Witness Music History: GRAMMY NominationsThe Recording Academy said on Thursday: "Join the Recording Academy as we reveal the nominees for the 2026 Annual GRAMMY Awards on Friday, Nov. 7 at 8am PT/11am ET!"

"The GRAMMY nominees will be announced live on the GRAMMYS YouTube, kicking off with Songwriter and Producer of the year."

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"The nominations livestream will feature some of the biggest names in music as they unveil the nominees across all 95 GRAMMY Categories, including Chappell Roan, Doechii, KAROL G, Mumford & Sons, Sabrina Carpenter and many more."

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The post Witness Music History: GRAMMY Nominations first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

SSL release SSL 360 V2.0 SSL 360 V2.0 provides UC1 users with enhanced integration with Avid’s Pro Tools, delivers some significant functionality updates for UF8 and UF1, and introduces monitoring enhancements for the company’s SSL 12 and SSL 18 interfaces.

Navan IPO tumbles 20% after historic debut under SEC shutdown workaroundNavan finished its first day trading at an approximate valuation of $4.7 billion, which is about half of its last private valuation of $9.2 billion.

UMG has struck a new YouTube deal that includes ‘guardrails’ around AI… and 3 other things Sir Lucian Grainge said on UMG’s Q3 earnings callDeal covers both recorded music and music publishing
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Iconic Xbox Prototype Brought to LifeWhen Microsoft decided they wanted to get into the game console market, they were faced with a problem. Everyone knew them as a company that developed computer software, and there was a concern that consumers wouldn’t understand that their new Xbox console was a separate product from their software division. To make sure they got the message though, Microsoft decided to show off a prototype that nobody could mistake for a desktop computer.
The giant gleaming X that shared the stage with Bill Gates and Seamus Blackley at the 2000 Game Developers Conference became the stuff of legend. We now know the machine wasn’t actually a working Xbox, but at the time, it generated enormous buzz. But could it have been a functional console? That’s what [Tito] of Macho Nacho Productions wanted to find out — and the results are nothing short of spectacular.

The key to this project is the enclosure itself, but this is no simple project box we’re talking about here. Milled from a solid block of aluminum, the original prototype’s shell reportedly cost Microsoft $18,000 to have produced, which would be around $36,000 when adjusted for inflation. Luckily, the state of the art has moved forward a bit in the intervening two decades. So after working with [Wesk] to create a 3D model from reference images (including some that [Tito] took himself of one of the surviving prototypes on display in New York), the design was sent away to PCBWay for production. It still cost the better part of $6 K to be produced, but that’s a hell of a savings compared to the original. Though [Tito] still had to polish the aluminum himself to recreate the original’s mirror-like shine.
To say the rest of the project was “easy” would be something of an understatement, but it was at least more familiar territory. Unlike the original prototype, this machine would actually play Xbox games, to [Tito] focused on cramming the original era-appropriate hardware (plus a few modern homebrew tweaks, such as HDMI-out) into the hollow X using a clever system of integrated rails and 3D printed mounts.
Some of the original parts, like the power supply, were simply too large to use. That’s where [Redherring32] came in. He designed a custom USB-C power supply that could satisfy the original console’s energy needs in a much smaller footprint. There’s also a modern SSD in place of the 8 GB of spinning rust that the console shipped with back in 2001. But overall, it’s still real Xbox hardware — no emulation or other funny tricks here.
At this point, the team had already exceeded what Microsoft pulled off in 2000, but they weren’t done yet. Wanting to really set this project apart, [Tito] decided to replace the center jewel with something a bit more modern. The original was little more than a backlit piece of plastic, but on this build it’s a circular LCD driven by a Raspberry Pi Pico, capable of showing a number of custom full-motion animations thanks to the efforts of [StuckPixel].
The end result of this team effort is a machine that’s not only better looking than Microsoft’s original, but also more functional. It’s a project that’s destined for a more than just sitting on a shelf collecting dust, so we’re happy to hear that [Tito] plans on taking it on a tour of different gaming events to give the public a chance to see it in person. He’s even had a custom crate made so he can transport it around in style and safety.

99Sounds releases Halloween Sounds, a FREE horror plugin for macOS & Windows
99Sounds has released Halloween Sounds, a free sample-based virtual instrument designed as a fun little Halloween gift for producers and sound designers. I created this plugin as a small Halloween gift (and to celebrate my 40th birthday, which is on October 31st) for BPB and 99Sounds, providing everyone with an easy way to explore some [...]
View post: 99Sounds releases Halloween Sounds, a FREE horror plugin for macOS & Windows

SymphoniQ ArtiQverse ArtiQverse - The Universal Articulation Mapper Create, Auto-Map, Convert, Edit, and Share Articulation Maps Across All Major DAWs. ArtiQverse is a universal articulation-mapping tool that lets you create once and use everywhere. Convert, edit, and share articulation maps across major DAWs - then add iQLense Pro, an automated in-instrument learning add-on that plays through your patch, reads the onscreen articulation names in real time, and auto-builds clean, DAW-ready maps. A built-in community hub, iQSpace, gives you browse/import/upload for thousands of user-shared maps so you're never starting from zero. All learning and OCR run locally on your machine - no cloud processing. _____________________________. What it is (quick version) • Cross-DAW Conversion: import/export maps between Cubase/Nuendo, Dorico, Logic Pro, Studio One, Digital Performer, REAPER (Reaticulate), and Cakewalk. • iQLense (Basic) included: Capture/OCR articulation names from manuals and plug-in GUIs and put an end to tedious typing. • iQLense Pro (Add-On): Automated in-instrument learning - it triggers your patch, reads on-screen articulation names in real time, and builds clean, DAW-ready maps automatically (handles layered/XY/matrix setups). • iQSpace community: Browse, download, and upload maps/templates inside the app. 2,000+ maps and growing. _____________________________. Walkthrough Video (YouTube) _____________________________. Supported DAWs & Formats Cubase / Nuendo (.expressionmap). Dorico (.doricolib / .expressionmap). Logic Pro (Articulation Sets .plist). Studio One (Sound Variations .keyswitch). Digital Performer (.dpartmap). REAPER (Reaticulate) (.reabank). Cakewalk. ArtiQverse native (.artiq with extended metadata). (Planned: Sibelius Sound Sets). _____________________________. System Requirements macOS 10.11+ (Intel & Apple Silicon) and Windows 10/11. 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended). _____________________________. Copy Protection & Licensing • Perpetual license with online activation (no dongle). • 2 device activations per license. • Internet required for license activation and iQSpace; offline mode available (up to 30 days between verifications). _____________________________. Links and Contact https://www.artiqverse.com/ Read More

Get Toots silly sound FX collection by BOOM Library for FREE
As we find ourselves on the eve of Halloween, it is worth remembering there is wisdom in not taking oneself too seriously – a point you can underscore by downloading the new Toots silly sound fx collection by BOOM Library for free. The pack contains 387 royalty-free sounds in 63 high-quality 96kHz/24-bit WAV files. If [...]
View post: Get Toots silly sound FX collection by BOOM Library for FREE

“There’ll be some swings and misses across the industry”: Universal Audio CEO is bullish on his firm’s new LUNA AI features – but says AI in music is broadly “overhyped”Look across the industry, and it feels like most, if not all, music technology companies – from hardware purveyors to plugin developers – are looking to integrate some degree of AI with their products. 
It’s totally understandable; AI (artificial intelligence) remains one of the world’s top buzzwords in late 2025 – and looks like it will continue to do so for many years to come – so it’s no wonder brands are looking to cash in on the hype.
But does the pursuit of new AI features make sense in every case, and for every brand? Universal Audio CEO Bill Putnam Jr. says not necessarily.

READ MORE: Universal accused Udio of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement. That lawsuit’s just been settled – here’s what we know

His firm recently unveiled LUNA 2.0, the latest iteration of its own DAW, introducing a slew of AI-powered features, including Hands-Free Recording via a voice assistant (say, “Hey Luna, start recording” instead of clicking record), as well as Instrument Detection and labelling and more.
Bill Putnam sees AI and Universal Audio as a good match, but as he explains in a new interview with MusicTech, it doesn’t make sense for every brand venturing into the territory.
While AI is very much at the forefront of many people’s minds these days, Putnam isn’t blind to the widespread scepticism that also exists.
Bill Putnam Jr. Image: Universal Audio
“There are people who get it,” he says, reflecting on LUNA’s new voice assistant features, “but other people ask, ‘Why would I ever want to talk to a DAW?’
“If your workflow is just mixing and editing, you might never want to. But for some people, that’s not the case; there’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all… AI is clearly overhyped right now, and we’re starting to see the negative side.”
He goes on: “I’ve seen some reactions that say, ‘Well, you’re just feeding into the hype. This is just AI slop’ or whatever. [But UA] needs to go out there and be willing to be pioneers; we need to be willing to make mistakes. There are gonna be some swings and misses across the industry. And, hopefully, we don’t beat people up too much for that; we just learn a lesson and make something better.”
Putnam touches on the fact there’s nuance regarding AI in music production; it’s not either a song generator does everything for you or you do it all yourself. Certain tools may assist with the technical or workflow aspects of the process, freeing up your time and energy to focus on creating.
“It’s very hard to spend the time to get to the point where music is fun. And it should be,” Putnam says. “Making a tool that can automatically create a soundtrack and replace a music maker is not like Universal Audio.”
Read the full interview with Bill Putnam Jr. at MusicTech. Learn more about LUNA 2.0 at Universal Audio.
The post “There’ll be some swings and misses across the industry”: Universal Audio CEO is bullish on his firm’s new LUNA AI features – but says AI in music is broadly “overhyped” appeared first on MusicTech.

Martyn Bootyspoon on Dance Mania, ghettotech, and sound design
Martyn Bootyspoon discusses the sound of ghettotech, the enduring influence of Dance Mania, and more.

LA Hosts 3 Major Music Industry Conferences Next WeekNext week three major music industry conferences are coming to greater Los Angeles. Explore highlights of the Music Managers Forum-US LA Summit, Billboard Live and Music Tectonics. Plus read on to learn a common thread (other than AI...) running through them.
The post LA Hosts 3 Major Music Industry Conferences Next Week appeared first on Hypebot.

From TONTO to the McLeyvier: Rich Aucoin on recording 162 synths for his album, SyntheticEver heard of ‘choice paralysis’? Countless producers and engineers have spoken to MusicTech about the challenges of knowing which plugin or synthesizer to reach for when inspiration strikes — often, they talk of limiting their setup to avoid the phenomenon. But not Rich Aucoin. The Canadian artist went in the complete opposite direction, recording as many synths as he possibly could for his quadruple album, Synthetic. In total, he played and recorded 162 synthesizers at studios, including Calgary’s National Music Centre and the Vintage Synth Museum in Los Angeles.
His sessions saw him capturing sounds from synthesis history. In Calgary, he played the mythic TONTO synth, the room-sized modular synth built by the late Malcolm Cecil and famously used by Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. He also became the first artist to record the McLeyvier, a precursor to the beloved CMI Fairlight. Aucoin wasn’t alone in his endeavour, either; he collaborated with over a dozen other artists, who each performed parts on different synths and helped guide Aucoin’s vision.
Synthetic Season 4, the final volume of Aucoin’s quadruple album, takes listeners on a journey through 102 synthesizers and a staggering number of different genres and influences, from Air, Brian Eno and Justice to Parliament, Herbie Hancock and  Ennio Morricone. Here, he breaks down the five-year adventures in synth land.
Synthetic Season 4 by Rich Aucoin
Hey Rich! 162 synths across the Synthetic multi-albumMcLeyvier…Wow! How did this concept come about?
It started in 2008 when I visited the Cantos keyboard museum in Calgary. I was on my second national tour and recording my first LP with over 500 guest musicians (I like a goal/concept), and bookmarked the idea to come back and make an album. Years later, that museum turned into the National Music Centre, and they had an Artist In Residence program, which I applied for.
I’d just completed an album I wrote while cycling across America, and it had pretty full front-to-back lyrics, so I was ready to make some instrumental music with synthesizers.
I told NMC that I wanted to record every synth they had (which ended up happening for almost their entire collection, over the course of almost five years). I decided to make it primarily instrumental and to make it for both my current self and past 14-year-old self, who preferred [Air’s 1998] Moon Safari instrumentals to its lyrical tracks.
I knew it always had to be a quadruple album because of the volume of the three hours of different kinds of tracks I wanted to make over the project.
Vintage Synth Museum space. Image: Press
This album took you from the home of TONTO, to the Vintage Synth Museum in LA and into studios with many friends and collaborators. Did you expect such a journey for this album?
I knew I’d have to return to Calgary to NMC a few times, but my sister’s family lives there, so it was also a good excuse to see them more.
Originally, I intended to make four albums in two years while playing around 60-80 shows per year, but that all came to a halt in 2020. It got more reasonably spaced out, and a few more visits to NMC happened than would have if the original two-year plan had been completed.
Initially, I had 200 responses to my request for folks to join me on the albums, thanks to Moog reposting it, but I kept hitting deadlines and not having enough time to include folks in the album series until the final season. I regret not being more comfortable showing the rough works in progress to get people involved sooner.
TONTO. Image: Allison Seto
Talk to us about TONTO! This historic synth is a legend in the synth world.
TONTO! Maybe the most awe-inspiring synth out there. Mothersbaugh (Devo) once said, “It’s like being inside an eyeball” — it’s a spaceship. It was definitely overwhelming, but lots of praise goes to its engineer and one of the engineers of this album, Jason Tawkin, who helped wield the beast into some amazing tones.
I knew I wanted TONTO to be the first track on the record, and so for it, and the other historic one-of-a-kind synths, I didn’t make any demo first; I just experimented with it for roughly five hours of tracking before cutting it down to what’s on the record. I went back later in the recording process and recorded a short Wendy Carlos Switched On-inspired Bach EP on TONTO, too, which we released this year on Bach’s birthday.
ElectroComp NMC. Image: Press
What was the most surprising piece of sound design you discovered while experimenting with these synths?
I really liked the squelches and speaker-ripping tones of the EML Electrocomp Series and the Steiner-Parker Synthacon; I ended up using those synths on both the techno track ElectroComp and Synthacon, but also flew them into Chroma on the new record. I could really just go round in circles with this question and just list so many sounds I was excited by.
Each song had a much longer version with other sounds and experiments. I kept each record to one vinyl length too, so all the six- to eight-minute start lengths got cut down sometimes to a two-minute track in the end. Lots on the cutting room floor.
McLeyvier. Image: Press
This is the first time the McLeyvier has been recorded on an album. Can you tell us about this synth and how you became the first to place it onto an album?
The McLeyvier is a synth that sits in the basement of the National Music Centre and was a precursor to the Fairlight CMI (of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill fame). The McLeyvier synth was just a little ahead of its time, and therefore only a handful of them were made.
One thing that’s unique about the McLeyvier is its warm chords made from real analogue VCOs instead of the latter CMI’s digitally generated sound waves. Just like the CMI, you use a DOS command system to bring up patches and make modifications. It was tucked in a corner, but maybe it’ll be up in the museum or in its studio one day by TONTO and get more use and love.
I thought, ‘What better synth to build one of the tracks that most inspired this project, with some 40 extra synths on that track too, all taking turns with synth lines and warm pads?’ The beat is also made from the Wurlitzer Sideman, the first drum machine.
Using all this gear is one thing, but making it all sound cohesive is arguably the real challenge. How much editing and back-and-forth went into each track?
I thought of this series of more experiments/works during this period, rather than it having a shape or flow of any sort of narrative. I did originally think it might feel like a party; building, climaxing and then subsiding, but I kept wanting to make more energetic music as I went along.
SE4 is anything but the dying down of a party until its final track. So hopefully there’s a nice flow to it all.
I haven’t yet listened to it all as a whole; the only time I suspect I’ll do that for a while is at the listening party on 30 October on a local hi-fi listening room system called Rooms Coffee in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Image: Jason Tawkin
How do you intend for listeners to experience Synthetic?
I don’t think many folks will listen to all three hours of it back to back. I knew that a quadruple album would be a bonkers idea in the year 2025; it feels like there’s so much stuff coming out or being unearthed and rediscovered right now that I don’t feel like many folks’ palettes are wanting/needing a 3-hour-long album, so I just hope folks enjoy whatever pieces of it that they do hear. It’s quite eclectic, so hopefully there’s something for the royal you on it.
Tell us a bit about your own studio.
I like to work with Ableton Live in my bedroom with a couple of keyboards. I have a Moog Subsequent37, a Rhodes 54 and a Korg Triton LE full-size with some other keyboards around, like a Korg M1, Realistic MG1 and some small ones.
I like to demo and edit here and then go to places like the Vintage Synth Museum in LA (truly an amazing place to work when you’re ready to tackle a shopping list of sounds) and just get inspired by the synths there. When I turned on the Crumar Spirit, it was already arpeggiating with that triplet feel that I used on the track and then had that excellent fuzz tone that makes it sound like an electric bass on Spirit Pt. II. That’s all, just the Spirit with no distortion added; just driven.
After so many edits and so many layers, it really felt like a nice way to end the album was to just play one synth for the final track, Anemoia; I played the CS70m at VSM, and what you hear at the end of the album is just the first take of listening to the synth and its chords. I didn’t want to crowd it up by adding anything else.
Ondes Martenot. Image: Press
You’ve used everything from 1928’s Ondes Martenot to modern gear – what’s the biggest misconception about vintage versus modern synthesis, in your eyes?
I’m not sure I can speak as an expert on big misconceptions, but I can say that I tried to pair the oldest gear with some of the newest-sounding production. Ondes Martenot is from 1928 but is on a track more akin to Bicep. The E-Mu Modular System is from the early 70s but has some quite modern sounding turns on the pair of tracks named after it in SE4.
Who gave you the biggest lesson in your career? Can you tell us about how it impacted you?
Maybe my older brother, who’s produced around 50 albums over the years and encouraged me to experiment with recording and use the whole recording studio as an instrument.
My producing partner Gordon Huntley (of Leaving Laurel and roommate) was shocked a couple of times at VSM when I was like, ‘Let’s just loop this part and play everything over it; we’ll sort it out later!’ But, yeah, my brother encouraged that when I’d show him different experiments, and he was always sharing interesting music like Squarepusher or Amon Tobin. He definitely gave me Moon Safari, which started all of this.
Read more Studio Files interviews
The post From TONTO to the McLeyvier: Rich Aucoin on recording 162 synths for his album, Synthetic appeared first on MusicTech.

GForce launch MAP Based on modular systems from the likes of Serge Tcherepnin, Random*Source and Buchla USA, MAP is described as a sound design playground for artists who see synthesis not as programming, but as exploration.

Universal accused Udio of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement. That lawsuit’s just been settled – here’s what we knowUniversal Music Group has settled its widely publicised lawsuit against Udio, which last year accused the AI music generation platform of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement.
So what exactly has led to the two battling companies reaching an amicable settlement?
Well, it was speculated back in June that major labels, including UMG, were in talks with Udio – as well as Suno, another platform UMG sued in 2024 over alleged copyright infringement – to discuss potential licensing deals that would bring in fees and also include a small equity stake in the companies.

READ MORE: Grimes sings from an AI’s perspective in new song Artificial Angel: “This is what it feels like to be hunted by something smarter than you”

Now, UMG and Udio have not only settled their differences, but announced plans to collaborate on a new music creation, consumption and streaming experience. Here’s what we know:
In a new statement shared publicly by UMG, it announced that both itself and Udio have laid out “industry-first strategic agreements”. The company says that in addition to the “compensatory legal settlement”, new licence agreements for recorded music and publishing will “provide further revenue opportunities for UMG artists and songwriters.”
“The new platform, which will be launched in 2026, will be powered by new cutting-edge generative AI technology that will be trained on authorised and licensed music,” reads the statement. “The new subscription service will transform the user engagement experience, creating a licensed and protected environment to customise, stream, and share music responsibly on the Udio platform.”
UMG is also the first company to enter into AI-related agreements with YouTube, TikTok, Meta, KDDI, KLAY Vision, BandLab, Soundlabs and Pro-Rata, among others. It also shares that Udio’s existing product will remain available to users during the transition period with “creations controlled within a walled garden and the service amended in multiple ways”.

Andrew Sanchez, Co-Founder & CEO of Udio, comments: “We couldn’t be more thrilled about this collaboration and the opportunity to work alongside UMG to redefine how AI empowers artists and fans.
“This moment brings to life everything we’ve been building toward – uniting AI and the music industry in a way that truly champions artists. Together, we’re building the technological and business landscape that will fundamentally expand what’s possible in music creation and engagement.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of UMG, adds: “These new agreements with Udio demonstrate our commitment to do what’s right by our artists and songwriters, whether that means embracing new technologies, developing new business models, diversifying revenue streams or beyond.  We look forward to working with Andrew who shares our belief that together, we can foster a healthy commercial AI ecosystem in which artists, songwriters, music companies and technology companies can all flourish and create incredible experiences for fans.”
Find out more about Udio, and read the full statement from Universal Music Group.
The post Universal accused Udio of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement. That lawsuit’s just been settled – here’s what we know appeared first on MusicTech.

New SoundCloud All-in-One Artist Subscription: More Control, 100% EarningsThe new SoundCloud All-in-One Artist Subscription offers musicians and creators more control of streaming, fan funding, merch, vinyl and more with fewer hands in their pocket.
The post New SoundCloud All-in-One Artist Subscription: More Control, 100% Earnings appeared first on Hypebot.