AKG’s C104 review: “For the price, I can think of no other microphone that performs this well”€135 / £119 / $129, akg.com
The new affordable C-Series from AKG consists of three microphones: one small-diaphragm condenser design (C151) and two large-diaphragm models (C114 and C104). Designed with musicians, podcasters, YouTubers and streamers in mind, according to the company, this series aims to offer AKG’s signature sound for a lot less money than its higher-end microphones. The flagship C414, which is my all-time favourite mic, costs more than eight times the price of this new budget model.

READ MORE: I’ve fallen in love with ribbon mics all over again with Warm Audio’s Fen-tone

You would be forgiven for thinking the C104 is a cardioid-only version of the similar-looking C114, it features an entirely different capsule and so has its own unique sonic flavour. The C104’s capsule is a smaller (22 mm) electret condenser diaphragm design, made of a plastic foil that is nickel-sputtered on one side. This is done to prevent shorting to the back electrode, even at high SPLs. This mic’s ‘perceptible distortion’ limit (in AKG’s words) is 143 dB, so it only has a couple of dBs less headroom than the C114. A modern, transformerless FET circuit ensures low self-noise, unlike many vintage condenser designs.
Keeping things simple and affordable, there are no user-adjustable controls on the mic, so any filtering required must be performed within your preamp, interface or DAW. Phantom power is needed for all condenser mics, so be sure to engage it to make the microphone work.
Image: Press
Also keeping costs down, the C104 lacks the shock-mount supplied with the C114, a basic mic clip is included in the package.
For content creators, the no-nonsense, cardioid-only C104 could be the only mic you’ll ever need. While it doesn’t quite possess the hear-through clarity of far more expensive models, its tonal balance is perfectly suited to voices. There is a slight upper-mid-forward sound character that adds presence to vocals of all kinds, helping voices sound direct and distinct from background audio.
This bright balance is most welcome when vocals and lead instruments need to pop out of a mix; if used to record sounds with inherently high treble content, it might veer slightly towards being too sharp.
Image: Press
Further down the frequency spectrum, the mic’s tonality is well-ordered, with no muddiness or artificial bass thickening. As a cardioid mic, it does produce the proximity effect when used up-close, so voices will have a degree of chestiness that can add warmth and intimacy to performances.
Despite the lack of polar pattern options, the C104 could be happily used in a wide range of applications, and its entry-level status shouldn’t be blindingly obvious to all but the most fussy users. It’s unlikely to win many friends with those who require the utmost in transparency, professional classical recording engineers, for example, but for most pop music producers, it will cover all bases admirably.
For the price, I can think of no other mic that performs as well as the C104, especially for speech recording. Expect to see it on many podcasts and YouTube videos over the coming months and years.
Image: Press
Key features

Large diaphragm condenser
Cardioid pattern
22 mm electret capsule
Weight: 375 g
Comes with hard stand mount

The post AKG’s C104 review: “For the price, I can think of no other microphone that performs this well” appeared first on MusicTech.

The DJM-V5 from AlphaTheta: 3 channels, 4-band EQ, V10 sound – no Beat FX or crossfader.AlphaTheta has released the DJM-V5, a compact 3-channel DJ mixer built on the sound architecture of the DJM-V10, bringing flagship-style sound shaping into a smaller format. Available late January 2026 with a MAP of $2,199 USD, the V5 includes 4-band EQ and channel compression on every channel, per-channel Send FX, multi-mode filters, 96 kHz / […]
The post The DJM-V5 from AlphaTheta: 3 channels, 4-band EQ, V10 sound – no Beat FX or crossfader. appeared first on DJ TechTools.

Roland unveils plugin version of its classic CR-78 CompuRhythm Drum MachineThe Roland Cloud is growing once again with the introduction of the CR-78 Software Rhythm Composer, which “authentically recreates” the sound of the original vintage CR-78 drum machine.
Driven by Roland’s Analog Circuit Behaviour (ACB) technology, the CR-78 software version is brought into the present by modern sequencing features, individual sound mixing and tuning, DAW tempo sync, drag-and-drop audio/MIDI support and more.

READ MORE: Roland’s GO:MIXER STUDIO brings “studio-grade” recording to your iPhone or iPad

“Well before the famous TR-808 and TR-909 revolutionised hip-hop and dance, the CR-78 CompuRhythm had a massive influence on the music world,” Roland says.
“Debuting in 1978 as Roland’s first programmable rhythm machine, the CR-78 was quickly adopted by musicians and producers of the era seeking new rhythm textures. Its fat analog sound and distinctive pulse are integral to countless hits across many genres, from new wave and early electronic music to mainstream pop and rock.”
Credit: Roland
The new software version of the CR-78 sports a familiar interface based on the original CR-78, with selectable wood panel and black vinyl skins.
There are controls for rhythm patterns, instrument sounds, shuffle, fills, volume balance, fade-in/fade-out, and more.
Where the original CR-78 offered slots for four pattern variations, Roland’s new software version provides a detailed pattern view where users can enter, delete and fine-tune steps, control instrument levels, and adjust individual parameters like tuning and decay.
The CR-78 is available now via a Roland Cloud Ultimate membership or Lifetime Key purchase. Until 28 February, a Lifetime Key is available for an introductory price of $49 (regular price $199).
Learn more at Roland.
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Remembering Those We Lost in 20252025 was a year where we lost many treasured musicians. Some legendary older artists whose time had unfortunately come, and some surprising younger names whose loss came as a sudden surprise. On AllMusic, we've tried to feature small tributes in recognition of these events, and now we look back at a selection of those who left their mark on music's history and will certainly be missed.

Elon Musk says Tesla’s restarted Dojo3 will be for ‘space-based AI compute’Tesla aims to restart work on Dojo3, its previously abandoned third-generation AI chip. Only this time, Dojo3 won’t be aimed at training self-driving models on Earth. Instead, Musk says it will be dedicated to “space-based AI compute.”

The Legal Beat: RAPPER RBX’S CLASS ACTION AGAINST SPOTIFYIn late 2025, Rapper RBX, whose real name is Eric Dwayne Collins, filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in California against streaming giant Spotify, alleging that Spotify failed to prevent streaming fraud. The action is on behalf of RBX as an individual and “on behalf of other members of the general public similarly situated.”

The lawsuit alleges that Spotify failed to prevent bots (bots are automated software programs that perform repetitive tasks over a network, also commonly known as fake users) from fraudulently inflating the number of streams for Drake, one of the most streamed artists on Spotify, with almost 81 million monthly listeners.

RBX first had success decades ago performing for labels Death Row Records and Aftermath Entertainment alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. He is Snoop Dogg’s cousin.

Spotify is a massive company with over 713 million users, which includes 281 million paid subscribers; it offers over 100 million songs to these users and leads the audio streaming market.

In particular, the suit alleges that Spotify allowed “billions” of bot-generated streams, which increased Drake’s streams. Drake is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit perhaps because plaintiff had no proof that Drake was involved in any streaming fraud.

RBX contends that some Drake songs have gotten “more than a hundred million streams” which were from “areas with zero residential addresses.” The lawsuit further alleges that Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) were used to disguise some streams and some were apparently created by bots that “moved unreasonable locations between songs.”

The plaintiff claims that Spotify’s failure to keep bots off its platform has caused “massive financial harm to legitimate artists, songwriters and other rightsholders” due to the fact that income earned from streams on Spotify is paid to artists based upon a percentage of the streaming marketplace and that percentage is diluted by the failure of Spotify to keep bots off its platform.

The lawsuit alleges that Spotify’s efforts to eliminate bots are “nothing more than window dressing, inadequate at best.” RBX further contends that the more users Spotify claims it has “the more advertisements it can sell, the more profits the company can report.” 

The suit further states: “[T]his mass-scale fraudulent streaming causes massive financial harm to legitimate artists, songwriters, producers, and other rights holders whose proportional share is decreased as a result of fraudulent stream inflation on Spotify’s platform.”

Spotify claims that it does not benefit from artificial streaming and invests in “always-improving, best-in-class systems to combat it and safeguard artist payouts with strong protections like removing false streams, withholding royalties and charging penalties.”

According to Spotify’s website, it pays artists from a revenue pool and calculates royalty payments from the pool based on an artist’s share of the total amount of monthly streams.

In 2025, shares of Spotify increased to a stock market valuation of a 100 billion dollars. Many artists complain about low streaming income, believing that platforms like Spotify pay too little per play, thus making it hard to earn a living wage for all but very successful artists. The pay per stream rate is only about $0.004 on Spotify.

GLENN LITWAK is a veteran entertainment attorney based in Santa Monica, CA. He has represented platinum selling recording artists, GRAMMY-winning music producers, hit songwriters, management and production companies, music publishers and independent record labels. Litwak is also a frequent speaker at music industry conferences around the country, such as South by Southwest and the Billboard Music in Film and TV Conference. Litwak has been selected as a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyer magazine for 2022-2025. Email Litwak at gtllaw59@gmail.com or visit glennlitwak.com.

This article is a very brief overview of the subject matter and does not constitute legal advice.The post The Legal Beat: RAPPER RBX’S CLASS ACTION AGAINST SPOTIFY first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Get a free glitchy synth pad for Splice INSTRUMENT
Download our free synth pad preset for Splice INSTRUMENT—grab these presets during the drop window and they’re yours to keep forever.

Nixie Gear Indicator Shines BrightWhen you’re driving a car with a stickshift, it’s pretty easy to keep track of which gear you’re in. That can be a little bit more difficult on something like a motorcycle with a sequential shifter. [decogabry] built a neat gearshift indicator to solve this issue.
An ESP32 devboard is used as the brain of the build. It’s paired with an ELM327 dongle over Bluetooth, which is able to hook into the bike’s ODB diagnostic port to pick up data like engine RPM, wheel speed, and coolant temperature. The first two factors are combined in order to calculate the current gear, since the ratio between engine RPM and wheel speed is determined directly by the gear selection. The ESP32 then commands a Philips ZM1020 Nixie tube to display the gear, driving it via a small nest of MPSA42 transistors. A separate self-contained power supply module is used to take the bike’s 12 volt supply up to the 170 volts needed to run the tube. There is also a small four-digit display used to show status information, RPM, and engine temperature.
Notably,  [decogabry] made this build rather flexible, to suit any bike it might be installed upon. The gear ratios are not hard coded in software. Instead, there is a simple learning routine that runs the first time the system is powered up, which compares RPM and wheel speed during a steady-state ride and saves the ratios to flash.
We’ve featured projects before that used different techniques to achieve similar ends. It’s also interesting to speculate as to whether there’s a motorcycle vintage enough to suit a Nixie display while still having an ODB interface on board as standard. Meanwhile, if you’re cooking up your own neat automotive builds, don’t hesitate to drop us a line.

Vocana and Sonicbids Launch ‘Pay the Artists’ Live Gig Series Across NYCPay the Artists will bring independent artists and discovery-hungry fans to five venues across New York City starting in January 2026.
The post Vocana and Sonicbids Launch ‘Pay the Artists’ Live Gig Series Across NYC appeared first on Hypebot.

Milk & Honey continues UK expansion, signing Grammy-winning mixer Dan Grech-MargueratGrech-Marguerat has worked on breakthrough projects for artists including Lana Del Rey, Halsey, George Ezra and The Killers
Source

Jonas Eriksson releases Tape Fiasco, a FREE time-based multi-effect plugin
Tape Fiasco is a brand-new plugin from Jonas Eriksson that combines three distinct time-based effects: Stretch, Stutter, and Varispeed. I haven’t had much time with Tape Fiasco since installing the plugin, but I have to say right off the bat, it’s a lot of fun! Whether you’re using all three effects simultaneously or one at [...]
View post: Jonas Eriksson releases Tape Fiasco, a FREE time-based multi-effect plugin

AKAI MPC XLThe Akai Professional MPC XL is a standalone music production workstation designed to function as the central hub of a modern studio without the need for a computer. Powered by a Gen 2 8-core processor and 16GB of RAM, it offers significantly expanded processing headroom compared to previous MPC models, capable of running up to 32 plugin instruments and 16 audio tracks simultaneously. The unit features a 10.1-inch tilting multi-gesture touchscreen and introduces "MPCe" pads, which utilize 3D-sensing technology to divide each pad into four quadrants for complex sound morphing and layer control. Connectivity is comprehensive, catering to both hardware-heavy and hybrid setups. The rear panel includes two XLR/TRS combo inputs with preamps, two instrument inputs, and phono inputs for direct sampling from vinyl. For output, the MPC XL provides eight assignable line outputs and 16 CV/Gate outputs (via eight stereo jacks), making it suitable for controlling modular synthesizers. It runs on the MPC3 operating system, which includes advanced features such as real-time stem separation, disc streaming, and a full DAW-style arrangement view. Key Features Standalone Operation: Powered by a Gen 2 8-core processor and 16GB RAM; no computer required. MPCe Pads: 16 velocity-sensitive pads with 3D sensing and quadrant-based modulation. Display: 10.1-inch HD multi-gesture touchscreen with adjustable tilt. Storage: 256GB internal NVMe SSD with a SATA expansion bay for additional drives. Control: 16 Q-Link knobs with individual OLED displays, plus a dedicated XL Channel Command section. Audio I/O: 2 Mic/Line combo inputs, 2 Instrument inputs, 2 Phono inputs, 8 Line outputs. CV/Gate: 16 total outputs for modular integration. Software: Runs MPC3 OS; includes Native Instruments MPC Edition Play Series and stem separation tools. Read More

NAMM 2026 Live: All the news, gear, and innovations from the biggest music gear eventOver 3,500 music gear manufacturers arrive in Anaheim this week for the annual National Association of Music Merchants Show. The Anaheim Convention Centre in California is brimming with all the latest music technology gear, software, and innovations that will shape music studios and production workflows in 2026.
MusicTech will be on the ground at The NAMM Show 2026, covering the biggest product announcements that you need to know about. We’ll share first impressions and coverage of all the hottest studio gear debuting in Anaheim, from when the show floor officially opens on Tuesday 20 January, through to Saturday 24 January when doors close.
You can catch all of MusicTech’s 2026 coverage right here, including major new gear drops, the hottest rumours, our favourite innovations, smart new plugins, and even the quirky gear that famously crops up at NAMM.
[live_timeline tag=”namm-2026″ first=”15″]
The post NAMM 2026 Live: All the news, gear, and innovations from the biggest music gear event appeared first on MusicTech.

Akai MPC XL: The most powerful MPC model to date with 4x the processing power of previous modelsGo big or go home as they say, and Akai Professional has done just that with the official launch of the MPC XL – its most powerful MPC model to date with souped-up processing power.
Following a leak prior to Christmas last year, Akai has officially confirmed that the MPC XL is available now, and describes this beastly version of its flagship workstation line as “a studio centrepiece built for modern production”.

READ MORE: Is the Akai MPC One+ still worth buying in 2026?

Andy Mac, Creative Global Marketing and Artist Relations Manager at Akai Professional, says of the launch: “The MPC XL represents the evolution of everything we’ve learned from decades of innovation in music production. We’ve created a true studio-grade workhorse that delivers DAW-like power in a standalone format. MPC XL removes every barrier between inspiration and creation, giving producers the speed, control, and connectivity to bring their most ambitious musical visions to life.”
What are the main features of the Akai MPC XL?

The MPC XL features a Gen 2 8-core processor with 4x the processing power of previous MPCs and 16GB RAM for speed that “rivals computer-based systems”, according to Akai. It’s integrated with MPC3 OS as an all-in-one system, and can load up to 32 plugin instruments and 16 audio tracks simultaneously, with support for up to 256 simultaneous voices.
It also hosts a 10.1” HD multi-gesture touchscreen at the top of the unit, “ultra-responsive” MPCe pads with 3D-sensing technology, 16 touch-responsive Q-Link knobs with OLED displays, a dedicated step sequencer with 16 RGB function buttons, an assignable performance touch-strip, and an XL Channel Command for quick access to mixing and recording parameters, also with a dedicated OLED display and encoder.
The XL’s mic preamps with phantom power capture vocals and acoustic instruments, while its instrument inputs handle guitars and basses. It has phono inputs to connect turntables for direct sampling, and there are eight separate outputs to enable complex routing to external gear or multitrack recording into a DAW. It comes with a collection of plugins, samples, and effects right out of the box.
How much is the MPC XL and where can I get one?

The Akai Professional MPC XL is available now for €2,899.99 / £2,499.99 / $2,899. You can buy one through authorised dealers across the globe, or directly from Akai.
New Spitfire Audio partnership
Credit: Akai Professional
Accompanying the launch of the MPC XL is the announcement that Akai and Spitfire Audio have formed a new “strategic partnership”, which aims to provide MPC users access to Spitfire’s industry-leading tools within their MPC devices. That’s all we know for now, but more information will be announced at a later date.
Find out more via Akai Professional. 
The post Akai MPC XL: The most powerful MPC model to date with 4x the processing power of previous models appeared first on MusicTech.

Free Instagram Edits App For Musicians: Marketing Made EasierFor years, the workflow for marketing music on Instagram and other short video platforms was a fragmented mess. Film on your phone, Airdrop to a laptop, edit in CapCut or Premiere, export, and Airdrop back.
The post Free Instagram Edits App For Musicians: Marketing Made Easier appeared first on Hypebot.