Get three of Baby Audio’s best plugins and save yourself £140Plugin Boutique is offering an exclusive bundle deal on three of Baby Audio’s most celebrated plugins, saving you £140 when compared to buying them separately.
Included in the bundle is its Crystalline reverb, the Parallel Aggressor processing tool, and its Smooth Operator Pro – the latest version of its spectral balancing plugin launched in April 2025. The offer ends on 25 January, with all three coming to a total of just £89.
[deals ids=”4CKLUhFahs5zYElD0fpssQ”]
Crystalline breaks away from traditional reverb plugin design, and offers a much easier to use system; instead of picking between different shapes of room, plate or spring reverbs, it exposes parameters that allow you to change the underlying reverb characteristics, such as size and reflection.

READ MORE: Baby Audio Tekno 1.0 makes drum synthesis easy, but I’m frustrated by its limitations

We rated it 8/10 following its launch in 2022, and it also comes loaded with more than 300 presets created by Baby Audio and its friends, including Damian Taylor (Bjork, The Prodigy, The Killers, Arcade Fire), Michele Canova (John Legend, Alicia Keys, Olly Murs), Eric J Dubowsky (Flume, St. Vincent, Chet Faker, Kygo), and more.

As for the Parallel Aggressor, this plugin splits your audio into three equal parts: Dry (the original signal), Spank (a heavily compressed duplicate), and Heat (a heavily saturated duplicate). You can then adjust and combine all three signals to add more punch to a mix. This one has 25 presets pre-loaded.
Smooth Operator Pro is probably the most exciting part of this bundle, which we also rated 8/10 in our review. This new version offers an improved core algorithm and more detailed control across the board, all while maintaining the fast workflow that made the original so popular.

To shop this deal and more, head over to Plugin Boutique.
The post Get three of Baby Audio’s best plugins and save yourself £140 appeared first on MusicTech.

How is Tim Exile’s Finalist different from the average instant mastering solution?£99 (£69 introductory price), timexile.com
Since 2009, British electronic musician and software developer Tim Exile has shifted from collaborating with Native Instruments on standout Reaktor projects such as The Finger, The Mouth, and Flesh to building his own brand, offering both creative and functional solutions for independent musicians.

READ MORE: Suno Studio review: Is this AI DAW really the future of music production?

As with many great inventions, necessity was Finalist’s main inspiration. The idea came when an engineer friend of Tim’s expressed a desire for a way to deliver a cohesive mix quickly after a long day of recording. This sparked a journey that would take three years to complete, ironing out the creases and developing a fun and inspiring interface with esteemed user-experience designer, Efflam Le Bivic, known best for his work with Native Instruments.
Finalist allows you to process up to 32 stereo WAV files and sort them into five different categories. This allows you to determine the amount of processing being applied to these different areas of your mix, and there are also global Cleanup and Master processors that shape the entire mix.

Once the Finalist has analyzed your stems, you can then choose between a range of different processing character presets. This easy, one-click step is crucial because you’re matching the mixing style with the music genre you’re working with. You can choose between more neutral or more eccentric processing styles, but you’ll usually end up narrowing it down to two or three presets that help the track come alive in different ways.
When you’ve settled on a sound characteristic, you can make adjustments to the core sectors of your mix by selecting a processing style on each module, increasing or decreasing the amount of processing, and making gain adjustments. Naturally, because all the real magic happens in the backend, there are a few tricks and precautionary measures to take to achieve the best results.
Image: Press
How does Finalist actually work?
While Tim Exile may have created Finalist with the landscape of instant AI mastering tools in the backdrop, there is no sign of AI here. Instead, Finalist gets its bearings by analysing 300 data points, which are then mapped onto the different parts of the mixing engine according to the preset you’ve selected.
In the mixing engine, Finalist applies a range of processes depending on the presets you have active on each module. This includes multiband compression, saturation, and mid-side processing, which are controlled through dynamic rather than static data feedback. That means Finalist is constantly getting readings and readjusting to the different sections of the track.
While this sounds impressive on paper, you really have to hear it to believe it. For me, the immediate ‘wow’ factor can be attributed to the way Finalist instantly handles the core elements of my mix. The kick and bass are locked into place cohesively, vocals are pushed forward, and the levels of the supporting instruments in the reverberant field are balanced astonishingly. These are tasks that beginners tend to struggle with and can even trouble the professionals, depending on the mix. Then, with the ability to change the presets on each of the individual Drums, Bass, Backing, Lead, Aux, and Master modules, you can quickly improve the separation with contrasting shaping and texture.
Image: Press
How do I get the best results with Finalist?
The gain structure of the stems you import plays a big role in the Finalist process. If, for instance, your drum stems are already correctly gained, the engine has no problem prioritising the key elements, even with multiple layers of kick and snare samples. Alternatively, if your stems are all at the same gain level with little headroom, it’ll be more difficult for the engine to build the necessary hierarchy for each group of sounds.
If you really want to get the best from Finalist, then approaching it like an external summing engine would be the best bet. Rather than feeding in 30 stems, by pre-mixing five sets of stems in your DAW and preparing them for the corresponding modules in Finalist, you take out a lot of the guesswork. This frees you up creatively to focus on fine-tuning the mix according to taste rather than fighting with individual instruments in a cycle of soloing and muting.
Although Finalist does run standalone through Reaktor Player, I find the export process clunky compared to working within Cubase. If you have a folder with multiple batches of stems, your workflow can be relatively rapid, especially if the songs are going on the same EP. As you load the next stem set, the modules remain the same, so you can make the individual adjustments you need to each track while maintaining the same aesthetic for that cohesive, album-like sound.
One issue I notice is that if you only have one or two stems running through a particular module, the processing can be too pronounced, which can force certain elements to jump out of the mix in a rather jarring way. This can be countered with some good-ol’ mix engineer’s thinking, by placing the elements within a larger group according to the frequency they occupy. In this new context, the badly behaved sounds are far more predictable and easily controlled.
Image: Press
Is Finalist an essential audio tool?
The one part of music production where Finalist can certainly aid is any process that relies on collaboration. Whether it’s the back and forth of ideas between a recording engineer or producer and a client, or between band members, the ability to have a musical sketch immediately sound more like the finished article could easily become invaluable.
While having to run the plugin inside Reaktor may be a little fiddly at first, any misgivings quickly dissolve as soon as you become immersed in Finalist’s well-designed interface.
While there is still no substitute for manual mixing, Finalist is still an extremely useful shortcut for the uninitiated and experienced alike. In fact, you can even use it as a bus processor for quickly enhancing channel groups such as drums, bass, vocals, guitars, or synths within your usual mixing workflow.

Key features

Stem mixing plugin
Runs within NI Reaktor (VST, AU, AAX, or standalone in Reaktor Player)
Import up to 32 stereo stems
5 processing modules and master bus module
40 processing presets in 5 categories
Cleanup module for mix separation

The post How is Tim Exile’s Finalist different from the average instant mastering solution? appeared first on MusicTech.

Sequoia to invest in Anthropic, breaking VC taboo on backing rivals: FTSequoia Capital is reportedly joining a blockbuster funding round for Anthropic, the AI startup behind Claude, according to the Financial Times. It’s a move sure to turn heads in Silicon Valley. Why? Because venture capital firms have historically avoided backing competing companies in the same sector, preferring to place their bets on a single winner. […]

Accurately Aiming Audio with an Ultrasonic Array
When [Electron Impressions] used a powerful ultrasonic array to project a narrow beam of sound toward a target, he described it as potentially useful in getting someone’s attention from across a crowded room without disturbing other people. This is quite a courteous use compared to some of the ideas that occur to us, and particularly compared to the crowd-control applications that various militaries and police departments put directional speakers to.
Regardless of how one uses it, however, the physics behind such directional speakers is interesting. Normal speakers tend to disperse their sound widely because the size of the diaphragm is small compared to the wavelength of the sound they produce; just like light waves passing through a pinhole or thin slit, the sound waves diffract outwards in all directions from their source. Audible frequencies have wavelengths too long to make a handheld directional speaker, but ultrasonic waves are short enough to work well; [Electron Impressions] used 40 kHz, which has a wavelength of just eight millimeters. To make the output even more directional, he used an array of evenly-spaced parallel emitters, which interfere constructively to the front and destructively to the sides.
Ultrasound shouldn’t be audible, but sound waves travel slightly faster in high-pressure air than in low-pressure air. Since sound waves are just variations in pressure, this means that at high enough amplitudes, they change their own shape as they travel through air, tending to merge together somewhat into lower-frequency waves. When amplitude modulation is applied to the ultrasonic signal, the air itself demodulates it into audible sound (the audio quality isn’t wonderful, but still recognizable). [Electron Impressions] demonstrated the completed device, and it’s possible to hear a clear difference in intensity when it’s pointed at the microphone. It’s also possible to reflect the sound beam off hard surfaces, though multiple reflections tend to decrease the directivity when used indoors.
The circuit itself is very similar to another which we’ve covered before, down to the 555 timer used in the ultrasonic driver, and the overall approach is very reminiscent of this directional ultrasonic array.

MidiStickers MidiStickers ProMidiStickers Pro is a standalone desktop application for real-time MIDI visualization, analysis, and harmony training, designed for music teachers, composers and serious students. MidiStickers allows you to visualize real-time MIDI input (or MIDI Files) as music notation and analyze chords using chord symbols, roman numerals (scale degrees), figured bass, function symbols and other tools. The software also includes tools for exploring chords, scales, chord-scale relationships as well as dedicated practice and training modes. These include chord practice (and jazz piano voicings) with auto-accompaniment and progress tracking. All components in MidiStickers are implemented as independent, detachable on-screen widgets, detachable widgets (floating, always-on-top) allowing it to blend visually with other software. This makes it suitable for online lessons, classroom use, presentations, or for working alongside notation programs and DAWs. MidiStickers Pro is available for Windows and macOS as a one-time purchase (no subscription fees). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7llbYCitcE Read More

Full Bucket Music releases Paralogy, a FREE Crumar Trilogy plugin
Full Bucket Music has released Paralogy, a free paraphonic synth plugin inspired by the Crumar Trilogy. 2026 is off to a very good start in the free plugin world. After plugin giveaways from Universal Audio, Waves Audio, and Canvas Audio, one of my favorite indie developers, Full Bucket Music, has released another free instrument. Paralogy [...]
View post: Full Bucket Music releases Paralogy, a FREE Crumar Trilogy plugin

Electro-Harmonix launch the Effects Interface The latest release from pedal veterans Electro-Harmonix places a 2-in/2-out audio interface inside a stompbox chassis, and makes it possible to run route DAW audio through hardware pedals — or integrate DAW plug-ins into a pedalboard setup.

Who gets to inherit the stars? A space ethicist on what we’re not talking aboutWhile it's easy to romanticize space as an escape to a pristine frontier where people will float weightlessly among the stars, it’s worth remembering there are no oceans or mountains or chirpy birds in space. It's “not nice up there,” said Rubenstein. “It is not nice at all."

The Journey of Finding the Right Press BrakePress brakes are invaluable tools when working with sheet metal, but along with their almost infinite versatility comes a dizzying number of press brake types. After starting with an old-school, purely mechanical press brake, [Wes] of Watch Wes Work fame had been thinking of upgrading said press brake to a hydraulic configuration, but soured on this after facing all the disadvantages of the chosen approach. Thus, one does what any rational person does and purchases a used and very much untested 45-ton computer-controlled hydraulic press brake.
The video first explores the pros and cons of the various types of press brakes, with the issue of providing a balanced force across the entirety of the press brake’s dies being the largest problem. Although various mechanical and hydraulic solutions were attempted over the decades, a computer-controlled press brake like this Gasparini PBS 045 that [Wes] got is probably one of the more effective solutions, even if it provides the headache of more electrical and electronic things that can go wrong. The above screenshot of its basic workings should make that quite obvious, along with [Wes]’s detailed explanation.
As it turned out, this about 25-year-old Italian press brake wasn’t in such a terrible nick, but needed some badly needed TLC and obligatory breaker testing to bring it back to life. While it doesn’t like you not centering the part, this can be worked around by specifying that the part is actually larger than it is. Although [Wes] got it working well enough to do some work with it, it still has some gremlins left in it that will hopefully be hunted down over the coming time and video(s).

Vessel Audio Sigma Engine VSTSigma Engine by Vessel Audio. The Ultimate Hybrid Workstation for Modern Producers. Elevate your sound with Sigma Engine, a powerhouse VST instrument engineered specifically for the next generation of Hip-Hop, Rap, and Trap. Developed by Vessel Audio, Sigma Engine bridges the gap between legendary hardware history and futuristic sound design—all while keeping your workflow fluid and fast. The Multi-Sample Advantage. Sigma Engine delivers unparalleled authenticity. Each of the 100 presets has been meticulously crafted using high-definition multi-samples. By capturing the original hardware at multiple pitches and velocities, we've ensured that every note—from the deepest 808 to the highest lead—retains the rich harmonics and character of the source machines. The Sonic DNA. Experience a curated collection of sounds inspired by the titans of synthesis: The 90s Era: Clean, "glassy" digital textures reminiscent of the legendary Korg Triton. The 80s Era: Thick, lush analog warmth modeled after the Jupiter 8 and Oberheim. Modern Synthesis: Cutting-edge, aggressive tones built for today's Billboard charts. Total Sound Sculpting. Take full control over your textures with professional modulation and shaping tools: Dynamic LFO: Fine-tune Rate and Depth to add movement or rhythmic "wobble" effects. Envelope Control: Use Attack and Release knobs to transition from sharp, aggressive plucks to atmospheric, evolving swells. Precision Filtering: Sculpt your frequency spectrum with built-in High Pass and Low Pass filters to create room for your mix or add lo-fi grit. Built-In FX Suite. Polish your sound without reaching for external plugins: Chorus & Delay: Add width, movement, and rhythmic depth. Reverb: From tight rooms to massive, ethereal spaces. Distortion: Add heat, saturation, and "sauce" to your 808s and leads. Light on Resources, Heavy on Sound. Stop freezing tracks and bouncing to audio. Sigma Engine is optimized for Low CPU Usage, allowing you to load multiple instances across your project without taxing your system. It's built for stability, ensuring your creativity never hits a technical wall. The Full Toolkit for Modern Hits. Low End: Earth-shaking 808s, gritty Synth Basslines, and organic Acoustic Basses. Atmosphere: Lush Pads and cinematic Strings. Melodics: Piercing Leads, soulful Keys, and crisp Plucks. Stop searching for the right sound and start creating it. Unlock the power of Sigma Engine today. Read More

Pro Tools, Sibelius & Venue updates from Avid Avid will be showcasing the latest enhancements to Pro Tools, Sibelius and Venue families at NAMM 2026, as well as hosting a series of talks and demonstrations at their booth.

Yamaha launch MGX Mixers, URX Interfaces & CC1 Controller Yamaha are geared up for an eventful NAMM Show, with not one but three new product launches planned for their pro-audio line-up.

Nord unveil the Electro 7 Combining Nord's latest piano technology with the Organ and Rotary Speaker features from the Nord Organ 3, the Electro 7 promises to deliver exceptional versatility in a lightweight footprint.

Let's Spend the Night Together: Mick Rock, David Bowie and the 'Don't Dream it, Be it' EthosTim Curry on set of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' - copyright Mick Rock

When Tim Curry strutted onto the big screen in a black garter belt, shimmering corset top, spiked stilettos and ruby red lipstick, it was a mindset-shifting moment in pop culture. Even those who initially disregarded the low-budget musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show as trash, had to admit the imagery in it was pretty unforgettable. Its catchy songs and sexy stylings seemed destined to be iconic from the start. 

Fifty years after its release, the film’s celebration of individuality, sexual freedom and freak-dom resonates more than ever. In celebration of the anniversary, Los Angeles definitely paid homage in significant ways last year, from panels and Q&A’s with stars (at The Roxy, The Academy Museum and The Grammy Museum) to special screenings, the most memorable of which brought a real time warp to Hollywood Forever Cemetery’s Cinespia and a surprise visit from a wheelchair bound but still bitingly droll Curry and alongside co-star Barry Bostwick aka “Brad,” plus the famed group, Sins O’ the Flesh (who got their start enacting the film at The Nuart theater in L.A.) doing choreo in front of the giant outdoor screen.  

Alaska Thunderfuck at FAB LA - by Steve Lucero for FAB LA

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

A marvelous display took place in December via the lens of legendary rock n’ roll photographer Mick Rock, who released a Rocky Horror book this year documenting scenes from the set during the making of the 1975 cult classic.  Rock, best known for his vibrant work with David Bowie, as well as various album covers for Iggy Pop, Joan Jett and Queen, passed away in 2021, but as his wife Pati Rock told us (exclusively), he left behind an endless treasure trove of images, both digital and on film. The Rocky book is just the first of what she says will be many more upcoming tomes highlighting the decadent music figures and cultural game changers he shot like only he could. 

Using the Rock book as inspiration, curator Kii Arens, best known for the LA LA Land Gallery in Hollywood, welcomed fans to his new DTLA art space, FAB LA, with a mind-flipping thematic soiree featuring Picture Show-inspired art by a who’s who of L.A. luminaries. RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Alaska Thunderfuck (who did a sultry sync on, what else?— “Sweet Transvestite”) and DJs Sean Patrick (Simon Says) and Chris Holmes (Paul McCartney’s personal touring deejay) provided the entertainment.    

Abhora Rules, Amy Doan and pal at FAB LA - by Steve Lucero for FAB LA

Designer Michael Schmidt (known for making shiny luxe looks for the biggest pop divas in the world, including Madonna, Cher, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna) made Ms. Alaska’s Curry-covered frock, perfect for her Frank-n-Furter frolic through the beautiful DTLA building. We should note that beyond dress-up, Alaska had a triumphant year with her stage show Drag The Musical making a splash off-Broadway in NYC and that she's the co-host of Hot Goss, one of our favorite podcasts of the year on the Moguls of Media (MOM) network, co-created with fellow drag doll Willam Belli. 

Fab fashion was called for at this fete, and Plastic God (known for his collectable digital art portraits of music stars, and recent collab with Hello Kitty, melding the Sanrio cat with legends like Boy George, Eazy E and Axl Rose); former MTV VJ Jesse Camp (now sporting a mustache!); Johnny Stuntz (hair stylist for Mariah Carey and Trent Reznor); makeup artist Darian Darling, pretty in Barbie pink; and Sugarpill Cosmetics' Amy Doan and partner Abhora Rules from The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Titans 2; all delivered. Sequins, corsets and lip prints were just some of the Rocky references seen in the crowd.

Nick Launay and Jesse Camp at FAB LA - by Lina Lecaro

DATE WITH THE NIGHT

The plaster cast of a naked Susan Sarandon from the movie was the hit of the event. Nick Launay, a revered music producer whose worked with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, Public Image Ltd, Gang of Four, Killing Joke and Amyl and the Sniffers, to name a few, is the owner of the piece and the tale of how he came to acquire the famed “Janet” statue is pretty wild.

"We still had no idea what the statue was," Launay told us, revealing that a friend identified the plaster mold of Sarandon several years after he found it in an old warehouse. It lived at his dad's place but, "eventually I decided “Janet” needed to be in Hollywood where I currently live," he explained. "I had it shipped, and then restored to its original beauty by a renowned art museum specialist."

Launay who is currently working with Danny Elfman, also told us he's open to selling the priceless piece (serious offers only). Contact him via his Instagram if you're interested.

In a related note, a little birdie told us that the former Oingo Boingo frontman will be popping up on SNL with A$AP Rocky, whom he plays drums for on the rockin' new release, Don't Be Dumb and the first single, "Punk Rocky," this Saturday.

A moment of silence for David Bowie at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- by Lina Lecaro

THERE'S A STARMAN...

From his glitzy persona to his profoundly poetic lyrics, creatives in Los Angeles share a kinship with David Bowie that lives on to this day. Ten years after his death, tribute events are flooding stages big and small across the country in January. On Jan. 10., the date of his passing a decade later, several celebrations took place in L.A. that conjured the icon’s spirit in the most evocative ways possible. Angelenos have a special kind of D.B. devotion. The music industry is based in L.A. after all, and there are few artists who don’t count the chameleon-like performer as an influence, especially in rock n’ roll. 

Though Bowie once called L.A. his “favorite museum” –and he didn’t mean it as a compliment– it did influence him in many ways. It’s where he recorded most of 1976’s game-changing Station to Station and found a confidante in Rolling Stone writer and future filmmaker Cameron Crowe following an into from Ron Wood.

Still, his overall disdain for the city is well-documented. Crowe’s 2025 memoir, The Uncool, highlights the period of creative struggle and substance abuse before Bowie left for Berlin and entered his "Thin White Duke" phase, and as the book outlines with earnest dismay, he did not enjoy reflecting on his “lost year in L.A.” as its known, nor Crowe’s RS’s cover story from that time.

That said, things were different when Bowie received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb. 12, 1992. With wife Iman by his side, he was radiant and healthy, clearly appreciative of being recognized by the entertainment world, which always fascinated him and beckoned him to the big screen. He’d go on to make appearances in both 1996’s Basquiat and 2001’s Zoolander in the years that followed.

David Bowie's star -- by Lina Lecaro

We joined dozens of dedicated fans who gathered at the star – in front of the former home of the now-shuttered Knitting Factory L.A. music club, now an LA Fitness facility– to honor their favorite musician on the 10th anniversary of his death. To them, he was more than a music maker. He was a diety who encouraged fans to make art and be art and to express themselves "in beautiful ways," one of them said. They brought flowers, lit candles, and played his songs, culminating in a ritualistic circle around the star as “Black Star” played from a boombox. They all said they felt him there at that moment, and so did we.

Of course, Mick Rock famously captured Bowie, highlighting his magical Ziggy Stardust persona in the book, Mick Rock. The Rise of David Bowie. 1972–1973 (we'll never forget the opening party at the Taschen store on Beverly Blvd.) His Rocky Horror work was a year later, in '74, and very much in the same spirit, highlighting the outlandish expression ("don't dream it, be it"), androgyny and musical magic that still inspires so many to this day.

If you're in L.A., visit David Bowie's star in Hollywood and check out upcoming Bowie events this week including a Saturday evening tribute show from Music Connection-profiled artist Julian Shah-Tayler, a DJ-driven bar night next week, and the Celebrating Bowie tour at the end of the month, featuring members of Devo, Fishbone and Eagles of Death Metal, in February.

The Mick Rock 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' exhibit closes on Sunday, Jan. 18, but the book is available here. More info on the artshow here.

The post Let's Spend the Night Together: Mick Rock, David Bowie and the 'Don't Dream it, Be it' Ethos first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Snowflake, Databricks challenger ClickHouse hits $15B valuationThe $400 million round was led by Dragoneer.