SEC seeks appeal over Ripple, crypto prices plunge and EU debuts Bitcoin ETF: Hodler’s Digest, Aug. 13-19SEC files motion for appeal on Ripple’s case, Bitcoin and Ether prices plunge and Europe welcomes first spot Bitcoin ETF.

Apple devices spoofed, Musk eggs on Zuckerberg and Better.com goes publicWelcome, friends, to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering the major events in tech over the past few days. Haven’t had your eyes glued to the headlines? Not to worry. That’s our job, and we’ve compiled them in the nifty little digest that is WiR.
In this week’s edition of WiR, we cover a $70 device that can spoof an Apple device, hackers stealing Americans’ health data from an IBM system, and Elon Musk pledging to fight Mark Zuckerberg in a proper cage match. Elsewhere, we spotlight X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, slowing down access to rival websites; Better.com going public; and TC’s impressions of Baldur’s Gate 3.
It’s a lot to get to, so buckle up. Oh, and if you haven’t already, sign up here to get WiR in your inbox every Saturday.

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A cheap Apple spoofer: Attendees at Def Con, one of the world’s largest hacking conferences, observed that their iPhones were showing pop-up messages prompting them to connect their Apple ID or share a password with a nearby Apple TV. Turns out it was a part of a research project — a $70 device that can spoof an Apple device and trick unsuspecting users into sharing their password.
Americans’ health records stolen: Millions of Americans had their sensitive medical and health information stolen after hackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the widely used MOVEit file transfer software raided systems operated by tech giant IBM. The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which is responsible for administering Colorado’s Medicaid program, confirmed on Friday that it had fallen victim to the MOVEit mass hacks, exposing the data of more than 4 million patients.
Musk versus Zuckerberg: In June, X CEO Elon Musk challenged Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, a practitioner of Brazilian jiujitsu, to a cage fight — for charity. After repeated delays on Musk’s end, last week, Musk promised that the fight was still happening. But shortly afterward, Zuckerberg said that he and Musk couldn’t agree to terms, including a venue and date, and that it was time to “move on.”
X slows down access: X was found to have throttled traffic to websites that the social network’s owner, Elon Musk, publicly dislikes. The platform slowed down the speed it takes when accessing links to a handful of websites, including The New York Times, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, Reuters and Substack.
Better.com goes public: Digital mortgage lender Better.com’s proposal to combine with Aurora Acquisition Corp. via a SPAC (special purpose acquisition) has been approved by shareholders. The company had originally begun making plans to go public in May 2021 but was plagued with layoffs, high-profile executive resignations, a housing market slowdown and negative publicity that forced it to push back its IPO.
Baldur’s Gate 3, reviewed:  Baldur’s Gate 3 is a Dungeons & Dragons game through and through, Taylor reports in her first impressions piece, but you needn’t be familiar with that world or those systems to enjoy it. Whether you want to smooch vampires or watch the world burn, the game’s a role-playing experience like no other, she writes.
A smart ring to compete with Oura: Indian fitness and nutrition tracking startup Ultrahuman has fast-followed its debut smart ring last year with a second generation of the device, which officially launched in June. Natasha, who reviewed it for TC, found it to be an improvement upon the original in several ways, including (very importantly) in the form-factor department.
An EV battery with greater range: CATL, the Chinese battery giant and a major supplier to Tesla, has unveiled its latest product that aims to solve electric vehicles’ charging and range limitations. Dubbed Shenxing, or “god-like movement,” the battery is able to refuel up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) of range in 10 minutes.
Audio
In need of some listening material to entertain and inform? Look no further than TechCrunch’s growing stable of podcast episodes.
On Equity, the crew kicked off with an update on former FTX exec Sam Bankman-Fried heading to jail, then got into Better.com going public, Monday.com’s growth, Vinfast adding to the SPAC list, the Inflation Reduction Act’s anniversary and two bright spots in 2023’s venture landscape.
Meanwhile, Found spotlighted Marco Zappacosta, the co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack, a startup that runs a marketplace for home services and beyond. Zappacosta talked about his unusual path to entrepreneurship, which included almost getting a degree in neuroscience before deciding to start a company without having an existing idea.
And Chain Reaction spoke with Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, alongside TechCrunch+ editor in chief Alex Wilhelm. Among other things, they dove into what’s going on with the bitcoin spot ETFs in the U.S., why it matters and the odds of the SEC approving one in the near future.
TechCrunch+
TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys — which you know if you’re already a subscriber. If you’re not, consider signing up. Here are a few highlights from this week:
A surprisingly strong jobs market: After the big companies conducted mega layoffs at the beginning of this year, it would be natural to think that the tech unemployment rate would skyrocket. But Ron writes about how — if we think about tech jobs as comprising purely IT, engineering and developer kinds of roles — then those jobs are definitely still in demand and less affected than you might imagine.
What do CTOs do, exactly?: Haje writes about how technical blind spots mean investors are guiding founders in the wrong direction. Premature optimization isn’t helpful to anyone. But having a CTO with the right experience, knowledge and expertise for the stage a company is at appears to be examined only rarely in the investment process.
A room-temperature superconductor? Not so fast: If there was any hope remaining that LK-99 might be a room-temperature superconductor, it’s pretty much dead now. Tim writes that dozens of studies published in the last week or two have coalesced around this conclusion, less than a month after a sensational preprint paper was published by a team at the Quantum Energy Research Centre.

Get your TechCrunch fix IRL. Join us at Disrupt 2023 in San Francisco this September to immerse yourself in all things startup. From headline interviews to intimate roundtables to a jam-packed startup expo floor, there’s something for everyone at Disrupt. Save up to $400 when you buy your pass now through September 18, and save 15% on top of that with promo code WIR. Learn more.

OCTO8R The Monolith Atmosphere inspired by the 1968's Space Odyssey and transmitted by Cherry Audio's Memorymode. 85 (+11) presets include: Ambience - 16 (+1). Atmo - 10. Brass - 5 (+1).... Read More

Voting ends this Sunday for our SXSW panel ‘Who Gives A Sh!t About Marketing Live Music’Voting for the SXSW PANELPICKER ends this Sunday, and we need your vote for the “Who Gives A Sh!t About Marketing Live Music” panel. Anyone can sign up for a. Continue reading
The post Voting ends this Sunday for our SXSW panel ‘Who Gives A Sh!t About Marketing Live Music’ appeared first on Hypebot.

Getting it done: Last week in D.I.Y. & Indie MusicLast week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers covered how to write the best artist bio, branding mistakes, how to monetize your music and much more… 5 DON’Ts. Continue reading
The post Getting it done: Last week in D.I.Y. & Indie Music appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND: The new music industry’s week in reviewA busy week by any definition, the music industry was no exception, with alarming festival stats released, SoundCloud adding new AI features for fans and more… Pitchfork reveals how Hidden. Continue reading
The post REWIND: The new music industry’s week in review appeared first on Hypebot.

RDGAudio Kick Factory Ultimate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy7P8eOhMow Kick Factory Ultimate Introducing KickFactoryUltimate. A revolutionary Kick Drum Synth for both Mac and PC. Building... Read More

IK Multimedia’s UNO Synth Pro X is what the synth community deserved from the startEnrico Dell’Aversana is effusive when he talks about the new IK Multimedia UNO Synth Pro X. As well he might be – as the brand’s product manager, he has overseen a complete user interface redesign that reimagines its predecessor as an instrument focused on creation, performance and experimentation (he describes previous version as a ‘preset machine’).
“We really thought about how people use and experience the synth and we wanted as many people as possible to be able to have a good experience using it” he tells us from his base in Italy.
The new model is the result of extensive consultation and feedback from the synth community. Building on the powerful synth engine from the UNO Synth Pro, taking control of the redesign process gave Enrico and his team the chance to address what some producers felt were the shortcomings of the original. Largely, in the lack of hands-on control that it offered.
Image: Simon Vinall
“We wanted to gather as much information as possible about how people were using the synth and how they wanted to use it – otherwise it would just be just my point of view. When we did the first UNO Synth Pro, I wasn’t fully involved in the project; the interface wasn’t something I had a lot of input into. But with the Pro X, I took complete control of everything from the user experience to the decisions about which potentiometers to use. I think, with the mechanical designers, it took us a month and a half to come up with the knob specifications.“
This approach is applauded by YouTuber and synth aficionado BoBeats, who provided feedback not only on the original synth but on where he thought its successor should be aiming, as a self-professed ‘synth nerd.’
“It started when I was checking out the original UNO Synth Pro”, he tells us. “It was a great synth but I sort of knew immediately that the physical UI and the colour scheme didn’t quite do it justice. I talked to IK about the expectations when you are a synth nerd and you have something that is this advanced – you don’t really see features like these on an analogue synth under $1,000. I tried to convey to them what I’m drawn to as a user.”

Bo’s issues with the original synth were less about its powerful sound engine and more about the way it limited your access to its parameters. He explains “[IK] took a lot of the ideas from the original UNO Synth Pro and thought, ‘OK, we have to create something that has a look that’s equivalent to the power inside. I think the team figured out the balance between the complexity of the sound engine and an interface that is still accessible.
“On the original UNO Synth Pro, I found as a synth educator that you have all this power but only a few knobs to turn, and you’re going through lots of submenus, which can be difficult to demonstrate to users.”
Enrico confirms that opening up the incredible depth of programming capabilities to faster and easier control by the user was paramount when he approached the design of the new model. “The UNO Synth Pro was really a preset machine, so you went into your studio and prepared your presets and sounds and they were easy to call up. And the same for the keyboard version – you go to the stage and play without much experimentation.”
“With the Pro X, I wanted to create more of an experimentation machine; to really focus on the involvement of the user in creating the sounds instead of just recalling presets. So the interface had to be completely different – more tactile, easier and faster to use. And that’s why the sequencer is way more prominent in the interface. In 2023, a lot of synth aficionados aren’t necessarily keyboard players.”
Image: Simon Vinall
Bo concurs about swapping the prominence of the keyboard and sequencer, suggesting that it’s a better fit for the synth’s audience. “On the Pro X, IK have put the sequencer front and centre which makes a lot of sense because it’s something you interact with a lot. The keyboard now features less prominently – in fact, on the original, it wasn’t the greatest quality – and I think people are much more likely to program the Pro X using the sequencer than by playing its onboard keys.”
The Pro X (Enrico suggests, half-jokingly, that the ‘X’ is for experimentation) packs a lot of functionality into its compact and very portable frame, including three discrete wave morphing oscillators, dual filters with an OTA-based multimode filter, 10 stereo effects, a paraphonic 64-step sequencer, 10-mode arpeggiator and a host of CV/gate ins and outs to connect to your other analogue studio gear and computer, with a companion plug-in for preset management and remote operation. The extensive feature set sounds like it could exclude less-experienced creators, but neither the designers nor those who have used it extensively see that as being the case.
Discussing the kind of person who would get the most out of the Pro X, Bo suggests that it depends on how complex you want to go. “If someone just wants a simpler bass synth for example”, he says, “they might think about a Korg Minilogue XD or something like that.”
Image: Simon Vinall
He continues, “To be honest you can use it as a beginner or an advanced user but who is the ideal user? It’s an intermediate to advanced user that will get the most out of it. As a beginner, you can use its depth – a mod matrix, advanced sequence programming – as a learning tool.”
Enrico agrees. “What I had in mind was to make a synth where, even if you’re less experienced, you can get familiar with it because the layout makes sense – it’s very Moog-ish – so you know where things are. But as soon as you know what you’re doing you will discover new things, and start connecting things.
“When we were designing the synth, the idea was ‘maybe the user doesn’t know everything about synths yet but they want to be able later on to do more and more.’ So, yes, it’s for people who know what they’re doing but also for those that don’t yet, but will grow into it. You can do simple sounds but you can grow with it over time.
Image: Simon Vinall
“We designed it to be an investment for people. I’m the kind of guy who saves to buy the synths I like. When I go and buy something, it’s not because of the brand or how Instagrammable it is, but how long I’m going to be using it for, how much it’s going to give me in exchange for my money.”
Price is a factor that comes up in discussions about the Pro X, which IK has tried to keep as affordable as possible while maintaining a feature set that you don’t necessarily see in comparably priced synths. MusicRadar describes it as “well-priced” and while Bo suggests that trying to get the price down by $100 could potentially make it an easier sell, that’s arguably true of any product.
Most people who have tried it out agree that the Pro X occupies something of a unique position in terms of its features versus its price. In his review, Loopop identifies some monosynths out there that can be had for a couple of hundred less – mostly from Behringer – but generally lack onboard effects and sometimes presets, and are typically not paraphonic. For a little more money, he identifies the Behringer Deepmind 6 and Arturia MiniFreak as possible alternatives, albeit with different feature sets.

Enrico highlights the tradeoffs that he feels other synths appear to make when balancing features with cost – and why he feels they got the balance right with the Pro X. “For the price, it really doesn’t have that many compromises compared to the competition. You can have a polyphonic synth, but it won’t have a sequencer with this level of depth. Or it doesn’t have this breadth of effects. Or you get a monophonic synth that has a keyboard but no effects or lacks a good sequencer. Or doesn’t have presets! Even if some people don’t need them in 2023, you need to provide the facility to save presets.”
Bo tells us that, in his opinion, the decision to go with a more portable build as opposed to super-premium for cost reasons is the right one. “If IK had gone with an even more expensive build and a higher price, that could have been problematic because UNO Synth is supposed to be accessible; it’s not supposed to be a super-premium and expensive product. I think it’s on the reasonably priced side of things. It’s really about what IK is aiming for here.”
But for him, its position as the flagship of the UNO range still makes sense. “I like what IK is doing – it would have been easy to make another super budget synth but its saying, ‘OK, let’s increase the budget and improve the physical design and focus on the small details.’ And it’s a synth that’s designed for enthusiasts, so I think that’s the right way to go.”
Image: Simon Vinall
Enrico expands on the design decisions that were made when re-imagining the physical interface and software for the Pro X – not all of them financial by any means. “We have a very powerful analogue synth engine that’s quite hard to find for the price. Very few have two filters – maybe the Korg MS20, of which I am a huge fan. I traded off some features in the Pro for others in the Pro X.
“A simple example is that, in the original, there was a compare function that toggled between saved and current versions of a sound. But in the Pro X, there’s a record function. The idea is that someone might be experimenting with a sound and not necessarily know how they arrived at the end result so now they can wind back and find out.”
And it’s not just a case of adding a bunch of features either – a lot of tweaks were made along the way. Enrico continues; “we dropped the old phaser and flanger; great effects but not that popular any more. And I went for a Univibe effect which is weirder.”
Other changes were mostly in the refinement of the analogue engine. “The presets between old and new machines aren’t compatible for the simple reason that I changed so much about the internal design of the engine –smoothing off the rough edges. And we added the bass mode. I’m a huge fan of the TB-303 so that’s a feel that we wanted to give to the users.”
Image: Simon Vinall
However, IK is keen to stress that, unlike some other synth manufacturers, it isn’t trying to imitate any particular sound or chase trends but leave its mark in a crowded field. Discussing the wider market, Enrico opines: “To me, it shows that some other companies are holding back from giving everything they could. So with the UNO Synth Pro X, you get something that has all these features for the price or less than the price of something that doesn’t, but that has a brand.”
“We’re not a clone company and we’re not trying to be somebody else – we have our own sound. We’re going to give you another choice of sound, adding another flavour into your cooking, as it were. And how could you do that without doing something different? We give you a new flavour, without being someone else, and for a price that is reasonable – and that was the whole idea!”
Image: Simon Vinall
He credits his team, Davide Mancini and Luca Starna from Soundmachines, Francesco Spelta (mechanical and UX designer) and Enrico Lori, the CEO of IK “who helped in many ways and let us go for it”) for the success of the project.
The last word goes to Bo, clearly enamoured of the Pro X. “IK has really listened to the feedback it got from the whole synth community – improve the build quality, give us more hands-on control and show us on the front panel how deep and complex it is. I feel like the team pushed really hard within the company to get what they wanted. With the original, I had a lot of suggestions but with this one, they took my wish list – not literally – but they took it and made it happen.”
No doubt, however, that even the UNO Synth Pro X will leave producers with a new wish list of features; no doubt IK Multimedia and Enrico will be on the lookout for more ideas.
Learn more about the UNO Synth Pro X at ikmultimedia.com.
The post IK Multimedia’s UNO Synth Pro X is what the synth community deserved from the start appeared first on MusicTech.

Latest Alan Parsons Masterclass announced The latest ASSR masterclass will focus on recording difficult and unusual instruments, with attendees given the chance to work directly with Alan Parsons. 

Attend FAR-West Annual Music ConferenceFAR-West (Folk Alliance Region West), the western regional chapter of Folk Alliance International, will celebrate its 20th music conference and its first in-person conference in four years, October 12-15, at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, CA.

This gathering of the folk and acoustic roots music industry and community, FAR-West regional conference promotes a diverse mix of traditional, contemporary and multicultural folk music, dance, storytelling and related performing art in the west. Register here.

Over three days, daily programming sessions will feature a variety of tracks that allow conference-goers the opportunity to connect, learn, discover, and reflect; view the full agenda here.

The 2023 Spirit of Community theme is designed to focus on deepening creative connections  and professional development. The conference brings together dedicated professionals and hobbyists across the independent Americana and folk roots ecosystem of presenters, performers, promoters and more. The conference will explore sustainable musicianship practices and career opportunities in the post-pandemic independent music industry. Together, the conference will explore the sustainability of the folk genre, and business and career opportunities in an ever-changing music industry. 

The traditional Venue’s Choice kickoff concert is slated for Thursday, October 12 at 7pm in the Grand Ballroom at the Warner Center Marriott. Each year, FAR-West chooses top venues dedicated to presenting quality acoustic music and musical diversity in our region. In turn, each venue host selects artists that epitomize the music that the venues regularly present. This results in a thrilling night of music, making it one of the highlights of the whole weekend.

Venue’s Choice Concert: The lineup includes Hattie Craven & Jessica Malone; Belle Plaine; Joselyn & Don; Alice Howe & Freebo; I See Hawks in L.A; open to the public, tickets are available here.

Official Showcases: Over two evenings – Friday, October 13 and Saturday October 14 – FAR-West features  12 official showcase artists. Artists to be announced soon.

More information is here.

Crypto Biz: Binance Connect goes dark, Prime Trust is bust and PayPal unveils Crypto HubThis week's Crypto Biz explores Binance Connect shutdown, BitGo's funding round, PayPal Crypto Hub, and other news.

Associate Music Festival Programmer focusing on Latin musicSXSW seeks an entry-level Associate Music Festival Programmer focusing on Latin music (from traditional to modern). The ideal candidate is an open-minded, self-motivated, collaborative individual with a strong music industry background, comprehensive knowledge of music/genres, and an enthusiasm for identifying new talent and trends in music. Strong communication skills, close attention to detail, and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment are required for this position. Apply at www.entertainmentcareers.net

Zepotha is huge on TikTok, but it’s no GoncharovThe seminal 1987 horror film “Zepotha” is back on TikTok.
Reaction videos to the film’s gory forest scenes dominate user feeds. TikTok users are digging through their parents’ wardrobes to recreate the vintage outfits from the movie. Fanart of the characters and convoluted theories about the movie’s ambiguous ending keep going viral. The tag #Zepotha has nearly 160 million views, and the movie’s theme song — an ethereal, synth-heavy pop beat — is trending. 
If you don’t remember Zepotha, you’re not alone. Zepotha never existed. 
It’s all part of a clever marketing campaign to promote a new song by the musical artist Emily Jeffri. The 18-year-old singer posted a video about making a fake movie go viral on TikTok by dropping casual mentions of it without any context. She encouraged followers to tell other creators that they “look EXACTLY like the girl from Zepotha” to stir up confusion. Her original video has 7.6 million views. In another video, she recommended bringing up Zepotha “every time a film bro mocks you” to gaslight them into believing that the movie is real. 
Zepotha is a massive inside joke on TikTok — if you know, you know. 
“Together we will witness new lore develop, main characters will emerge, etc,” Jeffri said in a TikTok posted over the weekend. “We can convince thousands of people that this weirdly titled 80s horror film actually exists.” 

@emilyjeffri
putting this song forward as the movie’s main theme, i think it has zepotha vibes tbh #80s #nostalgia #horror #horrormovie #80shorror #bit #trickster #moohaha #newmusic #queerartist #spooky #zepotha
♬ DO YOU REMEMBER ME – jeffri

The trend is working. Within days, the sound featuring Jeffri’s new song was used in over 12,000 videos. Other users leaned into the joke, claiming that they wrote extensive, smutty fanfiction about the film’s tragic protagonists. Fans posted “trailers” of Zepotha, and spread rumors about a 2024 reboot. They posted fake eBay listings for “rare” Zepotha VHS tapes and mint condition posters. When other users expressed doubt or confusion about the movie, Zepotha truthers insisted that their parents had shown them the movie as children. 
“I did NOT watch Zepotha and become traumatized for them to just say we made it up,” a user commented on a TikTok about the movie. 
“old person here (30) i definitely saw a glimpse of zepotha at blockbuster back in the 90s,” another said. “so I CAN CONFIRM IT’S REAL.” 
Going viral on TikTok was once a perk that fast-tracked artists to making it in the music industry. Now, it’s an expectation. Artists tease previews of their new singles for weeks before actually releasing them, in hopes of manufacturing a trend to accompany their music. Last year, Halsey complained that her label wouldn’t let her release a new song without a “fake” viral moment. Organic virality is possible, but makes TikTok users suspicious. The platform is so saturated with new music that up-and-coming artists are written off as industry plants before they even have the chance to prove otherwise. TikTok users are wary of anyone who claims to have written “the song of the summer” or “the post-breakup song,” especially if the music they wrote conforms to the “TikTok music formula” — pop music made to go viral. 
Sharing any kind of art is an act of vulnerability, but especially so for independent musicians on TikTok. Sharing too earnestly is cringe, and sharing too proudly is artificial. One of the few strategies that actually works is for artists to market to niche internet communities, like fan edits of tragic gay anime pairings. 
Jeffri’s campaign is particularly clever because it builds a trend that happens to feature her song, instead of forcing her song into a trend. Zepotha is bigger than her song, at this point, and the more it spreads, the more removed it is from Jeffri herself. Zepotha is an inside joke, but few TikTok users know how the joke started. Knowing who Jeffri is doesn’t matter, though; as long as the videos use Jeffri’s song, her campaign is working. 
While the strategy works to draw in new listeners, Jeffri’s claim over the trend also limits Zepotha from achieving its potential as a collaborative bit. 
Collectively gaslighting the internet into remembering a fake movie isn’t new. Last year, Tumblr “brought back” the 1973 Martin Scorsese drama “Goncharov,” an Italian mafia film that revolved around crime, power and a forbidden love triangle. Like Zepotha, Goncharov never existed. But Tumblr users committed to the bit, and created a detailed Google doc about the film’s characters, their relationships and their backstories. The collaborative effort also included a scene-by-scene breakdown of the movie, which users coordinated through a Goncharov Discord server. 
Scorsese himself joined in, and in a text to his daughter posted on TikTok, said, “I made that film years ago.” 
While Zepotha is popular, it hasn’t reached the commitment to detail or collaboration that Goncharov did. Tumblr users have criticized Zepotha as a disorganized popularity contest, rather than a collective effort. Multiple creators started Google docs to write Zepotha’s lore together, but failed to agree on a singular story. There is no definitive list of characters featured in the film, and the names that TikTok creators do reference in their Zepotha posts vary in spelling. 
“Zepotha will never succeed because tiktok users don’t have the attentions spans to pull off a goncharov,” Tumblr user sbibble said. “Meanwhile we have nothing better to do and decades of fan fiction experience.” 
Zepotha’s greatest flaw isn’t the lack of centralized lore — it’s that, unlike Goncharov, a single creator is claiming ownership of the joke. This week, Jeffri announced a short film competition that would award the winner £500. The winning film would also become “canon” in the Zepotha universe. 
“as the creator of zepotha i feel it is important that we restore order & organise our lore,” Jeffri said in the video announcing the short film competition. “time for you, the REAL creative geniuses behind all of this, to bring zepotha to life in your own short movies.” 
Goncharov worked so well because countless users worked on it together. Fans discussed plot points for hours at a time on Discord before writing them into the shared Google doc, which canonized the lore. Tumblr users wrote detailed analyses of the film’s themes and clock motifs, based on other users’ additions to the Google doc. Goncharov writers went as far as agreeing that scenes in the film had to be compliant with the period-appropriate Hays Code, the industry guidelines that prohibited nudity, profanity and realistic violence. Tumblr users created a definitive story from thousands of ideas. 
Zepotha, on the other hand, is an idea with a single origin point that has branched off into countless deviating storylines. Choosing a single winning short film to decide the film’s plot encourages fans to compete with each other, instead of build on each others’ creativity. It isn’t inherently better or worse than how Goncharov creators worked, but does limit Zepotha’s impact on internet culture. Zepotha is so popular because it’s fun to be in on the joke, not necessarily because of the creative potential. 
The Goncharov hype lasted for weeks, and although it’s slowed down in the past year, the Discord server is still active. Jeffri posted about Zepotha less than a week ago, but users are already tiring of the trend. 
Whether Zepotha lasts doesn’t matter as much for Jeffri. It doesn’t need to be the next Goncharov for her to make an impact. She already managed to make her song viral, and for an independent artist on TikTok, that’s enough of a win.

From Jungkook’s 35.5m monthly Spotify listeners to Avid’s $1.4bn sale to STG… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-upFive of the biggest headlines on MBW this week...
Source

IK Multimedia’s UNO Synth Pro X is what the synth community deserved from the startEnrico Dell’Aversana is effusive when he talks about the new IK Multimedia UNO Synth Pro X. As well he might be – as the brand’s product manager, he has overseen a complete user interface redesign that reimagines its predecessor as an instrument focused on creation, performance and experimentation (he describes previous version as a ‘preset machine’).
“We really thought about how people use and experience the synth and we wanted as many people as possible to be able to have a good experience using it” he tells us from his base in Italy.
The new model is the result of extensive consultation and feedback from the synth community. Building on the powerful synth engine from the UNO Synth Pro, taking control of the redesign process gave Enrico and his team the chance to address what some producers felt were the shortcomings of the original. Largely, in the lack of hands-on control that it offered.
Image: Simon Vinall
“We wanted to gather as much information as possible about how people were using the synth and how they wanted to use it – otherwise it would just be just my point of view. When we did the first UNO Synth Pro, I wasn’t fully involved in the project; the interface wasn’t something I had a lot of input into. But with the Pro X, I took complete control of everything from the user experience to the decisions about which potentiometers to use. I think, with the mechanical designers, it took us a month and a half to come up with the knob specifications.“
This approach is applauded by YouTuber and synth aficionado BoBeats, who provided feedback not only on the original synth but on where he thought its successor should be aiming, as a self-professed ‘synth nerd.’
“It started when I was checking out the original UNO Synth Pro”, he tells us. “It was a great synth but I sort of knew immediately that the physical UI and the colour scheme didn’t quite do it justice. I talked to IK about the expectations when you are a synth nerd and you have something that is this advanced – you don’t really see features like these on an analogue synth under $1,000. I tried to convey to them what I’m drawn to as a user.”

Bo’s issues with the original synth were less about its powerful sound engine and more about the way it limited your access to its parameters. He explains “[IK] took a lot of the ideas from the original UNO Synth Pro and thought, ‘OK, we have to create something that has a look that’s equivalent to the power inside. I think the team figured out the balance between the complexity of the sound engine and an interface that is still accessible.
“On the original UNO Synth Pro, I found as a synth educator that you have all this power but only a few knobs to turn, and you’re going through lots of submenus, which can be difficult to demonstrate to users.”
Enrico confirms that opening up the incredible depth of programming capabilities to faster and easier control by the user was paramount when he approached the design of the new model. “The UNO Synth Pro was really a preset machine, so you went into your studio and prepared your presets and sounds and they were easy to call up. And the same for the keyboard version – you go to the stage and play without much experimentation.”
“With the Pro X, I wanted to create more of an experimentation machine; to really focus on the involvement of the user in creating the sounds instead of just recalling presets. So the interface had to be completely different – more tactile, easier and faster to use. And that’s why the sequencer is way more prominent in the interface. In 2023, a lot of synth aficionados aren’t necessarily keyboard players.”
Image: Simon Vinall
Bo concurs about swapping the prominence of the keyboard and sequencer, suggesting that it’s a better fit for the synth’s audience. “On the Pro X, IK have put the sequencer front and centre which makes a lot of sense because it’s something you interact with a lot. The keyboard now features less prominently – in fact, on the original, it wasn’t the greatest quality – and I think people are much more likely to program the Pro X using the sequencer than by playing its onboard keys.”
The Pro X (Enrico suggests, half-jokingly, that the ‘X’ is for experimentation) packs a lot of functionality into its compact and very portable frame, including three discrete wave morphing oscillators, dual filters with an OTA-based multimode filter, 10 stereo effects, a paraphonic 64-step sequencer, 10-mode arpeggiator and a host of CV/gate ins and outs to connect to your other analogue studio gear and computer, with a companion plug-in for preset management and remote operation. The extensive feature set sounds like it could exclude less-experienced creators, but neither the designers nor those who have used it extensively see that as being the case.
Discussing the kind of person who would get the most out of the Pro X, Bo suggests that it depends on how complex you want to go. “If someone just wants a simpler bass synth for example”, he says, “they might think about a Korg Minilogue XD or something like that.”
Image: Simon Vinall
He continues, “To be honest you can use it as a beginner or an advanced user but who is the ideal user? It’s an intermediate to advanced user that will get the most out of it. As a beginner, you can use its depth – a mod matrix, advanced sequence programming – as a learning tool.”
Enrico agrees. “What I had in mind was to make a synth where, even if you’re less experienced, you can get familiar with it because the layout makes sense – it’s very Moog-ish – so you know where things are. But as soon as you know what you’re doing you will discover new things, and start connecting things.
“When we were designing the synth, the idea was ‘maybe the user doesn’t know everything about synths yet but they want to be able later on to do more and more.’ So, yes, it’s for people who know what they’re doing but also for those that don’t yet, but will grow into it. You can do simple sounds but you can grow with it over time.
Image: Simon Vinall
“We designed it to be an investment for people. I’m the kind of guy who saves to buy the synths I like. When I go and buy something, it’s not because of the brand or how Instagrammable it is, but how long I’m going to be using it for, how much it’s going to give me in exchange for my money.”
Price is a factor that comes up in discussions about the Pro X, which IK has tried to keep as affordable as possible while maintaining a feature set that you don’t necessarily see in comparably priced synths. MusicRadar describes it as “well-priced” and while Bo suggests that trying to get the price down by $100 could potentially make it an easier sell, that’s arguably true of any product.
Most people who have tried it out agree that the Pro X occupies something of a unique position in terms of its features versus its price. In his review, Loopop identifies some monosynths out there that can be had for a couple of hundred less – mostly from Behringer – but generally lack onboard effects and sometimes presets, and are typically not paraphonic. For a little more money, he identifies the Behringer Deepmind 6 and Arturia MiniFreak as possible alternatives, albeit with different feature sets.

Enrico highlights the tradeoffs that he feels other synths appear to make when balancing features with cost – and why he feels they got the balance right with the Pro X. “For the price, it really doesn’t have that many compromises compared to the competition. You can have a polyphonic synth, but it won’t have a sequencer with this level of depth. Or it doesn’t have this breadth of effects. Or you get a monophonic synth that has a keyboard but no effects or lacks a good sequencer. Or doesn’t have presets! Even if some people don’t need them in 2023, you need to provide the facility to save presets.”
Bo tells us that, in his opinion, the decision to go with a more portable build as opposed to super-premium for cost reasons is the right one. “If IK had gone with an even more expensive build and a higher price, that could have been problematic because UNO Synth is supposed to be accessible; it’s not supposed to be a super-premium and expensive product. I think it’s on the reasonably priced side of things. It’s really about what IK is aiming for here.”
But for him, its position as the flagship of the UNO range still makes sense. “I like what IK is doing – it would have been easy to make another super budget synth but its saying, ‘OK, let’s increase the budget and improve the physical design and focus on the small details.’ And it’s a synth that’s designed for enthusiasts, so I think that’s the right way to go.”
Image: Simon Vinall
Enrico expands on the design decisions that were made when re-imagining the physical interface and software for the Pro X – not all of them financial by any means. “We have a very powerful analogue synth engine that’s quite hard to find for the price. Very few have two filters – maybe the Korg MS20, of which I am a huge fan. I traded off some features in the Pro for others in the Pro X.
“A simple example is that, in the original, there was a compare function that toggled between saved and current versions of a sound. But in the Pro X, there’s a record function. The idea is that someone might be experimenting with a sound and not necessarily know how they arrived at the end result so now they can wind back and find out.”
And it’s not just a case of adding a bunch of features either – a lot of tweaks were made along the way. Enrico continues; “we dropped the old phaser and flanger; great effects but not that popular any more. And I went for a Univibe effect which is weirder.”
Other changes were mostly in the refinement of the analogue engine. “The presets between old and new machines aren’t compatible for the simple reason that I changed so much about the internal design of the engine –smoothing off the rough edges. And we added the bass mode. I’m a huge fan of the TB-303 so that’s a feel that we wanted to give to the users.”
Image: Simon Vinall
However, IK is keen to stress that, unlike some other synth manufacturers, it isn’t trying to imitate any particular sound or chase trends but leave its mark in a crowded field. Discussing the wider market, Enrico opines: “To me, it shows that some other companies are holding back from giving everything they could. So with the UNO Synth Pro X, you get something that has all these features for the price or less than the price of something that doesn’t, but that has a brand.”
“We’re not a clone company and we’re not trying to be somebody else – we have our own sound. We’re going to give you another choice of sound, adding another flavour into your cooking, as it were. And how could you do that without doing something different? We give you a new flavour, without being someone else, and for a price that is reasonable – and that was the whole idea!”
Image: Simon Vinall
He credits his team, Davide Mancini and Luca Starna from Soundmachines, Francesco Spelta (mechanical and UX designer) and Enrico Lori, the CEO of IK “who helped in many ways and let us go for it”) for the success of the project.
The last word goes to Bo, clearly enamoured of the Pro X. “IK has really listened to the feedback it got from the whole synth community – improve the build quality, give us more hands-on control and show us on the front panel how deep and complex it is. I feel like the team pushed really hard within the company to get what they wanted. With the original, I had a lot of suggestions but with this one, they took my wish list – not literally – but they took it and made it happen.”
No doubt, however, that even the UNO Synth Pro X will leave producers with a new wish list of features; no doubt IK Multimedia and Enrico will be on the lookout for more ideas.
Learn more about the UNO Synth Pro X at ikmultimedia.com.
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