Pocket-sized Test Pattern Generator Helps Check those CRTs[Nicholas Murray]’s Composite Test Pattern Generator is a beautifully-made, palm-sized tool that uses an ESP32-based development board to output different test patterns in PAL/NTSC. If one is checking out old televisions or CRTs, firing up a test pattern can be a pretty handy way to see if the hardware is healthy or not.
The little white add-on you see attached to the yellow portion is a simple circuit (two resistors and an RCA jack) that allows the microcontroller to output a composite video signal. All one needs to do is power on the device, then press the large button to cycle through test patterns. A small switch on the side toggles between NTSC and PAL video formats. It’s adorable, and makes good use of the enclosures that came with the dev board and proto board.
In a pinch a hacker could use an original Raspberry Pi, because the original Pi notably included a composite video output. That feature made it trivial to output NTSC or PAL video to a compatible display. But [Nicholas]’s device has a number of significant advantages: it’s small, it’s fast, it has its own battery and integrated charger, and the little color screen mirroring the chosen test pattern is a great confirmation feature.
This is a slick little device, and it’s not [Nicholas]’s first test pattern generator. He also created a RP2040-based unit with a VGA connector, the code of which inspired a hacker’s home-grown test pattern generator that was used to service a vintage arcade machine.

What is EQ? Definition, common types, and how to use it
In this comprehensive guide, learn about what EQ (equalization) is, its common types, and how to use it in your music.

Get the Pocket Strings library for FREE for a limited time
The Crow Hill Company is currently running a £25 voucher promotion that you can use to claim the Pocket Strings (£10) library for FREE or get a £4 bargain of your choice. The coupon code crowmas25 knocks £25 off any purchase in the Crow Hill store, with no minimum spend required. The no minimum spend [...]
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How an Athletic Mindset Can Help Artists With Performance AnxietyDr. Noa Kageyama, PhD takes a look at research into how athletes deal with performance anxiety to extract a framework for musicians struggling with stage fright.
The post How an Athletic Mindset Can Help Artists With Performance Anxiety appeared first on Hypebot.

Randi Zimmerman of Symphonic Shares Her 2026 Music PredictionsHypebot's Future Predictions series is back. Join us as we ask the music industry's expert analysts what they think might unfold in the world of music in 2026.
The post Randi Zimmerman of Symphonic Shares Her 2026 Music Predictions appeared first on Hypebot.

Expression Control & Servo Controller from ADDAC System ADDAC System's latest creation features motor-based devices that can be attached to a control knob on an amplifier, guitar pedal, rackmount processor or just about any other piece of equipment!

Tweakbench SaffronA 6-operator FM Synthesizer with effect chain. Fully DX-7 compatible, so you can load any DX-7 sysex files in as sound banks. Full edit controls over all 6 operators, and a serial effects chain of stereo chorus, a light compressor, tape delay, and simple reverb all add up to warm up the chilly FM timbers. Read More

4 Non Blondes Reenergized at the RoxyPhotos by Alex Kluft, taken on December 16.

For quite a few years, Linda Perry was quick to reply "Hell no" to any request from fans or interviewers for a 4 Non Blondes reunion. She admitted as much from the stage at the Roxy on a Monday night in December, the first of two gigs at this venue before moving on to a couple in their San Francisco hometown.

Perry said that she was simply done with that chapter of her life. A super-successful songwriter and producer, why in the world would she put herself back into that particular machine again? Well, she found a reason.

It's worth remembering that 4 Non Blondes only released the one studio album--1992's Bigger, Better, Faster, More! They were around from 1989-'94, briefly in 2014, and now this. They are, of course, best known for monster hit "What's Up?" but the album had a lot more to offer, and it feels unjust to think of them as a one hit wonder.

Incidentally, "one hit wonder" is one of the most ridiculous turns of phrase in the modern English language. The idea that musicians have achieved a level of success, and the response from many is to say, "yeah, well, do it again or be subjected to mockery" is frankly insane. The vast majority of working musicians would love to have one hit.

So anyway, back to the Roxy. It was wonderful to see Perry back in stage with bassist Christa Hillhouse and drummer Dawn Richardson. The biggest surprise was that there were only two songs from their one album--"Train" and, naturally, "What's Up?" There was also a gorgeous rendition of the Perry-penned "Beautiful," a hit for Christina Aguilera, with the set filled out with new songs.

That's a bold move, but it proved to be an astute one. The band clearly believes in the new material, as they should. Highlights from those new tracks included "Drama Queen," "What They Want" and "Monomorphic." Hopefully a new release will be available soon.

The post 4 Non Blondes Reenergized at the Roxy first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Cotorro Audio RIPUL-1 Analog Saturator VST3RIPUL ("ripple"): Responsive, Inverted, Partial, Unsymmetrical, & Lumped. The RIPUL-1 analog saturator is a distortion tool that offers tons of analog character as well as a soft-knee limiter. Transform and enhance your drum mixes, vocals, and bass tracks with this fiery addition to your mixing arsenal. You can also create sheer sonic mayhem with this tool. This VST3 implementation is a refined version of the standalone RIPUL-1. RIPUL-1 features: Tube-like saturation (input gain) between 0 dB and 20 dB. Output gain between -24 dB and 6 dB. A choice of either stereo or dual mono output useful for often centered vocals or bass. A soft-knee limiter with a configurable threshold between -12 dB and 0 dB. Leave this setting close to 0 dB for a more "breathing" sound. An analog section that provides various effects based on old hardware, such as hysteresis (subtle input-output lag), electrical noise, and capacitor smearing. This section also functions as a pronounced low-pass filter at higher settings. Mix control to set the wet to dry signal ratio. 4x oversampling. Stereo output metering. Note: If your input (stereo) audio has transients that hit one channel harder than the other, the saturation and analog emulation may magnify those differences in that channel. Installation: Unzip and copy Ripul-1.vst3 into your audio plugin folder. This is usually c:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3. Read More

Pudgy Penguins brings NFT characters to the Las Vegas Sphere during ChristmasThe non-fungible token project owned by Luca Netz appeared on the Sphere’s exterior screens, with the animated display going live on Christmas Eve.

FibreSeeker 3: Continuous Carbon Fiber vs Chopped CFAlthough you can purchase many types of FDM filaments containing ‘carbon fiber’ these days, they are in no way related to the carbon fiber (CF) composite materials used for rocket hulls and light-weight bicycles. This is because the latter use continuous fibers, often in weaved CF mats, whereas the FDM filaments just use small, chopped, fragments of CF. Obviously this will not result in the same outcome, which makes it interesting that a company called Fibre Seek is now running a KickStarter for a very affordable co-extrusion FDM printer that can add continuous CF to any part. They also sent a few test parts to [Dr. Igor Gaspar] for testing against regular FDM CF prints.
It should be noted here that continuous CF with FDM is not new, as Markforged already does something similar, though at a ‘Contact us for a price quote’ level. The advantage of the Fibre Seek solution is then the co-extrusion that would make printing with continuous CF much more flexible and affordable. Based on the (sponsored) [CNC Kitchen] video of a few weeks ago at a tradeshow, the FibreSeeker 3 printer is effectively a standard CoreXY FDM printer, with the special co-extrusion dual print head that allows for CF to be coated with the target thermoplastic before being printed as normal.

Unfortunately for [Igor] he did not have a FibreSeeker 3 to print on, and the print request for his usual test samples got mixed up by Fibre Seek, leaving him with only 4 out of 10 items to test with. This makes this a bit of an abbreviated test, but should still provide some useful data relative to the Polymaker PETG-CF filament that was used for comparison.
Based on the limited test set, it can be said that the FibreSeeker 3 parts did generally better than the PETG-CF parts, albeit with a few asterisks. Accordingly, [Igor] is left feeling somewhat confused by Fibre Seek, but sees the potential of this new co-extrusion technology. It just feels like the FibreSeeker 3 printer is not quite finished yet, and that the true value of this approach and this new printer will have to prove themselves.

How a Spanish virus brought Google to MálagaSpanish entrepreneur Bernardo Quintero, whose company is at the root of Google's Málaga cybersecurity hub, identified the author of the computer virus that influenced his career.

Black Octopus Sound releases Christmas Starter Deck Sampler with 3 GB of FREE sounds
Black Octopus Sound has released Christmas Gift – Starter Deck Sampler, a huge free sample pack available for a limited time, and a 100% discount for a full Starter Deck of your choice. I downloaded the pack out of curiosity, expecting little more than a generous teaser, but this is a proper sound library. Black [...]
View post: Black Octopus Sound releases Christmas Starter Deck Sampler with 3 GB of FREE sounds

Majetone offers Pantomime 4 virtual synth FREE for email subscribers
Developer Majetone is offering Pantomime 4, a virtual synthesizer with plenty of character, free for a limited time during the holidays. To download this, head to the Pantomime 4 product page, scroll down, and enter your email address. Once you sign up for the Majetone mailing list, a 100% discount code is automatically applied at [...]
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Overloud add AIR to THU Available now as a free update for all existing THU users, AIR is said to bring a new dimension to amp simulation by recreating the feeling of standing in front of a real amp in a real room.