“From UA with love”: Get Universal Audio’s 1176 classic FET Compressor plugin for freeIt’s the month of love, and Universal Audio is releasing a free version of its 1176 classic FET Compressor plugin to celebrate.
UA has made the offer available until 28 February, and you can use it with any DAW on Mac or PC – no UA hardware required. The brand grandly describes the 1176 as the “king of audio limiting”, and it looks like it’s taking the romance seriously, as it hopes it will “welcome you into the Universal Audio family”.

READ MORE: Enjoy up to 96% off Universal Audio UAD plugin bundles in Plugin Boutique’s 13th anniversary sale

Originally built by Bill Putnam Sr. in 1967, the first Universal Audio 1176 can be heard “on more classic records than any other compressor”. This plugin version is a faithful emulation, which UA says delivers the same punchy, expressive tones as the original hardware.
With the plugin, users can add colour and character to their recordings, and get fast attack time on bass, guitars, vocals and more. You can also harness the 1176’s entire electronic path including transformers and FET, and transistor amplifiers for colourful distortion. Additionally, an “All-Button” mode is onboard for adding overdriven texture.
“We pride ourselves on our analogue modelling and the craftsmanship behind UAD plugins,” says CEO and founder, Bill Putnam Jr. “We’re hoping to inspire musicians and producers with this free 1176 plug-in and can’t wait for folks to add this iconic compressor to their productions.”

Last October, MusicTech sat down with Bill Putnam Jr. for chat about his early inspirations for re-launching the UA brand, first created by his father. Putnam Sr. originally founded Universal Audio in 1958, though it later closed in 1965. He was also an audio engineer, producer and studio designer. Before his passing in 1989, he worked with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, and became known as ‘the father of modern recording.’
Putnam Jr. told us, “[Dad] had all sorts of talents that I didn’t pick up on. I’m not the audio engineer he was, I’m not a recording engineer, I don’t build recording studios like he did…But his love of technology I did pick up on. To me, technology is still magic.” He added, “The vision was: there’s no reason I felt that digital audio couldn’t sound every bit as good and vibey as analogue and have that soul and depth. So let’s have it both ways.”
Head over to Universal Audio to find out more or redeem your free plugin license.
The post “From UA with love”: Get Universal Audio’s 1176 classic FET Compressor plugin for free appeared first on MusicTech.

Björk on finding balance between intuition and technical precision in her music: “I do think I’m programmed to separate the left brain and right brain”Björk has opened up about her creative process and the importance she places on not over-analysing her “melody and voice”.
In a wide-ranging new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the iconic Icelandic singer-songwriter takes us behind the scenes into the making of Cornucopia, the ambitious concert tour and theatrical production based upon her ninth studio album, 2017’s Utopia.

READ MORE: AI training on copyrighted content ruled not “fair use” by US court – how could this impact the music industry?

When asked how she finds emotional space in her performances, Björk admits that she doesn’t consciously decide where her ad-libs or phrasing choices come from.
“I actually don’t know,” she says. “That’s the beauty of ad-libs.”
Björk, who’s credited as the show’s creative sound and visual director, among others, also speaks about finding balance between intuition and technical precision in her music.
“I do think maybe I’m programmed to separate the left brain and right brain… like my melody and voice, I’m super protective of it,” she says. “Just [so] that it’s instinct run and driven, and not to let any analysing or scrutinising energy on that.”
“But I can nerd out on bass, subbass, animation and reverbs.”
As for whether or not her music has to be “peak right brain” for her to feel comfortable to release it, or if she can “let it go for the people” even if she doesn’t “feel it”, Björk acknowledges that with age, she’s become more holistic in her approach.
“Like the ceiling of a cathedral you know, there’s like a thousand pieces and it takes two years to make, so you’re trying to get the whole. So that is a very feminine sort of cohesive energy – you’re making sure all the pieces are there,” the musician explains.
“With this Cornucopia beast I was part of everything. I was there when it was mixed, I was there when it was mastered, I was there when it was edited – I was in every single process of this.”
Elsewhere in the chat, Björk also reveals that she’s got new music in the works that’s “opposite to Cornucopia”: “It goes to some other dimension.”
Watch the full interview below.

Last month, Björk expressed her dislike of the streaming giant Spotify, calling it the “worst thing that has happened to musicians”, adding: “Streaming culture has changed an entire society and an entire generation of artists.”
The post Björk on finding balance between intuition and technical precision in her music: “I do think I’m programmed to separate the left brain and right brain” appeared first on MusicTech.

Universal Music Group and Music Health Alliance partner on new mental health fundUniversal Music Group (UMG) has partnered with non-profit Music Health Alliance (MHA) to launch the Music Industry Mental Health Fund, aimed at providing “comprehensive, high-quality outpatient mental health resources for music industry professionals” across the US.
According to UMG, a wide range of mental health services will be provided under the program. They include individualised recommendations for appropriate mental health counselors and psychiatrists based on patients’ needs; grants to help offset costs; and, if required, funding resource recommendations to ensure continuity of care through additional financial and mental health support.

READ MORE: AI training on copyrighted content ruled not “fair use” by US court – how could this impact the music industry?

Clients from UMG and beyond will have access to MHA’s team of advocates and initial inquiries will receive a response within 24 hours. Services will also be open to current and former music professionals, including those not employed at UMG companies.
Notably, the mental health program builds upon a successful, four-year healthcare collaboration between the two companies. That program, which provides a Music Health Alliance healthcare concierge to clients, has served nearly 1,000 clients and saved them more than $12.5 million in healthcare costs so far.
“We have been working on ways to establish a streamlined pathway for mental health access, funding, and care planning,” says UMG’s Chief Impact Officer Susan Mazo. “Growing and continuing our partnership with Tatum and the Music Health Alliance was the most natural way to ensure continuous and effective mental health support for anyone working in our industry.”
Tatum Hauck Allsep, founder and CEO of the Music Health Alliance Founder/CEO adds that “Music Health Alliance possesses the comprehensive resources necessary to address the full spectrum of mental health needs for music industry professionals. This includes financial assistance, a continuum of care for both mental and physical health, and wraparound services such as psychiatric support, facilitation of intensive outpatient and inpatient programs, and data collection.”
“MHA’s holistic approach ensures a long-term commitment to the health, well-being, and sustainability of the music industry workforce.”
In addition to the expanded services, MHA offers a full spectrum of mental health and healthcare advocacy services, including:

Dental Care Resources (via the Richard M. Bates SMILE Fund)
Group Health Services
Healthcare Advocacy & Confidential Guidance
Individual/Family Health Insurance
Mental Health Resources (via the MHA Mental Health Fund)
Senior Care Support (including Medicare; via the Price Legacy Fund)
Vision Care Resources

The fund’s announcement comes shortly after American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan blasted the music industry and its lack of support for the health of artists after bagging the Best New Artist award at this year’s Grammys.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists,” Roan said in her acceptance speech.
The post Universal Music Group and Music Health Alliance partner on new mental health fund appeared first on MusicTech.

“So many artists and their managers work unpaid on loss-making tours”: A new touring fund has been set up for UK artistsA new UK Artist Touring Fund developed with the Musicians’ Union, Music Managers Forum, and Featured Artists Coalition will be used to help mitigate the “cost of touring crisis” in grassroots live music.
The fund will “act as a vehicle to distribute artist-allocated revenues collected by the recently-launched LIVE Trust” – an organisation delivering funding where it is needed most to help the entertainment sector thrive. The fund arrives off the back of recent data from Ditto that revealed 84 per cent of UK-based respondents (from a survey of 1,500 independent artists) could not afford to tour.

READ MORE: Yamaha to launch $50 million music tech investment fund

The “transparent” application process will soon open for artists, DJs, and other music performers, with funding also set to support managers and session musicians through a partnership with the Musicians’ Union (MU) and the Music Managers Forum (MMF). The UKAT Fund will also be open to receive one-off donations and commercial support for those who wish to invest directly in UK talent.
David Martin, CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition, comments, “The FAC has established the UKAT Fund in preparation for when the LIVE Trust becomes operational and starts to distribute revenue from the incoming ticket contributions. It will ensure that any funding allocated for grassroots artists can be distributed in the most effective, transparent and efficient way possible. By helping keep shows on the road, our three fundamental aims are to support artist development, boost audience engagement and help sustain the wider live music supply chain.”
Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive of Music Managers Forum, also states “So many artists and their managers work unpaid on loss-making tours for many years in the hope of growing a fanbase, developing their live performance and creating long term careers. They are having to make tough financial decisions to make ends meet, and in many cases artists play many fewer dates than they would like around the UK due to the upfront costs of touring… We look forward to the fund being operational in the coming weeks and months as it is so urgently needed.”
Naomi Pohl, General Secretary, Musicians’ Union, adds, “The past five years have been extremely difficult for musicians due to COVID and the rising cost of touring, both within the UK and overseas. We want to make sure there is clear and transparent access to support, not only for those who book and platform artists, but for artists themselves and the huge teams they employ.”
Head over to the Featured Artists Coalition website to receive updates on the fund or find out more.
The post “So many artists and their managers work unpaid on loss-making tours”: A new touring fund has been set up for UK artists appeared first on MusicTech.

Make Noise introduce MultiMod module Make Noise's latest Eurorack module takes a single control signal and creates eight duplicates, providing users with control over their relative speed and phase relationships. 

Coinbase revenue hit $2.3B in Q4 as Trump's win boosted crypto tradingCrypto exchange Coinbase reported a net income of $1.29 billion in the fourth quarter, while its $2.2 billion net revenue comfortably beat industry estimates.

Tilr RipplerXRipplerX is a physically modeled synth, capable of sounds similar to AAS Chromaphone and Ableton Collision. Features: Open source and Cross-platform, available on Windows,... Read More

Meta CTO says staff should quit if they don’t like Meta’s new policiesMeta's CTO said staff unhappy with the tech giant's latest policies should work somewhere else, an internal chat reveals.
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Get the 1176 Classic FET Compressor plugin FREE in Universal Audio’s Valentine’s Day Giveaway
You can now get the 1176 Classic FET Compressor plugin for free as part of Universal Audio’s Valentine’s Day Giveaway. After all these years, the famous 1176 compressor, in all its revisions, is still one of the most sought-after pieces of vintage hardware. To a lesser extent, the same is true of re-issues, hardware clones, [...]
View post: Get the 1176 Classic FET Compressor plugin FREE in Universal Audio’s Valentine’s Day Giveaway

The Nokia 3310 Finally Gets A USB-C UpgradeThe Nokia 3310 has a reputation of being one of the most indestructible devices ever crafted by humanity. It’s also woefully out of date and only usable in a handful of countries that still maintain a GSM network. It might not be easy to bring it into the 5G era, but you can at least convert it to work with modern chargers, thanks to [Andrea].
[SGCDerek] whipped up their own solution for USB-C charging.If you don’t want to buy the parts, you can just DIY the same mod. [SGCDerek] did just that a few years ago. From what it looks like, you likely don’t even need to worry about doing any fancy charger handshaking. The 3310 will happily grab a charge from a low-current 5V supply straight off the USB pins.
You might think this is a messy, complicated mod, but [Andrea] engineered it as a drop-in upgrade. He’s combined a USB-C port with a small plastic adapter that enables it to sit in place of the original phone’s charge port module.  Contact between the port and the rest of the phone is via spring-loaded contacts. The only additional step necessary is popping out the mic from the original charge module and putting it in the new one. You need only a screw driver to disassemble the phone, swap out the parts, and put it all back together.
If you want to upgrade your own handset, [Andrea] is more than happy to provide the parts for a reasonable price of 25 euros. It’s almost worth it just for the laughs—head around to your friend’s house, ask to borrow a charger, and then plug in your USB-C 3310. You’ll blow some minds.
Once upon a time, it was big news that someone hacked a USB-C port into the iPhone. Video after the break.

Music Business Worldwide launches The MBW Database, a vital new resource for the music industry (and its investors)New site offers over 150 charts, built from more than 2,500 data points. It will be constantly updated.
Source

Range Music Publishing Announces New SigningsOn the heels of a massive first year with five chart-topping hits across multiple radio formats, Range Music Publishing kicks off 2025 by adding writers/producers Darius Coleman, Alex Goose, James Maddocks and Simon Oscroft to its diverse roster.
Coleman, signed in partnership with Tommy Brown and Champagne Therapy Music Group, has worked with an impressive array of artists, including Normani, Chris Brown, Renee Rapp, DJ Khaled and Coco Jones. He co-wrote "You See Me" from The Color Purple soundtrack, which was nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Los Angeles-based producer/songwriter Alex Goose has collaborated with Childish Gambino, Vince Staples, Brockhampton, Aaron Frazer, Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas), Freddie Gibbs, and Kevin Gates. He’s also composed original music for global brands such as Nike, Apple, Samsung, Google, and Target and produced the iconic Ghostbusterstheme for the 2016 soundtrack Ghostbusters (Answer the Call).
Maddocks, signed in partnership with Charlie Handsome, is known for his versatility across country, hip-hop and R&B. Recent successes include co-writing Morgan Wallen’s No. 1 country radio hit “Cowgirls” (feat. ERNEST) and collaborating with artists such as Post Malone, Khalid, Lil Baby and H.E.R.
Simon Oscroft, signed in partnership with Baxter House, is a songwriter from New Zealand now based in Los Angeles. He’s a long-term close collaborator with Almost Monday and co-wrote and produced their current #1 Alternative hit, “Can’t Slow Down.” Other cuts include songs with Pale Waves, The Aces and OneRepublic.
Casey Robison, Head of Range Music Publishing, says, “We’re excited to introduce the latest additions to Range Publishing. These exceptional writers bring remarkable talent, creativity, and expertise, further elevating our roster. Their contributions will play a vital role in our continued growth as we build on the momentum of our first year.”
In its first year of operation, Range Music Publishing celebrated five chart-topping hits across multiple radio formats. Notably, Shaboozey’s “Bar Song (Tipsy),” co-written by client Sean Cook and co-signed with Warner Chappell, reached #1 across Top 40, Country, Hot AC, Rhythmic charts and tied “Old Town Road” as the longest-running number-one song of all time on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Shaboozey as a breakout star.
Beyond Cook’s work on “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Paul Russell’s “Lil Boo Thang,” Range has also found success with Geoff Warburton (Tyler Hubbard’s “Back Then Right Now,” Luke Bryan’s “But I Got a Beer in My Hand”, co-signed by Big Machine) and Tyler Dopps (#1 Dance radio hit “Young & Foolish” by Loud Luxury featuring Charlieonnafriday).
Last year, Range Music Publishing inked an exclusive, global administration deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), the global music publishing division of Universal Music Group. The new agreement expanded on Range Media Partners’ existing relationships with Universal Music Group’s Capitol Music Group and Virgin Music Group.
Range Music represents a wide range of talent including Jack Harlow, Shaboozey, Tanya Tucker, Cordae, Pentatonix, Saweetie, Midland, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Lauv, Dylan Gossett, MAX, Bazzi, Sean Douglas, Paul Russell, Wondagurl, Russell Dickerson, Coi Leray and more. The publishing division is supported by Range Music’s entire partnership, which includes Matt Graham, Jack Minihan, Tyler Henry, Melissa Ruderman, Chris Thomas, Evan Winiker, Cory Litwin, Shawn McSpadden, Rachel Douglas and Jared Cotter.
Range Media Partners is one of the most disruptive new representation businesses in entertainment, with a foothold in the music, film, television, production, comedy and sports industries, as well as offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Nashville.The post Range Music Publishing Announces New Signings first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

These keyboards can control your DAW – and have a built-in trackpad to replace your mouseNUX is launching three new keyboard controllers with built in track pads, so you can say goodbye to your desktop mouse.
The NUX NTK is available with either 37, 49, or 61 keys. The lineup marks the brands’ first series of USB keyboard controllers, which are designed to make working with your DAW much more seamless, and streamline your desktop setup.

READ MORE: The feature set of Minimal Audio’s Wave Shifter frequency modulator is seriously impressive

All three models have buttons for DAW transport control, plus a range of pre-configured presets for simple integration with DAWs such as Cubase (Cubase LE is included with all models), Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Nuendo, Ableton Live, Studio One, FL Studio, and GarageBand. There’s also a memory slot for a custom DAW configuration, plus a MIDI mode on each model, allowing users to configure controls via the keyboard using its display and push encoder, or through the included software editor.
Each keyboard hosts two wheels for pitch bend and modulation, and has nine programmable faders. The 49- and 61-key models also have eight rotary knobs, with the mighty 61-key NTK being the only keyboard in the range to feature eight velocity-sensitive pads, plus a Bank A/B button. All three keyboard controllers also feature a five-pin MIDI output and a sustain pedal jack, alongside USB-B connectivity.
Take a closer a the NTK-61 model in the video below:

For 2025, MusicTech has rounded up the best MIDI controllers to buy in this year, starting with the 12 best Ableton Live controllers you can currently find on the market. Among our picks is the Ableton Push, Novation SL MkIII, and Yaeltex TURN – just to name a few.
To find out more head over to NUX. Official pricing details and availability are yet to be confirmed.
The post These keyboards can control your DAW – and have a built-in trackpad to replace your mouse appeared first on MusicTech.

Joe Satriani: “Anyone can make decent music at home, which is good for people who – because of their sex or appearance – have been cut out of the music scene”Technology has made the barriers to entry in music production lower than ever. Nowadays, Google can be your music teacher, music tech equipment is affordable and social media can get your name out there fast. In the eyes of guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, that’s definitely a good thing.
Of course, while modern musicians have to fight to get their name out their in a more saturated market, Satriani acknowledges that the industry has been “democratised” and is keen to emphasise its benefits.

READ MORE: Can labelled AI content help preserve the music industry?

The topic came up during an interview with Terrie Carr of WDHA, during which Satriani discusses how technological advances have helped musicians from marginalised backgrounds.
“If you happen to listen to Alyssa Day, she can shred any guy out there,” he says [as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar]. “There’s no difference in aptitude and technical prowess… The opportunity is so important. I don’t think it’s any different for any other art form or business form, if society, either locally or on a bigger scale, doesn’t provide an opportunity for someone to grow into that niche, that business, that art form, then it it sits dormant. And I think, with the digital age, music production has become democratised.

“Everybody can pretty much make a decent musical product at home with their laptop, or their iPad, or something like that. And this has been a good thing for people who, maybe because of their sex or their appearance, have been cut out of the music scene, because they don’t fit. They don’t have a TV look, or they don’t have the right sound for a particular radio station.”
Satriani goes on to talk about how you can find “the most amazing guitar players” on Instagram, who are breaking boundaries in terms of the skills they’re showing off.
“That’s all broken down; the artists and the fans connect without the need for the music industry infrastructure. This has been great for music. If you go to Instagram, you just see the most amazing guitar players from ages eight to 18. They’re just playing better than guitar players have ever played before in the history of the world. So this is a great thing.”
The post Joe Satriani: “Anyone can make decent music at home, which is good for people who – because of their sex or appearance – have been cut out of the music scene” appeared first on MusicTech.

‘Banned’ TikTok still outperforms YouTube, Facebook in U.S.TikTok outperforms YouTube and Facebook in the US in January, according to a new report from Guggenheim Partners and Apptopia. Unofficial app stores are seeing up to 2000 TikTok downloads per hour.
The post ‘Banned’ TikTok still outperforms YouTube, Facebook in U.S. appeared first on Hypebot.