Roy Thomas Baker, producer of Bohemian Rhapsody, dies at 78Producer legend Roy Thomas Baker – perhaps best known for his work on Queen’s magnum opus Bohemian Rhapsody – has died at the age of 78. While no cause of death has been announced, a statement from his publicist has confirmed that Baker passed away on 12 April.
Baker’s work was pivotal throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, with Bohemian Rhapsody having gone down in history, and Rolling Stone ranking it among the best songs of all time and the Guinness Book of World Records naming it the most streamed song from the 20th century.

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Fifty years on from Bohemian Rhapsody’s 1975 release, it continues to inspire modern artists and rouse huge crowd sing-alongs. Yet, back in 2005, Baker told the New York Times that he was shocked by the track’s legacy. “I thought it was going to be a hit,” he said. “But we didn’t know it was going to be quite that big. I didn’t realise it was still going to be talked about 30 years later.”

Baker also had an illustrious career elsewhere, working with the likes of Alice Cooper, David Bowie, The Cars, Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, the Smashing Pumpkins and more. He also went on to serve as an Elektra A&R executive, helping sign such names as Metallica, Simply Red and 10,000 Maniacs.
Born in Hampstead in 1946, Baker kickstarted his venture into the music industry at the age of 14. His first job was at Decca Records, where he worked as a second engineer. Baker assisted on tracks from The Rolling Stones to Dusty Springfield, building up a strong portfolio of hits. His work also spanned from T. Rex, to Free’s All Right Now in 1970, before eventually moving up to Trident Studios.

Working as the Soho studio’s in-house engineer, Baker would soon meet Queen – and history would be made. Following his work on the band’s 1973 debut, he went on to produce Queen’s first four records – including 1975’s A Night At The Opera, which featured the track that made him a legend.
Baker reflected on Bohemian Rhapsody in conversation with Sound On Sound in 1995. “We were going out to dinner one night and I met Freddie [Mercury] at his apartment in Kensington,” he said. “He sat down at his piano and said, ‘I’d like to play you a song that I’m working on at the moment.’”
“He played the first part… [then] he played a bit further through the song and then stopped suddenly, saying, ‘This is where the opera section comes in,’” he remembered. “We both just burst out laughing. I had worked with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company at Decca where I learned a lot about vocals and the way vocals are stressed, so I was probably one of the few people in the whole world who knew exactly what he was talking about.”
“[Bohemian Rhapsody] was the first time that an opera section had been incorporated into a pop record, let alone a Number One. It was obviously very unusual and we originally planned to have just a couple of ‘Galileos’. But things often have a habit of evolving differently once you’re inside the studio. It did get longer and bigger.”

While Mercury clearly knew that Baker had a dynamic skillset, The Cars’ Ric Ocasek also praised him back in 2016. “He was an electronics whizz,” he told Magnet Magazine. “A sound guy with a classical background for mic-ing the room’s sound. He got harmony. And he took things in stride – a very upbeat, elegant man. Spontaneous, too.”
Queen’s Roger Taylor has also noted his respect of Baker: “I think he brought a certain amount of discipline, a lot of cynicism and a passion for fattening desserts. He liked his food, Roy. He was very disciplined and very strict in the beginning . . . he would always get it right. The take had to be right.” [via Variety]

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Friday is ‘The Day That Music Cares’ – How to get involvedThis Friday April 25, 2025 is The Recording Academy and Music Cares’ annual ‘The Day That Music Cares’ volunteer day of action. It’s not too late to get involved! “Whether. Continue reading
The post Friday is ‘The Day That Music Cares’ – How to get involved appeared first on Hypebot.

Orpheus Effects releases new FREE room reverb plugin RoomLite
Orpheus Effects, a seemingly new audio developer, has recently released a new room reverb plugin, RoomLite. Best of all, it is free. As the name RoomLite suggests, this plugin is suited for room reverb sounds, specifically “high-quality and realistic emulations of small to medium-sized spaces.” It uses the room algorithm found in its parent plugin, [...]
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Neumann launch RIME headphone software Neumann have announced the release of a new plug-in that allows users of their NDH headphones to monitor immersive audio formats such as Dolby Atmos.

“I needed a big name people would remember, even if it’s attached to infamy”: Someone’s bought some Fyre IP – and plans to launch a streaming service later this yearFrye Festival 2 has gone about as well as one might expect – following a court psychologist deeming founder Billy McFarland “mentally ill”, the upcoming second iteration of the infamous festival has been officially postponed – with no concrete date for the future. But there’s now hopes that a Fyre streaming service could continue profiting off of the brand.
According to Deadline, Shawn Rech, co-founder of streaming service TruBlu, has acquired some Fyre IP – including two trademarks. The freshly acquired IP could allow Rech to start up the new streaming service.

READ MORE: Former Fyre Festival investor warns of “red flags” for Billy McFarland’s 2025 reboot: “He knows how to pull people in”

“Music networks are all just programming now and I have no interest in watching people slip on bananas,” Rech tells Deadline. “It has nothing to do with music. I needed a big name that people would remember, even if it’s attached to infamy, so that’s why I bought these [trademarks] to start the streaming network.”
Fyre Festival 2, which was originally set to take place in Mexico between the 30 May to 2 June, was officially postponed last week. The move could be a way of keeping the brand alive – but Rech insists his focus is on spreading the “power of music”.
“This isn’t about festivals or hype,” he insists. “It’s about putting the power of music discovery back in the hands of the fans. We’re building something authentic and lasting.”
Considering Fyre Festival has a reputation of being neither “authentic” or “lasting”, it’s an interesting choice of branding. However, Rech’s plans for a user-submitted, fan-curated streaming service could shift the public’s perception of what Fyre represents.
Rech says the streaming platform will have FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) networks, primarily featuring pop and hip hop, and will later expand into other genres.
It will also include a video-on-demand platform, and is apparently set to launch around Thanksgiving in November.
While Rech plans to run the platform, founder Billy McFarland is expected to have some presence on the network.
Deadline also reports that McFarland is still searching for a new location for Fyre Festival 2.
The news of the festival being postponed was confirmed by ABC News after punters received an email stating: “The event has been postponed. A new date will be announced. We have issued you a refund. Once the new date is announced, at that time, you can repurchase if it works for your schedule.”

The post “I needed a big name people would remember, even if it’s attached to infamy”: Someone’s bought some Fyre IP – and plans to launch a streaming service later this year appeared first on MusicTech.

Get a MajorDecibel Plugin of Your Choice for Free
You can currently snap up almost any MajorDecibel plugin for free by using the coupon code ‘FREEPLUGIN’. The code works with any of MajorDecibel’s plugins, except Mastering Studio Rx. That means you can score one of the following plugins for free: Dynamics ($19), Equalizer ($19), Spatializer ($19), Limiter ($19), and the most exciting of all, [...]
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Sample Logic GrainScaperWHAT IS GRAINSCAPER? ELEVATE YOUR SOUND WITH NEXT-GEN GRANULAR SYNTHESIS. Unlock the power of sound with GrainScaper – a cutting-edge tool designed to elevate your music productions. Harness the magic of granular synthesis, breaking audio into tiny "grains" to create entirely new textures, evolving soundscapes, and complex sonic worlds. With precise control over pitch, timing, density, and more, you can craft shimmering atmospheres, rhythmic patterns, and otherworldly effects like never before. Perfect for electronic music, soundscapes, film scores, and experimental genres, our plug-in empowers you to push the limits of sound design and redefine what's possible in your productions. GrainScaper at a Glance: 240 Granular Presets. 4 independent grain modules with dedicated cloud mixing. Drag & Drop modulators. XY spatial controller. Built in Master effects. Realtime virtual instrument or audio processing. Randomizer for quick inspiration. Overview Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4GTrTXqVdo Read More

How Publishing Works and Songwriters Get PaidThis week, Ari is joined by Mag Rodriguez, founder and CEO of EVEN to discuss how direct-to-fan platforms are changing the game for artists.

Elon Musk says he may keep doing DOGE work for ‘the remainder’ of Trump’s termTesla CEO Elon Musk says he may keep doing work with the Department of Government Efficiency through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term, amid calls for him to step away from politics. Musk said he plans to reduce his role with DOGE to a “day or two” per week starting next month, “or […]

Sperzel Style 1-Pin InvisoMatch PlatesGraph Tech Guitar Labs has announced the latest addition to its InvisoMatch® Adapter Plates lineup: a new set of Sperzel-style 1-pin plates. "With this release, Graph Tech now offers seven different InvisoMatch® plates, allowing guitarists around the world to upgrade to Ratio® Machine Heads without drilling, filling, or damaging their instrumentsm" they say."Whether you're replacing tuners on a Fender®, PRS®, Gibson®, or now a guitar with Sperzel-style tuners, there's an InvisoMatch plate that lets you make the switch — cleanly and easily."Specs are as follows:The Full InvisoMatch® Adapter Plates Line-up Now Includes:1. Fender® 2-pin 2. Fender® 2-pin (Deluxe Style) 3. Vintage-style 6-in-line 4. Vintage-style 3+3 5. Modern 45-degree screw 6. Offset screw 7. NEW! Sperzel-style 1-pinEach plate is designed to align perfectly with your guitar’s existing mounting holes, so you can drop in Ratio® Machine Heads with no drilling and no extra holes, keeping your guitar in original condition while upgrading to better performance.Why Upgrade to Ratio®?Unlike standard tuners, Ratio® Machine Heads use individual gear ratios for each string, delivering a consistent and intuitive tuning feel across the entire set. This means:·       More precise and predictable tuning·       No overshooting·       Faster string changes and better tuning stabilityThe complete range of InvisoMatch® Adapter Plates, including the new Sperzel-style 1-pin plates, is available now at graphtech.com and through authorized dealers worldwide.Finish: Chrome, Nickel,  Black. GoldExplore All InvisoMatch® Plates: graphtech.com/pages/invisomatch-mounting-platesView the New Sperzel-Style Plates: Click hereLink to online-related content: https://graphtechguitarlabs2.box.com/s/0a84d25kguq3atiwjcc22nsib3clk4xn

The post Sperzel Style 1-Pin InvisoMatch Plates first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

DIY Record Cutting Lathe is Really GroovyBack in the day, one of the few reasons to prefer compact cassette tape to vinyl was the fact you could record it at home in very good fidelity. Sure, if you had the scratch, you could go out and get a small batch of records made from that tape, but the machinery to do it was expensive and not always easy to come by, depending where you lived. That goes double today, but we’re in the middle of a vinyl renaissance! [ronald] wanted to make records, but was unable to find a lathe, so decided to take matters into his own hands, and build his own vinyl record cutting lathe.
[ronald’s] record cutting lathe looks quite professional.It seems like it should be a simple problem, at least in concept: wiggle an engraving needle to scratch grooves in plastic. Of course for a stereo record, the wiggling needs to be two-axis, and for stereo HiFi you need that wiggling to be very precise over a very large range of frequencies (7 Hz to 50 kHz, to match the pros). Then of course there’s the question of how you’re controlling the wiggling of this engraving needle. (In this case, it’s through a DAC, so technically this is a CNC hack.) As often happens, once you get down to brass tacks (or diamond styluses, as the case may be) the “simple” problem becomes a major project.
The build log discusses some of the challenges faced–for example, [ronald] started with locally made polycarbonate disks that weren’t quite up to the job, so he has resigned himself to purchasing professional vinyl blanks. The power to the cutting head seems to have kept creeping up with each revision: the final version, pictured here, has two 50 W tweeters driving the needle.
That necessitated a better amplifier, which helped improve frequency response. So it goes; the whole project took [ronald] fourteen months, but we’d have to say it looks like it was worth it. It sounds worth it, too; [ronald] provides audio samples; check one out below.  Every garage band in Queensland is going to be beating a path to [ronald’s] door to get their jam sessions cut into “real” records, unless they agree that physical media deserved to die.

https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/01_Test-Cut-6th-April-2025-Move-For-Me.wav
 
Despite the supposedly well-deserved death of physical media, this isn’t the first record cutter we have featured. If you’d rather copy records than cut them, we have that too. There’s also the other kind of vinyl cutter, which might be more your speed.
 

Yraki releases LayerLab Device for Ableton Mariano Sibilia, or Yraki, has announced the release of a new Max for Live Device that’s capable of creating new one-shot sounds from a collection of loaded samples. 

Sampling permafrost: The world’s quietest climate change threat
Musicians Charles Van Kirk and David Crowell traveled to Alaska to sonify permafrost, the world's quietest climate change threat.

‘My interest is purely about what’s right for the artist… who also happens to be my daughter.’Dugi Lipa is the manager (and father) of Dua Lipa, one of the most successful global pop stars of recent years. His own story is pretty incredible in its own right...
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Toontrack Music Beat Revamper EZmix Pack Beat Revamper EZmix Pack is an expansion for EZmix 3 focusing on creative sound design and experimental mixing for drums. This release marks the ninth expansion created uniquely for the new EZmix 3 format launched in Q4 2024. If you're looking for ideas for whenever you stumble on a drum part or beat in need of a new suit, this collection of presets for EZmix 3 is what to reach for. Featuring anything from the basic and mildly saturated to the completely mind-bendingly warped and experimental, it has settings that can be applied in virtually any context, genre or style. Be it for acoustic drums that may be lacking grit, flavor or vibe or for any stock- or static-sounding electronic beat in need of more organic mojo, dive into this pack and revel in presets that include overdriven amps, LFOs, feedback, pitch shifters and practically any other effect you can think of. As always with EZmix 3 and any collection of presets, don't let any instrument indicator dictate what you ultimately apply a setting to – experiment, stack, mix and match and let your ears guide you to where you want to go. This is a preset pack all about the beats and for making sure you don't miss a single one. Be it when mixing, painting with sound or composing – make an impact. Feature Spotlight: An expansion for EZmix 3. Presets designed primarily for drums but applicable on any audio source. Featuring complex chains of amps and effects involving reverbs, delays, distortion, LFOs and more. Ideal for elaborate sound design and experimental mixing. Read More