dBdone releases Pentimento texture layering plugin with FREE version
dBdone has released Pentimento, a free (paid upgrade available) texture layering plugin for macOS and Windows, developed in collaboration with music producer and YouTuber Taetro. Pentimento is designed to layer textures and sound effects on top of existing audio using envelope-triggered dynamics instead of MIDI input. So, instead of sequencing notes or programming patterns, you [...]
View post: dBdone releases Pentimento texture layering plugin with FREE version

New Music Critique: Cassia DawnContact: cassiadawnmusic@aaron-freiwalWeb: cassiadawn.comSeeking: SponsorshipStyle: Singer-Songwriter

Right from the opening bars of “Life is Like a Latte,” we get a flavor of what acoustic soul-pop artist Cassia Dawn is all about, namely the sweetest melodies adding color and vibrancy to her tales of everyday life. The entire Life is Like a Latte EP, in fact, features five tracks that all seem to be centered around working in a coffeeshop. Inspiration strikes at the funniest times, apparently. So we also get the pointed and perhaps metaphorical “No Free Refills,” and the allegorical “Spinning Plates.” Dawn’s voice is delicately expressive, and her songs are expertly constructed.The post New Music Critique: Cassia Dawn first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

SEC dismisses civil action against Gemini with prejudiceThe SEC was satisfied with Gemini’s agreement to contribute $40 million toward the full recovery of Gemini Earn investors’ assets lost as a result of the Genesis bankruptcy.

Waymo probed by National Transportation Safety Board over illegal school bus behaviorThe NTSB joins the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in investigating Waymo vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses.

PLA Mold To Plaster Bust, No Silicone Needed3D printing is wonderful, but sometimes you just don’t want to look at a plastic peice. Beethoven’s bust wouldn’t look quite right in front of your secret door if it was bright orange PLA, after all. [Denny] over at “Shake the Future” on YouTube is taking a break from metal casting to show off a quick-and-easy plaster casting method— but don’t worry, he still uses a microwave.
Most people, when they’re casting something non-metallic from a 3D print are going to reach for castable silicone and create a mold, first. It works for chocolate just as easily as it does plaster, and it does work well. The problem is that it’s an extra step and extra materials, and who can afford the time and money that takes these days?
[Denny]’s proposal is simple: make the mold out of PLA. He’s using a resin slicer to get the negative shape for the mold, and exporting the STL to slice in PrusaSlicer, but Blender, Meshmixer and we’re pretty sure Cura should all work as well. [Denny] takes care when arranging his print to avoid needing supports inside the mold, but that’s not strictly necessary as long as you’re willing to clean them out. After that, it’s just a matter of mixing up the plaster, pouring it into the PLA, mold, and waiting.
Waiting, but not too long. Rather than let the plaster fully set up, [Denny] only waits about an hour. The mold is still quite ‘wet’ at this point, but that’s a good thing. When [Denny] tosses it in his beloved microwave, the moisture remaining in the plaster gets everything hot, softening the PLA so it can be easily cut with scissors and peeled off.
Yeah, this technique is single-use as presented, which might be one advantage to silicone, if you need multiple copies of a cast. Reusing silicone molds is often doable with a little forethought. On the other hand, by removing the plaster half-cured, smoothing out layer lines becomes a simple matter of buffing with a wet rag, which is certainly an advantage to this technique.
Some of you may be going “well, duh,” so check out [Denny]’s cast-iron benchy if his plasterwork doesn’t impress. We’ve long been impressed with the microwave crucibles shown off on “Shake the Future”, but it’s great to have options. Maybe metal is the material, or perhaps plain plastic is perfect– but if not, perchance Plaster of Paris can play a part in your play.

Korg’s Phase8 acoustic synthesizer lets you use sticks, stones, and magnets to create soundsKorg has shifted the relationship between acoustic and electronic with the Phase8, its new acoustic synthesizer, which debuts at NAMM 2026.
The finished instrument,which was first teased at Superbooth 2024, comes with 13 precisely engineered steel resonators that vibrate at the frequencies of a chromatic scale. Eight of them can be installed on the synth at one time.
To produce the sound, coils send a signal to the resonators. These signals can be modified using familiar synthesizer parameters such as envelope and velocity, and then sequenced.
The acoustic element means you can get experimental by physically interacting with the resonators. You can touch the resonators to affect the sound, or any matter of physical item can be placed upon them to alter the way the resonator vibrates.
At Korg’s NAMM booth, each station with the phase8 had a series of small objects that everyone was encouraged to use with the synth. These included stones, wooden sticks, small metallic bits, and even magnets, which added modulation beyond the different quality of sound. Then the AIR slider can specifically adjust the acoustic response of the resonators.
“[Korg] wanted to do something that had never been done before,” says Rachel Aiello from KORG Berlin. “It would have been easy for them to continue making analogue synths, but they wanted to do something different.”
Check out more NAMM 2026 news as it happens.
The post Korg’s Phase8 acoustic synthesizer lets you use sticks, stones, and magnets to create sounds appeared first on MusicTech.

SampleScience releases Cozy Piano, a FREE intimate upright piano plugin
SampleScience is a name we know very well around BPB, and their latest release is the Cozy Piano, a FREE intimate upright piano plugin for macOS and Windows. We’ve covered many SampleScience releases over the years, including VHS Noise Generator, Virtual Handpan, and the Sega Master System sound chip emulation. If the mention of a [...]
View post: SampleScience releases Cozy Piano, a FREE intimate upright piano plugin

NAMM 2026: Neural DSP introduce Quad Cortex mini A new ultra-compact guitar and bass processor that delivers the same processing architecture, audio quality and Neural Capture technology as the original Quad Cortex, now in a significantly smaller and more portable enclosure.

Bram Bos BattlestationBattlestation is a "1-minute groovebox", designed to get a thumping EDM jam going in

I checked out Groove Thing, the musical buttplug, at NAMMGroove Thing, “The World’s First Internal Music Player,” was available on the NAMM show floor. It may have been tucked away on a single table at the Rock Paper Scissors Innovator Hub, but the humble presentation does not reflect the significant interest in the product. Since launching in June, it’s raised over $500,000 on Kickstarter, and has been featured in DAZED and the San Francisco Gazetteer.
NAMM is all about letting prospective customers try new products, but, for the sake of decorum, no one was using Groove Thing to its full potential. Rather, no one was inserting the product vaginally or anally as advised, in front of the thousands of people traversing the convention.
Instead, we were encouraged to hold the product against our chests and feel how the vibrations align specifically with different frequencies of the music. Previous sound-responsive vibrators merely turn on and off in response to music, whereas Groove Thing adjusts to different instruments, keys, and other intricate details.
The product has been tested on 187 bodies. Purchases come with an anal attachment, vaginal attachment, and an external massage attachment, along with the external speaker, allowing users to hear and feel the music simultaneously like never before.
Check out more NAMM 2026 news. 
The post I checked out Groove Thing, the musical buttplug, at NAMM appeared first on MusicTech.

Lexi Todd promoted to Deputy Chief Operating Officer At Primary WaveTodd celebrates 10 years at Primary Wave, initially joining the company as a legal intern in 2016
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NAMM 2026: Apogee announce Symphony Nova Newly announced desktop audio interface combines four high-end analogue microphone inputs with real-time, ARM-powered DSP processing.

Lime Cordiale’s Lime Green Festival Is How Artists Can Take Climate Action Into Their Own HandsAustralian indie band Lime Cordiale is launching a festival to address the environmental impact of touring and the live music industry. Here's why this matters.
The post Lime Cordiale’s Lime Green Festival Is How Artists Can Take Climate Action Into Their Own Hands appeared first on Hypebot.

How To Finish An Album This 2026 (My Monthly Song Sorting System)Hermes of the Sound + Creativity Substack shares his mathematical approach to creativity and productivity, a replicable formula for any creative looking to output more in 2026.
The post How To Finish An Album This 2026 (My Monthly Song Sorting System) appeared first on Hypebot.

PMC reinvents its Main Monitors for the modern studio with all-new drivers and support for immersive workflowsPMC has unveiled its new Main Monitor Series, marking the company’s 35th anniversary and its first complete redesign of main monitoring systems in more than three decades.
It’s the most significant update since the range was last refreshed ten years ago, with improvements focused on clarity, lower distortion and increased headroom for modern music, film and immersive audio workflows.

READ MORE: NAMM 2026 Live: All the news, gear, and innovations from the biggest music gear event

Designed and built entirely in-house, the new series draws on PMC’s long-standing work with top-tier recording, scoring and post-production studios. From driver technology to system architecture and software control, every aspect of monitor performance has been reworked to meet the demands of today’s multichannel and spatial audio environments.
At the heart of the new range is a completely redesigned low-frequency system. PMC has developed a new generation of large-format bass drivers to work alongside an evolved version of its ATL bass-loading system and LaminairX airflow technology. The result is controlled, natural-sounding low end even at very high playback levels.
Credit: PMC
Midrange duties are handled by PMC’s newly developed PMC75v3 soft-dome driver, which incorporates the company’s a-void absorber to reduce rear-wave reflections. In practice, this means a clearer, more open midrange that makes it easier to judge vocals, dialogue and complex mixes. High frequencies are delivered by a new 34mm soft-dome HF driver, designed for low distortion and fatigue-free listening during long sessions.
All models in the series are fully active and powered by PMC’s master36 rack-mount DSP and amplification platform, delivering 800W each to the high- and mid-frequency drivers and 1000W to the bass driver. Meanwhile, system configuration and optimisation is handled via the updated SoundAlign2 browser-based interface, which allows users to manage EQ, delay, crossover settings and presets, with support for up to 32 loudspeakers within a single installation.
The series launches with four models – PMC10, PMC12, PMC15 and PMC10-4 – all fully active three-way designs. Each can be used as a standalone full-range monitor or expanded with matching XBD bass cabinets and standalone subs, allowing systems to scale from compact control rooms to full-blown multichannel and Dolby Atmos installations.
Learn more at PMC Speakers.
The post PMC reinvents its Main Monitors for the modern studio with all-new drivers and support for immersive workflows appeared first on MusicTech.