How Reason’s Bassline Generator Builds Better Basslines (GIVEAWAY)
Writing a good bassline sounds simple until you actually have to do it. I know this problem well. You start with chords, drums, maybe a synth hook or vocal chop, and then the bass becomes the thing you add at the end because the track needs low end. That is how you end up with [...]
View post: How Reason’s Bassline Generator Builds Better Basslines (GIVEAWAY)

California law targeting loud streaming ads takes effect on July 1Streaming ads might be getting a lot quieter.

Alonso Sound Alonso Fireworks Stand [1776 Edition]Alonso Fireworks Stand [1776 Edition] is a collection of 40 explosive presets for Diva, Serum 2, Spire, and Sylenth1. Light the fuse and watch your tracks go off. Every preset is packed with raw pyrotechnic energy, engineered to ensure your next drop hits with a deafening, high-decibel blast. Read More

Moloko Instruments releases Luch, a FREE Soviet-era metallophone plugin
Moloko Instruments has released Luch, a free sample-based instrument for macOS and Windows. I absolutely love the organic sound here. Especially lately, when we are being bombarded with AI and vibe-coded tools that often feel anything but organic or human-made, something like Luch feels like a much-needed breath of fresh air. Luch is based on [...]
View post: Moloko Instruments releases Luch, a FREE Soviet-era metallophone plugin

RF Hacking A Ceiling Fan Via The Remote[Sam Wilkinson] recently installed a Dreo CLF513S ceiling fan in his place — it’s cheap, well-sized, and blows air around as you’d expect it to. The only problem is that it only works with an ugly cloud-only smart home setup out of the box. Never mind, though, because [Sam] figured out how to hack up a custom solution.
Hacking efforts began with the included remote control. [Sam] identified that the remote had to be RF, since it didn’t need line of sight to work properly. The FCC ID on the back of the device further indicated this was the case. Armed with that knowledge, it was simply a case of figuring out the commands sent by the remote, building something to replay them, and then hooking that into [Sam]’s existing Home Assistant setup.
The remote ran on 433.92 MHz, a not-uncommon bit of spectrum for these sort of appliances. An RTL-SDR was thusly enlisted to capture the output, with a spectrogram indicating the remote used simple on-off keying to send commands. Once commands were captured, [Sam] grabbed an ESP32-C6 microcontroller, hooked it up to a RFM69HCW radio transceiver, and programmed it to replay the fan on/off command. From there, a little dabbling with MQTT got the ESP32 controlling the fan as desired from within the Home Assistant ecosystem.
Sometimes, it’s hard to find smart home gear that actually suits your tastes and budgets. Often, a bit of tinkering can shape existing appliances to bend to your will instead. If you’re tweaking your own gear to better fit your smart home, don’t hesitate to notify the tipsline.

EVE Audio introduce EVE Origin EVE Audio’s new control software offers everything from volume control and input selection to delay, sensitivity settings, smart filters and advanced equalisation, making every essential parameter available through an intuitive, streamlined interface.

10 Albums That Were Grunge Before GrungeNirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden didn't invent grunge — they perfected it. These 10 albums, from 1968 to 1984, built every sludgy riff, raw production choice, and punk attitude that Seattle made famous.

Instagram is testing more ways to customize ‘Your Algorithm’Instagram users could soon see more ways to tune their content.

Fidelity rebuts claims Bitcoin becomes less secure after halvingsThe asset manager argues Bitcoin's fixed supply schedule does not undermine network security, even as miners face shrinking block rewards after each halving.

Cramming a Mini-ITX Gaming PC into a 3D Printed Steam Machine Sized CaseThe recently released Valve Steam Machine is somewhat awkward in that it uses a custom, non-standard PCB and non-standard power supply. This fact apparently has irked some people who decided that it makes perfect sense to try and cram a Mini-ITX board, Small Form Factor (SFF) PSU and full-sized discrete GPU into an enclosure of the same size. Cue the SFF Mini-ITX Steam Machine Case project by [3DCatt] over at Printables.
This is apparently a project done in cooperation with AMD’s [Jacob Terkelsen], who showed off the 3D printed case stuffed full with the aforementioned parts, which includes a GeForce RTX 5060 GPU. Of note is that the Valve Steam Machine uses a different cooling configuration as it has both the CPU and GPU on the same PCB. These share the same massive heatsink, as can be seen in e.g. the [Gamers Nexus] teardown video.
For this angular imitation machine it would have been nice to use a blower-style GPU, to exhaust the hot air rather than dump it all into the case. This is also an issue that was raised by [Jacob], with more ventilation added to mitigate the issue. What the overall performance will be compared to regular compact Mini-ITX cases remains to be seen, but if you really want to live the Steam Machine life and have some parts kicking around along with a 3D printer, it might be worth a shot.

Musical Longevity From a Semi-Pro MusicianI’ve been a bassist since the mid-1980s, mostly at a semi-professional level (i.e., earning money but not making a living from music). I’ve toured across multiple continents, recorded in world-class studios, and realized many of my adolescent dreams. Since arriving in L.A. in 2000, I’ve also been a music journalist. On occasions, I’ve acted as manager, booking agent, and/or publicist for my bands, so I have experienced many facets of the industry.

At age 52, with an all-original band (I’ve never done the cover/tribute thing), I signed to a prominent indie label, and we released an album regarded as a genre classic. My most recent gig, at age 59, was a rapturous sold-out show in Mexico City last month, with all the trimmings. My playing is better than ever; I’ve never enjoyed it more; and most of my friends are former bandmates.

Accordingly, my strictly subjective tips below are aimed at those seeking longevity—and maximum joy—as a semi-pro musician playing original music rather than someone wanting to “make it big” or survive as a session or tribute player (though these ambitions can certainly overlap).

Know Your Craft

In a business which places heavy emphasis on “who you know,” networking can start taking priority over actual musicianship. Unless you have absolute rock star talent/looks/charisma, this is a mistake. Think of practice (with a metronome!) and lessons as investments in future fun, creative satisfaction, and maybe a career. Because, sooner or later, the recording light will come on and you’ll need to deliver. I once read that after age 25, all a musician has to offer is their chops—an exaggeration but grounded in truth. This doesn’t mean you have to be a virtuoso unless the gig explicitly requires it. I’m a competent bassist, nothing more, but often get gigs specifically because I keep things simple, solid, and play for the song. 

Be A Good Hang

A few years ago, we hired a pro drummer for an Australian tour. He explained that, as he put it, “being a good hang” is crucial to working consistently in the music business. Because, with countless great players to choose from, especially here in L.A., artists are looking for those who’ll also be fun (or at least amiable) when sandwiched together in a van, studio/rehearsal space, or shared hotel room. Most music making will involve one or more of these situations, so “playing well with others” applies on and off stage. (I once heard of a fantastic guitarist who was fired mid-tour because he kept masturbating on the bus and would hog all the fruit on backstage riders!)

Prepare

“Practice for rehearsal, not at rehearsal,” the old saying goes. No one wants to battle traffic for 45 minutes then stand around in silence at an expensive lockout while one member of the band listens to the material and figures out their parts. Do that stuff at home! Of course, this is infinitely more important when auditioning. Humans are naturally lazy and so are inclined to hire the person who walks in knowing their parts without instruction. For example, I was once asked to learn three songs from an album before auditioning for a signed singer. I learned the entire record. We played it front to back at the audition and, while the last notes were still ringing out, the drummer declared, “Right—let’s books some shows.” A year of fantastic international touring followed.

Get a Flexible Job 

Making music the only thing you do doesn’t make you a musician. Because for most of us, being unemployed will only make you a liability to a band: unable to maintain a reliable vehicle or gear and too broke to contribute to rehearsal/recording costs. Plus, it’s hard to practice if you’re living in your car in a CVS parking lot (I knew a drummer who did just that). So, a day job should be embraced as an intrinsic part of being a semi-pro musician rather than resented as a detriment to that pursuit. Flexibility is key: a job or business that will allow you time off to tour. This is precisely why, when I realized I had appropriate ability, I worked feverishly to build a freelance writing career. And if that job can be complementary to your musical dreams, all the better (I’ve learned so much from interviewing rock stars that applies to my own musical efforts).

Get Out There

In an ideal world, we’d all form our dream band with our best mates at high school and spend adulthood touring the world together. In reality, most musicians are making creative compromises most of the time. But it’s important to stay out there playing rather than just sitting at home scouring Craig’s List and waiting for the perfect opportunity. Even if it’s not entirely your style, joining a band will develop your chops and put you around other musicians with whom, or through whom, more apt situations can evolve. If you can really play and are the aforementioned “good hang,” word-of-mouth often does the rest. But you need to be “in the shop window,” demonstrating what you can do. This doesn’t mean a hardcore punker joining a Barry Manilow tribute act—seek out situations that check at least some of your boxes but be ready to be flexible.

Be A Team Player

This should go without saying but is depressingly common. Don’t be that band member who insists on being loudest in the mix or on rehearsals being scheduled/rescheduled around their whims. Musicians exhibit diverse motivations for playing in bands and, counterintuitively, these sometimes don’t include simply contributing to making the best sound possible. I’ve met folks who’ll join a band mostly so they can live rent-free in its lockout or who are lonely and simply seeking a captive audience. Be a team player and seek out team players, because music is almost always a collective endeavor. This will not only yield better creative outcomes but will also make the process way more enjoyable. Because making music, even in the darkest and angriest genres, is supposed to be fun.The post Musical Longevity From a Semi-Pro Musician first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

CapySynth is now FREE forever after 5,000+ BPB reader downloads
CapybaraSoftware has made CapySynth permanently free after the response to last week’s BPB coverage. We first covered CapySynth last Saturday when it was free for 24 hours. The developer later emailed to say the support from BPB readers was overwhelmingly positive, with over 5,000 downloads, and that it changed his mind about the pricing. So, [...]
View post: CapySynth is now FREE forever after 5,000+ BPB reader downloads

Studio 427 Audio RustEQ le bleuPassive program EQ in the Pultec tradition — extended ranges, plus a full analog-style colour section. The classic passive "program" EQ earned its place in studios for how it sounds. RustEQ le bleu keeps that character — and adds wider ranges, a full colour section, and modulation no hardware can offer. --------------- >>> WATCH VIDEO >> LEARN MORE

WiseTracker is a FREE tracker plugin and standalone app for Windows
BPB reader Wiseman has released WiseTracker, a free public beta tracker that runs as both a Windows standalone app and a VST3 instrument plugin called WiseTrax. This one has an interesting backstory. Wiseman is not a developer in the traditional sense, but he has used trackers for decades and wanted something that felt like FastTracker [...]
View post: WiseTracker is a FREE tracker plugin and standalone app for Windows

UJAM release Retrocraft Retrocraft brings vintage character, analogue-style saturation and lo-fi effects together into a single, intuitive plug-in.