Woodstock Audio releases free Waveform Compressor plugin for Windows and macOS
Woodstock Audio has released Waveform Compressor, a free compressor plugin for macOS and Windows. Obviously, free compressors are nothing new, and most of us already have way more compressor plugins than we realistically need. And pretty much every DAW out there comes with a decent comp of its own. But even so, Waveform Compressor is [...]
View post: Woodstock Audio releases free Waveform Compressor plugin for Windows and macOS

“The gold standard in dynamics – times five”: Softube and Weiss launch the DS5 Multiband CompressorSoftube has continued its longstanding partnership with Weiss Engineering with a new version of its award-winning DS1 mastering processor.
Offering “complete control over compression across specific frequency ranges”, the Weiss DS5 Multiband Compressor, Softube says, delivers the power of the Weiss DS1 “to the power of five” via “line-by-line code port” of the DS1, while retaining simple ease of operation.

READ MORE: Behringer launches the BMX, its take on the classic Oberheim DMX drum machine

The Weiss DS5 Multiband Compressor comes with a number of presets designed by prominent engineers including Bob Katz, Jonathan Wyner, Maor Appelbaum and Philippe Weiss, which can be further tweaked to user taste or to work perfectly with any mix.
Softube made every effort when designing the DS5 Multiband Compressor to adhere to Weiss’s philosophy of “transparency”. It says the plugin’s filters and compression are designed to be transparent, with fast-acting filters and pre- and post-ringing artifacts reduced to a “mathematical minimum”.
The plugin’s phase-compensated 24 dB/octave crossover filters can be activated in three modes: Dynamic Phase, Static Phase and Linear Phase.
The Weiss DS5 Multiband Compressor is available now at an introductory price of $449/€449 until 7 April, after which the price will rise to $549/€549.
The plugin is also available as part of the Weiss Complete Collection 3, which has an intro price of $899/€899 until 7 April, after which it’ll rise to $1,199/€1,199.
For more information, head to Softube.
The post “The gold standard in dynamics – times five”: Softube and Weiss launch the DS5 Multiband Compressor appeared first on MusicTech.

Plugin Boutique offers BFD 3.5 acoustic drum plugin for $39
Plugin Boutique is offering BFD 3.5, the flagship acoustic drum instrument from BFD, at an 80% discount until February 14. This brings the price down to $39 from the regular $199. BFD 3.5 is a full-scale virtual drum studio designed for realistic acoustic drum production. Instead of focusing on quick loop-based workflows, it aims to [...]
View post: Plugin Boutique offers BFD 3.5 acoustic drum plugin for $39

Ozzy Osbourne guitarist says Pro Tools would have “ruined” classic albums like Dark Side of the Moon and Sgt. Pepper’sOzzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde believes the best music comes from simplicity, and that if Pro Tools were around during the making of classic records like Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, these records wouldn’t have had the same magic.
Wylde joined Ozzy Osbourne’s solo band in 1987, and played for him on and off throughout his long career. He also fronts his own band, Black Label Society.

READ MORE: Inside Abbey Road Studios’ new collection of rare and vintage instruments: “We wanted not just the digital version of this gear, but the original”

And in a new interview with Metal Hammer, the guitarists reflects on why the simpler recording and production technology available to bands prior to DAWs like Pro Tools contributed to the success of such records.
“When you actually listen to all the old albums, Sgt. Pepper’s…, Jimi Hendrix records, the first Sabbath album or Zeppelin’s first album, you go, ‘Man imagine if they had today’s Pro Tools and had, you know, a hundred tracks.’ I’d go, ‘Those albums wouldn’t sound like they do.’
“It would have ruined them. [Pink Floyd’s] Dark Side Of The Moon wouldn’t have sounded like it does if it had today’s resources,” he continues. “If Led Zeppelin IV wasn’t recorded in ‘71, if it was recorded today, it wouldn’t have sounded the way it does, because a lot of things were either happy mistakes, or you had to be creative.”

Wylde isn’t the only artist who feels today’s tools may be having a counterproductive effect on record production. Looking back on the formative Smashing Pumpkins albums Gish (1991) and Siamese Dream (1993), Billy Corgan told Rick Beato in 2022 that modern tools are “like the filter on Instagram”.
“It’s hard to go back into that brain…” he said. “Now, if you try to do that, you’re thinking in the back of your mind, ‘Well, if I mess up, we can fix it, move it…’ And when you start moving – it’s over. It’s like the filter on Instagram.”
Emerging technologies are regularly the source of debate in the music world. With AI an increasingly common talking point, Zakk Wylde also reflected on its impact during a recent Q&A in London.
“AI is fine. It would almost be like if me and you were sitting around going, ‘Hey, guys, can you write a song you think Black Sabbath would write?’ So it’s no different than that.
“But you’re never gonna be able to replace what is coming out of Ozzy’s mind, what’s coming out of Tony Iommi’s mind, what Geezer’s [Butler] thinking when he’s gonna write lyrics, and how Bill’s [Ward] gonna approach the drums on a riff, what kind of drum beat he’s gonna play,” he added. “When you get a record from whatever your favourite artist or your favourite band [is], you’re getting a piece of them. So you can’t ever replace that.”
Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society will release a new album, Engines Of Demolition, on 27 March. Find out where to catch them on tour via their official website.
The post Ozzy Osbourne guitarist says Pro Tools would have “ruined” classic albums like Dark Side of the Moon and Sgt. Pepper’s appeared first on MusicTech.

Waymo is testing driverless robotaxis in NashvilleThis is the typical next step before it launches a commercial service.

20 Years of Music Education in Los Angeles With ETM-LAEducation Through Music Los Angeles (ETMLA) 20th anniversary gala at the Skirball Cultural Center on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Danny Moloshok/Moloshok Photography, Inc.

A passionate gathering of educators, facilitators and supporters joined to celebrate twenty years of Education Through Music-Los Angeles (ETM-LA) at their annual Gala. Raising over $500,000 to help the organization provide future music programming in under-resourced schools, the evening took time to celebrate the positive impact of four of the organization’s musical champions.

A Shining Star Artist Award was presented to the incomparable Diane Warren (17-time Oscar nominee, GRAMMY, Emmy, and two-time Golden Globe Award winning songwriter), with the ETM-LA Student Choir Ensemble (Cantara St. Elementary Choir and Castelar Elementary Rock Band) performing an arrangement of Warren’s Oscar-nominated “Dear Me” (from Grammy-nominated documentary, Diane Warren: Relentless). The ETM-LA Faculty Choir—along with soloists Eden Kontesz, Prez Blackmon (and ETM-LA Alumni Bettina Diaz and Krista Sims, and Zanaida Stewart-Robles and Lydia Lee)—also performed Warren’s “The Journey,” while the ETM-LA Rhythm Ensemble played “I’m Standing With You.”

Education Through Music Los Angeles (ETMLA) 20th anniversary gala at the Skirball Cultural Center on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Danny Moloshok/Moloshok Photography, Inc. Moloshok Photography, Inc. danny@molophoto.com www.molophoto.com-----

Warren’s publishing company, Realsongs is a major corporate sponsor of the foundation. “There is no better way of reaching young hearts and minds than music. What ETM-LA is doing is making that happen for so many who might never get the chance to experience the beauty and power of music,” said Warren. Penning nine #1 and 33 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, Warren entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001, was presented the Johnny Mercer Songwriter Award in 2024, and is tied with Lionel Ritchie (an Honorary Chairperson on the ETM-LA Board) for the most No. 1 hits written solely by one person. In addition to charting success, Warren’s songs have been featured in over 150 films.

Emmy-winning Composer Christopher Lennertz and co-Founder Tim Wynn of Sonic Fuel Studios received a Shining Store Corporate Award, recognizing their support of ETM-LA through their donations of studio time and space for student recordings. Their boutique, state-of-the-art, eco-friendly tracking and mixing facility specializes in film and television, and interactive media music, providing full-service recording and production for albums, film and television, and the Sonic Fuel team have experience ranging from rock, pop, jazz and Hip-hop, to musical theater. Lennertz and Wynn shared, “The mission of ensuring every child has access to quality music education at an early age is so vitally important.”

Recognized with the Shining Star Award, Ryan Gonzalez first began as a volunteer before becoming the Band and Orchestra Director at James Monroe High School in Los Angeles, supporting a concert band, orchestra, jazz band, marching band, and serving as Music Department Chair. Co-founding the James Monroe High School Visual and Performing Arts Academy (JMHS VAPA) and Monroe Community of Schools Fine Arts Conservatory (MCOS FAC), the organizations serve over 1,200 students annually. Gonzales’ tireless commitment to his students and community are undeniable, and he has received multiple awards and grants for his department during his tenure (including bursaries from The Milagro, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, and Arts and Healing Justice Network). In addition to steering the JMHS music department, Gonzales works as guest conductor to the CSUN Wind Symphony and Wind Ensembles, and serves as a middle and high school clinician throughout Southern California.

A surprise Champion Award was presented to The Milagro Foundation for their contribution to ETM-LA’s work. Launched by Carlos Santana, the Award was accepted by Santana’s son Salvador who shared that, ”if we want a brighter future, it starts with educating and investing in the youth, and what better way to do that than through music.”

As a non-profit organization with a mission to provide music to under-resourced schools to enhance academic achievement, creativity, and overall development, ETM-LA was founded in 2006, having since served over 190,000 students with musical education, and providing over 155,000 music classes in the Los Angeles area. The Foundation’s work has also provided over 60,000 hours of professional development for teaching staff.

Education Through Music Los Angeles (ETMLA) 20th anniversary gala at the Skirball Cultural Center on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Danny Moloshok/Moloshok Photography, Inc.
-----
Moloshok Photography, Inc.
danny@molophoto.com
www.molophoto.com

Executive Director Victoria Lanier expressed thanks to all of ETM-LA’s supporters. “We’re grateful for our incredible honorees and supporters who help further equity and access for all youth to receive comprehensive music and arts learning as part of a well-rounded education.”

Starting with just two schools and 800 students, ETM-LA now supports 43 schools and over 18,000 students annually, including the communities of Bellflower, Boyle Heights, Burbank, Compton, Chinatown, East LA, Inglewood, Pacoima, San Fernando Valley, and South Central.  Honorary Chairpersons include Randy Jackson, Rickey Minor, John Debney, Mike Knobloch, Lionel Richie, Nia Vardalos, Randy Speedlove, Paul Williams, and Renée Zellweger. Learn more at: www.etmla.org, or by calling 818-433-7600.The post 20 Years of Music Education in Los Angeles With ETM-LA first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Bitcoin holders sell 245K BTC in tight macro conditions: Did the market bottom?Long-term Bitcoin holders sold 245,000 BTC as the price fell under $60,000 last week, but a fresh set of US macroeconomic cues and an uptick in BTC dip-buyers may signal that the market has bottomed.

Upcycling an iPad into a Touchscreen Display for your PCInstalling an RPi Pico board like it’s a modchip. (Credit: Tucker Osman, YouTube)
Although generally iPads tend to keep their resale value, there are a few exceptions, such as when you find yourself burdened with iCloud-locked devices. Instead of tossing these out as e-waste, you can still give them a new, arguably better purpose in life: an external display, with touchscreen functionality if you’re persistent enough. Basically someone like [Tucker Osman], who spent the past months on making the touchscreen functionality play nice in Windows and Linux.
While newer iPads are easy enough to upcycle as an external display as they use eDP (embedded Display Port), the touch controller relies on a number of chips that normally are initialized and controlled by the CPU. Most of the time was thus spent on reverse-engineering this whole process, though rather than a full-depth reverse-engineering, instead the initialization data stream was recorded and played back.
This thus requires that the iPad can still boot into iOS, but as demonstrated in the video it’s good enough to turn iCloud-locked e-waste into a multi-touch display. The SPI data stream that would normally go to the iPad’s SoC is instead intercepted by a Raspberry Pi Pico board which pretends to be a USB HID peripheral to the PC.
If you feel like giving it a short yourself, there’s the GitHub repository with details.
Thanks to [come2] for the tip.

What are parallel chords?
Discover how parallel chords can add depth, emotion, and harmonic interest to your music.

Suno’s revenue opportunity, $1.65bn M&A spending power, and TikTok: 3 things worth knowing from WMG’s latest earnings callElsewhere on the call, WMG's leadership team discussed TikTok, DSP pricing, and more. Here are three things that stood out.
Source

DamyFx Mr. Fuzzy Metal Octave FilterMr. Fuzzy Metal Octave Filter VST3 Plugin. Unleash sonic chaos with the Mr. Fuzzy Metal Octave Filter, the ultimate VST3 plugin for guitarists, bassists, and producers looking to sculpt a powerful, aggressive, and distinctive sound. Inspired by classic fuzz circuits but pushed into modern, metallic territory, Mr. Fuzzy delivers an explosive combination of rich, distorted fuzz with a synth-style octave filter for sonic textures unlike anything you've ever heard. Transform your signal into a dense, harmonic-filled wall of sound, perfect for monolithic riffs, screeching solos, and industrial soundscapes. Whether you're looking to emulate the most brutal sounds of metal or explore new sonic dimensions, Mr. Fuzzy is your secret arsenal. Controls: • Volume: Controls the plugin's overall output level. Use it to balance the volume of the processed sound with the rest of your mix, ensuring your metallic fuzz shines through without overpowering. • Gain: This is the beating heart of the fuzz. Turn the Gain control to increase the amount of distortion and compression applied to your signal. From a warm, raspy fuzz to a fully saturated, aggressive soundwave, the Gain control lets you modulate the intensity of your sonic destruction. • Tone: A powerful, interactive low-pass/high-pass filter that lets you sculpt the tonal character of your fuzz. Turning it to the left attenuates high frequencies, producing a darker, thicker, and doomier sound; turning it to the right boosts high frequencies, bringing forth clarity, sparkle, and a sharper attack—ideal for aggressive riffs and piercing solos. • Pitch: This unique control adjusts the octave filter's reference point. It's not a simple pitch shifter; it affects the frequency at which the filter boosts or attenuates octave harmonics, creating synthesizer-like effects. You can achieve sounds reminiscent of an octave higher or lower that "bends" or "follows" your note, adding depth and strangeness to your sound. • Resonance (Q): Works in tandem with the Pitch control. Resonance increases or decreases the bandwidth around the frequency set by the Pitch control. At a low value, the octave effect is more subtle and diffuse. Raising the Resonance makes the filter more selective and pronounced, creating distinct, resonant frequency peaks that can produce automatic "wahs" or very pronounced, almost vocal-like octave sounds, perfect for dramatic effects and abrasive leads. Read More

Smiarx has released ÆLAPSE, a free tape delay and spring reverb plugin
Smiarx has released ÆLAPSE, a free delay and reverb plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux. ÆLAPSE combines two classic effects in a single plugin: a tape-style delay and a reverb inspired by spring reverbs. While the reverb has a lovely lo-fi character, it isn’t locked into traditional spring sounds. You can push it into more [...]
View post: Smiarx has released ÆLAPSE, a free tape delay and spring reverb plugin

Strymon’s NightSky gets plug-in version Said to be unlike any other reverb plug-in, the plug-in version of the Strymon NightSky delivers everything that its hardware sibling has to offer, and comes packed with features that will be welcomed by keen sound designers. 

KAMILLE & Spike Stent to receive MPG Awards The MPG have announced that KAMILLE (Camille Purcell) and Spike Stent will receive this year's Inspiration and MPG Icon Awards respectively. 

Behringer launches the BMX, its take on the classic Oberheim DMX drum machineBehringer has finally lifted the lid on the DMX, its clone of the classic Oberheim DMX drum machine. The launch continues something of a hot streak for Behringer, which just last week debuted its Roland Juno-60 clone, the JN-80.
Word of the BMX has floated around the Behringer community for some time, with a prototype teased all the way back in March 2023. Now, the BMX is officially available for preorder, with first units expected to ship in May 2026.

READ MORE: Suno says “accessibility” is the reason for its success — but I think accessibility is the problem with AI music

First launched in 1980, the Oberheim DMX found its way onto a number of classic records – including The Police’s Every Breath You Take and Madonna’s Holiday – and holds its title as the second digital drum machine to be commercially available after the Linn LM-1 (which Behringer also took inspiration from for its LM Drum unit, released in December 2024).
Credit: Behringer
Adhering to Behringer’s general approach to clones of classic gear, the BMX isn’t an exact remake of the DMX, and features a number of modern and updated specs to bring it into the modern era – while keeping the price well below what one would pay for an original DMX unit.
The Behringer BMX features original DMX sounds, analogue filters and 8/12-bit sound engine, with updated specs coming in the way of digital effects, an LCD screen, MIDI support and 24 velocity-sensitive pads, which are notably larger than the buttons on the original DMX.

The BMX features eight-voice architecture with independent level and pan controls for each voice, eight independent analogue outputs for external processing or recording your rhythms as multi-track audio, as well as a 64-step drum sequencer supporting poly-meter, step-repeat, note-repeat, real-time triggering, track-mute and track-solo.
You can also store up to 16 songs and 256 patterns, which can be imported or exported during playback. The BMX also features a Pattern Mode, which allows you to arrange patterns into full songs, and a Song Mode, which can be used to chaining songs together during live sets.
In terms of I/O, the BMX sports MIDI In, Out and Thru via five-pin DIN, USB MIDI, ¼” stereo output, headphone out, three trigger outputs and a sync in/out, plus eight channel outputs and a line input.
The BMX is available now for preorder, priced at $459. For more information, head to Behringer.
The post Behringer launches the BMX, its take on the classic Oberheim DMX drum machine appeared first on MusicTech.