The composer who scored The Last of Us has released a ronroco sample library with Spitfire AudioGustavo Santaolalla, a composer known for scoring the likes of The Last of Us and Brokeback Mountain, has teamed up with Spitfire Audio to release a first of its kind library based on the ronroco.
Santaolalla has used the ronroco, a double-stringed Andean instrument, as his signature voice for decades. Spitfire has captured its hair-raising sound by recording Santaolalla’s own ronroco in his LA studio, with his personal E-minor tuning and articulation choices too.

READ MORE: Venus Theory’s new free piano library is sampled from Benn Jordan’s unique upright Yamaha

Santaolalla’s ronroco can be heard within the scores of films such as Babel, The Motorcycle Diaries, and over both The Last Of Us games and its accompanying TV series. His use of the instrument makes for highly-emotional, and instantly recognisable soundscapes. As Spitfire Audio explains, the ronroco’s character stems from its five courses of double strings, with its middle course tuned to an octave, which creates “rich resonance and notable sustain”.

With the new Spitfire Audio library, composers and producers can experiment with multiple articulations, intuitive performance modes (Sequencer, Chord & Note), and built-in FX – these are programmed by Mike Georgiades, the developer behind Spitfire’s MG Soft Acoustic Guitar and MG Soft Nylon Guitar libraries. It also hosts a custom 32-step sequencer, with articulation per step, and a simple MIDI drag-and-drop to DAW feature.
Find out more and hear it in action below:

“Gustavo opened up the world’s ears to the creative possibilities of the ronroco thanks to his sensitive, luminous playing and intuitive yet complex compositions,” comments Spitfire Audio co-founder, Paul Thomson. “We want to offer these creative possibilities to more musicians, composers, and producers who love what they’ve heard in Gustavo’s score and want to incorporate that same feeling into their own projects. The instrument has inspired Gustavo and we are certain its virtual counterpart will inspire countless artists in new ways.”
Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla will be available for £139 ($169/€149) from 24 April. An introductory discount of 20 percent is available until 8 May. Find out more via Spitfire Audio.
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Arturia V Collection 11: New plugins, price, V Collection Intro, and everything else you need to knowArturia has released V Collection 11, the latest instalment of its revered suite of plugins that emulate classic analogue synthesizers and acoustic instruments. Along with a handful of new emulations, V Collection 11 also introduces new additions to Arturia’s Augmented series and a new synth, Pure LoFi. Also new is the V Collection Intro bundle, which offers a slimmed-down version of the library at a lower price.

READ MORE: Best free plugins 2025: 15 free synths that you didn’t know you needed

Speaking to MusicTech about V Collection 11, Arturia explains: “As the market and contemporary music production evolve, one of our main challenges is to come up with new types of instruments to bring more versatility and complementarity for music makers, while remaining true to our identity…We take pride in the fact that our products are not simply content-based. They are the result of meticulous engineering, built to deliver pristine audio and long-term value.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the update.
Arturia V Collection 11. Image: Press
What’s new in V Collection 11 at a glance
Seven new instruments arrive in V Collection 11, bringing the total number of instruments up to 45. The new instruments are:

Jup-8000 V
SEM V
MiniBrute V
Synthx V
Pure LoFi
Augmented Mallets
Augmented Yangtze

In addition, the entire Augmented Series lineup receives a major update, as does the MiniFreak V (an emulation and companion synth to Arturia’s MiniFreak hardware).
The Jup-8000 V, SEM V, Synthx V and MiniBrute V are all emulations of hardware synths. Meanwhile, Pure LoFi, Augmented Mallets and Augmented Yangtze are all new, original instruments. Why did Arturia opt to create these particular instruments?
“Certain instruments have played a crucial role in shaping musical eras and cultures,” Arturia tells MusicTech. “These instruments remain indispensable for musicians today, whether producing music that adheres to established aesthetics or forging innovative musical paths…The new original instruments allow us to infuse the pure DNA of the brand.”
Truthfully, only four of the seven new additions are truly ‘new’. The SEM V is a remake, while the MiniBrute V and Synthx V were released in 2025. Still, there’s a lot to unpack — check out a breakdown of each instrument later in this article.
V Collection Pro and V Collection Intro — how much do they cost, and what’s the difference?
V Collection Intro is a new tier for Arturia’s plugin suite.
As expected, V Collection Intro is a “compact, carefully curated” suite of 10 V Collection plugins. This comes at a lower price of €199/$199 and gives you Analog Lab Pro, Mini V, Jun-6 V, Prophet-5 V, DX7 V, PureLofi, MiniFreak V, Stage-73 V, Augmented Grand Piano and Augmented Strings.
Meanwhile, the full suite — now sold as V Collection Pro — is  €699/$699.
Speaking to MusicTech, Arturia says V Collection Pro is “aimed at contemporary music producers, beatmakers and nostalgics,” boasting instruments that “cover the whole spectrum of the music era.” The brand adds that V Collection Intro is better viewed as “a starting point for [producers] beginning their journey with our instruments.”
Arturia V Collection 11. Images: press; edited by MusicTech
But, hang on — isn’t Analog Lab already a sort of V Collection Intro? Not exactly, Arturia says.
“Analog Lab and V Collection have always taken different approaches,” a spokesperson says. “Analog Lab prioritises efficiency, providing access to a wide variety of sounds in one place and encouraging creativity by simplifying preset exploration. V Collection, on the other hand, offers a deeper, more focused experience.”
All the new V Collection 11 instruments in detail
Jup 8000-V
Arturia’s Jup-8000 V is an emulation of Roland’s JP-8000 analogue modelling synth, first released in 1996.
The plugin packs seven synthesis engines, a surgical filter, a multi-arpeggiator and a melodic sequencer. Arturia also says it reverse-engineered every detail in the circuitry of the JP-8000, making sure to replicate the powerful Supersaw oscillator that the original synth was celebrated for.
The Jup-8000 V also has an expanded, modernised effects section with 18 effects, including a new Trance Gate.
Arturia Jup-8000 V. Images: press; edited by MusicTech
SEM V
The Oberheim SEM was one of Tom Oberheim’s first synth creations. Released in 1974, the monophonic synth became the foundation for the legendary synth maker’s most celebrated instruments. Arturia brings this to your DAW as the SEM V.
Here’s the thing — the plugin itself is not new. Arturia’s been flogging the SEM V since 2012, but this iteration is remodelled from the ground up. It sports a sleeker, more modern interface, but also has some additional quirks.
The SEM V has a 12dB/oct state variable filter, just like Oberheim’s original, that Arturia claims is “smooth, musical and endlessly expressive.” Elsewhere, dual oscillators, two ADS envelopes, and eight voices of polyphony make up the synth’s sound engine, letting you move beyond the monophonic nature of the original. In addition, an Advanced Panel offers access to a deep modulation engine, an effects rack, a multi-arpeggiator and expressive tools.
MiniBrute V
Arturia’s MiniBrute has become a modern classic in the synth world. The brand’s software recreation, which reimagined it from monophonic to polyphonic,  was released in May 2024, but only as a standalone synth for €199. Now, it comes bundled into the V Collection.
You can check out our news story to get the full lowdown on the MiniBrute V.
Synthx V
Another synth that was released standalone before V Collection 11 is the Synthx V. This emulation revives the coveted Elka Synthex polysynth released in 1981.
Touted by Arturia as a “stereo dream machine”, the Synthx V is a multitimbral synthesizer that boasts the same dual-engine architecture that combines two layers of synthesis. There are also two digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs) for “lush, warm and characterful analogue sounds,” says the brand, and a multimode filter based on the CEM 3320 multimode filter in the original. Plus, the beloved Chorus effect from the original Synthex has been emulated here, too.
Again, you’ll get the same multi arp function, modulation page, expanded effects, and more in the Advanced Panel found in other V Collection instruments.
Pure LoFi
Arturia Pure LoFi Images: Arturia; edited by MusicTech
This unexpected addition is an Arturia original. Pure LoFi is, unsurprisingly, all about giving you lo-fi sounds. It’s a polyphonic synthesizer that has nine different hardware modes to emulate the sound of vintage samplers, which include tape-focused samplers like the Mellotron, digital samplers like the Akai MPC60 and E-Mu SP-1200, and VHS-style samplers similar to modern plugins used in lo-fi hip-hop.
READ MORE: The E-mu SP-1200: How one sampler ushered in a revolution
Pure LoFi also has six different lo-fi modes for a variety of gritty, degraded textures, plus three sound design engines that let you combine acoustic instruments and samples with digital synthesis.
Augmented Series
New to the Augmented series (Arturia’s sample-based synths) are Augmented Mallets and Augmented Yangtze.
Mallets is focused on bringing you the sound of the marimba, vibraphone, celeste and tubular bells. You can blend these sounds with a built-in synth engine for hybrid sounds, and get expressive with the plugin thanks to MPE support.
Yangtze, meanwhile, offers a palette of traditional Chinese instruments, again combined with a synth engine to get creative. This plugin boasts six instruments, 38 articulations and 30 process and multisample articulations, plus MPE support.
Arturia has updated the entire Augmented range with a new interface and workflow, a host of new features, plus new sampled content and factory banks for Augmented String and Voices.
Arturia Augmented Yangtze. Images: Arturia; edited by MusicTech
Should you buy Arturia V Collection 11?
We awarded the V Collection X a 9/10 score in our 2024 review, but the price has jumped up by $100 since then. Is it worth the extra expense?
We’ve been working on a review of the V Collection 11 over the past few weeks and will be sharing our critical thoughts with you soon. Sign up for the MusicTech newsletter for weekly product reviews, features and guides.
In the meantime, we asked Arturia why producers should consider the V Collection 11. The brand responded:
“We’ve been 25 years in the making, refining our skills to deliver premium instruments.
We consistently push the boundaries to elevate the user experience by improving our engine sound quality, expanding extra features, refining interfaces and workflow, and adding presets and content. This allows us to keep our product portfolio up to date and continue to catalyse the creativity of music makers.”
Learn more about V Collection 11 at arturia.com. 
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“Labels have found a new way to put artists in a position where they seem to be making a lot of money, but they essentially own nothing”: Rick Beato and Anthony Fantano discuss the impact of Spotify and streamingMusic critic and content creator Anthony Fantano has shared his thoughts on the streaming model in a new in-depth conversation with Rick Beato.
With artists making less than a penny per stream on most streaming platforms, the business model is continually brought under fire, with the largest platform, Spotify, facing the most criticism. In its Loud & Clear annual report for 2024, Spotify spoke of the “paradox” of the modern music industry, where it said “the sheer volume of uploaders” to its platform “means the fraction who find success appears smaller over time”.

READ MORE: Over 60% of emerging producers and DJs feel “the electronic music industry is a closed club”, with social media presence prevailing over skill

Spotify has also said it doesn’t pay artists directly, but pays rights holders instead. In general, it says it pays them roughly two thirds of every dollar it makes from music. To support its report, it also released a video on “how the money flows” – you can watch it below:

In his discussion with Beato, Fantano explains his frustrations with Spotify in particular: “We’ve done lots of videos about Spotify that deal in the ongoing monetary squeeze that they’re doing on artists. The fact that they kind of sit there and continue to act like, ‘We’re paying artists as much as we can, we can’t pay them anymore.’ They pass the buck over to the labels as well.”
He adds, “Meanwhile, [Spotify CEO] Daniel Ek and other people who are at the top at Spotify are cashing out their stock to the tunes of 10s of millions of dollars multiple times a year. The major labels have an investment in Spotify as well, so they have a monetary interest in the platform succeeding.”
Fantano also refers to a book he’s been reading on the life of rapper MF DOOM, which gives insight into how the music industry used to work back in the 1990s: “It discussed the first deal he and his brother had gotten when they were in this rap group called KMD. Their deal was, like, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“As you know, back in the day when you would get those kinds of deals, it would be a lot of money up front, but then simultaneously, you’re getting charged for the studio time. You’re getting charged for this by the label. And essentially you get nickel and dime to the point where you don’t recoup anything. This is just like the new version of that,” he says of streaming.
“It’s like the labels have found a new way to put artists in a position to where it seems like they’re making a lot of money up front, they’re getting a lot of access, there’s a lot of potential there. But then they turn around and they essentially own nothing, and they’ve made nothing.” He later concludes, “The only people at this point who could do anything and shut off the faucet are the rights holders, and they’re not saying no. They’re fully on the train, they’re throwing coal into the steam engine.”
You can watch the full video from Beato and Fantano below:

When faced with criticism over its payout model, Spotify has, on numerous occasions lately, blamed the amount of money that artists receive on the deals they have signed with rights holders. When Kate Nash recently said, “We’re paid very, very, very poorly and unethically for our recorded music,” the company told the singer to look at the payment terms she has with her label and other rights holders.
“Spotify has no visibility over the deals that Kate signed with her rights’ holders. Therefore, we have no knowledge of the payment terms that were agreed upon between her and her partners,” it said.
“We do know that British artists generated revenues of over £750 million on Spotify alone in 2023, a number that is on the rise year on year. So it’s disappointing to hear that Spotify’s payments are not making it through to Kate herself.”
Take a look at Spotify’s full Loud & Clear Report.
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Electronic music industry is now worth $12.9 billion, with large festivals and tours driving revenueA new report has revealed that electronic music has risen in worth by six per cent, totalling at $12.9 billion in 2024.
The data comes from the newly published IMS Business Report 2025 with assistance from MIDia Research. It shows the majority of revenue was created by festivals and clubs, as well as things like merch and sponsorships.

READ MORE: “I needed a big name people would remember, even if it’s attached to infamy”: Someone’s bought some Fyre IP – and plans to launch a streaming service later this year

Across last year, electronic music continued to steadily become a bigger part of the global festival landscape, with 18 per cent of line-ups of the top 100 festivals being electronic artists in 2024 – up two points from 2023 and five points from 2021. Nine of the top 100 festivals across the globe were electronic music festivals.
The report also says that “the post-Covid recalibration is done”, and that revenue growth for live music normalised in 2024, with revenues more than double what they were pre-Covid. Growth was boosted by pre-sales for 2025 tours, however higher ticket prices were the main driver of growth, rather than the volume of tickets sold.
The higher end of live events did best, like big tours at large venues, while the lower end of the market continued to face venue closures and face a lower willingness and ability to spend by many consumers – these concerns are continually being raised by owners of grassroots music spaces and artists across the UK.
Also in the UK, dance music was subject to the “brat summer” effect – 2023 and 2024 were years of growth for dance music in the UK, with its share of consumption in the albums market increasing in both years. Dance tracks in the year-end UK Top 100 Official Singles Charts were up in 2024 after a fall in 2023.

As for music labels, the majors grew revenue by six per cent in 2024 (with Sony being the fastest growing major last year), but non-majors saw a growth of eight per cent to reach $10.7 billion. Independent labels such as Believe and Concord are carving out market share gains, while many Global South labels are on the up as streaming growth surges in their home markets.
Consumers also show an increase in wanting to participate in music, not just listen. The trend of speeding up or slowing down music is continuing to be hugely popular, and 2024 is also described as “the year that generative AI kicked into gear”. 10 per cent of consumers have used generative AI to make music or lyrics, and there is also a combined total of 60 million users of music AI apps.
To find out more and download the full report, head over to the official IMS website. 
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“Designed not to deliver perfect results, but to encourage exploration”: Sampleson’s Predictor plugin generates new notes and voicings from any MIDI fileSampleson has launched a brand new plugin that learns from any MIDI file, and generates new melodic and harmonic content.
Aptly named Predictor, the tool analyses cadences, note relationships, velocity patterns, structural position, modulations, and other features from your file, and then predicts upcoming notes and voicings. Users can trigger these predictions in real-time via mouse clicks, computer keyboard, or a MIDI controller.

READ MORE: Electronic music dethrones indie on TikTok for the first time in app’s history: “Dance music has become more accessible and big in the commercial sphere”

You can simply feed it your MIDI files through a drag-and-drop interface, but it already hosts a curated library of 600 MIDI files for an easy start. Integration with any DAW is described as “seamless” by the independent developer (though Pro Tools is not supported), but it also works as a standalone app.
Sampleson also says that Predictor is designed not to deliver perfect results, but to encourage exploration instead. This means some of its suggested paths will work, and some won’t – “and that’s the point”, according to the brand.
“Predictor isn’t about control. It’s about momentum. About breaking through creative blocks and discovering musical ideas you might never have imagined,” explains Sampleson in a press release. “You control the rhythm, Predictor takes care of the notes. Each input you give it triggers a prediction, letting you shape the outcome of the phrase in real time.”
Take a look at the videos below for a better idea of how it works:

Last year, Sampleson launched Scaper, a plugin that promised to turn absolutely any audio signal into an ambient soundscape – even a sneeze. It works “by extracting essential attributes from dropped audio files and incorporating them into the creation of atmospheric soundscapes”, and is capable of generating “hours” of audio, with a generative algorithm creating slightly different compositions each time.
Predictor is available now for an introductory price of $29 (standard $49). You can find out more or download now via Sampleson.
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“I don’t have to clear any samples and I’m also getting original music”: Why Will Clarke writes entire songs just to sample them laterSampling has been the bedrock of electronic music for decades – but Will Clarke is putting his own spin on it.
Speaking on the first episode of MusicTech’s My Forever Studio Season 7, the British DJ, artist and producer reveals his unconventional method of writing entire tracks just to resample them, noting that the approach helps him stay creative and legally stress-free.

READ MORE: Over 60% of emerging producers and DJs feel “the electronic music industry is a closed club”, with social media presence prevailing over skill

“So the way I wrote the album and the way I write now is I go into a studio, I’ll write a disco song, or I’ll write like a ballad or I’ll write something that’s just completely a rock song,” Clarke says. “Then I’ll go back to my studio and just completely resample it and treat it like a sample so I don’t have to clear any samples. I don’t have to worry about that but I’m also getting original music.”
“If you look at all the records [that] as house music producers we sample previously, they weren’t perfect records,” he adds. “They weren’t recorded in the best studios in the world because the best studios weren’t even around then.”
This lo-fi charm is something the musician embraces fully: “You get artifacts in the recordings which sometimes is really annoying,” he admits, “but with technology nowadays you’re like ‘okay it is what it is’. You can take those artifacts out or sometimes leave them in. It’s for me just trying to write the best record, not sonically the best record.”
“When you’re making a record, if you’re trying too hard to make it sound good at the time, you just lose everything.”
“We still want grit and sand in the records and I think by having the most perfect mic setup, preamps, all of that – yes it sounds great but I’m not writing pop records.”
The same philosophy extends to the producer gear’s choices too. Instead of relying on industry staples like the Roland TR-808 or 909, Clarke says he prefers using the AVP ADS-7, a somewhat obscure Russian drum machine, when crafting beats.
“It’s not a clean sound,” he says. “But I’m not looking for a clean sound. I’m looking for something gritty. I’m looking for something to get textures that you wouldn’t get from a sample.”

You can subscribe to My Forever Studio on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and check out all episodes so far via MusicTech.

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“I find it crazy when people on the internet make a song in an hour – I’m like, ‘Clearly it won’t be that good!’”: Dan Nigro on the pros of cons of taking longer on songwritingProducer Dan Nigro believes you can make a good song in a short amount of time, but to create a truly great song, you’ll need to slow right down.
Known for his work with Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan, Nigro won Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical) at the 2025 Grammy Awards. His production career shot to new heights with the success of Rodrigo’s debut Sour album, which saw tracks like Driver’s License and Good 4 U top charts across the globe.

READ MORE: “We need more listeners and dancers and less DJs”: JKriv says DJs should have “more anonymity” when performing

In a new video with Universal Audio on its YouTube channel, Nigro reveals that for him, slow and steady wins the race when it comes to building a truly great piece of music that will stand the test of time: “I always find it crazy when people are on the internet like, ‘make a song in an hour!’ Clearly it won’t be that good, you know?” he says.
“You could write a good song in an hour for sure, and because writing songs is so expressive, sometimes the shorter period of time it takes to write it actually does mean it’s better, but in terms of making a great song, I feel [that] takes a long time to figure out.
“When you look back at records, all the best records that we all love, you’re talking about 10 songs or 12 songs that were made over two or three years. You’re talking about a ratio of like three good songs a year for a band. If I can make four really good songs in a year, that’s all you need, really. I know that sounds crazy but that’s what it really takes to make, I think, music that’s going to last forever. You want your songs to be played 20, 30 years from now, and that takes time.”

Also in the video, Nigro looks back on the success of Rodrigo’s smash hit, Driver’s License. He found that the success propelled him to another level, where he ended up working with huge artists with super-packed schedules.
“It took us 17 days before we made Driver’s License in the studio… but [now] we only have like five hours and then one of us has a dinner. How are we going to make a song this good?” he says of navigating the experience.
“Just because you think an artist is great doesn’t mean that you should work with them. I was told that early on but I didn’t really believe it until I experienced going through it and working with people that I thought were amazing artists, but then not having great results.”
You can watch the full video below:

The post “I find it crazy when people on the internet make a song in an hour – I’m like, ‘Clearly it won’t be that good!’”: Dan Nigro on the pros of cons of taking longer on songwriting appeared first on MusicTech.

Electronic music dethrones indie on TikTok for the first time in app’s history: “Dance music has become more accessible and big in the commercial sphere”Views of electronic music videos on TikTok have overtaken those from the indie genre for the first time in the app’s history.
According to The Guardian, posts tagged with #ElectronicMusic attracted more than 13 billion views in 2024 — a 45 per cent jump from the previous year, which itself had seen a 100 per cent increase compared to 2022.
That breakneck growth has outpaced both the “indie and alternative” and “rap and hip-hop” categories, marking a significant moment for the genre’s presence online.

READ MORE: Over 60% of emerging producers and DJs feel “the electronic music industry is a closed club”, with social media presence prevailing over skill

TikTok says electronic music, including popular subgenres like techno and house, has become the go-to soundtrack for creators posting content related to sports, fitness, fashion, travel, and summer holiday recaps. Artists like Joel Corry and Disclosure are among those who’ve seen viral success on the platform.
Toyin Mustapha, TikTok’s Head of Music Partnerships for the UK and Ireland, says of the genre’s surge in popularity: “TikTok users tend to tag the genres of music, especially genres like electronic music. It shows the community they are trying to build and are part of, and electronic music is very much a community-led thing.”
“Dance music has become more accessible and big in the commercial sphere,” he adds. “We are seeing the breaking down of boundaries for artists, and TikTok is part of that. It’s not just reflected in festival bookings, you can see it in the official charts as well.”
Notably, recent figures published by the International Music Summit’s Business Report for 2025 reveal that global electronic music generated $12.9 billion over the last 12 months — a 6 per cent increase.
The report, authored by MIDiA Research’s Mark Mulligan, notes that while this is a slowdown from the 9 per cent growth seen the previous year, it reflects a return to more stable, post-Covid rates, especially in the live sector.
“Global music industry revenue grew again in 2024, though at a slower rate than in 2023 due to maturing streaming revenues and the post-Covid live resurgence lessening,” says Mulligan. “Electronic music however, continued to increase its share of both revenues and culture.”
“Driven by the rise of new genres like Afro House, a renaissance for genres like Drum & Bass, and the rise of a new generation of fans, creators and scenes remaking electronic music in their own image, electronic music finds itself at the start of a brave new era of culture resonance.”
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“The constant ‘no’s make you tough. They make you say, ‘f**k everybody, I’m still gonna do it’” Claude VonStroke on building a career on his termsAfter over 20 years of touring the world, producing music festivals, and running record labels, Claude VonStroke is living his life of leisure. He is now a 100% independent artist, releasing the music he wants the way he wants.
Broken down individually, “the music he wants” could mean everything from wacky house music as Claude VonStroke, or hard-hitting beats under his birth name, Barclay Crenshaw.

READ MORE: JKriv: “A finished track is better than a perfect track, every single time”

“How he wants” relates to his staggered release plan. The Detroit-born producer shared his latest EP, I Was the Wolf, first with his pay-to-access website, Claude’s Club. Next, he put up the tracks as a Beatport exclusive for DJs wanting to play them live. The final tier, or rather, “the mass-consumption tier” as he describes it, is for Digital Streaming Platforms (DSPs), which will get the EP on 25 April, the same day his Life of Leisure tour begins.
“Life of leisure is my overall philosophy now,” says Crenshaw. “I call it my Moodymann phase. Maybe I’m a little harder to get hold of. Maybe I’m not answering all the emails. I’m only playing shows that I actually want to play. I’m just living my life. I’m not trying to get any gig, be in some crew, or be in some movement of hot trends. I’m just making songs, and that’s how I started.”
Image: Press
Crenshaw may have started his career that way, but he was forced to hustle for many years. From 2005 until 2023, he oversaw the musical vision for his record label Dirtybird, personally A&Ring over 300 releases and signing culture-shifting artists such as Julio Bashmore, Hannah Wants, FISHER and John Summit in the earliest years of their projects.
“I find [artists] before they figure out the formula; I find them in their raw state. I’m trying to get back to that raw state myself,” Crenshaw says.
Under the Dirtybird name, Crenshaw also organised events across the US. He curated two music festivals: an outdoor camping weekend, Dirtybird Campout, and the resort event, Dirtybird CampINN. He also launched the Dirtybird BBQ tour, a run of single-day events in cities like Los Angeles, Denver, Detroit, and New York.
Then, after selling Dirtybird to the San-Francisco-based distribution company, EMPIRE, in 2022, he set his crosshairs on the Barclay Crenshaw project. Under this name, he released the album Open Channel and played major US festivals such as Lightning in a Bottle and Shambhala.
As proud as he is of everything he’s accomplished, at this point, he realises he can continue making music and touring without nearly as much stress.
“There was a little bit too much riding on every decision back in the day. Everything was like, ‘If we don’t sell these festival tickets, we’re gonna have to sell our house.’ I had that mentality for so long,” Crenshaw says. “If you’re always freaking out you can make it happen. But I did that for so long that I almost thought that was normal. Now I’m realising everything doesn’t have to be full panic mode. You can take four months off, make really cool music, and then go out and do the dates you want.”
Image: Press
Having broken through in the early 00s, starting with throwing free parties in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Crenshaw acknowledges that artists beginning their path today are entering a vastly different landscape. One where new aspects, such as social media, are required for growing a project. When he was growing Barclay Crenshaw, he did what artists are “supposed to do.”
“I was posting [to social media] almost every day,” he says. “It kind of works, and eventually way more people are looking at your stuff, but it totally fucking sucks. It’s not even making music. It has nothing to do with anything. It’s stupid.”
One strategy that works for him — and that he recommends to other producers — is stockpiling. Spend the time making tons of music to hone your skills, but then only put out the best tracks you have at a staggered pace. Get them on the right label or get a bigger artist to do a remix if possible, but overall, it’s better to have a release catalogue of your best music.
“People think that the consistent output is better than the good output. Just keep hammering until something catches,” Crenshaw says. “You might win over a really long period of time. But it’s just a bunch of garbage. Why would that work? It’s not gonna stick out.”
Quality over quantity drove his release rhythm even before his Life of Leisure phase, and now he’s applying it as he’s making music as well. Having spent the last 18 months immersed in bass music for Barclay Crenshaw, he brought an entirely new point of view back to the house music he’s making as Claude VonStroke. His primary solution for making tracks used to be layering new elements until everything sounded right. Now he’s using as few sounds as possible, but dialling them in until the mix is at its absolute best.

“The quality of the sounds that you pick in the beginning is so much higher. You have a box,” Crenshaw theorises, “and there are only so many things you can fit in this box. After things start falling out of the box the sound starts squishing and sounding shitty. If you can put three things in the box, it just sounds amazing,”.
This less-is-more approach doesn’t limit the sonic quality of the track, either. Both tracks on I Was the Wolf harbour a minimalist feel, allowing each of the few sounds he used to live and breathe. But this method can support thicker tracks as well. It’s not about whether a track is minimalist or maximalist; it’s about specifically refining each minuscule element as much as possible to where they exist in perfect harmony.
“Before, I would just put in a disco loop and EQ out all the bass and be like, ‘Okay, that sounds cool.’ The other way of doing it is actually making sure every transient is in lockstep with every bass transient,” Crenshaw says. “Let’s make sure that all the swing is completely lined up together. It still has to sound fucked up and a little bit off to have this swing, but [it’s about] putting things in the right spots instead of just putting a layer on.”
Sometimes this process isn’t conducive to his vision for the track, and he’ll rely on his prior methods of stacking as many layers as he needs. But as a fully independent artist, he can make tracks that sound exactly the way he wants and put them out as he pleases.
Image: Press
Crenshaw admits that being signed to a major label will get your music heard by many more people, despite the greater amount of oversight. “They have tentacles that spread across the world,” he says. But at this phase of his life, the freedom to make weird beats is what’s most important to him.
Besides, while a contract with Warner, UMG, or Sony was never on his radar, he did try to get signed at revered labels such as Ninja Tune, but it never worked out. Crenshaw faced many rejections on his path, but those were essential to the journey.
“The constant ‘no’s make you tough. They make you resilient, and they make you just say, ‘fuck everybody, I’m still gonna do it.’ So many people will give up at those ‘no’s. The people who don’t give up, who stay around and keep going, make it. If you’re out there, just keep going because everyone else is gonna give up. I promise,” Crenshaw says. “The rejection creates the diamond.”
Now he’s cashing in those diamonds to live his life of leisure.
The post “The constant ‘no’s make you tough. They make you say, ‘f**k everybody, I’m still gonna do it’” Claude VonStroke on building a career on his terms appeared first on MusicTech.

Filtrr is a FREE Ladder Filter and Saturation Plugin by BlepFX
BlepFX has released Filtrr, a versatile ladder filter and saturation plugin for free. We have written about the cool offerings by developer BlepFX here before, like the impressive companding distortion Destruqtor and lo-fi degrader plugin Crunchrr. BlepFX is known for making tools that are both aesthetically pleasing and easy to work with, and most importantly, [...]
View post: Filtrr is a FREE Ladder Filter and Saturation Plugin by BlepFX

Windsurf slashes prices as competition with Cursor heats upAI coding assistant startup Windsurf cut its prices “across the board” it announced on Monday, touting “massive savings” for its users as competition with its rival Cursor intensifies. Windsurf said it’s getting rid of its complex system of “flow action credits,” which charged developers for actions its AI did in the background. It’s also cutting […]

Engineer Josh Gannet Channels His Workflow Through Focusrite InterfaceJosh Gannet's beginnings saw him playing guitar in a hard rock band, and he later worked with legendary hip-hop icons like Redman and the Wu-Tang Clan. "Gannet’s journey has been one of evolution, passion, and an unwavering commitment to sonic excellence," a Focusrite statement reads. "What started as a favor—producing a record for another band—soon became a full-fledged career as more artists sought him out for his keen ear and unique approach. And through his career, his unconventional approach to recording and mixing has made him stand out, while he has relied on gear from Focusrite for its reliability and sonic qualities."The press release continues: "Gannet’s introduction to the recording world was purely organic. As a musician, he spent countless hours in the studio, learning from engineers and producers while working on his own projects. When another band approached him to produce their record after hearing his own band’s work, Gannet seized the opportunity. One successful project led to another, and soon, his reputation as a producer and engineer grew within the New Jersey and New York music scenes. With no formal training in engineering, he developed a philosophy of prioritizing “vibe over science,” a mindset that continues to define his work today. His ability to understand the artist’s perspective—shaped by his own experiences in the recording booth—set him apart and made him a sought-after name in the industry.""His engineering career took a significant step forward when he landed a role at Showplace Studios in Dover, New Jersey, working under the legendary Ben Elliott. The studio had a storied history, hosting the likes of Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Steve Miller. This experience deepened Gannet’s understanding of analog gear and vintage recording techniques, an education that would influence his work moving forward.""While Gannet has worked across multiple genres, it is his contributions to hip-hop that have made him a notable name in the industry. His long-standing collaborations with Redman, Wu-Tang Clan, and various solo projects from Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Inspectah Deck have cemented his reputation. Since 2011, he has been a key figure in Redman’s engineering team, working on projects such as Muddy Waters Too, 3 Joints, Remixxes and Mudface.""Gannet operates as a freelance engineer, often working in artists’ personal studios, including Redman’s infamous home studio—made famous by his notorious MTV Cribs episode. Despite being deeply rooted in hip-hop, Gannet brings a rock-leaning warmth to his mixes, a distinction that has drawn comparisons to the sonic richness of Dr. Dre’s productions.""Gannet’s reliance on high-quality gear is integral to his process, and Focusrite products play a crucial role in his studio setup. Having started with a first-generation Scarlett 2i2 — which he notably utilized in the making of a Wu-Tang album — he now integrates several of Focusrite’s current-generation interfaces, including the Red 8Line and RedNet R1, into his workflow. At Redman’s home studio, he utilizes the Clarett+ series, which was instrumental in crafting Muddy Waters Too—an album widely praised for its sonic depth and warmth."“When it comes to my outboard gear, I still use a traditional analog TT patch bay,” stated Gannet. “My Red 8Line is wired through the patch bay and then routed into the computer, maintaining a straightforward signal flow. Additionally, I have the R1 connected via Dante® for control.” He continues, “My setup for the R1 is a bit unconventional compared to its intended design. I worked remotely with a Focusrite technician to modify its functionality. By default, the unit isn’t configured to display input levels on the left screen and output levels on the right, but that was my assumption when I first received it. I was initially excited about this expected feature, only to learn that it wasn’t part of the standard setup. However, after discussing the idea with Focusrite, they found it intriguing and worked on a solution. Thanks to their expertise, they figured out a way to modify the system to function as I envisioned—and that’s how I use it today.” Beyond just sound quality, Gannet values Focusrite’s reliability and top-tier customer support, which has allowed him to work seamlessly under tight deadlines. “I trust it,” Gannet says of Focusrite gear. “It works. And when I need help, their support is second to none.”"Currently, Gannet operates from his private studio, formerly known as Skunk Hollow Recordings, where he continues to offer top-tier recording and mixing services to a diverse range of clients," they say. When asked about mixing at his home studio, Gannet shared, “The truth is, especially with my current Focusrite setup, I feel more comfortable mixing in my home studio than anywhere else—this is the first time in my career I can say that. I used to dread mixing at home. If a project didn’t have the time or budget for an external studio, I’d make it work, but it was never ideal. Now, I love it. In fact, I’ve recently moved a couple of projects from other studios to my own because I know I can deliver a higher caliber mix here. I always tell clients, ‘I can mix at your studio, but you’d be limiting the quality of my work because I’m simply not as comfortable in your space as I am with the sound in mine.’ With that said, the Focusrite gear stands up to anything else out there in terms of audio quality—and it just works. Period.”"With upcoming projects from Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck and Method Man, Gannet continues to push boundaries in recording and mixing. His ability to navigate multiple genres while maintaining an artist-friendly approach ensures that his influence in the industry will only continue to grow. His studio continues to be a hub for creativity, where technical prowess meets an unshakable commitment to the artist’s vision.:For more info, visit focusrite.com.The post Engineer Josh Gannet Channels His Workflow Through Focusrite Interface first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

US exchanges bet big on crypto derivatives amid tariff turbulenceUnited States exchanges are betting big on cryptocurrency derivatives as market turbulence from US President Donald Trump’s looming trade war propels demand for the financial instruments. Since late 2024, exchanges including Coinbase, Robinhood, Kraken, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group have been listing new types of crypto derivatives and mulling multibillion-dollar acquisitions as they vie for control of the burgeoning market. In April, the stakes became even higher after Trump’s unveiling of sweeping tariff plans sent financial markets into a frenzy and spiked crypto derivatives trading volumes. “Institutional and sophisticated retail traders are increasingly turning to crypto derivatives platforms to navigate macroeconomic risks and uncertainty brought on by escalated tariff policies and global trade tensions,” David Siemer, CEO of asset manager Wave Digital Assets, told Cointelegraph. Consequently, US exchanges are “experiencing record-breaking surges in trading activity and are expanding their investment offerings with the promise of regulatory clarity,” Siemer said. Net open interest in Bitcoin futures rose sharply in April. Source: CoinalyzeRelated: Coinbase launches CFTC-regulated SOL futures in USTrump spikes trading activityCrypto derivatives trading activity took off in 2024 after Trump’s November election victory sent exchange volumes to record highs. In December, Coinbase said trading activity on its derivatives exchange rose by more than 10,000% year-over-year. Similarly, CME Group flagged crypto derivatives as among the exchange’s fastest-growing product segments during its 2024 earnings call. Trump’s tariff plans, announced April 2, further accelerated trading activity. As of April 23, net open interest in Bitcoin (BTC) futures, the most popular crypto derivatives, rose by approximately 30% from the start of the month, according to data from Coinalyze. Futures contracts are standardized agreements to buy or sell an underlying asset at a future date, often using leverage in a bid to enhance returns. Kraken bought NinjaTrader in March. Source: KrakenHeated competitionBurgeoning trading volumes are fueling competition among exchanges. Since February, Coinbase has launched several new crypto derivatives products, including futures contracts tied to altcoins such as Solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP).Meanwhile, Robinhood listed Bitcoin futures — its first crypto derivatives contracts — in February and, in March, CME Group listed its first Solana futures contracts. The CME SOL futures clocked upward of $12 billion in volume during the first day of trading, the exchange told Cointelegraph. Additionally, exchanges are turning to mergers and acquisitions to hasten growth. Coinbase is reportedly in talks to buy crypto derivatives exchange Deribit in a multibillion-dollar bid to expand its footprint in the market segment. In March, US crypto exchange Kraken agreed to buy NinjaTrader, a futures exchange, for $1.5 billion.“The recent wave of tariffs has transformed crypto derivatives exchanges into critical market infrastructure,” Nic Roberts-Huntley, CEO of Web3 developer Blueprint Finance, told Cointelegraph. “While traditional markets faltered under tariff pressures, derivatives platforms have inversely flourished, serving both as speculative venues and protective hedging mechanisms in a fragmenting global trade landscape,” Roberts-Huntley said.Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

Synthesizer basics: ADSR, filters, best synths for beginners, and more
Dive into sound design and synthesizer basics, from oscillators and ADSR envelopes to the best synths for beginners and more.

Cookie giant Crumbl, reportedly eyeing $2bn sale, sued by Warner Music Group over ‘massive scale’ copyright infringement in TikTok postsWMG has sued US cookie chain Crumbl, alleging that it built its business through “blatant, willful, and repeated copyright infringement.”
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