FX-Mechanics Black Widow DrumsThe Black Widow Drums project is the first published drum sampler showcase for FxmeSampler's advanced spatial and processing features. Recorded on a Gretsch Black Widow kit, it utilizes an original microphone array and signal processing chain to deliver a studio-ready drum sound. Video demo here Microphone Configuration: Overheads: Rode NT-SF1 First-Order Ambisonic microphone, capturing a full 360° sound field. Kick: Blue Kick Ball. Snare/Toms: Three Shure SM57s (Snare, High Tom, Low Tom). Advanced Ambisonic-Mono Routing: Each drum element leverages the ambisonicmono hybrid strip. This routes the 4-channel B-Format overhead signal plus the dedicated proximity microphone into a single channel strip. This allows for: Spatial Sculpting: Precision control over the elevation, azimuth, and width of the overhead "view" for each specific drum. The Virtual MS Mic: The ability to treat the ambisonic field as a virtual Mid-Side pair that can be panned and balanced. Hybrid Mixing: An equal-power mix control to blend between the localized spatial field and the punch of the close-mic proximity signal. Room Modeling To optimize performance and reduce the plugin's memory footprint, the room sound is not played back from raw multi-channel files. Instead, a transfer function was calculated between the omnidirectional (W) component of the ambisonic overheads and the physical room microphones. This resulted in Impulse Responses (IRs). The Room channel in the mixer functions as a real-time convolution engine, applying these IRs to the dry signals. This provides an authentic room character while saving gigabytes of sample data. Processing & Mix Architecture: Channel Processing: Every strip features a dedicated effect chain consisting of a 4-band EQ, Dynamics (Compressor/Limiter), and Tube Saturation for harmonic enhancement. Parallel Compression Bus: A dedicated stereo bus for "New York style" parallel compression to add weight and density to the kit. Spatial FX Bus: A secondary bus hosting a combined Delay and Convolution Reverb for additional depth and atmosphere. Read More

Mark Zuckerberg texted Elon Musk to offer help with DOGEWhile the relationship was once thorny enough that Musk challenged Zuckerberg to a cagefight, things seem to have warmed up by the early days of the second Trump administration.

Apple’s Most Repairable Laptop is Thanks to Right-to-RepairThe common narrative around device design is that you can have repairability or a low price, but that they are inversely proportional to each other. Apple’s new budget MacBook Neo seems to attempt a bit of both.
Brittle snap-fit enclosures or glue can make a device pop together quickly during manufacture, but are a headache when it comes time to repair or hack it. Our friends at iFixit tore down the Neo and found it to be the most repairable MacBook since the 2012 unibody model. A screwed in battery, and modules for many of the individual components including the USB ports and headphone jack make it fairly simple to replace individual components. Most of those components are even accessible as soon as you pop the bottom cover instead of requiring major surgery.
As someone who has done a keyboard replacement on a 2010 MacBook, the 41 screws holding the keyboard in brought back (bad) memories. While this is a great improvement over Apple’s notoriously painful repair processes, we’re still only looking at an overall 6/10 score from iFixit versus a 10/10 from Framework or Lenovo.
The real story here is that these improvements from Apple were spurred by Right-to-Repair developments, particularly in the EU, that were the result of pressure from hackers like you.
If you want to push a Neo even further, how about water cooling it? If you’d rather have user-upgradeable RAM and storage too in a Mac, you’ve got to go a bit older.

Tip Jar: Brian Kehew Brings Classic Music Techniques, Equipment, and Mindsets to the Modern WorldMusic historians are driven by a passion for the art that goes beyond lyrics and melody. It’s about the inspiration behind the sound and for the technically-minded, that means every detail that goes into music creation, from the equipment to the boards to the room to the various players themselves. 

Best known as an engineer and producer, Brian Kehew has an impressive list of credits, from Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann to Beck and Eels. But it’s his deep knowledge and understanding of era-specific sonic construction and craft that make him an authority, especially when it comes to classic rock and the best music ever made. 

His ability to identify and recreate aural effects and evocative vibe on record has made him the industry go-to man when it comes to mixing music that evokes the past.

“My main work for the last 25 years has been mixing projects of classic bands and artists who are putting out box sets and unreleased things like concerts,” Kehew explains. “I studied music and recording history, so I can make a 1958 record sound correct. I can make a Madonna record from the '80s sound correct. Whether it’s early Black Sabbath or a jazz record from the '60s, I know the different styles and techniques.”

If you bought or downloaded a re-release or special collection from the likes of Aretha Franklin, Talking Heads, or Fleetwood Mac recently, and enjoyed the package’s extras (from a live concert track to a never before heard alternate version of your favorite hit) chances are Kehew mixed it, bringing clarity and quality to the old material, but also an audiophilic authenticity that makes the whole recording flow seamlessly.

He’s known for this kind of work with countless artists including Ramones, The Pretenders, Morrissey, Alice Cooper, The Faces, The Stooges, MC5, Yes, Elvis Costello, Van Halen, and so many more.

“My studio is full of old tape machines so playing music from the past—like from the '60s and '70s for example—is no problem,” he explains. “My job is to go through the archive with the producer—a specific album or it could be a whole career—and see what’s not been heard before. Then I get to mix it to fit. That is my favorite job and just my favorite thing to do.” 

These types of older recordings would lose their magic in the hands of a less-schooled, less informed mixer. As Kehew explains, “you can fix vocals, drums, line things up, and ‘modernize it’ or make it cleaner or tighter, which modern music values, but I’m also trying to keep a '70s record sounding and feeling like the '70s.”

A lot of Kehew’s mixing jobs happen to be for legendary artists who led him down his professional path to begin with. Born and raised in San Bernardino, he learned engineering and recording at Cal State Dominguez Hills, took piano and guitar lessons as a kid, and later formed an electro duo with Jellyfish’s Roger Manning called The Moog Cookbook, doing inventive covers of alt-rock and classic rock gems. 

Working as a musician has never been Kehew’s focus, but he did just get one of the coolest gigs ever. As a regular crew member for The Who, he played a slew of fill-in dates for their keyboardist on the final tour, including the Hollywood Bowl. He also just shared the stage with Pete Townshend during a surprise GRAMMY party jam.

Kehew’s work with the biggest bands on the planet doesn’t stop there. 

He serves as lead engineer on the Grateful Dead’s Angels Share series, featuring hours of unreleased alternate takes, experimentation, and even studio chatter. “What I like about these is there’s almost no overdubs,” he says. “There’s no trickery. They haven’t finished the record yet, so you get to hear them as they were.”

Studying an artist’s records, knowing the traditions of recording from the past and the equipment used all factor into conjuring their nostalgic feel, and beyond mixing and producing, Kehew has channeled his nerdom for all of it into other game changing endeavors, including books. 

His extensive survey of the Beatles gear and processes (with co-author Kevin Ryan) called Recording The Beatles: The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used To Create Their Classic Albums became a collectable best-seller. He followed it up by publishing two more Beatles books—Kaleidoscope Eyes and Places I Remember—with photographer Harry Grossman. 

His next Beatles tome is a massive project exploring the work of master producer/arranger George Martin, which he dubs “the number one project in my life because I’ve worked on it for over 10 years now.” The three volume George Martin: The Scores is finally due out this month on Kehew’s Curve Bender Publishing.

While researching the first book he became interested in the Sound Techniques mixer used on records by everyone from David Bowie to Elton John, as well as Queen, The Stones, and yes, the Fab Four too, all in the U.K. After connecting with its designer, he also had a hand in helping it get remanufactured and placed at major studios across the country. 

Kehew also owns his own studio, called Round and Wound in North Hollywood, specializing in tape and media transfers done by the best ears in the business. It’s his HQ for mixing and a place to connect with musicians of all ilks beyond the biggies. In these unstable and erratic times for the music industry it provides an old school, human touch that is much needed as A.I. and social media threaten what we love about music. With this in mind, he offers this advice for would-be producers, mixers, and music makers in general: 

Follow your passion—“It should be more than a hobby. It should be who you are. If all the record stores closed, I would still be making music. I would be arranging songs and working with friends.”

Show off your skills—“I’ve always felt that work will find you if you put it out there. And my best, like my Warner Brothers studio work, found me because I was doing what I do. Do it all the time, for everybody, maybe for free. People will find you.” 

Figure out ‘your thing’ that’s different from everybody else—“There are five, six people on my block in North Hollywood that do what I do. But what I do that’s different comes from studying music history. So do what only you can do!”The post Tip Jar: Brian Kehew Brings Classic Music Techniques, Equipment, and Mindsets to the Modern World first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Shadaloo Audio DSP releases H, a FREE tone and loudness enhancer plugin
Shadaloo Audio DSP has released H, a free tone and loudness enhancer plugin for macOS and Windows. H was built by Fabio “Shadaloo” Caterino, an Italian multi-platinum certified mix and mastering engineer. He originally designed the plugin for his own mixes and then decided to release it publicly as a pay-what-you-want download. First of all, [...]
View post: Shadaloo Audio DSP releases H, a FREE tone and loudness enhancer plugin

Win a FREE copy of maniFold Omega FULL by Strange Audio
Strange Audio is giving away two free copies of maniFold Omega FULL (worth €29 each) to BPB readers. We featured the free maniFold Σ experimental microlooper from the same developer last year, and it was included in our popular roundup of unusual free plugins released in 2025. maniFold Omega is a hybrid real-time effect processor [...]
View post: Win a FREE copy of maniFold Omega FULL by Strange Audio

Sonora Cinematic launch Movimento Strings The latest addition Sonora Cinematic's range of Soundbox instruments throws some chamber strings into the mix, and aims to tackle the issue of long, sustained notes sounding too clean or static. 

SampleTekk Singularis vintage piano plugin is FREE for two weeks ($49 value)
Audio Plugin Deals is offering the Singularis piano by SampleTekk for free for the next two weeks. The plugin normally costs $49. Singularis is a virtual piano instrument designed to recreate the sound of recordings from the late 1950s and early 1960s. Back then, studios worked with a few microphones, limited tape tracks, and most [...]
View post: SampleTekk Singularis vintage piano plugin is FREE for two weeks ($49 value)

New Music Critique: Kendra ChanaeContact: kendrachanaemusic@aaron-freiwalWeb: kendrachanaemusic.comSeeking: A&R, labelStyle: R&B/Indie Pop

Kendra Chanae possesses a technical toolkit that most vocalists would envy, yet her original material often feels like a Ferrari stuck in a school zone. Her range is undeniable, but it’s currently wrapped in a layer of restraint that dampens the emotional impact. Ironically, her cover of “Feeling Good” serves as a roadmap for what she’s truly capable of—a soaring, passionate display of power. The missing ingredient isn’t talent; it’s the willingness to let her own songs explode with that same uninhibited fire. Technique and transcendence aren’t always the same thing.The post New Music Critique: Kendra Chanae first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Harrison launch LiveTrax 3 Harrison’s live recording and virtual soundcheck software has just reached its third major version, which among other improvements, delivers direct integration with DiGiCo consoles.

Why SoftBank’s new $40B loan points to a 2026 OpenAI IPOWall Street giants JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs are extending a 12-month, unsecured loan to the Japanese conglomerate.

California governor signs order banning prediction market insider tradingThe executive order is the latest in a wave of legal actions in the US seeking to curb government insider trading on prediction markets.

Shadaloo Audio DSP HH is a tone and loudness enhancer designed for mixing and mastering. I'm a multi-platinum certified mix and mastering engineer based in Italy, and I originally built this tool for my own sessions before deciding to release it. The goal is to increase density, harmonics and perceived loudness while keeping the signal controlled, stable and musical. The processor is built around a straightforward workflow: push the signal into saturation, shape the character, then bring it back using parallel blending. Main features: - Push control for input drive and saturation - Output control designed to work together with Push for gain staging - 5 Color modes: Smooth, Soft, Edge, Grit, Crush - Blend control for stable parallel processing - Peak and RMS modes for accurate level comparison - Oversampling up to 4x. H works well on buses, groups and full mixes, as well as on individual tracks when needed. Formats: - AU / VST3 macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel, signed & notarized) - VST3 Windows (64-bit). Available as free / pay-what-you-want. Read More

Laser Welding Helps YouTuber Get Ahead with Aluminum SheetLaser Welding is apparently the new hotness, in part because these sci-fi rayguns masquerading as tools are really cool. They cut! They weld! They Julienne Fry! Well, maybe not that last one. In any case, perhaps feeling the need to cancel out that coolness as quickly as he possibly could, YouTuber [Wesley Treat] decided to make a giant version of his own head.
[Wesely] had previously been 3D scanned as part of the maker scans project, which you can find over on Printables. Those of you who really hate YouTubers, take note: finally you have something  to take your frustrations out on. [Wesely] takes that model into Blender to decimate and decapitate– fans of the band Tyr may wonder if the model questioned his sword–before feeding that head through an online papercraft tool called PaperMaker to generate cut files for his CNC. There are also a lot of welding montages interspersed there as he practices with the new tool. [Wesely] did first try out his new raygun on steel in a previous video, but even knowing that, he makes the learning curve on these lasers look quite scalable.
While we’re not likely to follow in [Wesely]’s footsteps and create our own low-poly Zardoz– Zardozes? Zardii?– using a papercraft toolchain and CNC equipment with sheet aluminum is absolutely a great idea worth stealing. It’s very similar to what another hacker did with PCBs— though that project was perhaps more reasonable in scale and ego.
We are no strangers to papercrafts that use actual paper here, either, having featured everything from model retrocomputers to fully-mobile strandbeasts. 

WET VST releases WetReverb and WetDelay, two FREE open-source 80s-style effect plugins
Ronald Klarenbeek has released WetReverb and WetDelay, two free and open-source VST3 plugins with an 80s rack unit aesthetic. Both are part of the WET VST project, which is a growing line of plugins built directly on the Steinberg VST3 SDK without JUCE or any third-party framework. In a recent email conversation, Ronald told me [...]
View post: WET VST releases WetReverb and WetDelay, two FREE open-source 80s-style effect plugins