Kymátika Sounds offers FREE Ptone for Audiomodern Soundbox
Kymátika Sounds has released PTone, a free sample library for the Audiomodern Soundbox virtual instrument, and it’s available as a pay-what-you-want download (starting at $0) for a limited time. The developer came across an old Casio keyboard at a flea market in Poland, discovered it was still working perfectly, and decided to turn it into [...]
View post: Kymátika Sounds offers FREE Ptone for Audiomodern Soundbox

Deezer plans to license its AI-detection tool to other companies – after using it to demonetise 85% of AI music on its platformStreaming services are under increasing pressure to clamp down on AI-generated music, with many musicians and industry professionals saying it dilutes royalty pools – meaning less money in the pockets of human artists – and muddies real human creativity.
French service Deezer has been a frontrunner in dealing with AI music – and its consequences – on its platform. As far back as 2023, the company made its intention to “detect and delete” AI-made music clear. In June last year, Deezer unveiled a new AI content tagging system which filters such content out of royalty payments and blocks it from showing up in editorial playlists. Despite this, in September, the platform revealed up to a third of music uploaded every day was fully AI-generated.

READ MORE: Native Instruments CEO updates users: “Business continues as usual at Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx”

Back then, that third of uploaded music accounted for about 30,000 tracks – all AI-generated. Now, Deezer says, that figure has doubled, with around 60,000 new AI tracks uploaded to the platform every day, around 39% (per Mixmag).
But the platform’s fight against AI music continues; it says over 13.4 million AI tracks have been tagged using its system launched in June. Up to 85% of those have been marked as “fraudulent”, and subsequently “removed” from the royalty pool.
“Music generated entirely by AI has become nearly indistinguishable from human creation, and with a continuous flood of uploads to streaming platforms, our approach remains crystal clear: transparency for fans and protecting the rights of artists and songwriters,” says Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier.
“Every fraudulent stream that we detect is demonetised so that the royalties of human artists, songwriters and other rights owners are not affected.”
Deezer is also taking things a step further, with plans to license the technology behind its AI tagging system to other brands and platforms.
“We’ve seen a great interest in both our approach and our tool, and we have already performed successful tests with industry leaders, including Sacem,” Lanternier adds. “From now on, we are licensing the tech to make it widely available.”
You can learn more about the latest findings, plus the platform’s AI tagging tool, at Deezer.
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Sony Music buys 49% stake in music unit of Vietnam media giant YeaH1; companies launch new SYE Holdings joint ventureSME, through Sony Music Entertainment Hong Kong, agreed to acquire a 49% stake in YeaH1-owned 1Label for an undisclosed sum last month.
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Will.i.am: “I can’t be that critical of AI – because I have a career sampling music”The debate surrounding AI in music is complex and highly nuanced. Many are critical of fully fledged AI music generators – saying their content is flooding streaming services and diluting the creativity of real human artists – while others hail the potential of artificial intelligence to expedite the creative process.
Black Eyed Peas superstar Will.i.am is one of many industry veterans urging people to be more open to the adoption of AI in the creative process. Back in 2023, he spoke on how AI was still in its infancy, saying: “It’s Super Mario Bros. right now – we ain’t even got to Call of Duty yet.”

READ MORE: This comprehensive Softube plugin bundle was over £1,000, but you can get it right now for just £129

And speaking to CNBC in Davos, Switzerland last week, the singer once again revealed his thoughts on AI, saying it’s not dissimilar to the rise of sampling decades ago.
“Imagine it’s 1970, we’re talking about jazz here, right?” he says. “A jazz musician would say, ‘What do you think about these samplers that are coming? People just sampling our stuff that we did back in the past. You think that’s music?’
“Turns out that that’s the form of hip-hop sampling and using technology to reimagine and chop up and reconfigure… So I can’t be that critical [of] AI, because I have a career sampling music…”
He also suggests that developers who write the code for AI music generators should also be given some credit in the creative process.
“At the core of AI music is some developer, and though that’s their art, you can’t discredit their art for creating that algorithm to create,” he says.
“Yes, they did borrow from music. They did train on, you know, the entire library that humans have made and that people should be paid for…
“We’re going to get to a point 20 years from now where it would have evolved, and it’s not about training on yesterday’s music. We have to prepare ourselves for that, too. Because the AI that we’re concerned about is not here yet, and that is the AI that’s creating just on it’s own.”

The post Will.i.am: “I can’t be that critical of AI – because I have a career sampling music” appeared first on MusicTech.

Native Instruments CEO updates users: “Business continues as usual at Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx”Following the news of Native Instruments going into preliminary insolvency proceedings, the brand’s CEO, Nick Williams, has issued an update via NI’s blog page. He assures the community of creators, customers and partners that it’s “business as usual at Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx.”
Since the news spread, the internet has been rife with predictions on which company will acquire NI — InMusic, Splice, and Fender are among the many brand names that have been suggested as potential buyers. Meanwhile, many posts criticising and mourning NI are circulating, with one YouTuber even citing the news as “the upcoming collapse of the music industry”.
Williams suggests that such speculation is premature, saying that the company is “working diligently and responsibly to secure a healthy, financially sustainable future for Native Instruments.” He adds that the Native Instruments brands are also “continuing to develop and launch new products and features. Our NKS Partnerships team continues to process Kontakt Player licences and NKS Partner submissionss.”
Read the full statement below.
“I want to personally take a moment to address the recent news about Native Instruments.
“Please rest assured that business continues as usual at Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx. Our hardware and software products remain on sale and available for download and activation. Our passionate and dedicated teams are here and supporting customers as normal. In product and engineering, we are continuing to develop and launch new products and features. Our NKS Partnerships team continues to process Kontakt Player licences and NKS Partner submissions.
“We are working diligently and responsibly to secure a healthy, financially sustainable future for Native Instruments. As you may have seen, Native Instruments GmbH has entered a restructuring process in Germany, as have 3 of our German non-operating holding companies. In legal terms, we have filed applications to open pre-insolvency proceedings for those companies.
“We are focused on providing continuity for creators, customers, and partners. We’ll continue to share updates as we have them.
“I’m a lifelong musician myself, and have been a passionate fan of Native Instruments for 25 years. Our mission to inspire and enable creators to express themselves through sound continues.”
Keep up with more music production industry news. 
The post Native Instruments CEO updates users: “Business continues as usual at Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx” appeared first on MusicTech.

60,000 AI tracks hit Deezer daily as platform moves to license detection tech to wider music industryDeezer also revealed that up to 85% of all streams on AI-generated music were fraudulent in 2025
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Bitfinex Bitcoin longs hit 2-year high: Is a rally to $100K possible?Bitcoin margin longs at Bitfinex exchange reached a 2-year high prior to stocks and crypto selling off sharply. Should traders expect a rally or the correction to continue?

Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI in talks to merge, according to reportsThis merger would bring the Grok chatbot, Starlink satellites, and SpaceX rockets together under one corporation.

NAMM 2026: HEDD Audio Type 20 A-Core The latest addition to HEDD Audio’s all-analogue line-up delivers a powerful three-way design that extends the company’s acclaimed A-Core range into larger professional studios and mastering environments. 

Ultimate Patches MOOG Messenger ULTIMATE PATCHESThe new Moog Messenger presets / sound pack with 200 next-level presets. Free Taster pack: https://www.ultimatepatches.com/free-synth-presets-patches.html Hear the demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI6Qmc0h5ew Read More

Handheld Steering Wheel Controller Gets Force-FeedbackFor a full-fledged, bells-and-whistles driving simulator a number of unique human interface devices are needed, from pedals and shifters to the steering wheel. These steering wheels often have force feedback, with a small motor inside that can provide resistance to a user’s input that feels the same way that a steering wheel on a real car would. Inexpensive or small joysticks often omit this feature, but [Jason] has figured out a way to bring this to even the smallest game controllers.
The mechanism at the center of his controller is a DC motor out of an inkjet printer. Inkjet printers have a lot of these motors paired with rotary encoders for precision control, which is exactly what is needed here. A rotary encoder can determine the precise position of the controller’s wheel, and the motor can provide an appropriate resistive force depending on what is going on in the game. The motors out of a printer aren’t plug-and-play, though. They also need an H-bridge so they can get driven in either direction, and the entire mechanism is connected to an Arduino in the base of the controller to easily communicate with a computer over USB.
In testing the controller does behave like its larger, more expensive cousins, providing feedback to the driver and showing that it’s ready for one’s racing game of choice. It’s an excellent project for those who are space-constrained or who like to game on the go, but if you have more space available you might also want to check out [Jason]’s larger version built from a power drill instead parts from an inkjet.

What is a MIDI keyboard?
Learn all about the basics of MIDI keyboards, and find out how to start making music with one.

Guitar Center Business Solutions Announces ResonateThis week, Guitar Center Business Solutions announced the inaugural Resonate, "the company’s first dedicated industry expo, launching in Nashville to showcase the future of integrated audio, video and control technology, according to a company statement.

"The free, one-day event will take place Thursday, April 9, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT at the Music City Center in Nashville," they added. "The expo will bring together leading brands, integrators and decision-makers across music, education, venues and enterprise. Nashville was selected as the host city for Resonate because it reflects the convergence shaping today’s market and serves as the headquarters of Guitar Center Business Solutions."

“We created Resonate as systems are converging faster than organizations can adapt, and the industry needs clearer leadership around how everything connects,” said Curtis Heath, president of Guitar Center Business Solutions, in a statement. “Our experience across education, performance and enterprise environments positions us to help the market move forward with solutions that are practical, scalable and built to last.”

“Nashville is the perfect place to close the gap between creators and the systems that amplify their work,” Heath told MC. “Resonate brings together music, pro audio, and pro AV—along with the networked, enterprise-grade technology behind it—to show what’s possible when you design the entire experience end-to-end. No other organization connects these worlds at this scale.”

Resonate Event Details:- Resonate, presented by Guitar Center Business Solutions- Thursday, April 9 | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT- Music City Center | Nashville, TN- Registration is free for early registrants; space is limited.

For more information and to register, visit resonate-expo.com.

The post Guitar Center Business Solutions Announces Resonate first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

60,000 AI tracks hit Deezer daily as platform moves to license detection tech to wider music industryDeezer also revealed that up to 85% of all streams on AI-generated music were fraudulent in 2025
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Future-proofing your DAW project: A guide to exporting multitracks, stems, and moreLosing a DAW project to software upgrades or crashed hard drives is a rite of passage in music production. You back up your work, confident you’ve properly archived your musical history; several months or years later, you bitterly realise that your computer won’t even open the session, let alone play it back.

READ MORE: Learn how to layer monosynths to give your music more impact

This kind of disaster scenario can happen at any time. Plugins change, software companies go bankrupt, and product support disappears—but your music doesn’t have to. Here’s how you can future-proof a project before it leaves your DAW.
Organising with intent
Future-proofing your projects will prevent any technical mishaps but will also keep your music adaptable to different media forms.
Imagine missing out on a TV or film placement because you can’t provide the stems from a previous song, or needing a spatial mix years after release, when the original project is no longer accessible.
Multitracks are essential for building flexible live sets. Logistics force you to scale your setup down for your next show, and suddenly, you long to have control over every layer of sound in the backing tracks. The same applies to remixing. An a cappella master offers far less creative freedom than dry vocal tracks.
That said, for producers working at speed, creating a detailed delivery folder for every sketch isn’t the most productive strategy. Focusing on music that’s already released or release-ready is more sensible.
A typical archival folder might include:

Masters (with alternative versions)
Stems (submixes of grouped instruments)
Multitracks (each channel exported individually)
MIDI files (to preserve tempo and key information)
Metadata files (lyrics, credits, keywords)

Each of these files supports different use cases.
Image: SIRMA
Exporting masters and stems
For many artists, the full master feels like the finish line. But it’s just as important to get the a cappella and instrumental versions from your mastering engineer. If you perform live with backing tracks, it’s also worth having a master without lead vocals. Radio edits and TV masters are useful too, especially for longer pieces or tracks with explicit lyrics.
In digital media, 24-bit / 48kHz WAV is widely considered the industry standard. Some distributors, such as CD Baby, require 16-bit / 44.1kHz files. Physical formats like vinyl, cassette, and CD each have their own technical requirements.
So what’s a producer to do to cover all their bases? Well, if your DAW runs a project at 24-bit / 48kHz, exporting at 32-bit / 96kHz won’t improve the audio’s sonic quality. Print at the highest resolution native to your session instead. You can always create conversions for specific formats later.
As for stems, bypass the limiter, but include group processing. When played together in an empty session, they should closely resemble the final mix, with only minor dynamic differences.
How granular you want to get with your stems is up to you. For example, it’s common to create one stem for the lead vocal, another for harmonies, and a separate one for ad-libs. Some producers stem out all the drums together. Others combine the kick and snare in one stem, and bundle the cymbals in another.
Once you make your decision, solo the channels you want to export together to create each stem and bounce your session as normal.
Image: SIRMA
Exporting multitracks
It’s common to compress all the channels of a drum kit together. But what if you want to process them differently in the future?
This is where multitracks matter most: they offer control over every individual sound.
Most DAWs can export all channels at once. But the results are often far from perfect. You may end up with glitches and missing audio files. Soloing and printing each channel individually takes longer, but it’s far more reliable.
A common workflow is to secure dry sources, such as vocals, individually first. After that, you can solo the return channels to capture the reverb or delay output. Manage the sends carefully to craft a modular multitrack session that’s easy to reconstruct later.
When imported into a blank project, all multitracks should recreate the mix exactly, minus any group or master bus processing.
Image: SIRMA
Alternative audio assets, MIDI, and metadata
Once your masters, stems, and multitracks are finalised, consider archiving anything else you may need later.
It’s best to preserve all your original panning decisions in multitracks. But you can always create a supplementary folder containing centred harmony vocals, dry drum elements, or even raw, untuned vocal comps.
Likewise, exporting MIDI files for each software instrument can simplify future tasks such as score preparation. At minimum, a single consolidated MIDI file preserves tempo, key, and harmonic structure.
Image: SIRMA
Next, prepare a PDF of a metadata sheet that includes:

Musician credits (with PRO information included for each composer)
ISRC and UPC codes
Label and/or music libraries representing the song
Lyrics
Tempo, time signature, and key
Genres

You can embed some metadata directly into WAV files using software such as Audacity. But a standalone document is still the most accessible solution.
Final checks
Simple organisational tactics can make your archives more functional.
Label every item distinctly and include the track title in all file names to save yourself the headache later.
To maintain alignment, export all files with one or two bars of silence at the beginning and end.
Once complete, import everything into a blank session and listen through: first the stems, then the multitracks. This way, if anything is misaligned or missing, you’ll be able to spot it quickly.
Future-proof one project at a time. Once the process becomes familiar, you’ll develop a repeatable system that protects your music for years to come.
Check out more music production tutorials.
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