MIT develops recyclable 3D-printed glass blocks for constructionThe team points to glass’ optical properties and its “infinite recyclability” as reasons for turning to the material.
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Nelly sued for at least $50m over allegedly not crediting former St. Lunatics bandmates on hit album Country GrammarUS rapper Nelly has been sued by his former bandmates, the St. Lunatics, over a copyright dispute regarding several tracks from his hit album Country Grammar, which was released in 2000. The complaint was filed by lawyers in New York on Thursday (September 18) on behalf of Ali Jones (Ali), Torhi Harper (Murphy Lee), Robert … Continued
Source

Reverse Engineering A Keyboard Driver Uncovers A Self-Destruct CodeShould you be able to brick a keyboard just by writing a driver to flash the lights on it? We don’t think so either. [TheNotary] got quite the shock when embarking on a seemingly straightforward project to learn C++ on the x86-64 architecture with Windows and sent it straight to Silicon Heaven with only a few seemingly innocent USB packets.
The project was a custom driver for the XVX S-K80 mechanical keyboard, aiming to flash LED patterns across the key LEDs and perhaps send custom images to the integrated LCD. When doing this sort of work, the first thing you need is the documentation of the communications protocols. Obviously, this was not an option with a closed-source project, so the next best thing is to spy on the existing Windows drivers and see how they worked. Using Wireshark to monitor the USB traffic whilst twiddling with the colour settings, it was clear that communications were purely over HID messages, simplifying subsequent analysis. Next, they used x32dbg (now x64dbg, but whatever) to attach to the existing driver process and trap a few interesting Windows system calls. After reading around the Windows API, a few candidate functions were identified and trapped. This gave them enough information to begin writing code to reproduce this behaviour. Then things got a bit odd.

There apparently was a lot of extra protocol baggage when performing simple tasks such as lighting an LED. They shortened the sequence to reduce the overhead and noticed an additional byte that they theorized must encode the number of packets to expect in case only a subset of the LEDs were being programmed. Setting this to 0x01 and sending LED code for single keys appeared to work and was much faster but seemed unreliable. After a short experiment with this mystery value, [TheNotary] reverted the code to send all the packets for the full LED set as before, forgetting to correct this mystery value from the 0xFF it was programmed to during the experiment. They were surprised that all the LEDs and LCD were switched off. They were then horrified when the keyboard never powered up again. This value appeared to have triggered an obscure firmware bug and bricked it—a sad end to what would have been a fun little learning project.
Keyboard hacks are so plentiful it’s hard to decide where to start. How about upgrading the keyboard of your trusty ZX81? Here’s a lovely, minimal mechanical keyboard powered by a Pi Pico, and finally while we’re thinking about drivers bricking your stuff, who can forget FTDI gate? We may never forgive that one.
Header image: Martin Vorel, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Irving Azoff’s GMR just struck a $3.3 billion private equity deal, say MBW sourcesLook. We’ve broken some pretty big news of late. Proper news. But this? Size-of-transaction-wise, this tops the lot. MBW has confirmed via well-placed sources that Irving Azoff’s US-headquartered PRO, Global Music Rights (GMR), struck a multi-billion dollar deal yesterday (September 18) with a new private equity partner. The deal, we’re told, valued GMR at USD … Continued
Source

Music production is officially in its ‘subscription’ eraThe best way to make music is by spending $60 a month on bundles and services that will ultimately never be yours. Yep, in 2024, opening your DAW is easier when you open your wallet.
That’s what some software companies seemingly want you to believe, anyway. And, as more developers head down a subscription route, more music producers are feeling alienated.
Artists and producers aren’t strangers to subscription services. Splice, Tracklib, and Output have operated on a subscription basis since their inception, which most creators have warmly embraced. With these platforms, your cancel-anytime subscription guarantees a regular stream of new material to keep and use in your music — even if you end your subscription after downloading it.
READ MORE: VCV unveils VCV+ subscription plan – but it’s not rent-to-own, and fans are disappointed
And subscriptions are everywhere, anyway, right? Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, PlayStation Plus — even my HP home printer has an ink subscription option. It’s not a novel concept.
So why are music producers so frustrated that plugin companies are heading down the same path?
Last year, Waves, a long-beloved brand in studios around the globe, attempted to pivot to a subscription-only model. This move was seen as extreme by fans, who could no longer purchase Waves plugins outright; under this plan, they could not use them in their projects unless subscribed to Waves’ platform. It was seen as a paywall to creativity and an insult to long-standing customers who have always purchased plugin licenses and paid for regular upgrades.
Producers revolted and Waves overturned the decision in under 48 hours.
Much to many fans’ disappointment, modular synth software brand VCV Rack is the latest to offer a subscription service. It’s $29 monthly or $228 per year, and you get access to “VCV Rack Pro for DAWs; All premium VCV-brand modules; Official virtual Eurorack modules; and Hundreds of premium third-party modules.”
VCV Rack 2
Thankfully, you can still purchase its stellar software, Rack 2 Pro, for $149 but, crucially, none of VCV’s customers were asking for such a service before launch. In fact, very few producers are ever asking for subscription plans to plugins.
A quick look at Native Instruments’ 360 service — which starts at $150per year and goes up to £440 per year — comes with a disclaimer: “All content offer details are subject to change without prior notice. Cancellation and downgrade effects depend on your subscription plan.”
In theory, this means that the software included in your subscription package could change without warning. Got a synth part in your project from Massive X? If NI were to remove that from your subscription, you could say goodbye to that sound. But if you own Massive X, the sound is yours forever.
Native Instruments has told us, however, that the note “allows us to introduce new features, products, or improvements, as well as to adjust the included features, such as online experiences. While products or features may be retired over time, we are committed to ensuring that users will not lose their sessions. In the event we end-of-life a product, subscribers will be provided with a way to maintain access and ensure continued compatibility with their work.”
Avid‘s Pro Tools, once the essential DAW for every major recording studio in the world, is now pushing producers to a sub model. You can buy a license from a reseller but, otherwise, it’s a monthly fee, with no rent-to-own option to allow you to eventually buy Pro Tools, even after paying $299 per year.
Pro Tools. Image: Avid
It’s easy to understand creators’ concerns. Our work is precious and deeply personal, if not to us then to someone we’re working with. Imagine your frustration if, after spending considerable time tweaking a plugin’s automation across a 5-minute track, adding movement and depth to your new masterpiece — only for it to be removed the next time you open the project. Or you miss a payment, leaving you without a DAW to even open. That’d suck.
You’ll rarely find anyone actively looking for a subscription to software they’ll never own. Adobe faced intense backlash in 2013 when it introduced Creative Cloud, marking an end to perpetual licenses of its software. If you want Photoshop in 2024, you need to pay $20 per month for as long as you use it — if you’re a photographer, that’s a lot of cash over the course of your career.
As Benn Jordan points out, with VCV+: “If you had to subscribe from [VCV Rack’s] initial 2017 release, VCV Rack would have cost you $2,436 and you wouldn’t own a single thing.”

If you had to subscribe from the initial 2017 release, VCV Rack would have costed you $2,436 and you wouldn't own a single thing. pic.twitter.com/LlGPxHzvdp
— Benn Jordan (@bennjordan) September 7, 2024

But subscriptions aren’t all bad.
Services like Splice and Output seem to have it (mostly) nailed. And if you’re a casual music producer, or just want to try out a few NI products before buying them, for example, it’s a bargain; $11 per month for over 60 plugins is pretty good.
To that end, subscriptions aren’t a paywall to creativity, they’re lowering the barrier to creativity. There will be many young producers out there who are capable of being the next Timbaland, Brian Eno or Daft Punk — they should be provided with affordable tools to create and learn.
As companies continue to look to subscriptions as an option for their customers, we ask only the following: Consider a rent-to-own option whenever you can; don’t remove plugins abruptly without prior notice; be more realistic with your monthly subscription costs.
Our DAWs are much more fun when we know there isn’t a monthly payment of $100 required to keep the plugins open.
Read more music technology news. 
The post Music production is officially in its ‘subscription’ era appeared first on MusicTech.

Lathe Outfitted with Electronic GearboxRunning a metal lathe is not for the faint of heart. Without proper knowledge and preparation, these machines can quickly cause injury or destroy expensive stock, tools, or parts. The other major problem even for those with knowledge and preparedness is that some of their more niche capabilities, like cutting threads with a lead screw, can be tedious and complicated thanks to the change gear system found on some lathes. While these are useful tools for getting things done, [Not An Engineer] decided that there was a better way and got to work building an electronic gearbox to automate the task of the traditional mechanical change gear setup in this video.
What makes change gears so tricky is that they usually come as a set of many gears of different ratios, forcing the lathe operator to figure out the exact combination of gears needed to couple the spindle of the lathe to the feed screw at the precise ratio needed for cutting a specific thread pattern. It is possible to do this task but can be quite a headache. [Not An Engineer] first turned to an Arduino Nano to receive input from a rotary encoder connected to the shaft of the lathe and then instruct a motor to turn the feed screw at a set ratio.
The first major problem was that the Arduino was not nearly fast enough to catch every signal from the encoder, leading to a considerable amount of drift in the output of the motor. That was solved by upgrading to a Teensy 4.1 with a 600 MHz clock speed. There was still one other major hurdle to cross; the problem of controlling the motor smoothly when an odd ratio is selected. [Not An Engineer] used this algorithm to inspire some code, and with that and some custom hardware to attach everything to the lathe he has a working set of electronic change gears that never need to be changed again. And, if you don’t have a lathe at all but are looking to get started with one, you can always build your own from easily-sourced parts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSDNKmk5B20
 

Sonarworks update SoundID VoiceAI Sonarworks' SoundID VoiceAI plug-in has been treated to an update that introduces some user-requested features and licensing changes. 

NITO indie agents, managers take ticket scalper complaint to FedsThe National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) has filed a formal ticket scalper complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging widespread violations of the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act.
The post NITO indie agents, managers take ticket scalper complaint to Feds appeared first on Hypebot.

Imagine Dragons livestream to benefit Tyler Robinson Foundation FridayThe Tyler Robinson Foundation and Bandsintown are hosting a special Imagine Dragons livestream performance from Los Vegas tomorrow Friday, September 20th at 9:30 PM PT/12:30 AM ET.
The post Imagine Dragons livestream to benefit Tyler Robinson Foundation Friday appeared first on Hypebot.

Q2 2024 music market metrics: bifurcation is hereThere are so many music industry metrics and financial results flying around these days that it can be difficult to keep up with them all. Don’t worry, we’ve got you. MIDiA has just published the first edition of a brand-new report series: quarterly music metrics. The aim of the report is to synthesise a sea of data into the insights that matter. Here are some highlights from the first edition.

Q2 2024 faced intense music industry scrutiny, with Universal Music Group’s (UMG) streaming revenue growth lagging that of market leader DSP Spotify. A complex mix of factors contributed to this trend –– UMG pointed to sluggish performance of Amazon Music and Apple Music, though regional factors were probably the main culprit, with Spotify growing well in Global South regions where UMG is not as strong. 

Earlier this week, UMG’s Sir Lucian Grainge laid out UMG’s vision for ‘streaming 2.0’ – a more segmented approach to taking the streaming market to its next phase. This included a more considered outlook of 10% annual subscriptions growth 2023 – 2028. Which is exactly what MIDiA projected in our music forecasts. It is solid and achievable growth. But one that does indeed need a fresh, more nuanced approach with the music market now bifurcating, both in business terms (DSPs vs social) and geographic terms (Global South vs Western markets).

The signs of bifurcation are already apparent with early signs of a slowdown in streaming music consumer behaviour to accompany the revenue trend. Spotify and YouTube Music were the only leading DSPs to experience weekly active user (WAU) growth between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024. All other DSPs saw declines over the period. This is not a one-off event. Between Q2 2020 and Q3 2022, all DSPs experienced steady WAU growth. From then on, however, all experienced flattening or declining growth. 

YouTube is worth taking note of as well. WAUs for watching music videos on YouTube have been in steady decline since Q3 2022, reflecting the growing competition from short form (both TikTok and YouTube’s own Shorts). YouTube Music app WAUs were up slightly.

The streaming slowdown is not restricted to DSP WAUs. The vast majority of monthly consumer streaming activities and wider monthly music behaviours, were also down. 

Secular trends are likely at play, namely cost of living pressures and growing competition for attention from other forms of entertainment. Interestingly though, the fact YouTube Music and Shorts, and TikTok related activities were the only ones to buck the trend is evidence of the bifurcation of music between DSPs and social, with the latter on the up.

But streaming value chain dynamics aside, Q2 24 was another quarter of solid growth across the wider music industry with leading labels, publishers, DSPs, and live music companies all registering growth once more. Total revenue across the fifteen leading music companies tracked by MIDiA were up 9.6% in Q2 2024, to reach $20.7 billion, with publishers and DSPs growing fastest.

Live continued its post-lockdown renaissance but the first signs of moderating growth are showing, with Live Nation’s and Eventim’s combined growth rate of 8.2% the first single digit growth rate since recovery started in Q2 21. There is no cause for alarm bells yet, but saturation of market demand for increasingly expensive live experiences will likely manifest in the coming years.

If you liked what you saw here, then check out the full report: Q2 2024 music metrics | Bifurcation is here

If you are not yet a MIDiA client, then drop us a line at businessdevelopment@midiaresearch.com

And as if you need any further persuasion, the data file with the report includes around a million consumer data points alongside quarterly company financials across labels, publishing, streaming and live, including separate sheets for major labels, publishers, and South Korea!

Rise of the Songwriter Brand [MIDiA’s Tatiana Cirisano]Explore the rise of the songwriter brand that has played a major role in shaping the current industry. With this shift, songwriters can gain more recognition and opportunities beyond traditional songwriting roles.
The post Rise of the Songwriter Brand [MIDiA’s Tatiana Cirisano] appeared first on Hypebot.

Union Audio relaunches MasterSounds’ much-loved two.valve and four.valve analogue rotary mixersUnion Audio has relaunched the two.valve and four.valve analogue rotary mixers, which were previously sold through MasterSounds, now under the Union Audio banner.
MasterSounds founder Ryan Shaw shared a statement back in June announcing that the brand was building the final units of its DJ mixers, FX units, ISO4s and LinearPOWER supplies. Shaw founded MasterSounds in 2008, and then formed a partnership with Union Audio’s Andy Rigby-Jones in 2016. The mixers were formerly named as the Two Valve MK2 and Four Valve MK2.

READ MORE: Classic rotary mixers made “accessible” with the launch of Union Audio’s new Orbit LE range

At the time of the statement, Shaw said the brands were going to continue their journeys of discovery “in different directions” following the final MasterSounds sales. The relaunched Union Audio two.valve and four.valve mixers host the same specs as before, and are still handmade in the UK.
The brand says they are built to deliver a “premium DJing experience”, incorporating valve warmth with modern engineering. Each of its two or four channels features high-quality phono and line inputs, allowing for easy transitions between various audio sources. The mixers’ layouts feature rotary faders, an Innofader crossfader, EQ controls, and an intuitive interface.
Central to these mixers’ sound is the valve (tube) circuitry, which provides a unique warmth and richness. As Union Audio explains, the mixers are constructed with carefully selected components, and have a robust metal chassis to provide durability.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Union Audio (@unionaudiouk)

“We are delighted to return these much loved and enjoyed products to our own portfolio, which has expanded to meet the diverse needs of our customers, whilst maintaining the same superior audio excellence, build construction and innovative design across the range,” states CEO Rigby-Jones.
These products are available now. The two.valve mixer is priced at £1,524 and the four.valve is £2,400. Find out more over at Union Audio.
The post Union Audio relaunches MasterSounds’ much-loved two.valve and four.valve analogue rotary mixers appeared first on MusicTech.

Transpanner 2 is a FREE 3D Audio Panning Plugin by Artists in DSP
Developer Artists in DSP has made available Transpanner 2, a free 3D audio panning plugin for Windows and macOS. The developer released the plugin under the “pay what you want” price model, and it’s available in VST3 and AU formats. Artists in DSP describe Transpanner 2 as a psychoacoustic panning algorithm with a super simple [...]
View post: Transpanner 2 is a FREE 3D Audio Panning Plugin by Artists in DSP

PreSonus to scrap Studio One Artist and Studio One Prime editions in favour of “one, feature-complete” DAWPreSonus has announced some pretty big changes for the future of its Studio One product offerings. As of this autumn, there will be “one DAW for all”.
Beginning with the release of version 7 on 9 October, the brand is moving to one, feature-complete edition of its flagship software and will no longer offer Studio One Artist and Studio One Prime Editions. Going forward, Studio One Pro will be the one-stop shop for everything.

READ MORE: Mixland partners with Undertone Audio on new UnFairchild 670M mkII V1.0 plugin

“From the first version of Studio One in 2009, we’ve released new major versions every two years,” states PreSonus in a press release. “In order to continue to grow Studio One, we’re aiming to deliver more major new features, faster, as soon as they’re ready. To accomplish this, we’re changing our release cadence to a faster feature release cycle with multiple major new feature releases each year.”
According to PreSonus, these changes are the direct result of user feedback. Studio One Pro 7 will be the last numbered version release, meaning in the future version naming will be time-based with the first of these new feature releases coming early next year. No official date for this has yet been given.

However, starting today, all Studio One Pro perpetual licences will include one full year of new feature releases from the time of registration. This means you’ll upgrade your licence on your schedule and still get to keep a full year of new features released after you purchase a licence — without worrying about the timing of major releases.
PreSonus assures you will never lose access to Studio One Pro with any perpetual licence, and that in fact, Studio One Pro perpetual licences will become “more accessible than ever”, with improvements to upgrade eligibility and pricing. Also from today, the brand is offering one upgrade price for all, allowing owners of any previous version of Studio One Professional or Studio One Artist Edition to upgrade for $149.99.
As for Studio One+, this will become Studio One Pro+, and is “still the best way into everything Studio One Pro”. All Pro+ subscribers will continue to have unlimited access to cloud-based tools, content, loops, samples, and all the extras.
For subscribers and members on Hybrid plans, your annual subscription will continue to include a Studio One Pro perpetual licence along with all new features released each year of your subscription.
Find out more over at PreSonus.
The post PreSonus to scrap Studio One Artist and Studio One Prime editions in favour of “one, feature-complete” DAW appeared first on MusicTech.

“I’ve come to realise that the perfect mix doesn’t exist, although Daft Punk might be able to achieve that”: Producer Ben Böhmer on embracing imperfection in musicHave you ever found yourself stuck in an endless quest for the perfect mix, pouring countless hours into fine-tuning your tracks, only to realise that the ideal sound you seek remains just out of reach?
It’s a struggle many artists are familiar with, including German DJ-producer Ben Böhmer, who recently spoke about his own battle with perfectionism in a new interview.

READ MORE: Kavinsky is teasing an ‘Olympics Version’ release of Nightcall

Speaking to MusicRadar about his upcoming album BLOOM, Böhmer shares how the recording process drove him “crazy” at times, noting that at one point he had a whopping “130 mixdowns”.
“It took me about 18 months to complete the album and most of the songs were finished at a pretty early stage but it took ages to finalise them,” says the producer. “I felt that was easier to do in the past and figured it would get easier as my knowledge about production grew, but I was completely wrong about that.”
“The last 5 or 10 percent drove me crazy from time to time and at one point I had about 130 mixdowns that I gave to other mix engineers but I didn’t like the results that much. In the end I finished it by myself and I’m still not happy, but please don’t write that [laughs].”
Böhmer also notes that while there are moments when he feels “100 percent happy” with his creations, what sounds interesting and good can change over time “because your tastes are always changing.”
“It’s probably normal for the process to drive you mad,” he adds, “but that’s why I enjoy playing live because even if I perform a song from 2016 it’s never too late to make changes to it or add an idea.”
The musician continues: “What really drives me crazy is the mixdown and trying to find the perfect balance between a sound being clean or not clean or the right sound that works between the big stage and home speakers. Now that I’m on album three, I’ve come to realise that the perfect mix doesn’t exist, although Daft Punk might be able to achieve that because they sound amazing everywhere despite their tracks being made with very little equipment.”
BLOOM is due out on 27 September. Check out the single Best Life below.

The post “I’ve come to realise that the perfect mix doesn’t exist, although Daft Punk might be able to achieve that”: Producer Ben Böhmer on embracing imperfection in music appeared first on MusicTech.