Acon Digital offers the Limit limiter plugin for FREE until March 1st
Acon Digital is offering Limit, a transparent limiter plugin for Windows and macOS, free of charge until March 1st. This is a time-limited promotion, so anyone interested can download and activate the plugin at no cost before the deadline. After March 1st, Limit will return to its regular status as part of Acon Digital’s premium [...]
View post: Acon Digital offers the Limit limiter plugin for FREE until March 1st

‘I opened my mastering studio 14 months ago — here’s what I’ve learned’: Kevin TuffyBritish mastering engineer Kevin Tuffy scored big as a resident at London’s Metropolis and Alchemy studios, winning a Grammy and an MPG Mastering Engineer of the Year award. Leaving the commercial studio ecosystem and building a studio from scratch was high stakes — particularly as AI mastering tools are becoming more commonplace.

READ MORE: Inside the LA studio using breathwork to inspire creativity in musicians

But his bold move is paying off. Since relocating to Berlin’s Kreuzberg district in November 2024, Tuffy has mastered a Kylie Minogue number one and has found that his best clients are still returning for his expertise. The studio, situated in a converted coach house, has become “a bit of a community space,” he says, with more in-person mastering sessions than expected, a regular vinyl listening club, and more events to come.
One year in, the engineer has learned that care and attention still beat automation, that clients will follow you across countries if you solve their problems honestly, and that doorless room design borrowed from Steve Albini can solve his low-end challenges better than conventional acoustic treatment. He tells us what else he’s learned since Tuff Mastering began.
Kevin, since opening Tuff Mastering, you’ve worked on a number-one album and a Christmas number one. Is that validating for you and the studio?
Kevin Tuffy: “Definitely. Leaving the big studio ecosystem to set up something independently was always going to be nerve-racking, so being able to shout about the chart successes we’ve had, particularly when the artist is someone as legendary as Kylie Minogue, relatively early into the studio’s lifecycle was important for putting us on the map.
“I opened Tuff Mastering to compete with the very top studios around the world so a couple of early number ones definitely go some way to backing up that mission statement.”
Image: Press
You’ve worked with a ton of iconic artists over the years, and have picked up a few prestigious awards. How did this success lead you to founding Tuff Mastering?
KT: “Honestly, it’s been a succession of happy accidents rather than the culmination of any great plan I had. Obviously, if you work on a great record, people’s ears start to prick up, and maybe some new requests from new artists or labels find their way into your inbox, and that can lead to a bit of a snowball effect. But, for the most part, my client base has grown steadily and organically over many years, and I realised that there was probably enough of a base there for me to sustain something on my own. From there, I needed to work out financing, property… It was a pretty enormous undertaking and, whilst the idea of running my own company was never that high on my agenda, ultimately I’m really picky about how I want my studio to be; I realised that no company was ever going to build it for me and that I was going to have to build it for myself.”
Opening a mastering studio in the 2020s feels like tough business, given how accepted AI mastering tools are. Did that make you nervous at all when opening the studio?
KT: “Mastering, to me, is about care and attention to the tiniest detail and, for the impressive things that AI can do really well, it’s not exactly revered for its accuracy. Even though AI services like LANDR have been around since 2014, they haven’t demonstrated much improvement since they launched, they still can’t identify and remove a click from a mix or even use automation, so they’re still nowhere near to how a human listens to music or the moves a human mastering engineer makes and that’s without even considering that the job is still very much a service industry role that’s about problem solving for clients quickly and efficiently.
“‘If AI does improve to the point that it can replace mastering engineers entirely, then it’ll be able to replace a pretty sizeable majority of the entire workforce, and if that happens, we’ll be looking at such a revolutionary societal restructuring that my mastering studio won’t even feature that high on my list of problems.”
How do you decide what gear goes in the studio? Is there anything you picked up for Tuff Mastering that has made a difference in your work?
KT: “The gear’s a bit of an amalgamation of my favourite equipment I’ve used from the various studios I’ve worked at over the years.
“The ATC150s were Ray Staff’s at Alchemy, then Matt Colton’s, then I inherited them in 2019, and I just totally fell in love with them immediately. I’d worked on some really great loudspeakers before them, but the ATCs are clinical enough to allow me to hear precisely everything going on in a mix down to the tiniest high-frequency transient. But they also still make music sound fun in a way that it’s enjoyable to work on them all day.
“At Metropolis, Pierce Rooms and Alchemy, I was lucky enough to always have a Sontec MES-432 as my main equaliser so when I first moved to Berlin and didn’t have one at my disposal anymore, I quickly realised how dependent I’d become on it in my workflow and how much of a signature part of my sound so that was the first item on the shopping list for outboard. It’s a bit of a hackneyed observation at this point, but I’ve tried lots of the Sontec copies or emulations, and there really is nothing like the real deal. The UnFairchild was a welcome addition for the new studio.
“George ‘Porky’ Peckham cut a lot of my favourite-sounding records from the late 70s to the 2000s through an original Fairchild, so I’d always wanted one in the hope of recapturing a bit of that magic. It’s the most beautiful-sounding valve limiter I’ve ever had in my rack.”
Image: Press
Can you talk me through a specific mastering decision you made in the past year that you’re proud of – not the whole project, just one technical move?
KT: “I don’t really want to snitch on anyone specifically, but I did have a bunch of album mixes that came in sounding absolutely beautiful, except the lead vocal. It was over-de-essed, and you could really hear both lisping and also this strange suck of the compression in the phantom centre whenever the threshold of the vocal de-esser was triggered. I was able to use iZotope’s RX to restore enough amplitude to the transients in the high-mids that I could give the sibilants back their clarity and got it all sounding really natural again, and that was oddly satisfying to do.”
The studio seems like an interesting shape! How did you treat the room, and what considerations did you have to make when designing the studio?
KT: “The room acoustics were probably the aspect of the studio that I lost the most sleep over. I did tons of reading and research, and I have to say a huge thanks to Bazza, my old boss at Alchemy, for his guidance and advice, and my friend Karl, who’s an architect who really helped me out with design choices, too. My studio occupies the top floor of a two-storey converted coach house, so none of the walls are parallel; this structural irregularity means there are no obvious amplified standing waves, which was a great base to work from.
“The first challenge was to reduce the reverberance of the space. This is achieved with a false wall directly behind the listening position that’s filled with rockwool, plus three corner bass traps that hugely reduced the reverb time in the room and kill any nodes in the corners. There are a bunch of a prefab panels and clouds from GIK Acoustics that kill off any first reflections and, finally, I wanted to incorporate something I heard Steve Albini talk about in relation to his Electric Audio Studios in Chicago: I made my studio doorless to allow the big low end that the ATCs generate to travel along the top floor down the stairs and dissipate into the lounge room downstairs. It gives the sound quite a natural and balanced low end.”
How does the relationship with clients change when you have your own business?
KT: “Maybe it’s because I started out independently, then went down the route of being a staff engineer before going independent again, but, honestly, I’ve always tried to maintain the same degree of professionalism in my work throughout my career. Whether working for another studio or now for my own, I’ve always just been myself around clients. The ones that like my way of working and my sense of humour have been coming back (in some cases for over a decade), and they’ve stayed loyal to me through a couple of studio changes and even moving country, so I’ve been incredibly lucky in that regard. Some clients turn into friends in the long run, but I think if you try to do right by people, be constructive when you need to be critical, be diplomatic when you’re giving your opinion, you’ll find some nice people who are fun to work with. That’s really all we can hope for from a career in this industry.”
After a year of Tuff Mastering, what’s the biggest gap between expectation and reality?
KT: “We’ve had loads of in-person sessions recently — it’s been so nice! These started to tail off once COVID-19 hit, and the normalisation of remote sessions was a big factor in my decision to swap London for Berlin in 2022, but the trend has definitely started to reverse recently.
“I’m glad about that, so I’ve tried to make Tuff Mastering not just a mastering studio but also a bit of a community space. We started hosting a record club for listening to classic albums on vinyl once a month towards the end of last year, and that’s been a big hit so far. We’re talking about what other events we might be able to branch out into in the future, too. The human connection is one of my favourite parts of my job.”
The post ‘I opened my mastering studio 14 months ago — here’s what I’ve learned’: Kevin Tuffy appeared first on MusicTech.

AI inference startup Modal Labs in talks to raise at $2.5B valuation, sources sayGeneral Catalyst is in talks to lead the round for the four-year-old startup, according to our sources.

Live Review of RIIZEPeacock Theater Los Angeles, CA

Web: shop-us.riizeofficial.comPlayers: Anton, Eunseok, Shotaro, Sohee, Sungchan, Wonbin, all vocals.

It was a night of celebration for K-pop group RIIZE as they concluded their first-ever North American tour, RIIZING LOUD, with an impressive performance in Los Angeles. The show began with a dramatic VCR showcasing each of the six members: Anton, Eunseok, Shotaro, Sohee, Sungchan, and Wonbin. The fans (endearinglynicknamed BRIIZE) shrieked in loud excitement when their favorite appeared onscreen. Soon after RIIZE walked onstage in matching white and black outfits and kicked things off with the fiery track “Ember to Solar,” showing off their impressive, synchronized dance moves. Focusing all their energy on hyping up the fans, the group followed up with the obnoxiously fun “Siren” and the euphoric track “Odyssey.” The group finished the first segment of their set with “Combo,” a fan-favorite due to its highly catchy chorus that had everyone screaming, “I’m such a loser, she such a weirdo.” 

What makes RIIZE stand out from amongst the rest of the emerging K-pop boy groups are their high-energy pop tracks, fun wordplay and enjoyable harmonies. They’re a group that oozes with youthful charisma. The group knows where their strength lies and do a good job of showcasing their talents on stage. Wonbin and Sohee are the strongest vocalists, as their versatile delivery and impressive high notes could be heard loud and clear throughout the night. Anton’s husky vocals fit perfectly for the lower tempo moments in their songs, while Shungchan, Shotaro, and Eunseok rounded things out with their impressive rapping and vocal delivery. The group used minimal backtracking, letting us hear their raw vocals shine. 

Their set also featured memorable moments showcasing their impressive dance moves. During the melodic R&B song “Honestly,” each member took turns performing dance solos and as duos. The electronic track “Impossible” featured intense choreography with lots of fast leg moves and impressive kicks. While “Bag Bad Back” incorporated fun hip-hop choreography that had everyone dancing along. 

The fun transitions and interesting visuals kept things interesting and lively. One of the most memorable moments was before “Get A Guitar,” when Wonbin and Anton appeared on stage holding a bass and an electric guitar. Channeling their inner rock star, they performed an instrumental duet, which earned loud cheers and screams. 

In between songs, the group would take breaks to engage with fans and keep the energy up. They egged everyone to be as loud as possible, even challenging us to be louder than their previous show in San Francisco. Anton acted as the leader for the night as he hails from New Jersey and is fluent in English. As RIIZE’s North American tour leg came to an end, the group was humming with triumphant energy. Each member took time to thank fans for all the support and reminisced on their tour journey—sharing that they initially had fears and worries of crossing into the North American market. But thanks to all the love and support from fans, the tour turned out to be a grand success in their eyes. The post Live Review of RIIZE first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Chainlink feeds go live for Ondo tokenized US stocks on EthereumPrice feeds for SPYon, QQQon and TSLAon are now live on Ethereum, allowing the Ondo-issued tokenized equities to be used as collateral in DeFi lending markets.

How to make a song instrumental: Stem separation explained
In this introductory guide, we overview how to make a song instrumental with stem separation techniques.

Thermoforming: Shaping Curvy Grilles With No SupportsMaking sure the heatgun is on ‘low’ and gloves are on while pushing on the mold. (Credit: Zion Brock)
Although hobbyists these days most often seem to use thermoplastics as a print-and-done material in FDM printers, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from taking things further with thermoforming. Much like forming acrylic using a hot wire or hot air, thermoplastics like PLA can be further tweaked with a similar method. This can be much less complex than 3D printing the design with supports, as demonstrated by [Zion Brock].
For this classically styled radio project the front grille was previously 3D printed with the curved shape, but to avoid an ugly edge it had to be printed with most of the grille off the print bed, requiring countless supports and hours of printing time. To get around this, [Zion] opted to print the grille flat and then thermoform its curved shape. Of course, due to the unusual shape of the grille, this required a bit more effort than e.g. a spherical form.
This is similar to what is used with sheet metal to get detailed shaped, also requiring a mold and a way to stretch the flat shape over the mold. With the flat form designed to have all the material in the right places, it was able to be printed in less than an hour in PLA and then formed with a heatgun aimed at the part while the two-section mold is slid together to create the final form.
You can find the design files and full instructions on the website for the radio project.

Olivier Chastan’s Iconoclast in sale talks at price tag of around $500 millionMultiple sources tell MBW that Iconoclast is in talks with approximately 10 different parties
Source

Artists in DSP releases FREE AI-driven Amorph plugin that lets you create plugins
Artists in DSP released Amorph (open beta), their free AI-prompt-driven app, for macOS and Windows. AI has been a relatively hot topic around here recently, with the release of projects like Noizefield’s Audio Plugin Coder (APC). The conversation continues as we take a look at Amorph by Artists in DSP. Before we look at Amorph [...]
View post: Artists in DSP releases FREE AI-driven Amorph plugin that lets you create plugins

FRCTL SWRL LiteSWRL Lite is a free movement effect plugin that adds organic depth, space, and character to any audio with just two simple controls. Feed it vocals, drums, synths, or anything else and watch static sounds come alive with chorus, reverb, spatial rotation, tremolo, rhythmic pump, and warm saturation — all blended into one knob. No effect chain stacking, no menu diving, just immediate creative results. TWO CONTROLS AMOUNT - Controls all six motion characters (Drift, Wash, Orbit, Flutter, Pulse, Heat) at once. One knob for instant movement. MIX - Dry/wet blend. That's it. Drop it on a track, turn the knobs, create. WHAT IT'S GOOD FOR Adding instant depth and movement to flat sounds. Creating evolving, animated textures. Quick spatial effects without routing multiple plugins. Sound design and experimental processing. Features VST3, AU, CLAP formats. Windows 10/11, macOS 10.13+, Linux. Low CPU usage, zero latency. Works in all major DAWs (Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, Bitwig, Reaper, etc.). Free forever, commercial use allowed. WANT MORE CONTROL? Upgrade to the full version of SWRL for independent control over each character's AMOUNT, adjustable RATE and WIDTH, crossover protection, output filters, spectrum analyzer, and I/O meters. Download SWRL Lite free and start adding movement today. Read More

Extinct Audio launch MoMics MoMics, or the Museum of Microphones, brings together an array of photographs, documents and sound recordings for over 200 mic models. 

Deadmau5 discovers DJ using an AI-generated version of him to promote his own music: “This is just the beginning for talentless f**ks abusing this tech”Deadmau5 has railed against AI after discovering a DJ using an AI-generated version of his likeness to promote his own music.
In a new post on Instagram, deadmau5 – real name Joel Thomas Zimmerman – hesitates to call out the offending DJ by name, but expresses his thoughts on generative AI – and he’s not happy.

READ MORE: Suno says “accessibility” is the reason for its success — but I think accessibility is the problem with AI music

“Welcome to that dystopian future we only dreamed about three years ago,” he writes in the post’s caption, before going on: “Woke up to some idiot DJ’s Instagram story (whose name I’ll redact because I don’t care to promote him), that depicted me standing there promoting him and his music. FULLY AI-generated, voice wasn’t quite 100% but pretty damn convincing. Fucking scary as fuck.”
He continues: “And I’m sure this is just the beginning for talentless fucks to abuse this tech to further themselves while violating others’ rights in one of the worst ways possible. I’m sure we’re all going to be seeing much more of this. AI is fucking great; generative AI not so much; but we need to stop idiots like this from abusing it.”

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Deepfakes and the erosion of authenticity have long been a point of concern for those sceptical of generative AI. Minimal legal guardrails – like a policy which enforces the clear labelling of AI-generated content – combined with the increasing sophistication of generative AI models means convincing videos can be created depicting others doing things they wouldn’t do, with limited or no repercussions for the creator.
AI tool Grok – owned by Elon Musk’s X – recently came under fire after it was discovered users had been using it to create sexualised images of real people, with the EU launching an investigation last month. 
Alongside his statement in his Instagram post, deadmau5 includes a photo, which we can presume has been taken from the AI-generated video he is referring to, and it certainly looks very convincing.
Deadmau5 has been a vocal sceptic of AI in the past, telling MusicTech in 2023: “[ChatGPT] is good. But it’s only as good as what it knows. It’s a huge training model, right?
“So take the collective stupidity of the world and make a robot fucking barf it out. It’s not gonna be that genius, but it’s gonna get you what you want.”
The post Deadmau5 discovers DJ using an AI-generated version of him to promote his own music: “This is just the beginning for talentless f**ks abusing this tech” appeared first on MusicTech.

AKG C-Series microphones: Everything you need to know about the AKG C104, C114 and C151AKG is a respected manufacturer of reference-quality microphones, with its classic C414 mics being among the best ever created. Indeed, I’ve always maintained that if I had to record absolutely everything with one model of microphone, it would be a C414.
READ MORE: “What’s currently out there isn’t good enough; we can do better”: Why AKG wants to raise the bar for budget microphones
Now, AKG is offering three new C-series mics that allow budget-conscious producers to own a large slice of its signature sound for a fraction of the price of its flagship products. Two of them look extremely similar, echoing the squared-off profile of the aforementioned C414, while the third resembles the company’s current reference C451 B small-diaphragm microphone. All three, however, have their own individual sonic character while adhering to the company’s admirable philosophy of sustainability.
All of the mic bodies are made from 100% recycled PIR metal, and AKG states that every aspect, from packaging to accessories, has been thoughtfully engineered for minimal environmental impact. The boxes housing the microphones are made from paper pulp and other sustainable materials, making them fully recyclable, yet robust enough to protect the mics when in transportation or storage.
Phil Feinman, AKG’s Global Line Product Manager (Microphones), told us, “The new microphones were designed and developed with content creation in mind. The acoustic and sonic characteristics were inspired by the legendary sound of AKG microphones, but modernised for use by today’s content creators. The team also took care to incorporate a simplified design for improved function by podcasters, streamers and musicians; the new mics are right at home in home studios, project studios and recording studios.”
So, which of these microphones is best suited to your needs?
AKG C104
[products ids=”66i4XZsrN3ADWREEOGZHtg”]
If you are a podcaster or content creator who only wishes to record speech, the large-diaphragm C104 is a great choice, and it’s highly affordable. You’re not paying for multiple polar patterns you’ll likely never use, and it’s a no-fuss, easy-to-use microphone.
In my review of the AKG C104, I said: “For most pop music producers, it will cover all bases admirably.”
“At this price, I can think of no other mic that performs as well as the C104, especially for speech recording. Expect to see it on many podcasts and YouTube videos over the coming months and years.”
AKG C151
[products ids=”1cMixBMu6cTkgWKe4t3hqB”]
More expensive yet visually more unobtrusive, the small-diaphragm C151 is highly detailed with a polished sound that adds sparkle to voices and, especially, instruments such as acoustic guitars. It’s also fabulous to use with percussion of all types.
In my review of the AKG C151, I said: “Tonally, the mic is balanced towards the higher end of the frequency spectrum, so acoustic guitars, for example, benefit from a natural sheen from the mic. This adds a sense of air and space as though you’ve boosted around 12 kHz on a really nice-sounding EQ. Human voices can be enhanced greatly by the C151’s cool clarity and articulate nature, especially when intelligibility is needed to cut through background music or noise on location recordings.”
“For a budget-priced microphone, the AKG C151 is remarkably clean and detailed-sounding
AKG C114
[products ids=”66i4XZsrN3ADWREEOGZHtg”]
For me, though, the star of the show is the C114. Not only is it the most versatile mic in the series, offering omnidirectional, figure-8 and cardioid pick-up, it’s also the most natural sounding. It delivers much of the signature AKG sound I associate with the company’s classic mics, such as the C414 and C12, offering clarity and convincing midrange detail that’s rare at its price point.
In my review of the AKG C114, I said: “Much of the wonderful AKG sound I have always adored is present and correct in the C114. The broad midrange is wonderfully faithful, neutral and correct with no spikes or dips in the response, and the low end is firm and richly textured.
However, it’s the treble quality that impresses me the most. It’s beautifully smooth with crystal-clear accuracy and no harshness at all. Voices are captured with a palpable honesty that is usually the preserve of far more expensive microphones.”
Check out more music gear buyers’ guides.
The post AKG C-Series microphones: Everything you need to know about the AKG C104, C114 and C151 appeared first on MusicTech.

Écoute launches TH2 – the next evolution of its groundbreaking vacuum tube-powered headphonesBack in 2023, San Francisco audio brand Écoute made waves in the headphone world when it introduced the TH1, the world’s first over-ear headphones powered by a built-in vacuum tube preamp and dual-mono amplification.
Funded via Kickstarter, the innovative cans caught the attention of enough audiophiles around the world, raising over $200,000 in its initial campaign. Now, the brand has unveiled the TH2 – the next evolution of its vacuum tube-powered headphones.

READ MORE: Guitar modelling giant Fractal Audio unveils ICONS, its first-ever plugin

“What if your headphones didn’t sound like headphones?” This is the question powering Écoute’s design philosophy behind the all-new TH2 headphones.
At the heart of the TH2 sits real, glowing triodes performing the “critical role” of voltage gain. As Écoute explains, in any HiFi system, the gain stage is where a signal is truly shaped. “It’s the front end of the amplification chain – where microdynamics, harmonic structure and spatial cues are either preserved or lost.”
Credit: Écoute
Essentially, then, the principle of tube-driven audio and dual-mono amplification remains the same as the TH1, but the TH2 offers a number of upgrades on its predecessor.
First is improved sound, with deeper bass, extended treble, and more resolution across the entire frequency spectrum. They also feature a redesigned chassis and headband for improved comfort via better weight distribution, plus upgraded durability.
The TH2 headphones are built to last too, with a modular design allowing for the easy changing of pads and headband wraps.
Credit: Écoute
Other upgrades to the TH2 include improved noise control, with a lower ANC noise floor and a more natural transparency mode, plus better passive sound isolation.
They also allow for the customisation of audio, with eight customisable frequency bands and ±12 dB per band.

“It’s the same architecture, just refined for an even more musical and lifelike listening experience,” Écoute says.
“Two years ago, we introduced the TH1 – the world’s first headphone with a built-in vacuum tube preamp and dual-mono amplification,” the company continues. 
“It proved that a true analog signal path could be made portable without compromise. Audiophiles noticed. Reviewers took it seriously. And for the first time, listeners could leave the listening room without leaving the sound they loved behind.”
You can learn more about the new TH2 headphones at Écoute’s Kickstarter page.
The post Écoute launches TH2 – the next evolution of its groundbreaking vacuum tube-powered headphones appeared first on MusicTech.

HoRNet 3XOver DJ-style EQ plugin is FREE for 48 hours
HoRNet offers the 3XOver three-band DJ-style EQ and crossover plugin for macOS and Windows as a free download for the next 48 hours. The plugin normally costs €5.99, but you can add it to your HoRNet user account for free during the limited-time promotion. To get it, visit the product page on HoRNet’s website, add [...]
View post: HoRNet 3XOver DJ-style EQ plugin is FREE for 48 hours