Remember that CDJ-3000 firmware bug? AlphaTheta and pro DJs explain what really happened — and how to avoid it in the futureHalloween is one of the biggest weekends of the year for DJ— something about the frightful, flamboyant costumes propels young people to dancefloors. This past Halloween, however, the fear didn’t come from any horror-movie decorations or jump scare tactics. The real terror was behind the decks when DJs couldn’t load their playlists into their Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000s. That included BBC Radio 1 host, Jaguar. When she connected her USB to the player at Drumsheds in London, there was no music. No tracks. No playlists. Nothing. She tried another USB. Still nothing. She asked the sound technicians. They didn’t know what the problem was either, and they couldn’t get another CDJ because all three rooms were running that night.

READ MORE: How AlphaTheta’s CDJ-3000X is finding an unexpected new audience

The issue was with the most recent firmware update for the CDJs, version 3.30. That firmware only reads Rekordbox data from Device Library Plus (which is now known as OneLibrary) and not Device Library. AlphaTheta, the company that produces CDJs and Rekordbox, quickly suspended distribution of that firmware and recommended rolling back to version 3.20. Now the company has released a statement regarding the issue, apologising for the confusion:
“We recognise that the transition may have caused inconvenience or concern, and we take that feedback seriously. Some users experienced an issue during the transition from Device Library to OneLibrary, where older versions of rekordbox were used to export libraries to USB drives. In certain situations, tracks or playlists didn’t display on the CDJ-3000, but, importantly, no music or data was deleted.”
AlphaTheta also announced that CDJ-3000s will be reverted to be able to run on Device Library only. OneLibrary compatible products, such as the CDJ-3000X, OPUS-QUAD, OMNIS-DUO, and XDJ-AZ, will still not be compatible with Device Library. The statement ends with a USB export guide that outlines the different libraries and explains how DJs can be sure their data will load on all products.
For another perspective on the nature of the issue, Mojaxx, veteran DJ and host of Beatsource Tech, describes the issues to MusicTech as such:
“Once Rekordbox reached version 6.8.1, AlphaTheta created Device Library Plus as a database primed for future innovations and new products. Device Library Plus contained the same pieces of data as the previous Device Library, such as cue points, playlists, artwork, and track names, but it was a separate database file. Firmware 3.30 defaulted to Device Library Plus if it was present, even if that had been updated less recently than the Device Library, or if it was empty. All the music and data from the original library were still on the USB, but it couldn’t be accessed on the CDJ.”
Thankfully, in the wake of the buggy firmware, Jaguar’s set was a back-to-back with the Rinse FM DJ Lu.Re, who was able to play while Jaguar figured it out. She found an old USB from years ago that worked — it didn’t have any of her first original tracks, all the other music was old, and she wasn’t especially familiar with the playlists. But she was able to play tracks.

“I get this stress dream once a month at least: ‘Your USB is blank’, and it’s just like, ‘what do I play?’ That was it,” Jaguar says. “The crowd didn’t realise, and because it was two of us, we pulled it off. If it had been a solo set, I would have been mortified. Would there just be no music for that hour?”
In the aftermath, Jaguar was one of several DJs to post to social media, alerting fellow DJs to the situation. Others included What So Not, VTSS, Samurai Breaks, Tiffany Calver and Zoe London. Because Pioneer DJ’s CDJ has been the undisputed industry standard since their inception in 2001, the issue was a worldwide phenomenon.
Before the CDJ-1000, no CD deck had a jog wheel that allowed for live scratching. Mojaxx remembers when it was first introduced: “It was such a step above everything that had come before it in terms of ergonomics and usability.” Five years after that, every club in the UK had them, and so DJs became used to the design, which remains largely unchanged.
“AlphaTheta has to deal with the legacy of their hardware that has existed for so long. They are always in this bind of, ‘We want to innovate, but if someone is going to turn up and play in front of 50,000 people and we give them new players that work in a totally different way, that’s gonna cause a problem for a lot of DJs,’” Mojaxx says. “That’s always the issue they’ll always have, and will continue to have whilst they remain the industry standard. Change is difficult for people, especially when it’s technology you rely on in a professional environment.”
After all, one reason so many DJs were upended by the new firmware is that they didn’t update their Rekordbox. Major DJs such as Zedd have specifically told DJs not to do so after previous updates had set-ruining bugs. That doesn’t change the fact that modern DJing is predominantly a software-based profession, and bugs are inevitable. In the wake of this recent one, Mojaxx and Jaguar have thoughts on how future situations can be avoided, such as better communication from AlphaTheta:
“I’d never heard of Device Library Plus,” Jaguar says. “If they’d done a news piece or info videos, I think that would have been really helpful.” AlphaTheta actually posted an explainer about a year ago on Device Library Plus, but the video is surrounded by a lot of artist-driven content and product tutorials emphasising features rather than functionality.

“AlphaTheta’s social media is all about branding and coolness. One area where they could do better is having communication posts and more information on their YouTube,” Mojaxx says. At the time of writing, no social post has been made with the statement on the firmware on either the AlphaTheta USA or AlphaTheta Global Instagram pages, or on the AlphaTheta YouTube channel.
“When there’s a new firmware update for any AlphaTheta product, there should be a YouTube video talking through that update,” Mojaxx continues. He doesn’t blame AlphaTheta entirely, though. There’s a reason plenty of DJs were still able to use their USBs despite the new firmware bug: They are on top of the tech, they have a laptop that can run the most current version of Rekordbox, they keep Rekordbox updated, and they hey bring USBs with multiple versions of Rekordbox.
“The number of DJs I see turn up at gigs with one USB stick—my jaw is on the floor. You cannot roll like that. If you’re getting paid to DJ, you need at least four sticks,” Mojaxx says. “Two of them need to be exported from the latest Rekordbox, and another couple of sticks you’ve exported on an older version that you know work. Just because you’re playing off a USB stick, you’re still a software DJ. You have to make sure that your software is correct, updated, and working with the hardware that you’re going to use. That is a responsibility of the DJ.”
“DJing and making music are completely different things. You’ve made a tune that’s popping off on TikTok, and now you’re getting booked for gigs. How could you possibly be a great DJ when you haven’t been doing it very long?” Jaguar inquires. “We’ve got massive events like Drumsheds and your Warehouse Projects, which are so amazing and fun. But then, people are not supporting the smaller grassroots events. Being a good DJ is playing every slot ever. Warm-up. Peak time. [You need] experience.” Weddings. Local pubs. Five-hour sets for £100. At those gigs, faulty tech is inevitable, but you still need to keep your cool and get through the night.
Mojaxx echoes Jaguar’s point about how community is not only essential for DJs, but it could have stifled the CDJ issue significantly. He recommends going to a local DJ store to test all the USBs on CDJs before arriving at the gig or head to common hubs like Reddit to engage with other Rekordbox users about new updates. Mojaxx shouts out Mix Master G, whose channel is specifically dedicated to the technology behind DJing.
“Tech stuff isn’t for everybody, but there’s always technology involved. Otherwise, we’d be playing acoustic guitars,” Mojaxx says. “Talk to other DJs about what equipment they’re using, what USB sticks they’re getting good results with, what they’re formatted to, and what version of Recordbox they’re using. Have those discussions to make sure that you’re at least abreast of what’s going on.”
AlphaTheta and Pioneer DJ’s CDJ models will likely remain the industry standard for years to come, and in many ways, this Halloween fiasco was a wake-up call. AlphaTheta recently posted a series of YouTube videos exploring ancillary functions on the CDJ-3000X, such as browsing and new button builds. Plus, more DJs than ever are conscious of library formatting and Rekordbox updates.
Jaguar may still have that same stress dream as her career continues, but now she knows what questions to ask and what issues to address to ensure the real-life version doesn’t come to pass ever again.
The post Remember that CDJ-3000 firmware bug? AlphaTheta and pro DJs explain what really happened — and how to avoid it in the future appeared first on MusicTech.

GIK Acoustics introduce Q11D diffusors The Q11D range is based on the design of the existing Q7D, but employs an 11-root well sequence that shifts its effective bandwidth higher into the midrange. 

Governments grapple with the flood of non-consensual nudity on XFor the past two weeks, X has been flooded with AI-manipulated nude images, created by the Grok AI chatbot — and governments around the world are promising to take action.

Nexo to offer zero-interest crypto lending for BTC and ETH holdersThe offering expands Nexo’s structured lending products to Bitcoin and Ether holders amid a broader recovery in crypto-backed lending.

Electric Snowblower Clears the Way With Hobby PartsIf you live in snow country and own a home, you either have a snowblower or wish you did. The alternatives are either an expensive and potentially unreliable plow service, or back-breaking (and heart-attack inducing) shoveling. [RCLifeOn] was one of those people in the second category, until he decided to do something about it: electrifying a scrap snowblower with a blown engine. 
The usual brushless DC motors and electronic speed controllers [RCLifeOn] has on hand to get his R/C life on with don’t quite have enough oomph to handle both functions of a snowblower. For those of you cursed to live in warmer climes, the modern snowblower is both self-propelled via its twin wheels, and generally has a two-stage powered snow-removal “blower” consisting of an auger to break up the snow and an impeller to blast it out of the machine and many meters off the driveway. On the traditional gas-powered models, these are both powered via belts off the same motor, but that wasn’t going to work.
He kept the belts, and simply used a pair of motors, each with their own ESCs that are controlled via oversized thumb wheels on the handles. The belts couple to the motors with 3D printed pulleys. Belt tension is achieved in the case of the wheels through a simple and sensible shimming arrangement. In the case of the blower motor, he uses a 3D printed adjustable mount to get the appropriate tension. To help it hold long-term (given the issues with creep in 3D prints) he’s got a bearing on a second mount opposite the motor.  It holds up for his demo, which consists of clearing a driveway of 10cm of snow and then plowing through a pile larger than the mouth of the machine. In other words: it works.
The build, as unfortunately common on YouTube, is shy on specific details– but in this case that’s fine. Even if he’d open-sourced everything and posted STEP or STL files, it wouldn’t save much time since you’d pretty well have to re-engineer the build to fit your own snowblower, if you were so inclined. As with many hacks of this nature, the point of sharing it is to show how easy it is and provide the inspiration. As the cartoons used to say, “knowing is half the battle.”
If one was to re-implement this hack, we could not encourage you strongly enough to put in the standard dead-man’s switch, a feature commercial snowblowers share with things like lawnmowers. As annoying as it is to hang onto with frozen fingers, that safety feature is there for a reason.
If your driveway is short, you can save on gas and fuel costs with an extension cord. Or you could just stay inside and do the job by remote control, but that comes with its own pitfalls.

THE JEREMIAH SHOW Featuring GRAMMY® Winning Guitarist Janet RobinIn this episode of The Jeremiah Show, GRAMMY® Award–winning guitarist and composer Janet Robin sits down with Jeremiah for a wide-ranging conversation about the moments—and mentors—that shaped her life in music.

Janet shares how guitar became her “security blanket” as a kid, and how studying one-on-one with Randy Rhoades (as his youngest student and the only girl in his class) gave her both technique and confidence—especially his insistence that students develop their own sound.

From her early years playing clubs in L.A. with the all-female band Precious Metal (and the whirlwind of being discovered and signed young), to being handpicked by Lindsey Buckingham for a demanding “guitar army” tour that sharpened her discipline and pushed her toward solo work, Janet traces a career built on hustle, professionalism, and creativity.

She also discusses coaching Jennifer Jason Leigh for The Hateful Eight, the unforgettable story behind the film’s famously smashed vintage Martin, and the full-circle Grammy win with The String Revolution for their instrumental “Folsom Prison Blues” recorded at Cash Cabin with John Carter Cash and guest guitarist Tommy Emmanuel—plus what’s next, including new releases, touring, and a blues project drawing from Library of Congress recordings.

Join Grammy®-Winning Guitar Trio, The String Revolution, for a night of unmatched guitar magic at Boulevard Music on January 17 at 8:00 PM.

For tickets and more information, log onto: https://www.boulevardmusic.com

JANET ROBIN’S WEBSITE - https://www.janetrobin.com/

THE STRING REVOLUTION - https://www.thestringrevolution.com/

INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Insel

LISTEN to the INTERVIEW on APPLE PODCASTS Available January 9, 2026

The post THE JEREMIAH SHOW Featuring GRAMMY® Winning Guitarist Janet Robin first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Troy Carter acquires catalog of influential Pop Art RecordsCarter describes the catalog as 'some of the most important pieces of music in hip-hop history'
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Add this virtual guitar instrument from e-instruments to your arsenal for “warm, emotive and atmospheric” guitar soundsLooking for a virtual guitar pack to add to your production arsenal? German virtual instrument and plugin purveyor e-instruments has unveiled Velvet Guitars, a new instrument designed to explore “warm, emotive and atmospheric” guitar sounds.
The plugin comprises five distinctive instruments, each selected and performed for warmth and character, e-instruments says.

READ MORE: AlphaTheta’s flagship CDJ-3000X DJ player is now compatible with Apple Music

These are:

Velvet Guitar  – classic semi-hollow guitar, finger-played with subtle vibrato
Mellow Baritone – semi-hollow baritone with a “thick, woody tone”, played with a pick
Shimmer Guitar – ’60s-style solid-body offset with floating tremolo and unmistakable shimmer
Semi Hollow – non-traditional jazz guitar with a rounded, expressive sound
Amped Acoustic – vintage acoustic recorded via magnetic pickup and routed through the same amps as the electrics.

The sounds in Velvet Guitars were captured using a signal path comprising Shure SM57 dynamic and Royer R-121 ribbon microphones, through Rupert Neve Designs Shelford channels.
At its core, the tonal foundation of Velvet Guitars is driven by two classic vintage amplifiers. Each note has also been shaped by a real spring reverb, recorded numerous times through both amps with both wet and dry variations. There’s also a tremolo effect modelled directly from the original amplifiers.
Credit: e-instruments
Designed for “immediate playability”, Velvet Guitars features a streamlined interface with a simplified control panel, “allowing users to focus on expression”.
“Velvet Guitars elevates classic guitar tones with an elegant, velvety character,” says e-instruments. 
“From gentle sustains to imaginative articulations including bowed strings, shimmering harmonics, reversed swells, drifting feedback, and unconventional performances using tools such as violin bows, coins, and toothbrushes, it offers a uniquely emotional palette of sounds. The result is a deeply musical instrument that transforms every idea into a rich and evocative creation.”
Pricing & availability
Velvet Guitars is compatible with Native Instruments Kontakt 8.5.1 or the free Kontakt Player, and also works with NI’s NKS2.
Price-wise, the instrument is available at an introductory price of €99/$99 until 9 February, after which it’ll rise to €149/$149. Customers can also purchase a bundle featuring Velvet Guitars and e-instruments’ Desolate Guitars for an intro price of €229/$229.
For more information, head to e-instruments.
The post Add this virtual guitar instrument from e-instruments to your arsenal for “warm, emotive and atmospheric” guitar sounds appeared first on MusicTech.

GrabTracks ARA Sampler for macOS and Windows is FREE for a limited time
GrabTracks is a fairly new ARA sampler plugin for macOS and Windows that offers a tactile, intuitive way to manipulate audio in your DAW. The plugin usually costs $29, but you can download it for free using the promo code “GRABTRACKSPROMO100.” The promotion could end at any time, so grab it while it’s free. ARA [...]
View post: GrabTracks ARA Sampler for macOS and Windows is FREE for a limited time

Baby Audio update Tekno Just months on from its initial release, Baby Audio’s software drum synth has been treated to its first major update.

ZAK Sound releases Echowaves, a FREE stereo delay plugin
Developer ZAK Sound has released Echowaves, a free stereo delay for macOS, Windows, and Linux. One of the things I like most about ZAK Sound is that we never quite know what’s coming next. The developer has provided us with a diverse collection of freebies over the last few years, including Orange Dreams 2 Lite, [...]
View post: ZAK Sound releases Echowaves, a FREE stereo delay plugin

Dim Mak at 30 🎂 Why Steve Aoki Is the King of the Live DJ StageDim Mak is turning 30 this year, and Steve Aoki is taking his brand on tour in 2026. Here's what has made Aoki one of the most influential, exciting live DJ performers on the scene. (Yes, throwing cake is part of it.)
The post Dim Mak at 30 🎂 Why Steve Aoki Is the King of the Live DJ Stage appeared first on Hypebot.

What the Spotify Data Scrape Means for Independent ArtistsA shadow-library called Anna’s Archive has scraped nearly all of Spotify’s music metadata (almost 300TB of data). Here's what that means.
The post What the Spotify Data Scrape Means for Independent Artists appeared first on Hypebot.