3D-Printed Scanner Automates Deck Management for Trading Card GamersThose who indulge in trading card games know that building the best deck is the key to victory. What exactly that entails is a mystery to us muggles, but keeping track of your cards is a vital part of the process, one that this DIY card scanner (original German; English translation) seeks to automate.
At its heart, [Fraens]’ card scanner is all about paper handling, which is always an engineering task fraught with peril. Cards like those for Magic: The Gathering and other TCGs are meant to be handled by human hands, and automating the task of flipping through them presents some challenges. [Fraens] uses a pair of motorized 3D-printed rollers with O-rings to form a conveyor belt that can pull one card at a time off the bottom of a deck. An adjustable retaining roller made from the most adorable linear bearing we’ve ever seen ensures that only one card at a time is pulled from the hopper onto an imaging platen. An adjustable mount holds a smartphone to take a picture of the card, which is fed into an app that extracts all the details and categorizes the cards in the deck.
Aside from the card handling mechanism, there are some pretty slick details to this build. The first is that [Fraens] noticed that the glossy finish on some cards interfered with scanning, leading him to add a diffused LED ringlight to the rig. If an image isn’t scannable, the light goes through a process of dimming and switching colors until a good scan is achieved. Also, to avoid the need to modify the existing TCG deck management app, [Fraens] added a microphone to the control side of the scanner that listens for the sounds the app makes when it scans cards. And if Magic isn’t your thing, the basic mechanism could easily be modified to scan everything from business cards to old family photos.

Scaler Music introduce Scaler 3 Scaler 3 promises to make it easier than ever for users to take new directions, solve musical puzzles and improve their work-in-progress projects in new and interesting ways.

AI music remixing platform Hook raises $3m from Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew, The Raine Group and moreHook’s unique selling proposition is that it offers a remedy to the proliferation of unlicensed content on social media
Source

A. G. Cook, Charli xcx and Saltburn shortlisted for Music Producers Guild 2025 awardsThe Music Producers Guild has revealed the shortlist of nominees for the annual MPG Awards. Spanning 15 categories, including standout Self-Producing Artist, Breakthrough Producer of the Year, Original Score Recording of the Year, the awards aims to honour the year’s finest production work.
The winners will be announced at the official ceremony on the 24th April, but one winner has already been crowned. BBC Radio 6’s Lauren Laverne has been awarded the MPG Special Recognition Award for her dedication to platforming new talent.

READ MORE: Deadmau5 sells his catalogue for $55 million: “We inherit a legacy that changed music forever”

“I am deeply honoured to be recognised by the MPG,” the host says. “British artists and producers are among the best in the world: endlessly creative, exciting and surprising. It has been one of the greatest joys in my life to find a job that means I get to plug into that every single day and share what they do with listeners at home.”
Anu Pillai, Executive Director of the MPG, has also shared some love for Laverne. “The Music Producers Guild is delighted to honour Lauren Laverne with this year’s Special Recognition Award for her unwavering commitment to championing new music,” he says. “Lauren has continually spotlighted emerging talent and the innovative music production that is a hallmark of British musical culture.”
A further three special awards will also be awarded for Outstanding Contribution To UK Music, as well as the MPG Inspiration Award and the MPG Icon Award.
The standard 15 categories will reflect upon the excellence and innovation of the British music industry – and its certainly a talented selection of artists. A. G. Cook, who recently won Producer of the Year at the BRITs, is in the running for MPG’s Producer of the Year alongside James Ford, Marta Salogni.

Elsewhere, Danny L Harle, who The Guardian claimed was “re-inventing hard dance for a new generation”, is being pit against MNEK, Richard Turvey and Tayte Nickols for the title of Writer-Producer of the Year.
Breakthrough awards are also available for last year’s defining Producer and Engineer talents. One particular name that stands out is Japanese producer Shuta Shinoda; the producer, who has previously worked with Hot Chip, Spiritualized, and more, is up for Breakthrough Producer of the Year again. He also bagged the award in 2021.

A nod is also being given to the year’s defining Self-Producing Artist. Indie poppers Clean Cut Kid, folk-punk Frank Turner and multi-instrumental alt star The Anchoress are all in the running.
There’s also awards for Recording Engineer, Vocal Producer, Mix Engineer and Mastering Engineer of the Year. Small Commercial Studio and Large Commercial Studio of the Year awards will also be dished out.
Saltburn, Wonka and Ferrari will also battle it out to win Original Score Recording of the Year. In terms of Album of the Year, Charli xcx’s pivotal BRAT will be pit against Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ equally as marvellous Wild God, as well as Rachel Chinouriri’s instant classic, What A Devastating Turn of Events.
Tickets for the ceremony are on-sale now. The event will take place at London’s Troxy on 24th April, and will be hosted by Radio 1 DJ Sian Eleri.

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FKA twigs joins growing list of US Visa Related Tour CancellationsFKA twigs has joined a growing list of US visa related tour cancellations, pulling North American dates of her ongoing Eusexua Tour.
The post FKA twigs joins growing list of US Visa Related Tour Cancellations appeared first on Hypebot.

Tritik releases Tymee, a FREE delay plugin for macOS and Windows
Tymee is a free, easy-to-use delay plugin and the second freebie in the Tritik lineup, alongside the Krush bit crusher. Despite the impressive-looking spectrogram, Tymee is a straightforward plugin with simple controls. The developer initially created Tymee as a tool for teaching audio programming, and that’s why the spectrogram is there, but it looks cool [...]
View post: Tritik releases Tymee, a FREE delay plugin for macOS and Windows

UK poised to Ban Predatory Ticket Resale as US drags its feetUnlike US legislators, who are dragging their feet on comprehensive reform, the UK appears poised to move forward with substantive restrictions on predatory ticket resale.
The post UK poised to Ban Predatory Ticket Resale as US drags its feet appeared first on Hypebot.

Oli Freke’s latest Synthesizer Evolution books The latest two volumes of Oli Freke’s popular Synthesizer Evolution book series shift their focus to the 21st century.

Fred Again.., Justin Bieber, and Sekou hit the studio – are we getting the collab we never knew we needed?Justin Bieber has been spotted in the studio with Fred Again.., and fans are already buzzing about what could be next.
The pop superstar was recently seen working on fresh material with British singer Sekou, and fans were quick to notice that none other than Fred Again.. was also in the mix. The Grammy-winning producer – who co-wrote and co-produced Bieber and Ed Sheeran’s 2019 smash hit I Don’t Care – was featured in Sekou’s Instagram Stories, which quickly made the rounds on social media.
Justin Bieber in the studio today with Sekou byu/purpose15 inJUSTINBIEBER

READ MORE: “It’s nicer to be in the world as opposed to in some room with no natural light”: Why Fred again.. prefers writing outside of the studio

Last week, Bieber and Sekou surprised fans by posting selfies from their session. Sekou captioned his post: “The duo you never thought you needed. My big brother Justin Bieber.”

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A post shared by SEKOU (@sekoumusic)

While details about their collaboration remain under wraps, Fred Again..’s involvement has fueled speculation that something big is on the way. The producer, born Fred Gibson, played a key role in crafting I Don’t Care, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, spent 22 weeks on the chart, and topped the rankings in multiple countries, including the UK, Australia, and Canada.
The track remains one of Bieber’s biggest commercial successes and helped catapult Gibson toward his now-thriving solo career.
Notably, Bieber appears to have been working on new music since at least October, as he’s shared images and clips of himself in the studio since then. Last September, Mk.gee confirmed that he had been working with Bieber on new material as the singer ‘searched’ for his next phase.
Mk.gee told The New York Times at the time: “He’s searching. Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music. You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”
The post Fred Again.., Justin Bieber, and Sekou hit the studio – are we getting the collab we never knew we needed? appeared first on MusicTech.

Sony’s new WF-C710N budget earbuds have landed – featuring improved ANC and twice the battery lifeSony has officially unveiled its new WF-C710N wireless earbuds, the successor to 2023’s WF-C700N model, aimed at delivering premium features without breaking the bank.
As the follow-up to the well-received WF-C700N, these new earbuds offer significant improvements over its predecessor while maintaining an affordable price tag of $119.99.

READ MORE: Apple is bringing lossless audio to its AirPods Max headphones in a free update

One of the most notable upgrades is the improved active noise cancellation (ANC) technology. The WF-C710N now features dual microphones on each side, implementing both feedback and feedforward microphones for more effective noise reduction.
Battery performance also sees a significant boost with the WF-C710N. Users can now enjoy up to 8.5 hours of playback with ANC enabled, and the total battery life when including the charging case has increased a fair bit. The new model offers up to 30 hours of total playtime with ANC on, effectively doubling the capacity of its predecessor.
For those who prefer to use the earbuds without ANC, the total battery life extends to an impressive 40 hours. And with quick charging, listeners can get an extra 60 minutes of playtime with just five minutes of charge.
The new WF-C710N also includes several additional features to enhance user experience. Wear detection sensors automatically pause playback when the earbuds are removed. The earbuds also support Bluetooth multipoint connection, allowing for seamless switching between two connected devices.
Furthermore, Sony has incorporated AI-enhanced voice pickup technology for clearer calls, and the earbuds have an IPX4 water resistance rating for protection against splashes.
In terms of sound, the WF-C710N retains the 5mm drivers of its predecessor but promises improved sound quality through Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) processing technology. You can also connect them to the Sound Connect app for more customisable EQ settings.
Sony has also introduced a couple of design changes to the new buds as well. The WF-C710N replaces the physical buttons of the WF-C700N with touch-sensitive controls, potentially improving comfort during use. The earbuds are also available in four color options: black, white, pink, and an all-new Glass Blue finish for those into the ‘transparent tech’ aesthetic.

For more information and to pre-order the earbuds, visit Sony.
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Relive Tomorrowland Winter 2025: Full Sets from Steve Aoki, Alok, Axwell, and more now on YouTubeThe snow may have settled in the French Alps, but the beats from Tomorrowland Winter 2025 are still alive.
If you weren’t among the 22,000 attendees who danced their way through the festival’s fifth edition at Alpe d’Huez, or if you’d simply like to relive the experience, Tomorrowland has uploaded 20 full DJ sets from this year’s event on its YouTube channel.

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This year’s lineup brought together some of the biggest names in electronic music, with artists like Amelie Lens, Vintage Culture, and Armin van Buuren delivering unforgettable performances. And now, fans can stream full sets from Afrojack, Alok, Axwell, Kölsch, Miss Monique, Steve Aoki, NERVO, Meduza, Mind Against, and many more.
With more than 150 DJs representing different styles and sounds from across the globe, Tomorrowland Winter was a showcase of electronic music at its finest. Whether you want to relive your favorite moments or catch what you missed, the newly uploaded playlist offers a front row seat to the festival’s high-octane atmosphere.
Beyond the music, Tomorrowland continues to push boundaries in the digital space. The festival recently expanded its immersive online world, Tomorrowland Planet, which lets fans explore virtual festival grounds in an interactive, game-like environment directly from their web browsers.
And earlier this week, Tomorrowland dropped a teaser hinting at a potential collaboration with Insomniac Events – the team behind Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC).
A cryptic Instagram post featured a festival stage lit up with Insomniac’s logo and its signature phrase, “All Are Welcome Here,” while a similar post on Insomniac’s page showcased a Tomorrowland stage with the festival’s own motto, “Live Today, Love Tomorrow, Unite Forever.” Though details remain under wraps, the posts have fueled speculation about a major crossover event (the return of TomorrowWorld, the US version of Tomorrowland, perhaps?) in the works.

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A post shared by Insomniac Events (@insomniacevents)

Looking ahead, the flagship edition of Tomorrowland in Belgium is set to return this July across two weekends (18-20 July and 25-27 July). The lineup includes some of the biggest acts in dance music, with Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, Martin Garrix, Swedish House Mafia, and Job Jobse among the headliners. As expected, tickets sold out in record time earlier this year.
Check out the Tomorrowland Winter 2025 playlist below.

The post Relive Tomorrowland Winter 2025: Full Sets from Steve Aoki, Alok, Axwell, and more now on YouTube appeared first on MusicTech.

100-strong crowd breaks into Ministry of Sound with bolt cutters, hosts illegal rave and is chased out by securityLondon nightclub Ministry of Sound has detailed a massive break-in that took place on Wednesday, 19 March.
In a statement posted to Instagram, the club described the “serious incident”, writing: “A break-in occurred, resulting in significant damage to property and the seizure of high-value equipment.”
The venue also assured partygoers that “additional security measures” had been put in place and that operations would continue as usual.

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A post shared by Ministry of Sound Club (@ministryofsoundclub)

READ MORE: Output’s new Co-Producer plugin uses AI to curate the perfect samples for your project – all from within your DAW

Videos circulating online capture the brazen break-in, with over 100 people making their way toward the club with bolt cutters in hand. They forced entry through the girls’ bathroom, and the night soon took a wild turn — an illegal rave kicked off, complete with confetti cannons, makeshift DJing, and spray-painted mirrors.
One witness who uploaded footage described the moment the crowd descended on the venue: “There were like 100 people walking and shouting with bolt cutters and bally’s on.” According to them, the impromptu party lasted around two hours before law enforcement showed up and shut it down.

@take1.uk
what did i actually stumble into last night #mosbreakin #ministryofsound #electronicmusic #ukg #fypシ゚viral #fyp #rave #londonlife #london #raversoftiktok
♬ Say My Name – Remix – Morgan Seatree & Florence + The Machine

In other news, Bristol nightclub Motion has said it is “increasingly likely” it will have to leave its premises this summer.
The update follows a statement from Motion made in November, in which the club revealed it had been turned down for a lease extension. The lease is due to expire in July 2025, almost 20 years after the club first opened its doors in 2006.
Despite the potential closure, Motion insists that it is continuing to fight for “the strongest possible future”, and that it has “secured significant financial backing” as well as gotten “the support of local bodies that recognise Motion’s value, including efforts to have the venue registered as an Asset of Community Value”.
“If Motion goes, Bristol loses more than just a venue. It loses a part of its soul,” reads a statement from Motion. “Watching spaces like this disappear, knowing more could have been done to protect them, is gutting. It’s happening in every major city, and it’s happening here. We’re fighting it with everything we’ve got, but we need the powers that be to step up too.”
View all upcoming (official) events at Ministry of Sound.
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Audio software company Dear Reality ceases operation, all plugins now free to downloadImmersive audio plugin developer Dear Reality has ceased operations. As part of the shutdown, all 11 of its audio plugins are now available as free downloads.
Founded in 2015, Dear Reality was an early innovator in spatial audio software. Sennheiser acquired the company in 2019, but now, the audio giant is consolidating its immersive audio initiatives and discontinuing Dear Reality as an independent brand.

READ MORE: The best free and paid-for plugins you need to know about this week

In a new announcement, Sennheiser confirms that all Dear Reality products will no longer be developed or maintained, with licenses set to expire on 31 July 2025.
“To better leverage future potentials, we are currently consolidating all Immersive Audio initiatives within the Sennheiser Group,” says the firm. “As part of this process, Dear Reality will no longer continue as an independent company.”
However, users can still download and use Dream Reality plugins for free without restriction upon registering for the Sennheiser AMBEO newsletter.
Available plugins include:

dearVR Pro 2: A state-of-the-art spatializer plugin with mixing in stereo, multi-channel up to 9.1.6, binaural, or Ambisonics
Exoverb: Natural stereo reverb plugin offering 50 true-to-life sounding acoustic scenes with unheard three-dimensional depth and width
Exoverb Micro: Compact reverb plugin powered by the same proprietary reverb engine as the Exoverb, but with eight acoustic scenes instead
dearVR Ambi Micro: For you to mix, monitor, and render Ambisonics tracks up to 3rd order right out of the box
dearVR micro: An easy-to-use spatializer plugin
dearVR Mix: Monitoring plugin that turns any studio headphones into a world-class stereo mix room, featuring support for 55 professional studio headphones.
dearVR MIX-SE: Ultimate mixing environment for your HD 490 PRO reference studio headphones
dearVR spatial connect: Revolutionary and intuitive VR controller for spatial audio productions
MIYA: A creative re-synthesizer plugin using adjustable harmonics
dearVR music: A plugin that turns your DAW into a 3D audio powerhouse
dearVR Unity: Create ultra-realistic acoustic environments in Unity with a true perception of direction, distance, reflections, and reverb

Learn more at Sennheiser.
The post Audio software company Dear Reality ceases operation, all plugins now free to download appeared first on MusicTech.

Napster acquired by immersive tech company Infinite Reality in $207 million dealNapster, once the world’s most famous peer-to-peer file sharing platform and now a music service, has been acquired by US tech company Infinite Reality.
The tech startup announced the $207 million deal on Tuesday, stating its vision to transform Napster into a “social and interactive music platform” that prioritises “active fan engagement” over passive listening.
Describing its plans for Napster, Infinite Reality says the new platform will allow artists to create “branded 3D virtual spaces” where fans can attend virtual concerts, social listening parties, and “other immersive and community-based experiences”. Musicians will also be able to sell both physical and virtual merchandise, as well as access “enhanced analytics dashboards” to better understand their audience.

READ MORE: Output’s new Co-Producer plugin uses AI to curate the perfect samples for your project – all from within your DAW

“The internet has evolved from desktop to mobile, from mobile to social, and now we are entering the immersive era. Yet, music streaming has remained largely the same. It’s time to reimagine what’s possible,” says Napster CEO Jon Vlassopulos in a press release.
“Imagine stepping into a virtual venue to watch an exclusive show with friends, chat with your favourite artist in their own virtual hangout as they drop their new single, and be able to directly buy their exclusive digital and physical merch. With Infinite Reality’s expertise in immersive 3D technology, we will transform Napster into a next-generation platform where fans don’t just listen on their own — they experience music in entirely new ways.”
Vlassopulos will remain as Napster’s CEO while also taking on a “broader role” within Infinite Reality.
John Acunto, CEO and Co-founder of Infinite Reality adds, “This strategic move aligns with Infinite Reality’s vision to lead an internet industry shift from a flat 2D clickable web to a 3D conversational one — giving all creators modern tools to better engage, monetise, and measure their audiences.”
“I firmly believe that the artist-fan relationship is evolving, with fans craving hyper-personalised, intimate access to their favorite artists, while artists are searching for innovative ways to deepen connections with fans, and access new streams of revenue. We’re creating the ultimate music platform where artists can thrive in the next wave of digital disruption.”
Launched in 1999 by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, Napster revolutionised digital music as the first major peer-to-peer file-sharing platform. However, after facing lawsuits from the record industry and Metallica, it shut down in the early 2000s. In 2011, Rhapsody acquired the brand and relaunched it as a licensed music streaming service.
Since 2016, Napster has operated as a subscription-based platform, offering on-demand streaming for $11 per month. However, it has remained a niche player in a market dominated by Spotify and Apple Music.
The Infinite Reality deal marks Napster’s third acquisition in five years, following previous sales to MelodyVR in 2020 and Web3 companies Hivemind and Algorand in 2022.
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Transviolet on Surprise China Fame, Softcore Millennial Cringe and Touring in an RVThis week, Ari is joined by Sarah McTaggart from the band Transviolet to talk about how they’ve gained traction after leaving a major label.