Latest Mike Senior course launched Mixing guru and SOS contributor Mike Senior has announced the launch of his latest online course, which is available now through his Cambridge-MT website.

Spitfire Audio reveal Abbey Road Orchestra 1st Violins The latest addition to the Abbey Road Orchestra series has been created using entirely new recording and development techniques, and promises to be Spitfire's most detailed string library to date.

4 free sound design plugins for your music in 60 seconds
From powerful filters to emerging AI tools, we cover four free sound design plugins that are great additions to any music producer's toolkit.

Bastl Instruments launches “pocket-sized patchable synthbox” which generates melodies with easeBastl Instruments has launched the Kastle ARP, a compact modular melody generator based on a quantized sine wave oscillator with a digital waveshaper.
Described by the brand as a “powerhouse of creativity”, the Kastle ARP offers “unparalleled patch flexibility”, and comes shipped with 10 patch cables.

READ MORE: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen is ideal for recording artists with a modest studio

The synth is battery powered and small enough to hold in the palm of your hand. Its pitch selection utilises straightforward concepts to deliver delightfully glitchy and intricate melodies. Pitch can be selected using the Note and Chord inputs, and the synth’s quantized oscillator keeps things consistently in tune.
There’s a decay envelope which adds variation by occasionally skipping pitches before retriggering, and a timbre control so you can blend between noble sine waves and 8-bit chip-tunes.
Bastl says that Kastle ARP has a “versatile” LFO section, which has been inherited from the original Kastle Drum. In boot-mode, you can access the root note and fine pitch tuning. On top of that, the bass output plays the root pitch of the current chord, which is said to enhance the overall sound.
Users can also run the Kastle ARP through delay and reverb effects, and combine it with other Kastle synths. Check out the videos below to find out more and hear it in action:

Further specifications include:

NOTE knob to browse through eight octaves
Timbre xor waveshaper
CHORD CV input switches between three chords
CV controllable decay envelope generator
Triggered pitch with “negative” decay to achieve melodic variation
Voltage-controllable clock with square and triangle output
Stepped voltage generator with random, 8-step, and 16-step loop modes
Two I/O CV ports routable to any patch point
The main OUT capable of driving headphones
3x AA battery operation or USB power, selectable by a switch
Open source
Black and silver PCB enclosure

Kastle ARP is available now directly via Bastl Instruments for €107 (tax excluded).
Find out more over at Bastl Instruments.
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Sample clearing “limits creativity” of smaller artists, “but Dua Lipa is gonna use whatever she wants,” says Jaymie SilkJaymie Silk, a house music producer from Paris, has shared his thoughts on the issue of sample clearing.

READ MORE: Brian Eno has 25 new tracks “built entirely out of stems and samples from his own material” coming your way

Speaking to DJ Mag as part of a long-form op-ed feature called What is the future of sampling?, Silk expresses his concern in regard to the challenges faced by sample clearing, the process of obtaining legal permission and often paying fees to use copyrighted music or sound recordings in new works.
He highlights that, for smaller artists who might not have the financial means to embark on this process, creativity can be “limited” as a result.
“If I want to use a sample, I can’t do it, because economically, legally, it’s complicated,” he says. “But if you’re a big artist, you can. So, I’m limited in my creativity, but Dua Lipa is gonna use whatever she wants.”
Credit: Mauricio Santana/Getty Images
Revered hip-hop journalist Dan Charnas also has his say on sample clearing: “I am not uncomfortable with copyright,” he says. “What I am uncomfortable with is when copyright gets in the way of artists’ right to version, and create.
“That’s part of what you are when you’re an author. As an author, you’re supposed to be quoted!”
While the piece marks sampling as “a central pillar of music production in the 30-odd years since MPCs hit the shelves”, not everyone in the music industry is a fan of the technique. Three-time Grammy-winning producer Tony Visconti recently slammed modern producers, saying, “They’re making bulls**t records with loops. Everything’s sampled. I think old-school production with a band is the only way to make great records.”
While the economic inequality in music production means it’s easier for some artists to make the music they want to and harder for others, there are tools out there that can provide a workaround solution. ThatTrack, an AI-powered tool, was launched in March, and offers 30,000 copyright-cleared tracks for various content, reducing the risk of copyright strikes on social media.
For more industry news, head to musictech.com.
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Remastered version of Brian Eno’s The Ship to land on vinyl this yearBrian Eno’s 2016 album The Ship is set to be reissued. The album will arrive on 20 October this year, and a run of celebratory live performances will take place prior to its release throughout October.
The album originally marked Eno’s 27th full-length solo studio record, and featured a mighty 21-minute-long title track. It was the first album to feature vocals since 2005’s Another Day On Earth, and was said to be partly inspired by the Titanic disaster and the First World War.

READ MORE: Brian Eno hates the “arsehole chord” – but what exactly is it?

Arriving on a coke bottle green coloured vinyl, the album has been remastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road, and is set to be released via Universal Music Recordings.

Eno will perform live at an array of venues leading up to the release, with shows beginning on Saturday 21 October. He will take to the stage in venues across Venice, Berlin, Paris, Utrecht, and London, and will be accompanied by the Baltic Sea Philharmonic orchestra and conductor Kristjan Järvi.
“The album The Ship is an unusual piece in that it uses voice but doesn’t particularly rely on the song form,” Eno says in a statement (via Far Out Magazine). “It’s an atmosphere with occasional characters drifting through it, characters lost in the vague space made by the music. There’s a sense of wartime in the background, and a sense of inevitability. There is also a sense of scale which suits an orchestra, and a sense of many people working together.”
He continues, “I wanted an orchestra which played music the way I would like to play music: from the heart rather than just from the score. I wanted the players to be young and fresh and enthusiastic. When I first saw the Baltic Sea Philharmonic I found all that… and then noticed they were named after a sea. That sealed it!”
Eno’s live dates at Venice and Utrecht dates are already sold out, but you can find out more and view the full list of tour dates via Universal Music.
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“I’m quite happy to play until I drop”: Fatboy Slim says he has no plans to retireDJ and producer Fatboy Slim won’t be taking a step back from music anytime soon. Despite revealing that he can’t do things “at the same pace” he used to, he happily declares he will play until he drops.
The artist, whose real name is Norman Cook, turned 60 last July. He has been performing at a range of live shows over the last year, including a performance at Glastonbury Festival earlier this Summer.

READ MORE: Tycho: “If there’s a software equivalent of a tool or an instrument, I’m going to use that instead of the hardware, no matter what”

A 25th Anniversary edition of the DJ’s pivotal album You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby has recently been remastered at half speed at Abbey Road Studios, and will be released on 13 October this year. The record features some of his biggest hits including Praise You and Right Here, Right Now.
In an interview with Billboard, he explained why retirement is not the plan he has in mind: “I tried retirement during lockdown. I had an enforced retirement for a year. Didn’t agree with me at all.
“I think I’ve gotten to a point now where I can probably ride this one out until I drop. In some shape or form I think they’ll always be a place for me to be doing something. As long as I’m enjoying it and other people are still enjoying it, I don’t see any reason to stop.”

He goes on to add, “I mean, I don’t do it at the same pace I used to. I turned 60 this year. I can’t do the stupid things I used to, but I’m quite happy to play until I drop. Athletes have to retire early, boy bands have to retire early, but with DJs, it’s not about our looks or our fitness or anything like that. We can go grey and bald and fat, because we were never supposed to be pinups anyway.”
View all of Fatboy Slim’s upcoming live dates on his official website.
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YouTube just announced 5 free video creation and editing toolsYouTube just announced a suite of new free video creation and editing tools driven by AI that will be rolling out to all users in the coming weeks. Dream Screen. Continue reading
The post YouTube just announced 5 free video creation and editing tools appeared first on Hypebot.

New bill empowers musicians to negotiate with streamers, AI platformsA revised version of the Protect Working Musicians Act introduced by US Representative Deborah Ross of North Carolina would make it easier for independent musicians to negotiate with streaming services and. Continue reading
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Best AI Graphic Generators for musicians, album covers, playlists, moreNot everyone is tech/artistically savvy, but luckily this list of online generative AI tools will create album covers, playlists, and marketing graphics with just a few words as a prompt.. Continue reading
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‘Companies overlook niche markets. That is something we are starting to change.’ONErpm's Martin Price on the independent company's global expansion...
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Audiomodern Deconstruct - Expansion for Playbeat Deconstruct from Audiomodern delivers a fat amount of production tools, inspired by the Tech House names of today. Loaded with a huge selection of loops including Kicks, Hats, Atmos, Percussion,... Read More

Introducing Cantor, an epic all-in-one software for all your looping, sampling and sound design needsIn search of an all-in-one program for all your looping, sampling and sound design needs? Look no further than Cantor, the latest free “music playground” created by musician-slash-developer Jonatan Krogh.

READ MORE: Tycho: “If there’s a software equivalent of a tool or an instrument, I’m going to use that instead of the hardware, no matter what”

Described as a “complete self-contained Looping, Sampling and Sound design software”, Cantor is a versatile tool designed to be usable for musicians who “don’t like computers”.
The software packs an epic amount of features for musicians to use across their practice, producing, jamming and performing sessions. To start, Cantor features 32 easy to use effects that you can combine across eight effect processors for some serious sonic exploration. All synchronisation and quantization options are defined as fractions for you to generate Polyrhythms.
The program also allows you to make music across eight stereo looping tracks. There’s a quick sampler that grabs incoming sound and maps it to your keyboard, and loop sizes can run anywhere from samples to minutes. Cantor also boasts a growing collection of in-house synths, as well as VST/AU plugin support for you to connect third-party instruments.
As for recording, simply press on a single button to record the entire session. Multitrack recording is available as well, and all loops can instantly be bounced down.
Cantor is currently available for Mac-OS only, though a Windows build is in the works.
And the best part? The app is completely free and financed entirely by donations.

Learn more at cantorlooper.
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Rast Sound Plugins Collection All Rast Sound's 7 plugins are now available within this Plugins Collection. See all plugins available within this collection: Cinescapes PRO Smart ambient music... Read More

How the vinyl industry weathered pandemic disruptions to emerge stronger than everCOVID-19 hit the vinyl industry as a perfect storm. Making a recording, even at the best of times, demands an intricate and specialised production process. The pandemic introduced shortages of key materials and skyrocketing manufacturing costs that pushed lead times for new vinyl pressings to as long as 12 months.

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Stores shuttered. Global shipping delays kept existing stock off shelves. And, as the disruptions of 2020 stretched into 2022, stakeholders across the industry were left with the uneasy but not unfamiliar feeling that maybe the medium of vinyl truly might not recover this time.
However, if there’s one thing we should have learned over the last few decades, it’s that vinyl doesn’t go down easy. In 2023, the industry has not only weathered the tempest but has seemingly emerged stronger than ever, thanks to a dramatic expansion of production capacity at existing facilities and new pressing plants opening up around the world.
“The current lead times are a lot healthier,” says Anouk Rijnders, project manager of Artone Studio in The Netherlands. “When you have a new album recorded, you don’t want to have to wait a year to get it released. A turnaround time of 12 weeks is much better for the industry.”
DeWolff at Record Industry. Image: Jaap Kroon
Similarly, while some local record stores were forced to close permanently, many more pivoted to online sales. It proved effective in connecting with customers during the lockdowns and pushing through the pandemic slump, says Larry Jaffee co-founder of the annual Making Vinyl conference and author of Record Store Day: The Most Improbable Comeback of the 21st Century.
“The latest sales numbers suggest that consumer demand for vinyl remains strong,” says Jaffee. “New brick-and-mortar outlets have opened on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean since life has returned to normalcy.”
Esher Vollebregt, manager for Record Store Day in the Netherlands, sees a similarly encouraging trend: “Stores are doing really well and not many locations had to shut down. The total number of shops in the Netherlands has remained very stable over the years and vinyl sales are still growing. Fun fact: of the five or six new stores that opened after the pandemic peak, two are run by young girls – 20-year-old Sophie from Artistic Records and 14-year-old Quinty from Q-Records.”
That young people are interested in retaining these local hubs is an important victory for the industry. While online sales may offer convenience for customers, and a financial lifeline for businesses, the unique role that physical record stores hold is hard to replace.
Record Industry vinyl pressing plant. Image: Jaap Kroon
From crate-digging culture to community connection, these spaces are about more than making a purchase. “Record stores are places to get in touch with new music in an accessible way,” says Vollegregt. “They are the main physical meeting point for vinyl enthusiasts and the vinyl culture.”
Record stores are essential in maintaining existing vinyl communities on a local level. But large-scale in-person events have emerged as the best way to excite the wider public and introduce younger generations to the medium.
Jeffrey Smith, VP of marketing at Discogs, says events like the upcoming Haarlem Vinyl Festival in the Netherlands are pivotal in sustaining the culture and growing connections within the diverse communities who celebrate the medium.
“These events provide a space for collectors, fans, artists, sellers, and historians to celebrate their shared passion for music and vinyl,” says Smith. “In essence, they are the beating heart of the vinyl community, igniting connections, nurturing growth, and preserving the enduring appeal of vinyl records for generations to come.”
Featuring an open-air record fair, live performances, listening sessions, and a conference program, Rijinders says multi-day events like the Haarlem Vinyl Festival function as a generational bridge – where people can not only celebrate the medium but exchange knowledge.
Vinyl against the sunlight in the Netherlands
“The great thing about an event like this is that many people, young and old, can get together,” she says. “They can hear new music, share collections and stories, but perhaps also learn things; how to set up their system or the history of classic albums.”
The importance of connecting vinyl to Millennial and Gen-Z demographics is hard to overstate. For the medium to continue its renewed relevance, passion has to be passed down to the next generation. Here, there are many promising signs.
“There’s no better example than Taylor Swift selling nearly one million units of Midnights,” says Jaffee. “Seven of the top 10 US best-selling albums on vinyl in 2022 were artists popular with Gen Z and millennials. That included Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, Kendrick Lamar, and Tyler, the Creator.”
Moving forward, Jaffee says he hopes this trend continues, with labels increasing vinyl releases for current artists with big streaming numbers. However, he also sees opportunities to revisit older albums that missed out on a vinyl release.
“Albums from 1990s artists, released during the CD era’s heyday, are still not available on vinyl,” Jaffee points out. “Let’s not forget the first decade of the vinyl comeback was driven by baby boomers like me who missed spinning on a turntable the beloved albums of our collective youth.”
In a similar manner, Jaffee continues, vinyl releases of classic Gen X and Millennial anthems could drive future growth for the industry by offering an entry point for middle-aged listeners who want a more tangible connection to the albums they’ve loved for years.
Vinyl shot against backdrop in the Netherlands
There are plenty of positive signs and future opportunities for vinyl – but there are still challenges to overcome. Both Jaffee and Rijnders point to the recent surge in production capacity as having potentially negative consequences. “There’s actually too much capacity at the moment,” Rijnders says. “This might lead to lower prices and perhaps even a price war between the smaller pressing plants.”
“The industry appears to be a victim of its success,” agrees Jaffee. “Vinyl record manufacturers must not make the same mistake that CD replicators did in the 1990s and embark in a cutthroat price war to win new business because it’s not sustainable.”
The process of manufacturing vinyl is far from streamlined. There is currently only one company – based in Japan – producing the lacquer needed to make a ‘master’ disc for vinyl pressings. Such bottlenecks in the supply chain leave the industry vulnerable to future disruptions.
Similarly, the machinery needed by pressing plants grows increasingly rare and specialised and there is a growing need to update both the industry’s tools and its materials. “It’s all vintage equipment,” says Jaffee. “Speaking of which, the vinyl industry continues to – and needs to – do its part to help reduce its carbon footprint amid the global warming reality, by developing non-toxic materials that go into the actual composition of a record.”
Overcoming these hurdles offers benefits not only for collectors, store owners, and manufacturers, but for artists as well. Given how financially precarious streaming is for the majority of artists, a thriving vinyl industry may offer an essential alternative source of income.
DeWolff signing their vinyl jacket at Record Industry. Image: Jaap Kroon
“Musicians make far more money from sales of their records than they’ll ever see from streaming royalties,” says Jaffee. “This is even more true for those artists who take records on the road to sell at gigs. They will earn far more profit – as much as a 50 per cent margin per record – when compared to the royalty stake from traditional vinyl sales.”
At the same time, Jaffee acknowledges that vinyl pressing remains a costly proposition when dealing in smaller quantities – something that is likely to be prohibitive for smaller or independent artists.
Decades after its supposed demise, the story of vinyl is one of remarkable resilience. A cat with nine lives, a phoenix from the ashes, Bruce Willis in Die Hard – not one of them can match the staying power of the humble LP.
The entire catalogue of recorded music is readily available at bargain bin prices, and yet people still gravitate to vinyl because it offers something that digital streaming platforms have been unable to replicate.
The vibe of a listening bar, the sense of accomplishment that comes with finding a rare gem, the feeling of owning a music collection rather than renting it via subscription, the personal connections offered by stores and events – these are much-needed counterpoints to the increasingly abstract and passive listening experience offered online.
Vinyl is the musical medium that just won’t quit – and we, in turn, can’t quit vinyl.
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