Tomorrow: Join Ali Ghodsi and Dario Amodei for a fireside chatJoin this free virtual event, featuring Ali Ghodsi, the trailblazing co-founder and CEO of Databricks, alongside Dario Amodei, the pioneering co-founder and CEO of Anthropic. Uncover how their revolutionary collaboration is poised to fast-track the advancement of domain-specific AI agents. Not only will you experience an engaging exchange between the visionary leaders of two AI […]

Women in Music Presents Shop TalkWomen in Music LA is a chapter of WIM, estabished in 2017, that is "dedicated to fostering equality in the music industry through the support and advancement of women. Providing knowledge, strategy & solutions to our members and the greater community is our driving purpose."Women In Music​ Los Angeles' Shop Talk returns to The Village Studios​ on April 26th, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the fourth edition of this popular annual workshop, diving even deeper into the heart of studio recording. "Shop Talk 104 is designed specifically for women creators and those working alongside them, offering a welcoming and inclusive space to explore the fundamentals of audio production," they say. "Whether you're an artist or on the support team, with questions about working in a commercial studio or recording tracks at home, Shop Talk 104 is your chance to learn directly from the women engineers and producers at The Village Studios, who will explain essential recording terminology and demystify the gear and workflow of the control room.""Don't miss this unique opportunity to visit this world-renowned studio where legendary artists like The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Bob Dylan, Shakira, Janet Jackson, and Gwen Stefani have recorded — and get your questions answered without fear or judgement," they continue. "If you've ever felt like you should know more about the technical side of music but didn't know where to start, this event is for YOU!"Register here.The post Women in Music Presents Shop Talk first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Trekulator: A Reproduction of the 1977 Star Trek Themed CalculatorA recent project over on Hackaday.io from [Michael Gardi] is Trekulator – Where No Maker Has Gone Before.
This is a fun build and [Michael] has done a very good job of emulating the original device. [Michael] used the Hackaday.io logging feature to log his progress. Starting in September 2024 he modeled the case, got his original hardware working, got the 7-segment display working, added support for sound, got the keypad working and mounted it, added the TFT display and mounted it, wired up the breadboard implementation, designed and implemented the PCBs, added some finishing touches, installed improved keys, and added a power socket back in March.

It is perhaps funny that where the original device used four red LEDs, [Michael] has used an entire TFT display. This would have been pure decadence by the standards of 1977. The software for the ESP32 microcontroller was fairly involved. It had to support audio, graphics, animations, keyboard input, the 7-segment display, and the actual calculations.
The calculations are done using double-precision floating-point values and eight positions on the display so this code will do weird things in some edge cases. For instance if you ask it to sum two eight digit numbers as 90,000,000 and 80,000,000, which would ordinarily sum to the nine digit value 170,000,000, the display will show you a different value instead, such as maybe 17,000,000 or 70,000,000. Why don’t you put one together and let us know what it actually does! Also, can you find any floating-point precision bugs?
This was a really fun project, thanks to [Michael] for writing it up and letting us know via the tips line!

Spotify expands concert discovery offerings with new Stager integrationFounded in 2012, Stager’s platform allows event organizers to offer ticketing services, planning software, and marketing tools
Source

Disc Maker CEO responds to Spotify in ‘1000 Streams’ debateTony van Veen, the former CD Baby and current Disc Maker CEO responds to Spotify and their statement explaining the decision to stop paying royalties on tracks with under 1000 plays.
The post Disc Maker CEO responds to Spotify in ‘1000 Streams’ debate appeared first on Hypebot.

Diego Ortega releases FREE Vocal Rider Plugin for Automated Vocal Levelling
Recently, Diego Ortega released Vocal Rider, a free plugin made to help you achieve consistent vocal levels via automation while avoiding coloration caused by compression.  The plugin is available in both 64-bit and 32-bit versions for macOS and Windows, in VST3 and standalone formats.   Ortega has made Vocal Rider available via a ‘name a fair [...]
View post: Diego Ortega releases FREE Vocal Rider Plugin for Automated Vocal Levelling

Live Music Industry News Roundup: Caps, Costs Awards & MoreThis week's roundup of live music industry news covers topics from ticket resale caps, the financial realities for touring artists, to the recent executive order on ticketing, and more...
The post Live Music Industry News Roundup: Caps, Costs Awards & More appeared first on Hypebot.

Waves Audio releases Free Plugin Pack for Windows and macOS
Waves Audio has launched the Free Plugin Pack, bundling nine free plugins and virtual instruments into one convenient download. Waves Audio Free Plugin Pack is available for Windows and macOS users. While most of the included plugins were available for free on previous occasions, this is the first time they’ve been packaged together. And even [...]
View post: Waves Audio releases Free Plugin Pack for Windows and macOS

Tonelib TL BaxEQClassic Baxandall EQ for Gentle Tone Shaping TL BaxEQ is a shelving equalizer based on the circuit designed by English audio engineer Peter J. Baxandall back in 1950. Its shelves have a wide and gentle Q-factor with a greatly minimized phase shift spread over a wide area, which gives them a very transparent and musical sound. Whether you want to add presence, sparkle, brightness or air to your highs without making them too harsh, or you want to add thickness and weight to your lows but keep them from getting boomy or muddy, TL BaxEQ is the answer. TL BaxEQ is based on the simple yet elegant scheme of Baxandall's original analog device, and has the high level of transparency and flexibility that only digital implementation can offer. Flexible visual interface with multiple display modes allows you to fully monitor audio signal dynamics, while straightforward, realistic controls enable you to get started without any confusion or hassle. BaxEQ Rack Unit TL BaxEQ rack consists of two separate sections for high and low frequency control. The analog-style interface lets you easily adjust the shape of the Bax shelves, set the gain level for each, and cut any unwanted edge frequencies for the best hit in your mix. For best results, you can always monitor the input/output signal and the shape of the EQ curve on the visual display. Animated EQ Curve Animated EQ Curve lets you follow exactly how BaxEQ affects certain frequencies in real time. Changes to any parameter are immediately shown on the graph, giving you a better understanding of the Bax shelves shape and allowing you to achieve the desired results in a quicker way. Accessibility Features: With a fully scalable interface and the option to customize the info shown on the display, you can arrange your TL BaxEQ workspace in the most convenient way possible. The lightest DSP ensures minimal CPU usage: you can handle multiple plug-in instances without any visible load on your device. No DAW? No Problem! TL BaxEQ comes in both VST and Standalone formats, so you don't necessarily need a DAW to utilize all its features. System Requirements: TL BaxEQ comes in 64-bit VST / VST3 / AU / Standalone. Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 or Vista (64-bit only); macOS 10.13 or higher (64-bit only); Ubuntu 18 or higher (64-bit only); Read More

“We’re moving beyond hierarchical executive structures”: Uli Behringer on Behringer restructuringBehringer CEO and founder Uli Behringer has announced a major restructuring at parent company Music Tribe, replacing the traditional C-suite with an AI-supported, data-driven leadership model.
Explaining the decision in a recent LinkedIn post, Behringer writes: “The traditional and siloed C-suite model has served its time. But in today’s world of rapid change and continuous innovation, it’s no longer the most effective way to lead and often becomes a liability.”

READ MORE: Behringer 2025: Every synth, drum machine and controller Behringer is currently working on

At the core of this restructuring is the replacement of “hierarchical executive structures” with a more “agile, data-driven model” — one powered by business and data analysts, and supported by neural AI platforms like Claude, Manus AI, and others. These tools, Behringer says, are already enhancing human decision-making by surfacing insights, spotting patterns, and driving real-time action.
For Behringer, the reasons for the shift are clear: They include faster, smarter decisions as analysts working directly with real-time data can act quickly, reducing bottlenecks.
“Decisions are best made by those closest to the product, the customer, and the challenge,” the founder explains. “In a world that’s constantly evolving, agility beats formality. We’re building a leadership model that can adapt and learn at every level.”
According to Uli, Music Tribe is currently piloting Manus AI across its operations, with early results described as “promising”. He says the move is part of the company’s broader commitment to Industry 5.0 — a vision where human creativity works alongside advanced technology to shape more responsive, personalised and empowering organisations.
“We’re not just tweaking the org chart. We’re rethinking what leadership can and should look like,” Behringer continues. “Fewer layers. More collaboration. Smarter decisions.”
Behringer’s latest announcement also reflects the brand’s long-standing interest in accessibility, a value that also underpin its product strategy. Earlier this month, Uli told Sweetwater that one of his goals is to make the firm’s already budget-friendly products even more affordable, especially for young people.
“As you know, we have synthezisers starting at $49. My goal is to make synthesizers for $9.90 so we can make these accessible to kids in poor countries,” he said.
Whether through groundbreaking organisational change or ultra-affordable gear, time will tell.
The post “We’re moving beyond hierarchical executive structures”: Uli Behringer on Behringer restructuring appeared first on MusicTech.

Toontrack release Modern Pop Piano EKX Modern Pop Piano EKX captures the sound of a Grotrian-Steinweg upright, and includes a collection of sounds that have been resampled through an array of outboard processors. 

Final debuts the DX6000 in all-new headphones seriesFinal Audio has unveiled the DX6000, the first entry in its all-new DX headphones series.
Crafted “entirely from the ground up”, the brand’s latest open-back headphones employ proprietary driver technology to deliver a speaker-like listening experience that’s both highly transparent and emotionally expressive.

READ MORE: Audeze’s LCD-S20 headphones are the most affordable in its LCD series – and pack in its ground-breaking SLAM technology

To start, at the heart of the DX6000 is a newly developed large-diameter dynamic driver featuring an ultra-lightweight magnesium dome diaphragm. Magnesium, chosen for its rigidity and neutral acoustic properties, allows the DX6000 to achieve “remarkably low distortion and a fast transient response”, says Final.
As for the diaphragm, it is housed within a monolithic injection-moulded structure using a proprietary adhesive-free silicone foam surround. This unique construction removes unnecessary weight and delivers perfect piston motion, resulting in a dynamic soundstage with natural spatial separation, rich lows, and detailed reproduction across the frequency range.
To complement the diaphragm design, engineers developed a free-air wired aluminium coil, made with trace element doping for enhanced conductivity. By eliminating traditional bonding points and soldering connections, signal purity is maintained and reverse resonance is dramatically reduced.
Image: Final
In addition, the DX6000’s internal acoustic networks features a crossover-less design, mimicking the linearity of a well-designed speaker, offering accurate high-frequency response without harshness. The headphones’ fully open housing structure, where the front and rear enclosures are seamlessly connected, meanwhile, results in a deep, uncoloured bass with remarkable presence.
Each DX6000 is also manufactured and manually acoustically matched at Final’s dedicated production line in Japan, ensuring exceptional quality control. Despite its complex engineering, the headphones remain light on the head, weighing just 363g (excluding cable). The open-back architecture and thoughtful weight distribution also make them ideal for long sessions.
Included is a 3-meter OFC balanced XLR cable, designed for high-resolution, low-noise signal delivery in reference listening setups.
Priced at $1,999/£1,899/€1,999, the Final DX6000 will be available to purchase from 28 April 2025 at selected retailers.
Learn more at Final Audio.
The post Final debuts the DX6000 in all-new headphones series appeared first on MusicTech.

AEA launch the AEA 1029 compressor AEA are well-known for their ribbons mics and preamps, and now their product range includes a high-quality stereo VCA compressor.

Shure’s MV7i USB mic might be your go-to audio interface for mobile recording$349 / £329, shure.com
Shure’s MV family of USB microphones continues to expand with the addition of the MV7i, sharing much of the technology of the MV7+ but adding a second input with plenty of gain to essentially turn the mic into a standalone audio interface.
The idea is that you can add a second microphone or source via the combination XLR and jack input with phantom power and use it as a single or dual channel interface down a single connection, removing the need for additional cabling. That potentially makes it the perfect mobile solution for podcast or other simpler audio tracking uses like a singer/guitarist. But how well does it work in practice?

READ MORE: IK Multimedia’s iRig Stream Mic Pro is a hassle-free solution for all recording artists

The mic is sturdy with a high-quality metal case and comes on a yoke mount with screws on either side to enable it to be angled or fixed securely. You don’t get a stand for it, but the mount has a thread that can be attached either to a desk or a boom stand, depending on how you plan to use it. A foam pop shield is included, as is a USB-C cable of reasonable length, which both powers the mic and carries audio signals.
No drivers are required but you will need to download the MOTIV Mix app for macOS, PC or iOS, as this is the way you control the different settings inside the mic. There are no on-body controls except for the colour LED touch strip, which can be tapped to mute or unmute the signal. On the rear of the body are the USB-C port, the combo XLR/jack input and a 3.5 mm headphone output for monitoring.
The first thing the MOTIV Mix app will ask you to do is set up the routing for recording, the way the mic outputs audio. The first option is Mixdown, where inputs 1 and 2 are summed as a mono stream, say for live streaming. Then there’s Multitrack, which separates inputs 1 and 2 as individual mono streams, and finally Stereo which keeps input 2 as stereo while sending input 1 to both left and right, perhaps for recording voiceover over stereo content.
Image: Press
In terms of hardware, the mic has a directional, cardioid polar pattern and a dynamic transducer and a frequency response of 50 Hz to 16 kHz – not the widest range going, but sufficient for voice recording. Anyone wanting to capture every nuance of an acoustic guitar, for example, may want to connect a more sensitive mic to the other input – but we’ll get to that. The unit’s analogue-to-digital converter runs at up to 24-bit/48kHz and a slightly lower 16-bit/44.1kHz for iOS devices.
The onboard digital signal processing (DSP) powers a bunch of useful recording effects and tools that help you to capture respectable recordings in the kinds of less-than-perfect environments you may find yourself working in while on the move. All of these are configurable in the app. First up is Auto Level Mode with SmartGate, which monitors signal and auto-adjusts gain based on distance, volume and room dynamics. It can also prevent overlapping dialogue when two inputs are in use. It’s effective in real-world use, and though you will set levels manually in the app, the auto features help to mitigate variations in volume and potential movement during recording. The company’s Voice Isolation Technology helps the system separate out voices from other noise.
Denoiser is another process that can run in real-time, identifying and reducing persistent ambient noise like air conditioning, and a digital popper stopper can be activated in addition to the physical windshield. Then there are three types of variable digital reverb which tend towards sounding swampy so would need to be used sparingly, and an effects strip with tone, gain, EQ, compression and a limiter. All these are also available for the combo input channel and will be applied when a signal is detected from that input. There are broad presets for speech, singing or instruments, and global setups can be stored in the app too for easy switching between different uses.
SmartGate feature in the MOTIV Mix app. Image: MusicTech
This is a lot of processing inside such a small unit and, until now, would usually have required a larger housing — even compact audio interfaces with this much DSP don’t manage to also incorporate a full microphone. The MV7i can also supply 48v phantom power and +60dB of gain to its physical input and doesn’t get noticeably warm while doing so.
Monitoring is zero-latency with optional reverb applied both to the recording and foldback, and in tests, the recordings captured are excellent. The ability to add processing to the sound onboard – EQ, compression, limiting and a degree of gating – rather than in a DAW — cuts the chances of latency appearing. Plus, it means your sound is pre-processed by the time it hits the hard drive or is streamed online. Of course, you can omit these if you want to add effects post-recording, but there is an option to have a ‘comfort’ reverb in headphones, but not record it. Adding a second source via the combo input is simple, with the streams appearing to your DAW based on how you’ve set up the routing.
The MOTIV Mix app is capable of recording a high-quality stereo file from several inputs, including your computer (though at a fixed setting), which is fine for podcasting or recording live material, though for more flexible mixing, you’d capture separate streams in a DAW or similar package.
Image: Press
Shure suggests that this is a unique device, but it’s not dissimilar to IK’s iRig Stream Mic Pro (around £149) in some respects, which also has a high-quality USB-powered mic (with switchable polar pattern) and operates as a more limited audio interface than the MV7i. It lacks the DSP and internal effects as well as the powered combo input, so it’s more restricted, but it does have more on-body controls if that’s something you prefer.
The MV7i is a dependable and well-built mic that performs to a high standard and will suit streamers, podcasters and those needing to record a couple of sources without carrying lots of gear. The DSP features like auto gain and denoiser are genuinely useful, while the directionality of the mic means it excels at the task of voice pickup.
If your needs are more modest, the MV7+ at around £269 offers many of the same features just without the second input. The MV7i is arguably a little on the pricey side but there’s really nothing around that does what it does quite this well.

Key features

USB-C mic with up to 24-bit, 48 kHz recording
Second combo mix/line/instrument input
MOTIV Mix desktop and iOS software
Onboard effects and DSP
Zero-latency monitoring
Auto gain, denoiser and pop stopper
LED touch panel for muting and level feedback (with a Split option to reveal a
meter for each input)
3.5 mm headphone output
Phantom power to XLR
Flexible routing modes

The post Shure’s MV7i USB mic might be your go-to audio interface for mobile recording appeared first on MusicTech.

Audeze’s LCD-S20 headphones are the most affordable in its LCD series – and pack in its ground-breaking SLAM technologyAudeze has unveiled the most affordable instalment in its LCD series of headphones to date. The LCD-S20 Closed-Back headphones channel the company’s high-end audio quality and SLAM spatial imaging into a much more affordable package, costing just $499.
First introduced for the company’s CRBN2 headphones, Audeze’s SLAM technology – Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator – improves the way air pressure is distributed across each diaphragm using precisely-tuned acoustic channels to boost certain frequencies. CRBN2s cost $5,995 – and the LCD-S20 loads in the same technology for much less.

READ MORE: Depeche Mode’s Memento Mori tour will live on forever through Depeche Mode: M

The LCD-S20s also boast magnetic ear pads, allowing users to swap out and replace them with ease. As well as offering rich acoustics, the ear cups have reliable noise-cancellation, meaning your listening wont be disturbed by external noise or microphone bleed.
There’s also a detachable single-sided cable, meaning you can switch your wire to either earcup and avoid getting tangled up in the studio.
The headphones also boast the same design as Audeze’s Maxwell line, with a spring-steel headband, forged aluminium and glass-infused nylon components. There’s also the same 90mm planar magnetic drivers, which includes Audeze’s Fluxor magnets, Fazor waveguides, and Uniforce voice coils.
 
Credit: Audeze
“With the LCD-S20, we’re bringing Audeze’s renowned studio-quality sound to a broader audience without compromising on innovation or performance,” Audeze CEO, Sankar Thiagasamudram, explains. “The integration of our SLAM technology is a leap forward in both audio fidelity and user experience.”
“LCD-S20 is not just an entry point into the Audeze family; it’s a testament to our commitment to making world-class audio accessible to everyone, from budding musicians to seasoned audiophiles,” he adds.
The headphones have also already received praise from audio engineer Marc Urselli. The three time Grammy-Winner has insisted that the LCD-S20s “a game-changer for tracking headphones in the studio”.
LCD-S20 headphones are available now for $499.

The post Audeze’s LCD-S20 headphones are the most affordable in its LCD series – and pack in its ground-breaking SLAM technology appeared first on MusicTech.