ChatGPT’s head of product will testify in the US government’s case against GoogleThe U.S. government has picked Nick Turley, ChatGPT's head of product, to testify in its antitrust case against Google.
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Android Head Unit Gets Volume Knob UpgradeTouch screen head units are pretty much the norm these days. Many compromise with annoying on-screen volume controls or tiny buttons. If you find yourself with such a unit, you  might like to hack in a real volume knob. [Daniel Ross] shows us how to do just that.
The build uses an ATMega328 as the heart of the operation, though [Daniel] notes an Arduino Uno or Mini would have done just fine. It’s set up with a 74HC14 hex Schmitt trigger, and a CD4066 quad bilateral switch on a custom PCB. As for the volume knob itself, it’s not a real analog pot, instead it’s using a rotary encoder with a center push button. The way it works is that the Arduino reads the encoder, and figures out whether you’re trying to turn the volume up or down based on the direction you’re turning it. It then sends commands to the CD4066 to switch resistors in and out of circuit with lines going to the stereo to emulate the action of volume buttons on the steering wheel.
[Daniel’s] guide explains how everything works in greater detail, and how you can calibrate your head unit to accept these signals while preserving the function of your actual steering wheel volume buttons. Then you just have to find a neat way to integrate the knob into your existing dashboard.
We don’t see as many car stereo hacks in this era when infotainment systems rule all, but we’ve seen some great stuff from older vehicles over the years. Video after the break.

From Drake suing Universal Music to TikTok facing a US ban… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
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New Bambu Lab Firmware Update Adds Mandatory Authorization Control SystemAs per a recent Bambu Lab blog post, its FDM printers in the X1 series will soon receive a firmware update that adds mandatory authentication for certain operations, starting with the firmware update on January 23rd for the aforementioned FDM printers. These operations include performing firmware upgrades, initiating a print job (LAN or cloud), remote video access and adjusting parameters on the printer. Using the printer directly and starting prints from an SD card are not affected.
As reasoning for this new feature Bambu Lab points to recent exploits that gave strangers access to people’s printers, though cheekily linking to an article on an Anycubic printer exploit. While admittedly a concern, this mostly affects internet-exposed printers, such as those that are tied into a ‘cloud’ account. Even so, LAN-based printing also falls under this new mandatory authentication system, with Bambu Lab offering a new tool called Bambu Connect for those who insist on using non-Bambu Lab branded software like OrcaSlicer. This allows for exported G-code files to be sent to a (property authenticated) Bambu Lab printer.
For those who do not wish to use this feature, not upgrading the firmware is currently the only recourse. Although this firmware update is only for X1-series printers, Bambu Lab promised that it’ll arrive for their other printers too in due time. While Bambu Lab printer owners consider installing the alternative X1 Plus firmware, the peanut gallery can discuss the potential security issues (or lack thereof) of an open Fluidd or similar UI on their LAN-connected, Klipper-based FDM printers.
Thanks to [mip] for the tip.

The Nord Piano 6 brings advanced layering functionality and new effectsNAMM 2025: Nord has added a new model to its flagship Nord Piano range, the Nord Piano 6.
Chief among its new features is advanced layering functionality, which enables the player to two independent piano or sample-based synth layers at once, with each layer controllable via an LED-equipped fader.

READ MORE: Audient’s new flagship eight-Channel iD Interface features Switchable Analogue Insert technology

As with prior models in the Nord Piano range, sounds in the Nord Piano 6 are sampled using a wide range of real-world instruments. In the piano section, those instruments include a range of grand, upright and electric pianos from Nord’s Piano Library – with new features like Dynamic Compression and Unison – while the synth section emulates sounds from guitars to orchestral elements to classic analogue synths.

In terms of effects, the Piano 6 adds new spring reverb and spin effect types, as well as fresh delay modes and amp tones. Apart from the reverb, which acts as a global effect, the Nord Piano 6’s effects can be applied individually to each layer. Other new features include 120-voice polyphony, advanced string resonance, and options for soft, mid, bright, and Dyno filters.
The Nord Piano 6 comes in 73- and 88-key configurations, priced at £2,999 and £3,299, respectively.
For more information, head to Nord.
The post The Nord Piano 6 brings advanced layering functionality and new effects appeared first on MusicTech.

Supreme upholds ban! How to save TikTok contentOn Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed the law that will ban TikTok as of this Sunday January 19 and President-elect Trump said he wouldn't decide what to do until after he took office. With at least a temporary shutdown is likely, learn how to save TikTok content and followers.
The post Supreme upholds ban! How to save TikTok content appeared first on Hypebot.

Switch: instrument routing controller from Flock Audio Flock Audio have announced the upcoming launch of a new device that brings their renowned digitally controlled analogue routing technology to the instrument world.

21 Savage, Gunna, Metro Boomin’, and Wiz Khalifa to perform at Balad Beast 2025 in Saudi ArabiaThe MDLBeast-organized event takes place January 30-31 at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Al-Balad
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Discogs to donate sales revenue to MusiCares’ LA Fire Relief todayMusic marketplace Discogs to donate sales revenue to MusicCares' LA Fire Relief efforts this Friday, January 17. Every record purchased on Friday will generate funds that will be shared with LA’s music community.
The post Discogs to donate sales revenue to MusiCares’ LA Fire Relief today appeared first on Hypebot.

10 things I did to make $2000 off my Brooklyn House ConcertLearn how indie rapper Kosha Dillz turned his messy Brooklyn home into a sold-out show, making $2,000 in one night. From exclusive VIP experiences to surprise performances, here are 10 steps to create an unforgettable event.
The post 10 things I did to make $2000 off my Brooklyn House Concert appeared first on Hypebot.

How Spotify built a new business, and what comes nextSince its inception, Spotify has been, and continues to be, the streaming music market’s lightning rod. This is due to its continued ability to maintain leading market share and the fact it is the only leading global DSP that is independent and therefore has to focus place more focus on commercial sustainability than peers owned by global tech superpowers. Working within the constraints of what music rightsholders will permit, Spotify has balanced testing how far it can push boundaries (the aborted Direct Artists; the audiobook bundle controversy) with launching new formats and business models. Given the constraints, Spotify has managed to institute a remarkable amount of change. So much so that the Spotify that stands on the precipice of the second half of the decade is dramatically different to the one that launched in 2008.

The venture capital mantra, which in turn is the start-up mantra, is “do one thing well”. Spotify did exactly that and stuck at it for many years. But a truism for the evolution of business change is that what got you here won’t get you there. Indeed, as Spotify moved towards IPO and then navigated life as a public company, it needed to change. Investors wanted a path towards profitability and away from what they saw as excessive rightsholder control.

To achieve this, it had to move away from the one thing mindset and adopt a much more maximalist worldview. The first Spotify is still at the core of the new Spotify, but similar to a caterpillar’s metamorphosis, Spotify is spreading its wings as something dramatically different. As these changes have been progressively iterated, the change has sneaked up on the music business and it is only by comparing what Spotify is now versus what it was that we can truly understand what Spotify 2.0 is and what it will become:

Spotify 1.0: Version one was very clearly a music service, operating for rightsholders, with a tightly defined licensing model and a minimalist approach to personalisation and curation. It was a tool for people to find the music they knew and for rightsholders to get paid. But the fixed costs model (i.e., Spotify was always going to pay ~70% of its revenue to rightsholders and would always be beholden to their will and wishes) did not leave much room to manoeuvre and investors did not like that. The strategic irony is that if rightsholders had let Spotify do more with music, then it would may have had to look beyond music to grow.

Spotify 2.0: Spotify has essentially spent the last few years lessening music rightsholder control. It has fostered a surrounding ecosystem that resulted in: an accelerating proliferation of new music (even if the volume was slightly down in 2024); new music formats (production music / ‘fake artists’; Gen AI); non-music formats (podcasts, audiobooks, video); and a creator economy (especially podcasts). With algorithmic curation and hyper-personalisation, it has shifted the emphasis of the user relationship from being with artists to the platform. The result is a transformation of user proposition, from a place to find the music you like; to a platform that fills your eyes and ears with multi-format content the algorithm chooses for its users. On top of this, different license fees for production music, bundle tiers, direct deals with audio providers, first-party audio content and Discovery Mode mean that Spotify now operates with a blended, variable, and higher margin costs framework. One in which it exercises more control. And, crucially, Discovery Mode reverses the money-flow polarity, turning the rightsholders Spotify was a customer of, into its customers.

This is where Spotify sits now. But do not think of this as ‘job done’. As with all strategic analysis, we need to look at the where the ball is going to be passed to, not where it is now. To do that, we need to look at what paths Spotify’s new assets open up.

If we work under the assumption of continued evolution rather than dramatic change, Spotify 3.0 is likely to be one in which Spotify further increases autonomy via user experience, content strategy, and commercial model:

Further emphasis on non-music content through programming and curation

Greater emphasis on non-traditional rightsholder music (production music ‘artists’ and generative AI – including in-house AI similar to what Tencent has been doing for years)

Increased flattening of the value proposition to one in which ultimately the user relies on the algorithm to determine not just what music a user listens to, but whether the right content at the right time of day is even music at all

Spotify started off as an elegantly simple music service that helped music rightsholders navigate their way out of piracy and into sustained industry growth. Both Spotify and the music industry won. To return to the metamorphosis analogy, if Spotify 1.0 was the caterpillar, and 2.0 was the chrysalis, then 3.0 will be the butterfly. However, this will be a butterfly that no longer flaps its wings to the music industry’s tune.

Tycho: “The most basic DAWs have enough tools in them to be able to make, like, 90 percent of all music ever created”With countless new software and plugins getting released each day, it’s easy for musicians to fall into the trap of constantly chasing the next shiny tool when making music.
Though according to 47-year-old producer Scott Hansen – aka Tycho – this obsession with gear is often misplaced—for most music, he argues, can be created with even “the most basic DAWs”.

READ MORE: NAMM 2025 Live: Latest rumours, news and products from the biggest music technology show in the world

Speaking in an interview with MusicTech, Tycho shares his thoughts on the gear-focused culture that dominates today’s music-making landscape.
He states that contrary to popular belief, producers and beatmakers “don’t need every sound to be magical and have all that character”.
What’s more crucial, instead, is mastering the tools already at your disposal.
“The most basic DAWs have enough tools in them to be able to make, like, 90 percent of all music ever created,” says Tycho, “So now it’s just down to you learning how to use it, not the lack of access, which I think is so powerful.”
His thoughts on gear and creativity aside, Tycho also opens up about the challenges of being an artist in the digital age, particularly when it comes to navigating the often-toxic online environment.
“Being an artist and putting yourself out there these days…That’s been an interesting thing to watch shift,” he says. “Just to see the dialogue change over time on those platforms. I feel like [the Tycho] fan base is so cool and accepting and understanding, and they’re just along for the ride. But on other people’s pages and on YouTube, I see people paring things down, and being so opinionated and so negative.”
“It makes you start to believe that the rest of the world has this negative tone. But then you go into the real world and talk to people, and people are really cool, kind and caring. So [the online world has become] this ugly, funhouse mirror of what people are really like.”
In the same interview, the producer also reveals what he considers “one of the best soft synths ever made”.
The post Tycho: “The most basic DAWs have enough tools in them to be able to make, like, 90 percent of all music ever created” appeared first on MusicTech.

Sonic Academy Kick 3 review: I’ve got 909 problems but a kick ain’t one£80 / £30 upgrade from Kick 2, sonicacademy.com
Sonic Academy’s Kick 2 has been ruling the land of kick drum synth plugins since its release in 2016. Precision pitch and envelope editing combined with sample layering make it the go-to for fine-tuning the perfect kick sound.

READ MORE: Five new plugins, effects and VST instruments you need to know about this week

Now, the long-awaited update — Kick 3 — allows even more control, extra effects and a snazzy new AI import feature. However, the 2020s have seen new kick contenders enter the fray, so are these new updates enough for Kick 3 to retain its crown?

What is Kick 3?
The kick drum is often an essential element in a track, acting as an anchor for the groove and other musical elements. Although you can get excellent results in your DAW using drum machines and kick drum samples, the editing options are often limited. You might want more precise control over the shape of your kick transient to sit perfectly with your bass line, for example. Kick 3 has been built from the ground up with a focus on giving you ultimate control over the kick drum editing. The deep pitch and amp envelopes offer a level of detail that’s usually impossible using the tools that come with your DAW.
Kick 3 gives you five layers of sound to work with, which can be freely assigned to either a synthesised sub-bass or a sample. A large collection of global presets covers various genres and styles, plus individual presets for the sub and sample selection.
Each layer offers detailed envelope control over the pitch and volume decay, so you can draw in exactly how you want them to sound. A much-requested new feature allows you to switch the view of the curve between logarithmic and linear. The former offers a zoomed-in control of the attack envelope, while the latter provides an intuitive way for editing amplitude.
In addition, you can right-click on a node and lock the phase for the remaining tail. This lets you fine-tune your tails to get them working perfectly with other layers or a bass part, and then edit the attack portion without messing up the alignment. Similarly, you can select a node for pitch tracking. This means that the tail can be transposed across the keyboard, whilst the initial thump remains at a consistent pitch; a useful feature for crafting those hard-hitting 808 boom basslines.
Kick 3 harmonics. Image: Press
Kick 3 effects
Where Kick 2 had a limited harmonics generator, Kick 3 lets you select up to nine additional harmonics to add to the sub layer. These can be individually tuned and then balanced using Gain and Decay controls. It’s a useful feature for introducing inharmonic thickness, or even making a kick sound more like a synth waveform. However, it feels like a missed opportunity not to add an attack control so you can swell certain harmonics over time.
The upgraded effects section now has a dedicated tab with two buses and a master bus that can each load two effects. Each slot has access to the same 15 effects, and you can choose which layers to route to each effects bus. There’s a tasty-sounding clipper, tube, wave, tape, drive and bit crush distortions, plus a ring modulator, delay, reverb, filter, EQ, standard compressor, and 1176-style compressor.
Of particular interest are the Complex waveshaper and Brassify effects, which can create snarling bass sounds with rich, resonant harmonics. These significantly increase the sound design potential, extending Kick 3’s use as a potent bass synth. It’s a shame that there aren’t any presets that show this off fully, or modulation options to add further movement. There are, however, four Macro dials that can each control one effect parameter, potentially providing more immediate sonic control to each preset.
Outside of the Effects tab, you have a limiter for the main output with three releases and three lookahead settings. Useful for taming any wayward peaks, it can also be used as an extra layer of saturation when driven harder. There’s also an EQ tab with an incredibly fluid and reactive spectrum analyser, albeit with limited EQ options. Two bands plus high and low shelves feel restrictive on the surface, but this is alleviated by adding additional EQ modules using the Effects section.
Kick 3 AI sample import. Image: Press
Kick 3’s AI import tool
Arguably, Kick 3’s most interesting feature is the new AI import. Load any kick drum sample to Kick 3 and it will analyse and create an identical-sounding preset. A timesaving feature lets you drag in a slightly longer drum loop and highlight a single kick hit for analysis. It works by recreating the sub portion using the sub generator, and then presenting the top-end in a sample layer as a trim of the original sample.
Crucially, the issue here is potential copyright infringement, as you could use a portion of a sample rather than re-synthesising it. You can, however, keep and edit the sub and then switch out the top for a different click sample. Trying it with a few different drum and one-shot sounds, it works incredibly well. This could prove a useful tool if you have a kick sample that you like but it’s not long enough or not in the right key for your track. In a comment to MusicTech, Sonic Academy says this tool is “ideally [for] importing personal kick drums that you own or from sample packs that you’ve purchased and have the right to use.”
Another new section is the Trigger tab, which lets you use Kick 3 as a drum replacer. You can feed in a sidechain signal and then use an input filter and Threshold, Off Return and Retrigger Return lines to fine-tune the triggered hits. I’m easily able to add a thumping 909 kick to a live-sounding drum break, for example.
Kick 3 FX. Image: Press
Should you buy Kick 3?
Kick 3 is a fantastic upgrade to Kick 2 that extends its sound design credentials whilst increasing its precision and usefulness. If you don’t already own a kick drum synth, and struggle to get the sounds you want, then this could prove a worthy addition to your toolkit.
That said, it’s a shame there aren’t any options for modulation. Having the ability to use key tracking and velocity, or an assignable envelope could really help add some humanising variation and bring the sound to life. There may be hope though, as Sonic Academy has just released a new beta version that adds envelope curves for the Drive amount and Harmonics section. There are also three new effects, an improved preset system and a handful of other useful quality-of-life improvements.
There’s big competition from the likes of The Him’s Kick Ninja (£60) and Audija’s KickDrum 2 (£36), which share some similar features — including the kick import and analyse function — but come at a lower price.
Sonic Academy’s Kick 3 is the most feature-rich package though. If you regularly work with kick drums and kick drum editing, then this remains one of the best options available. It offers greater control than using a drum machine or sampler, and a bespoke GUI that’s razor-tuned to the task. Plus, it’s an easy upgrade choice for anyone who already uses Kick 2.

Key features

Kick synth/sampler with five layers of synthesised sub or samples
VST3, AU, AAX
540+ presets plus 500 click samples
New effects section with 15 effects, two effects busses and one master bus
4 macros
Selective key tracking to choose which sub node responds to pitch
Phase lock lets you lock in the tail whilst still editing the transient
Per-layer, 180-degree phase adjustment
AI import turns any kick sample into a preset
Trigger section for drum replacement and audio triggering from an external source
Output limiter
Linear and logarithmic node editing
Kick to WAV export
Compatible with Kick 2 presets
Resizable user interface

The post Sonic Academy Kick 3 review: I’ve got 909 problems but a kick ain’t one appeared first on MusicTech.

Korg to launch miniKORG 700Sm & multi/poly module Korg have announced the upcoming release of miniKORG 700Sm, a compact instrument that pays tribute to their legendary 1970s synth, along with a new desktop module version of the multi/poly.

Despite VCs investing $75B in Q4 , it’s still hard for startups to raise money, data provesAfter two years of relatively muted investment activity, it seems that VCs are starting to pour capital into startups at pandemic-era levels once again. But a closer look shows that they aren’t really. In the fourth quarter of last year, investors funneled $74.6 billion into U.S. startups, a substantial increase from the average of $42 […]
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