“These mixers set the bar for the perfect intersection of performance and value”: Soundcraft unveils new line of analogue mixing consolesMixing console specialist Soundcraft has unveiled its new Signature Plus Series line of Analog Connected Mixing Consoles, with 12-, 16-, 22- and 32-channel options available.
Each of the four console options boasts the same set of features regardless of input or channel count, with a flat frequency response for accurate mixing decisions, Soundcraft-designed Ghost mic preamps, Sapphyre EQ for on-board tone shaping, and a single compressor knob on each channel. Additionally, there’s a Lexicon hardware effects processor on each unit – with preset store and Tap Tempo, plus combo jack inputs, inserts, and an included software bundle.

READ MORE: Soundcraft Signature Plus 22 mixer review: “Analogue mixers are back, baby!”

Soundcraft provides all necessary support in-unit for any sort of mixing application, too. There is a surface-mounted QR code that links out to the full library of training manuals in case any issues come up in the moment (because who wants to keep track of paper these days?).
Credit: Soundcraft
The 12 and 16-channel editions also have rack-mount ears for ideal placement options. Moreover, these units can link directly to laptops and iPhones with their USB-C plug. And if anything comes up mid-show, there is a built-in talkback option that works on every channel.

“Developing this new series was first and foremost driven from listening closely to what engineers and content creators needed,” says Scott Wood, Product Manager, Mixers, HARMAN Professional Solutions, which owns Soundcraft. “We included all the features that users can most often utilise and added many others they always wanted. With this lineup and this feature set, users have everything they need to bring out their best work.”
“These mixers set the bar for the perfect intersection of performance and value and are dedicated to our customers, who inspire us to continue raising the bar and leading the charge with mixing innovations that truly make their work more impactful and efficient,” says Iain Gregory, Sr. Director of Product Management, Retail, HARMAN Professional Solutions.
The Signature Plus Series is available now. Learn more at Soundcraft.
The post “These mixers set the bar for the perfect intersection of performance and value”: Soundcraft unveils new line of analogue mixing consoles appeared first on MusicTech.

Korg Nu:Tekt NTS-4 is a small mixer with big ideas
Korg has long had a fascination with small gear. From the Monotron and Volca series to its DIY Nu:Tekt lineup, the company has a knack for squeezing inspiring instruments and effects into almost pocket-sized packages. With the Nu:Tekt NTS-4, the brand has applied that same philosophy to something slightly less glamorous: a mixer.

READ MORE: Soundcraft Signature Plus 22 mixer review: “Analogue mixers are back, baby!”

At first glance, £199 seems steep for the relatively basic task of summing audio. But with onboard effects, cue monitoring, and USB audio/MIDI, could the NTS-4 quietly become the most valuable player of a minimal hardware setup.
Building the Korg NTS-4
Raw materials. Image: James Langley
Like other kits in the Nu:Tekt range, there’s some preliminary DIY assembly required. The process is simple and enjoyable, taking me roughly 20 minutes, while the notion that I partially built the unit myself creates a small sense of pride and attachment. This is my NTS-4 mixer.
Taking shape. Image: James Langley
The finished device feels remarkably robust, particularly compared with the more plasticky construction of previous NTS gear. The large Level pots provide enough resistance for smooth volume sweeps, though their proximity to one another means I have to be precise to avoid brushing an adjacent channel. I almost wish Korg had used the smaller Pan and Send knobs throughout; they’re no less accurate, but their size makes them easier to grasp on the control-dense faceplate. The minijacks are the only elements that feel less secure, showing a little lateral play.
Thanks to its 613g weight and rubberised feet, the NTS-4 stays firmly planted, whether I’m twiddling its controls or connecting equipment. It’s visually striking too, its steel chassis in matte gunmetal grey, which dispels any sense that this is merely a toy.
Korg NTS-4 inputs and outputs
Korg has dabbled in miniature mixers before with the four-channel Volca Mix, which—for all its ambition—didn’t offer enough flexibility to extend beyond relatively simple rigs. It’s a different story with the NTS-4, which has two mono and four stereo channel strips capable of handling up to 10 audio signals.
With its minijack sockets, the NTS-4 clearly favours compact equipment such as Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators, Eurorack systems, and Korg’s own Volca and NTS devices. Fortunately, most noise-making gadgets I own have 3.5mm headphone outputs, and I even manage to connect a guitar using the appropriate adapter.
What truly earns the NTS-4 a place in a modest hardware setup is its interface functionality. It’s perfect for recording DAWless jams, and, because it’s class-compliant, can send audio over USB to computers, mobile devices, or even standalone MPCs without additional drivers.
A minor drawback: you can only record the completed stereo mix rather than each channel individually. While that allows for convenient capturing of a performance, multitrack USB recording would have made the NTS-4 considerably more versatile.
Mixing with the Korg NTS-4
To begin, I crank the empty channels to the max. The noise floor is nearly non-existent, with no audible clicks or pops when engaging Mute or Cue.
I connect a Teenage Engineering PO-32 and K.O. II. Input levels must be set on the instruments themselves because the NTS-4 has no gain controls, only an output control for each channel. With peak indicators provided for the Main Out alone, you also need to listen carefully for clipping at the inputs.
Each channel has dedicated Mute and Cue buttons. Cue is particularly useful in performance contexts, routing a signal to the headphones so it can be auditioned before it’s introduced to the Main Out.
Stereo send and return sockets allow external effects to be patched in, although each channel’s Send control simultaneously feeds the physical output and onboard Send effect – the two can’t be adjusted independently.
I discover a makeshift workaround: Cue can route a channel through the headphone output, into an effects pedal and back through one of the stereo inputs. Although, I do accidentally create a feedback loop along the way…
NIMB. Image: James Langley
But the accident piques my curiosity. I patch the NTS-4’s Main Out back into its inputs, producing unwieldy, abrasive feedback that can be loosely sculpted with level, panning, and effects.

This is a composition technique called ‘no-input mixing board’, or NIMB, where performers feed a mixer’s outputs back into its inputs and manipulate the resulting feedback as sound. It’s an unconventional use case, but one that may interest sound designers.
Korg NTS-4 effects
Korg has included 17 effects within the NTS-4, suitable for injecting personality into individual signals or spit-shining a full mix.
The first group is fed by each channel’s individual Send control, and includes delays, reverbs, and chorus. At restrained settings, these effects impart subtle polish, but I find them much more interesting when pushed towards their extremes. Care is needed at such settings – it’s easy to accidentally clip the output.

The second group is applied to the summed stereo signal. The Decimator is deft at dirtying up drums, while the filters—once you dial up the resonance—have plenty of bite and work well for transitions.

Editing the effects is straightforward, but the minuscule buttons are not ideal for live performance. Switching an effect on or off requires holding Shift, and the buttons are close enough together to make this two-finger operation feel unnecessarily fiddly.
FX panel. Image: James Langley
Previous Nu:Tekt devices such as the NTS-1 and NTS-3 support custom effects through Korg’s Logue SDK and Librarian software. It’s a shame this hasn’t been implemented here, as it would significantly deepen the NTS-4.
Nonetheless, I’m pleasantly surprised by how much can be achieved with its relatively basic toolkit. The effects are a worthwhile addition for hardware jams, taking the NTS-4 beyond mere levelling.
Should I buy the Korg NTS-4?
Before buying any mixer, ask yourself two questions: ‘How much equipment do I need to connect, and is that number likely to grow?’ The NTS-4 has enough inputs for a sizable collection, but its limited routing and outputs may struggle with more complicated setups.
It’s also expensive when basic summing can cost so little. Behringer’s no-frills MX400 four-channel line mixer is just £13, while the eight-input Xenyx 802S with three-band EQ per channel is around £65.
Those competing devices, however, aren’t exactly fun. They’re designed to solve connection problems. The NTS-4 encourages you to play.
While its limitations—mainly the lack of input gain controls and per-channel EQ—keep it from being an instant recommendation, Korg has made a mixer that’s as enjoyable to use as the instruments plugged into it. That distinction more than justifies the NTS-4’s existence, if not quite its price.
Key Features

6-channel mixer handling up to 10 audio signals (two mono 3.5mm inputs, four stereo 3.5mm inputs)
6.3mm main outs and 3.5mm headphone out
Per-channel Mute and Cue
3.5mm stereo send and return
Powered by USB-C or 9V adapter
7 Send FX and 10 Total FX
Doubles as a 2-in/2-out USB-C interface with MIDI out
7-segment LED display
Assemble by hand in around 20 minutes
Dimensions: 195mm x 125mm x 38mm
Weight: 613g

The post Korg Nu:Tekt NTS-4 is a small mixer with big ideas appeared first on MusicTech.

Everything is Everything: Tom Wilson and Pop Music in 1966Everything is Everything: Tom Wilson and Pop Music in 1966 by Steven E.Jones (Stanford University Press, 240 pages, $20.00, September 29, 2026) sets out to decode a transformative year in popular culture. It’s the year go-go dancing met the electric blues, bubblegum pop met underground rock, free jazz met psychedelia, and they all morphed into one another like fluid blobs in a liquid light show.

Diversifying radio formats, especially the emergence of “underground” FM stations, greeted a unique efflorescence of boundary-breaking artists, records, and songs, at once showcasing and encouraging fervent experimentation. In Everything is Everything, Jones tracks the confluences of that miraculous year by following the profoundly influential record producer, Tom Wilson, and the groundbreaking work he stewarded.

It would be hard to find a figure more solidly at the junction of the currents traversing America in 1966. A Black man working in almost exclusively white studio settings, Wilson played a vital role in an astonishing array of landmark records: in just this one year, Wilson produced albums from Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention, The Velvet Underground, Hugh Masekela, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Sun Ra, and more. Any one of these would be a standout on most producers’ resumes. Taken together, they testify to a unique career, and invite a new appraisal of a pivotal moment in American pop culture.

As Jones reveals in this energetic account, Wilson’s embrace of myriad musical genres was a response to the times, as was his engagement with the music industry as a whole and with the low and high in pop culture. It was all part of making pop music in what he called “an era of complex mixed media” when—in his catchphrase—“everything is everything.”

Dying young in 1978, without leaving behind a significant archive of interviews or writings, Wilson has often been unjustly overlooked. Everything is Everything provides a testimonial that is long overdue, celebrating him as an avatar of the most important trend in pop music in 1966: an exploding eclecticism, accompanied by a sometimes-desperate search for authenticity.

Steven E. Jones was DeBartolo Chair in Liberal Arts and Professor of English and Digital Humanities, University of South Florida, and is the author of many books, including Cell Tower (2020) and Roberto Busa and the Emergence of Humanities Computing (2016).

Advance Praise for Everything is Everything:

“Two books rolled into one: an exploration of Tom Wilson, understudied maverick and industry mainstay, and of 1966 in pop music via the array of groups he produced. This works because of the intricacy, thoughtfulness, intelligence, and prodigious research that animate these pages.”

—Eric Lott, author of Black Mirror: The Cultural Contradictions of American Racism

“A kaleidoscopic portrait of a chaotic and creative year in popular music history organized around one of the most neglected and influential producers of the era, Everything is Everything is everything and more.”

—Loren Glass, author of Carole King’s Tapestry

Record producer Thomas Blanchard Wilson Jr. (March 25, 1931 – September 6, 1978) deserves an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just for his studio excursions with Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Eddie Harris, Hugh Masekela, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, the Mothers of Invention, Blues Project, Velvet Underground, along with Eric Burdon and the Animals.

Marshall Crenshaw has been producing a documentary on Wilson.    

In the mid-seventies, I was around Tom Wilson a couple of times when he was scouting talent at Doug Weston’s Troubadour club in West Hollywood and doing work for Motown Records. I think he was living in Pacific Palisades at the time and had a son at Palisades High School.

Wilson was a friend of Robert Marchese, the club’s manager, who met Wilson in 1965. Wilson told Robert a funny story one night about glimpsing Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding walking on 42nd Street in New York in 1968. The loudly dressed Jimi was wearing a feathered hat when Tom hailed him at a crosswalk. Jimi immediately inquired, “How did you know it was me?”

Since 2004, I have thanked Tom Wilson in a couple of dozen of my books. His 1965-1967 studio endeavors made a big impression on me, particularly his production on Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone,” and Mothers of Invention’s Freak Out!  

In 2001, I interviewed songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and record producer Al Kooper and asked him about Tom Wilson. Kooper had penned a couple of tunes that Wilson produced on the Mad Lads and Freda Payne before he played the organ on the Wilson and Dylan “Like A Rolling Stone” collaboration.   

“Tom Wilson. Wonderful guy.  Tom earlier worked for Savoy Records. He was a very bright guy. He was a very high-class guy. Now he was definitely a Black man, and he was a very well-educated Black man. He graduated [cum laude] from Harvard University.  

“He was a soulful and funny guy. And that’s him laughing on Bob Dylan’s ‘115th Dream,’ where it breaks down. That’s his laugh. That fit of laughing. That’s not Dylan. That’s Tom Wilson laughing. He was like, ‘What’s happening, man?’ That kind of guy.

“I used to cop Dylan acetates out of his office at Columbia Records. I was a bad boy. Tom was sort of a spectator sport producer. He didn’t do all that much. He’d put you in the studio and get the job done. He didn’t interfere in anything. At least when I worked with him.

“On that “Like A Rolling Stone” date, my organ follows the Dylan vocal. I did that because I was waiting to see what chord they were going to do. There was no music or lead sheet, or anything. I was just playing by ear, and I didn’t want to be the one making a mistake because I was doin’ like a rebel run there.

“But you knew Tom was bright and he talked about very erudite things, and he really saved my life that day on that Dylan ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ session. Because he could have…I went to him and said, ‘Man, let me play the organ.’ They had just moved Paul Griffin from the organ to the piano.

“And I went over to Tom Wilson, and I was invited just to watch, you know, and I said, ‘Man, why don’t you let me play the organ? I got a great part for this.’ Which was bull shit. I had nothing. And he said, ‘Man…You’re not an organ player…’ And then they came to him and said, ‘Phone call for you, Tom.’ And he just went and got the phone. And I went into the studio and sat down at the organ. He didn’t say no. He just said I wasn’t an organ player. OK.

“On the Highway 61 Revisited interactive CD put out a few years ago, they have the multiple takes of ‘Like A Rolling Stone,’ and on there you can hear Tom Wilson, ‘OK. This is take 7. Hey! What are you doing in there?’

“Then you hear me laughing, and that was the moment he could have just thrown me out and rightfully so. And you know what? He didn’t. And that was it. That was the beginning of my career. Right then and there. That studio dialog is documented.

“Wilson is the guy who invited me to the session first of all, which is really nice. You didn’t get invited to Bob Dylan sessions, you know, especially if you were a nobody like I was. And there it was. There was the chance he had to toss me, and it would have reflected on him because he had invited me to the session.

“Tom brought the musicians into the session, including drummer Bobby Gregg and pianist Paul Griffin, who is also on Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home. Paul was a biginfluence on me as well! Paul came from the Baptist church.

“The best thing I can say about Paul Griffin is take five minutes out of your busy day and get a time where you have nothing to bother you at all. Find a real nice stereo system and sit back and put on ‘One Of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)’ from Blonde on Blonde. And just listen to the piano…And tell me if you can find on a rock ‘n’ roll record anybody playing better than that. And I would really like to hear what your decision is.

“To me it is the greatest piano achievement in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. I don’t hear anything but him playing the piano when I hear that record. But I’m thrilled that I’m playing organ, but I’m embarrassed. And I think that Dylan should be embarrassed too. ‘Cause Paul just steals that fuckin’ record. It’s the most incredible piano playing I’ve heard in my life. If you’re a piano player, try playing that note for note. It’s just incredible. Griffin also played on those Chuck Jackson records like “Any Day Now” and worked with Garnet Mimms.” 

It was Tom Wilson, then a staff producer at Columbia Records, who suggested to label employees in a 1964 product meeting that a newly signed folk rock duo act, Simon & Garfunkel, should remain Simon & Garfunkel, and not be concerned about limited radio airplay owing to their names.

Their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., sold poorly.

In late 1965, partially owing to the commercial success of Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone,” Wilson then overdubbed electric guitars, bass guitar, and drums to the existing acoustic rendition of “The Sound of Silence,” without Simon and Garfunkel’s knowledge, and it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  

In December 1965, Guy Webstar took photos of Bob Dylan at his Hollywood press conference, held in the Columbia Records Press Room and arranged by Billy James from the label.

Webstar was no stranger to the world of music and show business. His father, the lyricist and songwriter Paul Francis Webster, earned three Academy Awards for Best Original Song. “Secret Love,” “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing,” with Sammy Fain, and “The Shadow of Your Smile” with Johnny Mandel. His first hit lyric and music from John Jacob Loeb was in 1932 for “Masquerade,” performed by Paul Whiteman.

“I was doing a lot of photography for Columbia Records and told my father I was going to photograph Simon & Garfunkel for an LP cover, and I wanted him to meet them,” Webster reminisced in a 2014 interview with me.

“I brought Simon & Garfunkel by, and my father and Paul Simon hit it off because he learned Simon was a Dickensian scholar. So was my dad. He had a Dickens collection. Then Paul Simon said, ‘Hey, you want to hear our new song?’ And he pulled out his guitar in the living room, in Beverly Hills, and my dad was sitting there, who is not a rock and roller, and he listened to ‘Sounds of Silence’ for the first time. ‘Oh my God, you guys. What a brilliant song.’

“I took Paul and Art up to a dirt road in Franklin Canyon and shot the cover of Sounds of Silence for Columbia Records. The name Garfunkel got me. I never forgot it. I heard “Sounds of Silence” five or six times before I shot the cover. And I wanted that thing where they’re walking down the road, a little English with the scarves behind them, with Art’s hair.”

In 1959, guitarist Elliot Ingber was in the Gamblers with bassist Larry Taylor, guitarist Derry Weaver, and keyboardist Bruce Johnston. Nik Venet produced the Gamblers’ “Moon Dawg” and “LSD-25” in 1959 for World Pacific Records. Ingber also gigged with drummer Sandy Nelson and guitarist Don Peake.

After his 1966 stint with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention on Freak Out!, Elliot co-founded Fraternity of Man, produced by Tom Wilson. Ingber and Lawrence “Stash” Wagner co-wrote "Don't Bogart Me,” renamed "Don't Bogart That Joint," on the soundtrack to Easy Rider. Elliot later recorded with The Factory, Little Feat, and Shakey Jake Harris. In 1972, he was heard in Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band, employing the stage name Winged Eel Fingerling, for 1972’s The Spotlight Kid. 

"I first met Tom Wilson while being a guest of my brother Elliot Ingber, as he participated in the recording of the first Mothers of Invention album,” guitarist/songwriter and producer Ira Ingber emailed me in August 2026.

Ira is now recording and playing in two Southern California-based bands with guitarist Steve Bartek, BarIng All, and jackiO.

Ingber visited TTG and observed the groundbreaking recording sessions of Freak Out!

“It was early in 1966, and the studio was TTG on the corner of Highland Ave. and Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Tom Wilson was sitting behind the recording console with the recording engineer, who I believe was Val Valentin. I recall Tom being very welcoming to me. He was impeccably dressed, and equally well-groomed. Urbane, thoroughly professional, and clearly very much in charge was he. I was seeing what a ‘real’ music producer did and how he did it, first hand. He possessed, among other things, the first portable telephone I had ever seen. It was a rotary phone in a briefcase. This guy needed to make important phone calls immediately, I thought.

“I attended several sessions. All the members of the band knew me, and Frank was especially kind to me. He had generously lent me a Fender Twin Reverb amp, as well as a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar for an extended period. Tom also actively engaged in conversation with me, a 16-year-old kid!

“In 1969, also at TTG, I ended up playing bass on several Fraternity of Man songs for their second and final album, Get It On. The Hagstrom 8-string bass I played belonged to Frank Zappa. He had lent/given it to my brother years earlier. 

“Tom was producing this second Fraternity of Man album, just as he had done the first one. He attempted to bring some version of order to what was a very chaotic setting. He was supportive and completely encouraging of my own attempts to bring some musical order to the chaos. He didn't look down at this now 19-year-old kid. He treated me as a serious musician who was earnestly performing his parts. I will never forget his smiling countenance, and his confidence-building demeanor."

The Turtles’ Howard Kaylan was also in attendance at the Freak Out! sessions.

“I went to the Freak Out! recording sessions at T.T.G. studios,” Kaylan recalled in an interview we conducted last decade.

“Back in that era in 1966 and ’67, before ‘Happy Together’ hit, and Mark Volman and I were still street people in L.A., working in the same clubs and stuff, there was enough of a camaraderie there. Knowing him, but also through [manager] Herb Cohen and going to the Zappa log cabin in Laurel Canyon.

“I go to the Freak Out! that night. There are two or three rooms that are being used simultaneously, and Frank had tape recorders going in all of them. There are different tracks being played in all of them, and people are doing different things in every room. Frank would put some guys in one room, and some in another. The environment was more Soupy Sales than, say, Spike Jones. He’s creating his own scenarios. He’s making people go up to the mike and either rant in their own language, or getting them to say things. I think I was doing a little bit of both. Then I went into another room, where it seemed to be like an orgy, and that’s where [Tom] Wilson was.

“I knew who he was. I was aware that he was the guy who produced Dylan and many other gems. They were just recording random couples and noises, and people who had not met each other before. Frank would actually direct them physically, almost like he was directing a movie. It was surreal and great. I really wanted to be a part of it. It was so outside of my normal, structured thing. I had no idea, and still don’t know, how much stuff was ever going to be used. Brilliant editing job. Still a masterpiece, in my mind.”

Earlier this century, songwriter/record producer/music publisher Kim Fowley detailed his own encounters with Frank Zappa.

“My impression of Zappa was ‘John Cage-obsessed doo-wop guy with emotional leanings toward East Los Angeles Latin and Black culture, making fun of White people who were superficial and shallow.’ Which, of course, was cool.

“Zappa was another guy in the mid-sixties standing around in Laurel Canyon clothes. Nothing more, nothing less. Somewhere between a beatnik and a farmer.

“The first gig we did was in a venue, a building on Santa Monica Boulevard near the intersection of Crescent Heights. They used to have music there, where people and independent promoters would rent it and four-wall it. Two hundred, three hundred people. The Mothers of Invention went in. I came on for two or three songs. It was raga music, jazz changes, Roland Kirk, R&B, atonal, mantra, rock.

“I knew guitarist Elliot Ingber who was working with Frank before the Freak Out! LP recording sessions from the late 1950s with Don Peake from an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles on Pico Blvd. It was owned by singer Timi Yuro’s mother.  A lot of the up-and-coming musicians, songwriters, and producers would eat there. Timi’s mother would give us discount spaghetti dinners.

“Later, at Canter’s Delicatessen, Frank then said, ‘We’re going in the studio to do what we did tonight. I have some stuff for the band that I have learned. We’re gonna turn the street loose in there, and you can come down and make noise if you want.’

“I’m on the track ‘Help, I’m a Rock.’ I walked into the studio with Les McCann and Danny Hutton.

“TTG. Studios was a giant cheeseburger box with high ceilings. Owned by a sound engineer, an Israeli named Ami Hadani, who built studios and worked with Tom Wilson and Zappa on Freak Out! and Absolutely Free. Bill Parr built and designed the T.T.G. board in the big film-scoring room upstairs. He was one of the engineers on the Hollywood Argyles’ ‘Alley-Opp’ that we did at American Recorders. Jimi Hendrix later recorded at TTG, and cut one of my songs, ‘Fluffy Turkeys.’ Tom Wilson did some producing on the Soft Machine at TTG. I earlier produced them in England.  

“For Freak Out! we were there all night. We didn’t get paid. We did it because Frank convinced us it was historical and we were on the cusp of something, and we all bought into it. We all wanted to go have breakfast. That was more important. I shared a microphone with Mac Rebennack and Les McCann.

“The Freak Out! album to me was John Cage meets 1920’s France. A Josephine Baker version of art is anything that you can get away with. I thought Frank was gifted. I thought musically he was brilliant.” 

During 1967-’68, Wilson, a former college deejay, hosted a radio series The Music Factory, sponsored by the MGM and Verve record labels.

It debuted in New York on WABC-FM in June 1967. He did 25 hour-long syndicated episodes on vinyl records, featuring interviews with engineers, producers, and musicians, often implementing tracks from the MGM and Verve library.  

In 1969-1970, Wilson was a partner in The Record Plant recording studio, who were involved in the Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys live dates at the Fillmore East venue. 

(Harvey Kubernik is the author of 21 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon, 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972, 2015's Every Body Knows: Leonard Cohen, 2016's Heart of Gold Neil Young and 2017's 1967: A Complete Rock Music History of the Summer of Love.  Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and enneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To he Last Waltz. In 2021 they collaborated on Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble.

Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters. His Screen Gems: (Pop Music Documentaries and Rock ‘n’ Roll TV Scenes) was published in February 2026 by BearManor Media. Kubernik is researching a multi-voice narrative study on the Beatles scheduled for a UK publisher with a planned fall 2027 publication date.   

Harvey spoke at the special hearings in 2006 initiated by the Library of Congress held in Hollywood, California, discussing archiving practices and audiotape preservation.

In 2017, he appeared at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in its Distinguished Speakers Series and as a panelist discussing the forty-fifth anniversary of The Last Waltz at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles in 2023. Kubernik attended the 1976 event. 

Harvey was interviewed with Iggy Pop, the Beach Boys’ Bruce Johnston, Love’s Johnny Echols, the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, Victoria and Debbi Peterson, and members of the Seeds for director/producer Neil Norman’s documentary The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard. In winter 2026, GNP Crescendo plans a release on DVD/Blu-ray). Author Miss Pamela Des Barres narrates.)

 The post Everything is Everything: Tom Wilson and Pop Music in 1966 first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Massachusetts hits data centers with new clean power rulesMassachusetts has become the third state in as many months to slap new restrictions on data center development.

Amphioniq dm4amphioniq's dm4 is a free, modern homage to Steinberg's venerable LM-4 drum machine module, offering compatibility with existing LM-4 kits and faithfully reproducing the features from the original. dm4 is intended as a playful way to celebrate the legacy and simplicity of the LM-4 as a VST3 plug-in. Introduced in 1999, LM-4 was Steinberg's first commercial VST Instrument, following the launch of the VST 2.0 plug-in interface. Written by Charlie Steinberg, it was a tribute to Roger Linn's first drum machine, the venerable LM-1, which had debuted 19 years earlier. • Faithfully loads LM-4 drum sets in the original text (*.txt) file format, making it easy to edit to create your own. Along with Steinberg's original content, there are numerous third-party kits available in the depths of the Internet. • An example set it provided, as a belated nod to 909 day. • 18 Pads, offering independent pan, pitch, and level controls, with each allowing for up to 127 velocity zones. • A global mode offers an overall volume control (responding to MIDI controller #7), along with tuning and velocity sensitivity controls. • 6 outputs: a stereo mix, complemented by four additional, assignable outputs. • Supports 16- or 24-bit, Wave or AIFF, stereo or mono audio files. • Compatible with VST3 hosts running on Windows 11-based x64, ARM64EC, or ARM64 systems. Read More

Soundcraft Signature Plus 22 mixer review: “Analogue mixers are back, baby!”
Mixing and making music can be as complicated or simple as you allow it to be, something that British company Soundcraft understands as much as anyone. Origins in live sound consoles through the 70s and 80s forged a path to functional, logical and intuitive channel strips that had signal flowing easily from A to B. Analogue consoles made way for digital, with the brand’s ever-growing range of Ui consoles delving into digital control, all the while keeping the artist’s sound at the front of mind.

READ MORE: Tracktion Waveform 14 Pro, as reviewed by an Ableton Live user

The role of the console for the engineer or producer, or even an artist mixing themselves, is not to be bogged down in various routing options on their console. Instead, it is to give them an overview of signal flow, allowing them to easily send and receive audio wherever it needs to go to facilitate a great performance. This history—decades of innovation—culminates in the new range of Signature Plus consoles.
As its name suggests, the Signature Plus 22 I have in front of me has 22 inputs, shared between 14 mono inputs and three stereo inputs that feature Soundcraft Ghost mic preamps, while inputs 21-22 accept RCA. Inputs 11-14 are switchable to accept high-impedance instrument level, and all mono channels have an insert point. The whole range of Signature Plus consoles includes a 4×4 USB-C 192 kHz interface for playback from laptop or mobile devices, although this cannot handle full-blown multitrack recording. There are four auxiliary sends and a fifth effects send that routes audio to a Lexicon-powered unit of 32 effects, ranging from more functional effects like reverbs and delays right through to distortion, Roto Delay and Tremolo. Each mono channel includes a compressor, and both the compressor and the input signal are communicated via LED metering shifting from green, through yellow, to red. A green light at the preamp means there’s signal present, while yellow represents optimal signal. Red means clipping is occurring. The compressor features the same colours but instead represents the knee range and ratio, with red representing the full compression ratio.
Every channel has a three-band EQ, with sweepable mids to really hone in on the clarity of every mix. Sweepable mids are ever handy as the old adage that ‘the magic is in the mids’ rings true, the Soundcraft Signature Plus 22 allowing you to really refine what middle frequencies are being boosted or cut across every source— an advantage over fixed frequency EQs.
Image: Press
The highs and lows, however, are fixed at around 10 kHz and 60 Hz respectively. Admittedly, these are common areas to focus on, though the fixed EQ position offers less flexibility than the mids.
The unit is solid but reasonably lightweight, with a streamlined and tidy faceplate making signal flow a breeze. With a dynamic mic, I get signal flowing around the console immediately, aided by clear labelling, and the aforementioned LEDs helping me visualise things. The signal arrives at the preamp, with a -18dB pad and 100 Hz high-pass filter on offer. While 100 Hz might feel radical, dramatic moves are often more useful in a live sound situation to cut away muck and murkiness from the signal, preventing it from building up in a room housing a band and screaming crowd. The preamp offers plenty of gain for all signal types.
The compressor is a signal pot affair, really locking a sound into place without bringing up too much of the noise floor. Attack time is preset to 10 ms, and release is set to 300 ms. A ratio of 1.5:1 makes for a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race level of compression to suit all sources. The EQ is incredibly practical, allowing itself to be dimed near +15 dB without bringing up harshness, but obviously this is input-dependent. The high end adds crispness to my voice through the dynamic mic, and the lows offer a robustness similar to the proximity effect of a really nice mic. Meanwhile, the mids offer a chance for further refinement if needed.
The faders themselves are smooth and reasonably accurate, with signal level being dictated alongside the fader with a thick, clear white line. Chatting with Scott Wood, one of Soundcraft’s Product Managers, he explains the detail that went into the design, feel, and shape of the fader caps themselves. The intention was to offer users the chance to mix with their fingers, with the shape and tactile feel of the fader caps being easy to nudge around without looking. This even extends to ensuring all four fingers and a thumb had the same experience across multiple faders so you can make adjustments in confidence.
Before the faders pass signal to the main mix bus, the auxiliaries offer a little split off to foldbacks, in-ears, external effects or anywhere else you wish. Helpfully, and hearkening back to Soundcraft’s legacy in live and broadcast sound, the auxiliaries feature a Mix > Aux rotary, allowing you to send a whole mix to an auxiliary and refine further if you wish. This is uniquely helpful when an artist isn’t sure what they want or need in their foldback, and provides a great foundation just to get sound to them. It’s also helpful in soundchecking, allowing you to quickly send signals to foldbacks or ears without worrying about too much of an auxiliary mix, per se.
Image: Press
Also helpful for the working engineer is the swathe of options for your own headphone (Listen) mix, accessed with a small yellow push button. Starting with the headphone options, I’m quickly able to switch the headphone mix between the main mix, auxiliaries, the USB sources and more, allowing me to double-check what’s being sent to artists and/or front-of-house systems without external environmental noise confusing me. The Listen button instead serves as a foldback for the engineer; the signal routed here is intended for use with a compact foldback for the engineer as an alt monitor. While this kind of monitor isn’t uncommon, having such a simple routing solution for it in such a compact mixer is a revelation. Helpfully, the Listen button features a little ear graphic, while the Mute button features a crossed-out speaker. This communicates the function of these buttons more clearly than labelling in English.
Moving through the auxiliaries to the effects, the Lexicon-powered effects feature everything you need to augment and refine a mix. Each effect features three parameter controls for the selected effect, and all are storable; settings can also be easily wiped with a quick restart of the unit for someone coming in fresh to a venue to mix. More info is helpfully available via a QR Code printed on the mixer itself, leading to a user manual for the Lexicon effects.
The Soundcraft Signature Plus 22 is a supremely versatile and powerful mixer, with an analogue workflow designed to rival much more expensive and complicated mixers in the digital world. It’s a great solution for small to medium venues as a house console, mobile sound engineers, artists doing coffee shop gigs, and more. The Signature Plus 22 offers as much power as similarly sized digital desks, and blows competing analogue mixers from Yamaha’s MG range, Mackie and even Soundcraft’s own EPM range out of the water.
Doing away with the fader layers, networking complexities and firmware updates required for a modern digital mixer, the Signature Plus 22 has everything laid out on one ‘page’, offering a quick overview of an entire mix. A series of shifting yellow LEDs means your gain staging is healthy, while one flickering into red quickly communicates a problem, allowing you to quickly rectify it.
The ease of use comes after decades of design for live sound and recording from Soundcraft, so it’s no wonder this new offering has signals flowing from A to B in seconds. After all, the point here is to facilitate a performance, providing comfort to artists on stage instead of an engineer bogged down in menus.
As impressive as the Signature Plus 22 is, it does its job of remaining an invisible tool for sending and receiving audio, for artist and audience enjoyment.
Analogue mixers are back, baby!
Image: Press
Key Features

22-input analogue mixer
XLR, RCA, TRS and USB inputs/sources
Global phantom power
Talkback mic input
Insert points (channels 1-14)
One-knob compression (channels 1-14)
3-band EQ on all 22 channels
Lexicon-powered effects
5 aux sends (4 switchable pre/post; 1 dedicated send to internal effects)
Dedicated ‘Listen’ mix provides a simple way for engineers to monitor their own mix
Comprehensive mix selection for headphone mix

The post Soundcraft Signature Plus 22 mixer review: “Analogue mixers are back, baby!” appeared first on MusicTech.

Reverse Engineering The Philips PM5139The Philips PM5139 is not famous. It won no great victories on the battlefield, nor was instrumental in changing the political landscape. It was just a useful function generator that you might find on a workbench somewhere, doing its job quietly and relatively accurately. [doctormord] has been doing the work to reverse engineer this humble piece of hardware.
The PM5139 is poorly documented; the only existing service manual out there is for the PM5138A, a less-capable sister model. Hence, there was some value in reverse engineering the device to understand it better. Work started with two EPROM dumps capturing what Philips put in the box all the way back in the early 1990s. From there, the code was examined and tinkered with until [doctormord] felt confident to modify it and improve upon what was already there. This was achieved with the aid of an 8051 emulator that could run the code to make it obvious what was going on. The result was a custom “V2.0” firmware that adds six arbitrary waveforms to the function generator and the ability to play simple music, amongst other tweaks.
We love to see old hardware given new functionality, even decades down the line, and we love some good reverse engineering, too. Video after the break.

Bjooks Beat Gems to begin shipping Bjooks have announced that physical copies of their highly anticipated Beat Gems: Drum Machines in Modern Music book will begin shipping this September.

Warner Music France boss Alain Veille elected President of SNEP, as Bertrand Burgalat steps down after six yearsThe organization also set out its priorities for the new mandate under Veille
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Polarity Music has released Polarity-Recorder, a FREE background audio recorder
Developer Polarity Music releases Polarity-Recorder, a free background audio recorder for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Polarity Music is an expert on all things Bitwig, a champion of open-source projects, and a fantastic musician/producer with lots of interesting content on his YouTube channel. Polarity-Recorder is a ring recorder that sits in the background, capturing audio so [...]
View post: Polarity Music has released Polarity-Recorder, a FREE background audio recorder

SoundRave’s Atropa is a FREE virtual analogue synth for macOS and Windows
Atropa from developer SoundRave is a free virtual analogue synth for macOS and Windows. We don’t all have the space or budget to own every analogue synth on our wishlists (making the list is easy; the space and money are always harder to work out). Whether emulating a specific hardware synth or recreating the general [...]
View post: SoundRave’s Atropa is a FREE virtual analogue synth for macOS and Windows

VinylCon attendees tell us why “proper ownership and proper preservation” keep them hooked on physical music formatsAt the latest edition of VinylCon in Los Angeles in late August, over 150,000 records were on sale throughout the convention floor. Doug Day had one of the largest booths, with five tables full of bins, flaunting every genre, style, and era imaginable. Day will make similar hauls to shows in Denver and Austin, and he has over 8,000 records for sale on eBay, but he doesn’t even have a turntable plugged in at home.
He is interested in collecting, not listening. When he was 12, he collected sci-fi toys. Decades later he’s moved on to vinyl:
“It’s no different, really. Collectables are collectables. It depends on figuring out what it is that people want and having it for them,” Day tells me.
I encounter this same sentiment throughout the convention. Alex Rodriguez runs the LA record store Record Safari (he also curates the record store at Coachella every year). The shop has 25,000 records in stock, and he has 25,000 more in his personal reserves from collecting and selling since 1995. Back then, without Napster, PirateBay, or Spotify, the best and cheapest way to discover a surfeit of new music was by purchasing vinyl.

But he’s totally happy listening to music through an iPhone speaker.
“I’m not an audiophile. I just wanted to learn as much as I could about music. It had nothing to do with the physical format,” Rodriguez says. He does have a rather impressive hi-fi system for listening: Technics SL-1200 turntables, a McIntosh amplifier, and Tannoy speakers from the 80s, but he didn’t set out to purchase any of it.
The speakers came into his orbit when a widow sold them to him at an enormous bargain as she downsized following her husband’s death. Rodriguez told her that she could net three times what she was offering, but she just wanted them out of the house.
“I lucked into them. I would not have normally paid what they go for,” Rodriguez adds.
These perspectives highlight the different cultures around vinyl as more and more people build their collections. According to the RIAA, vinyl sales hit $1 billion in 2025. With brands like Technics, Crosley, Pro-Ject and Rega currently manufacturing consumer- and prosumer-friendly turntables, modern hi-fi systems can accommodate all manner of vinyl libraries. You can put a record on whether your entire collection is pressed within the last year, it’s filled with heady, vintage one-of-a-kind records sourced from VinylCon, or it’s a family heirloom, as is the case with VinylCon attendee Mimi Price.
Classic records at VinylCon. Image: Press
She has computer speakers that her turntable plugs directly into, but for her, vinyl is another bastion of physical ownership. She also collects CDs, cassettes, VHSs, and DVDs.
“Physical media is the interest rather than just vinyl. I’ve started to like it more because of the artistry itself and not necessarily the industry,” Price says.
We talk about how the PlayStation community organised a boycott (by not turning on their PlayStation consoles for a week) to protest the announcement that Sony would no longer sell discs starting January 2028. Without that physical element, Sony, or any of the other powers that be, could alter the games.
“They can change it. They can edit it. With streaming services, you see it with movies more than music,” Price says. “You don’t have the original anymore, and with a CD or vinyl that can’t happen. It’s proper ownership, and it’s proper preservation.”
That’s not to say the convention is absent of audiophiles. In fact, Vinycon was founded by one. Kobi Waldfogel currently has a Thorens TD 124 turntable, an HH Scott Tube Amp, and Klipsch Forte speakers. That system sells for roughly $19,500 online: $12,000 for the turntable, $2,500 for the amp, and $5,500 for the speakers.
“People start with something entry-level. Then they realise it isn’t the right thing for them, and they invest in something a little nicer; they do a little more research,” Waldfogel says. This is his fifth turntable upgrade since he started collecting 15 years ago. “As long as you keep collecting and keep getting new stuff, you’re going to want something new to listen to.”
Crate digging at VinylCon Los Angeles, August 2026. Image: Press
In general, after his years collecting personally and now five years of running VinylCon—first in Denver, then Philadelphia, and now Los Angeles—Waldfogel has noticed the demand for hi-fi systems is growing alongside the demand for vinyl. Not as quickly, but it is growing.
Michael Palermo, who is working behind the table for the iconic California record chain Amoeba Music, says he’s noticed it, too. Amoeba is one of the few record stores large enough to offer regular stock of turntables and speaker systems from respected brands such as Pioneer, Audio-Technica, and Crosley.
“People come to us because it’s hard to know what stores sell audio equipment reliably,” Palermo says. He has a pair of Bowers & Wilkins speakers that were a college graduation present from his uncles, who are both audiophiles, and he mentions the growing interest in hi-fi bars as a means of sparking an interest in a more intricate listening experience. “I’m from the generation of the suitcase record players from Target and Urban Outfitters. People are taking further interest in vinyl, aside from having your favourite album and putting it on your wall.”
Coincidentally, that’s exactly how Caneatra Wilson started her collection. She decorated her dorm room with five records, but they ended up taunting her.
“I actually need to play these records!” she says with enthusiasm. “So then I invested in an actual record player, and the collection took off from there.”
13 years later, she has one of the biggest bags full of purchases that I see at VinylCon. When we speak, she had just invested in a full Sony system with two bookshelf speakers and a receiver. Next on the list is a second turntable to start DJing.
DJ playing at VinylCon August 2026, Los Angeles. Image: Press
Carlos Rojas, another attendee with quite the big bag, has over 1,100 records after four years of collecting. He bought the first few without having a turntable. Now he has a Technics SL-1200 MK2, a Marantz 2226 receiver, and Klipsch speakers. Right now, he doesn’t have room for anything bigger, but as he looks for a new house with his wife, he’s hoping to have a separate room just for music. At first, it was the physical and discovery element that attracted him. Not sound quality:
“The fact that I could hold the record and read the liner notes—it wasn’t just about the famous person. It’s the whole band,” Rojas says. “A band that I was really into early on was Parliament-Funkadelic. I started learning about Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Bootsy Collins, Eddie Hazel. I started going into all the rabbit holes. Now I have records from Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. It expanded my view of music.”
Rojas describes a similar dynamic to Rodriguez, except Rojas is also dabbling in the audiophile world.
Back when Rojas started collecting, there was less of an expectation that those two worlds would come together. Vinyl was the best way to learn new music en masse, whether anyone cared about quality or not. Plus, hi-fi systems were far less accessible. VinylCon represents how, slowly but surely, the quality potential of records is inspiring investment in a system that can bring out the best in them.
Learn more about VinylCon and how to catch the next pop-up.
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It’s Synth Month at Plugin Boutique, and you can save BIG on instruments from Native Instruments, Minimal Audio and moreHere at MusicTech, every month is Synth Month. Other brands are a little more particular about when they hold their synth-related festivities – but, luckily, the chaps over at Plugin Boutique happen to be celebrating their own Synth Month this September! With savings across Roland, KORG, Native Instruments and more, it’s a great time to pick up a new synth – and you’ll even bag a free gift with any purchase.
Perhaps the most exciting saving comes in the form of Native Instruments’ FM8 for just £9. Dropping down from £89, it’s a chance to tap into a tried-and-true synth sound beloved by EDM legends like Brian Eno and Skrillex. The FM8 boasts six operators, twelve built-in effects, 1,200 presets, an arpeggiator, and you can even load in patches from classic FM hardware synths. At an 89% discount, that’s pretty damn good.

Safari Audio’s Super Chunk has also has a ‘super chunk’ taken off of its usual pricetag. Usually £70, you can get it for £17.99. With its 70s analogue character, this synth is a triple-oscillator that promises bite, sub and – of course – oodles of chunk. It’s also got a respectable selection of sonic modification options, like ladder-style filters, vibrato and glide, as well as a ‘Geeky Glasses’ menu for extra modulation and precise control.

Bundles galore have also been given some Synth Month discounts. Minimal Audio’s Current Essential Bundle is 71% off, knocking it down from £314 to £89. Roland is also offering its Vintage Keys Essentials Bundle at a 66% discount, which gives you access to the Jupiter-8, SH-101 and D-50 all for £134. Native Instruments’ KOMPLETE Synthesiser Collection has also had a 50% drop, now offering Massive, FM8, TRK-01 and BLOCK PRIMES for just £42.

There are also some more exclusive bundles on offer – like Excite Audio’s specially curated Synth Month Bundle. The Bundle offers Excite Audio’s Bloom range for just £89, meaning you can get Bloom Synth Analogue, Synth Atmosphere, Bass Impulse, and the Palette Modular all for 62% off how much they’d typically cost. This deal wont last all month though, as it’s set to run until 13 September.
As for the free gift, any purchase will come with a free copy of StereoSavage 2 Elements by Plugin Boutique or Gorilla Drive by Safari Audio. If you spend £29, you’ll also be able to choose ChordAXE Lite by ARTonic Music as a free gift, while spending at least £99 will mean you can get Melodyne 5 Essential by Celemony for free.
For more information on deals, head to Plugin Boutique.
The post It’s Synth Month at Plugin Boutique, and you can save BIG on instruments from Native Instruments, Minimal Audio and more appeared first on MusicTech.

Fire-Toolz on unconventional sound design, go-to plugins, and her new sample pack
Prolific producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Fire-Toolz shares her insights on sound design, sample creation, and more.

Sonarworks Autumn Sale Sonarworks are currently running their Autumn Sale, with discounts of up to 40% currently available across their range of room-correction tools, virtual room software and AI-powered vocal and instrument tools.