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- in the community space Tools and Plugins
Universal Audio launches UAD Showtime ’64 Tube Amp as a FREE plugin
Universal Audio has released UAD Showtime ’64 Tube Amp, a free native amp simulation plugin for macOS and Windows (no UAD hardware required). The plugin is available for free download via the UA Connect app from October 1 through October 31, 2025. Showtime ’64 is a faithful recreation of a 100-watt Fender Showman amp that [...]
View post: Universal Audio launches UAD Showtime ’64 Tube Amp as a FREE pluginUniversal Audio launches UAD Showtime ’64 Tube Amp as a FREE plugin
bedroomproducersblog.comUniversal Audio has released UAD Showtime ’64 Tube Amp, a free native amp simulation plugin for macOS and Windows (no UAD hardware required). The plugin is available for free download via the UA Connect app from October 1 through October 31, 2025. Showtime ’64 is a faithful recreation of a 100-watt Fender Showman amp that
Hard Hat Becomes Bluetooth Direction FinderHave you ever wanted to find a Bluetooth device out in the wild while looking like the comic relief character from a science-fiction series? You might like Dendrite, the direction-finding hat from [SolidStat3].
Dendrite is intended for hunting down Bluetooth devices. It’s capable of direction estimation based on signal strength readings from four ESP32 microcontrollers mounted on an off-the-shelf hard hat. Each ESP32 searches for BLE devices in the immediate area and reports the apparent signal strength to a fifth ESP32, which collates readings from all units. It then runs a simple multilateration algorithm to estimate the direction of the device. This information is then displayed via a ring of addressable LEDs around the perimeter of the hat. White LEDs marking the direction of the detected device. The only problem? You can’t see the LEDs while you’re wearing the hat. You might need a friend to help you… or you can simply take it off to see what it’s doing.
Ultimately, this project is a useful direction-finding hard hat that would also make a perfect prop from an episode of Inspector Spacetime. We’ve covered direction finding in other contexts before, too. Meanwhile, if you’re cooking up your own innovative hard hat (or radio) hacks, don’t hesitate to let us know!Hard Hat Becomes Bluetooth Direction Finder
hackaday.comHave you ever wanted to find a Bluetooth device out in the wild while looking like the comic relief character from a science-fiction series? You might like Dendrite, the direction-finding hat from …
- in the community space Tools and Plugins
Audient launch the Oria Mini Audient’s latest hardware release sees them team up with renowned room-correction experts Sonarworks to create a compact, powerful hardware system designed to help studio users get the best results out of their room.
Audient launch the Oria Mini
www.soundonsound.comAudient’s latest hardware release sees them team up with renowned room-correction experts Sonarworks to create a compact, powerful hardware system designed to help studio users get the best results out of their room.
- in the community space Music from Within
Spotify leadership update: Daniel Ek explains why he’s stepping back as Spotify CEO to become Executive ChairmanDaniel Ek and Spotify's new Co-CEOs Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström participated in a Q&A about the leadership transition. MBW listened in on the call. Here's what stood out...
SourceSpotify leadership update: Daniel Ek explains why he’s stepping back as Spotify CEO to become Executive Chairman
www.musicbusinessworldwide.comDaniel Ek and Spotify’s new Co-CEOs Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström participated in a Q&A about the leadership transition. MBW listened in on the call. Here’…
ORIA Mini: Audient and Sonarworks team up on portable “professional-grade” acoustic calibration deviceIf you’re a producer or mix engineer, you’ll know the feeling of disappointment when you take a mix which sounds perfect, play it in a new setting and it doesn’t quite hit in the same way.
But with their innovative new ORIA Mini, Audient and Sonarworks seek to eliminate that problem.
A “compact yet powerful” room correction system, the ORIA Mini delivers “professional-grade” acoustic calibration in a dedicated hardware device, granting creators, producers and studio owners the confidence to “trust every mix”, with no software, CPU strain or latency.READ MORE: Telepathic Instruments Orchid: wildly popular synth and chord generator from Tame Impala gets its global release
But how does the ORIA Mini work, exactly? Well, it sits as a hardware DSP solution between your audio interface and speakers, and measures and corrects the acoustic imperfections of any space – whether it’s a home studio or professional control room. The device then applies corrective calibration directly via its onboard DSP.
Audient and Sonarworks say this ensures accurate, reliable monitoring without having to rely on plugins or system-wide software.
Powered by Sonarworks’ SoundID Reference technology, the ORIA Mini boasts 32-bit converters, 127dB dynamic range and support for up to 2.1 speaker systems, while users can load up to four unique calibration profiles to the unit and switch between them instantly.
Credit: Audient
With Sonarworks, users can even create calibration profiles that simulate different playback environments like a car or mobile phone, to check how their mix will sound in these common listening scenarios.
“Every engineer knows the frustration of chasing mixes that don’t translate outside the studio,” says Andrew Allen, Product & Marketing Director at Audient.
“The truth is, your room is usually the problem and if you can’t trust what you’re hearing, you can’t trust your mix. ORIA Mini fixes that in minutes, giving you a professional monitoring environment you can actually trust and the confidence to unlock your best mixes yet.”
“We understand whilst room correction has such a positive impact on your ability to achieve great mixes it is also complicated! It is for that reason that ORIA Mini is designed to be a set and forget box – offering consistent, reliable performance with ultra-low latency, doing its job quietly in the background with zero fuss. No crashes, no CPU strain – just high resolution, consistently accurate monitoring whether you’re mixing in your DAW or simply streaming music via Spotify.”
Credit: Audient
“At Sonarworks, our mission has always been to help creators hear every detail with confidence, no matter where they work. With ORIA Mini powered by SoundID Reference, that promise extends into a dedicated hardware solution – giving creators studio-accurate sound without CPU strain, latency, or workflow disruption,” says Martins Polelis, CPO at Sonarworks.
“By correcting room imperfections and ensuring mixes translate across every playback system, ORIA Mini embodies the core of what Sonarworks delivers: consistency, reliability, and freedom for creators to focus purely on their music.”
Importantly, calibration and setup is simple, and can be done in just 20 minutes, according to Audient and Sonarworks.
Pricing & availability
The ORIA Mini is available now in the following configurations:
ORIA Mini + SoundID Reference Complete Bundle – £379 / €439 / $449
Ideal for users just getting started with room and monitor calibration. Includes ORIA Mini hardware, SoundID Reference for speakers for Speakers and Headphones license, SoundID Reference Measurement Microphone.
ORIA Mini Add-On Bundle – £335 / €398 / $398
For existing SoundID users, or users with multiple ORIA Minis, this bundle includes ORIA Mini hardware, SoundID Reference for ORIA Mini Add-on License and SoundID Reference Measurement Microphone)
ORIA Mini hardware only – £249 / €299 / $299
Includes ORIA Mini hardware and SoundID Reference Measurement Microphone
Learn more about the ORIA Mini at Audient.
The post ORIA Mini: Audient and Sonarworks team up on portable “professional-grade” acoustic calibration device appeared first on MusicTech.ORIA Mini: Audient and Sonarworks team up on portable “professional-grade” acoustic calibration device
musictech.comA “compact yet powerful” room correction system, ORIA Mini delivers “professional-grade” acoustic calibration in a dedicated hardware device.
Daniel Ek is stepping down as Spotify CEODaniel Ek is stepping down as CEO of Spotify, and will step into an Executive Chairman role from 1 January 2026.
Spotify co-presidents Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström are to step in as co-CEOs, it has been announced.READ MORE: Spotify to crackdown on AI “slop” in bid to protect artists
“Spotify has a strong leadership team in place and a solid plan we are executing against. That’s not changing.” Ek writes in a statement on Spotify’s Newsroom.
“What changes is my time and focus. As Executive Chairman, I will spend more of my time on the long arc: strategy, capital allocation, regulatory efforts and the calls that will shape the next decade for Spotify.”
Ek notes that Norström and Söderström will continue to report to him, and the three will “work closely together” with Spotify’s Board of Directors.
He goes on: “Why now? Because Alex and Gustav have clearly demonstrated that, with the support of this remarkable team, they are ready to lead Spotify as co-CEOs. And because you all have stepped up, I can confidently step back from the day-to-day.
“Together, we’ve shown the world that Spotify is not only a great product but also a great business – delivering our first full year of profitability in company history. We couldn’t be better positioned. And to be clear, I’m not leaving. I’ll remain deeply involved in the big, defining decisions about our future, partnering with Gustav and Alex as they lead the way forward.”
Ek notes that part of his new focus will be on building “more Spotifys” and “more of these super-companies”. He describes his intention to create “companies that are developing new technologies to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time.”
Daniel Ek drew criticism earlier this year when it was revealed that his investment company Prima Materia led a €600 million investment in AI military weapons company Helsing, of which Ek is also Chairman.
The move sparked several high-profile artists to remove their music from Spotify, including King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, and Xiu Xiu.
After English trip-hop collective Massive Attack also announced their intention to remove their music from the platform, Helsing issued a statement responding to the “misinformation” surrounding its activities.
“Currently we see misinformation spreading that Helsing’s technology is deployed in war zones other than Ukraine,” the company wrote on its website. “This is not correct. Our technology is deployed to European countries for deterrence and for defence against the Russian aggression in Ukraine only.”
Read more about Spotify’s leadership changes via its Newsroom.
The post Daniel Ek is stepping down as Spotify CEO appeared first on MusicTech.Daniel Ek is stepping down as Spotify CEO
musictech.comDaniel Ek is stepping down as CEO of Spotify, and will step into an Executive Chairman role from 1 January 2026.
- in the community space Music from Within
Facebook Marketing for Musicians: New tools to grow a fanbaseFacebook has added tools that can bring musicians and creators and their fans together. Discover how to use Facebook marketing for musicians to grow a fanbase, boost engagement, and build a loyal superfan community. Learn practical strategies like fan challenges, custom badges and more.
The post Facebook Marketing for Musicians: New tools to grow a fanbase appeared first on Hypebot.Facebook Marketing for Musicians: New tools to grow a fanbase
www.hypebot.comFacebook has added tools that can bring musicians and creators and their fans together. Discover how to use Facebook marketing for musicians to grow a fanbase, boost engagement, and build a loyal superfan community. Learn practical strategies like fan challenges, custom badges and more.
- in the community space Music from Within
Free Healthcare For Musicians and Industry ProfessionalsAffordable healthcare has always been a problem for musicians and music industry professionals. Recent cuts to federal subsidies will only exacerbate the problem. This is happening at a time when premiums and other costs are on the rise. While not the same as full health insurance, some programs are expanding. They aim to offer access to free healthcare for musicians and music industry professionals.
The post Free Healthcare For Musicians and Industry Professionals appeared first on Hypebot.Free Healthcare For Musicians and Industry Professionals
www.hypebot.comWhile not the same as health insurance, a number of programs offer access to free healthcare for musicians and music industry professionals.
- in the community space Tools and Plugins
smaolab M4L POP DRUMMER POP Drum Step Sequencer M4L POP Drummer is a new Max for Live Multi Track Step Sequencer with original features: Create modern POP sequences & FILLS using the special Wizard function. Access up to 8 tracks (Polyphonic). Remix your production in real time. Create groovy beat sequences using an advanced special Roger LinDrum Swing mode. And many more features. A functional Demo is available :-). Video: https://youtu.be/4YI_hPNFEOY?si=nicp_bdYNGPvFcwg Read More
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/m4l-pop-drummer-by-smaolab?utm_source=kvrnewindbfeed&utm_medium=rssfeed&utm_campaign=rss&utm_content=33156 - in the community space Tools and Plugins
Telepathic Instruments Orchid: Latest batch incoming Telepathic Instruments have revealed that the latest batch of their innovative hardware instrument is set for launch on 10 October 2025.
Telepathic Instruments Orchid: Latest batch incoming
www.soundonsound.comTelepathic Instruments have revealed that the latest batch of their innovative hardware instrument is set for launch on 10 October 2025.
Telepathic Instruments Orchid: wildly popular synth and chord generator from Tame Impala gets its global releaseTelepathic Instruments – the gear brand co-founded by Kevin Parker, better known as Tame Impala – has announced the global launch of Orchid, a synthesizer with an emphasis on chord generation and helping musicians “get out of their head and into the music”.
Orchid has already proved wildly popular, with two limited drops in January and May this year selling out 1,000 and 3,000 units, respectively, in “minutes”.READ MORE: “Never thought I’d be saying this, but thank you Fortnite”: Daft Punk fans hail “closure” with Fortnite collab
Now, Orchid is being released worldwide, meaning thousands of synth fans and music producers can now get their hands on one.
First conceived by Kevin Parker more than a decade ago as a personal songwriting tool, Orchid first arrived as a 12-key, 16-voice polyphonic synth with three synth engines, and crucially, a chord logic system for quickly building chord progressions. That chord generator comprised a matrix of eight chord-type selecting and chord-modifying keys, with users able to play a root note and subsequently generate chords and voicings.
It featured a collection of onboard effects including reverb, chorus and delay, four LFOs and envelope generators for modulation, and even a separate bass engine.
Credit: Telepathic Instruments
Since it first launched, Orchid has been adopted by a wide array of music industry professionals: it can be heard on Kid Cudi’s Submarine from his 2025 album Free; Don Toliver used it to write chords for his track Call Back, while other artists harnessing its creative potential include Janelle Monáe, Diplo, Ryan Tedder, Fred Again, Joy Anonymous, Madison Beer, Logic, Mark Hoppus, Murda Beatz, Gracie Abrams and Sarah Landry.
Now, the first 4,000 customers who were lucky to get their hands on Orchid during the first two drops – known as the Garden – have offered input leading to the latest iteration of the groundbreaking synth, and the one which is now available as a global release.
“Telepathic has turned feedback into features, ideas into interfaces, and accidents into innovations in this third release,” the brand says.
“Orchid is designed to help songwriters, producers, and artists find what’s on their mind, and what began as Parker’s sketchpad has evolved into a refined, community-shaped instrument, now ready for its first true global release.”
These community-led improvements and enhancements include: Beats, a number of pre-programmed beats by Kevin Parker; a dedicated cutoff frequency filter for sound shaping; Quantisation; the ability to save and modify sounds directly on Orchid; Drum FX, new rhythmic controls for the unit’s beat engine and more.
Watch Telepathic’s irreverent instructional video to celebrate the global launch of Orchid, which features comedians Matt Berry and Jemaine Clement, and channels ’90s synth DVDs in its equal part tutorial and comedy.Pistil: a software companion to Orchid
Coinciding with the launch is a brand-new piece of software named Pistil, which takes the original synth engine Kevin Parker used to design Orchid’s 60 onboard sounds and turns it into a plugin.
Through Pistil, users can access Telepathic’s universe of sounds, create, customise and save sounds without an Orchid hardware synth, and take advantage of two-way sync with Orchid, meaning you can take sounds and put them straight into your DAW.
Pricing & Availability
Credit: Telepathic Instruments
Orchid will be available exclusively via telepathicinstruments.com on October 10, 2025, at 10:00AM local time across Telepathic’s key markets. Early access will also be available to members of the Garden via Patreon.
Orchid is priced at $549, while Pistil is available bundled with Orchid for $699, or as a standalone plugin at $129.
In the leadup to the launch, Telepathic Instruments is opening a ‘Flower Shop’ for people to play with Orchid in Los Angeles on 2-5 October, followed by a pop-up at Amsterdam Dance Event, taking over Filling Pieces in the heart of the city on 22-26 October.
For more information, head to Telepathic Instruments.
The post Telepathic Instruments Orchid: wildly popular synth and chord generator from Tame Impala gets its global release appeared first on MusicTech.Telepathic Instruments Orchid: wildly popular synth and chord generator from Tame Impala gets its global release
musictech.comTelepathic Instruments – the gear brand co-founded by Kevin Parker, better known as Tame Impala – has announced the global launch of Orchid.
- in the community space Tools and Plugins
W. A. Production’s Satyrus distortion plugin is FREE via BVKER for a limited time
W. A. Production is giving away Satyrus, its $39.90 distortion plugin, completely free via BVKER until October 3, 2025. This is a limited-time offer. To get it, you need to register an account on BVKER’s site, complete the zero-cost checkout, and redeem your license with W. A. Production. This is one of several deals and [...]
View post: W. A. Production’s Satyrus distortion plugin is FREE via BVKER for a limited timeW. A. Production’s Satyrus distortion plugin is FREE via BVKER for a limited time
bedroomproducersblog.comW. A. Production is giving away Satyrus, its $39.90 distortion plugin, completely free via BVKER until October 3, 2025. This is a limited-time offer. To get it, you need to register an account on BVKER’s site, complete the zero-cost checkout, and redeem your license with W. A. Production. This is one of several deals and
“Never thought I’d be saying this, but thank you Fortnite”: Daft Punk fans hail “closure” with Fortnite collab“Never thought I’d be saying this, but thank you Fortnite.” Such was the overwhelming sentiment from fans after the launch of the new Daft Punk Experience, which many have hailed as a moving tribute – and, for some, the closure they didn’t know they needed.
The “first-of-its-kind” in-game event landed 27 September, offering players an immersive trip through a Daft Punk-inspired world. From remixing tracks in the Dream Chamber Studios to blasting robots in the Robot Rock Arena and dancing at the Daft Club, the experience was billed as part interactive concert, part celebration of the duo’s legacy.
But many longtime fans, it went deeper.READ MORE: A rare Daft Punk skateboard made by the duo’s long-time creative director is listed for sale at $15,000
One Redditor, who has followed Daft Punk since 2003, says the experience was nothing short of cathartic.
“Once it loaded up, floating above Earth with Contact playing I immediately got choked up… Entering that pyramid, gazing at the visuals, TV turned up too loud, and just being fully surrounded by the sound with a bunch of like-minded fans was like one last, perfect concert.”
The fan describes the moment as “a confirmation of all that they did was so great,” recalling how they broke down when their wife asked how it was: “All I could say was ‘fucking perfect.’”
That same user, who played the game with their 9-year-old son, also shares how the event created a generational bridge: “I heard him in the headset, literally screaming with glee and running around his room dancing to the music. He’s been addicted ever since and he’s constantly asking me questions about the robots and their music.”
“Fortnite has exposed an entire new generation to two of the most innovative artists of our time, and provided a 20+ year fan with a memory with his son that we’ll both have forever.”
Other fans have echoed the emotional weight of the collaboration. User Odysseymanthebeast comments, “I became a Daft Punk fan early 2021, and their break up absolutely broke me. This whole experience re-ignited that spark I once had for the band.”
Another, too, praised Epic Games (the developer of Fortnite) for striking the right chord: “Say whatever you want, no matter how valid the criticism: this is an unquestionable win of a release.”
For many, Fortnite didn’t just host a flashy crossover – it gave fans the chance to celebrate Daft Punk’s legacy, pass it on to a new generation, and say goodbye, fittingly, one more time.The Fortnite x Daft Punk Experience is set to run until 1 November.
Learn more at Epic Games.
The post “Never thought I’d be saying this, but thank you Fortnite”: Daft Punk fans hail “closure” with Fortnite collab appeared first on MusicTech.“Never thought I’d be saying this, but thank you Fortnite”: Daft Punk fans hail “closure” with Fortnite collab
musictech.comFans are calling Fortnite’s Daft Punk Experience “one last, perfect concert”, and for some, it’s provided an emotional farewell to the French duo.
Music library cleanup made easy: Lexicon wants to be “the iTunes replacement for DJs”Managing a massive – and often messy – music library is arguably one of the most frustrating parts of DJing, but Lexicon is here to change that.
Describing itself as “the iTunes replacement for DJs,” the independent software platform is designed to streamline the repetitive prep work of managing a large digital collection, so you can spend less time at the screen and more time behind the decks.READ MORE: Is AlphaTheta’s CDJ-3000X really such a big deal for the DJ industry?
Whether you’re cleaning up metadata, building smart crates, fixing beatgrids or syncing tracks across different platforms, Lexicon’s cutting-edge automation gives you complete control and customisation with tools such as duplicate removal and unlimited custom tag creation.
DJs can remove duplicates without breaking playlists, bulk edit thousands of tracks, and generate cue points automatically. The platform also offers over 400 hotkey functions as well as unlimited cloud storage and backup so your collection is future-proof. Furthermore, seamless syncing across major DJ platforms (including Rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, and DJay Pro) guarantees that your music is ready wherever you spin.
For those managing large collections, it’s proving to be a game-changer: Among active users across 172 countries, Lexicon has been recommended for handling libraries of up to 1.2 million tracks with ease.
The latest 1.9 update makes the platform even faster, with an optimised cue point generator that processes tracks up to ten times quicker, improved downbeat detection, and added support for Djay Pro.
In addition, a new Free plan now allows DJs to import and convert libraries between major apps at no cost, while the new Lifetime License offers permanent access to all current and future features – perfect for users who’d like to avoid those pesky monthly subscription fees.
By taking the grind out of library management, Lexicon gives DJs back their time, allowing them to focus on what matters most: the music itself. For anyone tired of endless prep, this might just be the one-stop solution the DJ world has been waiting for.Learn more at Lexicon DJ.
The post Music library cleanup made easy: Lexicon wants to be “the iTunes replacement for DJs” appeared first on MusicTech.Music library cleanup made easy: Lexicon wants to be “the iTunes replacement for DJs”
musictech.comManaging a massive – and often messy – music library is arguably one of the most frustrating parts of DJing, but Lexicon is here to change that.
“The more it feels like piloting a spaceship, the happier I feel”: Nation of Language are embracing spontaneityIan Richard Devaney, Aidan Noell and Alex MacKay sought the teachings of electronic music GOATs for their latest Nation of Language album, Dance Called Memory. The record, which is out now, colours their metamorphic synthpop with shades of shoegaze, and is imbued with the creative and technical philosophies from Kraftwerk and Brian Eno, with production by LCD Soundsystem’s Nick Millhiser.
READ MORE: “It’s okay to not see the whole path. Just take the next step”: Lee Ann Roberts has built a music career from nothing
“We really tried to lean into making the recording process as unpredictable as possible,” Devaney tells us in this Studio Files interview. In practice, this meant fewer takes, more guitars, and plenty of spontaneous mod wiggling on some of their more trusted synths and plugins — the GS e7, Valhalla’s Vintage Verb and Moog DFAM, to name a few.
Following an Album of the Year award from Rough Trade in 2023, the NYC-based trio signed to Sub Pop (label of Nirvana, Foals, Father John Misty) and are preparing to bring their frenetic, immersive live set to the London Roundhouse this November. And what to expect from such a show? “There is sadness, there is gratitude, there is dancing.”
Image: Press
You’ve dropped four singles from your upcoming album, now. What’s the response been like, and how are you feeling now that the music’s out there?
Ian Richard Devaney: The response has been great so far. The more we tour, the more I see people singing along to the new ones, which is always an incredible feeling. We’re feeling pretty relieved — the time between finishing a record and releasing it tends to be when the doubting voices in my mind get the loudest. It’s good to get out on the road and force those voices down.
You’ve mentioned that Kraftwerk and Brian Eno’s ethos is particularly influential in Dance Called Memory. Could you tell me more about that?
IRD: Definitely. Kraftwerk is sonically such a north star for us; the sounds that they create just make my brain buzz in the best way. Their school of thought is very much about removing the humanity from the music, though, which — while it might have been revolutionary at the time — is today kind of depressingly going on all around us. With that in mind, we talked a lot about Eno. I read that if he needed to send a synth to get repaired, he would also include a list of things that were wrong with it, but he did not want repaired, because he liked the unpredictability.
So we really tried to lean into making the recording process as fun and unpredictable as possible. Not too many takes, lots of random flipping of switches and twisting of knobs when someone’s recording their part.
Image: Press
Tell us a bit about your studio.
IRD: My studio is a back room of my apartment in Brooklyn. A few synths, a few guitars and basses. I’ve been borrowing a friend’s UA LA-610 to use for demoing vocals.
Our producer, Nick Millhiser [of LCD Soundsystem], has a studio in his own house that is much more of a proper studio. He’s got a big blue Oram BEQ board (formerly of the DFA studios in Manhattan) that has been, as he puts it, “EXTENSIVELY modified by John Klett from Tech Mecca and Andrew Roberts from Purple Audio.” He’s got boatloads of rack gear and synths, and tape echoes. It’s a very exciting physical space to occupy.
The more it feels like piloting a spaceship, the happier I feel. [Nick] definitely uses it in a way that keeps everything feeling very alive. The main thing he’s taught me is not to be too precious about things. If you have the tools to experiment, try them out and see where it gets you.
Image: Press
What’s your latest gear or plugin purchase?
IRD: My most recent purchase was the GS e7, a really cool polyphonic analogue synthesiser. To be honest, the first thing that caught my eye about it was its beautiful blue colour. I saw it at Perfect Circuit in LA and, after spending a while obsessively watching YouTube demos, went back the next day. I got it for the live rig because I wanted to switch things up for the new round of touring. I had previously been using the DSI Tetra and a Prophet 6, but the Tetra was so annoying to make sounds on. I wanted something more hands-on.
What’s the best plugin you own?
IRD: Valhalla Vintage Verb gets a whole lot of use during the writing and demoing process. Sometimes it makes it through to the end. It’s just a great way to quickly dial in some reverb so I don’t slow myself down. It’s actually one of the only non-Logic Pro effects plugins I own. Special shout-out to the Logic Delay Designer plugin, though — another workhorse of the writing process.
Image: Press
What’s been the biggest investment in your career/studio?
IRD: My Minimoog is probably the biggest investment. It’s a really central piece of this band in a way. When I was just starting out, I would pore through photos of classic synth artists like Gary Numan and Kraftwerk, and it seemed like such a common denominator. At first, I could only afford the Arturia plugin version, but through that, I learned the basics of how to use it, so finally getting one was huge for me. It just sounds so rich and warm, I really love it.
Synths and drum machines have always played a major part in the NoL sound. How does a track usually start with these instruments in mind, given the potential for clashing with guitars and vocals?
IRD: Since the synths and the vocal parts are often written at the same time, it’s mostly a matter of trying to weave things together in such a way that they’re not stepping on each other. Either that or making harder decisions during the final recording process. In the end, I try to ask myself what the most important thing is, and subtract from there.
Image: Press
How do you see your sound and studio evolving in the next two years?
IRD: I am interested in seeing how I can mess with the writing process. It’s not that I’m bored with how I do things by any means, but I do want to see what it’s like to write somewhere else, or on an instrument I don’t use much, or don’t know how to use at all.
The nice thing about synths is that there is such a deep well of exploration available. On the song In Another Life from our new record, we experimented by running the drums and Moog DFAM together through a Korg MS20 to crush it all together — not something I’ve done before, but definitely something I want to try more of.
What’s a music production myth you think needs debunking?
IRD: Honestly, I feel like most of the musicians and producers I’m surrounded by in my life have this combination of respect and admiration for the traditional methods, but also come from a DIY environment that says, “as long as it sounds cool, it doesn’t matter how you make it.” So I think I’ve been insulated from production myths in a way.
Aidan Noell of Nation of Language. Image: Press
Who gave you the biggest lesson in your career? Can you tell us about how it impacted you?
IRD: My wife and bandmate, Aidan, gave me the biggest lesson of my career, which is to be relentless in the pursuit of what I want. When she joined the band, she had never played an instrument before — a bunch of previous band members had moved away, I hadn’t had much luck booking shows, and she came in and said, “Teach me the synth parts,” took over booking, and lit the fire under me to keep driving forward.
There are so many setbacks and disappointments in the creative process and in the music business; it really requires not only tons of personal effort, but also all of us encouraging and supporting each other wherever we can.
Nation of Language live sets are beloved — how complex are these shows, considering how layered your music is?
IRD: They certainly feel complex in this moment because we’re in the process of practicing and refining sounds and exploring how we can make the live show hit as hard as possible. It’s part of why I decided to add the GS e7 to the synth station and change things around.
If people have seen us before, we want them to know that we’re not just doing things exactly the same way that we did the last time they saw us. We’re constantly reassessing — trying to figure out how to get the drums sounding better, or seeing where we can strip things back, or where we can add new parts that aren’t in the recorded version.What can we expect from the upcoming shows?
IRD: A lot of the songs are kind of morose, but we always try to bring joy to the shows as well. There are always a whole lot of emotions flying around and blending together. We often just sum it up by talking about catharsis: There is sadness, there is gratitude, there is dancing.
The post “The more it feels like piloting a spaceship, the happier I feel”: Nation of Language are embracing spontaneity appeared first on MusicTech.“The more it feels like piloting a spaceship, the happier I feel”: Nation of Language are embracing spontaneity
musictech.comHow Kraftwerk’s buzzing sonics, Brian Eno’s broken synths and Nick Millhiser’s interstellar studio shaped Nation of Language’s latest album
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