Dreeemwave Bassliner: Instant no-AI baselines and exclusive discount
We first covered Bassliner during its open beta stage in late 2024. It’s been a while since then; Bassliner is now a fully fledged commercial plugin, and I’ve been putting it to the test over the last couple of days. What is Bassliner? Bassliner (25% off using the promo code “BPB25”) is a MIDI bassline [...]
View post: Dreeemwave Bassliner: Instant no-AI baselines and exclusive discount

Malta proposes DeFi rulebook covering DAOs under MiCA-era frameworkThe Maltese regulator is seeking industry feedback on a legal framework for software-governed organizations, arguing that many DeFi projects are not fully decentralized.

AI inference startup Baseten reportedly raising $1.5B months after its last mega roundStartup Baseten is reportedly close to finalizing a $1.5 billion round at a $13 billion as the “inference gold rush" marches on.

Studio Mix June 2026: PinkPantheress, Taj Mahal, Easy Honey, and MoreOSCAR SCHELLER SCORES GLOBAL HIT WITH “STATESIDE” REMIX

U.K.-born producer Oscar Scheller lands a global breakthrough with his remix of PinkPantheress’ “Stateside” featuring Zara Larsson, which topped the Billboard Global 200. Reimagined from vocal stems into bouncy electropop, the track gained further momentum after its spotlight at the 2026 Olympics, underscoring Scheller’s growing influence behind some of pop’s biggest names.

ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO AND AYRA STARR CELEBRATE CONNECTION ON “AYE KAN”

Angélique Kidjo and Ayra Starr unite for “Aye Kan (Are You Coming Back?),” a warm, intimate collaboration brought to life in a candlelit video filmed at New York’s Power Station studio. The track, a love-as-wealth anthem, previews Kidjo’s upcoming album HOPE!!, blending personal history, cross-generational inspiration, and a message of connection and resilience.

BROOKSPEARE MUSIC UPGRADES STUDIO WITH SSL ORIGIN CONSOLE

U.K.-based Brookspeare Music has enhanced its remote recording studio with a Solid State Logic ORIGIN analogue console and UF8 DAW controller. Specializing in string sessions for film, TV, and games, the studio benefits from the setup’s flexibility and hybrid workflow, allowing seamless integration between analogue warmth and digital precision while supporting a wide range of recording projects.

CHRISTOPHER ARDRA ANNOUNCES SAW IT IN A DREAM WITH REFLECTIVE NEW SINGLE “REASONS”

New York songwriter Christopher Ardra previews his sophomore album Saw It in a Dream (out June 5) with the introspective single “Reasons.” Written after the end of his band Station, the track marks a personal turning point, setting the tone for a self-produced, multi-instrumental project that explores identity, catharsis, and the search for clarity.

WEIR BROTHERS LAUNCH NEW STUDIO CITY SOUND ERA WITH MICHAEL DAMIAN PROJECT

Studio City Sound has a new home, and the brothers Weir are putting the finishing touches on a new Michael Damian album there. Seen left to right: Producer Larry Weir who also runs National Record Promotion, recording artist, actor, and film director Michael Damian (Weir), producer, engineer, and Studio City Sound CEO Tom Weir. The new Michael Damian album is slated to drop this Summer.

EASY HONEY SETS THE MOOD WITH “BASEMENT KISSING” AHEAD OF PLAID EP

Charleston indie-rockers Easy Honey return with “Basement Kissing,” a hazy, late-night single previewing their EP Plaid. Written during a rapid cabin session in Colorado, the project finds the band expanding their sound while staying rooted in nostalgic hooks, as they gear up for a 25+ date North American headline tour.

TAJ MAHAL PREVIEWS TIME WITH BREEZY NEW SINGLE “WILD ABOUT MY LOVIN”

Taj Mahal returns with “Wild About My Lovin,” a swinging new single from his album Time (out now). Featuring longtime collaborators, the project blends blues, reggae, and soul, and includes a rare Bill Withers composition. The release arrives alongside a special GRAMMY Museum event, highlighting Mahal’s enduring, genre-spanning legacy.

PRODUCER PLAYBACK:

“One of the most important aspects of recording is the psychology of it… Some people perform better when you’re their bud and there’s camaraderie, others work better when you challenge them. You have to feel out the artist at the beginning of the session.” – Johnny K

The post Studio Mix June 2026: PinkPantheress, Taj Mahal, Easy Honey, and More first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Battery Tester Gets An App UpgradeDo you have a ZKETECH EBC-A20 battery tester? Perhaps you don’t like the default software used to control the device. In that case, you might like the alternative whipped up by [Kazhuu.]
A reverse-engineering effort targeted at the EBC-A20 served as the basis for the work. The battery tester is ultimately controlled by a simple serial interface, running at 9600 bps, 8 bits, with odd parity. Armed with a relatively complete understanding of the commands used to control the device, [Kazhuu] was able to whip up a simple web app to control the device instead, using WebUSB to access the device over a USB-to-serial converter, though a desktop version for Linux and Windows is also available. If you’ve got one of these battery testers sitting on your bench, using the app is as simple as pointing your browser here with the device plugged in via USB. Then you can run basic load tests on battery cells and graph the results right on your computer without having to deal with the proprietary software.
Of course, if you don’t like the EBC-A20 battery tester, you could always build your own. If you’re whipping up your own test hardware on the lab bench, don’t hesitate to notify us on the tipsline.

Project 91 launches Playgrounds, a live experiences platform backed by Justin Kalifowitz’s Klaf CompaniesThe New York-based events company confirmed that Playgrounds will serve as an umbrella platform for concerts, branded experiences, and destination events
Source

Parish Audio MultiplierMultiplier turns a single vocal into multiple copies, resulting in a wider, fuller, more exciting performance by adding natural doubles, stacked backing vocals, and spacious movement without losing the clarity of the original take. Multiplier is built to make a single vocal feel bigger, wider, and more complete. Instead of leaving a lead vocal sitting alone in the center, Multiplier lets you surround it with natural doubles, subtle movement, and layered backing voices that help the performance feel more finished without needing to record every part again. At its core, Multiplier is designed around the sound of real vocal layering. Each added voice can have its own timing, pitch, pan position, distance, level, and tone, so the result feels less like a simple chorus effect and more like multiple performances working together. You can keep the effect tight and believable for a natural double, spread voices wide for a polished pop vocal sound, or build larger stacks that add depth and energy behind the lead. The global controls let you shape the overall feel quickly. Spread controls how wide the voices reach across the stereo field, Depth changes how much space the voices occupy, Timing adjusts the separation between the layers, and Humanize adds the small timing and pitch variations that keep the effect from sounding static. The Mix control makes it easy to blend the added voices into the track, whether you want a barely noticeable lift or a much more obvious vocal stack. Multiplier also gives you control over the main voice and each additional copy when you want to fine-tune the arrangement. You can move voices left or right, push them closer or farther away, add small delays, shift pitch by cents or musical notes, filter the top and bottom end, adjust level, and mute or solo parts while building the sound. This makes it easy to create anything from a clean lead vocal double to a wide backing vocal section, a crowd-like stack, or a spacious vocal wash. The result is a vocal tool that helps tracks feel larger, more polished, and more emotionally engaging. Whether you are trying to thicken a lead, widen a hook, create backing layers, add depth to a chorus, or make a vocal sit bigger in the mix, Multiplier gives you a direct way to turn one performance into something that feels fuller, wider, and more alive. Read More

VSL update Vienna Ensemble Pro 8 VSL's latest update for VEP8 and VEP8V makes it possible to use AI assistants to help build templates, as well as introducing a number of other new features and improvements. 

Calloga releases Unshuffle FREE open-source sample library organizer
Calloga has released Unshuffle, a free open-source sample library organizer for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Unshuffle is designed for producers with messy sample folders, which is probably most of us at some point. My main samples are nicely sorted into folders, but I have an insane amount of other samples scattered across hard drives, mostly [...]
View post: Calloga releases Unshuffle FREE open-source sample library organizer

CodWaves launches WaveBalance auto gain staging plugin
CodWaves has released WaveBalance, an auto gain staging plugin for macOS and Windows. WaveBalance is designed to solve one of the most common mixing problems: inconsistent track levels before the rest of the processing chain. You place WaveBalance early in the chain, usually as the first plugin, and it adjusts the incoming level so compressors, [...]
View post: CodWaves launches WaveBalance auto gain staging plugin

Two notes unveil Genome 2.0 Two notes Audio Engineering have just announced the launch of Genome 2.0, a significant update that brings a wealth of new features to their all-in-one amp, cabinet and effects emulation software suite. 

“The most powerful standalone MPC we have ever built at these prices”: Akai launches “generation 2” MPCs with four times the processing powerMPCs are legendary in music production, and Akai Professional has expanded the lineup with two new standalone models – the MPC One G2 and MPC Key 37 G2 – both featuring four times the processing power of previous models.
Essentially second-generation versions of the MPC One and MPC Key 37, the former sports a standard 4×4 beatpad build – with velocity- and pressure-sensitive RGB pads – while the latter also includes a 37-key keyboard. Both feature an upgraded 8-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage for faster loading speeds and greater session capacity.
Both the MPC One G2 and MPC Key 37 G2 support up to 32 simultaneous plugin instruments and up to 16 stereo audio tracks in standalone.

READ MORE: This new drum plugin features samples of drums heads and cymbals “virtually unobtainable” in the modern era

At the heart of each unit is Akai’s MPC 3.9 operating system, which introduces a full Linear Arranger, expanded arrangement workflows, deeper DAW interoperability, and integrated synthesis via a built-in oscillator engine. Both machines also boast a seven-inch full-colour multitouch display for intuitive session navigation.

Aesthetically, both the MPC One G2 and MPC Key 37 G2 boast colourways which pay tribute to the rich history of the MPC platform. The former is kitted out in the classic blue of the MPC4000 and MPC1000, while the latter sports the iconic cream finish of the original MPC units from the late ’80s.
“Whether you live on the pads or write everything on keys, the MPC One G2 and MPC Key 37 G2 give producers and beat makers the most powerful standalone MPC we have ever built at these prices,” says Andy Mac, Director of Artist Relations at Akai Professional.
“From bedroom beatmakers to established producer communities around the world, creators now have four times the power, MPC3 OS, and a powerful collection of instruments and samples ready to get you started. This is generation 2 of MPC standalone production.”

Combine the power with the playability that MPCs are known for, and these machines will provide endless creative options. Both have complete beatpad functionality for building live, human drumbeats. Then the MPC Key 37 G2 adds the classic keyboard feel for chords and melodies (although the pads on the MPC One G2 can be programmed to piano notes for the same effect).
Akai is part of inMusic, which just acquired Native Instruments, so both MPCs come with NI Analog Dreams MPC Edition that has 141 Presets and 44 Sound sources that can be applied to the beatpads or keyboards. They also come with a full-touch LED display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and connectivity to phones, tablets, and computers via USB-C. So, don’t be afraid to link it to your favourite DAW either.

In fact, both units come with over 20GB of production-ready content; the MPC One G2 includes 11 total instrument plugins and 9 curated expansion packs, while the MPC Key 37 G2 offers 13 instrument plugins – including OPX-4, Jura and Sub Factory – plus six expansion packs.
Price-wise, the MPC One G2 is available now for $799/£729/€849, while the MPC Key 37 G2 is priced at $999/£849/€999.
For more information, head to Akai Professional.
The post “The most powerful standalone MPC we have ever built at these prices”: Akai launches “generation 2” MPCs with four times the processing power appeared first on MusicTech.

Clack.DIGITAL releases FREE Amp Squeezer overdrive plugin
Clack.DIGITAL has released Amp Squeezer, a free frequency-shaped overdrive plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Amp Squeezer was originally developed for the Darkglass Anagram pedalboard and released through the Anagram Marketplace. It is now available as a regular plugin, and you can download it directly from the Clack.DIGITAL website without creating an account, entering an [...]
View post: Clack.DIGITAL releases FREE Amp Squeezer overdrive plugin

This company claims to have made the first-ever 2-in-1 ribbon and large-diaphragm condenser micLatvian mic brand JZ Microphones has unveiled the MU-1, which it claims is the first-ever two-in-one ribbon and large diaphragm condenser microphone.
The mic was designed by Grammy-winning producer and engineer Marc Urselli. Boasting credits with U2, Nick Cave, Foo Fighters, Lou Reed and Elton John, Urselli has long been a fan of using a ribbon and large condenser setup to mic up a single source.
“The ribbon-and-condenser technique has been my favourite way of recording things for a long time,” he says. “However, it involves having to set up two stands, negotiate space, align mics in the physical space, and align their phase afterwards,” says Urselli.
“MU-1 is the first time sound comes out of one microphone – phase-coherent, level-matched, and completely repeatable from session to session. That changes how I work: it delivers the best sound, simplifies setup, delivers options, offers a sonic palette that spans decades and improves everything.”

READ MORE: Is AI seriously in mics now?

Pop the top, in fact, and you’ll see both ribbon and large diaphragm condenser capsules in a single package. The condenser section is built around the Golden Drop capsule from JZ’s Black Hole series, while the ribbon uses a premium 1.2 µm foil motor for “higher sensitivity and finer detail”. JZ Microphones has a patent pending for this hybrid capsule architecture.

Also to note, the MU-1 comes with a five-pin XLR to dual three-pin breakout. Plug the five-pin into the single body and use the breakout to record each mic as an individual channel.
“At JZ, we’re always looking for innovative, practical ways to make engineers’ lives easier. Not more complicated. MU-1 is exactly that,” says Andris Zemmers, CEO at JZ Microphones. “It takes a technique the best engineers in the world already love, and removes every obstacle between them and the sound. That’s the kind of innovation we care about.”

The MU-1 is currently priced at €1999 / $1999, with matched pairs available upon request. Units will ship in August 2026.
To preorder, head to JZ Microphones.
The post This company claims to have made the first-ever 2-in-1 ribbon and large-diaphragm condenser mic appeared first on MusicTech.

This new drum plugin features samples of drums heads and cymbals “virtually unobtainable” in the modern eraThe ’60s and ’70s are such lauded eras in music history, and now Iconic Instrument is providing access to beats and drum sounds from these celebrated periods. The new plugin Detroit Drums was recorded with “virtually unobtainable” 1960s drum heads and cymbals and was even tuned using techniques popular back then.
The plugin includes two primary kits: L-Model and S-Model, which are sold separately or as a bundle. Each drum and cymbal can be tuned individually, but Iconic Instruments specifically highlights the dampening control, describing it as “never-before-seen.” By combining the tuning and dampening, users with a nuanced ear for drums can curate the exact sound they want. From John Bonham’s castle-filling sound down to the tight, musical stylings of Ringo Starr (drummers who had their heyday in the 70s and 60s, respectively).

READ MORE: Is AI seriously in mics now?

When it’s time to process the drums, Iconic Instruments keeps the classic sound coming with a 1960’s-era mixing environment. A core element of this is the Tube Drive effects that can be added to the overhead mics, outside bass mic, the under snare mics, and also the mix bus to sprinkle that vintage warmth on everything.

For other effects, Iconic Instruments tapped its arsenal, integrating simpler versions of the Model 350 Tube Preamp, SP140 Plate Reverb, Model 660 X Exciting Compressor, ParametrEQ, and Transport Vintage Tape plugins. However, these will have to be purchased separately to get the full experience.
“I’m very proud of how great these drums and cymbals sound, but the unique Tuning and Dampening controls are a real achievement,” says Michael Vecchio, Founder, Iconic Instruments. “And the effects in the Mixing Console give you all the color options you want to have on hand. These are the drum sounds you’ve been chasing for years!”
Detroit Drums individual kits are going for $79 each. Both kits in one cost $129. The effects are also sold as individual packages. The complete bundle is $199, and the Tube and Tape bundle is $149. For more information, head to Iconic Instruments.
The post This new drum plugin features samples of drums heads and cymbals “virtually unobtainable” in the modern era appeared first on MusicTech.