Spotify unveils tool for artists to pay to promote music on home screenSpotify has launched a tool that allows artists to pay to feature new music on the app’s home screen.

READ MORE: This new drawing-based synthesiser makes sequencing easier than ever

The newest feature, named Showcase, allows artists to promote new music, upcoming releases, anniversaries and more, by appearing as a mobile banner at the top of Spotify’s homepage.
According to Spotify, the aim of Showcase is to not only “hype” up an existing fan base, but also re-engage listeners that may not have interacted with an artist in a while. As a result of trials, the streaming service has claimed that those who see a Showcase are six more times more likely to stream a promoted release.
Artists can use Showcase to reach listeners in around 30 different markets, which are mainly defined as “active” and “previously active” listeners.
For example, artists have the option to target their advertisement to “super listeners”, “moderate listeners” and “light listeners”, as well as those that haven’t intentionally streamed their music in at least 28 days.
Alongside the launch of Showcase is also Showcase reporting, where artists can access data which shows how a campaign drives engagement. It tracks “amplified listeners”, “reactivated listeners” and “new active listeners”.
Budgets for Showcase campaigns start at $100 when booked via Spotify for Artists and run until you either spend your budget or 14 days after your campaign starts, whichever comes first.
Spotify has released a series of new features in the last few months, such as the Daylist.
The new Daylist feature involves the platform analysing a user’s daily listening trends, which it uses to create a playlist that is updated several times a day. The playlist it creates is unique to every user and is designed to match their mood as the day goes on.
For more information about Showcase, you can head to Spotify’s website.
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This new drawing-based synthesiser makes sequencing easier than everPlugin manufacturer blööps has launched blöcks, a drawing-based sequencer and percussion synthesiser made for Ableton Live.

READ MORE: InMusic protest Serato sale to Pioneer DJ in New Zealand newspaper advert

The sequencer works using four colour-coded blocks, which draw the sequence. By clicking and dragging blocks, users can draw the sequence that they want the plugin to play. Every time the main sequencer passes a block, the corresponding colour-coded sequencer moves one step.
The green block controls the pitch of the note, as well as the type-blend between kick, hi-hat and percussion. The purple block is responsible for filtering and distortion, while the pink block adds modulation to the sound with either ring or amplitude modulation. Finally, the blue block adds a comb filter set spatialise effect or a variable speed rhythmic delay.
As well as the blocks, there are three additional controls which can be added to the sequence. This includes ‘hold’, which makes the sequencer stop on the marked step for 2, 3 or 4 counts. There is also ‘ratchet’ which makes the sequencer repeat the step for 2, 3 or 4 times in one count. Finally, ‘connector’ make blocks sound together, either resulting in a new sound or alternating the corresponding coloured sequence.
blöcks also has an option to map any external controls to seven sequencers, which can be modulated accordingly. Users can offset these controls to a desirable state or enable the slew button to make a smooth transition between slider values.
blöcks also comes with a standalone MIDI version, which can be dropped before any synthesiser to use blöcks as a sequencer.
blöcks is currently available for $29 via blööps.
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New app, [untitled], lets you share and organise unreleased music securelyApp developer Sin Titulo Inc. has introduced the [untitled] app, which lets producers and musicians share and organise their unreleased music.

READ MORE: It’s official: Language app Duolingo to launch music course

The recently launched [untitled] is designed to simplify the process of managing unreleased tracks while emphasising data security. Key features of the app include high-quality lossless audio streaming, seamless recording capabilities for capturing inspiration, and hassle-free uploading from various sources like Airdrop and iMessage.
The app also offers a comprehensive organisation system, allowing users to sort their tracks into projects and folders that sync across multiple devices, including iPhone and web. Even with limited internet access, users can continue to listen, edit, and organise their music thanks to its offline mode.
[untitled] places a strong emphasis on security, partnering with a world-class cybersecurity firm to protect users’ music. The encryption measures employed by the app are on par with industry leaders like Dropbox and SoundCloud.
Additionally, [untitled] integrates smoothly with desktop systems, enabling users to drag and drop music files and folders directly onto the web app.
Sin Titulo Inc. aims to position [untitled] as a trustworthy and secure platform for unreleased music, offering music creators a reliable solution for sharing their work. With its user-friendly features and a focus on data security, [untitled] is poised to become a valuable asset in the music production landscape, providing a new avenue for unreleased music sharing.
Security is important when it comes to unreleased music. In 2022, A 23-year-old man from Ipswich was sentenced to 18 months in prison for hacking high-profile musicians such as Frank Ocean and Kanye West and selling their unreleased music on the dark web.
Find out more about [untitled] via untitled.stream.
The post New app, [untitled], lets you share and organise unreleased music securely appeared first on MusicTech.

“Go where you excel”: BIIANCO urges producers to utilise their strengthsBIIANCO is an LA/London-based multifaceted artist known for seamlessly blending the roles of producer, DJ, performer, and social media innovator, owning a distinct sound influenced by US-leaning house music and UK electronic culture. They hops between two studios in each city, with each offering their own unique inspiration.

READ MORE: Chris Lake: “If you’re trying to sound like everyone else, how are you going to stand out?”

MusicTech speaks to BIIANCO around the release of their new track La Discoteca with Mary Droppinz and featuring my name is alex. In the conversation, they highlight the ongoing gender disparity in the music industry, before getting stuck into the depths of their hardware setup, which includes the Roland TR-8S, Arturia KeyLab, Aston Origin vocal microphone and more. BIIANCO also touches upon their vocal layering techniques and future studio plans, including investing in an Ableton Push 3.
Hey BIIANCO, how’s life?
Touring internationally has really taken off in the past four months. I seem to be constantly going back and forth between the UK and LA and writing nonstop in my off days in between.
BIIANCO in their studio
In a recent cover story, MusicTech highlighted a disparity in gender representation in the music industry. Do you think there is still work to be done?
Absolutely. CIS men still make up the highest-paid music producers on the royalty front and also on the live fee front. The gap is especially true for dance music. Yes, we are seeing more women and non-binary artists on lineups, but they’re absolutely getting paid less and tend to have worse placements within festival bills.
Tell us a bit about the hardware setup.
I have a unique setup because I live back and forth between LA and London. So, I’ve had to create two studios and narrow down the essentials that I travel with.
I tend to travel with my Roland TR-8S. I use this both when producing and when I play live. I also have an Arturia KeyLab in both my LA and London studios because it’s just the best controller workflow when in the studio.
I also travel with my Aston Origin vocal mic because it’s best on my voice. And if I have hybrid or live sets, I’ll bring my Focusrite Scarlett interface rackmount, my Roland SPDSX, and my Sequential Prophet 6.
Tell us about your live setup. How do you use it?
For both my live and hybrid DJ sets, I lean very heavily into Ableton Live. I use drum racks in Ableton to trigger my breakbeat sounds on my Roland SPDSX drum pads. I also use drum racks for any sampling I am doing live during my sets. All of the Ableton sounds run out of my Focusrite Scarlett interface.
BIIANCO’s TC Helicon VoiceTouch Live
I tend to sing live as well and use a TC Helicon VoiceTouch Live for vocal effects.
What is your favourite piece of gear and why?
The Roland TR-8S is my favourite piece of live gear because I bounce out all my original stems and can literally mix drum beat elements and basslines live with it. It’s incredible.
My Prophet 6 has really shaped all my synth sounds though.
Tell us about how you work with vocals in your music.
I am a diehard stacker. Some of the songs I’ve released have 50+ vocal tracks going. I usually do a centre, hard left pan, and hard right pan for every vocal. I tend to layer a low octave and high octave and then a harmony layer. Then I can formant shift some of the layers and make it sound like a gang vocal.
BIIANCO’s Arturia KeyLab
What is next on your shopping list studio-wise and why?
Ableton Push 3 because it’s standalone, meaning I will no longer need to bring my computer and interface when I am playing a live or hybrid DJ set. I will be able to bring just that piece and control my Ableton session from it.
What is your dream piece of gear and why?
I’m going to start investing in the synths that I usually use plugins to emulate—like a Juno, Korg M1, and Korg Arp Odyssey. I rely heavily on my Prophet 6 and Korg minilogue, so I’d like to start collecting hardware for the synths I use plugins for. It’s a bit challenging when you have two studios you go back and forth between.
If you were left on a desert island, what one item would you take with you to make music with forever?
I would probably take my Roland TR-8s because I could make an entire song using its sequencer.
BIIANCO with their Roland TR-8S
What is your top piece of production advice?
Invest in your skills! Learn to play instruments. If you’re making dance music, get a subwoofer, or you’ll never be able to produce the low end.
What is the one piece of advice you would give someone starting out building a studio?
All you really need at first is a good laptop, a controller, an interface, monitors, and a subwoofer. From there, invest where your skills lie. If you’re a strong keys player, invest in synths and controllers. If you’re a good singer, invest in mics and soundproofing. If you’re a guitarist, get a good guitar and pedalboard. Go where you excel.
Listen to the rest of BIIANCO’s music via Soundcloud.com.
The post “Go where you excel”: BIIANCO urges producers to utilise their strengths appeared first on MusicTech.

STL Tones ControlHub and Tracer let you capture and recreate any plugin chainControlHub $199 + Tracer add-on $99 + Expansion Packs $49
ControlHub Pro (subscription only, includes ControlHub, Tracer and Expansion packs): $15/month or $150/year
Many producers have go-to processing chains for various studio tasks, assembled from their favourite plugins and hardware.

READ MORE: Baby Audio Transit breathes life into your transitions, courtesy of Andrew Huang

However, not all processors are made equal – an EQ that’s reliable when tracking may be less effective when mixing or mastering, for example. As a result, one can spend years – and heaps of cash – building up the ideal collection of effects required for various chains. Or, you could just grab a subscription to STL Tones’ ControlHub plugin and be done with it.
Strip show
At first glance, ControlHub looks like a standard channel strip plugin, with each of its processing stages packed into its own module. Here’s the rundown.
The processing chain starts with the Color module, which takes on the role of preamp and/or tape return, with shelving bass and treble EQ bands. Plus, a distortion generator allows you to blend tube drive and tape saturation style distortions. This feeds a dynamics stage that contains three rearrangeable sub-modules, namely a de-esser, a transient designer and a compressor with a choice of VCA or FET models.
Next is the Master EQ stage that provides three fully parametric bands, as well as high- and low-pass filters with slopes variable from a gentle 6dB/oct, all the way to a brickwall 96dB/oct. EQ curves are drawn as an overlay on a spectrograph that dominates the plugin’s window. You can drag the nodes of the curve as an alternative way of configuring the EQ bands.
The Master EQ is followed by the Effects module containing both a reverb and a delay. There are seven reverb models, each based on different hardware reverbs, and both analogue and digital delay models. It’s unusual to include such processors in a channel strip, although they’re embedded in the strip similarly to how they would be if applied via inserts on an analogue console, and there is an attraction to everything being dealt with within a single plugin.
STL Tones ControlHub spectograph view
The effects sound nice, too, and work well during mixing, but if you already have some premium modelled reverb and delay plugins then there’s a good chance they’ll be more detailed and accurate than ControlHub’s Effects module. So, an unusual module for a channel strip, but we’ll take it.
The chain concludes with a limiter module, balance control and master wet/dry mix setting. If you switch the main visualisation from spectrogram to waveform mode, the gain reduction activity of the limiter is overlaid on the waveform readout, which is handy.
It’s a shame there’s no similar readout for the compressor’s activity, although the waveform is post-compressor so you can at least glean some information about the compressor’s activity from it. With regards to the balance control, this can operate in either L/R or M/S mode, but only weights the signal to one channel or another and can’t go fully 100 per cent one way or another, despite what is shown on the control’s value readout.
Tracer
So far there’s nothing particularly remarkable about ControlHub. It offers a healthy selection of tools that work well for tracking and mixing, and that can also be used for mastering. Still, the inability to re-order the modules takes away some usefulness in this area. But now we get to the plugin’s party trick: tracing. This lets you ‘sample’ either a hardware compressor (or a full processing chain) for recreation within the plugin.
Tracing is a relatively straightforward process and involves playing a special audio file, consisting of various noises, pulses and drones, through a compressor or processing chain, and then importing the captured result into ControlHub for analysis. If tracing just a compressor, the results are made available as an option in ControlHub’s compressor module alongside the built-in VCA and FET models. If tracing a full strip, the results are saved as a complete preset that can be loaded into the plugin when needed.
STL Tones ControlHub tracer
Now, this all sounds very exciting, but it’s important to appreciate the limits of the system. For one, when tracing an entire chain, you have to manually configure the Color and Master EQ modules to give the best-sounding match to the chain you are tracing. In other words, it is still just the compressor that is being measured and recreated, although this tracing is then wrapped in an entire preset.
Perhaps more importantly, the accuracy of a tracing depends entirely on how close you remain to the original, as-traced settings. The further you move ControlHub away from these traced settings, the less accurate the tracing becomes when compared to similar settings on the original compressor.
Trace Hub
The plugin connects directly to Trace Hub, an online resource that lets you share your tracings and download those created by others. In theory, this gives you a near-limitless choice of both common and boutique compressors, not to mention the ability to import ‘signature’ channel strips created by notable and well-known users of the platform.
The problem with this, as we see it, is that every recording is different, and so processors have to be tuned and configured to match the audio being processed. But, as we have mentioned, doing this in ControlHub can reduce the accuracy of the tracing; this is where the Pre EQ comes in.
STL Tones ControlHub tracer
The module is identical to the Master EQ module, and is useful in its own right as a pre-compression EQ, but its primary intended function appears to be for tuning a recording to match it to a traced chain. This isn’t an unreasonable solution and it certainly helps, but it still has a feeling of the tail wagging the dog!
Is the whole tracing thing a white elephant, then? Not at all. Changing the response of the compressor does have an impact on the overall character of results, and even if a tracing doesn’t sound identical to the source it will nonetheless have its own particular character for you to work with, which is definitely a good thing.
We don’t think ControlHub is any time soon going to supersede the detailed yet fixed models of individual processors and channel strips that we’re familiar with, but the plugin is unquestionably a fascinating, effective and exceptionally flexible channel strip in its own right.
Key features

Channel strip plugin (AU, VST and AAX)
Tracing system for capturing and recreating response of other compressors and chains
Color module emulates tube drive and tape saturation
Dynamics module contains de-esser, transient designer and compressor
Two compressor models included: FET and VCA
Two parametric EQ modules with high- and low-pass filters
Reverb and delay effects module
Limiter module
Licence via subscription or perpetual licence
Contact: stltones.com

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Hush Pro dialogue repair plug-in released Hush Pro is an AudioSuite plug-in that is capable of removing noise and room reflections from speech recordings. 

TMAMG Records is Looking For A Music Booking AgentWHAT THIS ROLE WILL DO

Contact promoters, booking coordinators and talent buyers

Assist in creation and issuance of artist contracts and addendums

Create and maintain artist show files and guest lists

Assist in contract and deposit tracking

Agents are responsible for researching new shows and festivals that can be locally or internationally booked

Book interviews or any projects that the label feels that will help get the artist more paid shows

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Develop an understanding of the booking and financial side of the live music industry

Create and maintain relatationship with promoters, venue personell, etc.

Learn to book headlining and opening act shows for artist in the music industry

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Previous experience preferred (school or professional)

Creative thinker and problem solver

Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills

Acute sense of judgment, tact, and diplomacy

Click here for more info.

Magnestar wants to solve the satellite signal interference problem for the entire space industrySatellites depend on radio frequency spectrum to communicate with each other and with ground stations on Earth, but spectrum is a finite resource that’s prone to interference — an issue that’s only gotten worse as more satellites are launched into orbit. Satellite operators have become increasingly concerned that growing numbers of spacecraft over the same […]

Influence Media, in partnership with Warner Chappell Music, acquires publishing catalog of songwriter Jesse FrasureInfluence Media Partners is a US-based music and rights company founded in 2019 and led by Lylette Pizarro, Lynn Hazan, Rene McLean, and Jon Jashni
Source

ZAK Sound Deep Waters Reverb plugin built from water sounds designed to create huge and immersive reverbs. Features: 77 audio sources for convolution reverbs. 83 presets divided into four... Read More

Resonance-Sound Deep House Vocals Feeling gentle and sensual? Be vocal about it! Resonance Sound is back with a treat for all lovers of Deep House, and at the same time so much more. The Deep House Vocals sample pack comes... Read More

Brian Eno hates the “arsehole chord” – but what exactly is it?Ambient pioneer and David Bowie collaborator Brian Eno has revealed his distaste for a certain chord, which he calls the “arsehole chord”.

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

Musicians often are tempted into ending a sequence with this chord, he says in a recent YouTube-based discussion with James Blake, who apparently did so on one of his most popular tracks to date, Retrograde.

“You once accused me of using the ‘arsehole chord”. Could you explain what the arsehole chord is?” Asks Blake.
“There’s a way of resolving things in songs which always disappoints me,” Eno responds. “You know, you have a sort of set-up, and then you think, ‘Don’t go to that one, don’t go to that one.’ And it goes to that one and you think, ‘Oh, God.’”
“That was in my most popular song, Retrograde,” Blake says.
“So it starts with a G major chord which is the nice chord. The bottom G in the right hand, I moved up to an A flat, just to see what that does, and that made it a kind of diminished over a G bass. That was when your head cocked, like a dog listening to a high pitch, and you said ‘That’s the arsehole chord’.”

The two go on to joke about how the awkward moment “impacted” Blake, with the Retrograde producer claiming it cost him a fictional “20k” in therapy fees before Eno explains further his distaste for the chord.
“For songwriters,” Eno says, “I really think they often think, ‘Oh, it’s all majors. I better put in a minor’. Fucking why? You don’t have to put sugar in everything you cook. I used to say, ‘Ban all minor chords,’ just to annoy people – just to make them think differently about what they were doing.”
Check out James Blake’s new album, Playing Robots Into Heaven, via jamesblake.com.
The post Brian Eno hates the “arsehole chord” – but what exactly is it? appeared first on MusicTech.

Arturia update PolyBrute firmware The latest PolyBrute firmware update brings with it a range of new features including additional effects, improved routing, new tuning and layering modes and more.

Stability AI launches new text-to-music AI sound generatorStability AI – the company behind image generator Stable Diffusion – has announced the launch of Stable Audio, a new AI-powered text-to-music audio generator.
The new tool is Stability AI’s first foray into music and can generate high-quality music clips and sound effects of up to 90 seconds in length. It can also respond to detailed instructions on genre, instrumentation, mood, BPM and more.

READ MORE: Waves launches AI-powered mastering tool, Waves Online Mastering

Stable Audio was trained on a dataset of over 800,000 audio files from the stock music library AudioSparx. Stability AI says the new platform is “ideal for musicians seeking to create samples to use in their music”.
The examples they gave in a blog post of what the generator can do showed, for example, that it is capable of generating a music sample to any given BPM, something which previous AI music generators created by the likes of Meta and Google have so far not yet been capable of doing.
Stable Audio also has the advantage of being able to create structured musical ideas, thanks to it being trained to account for “audio file duration and start time” in addition to musical attributes like genre and instrumentation. This circumvents an issue many AI generators have had, whereby they have created random sections of a song that start or end in the middle of a phrase.
Stable Audio will generate audio samples of up to 20 seconds for free, while a paid version costing $11.99 a month will let users generate up to 500 tracks a month, each lasting up to 90 seconds.
“As the only independent, open and multimodal generative AI company, we are thrilled to use our expertise to develop a product in support of music creators,” said Emad Mostaque, CEO of Stability AI. “Our hope is that Stable Audio will empower music enthusiasts and creative professionals to generate new content with the help of AI, and we look forward to the endless innovations it will inspire.”
The post Stability AI launches new text-to-music AI sound generator appeared first on MusicTech.

Rupert Neve Designs unveil Master Bus Transformer Rupert Neve Designs' latest all-in-one processor combines EQ, compression and stereo width sections with the latest iteration of the their acclaimed Silk circuitry.