How Luminar’s doomed Volvo deal helped drag the company into bankruptcyLuminar says trouble with Volvo started as early as 2022, and that the Swedish automaker made -- but then backed away from -- large orders of its lidar sensors.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs see $358M outflow: Are investors abandoning BTC?Bitcoin price held above $85,000, but weakening spot BTC ETF flows and a disappointing end-of-year performance cast doubt on a December rally to $100,000.

Italian Blackened Atmospheric Death Metal Project Frostmorner Signs With WormholedeathAccording to news on Tuesday, "Italian blackened atmospheric death metal project Frostmorner is proud to announce its official signing with Wormholedeath. The collaboration will see the worldwide release of Frostmorner's debut album, Orbital Kaos, scheduled to drop on February 13, 2026."

"Founded by Mario and rooted in Sicily, Frostmorner began its journey in 2019. What started with the support of other musicians soon evolved into a fully solo project, allowing Mario to build a sound that reflects his vision without compromise. Over the years, Frostmorner has caught the attention of magazines, fanzines, and radio stations, opening the door to collaborations and conversations with artists across the extreme metal world."

“Orbital Kaos marks the first full-length chapter of Frostmorner and showcases the project’s foundation: a blend of blackened intensity, atmospheric layers, and death metal grit. The album pulls inspiration from Nile, Hypocrisy, Belphegor, and Death, while weaving in modern influences from Lorna Shore and Rings of Saturn. Its thematic core draws from a lifelong fascination with Lovecraft, mythology, space, and horror."

"The album’s title captures its essence. Each track stands on its own, shaped by its own narrative and energy, yet all orbit around the central concept of Kaos. The result is a record built on fragmentation, unpredictability, and tension: an audio universe where no two moments land in the same place."

The post Italian Blackened Atmospheric Death Metal Project Frostmorner Signs With Wormholedeath first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Get a free drum machine for Splice INSTRUMENT
Download our free drum machine preset for our new Splice INSTRUMENT plugin—grab these presets during the drop window and they’re yours to keep forever.

ACE Studio 2.0 from Timedomain The latest version of ACE Studio is now available, and comes kitted out with a whole host of new AI Voices and languages, additional AI Instruments, new Generative Kits, an improved workflow and seamless DAW integration.

Building A Granular Sampler SynthSynthesizing sounds from scratch is all well and good, you just use a bit of maths. However, the latest build from [Daisy] eschews such boring concepts as additive or subtractive synthesis, instead going for a sample-based approach.
This build is based around the Daisy Seed microcontroller platform. It was actually inspired by an earlier project to create a ribbon synth, which we covered previously. In this case, the ribbon potentiometer has been repurposed, being used to control the playback position of a lengthy recorded sample. In this build, the Daisy Seed is running its audio playback system at a rate of 48,000 samples per second. It’s capable of storing up to 192,000 samples in memory, so it has a total of 4 seconds of sample storage. The Daisy Seed uses an analog-to-digital input to record two seconds of audio into the sample buffer. It can then be replayed by placing a finger on the ribbon at various points. Playback is via granular synthesis, where small sections of the overall sample buffer are used to synthesize a new tone. The video explains how the granular synthesis algorithm is implemented using the Plugdata framework. Design files are available for those eager to replicate the build.
Once you start tinkering in the world of synthesis, it’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole. Video after the break.

Beggars Group has acquired majority ownership of XL Recordings, documents showUK-headquartered indie music company Beggars Group has been the majority owner of XL Recordings since October 2024
Source

Bandsintown’s High Notes Reveals the Artists, Genres & Cities That Led Live Music in 2025Bandsintown's 2025 High Notes recap is here. Learn which artists, stages, and cities made this year count! Plus, dive into your own personalized recap to discover what powered you through 2025.
The post Bandsintown’s High Notes Reveals the Artists, Genres & Cities That Led Live Music in 2025 appeared first on Hypebot.

Arturia announce Pigments 7 The latest version of Arturia’s flagship software synthesizer has just arrived, delivering an array of new features aimed at modern producers and sound designers.

Klevgrand ParrotFrom subtle beat variation or harmonic accents to glitchy mayhem, Parrot adds something unique and interesting to anything that you feed it with. This effect will help ignite your next dance-floor hit or add that extra je ne sais quoi of flavour to your mix. Whatever you feed the Parrot, it won't let you down. Parrot creates rhythmic patterns by sampling small slices of incoming audio, and repeating it in a sequenced loop. With control over loop length, pitch, variation, dynamics and filtering, the result can easily take off in any direction you want. Each slice becomes part of a loop that keeps reshaping itself as you adjust parameters, making patterns that feel alive. The sequencer reacts strongly to small changes, so even minor tweaks can introduce new pulses, stutters or harmonic shifts. Parrot can hold on to a steady rhythm, but it's just as comfortable dissolving into broken loops and glitchy textures that evolve over time. When synced to your DAW it slots neatly into structured productions, while the free‑run mode opens up a more exploratory, generative side. The smallest change can create a new pattern, almost like turning a kaleidoscope and watching the pieces fall into a fresh formation. As the loop repeats, the interplay between timing, pitch and modulation build a sense of movement that keeps the rhythm from feeling static. Filtering can push the sound forward or bury it in grainy motion, and dynamic shaping helps each step take on its own character. Over longer sessions, patterns can morph in ways that feel unexpected yet connected to the original source, gradually forming textures that sit somewhere between groove and ambience. From gentle movement to complete fragmentation, Parrot acts as a creative companion that constantly feeds new rhythmic ideas back to you, encouraging ongoing exploration and rewarding every small adjustment with a new possibility. Features Loop‑based live sampling with sequenced playback (step-sequencer with up to 16 steps). Per‑step pitch control and accent. Variable note values for evolving rhythms. Pan alternation following sequencer. Evolving filter section with multiple modes. Evolving volume curve. Separate dry-signal filter. DAW sync or free‑running mode. Humanizer for subtle timing variation. Mute/Solo during sampling. Lock parameters for save preset-switching. Nice preset collection. YouTube.com/watch?v=sDOyyVl_e7w YouTube.com/watch?v=xHef_xhxcgY Read More

This app lets you effortlessly send a DAW mix to your mobile device – and record ideas wherever inspiration strikesAs producers and mix engineers, we all know the fatigue that begins to set in after a long session in front of the screen.
It’s routinely recommended by the top professionals to take regular breaks while working with audio in order to keep our ears sharp. But these breaks are often when those golden moments of inspiration actually happen.
That’s why audio plugin brand FKFX has developed DawNote, a new app which allows users to send their current DAW mix to their mobile device, listen to it in real-world situations like walking or commuting, and even capture voice notes or melody ideas via the microphone whenever inspiration strikes.
These ideas are then synced back to the main DAW project, ready to be used directly within the DAW.

READ MORE: RAM shortage may drive up laptop prices – what does this mean for music producers?

Creativity is non-linear; you can be working for hours on crafting the perfect vocal melody in the studio, and then change your environment and come up with a better idea in 5 minutes while walking in the park.
DawNote seems like a pretty neat idea to capture those ideas that may otherwise have been lost to the ether, while offering features which make bringing those ideas into your main DAW project super easy.
The concept behind DawNote is simple: listening outside the studio offers a different perspective, and some ideas cannot be expressed efficiently with text alone,” FKFX says. “Tone, intention, and urgency are often better captured with voice.”

DawNote is currently scheduled for release in early 2026, with a free version available to discover the features.
You can sign up to the FKFX newsletter to receive updates surrounding the launch.
The post This app lets you effortlessly send a DAW mix to your mobile device – and record ideas wherever inspiration strikes appeared first on MusicTech.

Audio Engineer & Podcaster Bobby Owsinski’s 2026 Music PredictionsHypebot's Future Predictions series is back. Join us as we ask the music industry's expert analysts what they think might unfold in the world of music in 2026.
The post Audio Engineer & Podcaster Bobby Owsinski’s 2026 Music Predictions appeared first on Hypebot.

unAbleton releases Volture, a FREE distortion plugin for Windows
Developer unAbleton has released Volture, a free distortion plugin for Windows, available in 64-bit VST3 format only. Volture is a stompbox-style distortion with a bright yellow GUI that clearly nods toward classic overdrive pedals like the SD-1. And the interface looks like it was designed for a guitarist’s pedalboard. But at the same time, the [...]
View post: unAbleton releases Volture, a FREE distortion plugin for Windows

RAM shortage may drive up laptop prices – what does this mean for music producers?Amid a global shortage in DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), laptops are likely to become more expensive, market researcher TrendForce warns, and existing spec sheets may end up being downgraded in order to keep supply chains consistent.
In a new analysis, TrendForce says the DRAM shortage and concurrent high demand is pushing prices way up, and could soon mean the average mid-range laptop will have just 8GB of RAM, as opposed to the higher specs currently found on mid-priced machines. 
It says computers with 16, 32 or 64GB of RAM will continue to be available, but at higher prices amid the period of high demand.

READ MORE: FL Studio is coming to your browser as FL Studio Web

Why is this important for music producers? Depending on the demands of your workflow, you’ll likely be running a significant number of tracks with numerous plugins and virtual instruments all at once. 
RAM is essentially your machine’s short-term memory which allows its CPU to access data quickly. Put simply, the more RAM your machine has, the faster and more smoothly it will carry out tasks. Being a creative endeavour, this is all important for music production; we all know how frustrating it can be to have technological limitations interrupt our creative flow.
8GB of RAM is generally recommended as the minimum for music production. Beginners or less advanced producers may find it’s all they need to put together beats, record instruments and put together their mixes, but producers working with more complex sessions may discover they run into performance issues.
So per TrendForce’s analysis, if you’re a producer looking to ensure your laptop doesn’t technologically inhibit your creative flow, you might soon find yourself paying more for models with 16GB of RAM and beyond.
“While prices may stay stable for now, medium- and long-term adjustments, such as lowering specifications or raising prices, are inevitable,” the company states. “TrendForce forecasts more significant price fluctuations in the PC market by the second quarter of 2026.
“TrendForce highlights that cutting down on specifications or postponing upgrades has become an essential cost-saving measure for smartphone and laptop manufacturers. This is especially true for DRAM, which makes up the largest portion of memory expenses.”
So if you’re loosely eyeing up a laptop upgrade, you might be better off making that purchase sooner rather than later.
The post RAM shortage may drive up laptop prices – what does this mean for music producers? appeared first on MusicTech.

Soundtoys is giving away Little Plate for FREE until December 18
Soundtoys offers the Little Plate plate reverb plugin for free until December 18th as part of the 12 Days of Soundtoys promotion. The free offer on Little MicroShift (my absolutely favorite Soundtoys plugin from the Little lineup) just expired, but the next freebie is equally sweet. If you’ve ever wanted the lush sound of a [...]
View post: Soundtoys is giving away Little Plate for FREE until December 18