Xilentch releases FREE Xhannel S channel strip plugin
Xilentch has released Xhannel S, a free channel strip plugin and the first dedicated mixing tool in the XM family. Until now, the XM Series has mostly focused on mastering tools. The first Xilentch plugin I tried was XMLimiter last year, and it quickly became one of my go-to limiters for use across mixes and [...]
View post: Xilentch releases FREE Xhannel S channel strip plugin

Hell Yes Loop Lab releases FREE HYLL Pressure soft clipper plugin
Hell Yes Loop Lab has released HYLL Pressure, a free/pay-what-you-want soft clipper plugin for macOS and Windows. Does the world really need another soft clipper? Probably not. Definitely not, even. Do I need this soft clipper? I don’t. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a look because, the way I see it, with plugins, [...]
View post: Hell Yes Loop Lab releases FREE HYLL Pressure soft clipper plugin

Founders share VC horror stories, and some are naming namesA massive viral conversation sharing VC horror stories has taken place this week on X. Some are weird. Some are infuriating.

Travala lets AI agents book hotels with USDC on BaseTravala’s new protocol lets AI agents search and book hotels with USDC on Base, but travelers still approve the final payment.

Isaia Huron Signs With RCA Records/SlangDate Signed: December 2025Label: RCA Records/SlangType of Music: R&BManagement: Jaha Johnson, November YellowBooking: The Team (formerly Wasserman)Publicity: Amanda Zimmerman – RCA RecordsWeb: isaiahuron.com

The ink is barely dry on the contract, but Isaia Huron is already onto the next thing. In an industry that loves a long-winded origin story, the Greenville, SC native is refreshingly, almost surgically, brief. When asked when his musical journey actually got serious, he doesn’t cite a childhood dream or a viral moment. “It got serious around yesterday or so,” he quips.

That “yesterday” has actually been years in the making. From a childhood steeped in gospel—raised by a pastor and a choir leader—to teaching himself Ableton on a cruise ship in 2018, Huron has been quietly building a sonic architecture that defies easy categorization. It’s a blend of R&B, alternative soul, and indie textures that feels both intimate and expansive.

Now, Huron has officially leveled up, announcing his signing to RCA Records in conjunction with Slang. The partnership arrives alongside his latest single, “W.T.A.” (Way Too Attached), a self-produced, slow-burn track that serves as the first transmission from his upcoming era: Mr. Lovebomb.

While his debut album, CONCUBANIA, was a three-act play exploring the wreckage of heartbreak, Mr. Lovebomb promises to dive into the “messiness” of life. Despite the high-stakes backing of a major label, Huron’s process remains decidedly lo-fi and intensely personal. While most artists head to high-end studios in L.A. or London the moment they get a budget, Huron stayed close to home. “I recorded and produced those songs and the entire album right after we shot the visuals for CONCUBANIA, right outside on my parent’s back deck by myself. And yes, it’s conceptual, the album,” he says.

Following a breakout COLORS performance that continues to rack up views, he has found that the most rewarding part of the grind isn’t the contract, but the reception. “Watching people like it. Very strange, but wholesome feeling,” he says.

As for what the rest of 2026 holds under the RCA/Slang banner? His goals are as minimalist as his production: “Doing music” and “Tour.” For the aspiring musicians looking for a roadmap to follow in his footsteps, Huron offers no clichés or “10 steps to success” manifestos. “Not really, no,” he says when asked if he has any advice.The post Isaia Huron Signs With RCA Records/Slang first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

As It Turns Out, There’s More Than One Cassette Mechanism Being Made After AllIt’s become an accepted truth amongst tapeheads that there’s no point looking at new hardware, because there’s only one tape mechanism being made anywhere in the world anymore, and that it sucks. [VWestlife] may enjoy German automobiles, based on the name, but he’s also a tapehead– and he took the time to demonstrate on YouTube that the accepted truth just ain’t so.
The supposed One Mechanism to Rule Them All in Lo-Fi is designed or made by Chinese company Tanishin. Certainly Tanishin does make a tape mechanism, but as [VWestlife] demonstrates with a few teardowns, there’s absolutely more than one on the market. That doesn’t mean any of the new offerings will out-compete your vintage Sony Walkman, but it does mean there are differences worth considering if you were to buy new.
Note that it is handhelds like the Walkman being talked about– it must be, since there are both slot-loading and flip-loading decks still being made, and even if you’re not a tapehead you should be able to tell that those won’t share the same part on the BOM.
With a few teardowns, he finds three separate mechanisms, followed by a deep-dive into the Tanishin. If you’re looking to buy a new walkman– or perhaps use its guts to build a mass storage device-– you might want to watch the whole thing to help you pick. On the other hand, the mechanism doesn’t matter that much, as he points out. It brings the tape over the head, but that’s not difficult. Everything else– from the motor that needs to draw the tape out evenly, to the pickup and the preamps and amplifiers–is where noise and poor quality sound tends to creep in, especially when something’s built to a budget.
Overall, [VWestlife] takes pains to point out that these ‘crappy’ new players aren’t any worse than the original Sony Walkman– we’ve just been spoiled by decades of better media than the humble compact cassette. That’s no slight against the cassette– people are still pushing its limits to this day, like this insanely fast vacuum-driven mechanism we featured.
Thanks to [Stephen Walters] for the tip!

Hell Yes Loop Lab HYLL PressureHYLL Pressure is a free / pay-what-you-want soft clipper and peak-shaping audio plugin by Hell Yes Loop Lab. It is designed for producers, beatmakers, musicians and sound designers who want a simple way to shape peaks, add density, saturation and controlled loudness without turning the process into a complex technical mixing session. HYLL Pressure can move from clean peak control to more obvious saturation and pressure, making it useful on drums, synths, bass, loops, mix bus material and creative sound design. The plugin includes a parallel blend control, allowing you to push the processed signal hard and then mix it back with the original sound. This makes it easier to add pressure, density and character while keeping some of the natural dynamics and clarity of the source. Features: - Soft clipping and peak shaping - Density and saturation control - Parallel blend between dry and processed signal - Simple, direct interface - Useful on drums, bass, synths, loops and mix bus material - Designed for music production, beatmaking, mixing and creative sound design - Free / pay-what-you-want. Formats: - macOS: AU - Windows: VST3. HYLL Pressure is available from the official Hell Yes Loop Lab website. Read More

Soundgas Sounds: Latest prize draw announced Soundgas have announced the launch of their latest prize draw, giving entrants the opportunity to purchase a sample pack and be in with a chance of winning a pair of preamp pedals. 

FabFilter make some of the most-loved plugins on the market – and you can save 25% for a short timeFabFilter makes some of the best essential mixing plugins on the market, with its Pro-C compressor, Pro-Q EQ and others regularly appearing in professional producer and engineer setups.
And here’s your chance to get in on the action at a hefty discount, as Plugin Boutique celebrates IMSTA FESTA London 2026. IMSTA is the International Music Software Trade Association, and is a celebration of music technology which connects musicians and producers with leading makers of music making software.
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You don’t necessarily need to know all that, but what you do need to know is that FabFilter’s flagship compressor and reverb, Pro-C 3 and Pro-R 2, its Timeless 3 delay plugin and Pro-L 2 limiter are all available for a limited time at a 24% discount.
That means Pro-C 3, Pro-R 2 and Pro-L 2 are all now available at £112 apiece instead of £149, and Timeless 3 is now £82 instead of £109.
But perhaps the best value proposition up for grabs is the FabFilter Essentials Bundle – which includes Pro-C 3, Pro-R 2 and FabFilter’s Pro-Q 4 EQ plugin – now available for £239 down from £319.
All three of these plugins are normally priced at £149, meaning instead of paying £447 for all three individually you can pay just £239 for the lot.
But you’ll have to be quick, these deals are all scheduled to expire on Tuesday, 9 June.
FabFilter plugins are some of the most celebrated in the world, with producers everywhere touting their ease of use and crazy in-depth levels of control.
Upgrade your DAW workflow with great deals on FabFilter plugins at Plugin Boutique. Learn more about IMSTA FESTA.
The post FabFilter make some of the most-loved plugins on the market – and you can save 25% for a short time appeared first on MusicTech.

From Suno’s $5.4B valuation to Bill Ackman’s exit from Universal Music… it’s MBW’s weekly round-upThe biggest headlines from the past few days...
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Stereo imaging: How to create width, height, and depth in your mix
Learn how to elevate the stereo imaging of your mix with popular song examples, tips, and techniques for each of the three key sonic axes.

Audeze expands its Manny Marroquin Signature Series headphones with the MM-520, offering “unprecedented bass accuracy and spatial detail”California-based audio tech brand Audeze has launched a new addition to its series of headphones developed with mix engineer Manny Marroquin.
The MM-520 headphones integrate its SLAM (Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator) technology for improved bass accuracy and more spatial detail. Marroquin is an 18-time Grammy winning mix engineer who’s worked with Post Malone, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, The Rolling Stones and more.

READ MORE: OneOdio Studio Max 2 review: the same ultra-low latency as the big brands without the hefty price

SLAM was first introduced for the brand’s CRBN2 headphones, and has featured in a number of its headphone models since then, including the LCD-S20 and its Maxwell 2 gaming headset. The MM-520 marks its first introduction to the MM series.
Audeze describes the MM-520 as a purpose-built tool designed to deliver mixes that translate “perfectly” across any system. By incorporating its SLAM tech, the headphones optimise air pressure within the earcup to enhance low-frequency impact and soundstage transparency, without sacrificing the mid-range neutrality that made the original MM-500, launched in 2022, “a studio staple”.
The headphones feature 90mm planar magnetic drivers with Ultra-Thin Uniforce diaphragms and Fazor phase management for low distortion and precision. High sensitivity and low impedance allows the MM-520 to be driven easily by consoles, interfaces, or laptops. As for comfort, these headphones offer improved memory foam earpads. Magnetic attachments also aid replacement.

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“The MM-520 represents the latest entry in our mission to provide creators and professionals with the ultimate monitoring tool”, says Sankar Thiagasamudram, Audeze CEO. “By adding SLAM technology to Manny’s signature series, we’ve created a headphone that delivers even more truth in the low-end while maintaining the signature clarity Audeze is known for.”
The Audeze MM-520 is priced at $1699. Find out more via the Audeze website.
The post Audeze expands its Manny Marroquin Signature Series headphones with the MM-520, offering “unprecedented bass accuracy and spatial detail” appeared first on MusicTech.

RME unveil the ADI-2 Pro EX The all-new ADI-2 Pro EX offers professional users the comprehensive functionality of the company’s previous reference-grade converter, but comes kitted out with a redesigned chassis, enhanced output performance and further comprehensive hardware protection.

Clayworks, a new independent music tech project, has just launched with two new pluginsAs major music software companies like Splice and inMusic buy up more and more of the competition, it’s always exciting when a new independent player enters the market. One such indie developer, Clayworks, has just launched with its first two products: Harmonimom and Kodotone.
Harmonimo uses MIDI to turn single notes into full chords. By simply pressing a note on the built-in keyboard, users can build chords of multiple qualities. Theory-based options for chords such as MAJ7 and SUS4 can be selected in the interface. Then hitting any note the keyboard will produce that chord built from the selected root note. When the chord is played, the keyboard will highlight which notes are within the key for creating melodies simultaneously.

READ MORE: Carbon Electra 2 is a soft synth designed to stay in key with your session

There are parameters such as such as humanise, swing, and spread to add extra colour beyond the provided sounds. Chords can also be morphed into ARPs and different rhythmic patterns, expanding the musical ideas possible with the push of a single key.
Kodotone is a drum machine designed for refining beats in real time. Users can generate full drum patterns instantly that are laid out in dedicated tracks for kick, snare, hats, and more. Each lane can be individually shifted as the beat is running. There are also overarching parameters that can be applied to the full kits to fill out the sound with ghost notes, put the beat deeper in the pocket, or add some more human flair.
Plus, anyone who has spent years accruing their ideal drum samples can drag their sounds into Kodotone. The plugin will tune them to the project key and open the waveforms for granular adjustments.
Harmonimom and Kodotone are available now for a one-time purchase of $39.99. They can both be used in Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, Cubase, Reaper, and other mainstream DAWs.
For more information, head to the Clayworks.
The post Clayworks, a new independent music tech project, has just launched with two new plugins appeared first on MusicTech.

M Media Audio releases FREE Violet Crown channel strip plugin
M Media Audio has released Violet Crown, a free stereo channel strip plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux. This is the first freebie from M Media Audio, although the developer also has three paid plugins on the site. Alternate Timeline is a bus and mastering processor, Speaker Breaker focuses on low-end balance, and Velvet Crush [...]
View post: M Media Audio releases FREE Violet Crown channel strip plugin