, meaning the back of the microphone captures audio as much as the front. This means care has to be taken when positioning the mic in a room. If it’s placed close to a boundary with a reflective surface, with a vocalist addressing the front for example, the mic will pick up reflections from the rear surface; this may even cause problems with phase cancellations. Placing the mic more towards the centre of your recording room will eliminate these problems but, if space is tight, some absorbent material (such as portable vocal booths) can help.
The figure-8 pattern is excellent at rejecting sound from the sides, though, so judicious positioning can eliminate unwanted spillage better than cardioid designs.
The sonic signature of the WA-44 is unmistakably vintage in character. Acoustic guitar is captured with plenty of mid-focused resonance and weighty low-end heft albeit without the top-end sparkle you get with many condenser designs. The mic has no onboard filters of any kind so a high-pass filter on a mic preamp (or the WarmLifter) would be useful for this and many other applications.
Many potential customers will want to use the mic for lead vocals and, here, a certain amount of mic technique comes into play. More than most, the WA-44 has a pronounced proximity effect, so the closer the sound source, the more low end will be captured. This can work particularly well when all the warmth and smoothness of an intimate, close-mic’d performance is desired, however for punchy rock and pop vocals, a little more distance than usual between performer and mic will give a brighter balance.
WA-44 in use
While the WA-44 lacks the super-top response characteristics of many condenser vocal mics, the ribbon provides a degree of midrange detail and transparency few others can attain. What’s more, it responds extremely well to a liberal boost of high-end EQ; a 16kHz boost from a Pultec-style equaliser sounds sublime, adding a halo of air to a full-bodied recording.
Despite the delicate nature of its ribbon, the WA-44 is capable of handling SPLs of up to 140 dB, so louder sources such as drums and amplified instruments can be recorded without fear of damage.
Amplified electric bass cabinets benefit from the inherently fulsome bottom-end response, while the WA-44’s use on double bass is a no-brainer. Smaller stringed instruments such as violins, which can often sound shrill and sharp, benefit from the smoother, slightly muted top-end response to bring out the body and phrasing of notes without the scratchiness of leading edges.
Warm Audio’s WA-44 is a world-class ribbon microphone offering warmth, detail and dynamic expression few can equal. Driven with sufficient good-quality gain, it delivers clarity and mid-range transparency as good as, or better than many more costly, boutique designs. While it doesn’t boast anything in the way of cutting-edge DAW-friendly technology, it expresses a rich, vintage vibe in a truly sumptuous package.
Key features

99.1% aluminium, 2.5 micron-thick ribbon
Custom CineMag USA transformers
Powerful Neodymium magnet
Pigtail XLR Gotham cable with Star Quad shielding
Polar pattern: figure-8
Frequency response 20 Hz – 20k Hz (+/- 12dB)
Max SPL: 140dB

The post Warm Audio’s WA-44 expertly revives a vocal microphone design from the 1930s appeared first on MusicTech.

“I’m just a puppet when it comes to comping her vocal”: FINNEAS taught Billie Eilish how to comp vocals so she could record alone in new album Hit Me Hard and SoftIn a new interview, Billie Eilish takes us behind the scenes of the making of Hit Me Hard and Soft, and the evolving musical partnership she shares with her brother FINNEAS.
Diving into the album’s recording process, FINNEAS – Eilish’s longtime production partner – tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that he actually taught his sister how to comp her own vocals this time so she could record alone in the studio.

READ MORE: Steve Albini’s four-hour Mix with the Masters lesson is now available to watch for free

“She has such a good ear and I’m just a puppet when it comes to comping her vocals because she’s so meticulous,” says FINNEAS. “And I can comp a vocal, no prob, I’m doing it forever. But she got better and better at knowing like, ‘I like this take and I like this word from this, taking like this word’.”
“And so I was just like, well, let me teach you how to do this. It’s not that hard. And so I taught her how to record herself and how to comp herself.”
“[Sometimes] I’d get a call to come downstairs, she’s like ‘something’s wrong come downstairs and fix it’,” he continues, “but one of the reasons I did it is because I’ve always recorded alone and there’s stuff that I am just not brave enough to do in front of somebody else. It’s like I know I’m her brother but…”
It’s a sentiment Eilish shares in. Highlighting a vocal moment near the end of the track Birds Of A Feather, the singer says that she “could never have done that” had FINNEAS been in the room.

“This is the most I’ve ever written and contributed,” says Eilish. “I did some production stuff, even. And I did all my own vocals.”
Watch the full interview below.

In other news, Billie Eilish has released an isolated vocals version of HIT ME HARD AND SOFT for producers to get creative with. Fans are invited to remix the album via BandLab and the winner will get to “take home an exclusive merch pack with a HIT ME HARD AND SOFT vinyl autographed by Billie, and a pair of tickets to her upcoming tour.”
The post “I’m just a puppet when it comes to comping her vocal”: FINNEAS taught Billie Eilish how to comp vocals so she could record alone in new album Hit Me Hard and Soft appeared first on MusicTech.

How AI Large Language Models Work, Explained Without MathLarge Language Models (LLMs ) are everywhere, but how exactly do they work under the hood? [Miguel Grinberg] provides a great explanation of the inner workings of LLMs in simple (but not simplistic) terms that eschews the low-level mathematics of how they work in favor of laying bare what it is they do.
At their heart, LLMs are prediction machines that work on tokens (small groups of letters and punctuation) and are as a result capable of great feats of human-seeming communication. Most technical-minded people understand that LLMs have no idea what they are saying, and this peek at their inner workings will make that abundantly clear.
Be sure to also review an illustrated guide to how image-generating AIs work. And if a peek under the hood of LLMs left you hungry for more low-level details, check out our coverage of training a GPT-2 LLM using pure C code.

iZotope launch major updates in RX 11 The latest iteration of iZotope's audio repair suite features innovative machine learning capabilities and tools tailored for music streaming.

Parallel compression: What it is and how to use it
In this in-depth guide, learn about what parallel compression is, how it works, and how you can apply it effectively in your own music.

Tencent Music’s AI-powered tech can ‘predict the next hit song,’ and 5 other things we learned from its latest annual reportTME is also facing 695 copyright infringement lawsuits, and it's negotiating a 10% stake in an 'overseas entertainment company'
Source

Ircam Amplify unveils AI tool to detect AI-generated musicIrcam calls the AI detector, targeted to stakeholders in the music industry, a "game-changer"
Source

Jack Dorsey departs Bluesky boardBluesky’s most prominent backer has left its board. On Saturday, Jack Dorsey posted on X about grants for open protocols from his philanthropic Start Small initiative. This prompted someone to ask Dorsey if he was still on the Bluesky board, and he responded with a terse “no.” Dorsey did not answer any of the follow-up […]
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This Windows Installer Installs LinuxIt may be a very long time since some readers have installed a copy of Windows, but it appears at one point during the installation there’s a step that asks you which OS version you would like to install. Normally this is populated by whichever Windows flavours come on the install medium, but [Naman Sood] has other ideas. How about a Windows installer with Alpine Linux as one of the choices? Sounds good to us.
You can see it in action in the video below the break. Indeed Alpine Linux appears as one of the choices, followed by the normal Windows licence accept screen featuring the GPL instead of any MS text. The rest of the installer talks about installing Windows, but we can forgive it not expecting a Linux install instead.
So, the question we’re all asking is: how is it done? The answer lies in a WIM file, a stock Windows image which the installer unpacks onto your hard drive. The Linux distro needs to be installable onto an NTFS root partition, and to make it installable there’s a trick involving the Windows pre-installation environment.
This is an amusing hack, but the guide admits it’s fragile and perhaps not the most useful. Even so, the sight of Linux in a Windows installer has to be worth it.

How to prepare your mix for mastering: 5 essential tips
From leaving headroom to best practices for exporting, here are five essential tips that will help you prepare your mix for mastering.

Arturia release Augmented Yangtze Arturia’s Augmented series offers a combination of sampled acoustic instruments and synthesis, providing music makers with a comprehensive range of sounds that range from authentic to abstract.