Save the Music Brings Music Education To Schools in NeedThis week, Ari is joined by Henry Donahue of Save the Music Foundation, bringing music education access to millions of students.

PRS Guitars Brings Back the Mira as an S2 594On Tuesday, PRS Guitars announced the return of the Mira model to the Maryland factory line, now with the 24.594” scale length. "This new iteration, available in both gloss and satin finishes, will be a regular offering in the S2 Series," they said in a statement. "The 22-fret S2 Mira 594 covers a wide range of styles, including rock, blues, garage, and punk. Pairing its all-mahogany construction with PRS 58/15 LT vintage-voiced pickups results in warm, focused midrange. The humbuckers are paired with two mini-toggle switches to individually tap the pickups, delivering both authentic humbucking and chimey single-coil sounds."“The Mira has had an interesting history over the course of the last 17 years, but I don’t think it found its true voice until now,” said PRS Guitars Director of Sales, Jim Cullen. “The S2 Mira 594 combines our 24.594” scale length with a Pattern Thin neck shape and a very simple and straight forward feature set that provides an incredibly lively, simple-to-use tool to create music. I hope you are as inspired as we are with the newest evolution of this classic model.”"The S2 Mira 594 is available in: Antique White, Black, Dark Cherry Sunburst, Platinum Metallic, Vintage Cherry, and debut color Black Rainbow Holoflake.""The S2 Mira 594 Satin features the PRS 'sinky' satin nitro finish, and is available in: Matcha Green, Mavis Mint Metallic, Metallic Midnight, Dark Cherry Sunburst, Red Apple Metallic, and debut color Cloud Burst.""The Mira was first introduced in 2007 as an all-mahogany pickguard guitar with moon inlays, 24 frets, 25" scale length, a stoptail bridge, and a single mini-toggle. It has appeared across all of the Series and in various configurations, including the popular Mira X. In 2013, the Mira was moved from Core and was one of three models to launch the S2 Series. It was last offered as an S2 in 2018, becoming part of the SE Series from 2020-2023.""PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year. For all of the latest news, click www.prsguitars.com/40 and follow @prsguitars on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and YouTube."The post PRS Guitars Brings Back the Mira as an S2 594 first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Eric Trump scaling back role at crypto firm ALT5 SigmaThe initial deal between ALT5 and World Liberty Financial included Eric Trump being on the company’s board of directors.

Why SpaceX made a $17B bet on the direct-to-cell marketExplaining SpaceX's aggressive move to dominate satellite-to-phone connectivity.

The Orchard launches physical distribution network, OPEN, following merger between Germany’s SPV Distribution and MembranIt's understood that The Orchard and Napalm will now co-own OPEN
Source

O Brother, What Art Thou?Dedicated word processors are not something we see much of anymore. They were in a weird space: computerized, but not really what you could call a computer, even in those days. More like a fancy typewriter, with a screen and floppy disks. Brother made some very nice ones, and [Chad Boughton] got his hands on one for a modernization project.
The word processor in question, a Brother WP-2200, was chosen primarily because of its beautiful widescreen, yellow-phosphor CRT display. Yes, you read that correctly — yellow phosphor, not amber. Widescreen CRTs are rare enough, but that’s just different. As built, the WP-2200 had a luggable form-factor, with a floppy drive, mechanical keyboard, and dot-matrix printer in the back.
Thanks to [Chad]’s upgrade, most of that doesn’t work anymore. Not yet, anyway. The original logic controller of this word processor was… rather limited. As generations have hackers have discovered, you just can’t do very much with these. [Chad] thus decided to tear it all out, and replace it with an ESP-32, since the ESP32-VGA library is a thing. Of course this CRT is not a VGA display, but it was just a matter of tracing the pinout and guesstimating sane values for h-sync, v-sync and the like. (Details are not given in the video.)
Right now, the excellent mechanical keyboard (mostly) works, thanks to a Teensy reading the keyboard matrix off the original cable. The teensy sends characters via UART to the ESP32 and it can indeed display them upon the screen. That’s half of what this thing could do, back in the 1980s, and a very good start. Considering [Chad] now has magnitudes more compute power available than the engineers at Brother ever did (probably more compute power than the workstation used to program the WP2200, now that we think of it) we’re excited to see where this goes. By the spitballing at the end of the video, this device will end its life as much more than a word processor.To see what he’s got working so far, jump to 5:30 in the video. Once the project is a bit more mature, [Chad] assures us he’ll be releasing both code and documentation in written form.
We’ve seen [Chad]’s work before, most recently his slim-fit CD player, but he has been hacking for a long time.We covered his Super Mario PLC hack back in 2014.

IK Multimedia gives its iLoud Precision monitor line a MKII upgradeIK Multimedia has unveiled the second generation of its iLoud Precision monitor range. The upgraded iLoud Precision MKII studio monitors have modified the hardware for a richer performance, as well as being compatible with IK’s improved acoustic correction software, ARC X, for greater sonic transparency.
Much like the original iLoud Precision line, the MKII also comes in three distinct models. The iLoud Precision 5 MKII is comprised of a 5″ Woofer, boasting 135W RMS, while the slightly larger iLoud Precision 6 MKII is fitted with a 6.5″ Woofer working at 150W RMS.
There’s also the option to get a pair of 5″ Woofers working at 175W RMS if you get the Loud Precision MTM MKII.

READ MORE: Fake artists, real opportunities: Hoaxes and scams are holding back the potential of AI music

All three models are also kitted out with a 1.5″ tweeter, which has been upgraded since the previous run of iLoud Prevision monitors. According to IK, the tweeter’s new construction is ultra-lightweight and reinforced with graphene to reduce distortion and ensure even more sonic accuracy.
In terms of frequency, the monitors’ response rate lies within ±1 dB accuracy from 45Hz to 30kHz, while it also extends down to 37Hz at -4dB. It’s a range that should offer a “full-spectrum of clarity”, especially when dealing with low-ends.
New fixing mounts are also built-in to the monitors, allowing you to integrate them into your studio with ease. There’s also the option to buy separate metal brackets to mount your speakers precisely, setting your desired angles for optimal listening experience.
While the iLoud Precision line has its own auto-calibration, the monitors are able to capture a heightened level of clarity thanks to IK’s ARC X acoustic correction technology. Building on the success of ARC 4, ARC X allows users to generate 3D model of their studio, analysing the space from three unique perspectives and using the information to correct any potential acoustic issues. It’s technology that IK brand as “remarkably natural”.
While ARC X isn’t a free software, owners of ARC X the iLoud Precision, iLoud Micro Monitor Pro, iLoud MTM MKII, ARC Studio, and ARC 4 are entitled to a free upgrade.
In terms of pricing, the iLoud Precision 5 MKII will set you back $799.99. The slightly larger iLoud Precision 6 MKII costs $899.99, while the pair of iLoud Precision MTM MKII monitors costs $999.99. There’s also the option of getting yourself a dedicated iLoud Precision Remote Control for $99.99.
Head to IK for more information.
The post IK Multimedia gives its iLoud Precision monitor line a MKII upgrade appeared first on MusicTech.

Watts Audio The Sultan AmpThe Sultan Amp is a virtual amp simulator for use in a DAW. Inspired by the tones of Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, it features a classic compressor, subtle reverb, two channels, and a traditional tone stack, delivering vintage character in a straightforward interface. Compressor: captures clarity and punch. Reverb: subtle, smooth ambience. Two channels: warm cleans to blues crunch. Tone stack: bass, mid, treble controls. Impulse response: Celestion-style IR reflecting Twin Reverb warmth. Presets: 7 curated starting points for quick results. Formats/OS: VST3, AU (64-bit). macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel) and Windows (64-bit). Read More

How To Use Live Performances to Build A Music Industry NetworkNetworking doesn't have to be so scary! For artists, the concert venue might just be the best environment to put your best foot forward and build connections. Learn how to use use live performances to build a music industry network.
The post How To Use Live Performances to Build A Music Industry Network appeared first on Hypebot.

Karra, bifurcation and YouTube’s gainA couple of weeks ago, electronic music artist Karra posted a video on YouTube about why she took her album down from streaming (one that she spent $100,000 making) and is now going to focus her efforts on YouTube (“an incredible platform for [her] artistry”) as well as selling content to music creators. The details in here will be familiar to most and many of them (fraud, bots, demonetisation, fractional royalties, slow payments, lack of support) are widely recognised as ‘industry glitches’. But when they are all stitched together, they can become an insurmountable challenge for independent creators. Big labels and publishers have the organisational scale to swat these glitches away like flies, but for creators doing everything on their own, it can make the system feel rigged against them. Karra’s solution was to opt out of the streaming economy entirely. Is she an outlier, or a sign of Bifurcation gathering pace?

Karra’s story is one of an artist trying to do what a label artist would do (co-writers, mixing and mastering, photoshoots, videos etc) but on her own. The result was a wholly professional release but because she lacked the operational resources of a record label, all of the glitches (canvass not uploading, social not monetising, music taking down for suspected fraudulent activity, fraudsters posting to her streaming profile, dodgy merch companies not paying etc) simply became too much. The kicker though was that her streaming royalties added up to little more than one percent of her outlay. Sure, if the album had been more successful or if she had spent less making it, that equation might have changed but this was an album with over a million streams, so not nothing. The kicker however, is that her YouTube video telling the story generated more revenue in one week than the album did on streaming in one year. 

There may not be many artists who depend upon streaming royalties to pay their bills, instead using it to fuel their core income streams (live, merch etc). But when the investment and effort vs rewards equation is so imbalanced, it is not surprising that a growing number of creators are now looking elsewhere. Among the non-DSP artists MIDiA has been tracking, YouTube keeps coming up as the place they turn to. Creating ‘content’ on YouTube is not of course for all artists, but now, neither is streaming. The reality of today’s music business may be fragmentation and complexity but this also means that artists now have more paths they can follow. 

The flipside of the complexity and fragmentation is that this strengthens the case for record labels. The depth and breadth of expertise needed to navigate today’s music business simply cannot be recreated by an independent creator’s own team. The likely implication is that successful independent creators have a choice between staying independent but specialising on one or two platforms, or working with a label to work across all of them.

An interesting additional element to the case for YouTube is that it enables artists to tell their story. As we enter the AI era, story telling has never been more important for artists to differentiate from something generated by a text prompt. As Mary Spender puts it, YouTube can play the role of ‘proof of work’. If / when AI music swamps streaming, not only will artists face royalty dilution and attention competition, they will have no meaningful way of communicating their ‘human-ness’ there. Unlike, of course, YouTube.

Streaming’s problems are a combination of self-inflicted injuries, industry dysfunction and unscrupulous third-party behaviour. Fixes are needed from both within and without. While larger rightsholders might look at this and think that these are little more than glitches for their businesses, if streaming fails, they fail. For all its creator-level faults, streaming works well at the rightsholder level. Rightsholders revenues are now dominated by streaming. As we first outlined in Bifurcation Theory in early 2024, streaming’s problems are opportunities for the expanding, non-DSP side of the music business. With a growing body of newer, younger creators prioritising YouTube and social over streaming, it will only be a matter of time before this starts translating into a clear culture-shift. Expect that to happen even faster if Gen AI starts to dominate functional playlists on streaming. YouTube will be waiting with open arms.

Keep an eye out for MIDiA’s forthcoming ‘Future of Streaming’ report that uses conversations with streaming’s leaders to present a bold vision for the industry’s future.

AlphaTheta launches new “flagship” DJ player, the CDJ-3000X – here’s what’s newAlphaTheta has launched its next-generation flagship DJ player, the CDJ-3000X.
An evolution of the CDJ-3000 – which landed in 2020 under Pioneer DJ (Pioneer is, of course, part of the AlphaTheta Corporation) – The CDJ-3000X brings a host of new features and quality-of-life improvements, including improved online music access, updated connectivity and numerous hardware upgrades.

READ MORE: AlphaTheta CDJ-3000X review: Bigger, sharper, smoother, and cloud-ready — but you’ll need very deep pockets

Heading up the selection of new features on the CDJ-3000X is its expanded media support, including built-in Wi-Fi – which removes the previous need for a LAN cable – an NFC touchpoint allowing easier-than-ever access to online media, and, via the Wi-Fi, access to online music via cloud storage or streaming services like TIDAL and Beatport.
Worth noting, though, that you’ll need a subscription to rekordbox Creative or Professional to use CloudDirectPlay.
Hardware improvements include a larger 10.1” touchscreen – up from the CDJ-3000’s 9” screen – enabling DJs to see up to 16 tracks onscreen at once, a more precise jog wheel, and more robust play and cue buttons, with AlphaTheta promising “over 500,000 additional presses compared to the previous model”.

There’s also a new USB-C port, which expands compatibility with USB storage devices.
AlphaTheta also promises enhanced audio quality via high-performance DAC (digital-to-analogue conversion), as well as a redeveloped power supply, and improved channel separation and frequency response.
The CDJ-3000X also brings the ability to edit playlists directly on the unit, and supports Universal DJ Library – an evolution of rekordbox’s DJ Library Plus – meaning you can play music exported via USB from rekordbox, djay Pro and Traktor Pro 4.
Since its launch, DJs, content creators and producers have been weighing in with their thoughts on the CDJ-3000X, and whether it’s a significant step forward for DJ gear.
In our own review, we commended the addition of Cloud-based functionality as well as improved hardware, particularly the larger, crisper touchscreen.
Meanwhile, Mojaxx of DJcityTV implores DJs to “temper your expectations” and see the CDJ-3000X as more of an “incremental upgrade” than a fully-fledged evolution of the CDJ blueprint.

Elsewhere, YouTube channel Digital DJ Tips called the CDJ-3000X the “future of DJing”, but noted, as did we, a persisting lack of stems functionality.

Price-wise, the CDJ-3000X clocks in at €2,799/£2,399/$2,999. For more information, head to AlphaTheta.
The post AlphaTheta launches new “flagship” DJ player, the CDJ-3000X – here’s what’s new appeared first on MusicTech.

4 Ways Artists Can Use YouTube Analytics to Grow Their ReachYouTube's guide for using analytics to help creators grow their channels offers artists some interesting tips and insights. Let's take a look!
The post 4 Ways Artists Can Use YouTube Analytics to Grow Their Reach appeared first on Hypebot.

IK launch iLoud Precision MkII studio monitors  IK Multimedia have unveiled the iLoud Precision MkII, the next generation of their studio monitor range, featuring the company’s new ARC X acoustic correction system.

KG Series is a new collection of 12 FREE plugins for Windows by KageMusicKorea
KageMusicKorea, an independent record label and audio developer based in Seoul, South Korea, has released the KG Series, a free collection of 12 audio plugins designed to provide affordable (or rather, free) creative tools for music producers. The KG Series is aimed at breaking down the financial barriers one might associate with music production. Of [...]
View post: KG Series is a new collection of 12 FREE plugins for Windows by KageMusicKorea

AlphaTheta CDJ-3000X review: Bigger, sharper, smoother, and cloud-ready — but you’ll need very deep pocketsPrice: €2,799/£2,399/$2,999
DJ tech doesn’t move at the breakneck pace of synths, plugins, or studio gear. In fact, most advances feel like refinements rather than revolutions. It’s this evolution, rather than revolution, that we are seeing again here in AlphaTheta’s CDJ-3000X.
The original CDJ-3000 had the misfortune of arriving in 2020, during a global pandemic that shuttered clubs worldwide. Since then, Pioneer DJ has rebranded many products under the AlphaTheta name, while aiming to continue its dominance as the global industry standard.

READ MORE: Sound Advice from AlphaTheta’s managing director Hiroaki Nishikawa: “Trust is incredibly important; micromanaging often causes friction”

In the CDJ-3000X, small tweaks and improvements add up to an enhanced experience without jeopardising the familiar layout DJs have adopted and grown accustomed to.
The headline change? A 10.1-inch high-res touchscreen, increased from 9 inches on the CDJ-3000. It looks more like a tablet bolted on top of the deck, which isn’t the prettiest design move, but function beats fashion here. Plus, there’s still enough slick improvements in the overall look with a new matte black anodised finish and subtle LED tweaks give it a stealthier, more premium feel.
With such upgrades, AlphaTheta is seemingly futureproofing the CDJ-3000X for another five years in the booth. Can the brand hold onto its crown in clubs, venues, festivals and house parties around the world in that time? You can count on it.
Still, with such a hefty price tag, is the CDJ-3000X really that impressive?
Image: Press
Browsing, Playlists, and Cloud
The CDJ-3000X’s larger screen makes browsing vastly more intuitive: up to 16 tracks visible at once versus 12 on the 3000. Long-pressing on text lets you copy and paste for fast searches, and you can now edit and reorder playlists on the fly. AlphaTheta tells us that more playlist editing, such as track add and moving tracks between playlists, will come in future firmware updates.
A small but slick touch: rekordbox’s USB colour preferences now translate to additional hardware. Set your stick to green in rekordbox preferences, and the track selector knob glows green when that source is active.
Built-in Wi-Fi is a big step forward, finally removing the need for LAN cables to access rekordbox CloudDirectPlay or streaming services like Tidal and Beatport. But remember: you’ll still need a rekordbox Creative/Professional subscription.
Connecting to the cloud is easier too: either use an authenticated USB, or simply tap your phone over the old CD slot (thanks to NFC), or scan an on-screen QR code. Loading seemed a little slow per track unless you do this pre-tagging at the start of your set, and we were on a gigabit fibre connection too. Tagging cloud tracks in a playlist auto-downloads the tracks for quicker loading times, with currently 16GB of memory for downloaded tracks, but the number of tracks of course, will vary with file sizes, formats and track lengths. You can tag an entire playlist also, to speed this process up. But, annoyingly, you can’t “untag” a playlist in one go. A bit irritating if you accidentally tag a playlist and end up combining those tracks with your existing tag list. Your only solution is to clear the whole tag list or manually delete tracks individually.
It seems AlphaTheta isn’t expecting DJs to show up to play without any USBs or media quite yet. So, as is becoming more and more the DJ’s job (aside from making lip-sync and dancing content for TikTok), preparation is still key here when using cloud-based music for a smooth flow.
Image: Press
Features DJs Actually Asked For
As is usually the case with top-of-the-line CDJ updates, many of the additional features implement what pro users called for from the last CDJ.. Especially important since the competition heated up from Denon DJ, which launched products years ago with internet connectivity, streaming, and even dual-layer mode, allowing two separate tracks to play simultaneously.
There’s no dual-layer mode here, but it’s not something that’s ever seemed entirely practical for me as a feature anyway. But, alongside the previously mentioned addition of Wi-FI, the additional USB-C port is welcome, sitting just below the classic USB-A. It’s future-proof, faster, and perfect for modern laptops and devices.
An easily missed but new feature, an “eye” icon, hides track names on-screen, protecting gatekeeping DJs who want to keep their secret weapons… secret.
The Playlist Bank (lifted from the XDJ-AZ and XDJ-RX3) gives quick access to four playlists on the side after hitting the main Playlist button above the screen. However, AlphaTheta has the screen real estate to easily expand this to six, and add playlist images, or custom text for quicker playlist ID. Again, hopefully, a firmware update will unlock some of that potential.
And then there’s Touch Cue. This is a game-changer: you can now drop hot cues while previewing a track in real-time, then jump to them perfectly quantised to the mix. The addition of being able to quickly change track BPM readings to double or half-time on the deck is a huge relief. Any DJs that play drum and bass, reggae, or hip hop will be used to seeing their tracks analysed at double or half BPM speeds, and now they can correct that quickly on the deck. A huge relief for Grimes, for sure.
Hot Cues can now also be switched into Gate Cue mode by a simple on-screen button in the waveform view mode. This means Hot Cues will only play when the button is held down, another much-requested DJ performance feature.
Image: Press
Build & Feel
As you’d expect, the 3000X is built like a tank. The jog wheels feel tighter and more buttery-smooth than ever, with a wider range of tension adjustment for ultra-precise control. The Play/Cue buttons have also been refined, with AlphaTheta claiming they are now tested to withstand over 500,000 more presses compared to the CDJ-3000.
On the audio side, AlphaTheta has upgraded the DAC to a new ESS unit, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 115dB. A new power supply also promises deeper bass and cleaner highs. In practice? These players sound immaculate, though the difference may only be clear in a huge club system, which AlphaTheta has tested with seasoned sound engineers.
Verdict? A dominant Alpha
The CDJ-3000X is very clearly aimed at the pro club, hire, and festival market. For that purpose, it’s almost faultless — rock-solid, familiar, and forward-looking without alienating DJs who live by muscle memory.
That said, the price, although unsurprising, is eye-watering, and there’s still no stems functionality, no over-the-air firmware updates, and limited streaming service options at launch. You’ll also need new flightcases thanks to the extra width.
Still, DJs who want cutting-edge without surprises will feel right at home. We’re confident that these improvements will finally convince any DJs who haven’t updated their tech riders from the 2000NXS2. The bottom line is that using these decks is an absolute pleasure if you encounter them in the booth.
Image: Press
Key Features

Built-in Wi-Fi
NFC tap-to-connect for rekordbox Cloud Library
Preview Hot Cue and Touch Cue during playback
10.1-inch touchscreen (up from 9”)
Improved jog wheels with extended tension control
Refined Play and Cue buttons
Improved sound quality
Dimensions: 344.6 × 490.4 × 130.1 mm
Weight: 6.0 kg

The post AlphaTheta CDJ-3000X review: Bigger, sharper, smoother, and cloud-ready — but you’ll need very deep pockets appeared first on MusicTech.