Cotorro Audio RIPUL-1 Analog SaturatorRIPUL ("ripple"): Responsive, Inverted, Partial, Unsymmetrical, & Lumped. The RIPUL-1 analog saturator is a stand-alone 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. 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. 4x oversampling. Stereo output metering. Input file formats: wav, mp3, aif. Output is to WAV only. Signal path: Input Signal Optional Mono Conversion (dual mono) Analog FX Upsampling Saturation High-pass filter Downsampling Output gain Soft-knee Limiter Clipping Protector. Notes: If your input (stereo) audio file has transients that hit one channel harder than the other, the saturation and analog emulation may magnify those differences in that channel. It is recommended you do not process mp3 files at all with this tool due to their lossy nature. This is the standalone version. A VST3 implementation of RIPUL-1 will be a separate product. Release history: November 2025. First release (ver 1.0). Read More

Full Bucket Music releases FB-02, a free emulation of the Yamaha FB-01 module
Full Bucket Music has released FB-02, a free FM software instrument for Windows and macOS that recreates the sound engine of Yamaha’s 1986 FB-01 module. If you follow Full Bucket Music, you’ll know the developer is best known for meticulous Korg emulations (Fury-68 being a recent example). So seeing a Yamaha clone from them is [...]
View post: Full Bucket Music releases FB-02, a free emulation of the Yamaha FB-01 module

Excite Audio Evolve Elastic Lite is FREE until December 1st
Plugin Boutique and Music Radar offer the Evolve Elastic Lite plugin by Excite Audio for free until December 1st. The sample-based synth plugin runs on macOS and Windows. Evolve Elastic Lite is the trimmed-down version of Excite Audio’s new futuristic sound-mangling instrument, and despite being the “Lite” edition, it’s a pretty deep sound design tool. [...]
View post: Excite Audio Evolve Elastic Lite is FREE until December 1st

Airbus orders software fix to thousands of planes due to solar radiation riskFlights were delayed and cancelled globally after Airbus ordered fixes to 6,000 of its A320 series planes, according to The Guardian. The company said it’s taking action because “analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.” Citing […]

A Flexible Light Inspired by IKEAThe IKEA SMÅSNÖRE is a flexible silicone rod with an embedded LED strip, attached at each end to a base. It’s eye-catching enough, and it has the useful property of providing a diffuse light from multiple angles that makes it a promising candidate for a work lamp. That’s enough for [Daniel James] to create his own lamp on a similar vein.
The electronics of his lamp are straightforward enough: a 12 volt LED strip whose brightness is controlled by a Pi Pico in response to a potentiometer as a brightness control. It’s not quite stiff enough to form the arch itself, so he’s created a 3D printed chain that forms the structure of the lamp. Similar to a bicycle chain in the way it’s constructed, it has individual links that slot together and pivot. The electronics are in the printed base at one end.
We like this lamp a lot, for the light it gives on the bench and for the ingenuity of the printed chain. We might even make one for ourselves.

Full Bucket Music FB-02FB-02 is a software instrument for Microsoft Windows (VST2/VST3/CLAP/AAX) and Apple macOS (VST2/VST3/CLAP/AU/AAX) simulating the classic Yamaha FB-01 module from 1986. It is written in native C++ code for high performance even on "lighter" systems. Main features are: Simulation of the original FM sound generation unit. Original factory ROM and additional sounds. User interface can be used to edit the sound of the original FB-01. Program Browser. SysEx import and export. Resizable user interface (not "N" version.). Supports MTS-ESP by ODDSound dynamic micro-tuning. MIDI Learn – all parameters can be controlled by MIDI CC. Plug-in supports Windows and macOS (32-bit and 64-bit). Special credits go to: Wolfgang Paulke for his FB-01 and Beta testing. Kraftraum for Beta testing and sound design. Llama Music for sounds and hints. MAZES for sounds. Vincent from dbwbp.com. Watch the Demo Video. Read More

Olivia Dean wins fans partial refunds from Ticketmaster and AXSLive Nation's Ticketmaster and AEG's AXS will give refunds to Olivia Dean fans who purchased resale tickets on their platforms, The partial refunds will reflect the difference between the original price and the higher prices charged by resellers.
The post Olivia Dean wins fans partial refunds from Ticketmaster and AXS appeared first on Hypebot.

PSI Audio launch first extended main monitor system PSI Audio new monitoring system combines the recently released A326 D-REX with the already powerful A226-MAIN, creating a seven-driver system that’s capable of delivering SPLs of up to 132dB.

Top Music Business News Last WeekLast week's top music business news include a big win for Olivia Dean and her fans, a UK plan to help grassroots venues, Bandzoogle updates, a deep dive into Bandsintown and more.
The post Top Music Business News Last Week appeared first on Hypebot.

Rage-bait? Reddit users stunned as Suno user complains about running out of prompt ideasWhether you like it or not, AI has slowly but surely infiltrated the music industry – even Warner Music Group has recently signed on the dotted line and cemented its partnership with AI music generator Suno. However, the question remains: is AI a helpful tool, or is it just making people lazy?
Well, a recent submission to Suno’s subreddit seems to suggest the latter. In what can only be described as a baffling post – and one which, quite frankly, reads as straight up rage-bait – one Redditor complains that they are “sick of having to come up with prompts” to put into Suno. Yes, you read that right – someone is actually complaining about the one and only stage of Suno’s AI process that requires human input.

READ MORE: AI music generator Suno raises $250M in latest funding round

“I like what I’ve made so far with Suno but now I’m kind of hitting a wall with ideas for prompts,” the poster writes. “Why doesn’t Suno also have a feature to write prompts for you?”
The user goes on to suggest a bright idea to help with their problem – adding a button that generates a ‘new prompt’. After flicking through the suggestions, you could then follow the standard procedure, clicking “make song” when it shows a prompt that “sounds interesting”.
“Thoughts?” the user ‘innocently’ asks to round off their post.
Sick of having to come up with prompts byu/ThrowRA1234567788777 inSunoAI

Of course, the response hasn’t been great. Even the typically AI-positive community on Suno’s Reddit page is raising an eyebrow. Because, of course, the idea would mean handing over total creative control to AI, removing any need for human thought.
“You are cooked,” multiple users reply. Elsewhere, users call out the post as blatant rage-bait, calling the poster is a “troll”. Others just laugh at the ridiculousness of the entire post, joking “SO true!!! This is the future of art!!”
Many are mocking the user’s laziness, while others are calling the post an act of trolling. Certain users are also sharing genuine advice, encouraging the mystery poster to “use their brain” instead of entirely relying on AI.
“Go into FL Studio (or whichever musical software you use), use that brain of yours, and make it yourself!” one user writes. “Sure, it might take a bit longer, but trust me, it will be so much better!”
Another writes: “I really don’t understand why you’d rather generate AI music if you are so creatively unimaginative that you can’t even articulate the kind of music you want to hear… This just feels sad and unnecessary. You’re turning yourself into the messenger between two computers making art with no meaning or motivation behind it.”
Some responders are attempting to supply actual ‘advice’ – though, they may also be adding fuel to the ‘trolling’ fire. “My streams on Spotify got a huge boost when I started using ChatGPT to help me with prompts,” one commenter explains. “Not using AI to at the very least refine your prompts is a wasted opportunity and anyone not doing this will be left behind…”
Regardless of whether this post is rage-bait or not, it’s interesting to consider AI’s impact on creatives. Nowadays 80% of producers are anti-AI-generated songs, but other sources suggest that musicians are just keeping their AI usage a secret. So it begs the question – is AI’s usage in music a thing to be celebrated, or is it the start of a downward spiral in creativity?
The post Rage-bait? Reddit users stunned as Suno user complains about running out of prompt ideas appeared first on MusicTech.

Supabase hit $5B by turning down million-dollar contracts. Here’s why.Vibe coding has taken the tech industry by storm, and it’s not just the Lovables and Replits of the world that are winning. The startups building the infrastructure behind them are cashing in too.  Supabase, the open-source database platform that’s become the backend of choice for the vibe-coding world, raised $100 million at a $5 billion valuation just months after closing $200 million at $2 billion. But co-founder and CEO […]

Waves’ secret free plugin revealed: Here’s how to energise your tracks with the new Magma StressBoxWho doesn’t love a free plugin on Black Friday?. In addition to its Cyber Weekend sale, Waves releases a new, secret plugin each year. This year, it’s giving away an addition to its Magma series: StressBox.
Control the dynamics with one knob
Producers already familiar with Waves’ product range might liken Magma StressBox’s workflow to the OneKnob series. But unlike OneKnob Pressure or OneKnob Pumper, StressBox packs two functions into its one knob.
As you turn it left, you hear a significant downward expansion effect. At 0.2, it imitates a noise gate pretty well.
When you turn it right, you get coloured yet smooth compression. Even at an extreme ratio like 20:1, StressBox maintains punch while evening out the dynamics.
For vocals and instruments that require surgical control, StressBox isn’t an ideal fit. You have more flexibility, even with stock compressors that include threshold, attack, release, and knee parameters. But StressBox promises to tighten or inflate the overall sound. By automating a single knob, you can quickly enrich the dynamic variety in your mixes with it.
Say you’re working on a track with a steady beat. You have the same drums looping in the verse and chorus sections. It gets dull after a while, so you drop StressBox on the drum bus. You run it in expansion mode during the verses, then transition to compression in the choruses. Problem solved.
Here’s how that transition sounds in real time on a drum loop from Splice.

Running it in expansion mode
As you can hear, StressBox lets the highest peaks through in expansion mode. It latches onto transients that reach above an invisible threshold. But it doesn’t eliminate the quieter details between them. It just makes them even quieter.
This type of processing is called downward expansion. It’s useful for reducing reverb tails, boosting the bounce of rhythmic pads, and tightening any instrument with percussive qualities.
Here’s how StressBox’s expander sounds on guitar, compared with a noise gate such as FabFilter Pro-G.

Exploring the StressBox compressor
There aren’t many practical and dedicated downward expansion plugins on the market. That alone makes StressBox a valuable addition to any music producer’s library. But it’s the compressor that’ll get you hooked, especially if you don’t already own other standard tube compressors like Teletronix LA-2A.
Like a transient shaper, StressBox’s compressor amplifies and sustains the quieter details in your mix. And somehow, it does this job without squashing the transients. In other words, it combines traits of both downward and upward compression.
There are similar compressors on the market, like Waves’ own MV2 and Xfer’s OTT. MV2 provides subtle control, while OTT lives up to its name by compressing in an over-the-top manner.
StressBox’s compressor is the compromise between the two. It may not work on every instrument or master bus you throw it on. But when it does, it takes little effort to dial in.
Because StressBox highlights lost details so well, I wanted to test it against a transient shaper like Native Instruments’ Transient Master. Here’s how they compare.

The signature Magma sound
Although StressBox isn’t a saturator, it has analogue character like all the other plugins from the Magma series.
If you own the Magma Tube Channel Strip, you already have the features StressBox offers, and much more. The key difference is the fluid simplicity of a single knob interface.
In Magma Tube Channel Strip, the compressor and expander are separate modules. You have the benefit of using both at the same time. But for moments that call for drama and a shot of extra energy, StressBox may be the better choice.
Music creators first got a taste of the Magma line with Lil Tube, the Black Friday freebie for 2022. Still available in the Waves Free Plugin Pack, Lil Tube comes with three saturation modes that take the analogue flavour of StressBox to the next level. Here’s how they sound together on a master bus.

Waves later introduced a paid version of Lil Tube: BB Tubes. With extra EQ and distortion features, BB Tubes delivers additional grit without sacrificing control.
A year later, Magma collectors got their first vintage reverb, Magma Springs. Seven types of spring units, plus drive, feedback, and EQ controls in a no-frills box, with the same tube sound.
It’s unclear whether we’ll see an advanced version of StressBox in the coming days. But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Magma series continue to expand. With retro revival still thriving online, demand for vintage-style plugins shows no signs of slowing.
 
The post Waves’ secret free plugin revealed: Here’s how to energise your tracks with the new Magma StressBox appeared first on MusicTech.

alchemicAV FloojiFlooji is a demo product for a new system of tuning! The full name is Fluid Just Intonation. This plugin gives you the flexibility of Equal Temperament but utilizes the more consonant sounding Just Intonation Scale! Let's break down the features: Sound Source: By default, the plugin uses a sine wave to generate sound. Additionally, you can load your own soundfonts from here, greatly increasing the sonic potential of this new scale generation method. Sequence Settings: Choose the Loop Length and Loop Mode. Loop Length allows you to choose between 4, 8, 12 and 16 measure loops for extended composition options. You can choose between Set Mode and Shift Mode. Set Mode: This will generate the Just Intonation Scale for the first measure, then each additional measure will generate a new Just Intonation Scale for each selected root. Each additional measure root will be generated using the initial measure's Just Intonation Scale. For example, if the first measure is a C, then the next are D, F and G, the D, F and G will generate Just Intonation scales based on the first Just Intonation scale, C. This does not allow harmonic drift between measures and locks the generated scales to a common root. Shift Mode: This will generate the Just Intonation Scale for the first measure, then each additional measure will generate a new Just Intonation Scale for each selected root based on the previous root. For example, if the first measure is C and the next measure is D, the D will be generated based on the initial root of C. The next measure, F, will generate a Just Intonation scale based on the previous measure D. This allows for harmonic drift as each new measure starts with a different root and is not locked into a single Just Intonation scale. Current Status: Shows information of the current measure while playing the song. Measure Roots: Select the sequence of measure roots that the Just Intonation scales will be generated from. Current Tuning: This area shows the chromatic view of C5 through B5 in the current Just Intonation scale. It will highlight the measure root as it is being played and display the frequency and cents difference from Equal Temperament. Note: it does not show the current notes being played, only from C5 to B5 to get an idea how the frequencies for each scale are lining up compared to Equal Temperament. Read More

Build Your Own Compact Temp GunSometimes you need to know what temperature something is, but you don’t quite want to touch it. At times like these, you might want a temp gun on hand to get a good reading, like the one [Arnov Sharma] built.
The build is a relatively simple one, and is based around an Waveshare ESP32 C6 development module that comes with a small LCD screen out of the box. The microcontroller is set up to read an MLX90614 infrared temperature sensor. This device picks up the infrared energy that is emitted by objects relative to their temperature. The sensor has a great range—from -70 C to 380 C. The readouts from this sensor are then displayed on the screen. Battery power is from a small 600 mAh LiPo cell, which is managed by a IP5306 charge module.
It’s worth noting that these infrared temperature sensors aren’t infallible devices. The temperature they perceive is based on certain assumptions about factors like an objects emissivity. Thus, they don’t always give accurate readings on metallic or shiny objects, for example. It’s also important to understand the sensor’s field of view. Despite many commercial versions featuring a laser pointer for aiming, many of these infrared temperature sensors tend to average their reading over a small spot that gets larger the farther away they are from the object being measured.
Tools like portable temp guns are pretty cheap, but sometimes it’s just fun to build your own. Plus, you usually learn something along the way. Video after the break.

Manchester Music City publish grassroots venue report Manchester Music City have published a landmark report that aims to help strengthen the city’s grassroots music venues.