Formant is Minimal Audio’s new formant shifting plugin for “modern vocals” – and it’s totally freeMinimal Audio has expanded its plugin library with a new free offering, Formant – an “effortless” vocal tone shaper “built for modern vocals”.
Available to download at no cost at all, Formant is, as you might guess, a formant shifter plugin. But what is formant shifting?

READ MORE: Spotify Lossless audio is finally here – and no, we’re not kidding

As Minimal explains, a formant shifter “moves the resonant peaks of a sound (its formants) up or down in frequency while leaving the fundamental pitch unchanged”. This results in a change in a vocal’s tone or identity, meaning it can sound higher or lower in character without changing its pitch.
Technologically, this works in a similar way to how a singer could sing the same part differently while retaining the same key.

Additionally, Formant is able to adjust the overall spectral balance and darken or brighten a vocal line, opening up “another dimension of tonal shaping”.
Minimal Audio says Formant – while a formidable tool in its own right – could serve as a “gateway” to its upcoming flagship vocal resynthesis plugin, Evoke. There’s little detail on that as it stands, but we’ll keep you updated as we know more.
Minimal also touts Formant’s “extremely simple interface”, which features an XY pad for the exploration of different tonal configurations. It’s also lightweight, with low CPU usage.
Aside from the obvious use case of transforming a lead vocal, for example, Formant can be used to create backing vocals with a separate, distinct character, or you could stack multiple instances to build layered and contrasting vocals.
And the best part? Formant is totally free. If you’re working with vocals in any capacity, it’s probably worth having in your arsenal.
For more info, and to download yours, head to Minimal Audio.
The post Formant is Minimal Audio’s new formant shifting plugin for “modern vocals” – and it’s totally free appeared first on MusicTech.

How KPop Demon Hunters nailed the Formula for FandomKPop Demon Hunters became Netflix’s most-watched film by representing authentic fandom and K-pop culture. Its blend of real fan insight and universal themes turned a niche into a global hit. Learn how KPop Demon Hunters nailed the formula for fandom
The post How KPop Demon Hunters nailed the Formula for Fandom appeared first on Hypebot.

Reverb UK has reduced its fees for sellersReverb UK is relaunching with lower seller fees – an “all-in” 5 percent on every sale, down 3 percent from before – and new tools for sellers.
Reverb is the largest online marketplace dedicated to music gear so, in addition to private sellers, many UK-based music shops and businesses also rely on the platform to sell stock. This 3 percent drop in sellers fees means more money retained for these businesses and individuals.

READ MORE: Apple AirPods Pro 3: “World’s best” Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, next-gen sound design – and everything else you need to know

As well as this fee drop, sellers will now have access to UK-specific market trend data – which they can use to price their gear more effectively – as well as discounted postage labels via DPD, Yodel, and Evri.
These changes, Reverb says, “further empower sellers to get their gear into the hands of musicians throughout the UK and beyond using the music gear marketplace created by musicians for musicians”.
“Since 2016, Reverb has played a key role in the UK’s music-making community by connecting musicians with music gear they love,” says Reverb’s Chief Operating Officer, Tiffany Miller.
Credit: Reverb
“Whether you’re parting with a vintage Telecaster or looking for unique pedals that can reshape your sound, our straightforward fees and key product improvements make selling music gear more rewarding than ever before, giving musicians more time to focus on what really matters: making music.”
The appeal of Reverb in that it connects musicians with their used dream gear at the perfect price stretches both to hobbyist music lovers and professional recording artists alike.
Acclaimed producer, Amy Winehouse collaborator and nine-time Grammy winner Mark Ronson uses the Reverb marketplace to find used gear, and even did so while making the soundtrack to the Barbie movie.
“We were working on the score for Barbie, and we realized that Director Greta Gerwig was in love with the sound of ‘70s and ‘80s analogue synthesisers,” he recalled in an Industry Insights talk at NAMM last year.
“I looked on Reverb for a Yamaha CS-80, and I saw that there was one about an hour and a half away, so we drove out to get it and its sound became a key part of the movie’s soundtrack.”
So if you’re in the UK and have a piece of gear that could use a new owner, you can now make the most of lower seller fees on the world’s largest online music gear marketplace.
For more info, head to Reverb UK.
The post Reverb UK has reduced its fees for sellers appeared first on MusicTech.

Crowdfunding for Independent Musicians: All You Need To KnowWith all the buzz about superfan monetization, alternative funding and royalty advances, it's easy to lose site of the importance and potential of crowdfunding for independent musicians. This guide share all you need to know.
The post Crowdfunding for Independent Musicians: All You Need To Know appeared first on Hypebot.

Spotify Lossless audio is finally here – and no, we’re not kiddingAfter quite literally years of users requesting the feature, lossless audio is finally coming to Spotify, with Premium users being granted access in selected markets in the coming months.
Speculation began to ramp up earlier this year, with rumours of a “Music Pro” tier floating around February time. As it turns out, “Music Pro” is not a thing, but Lossless is finally arriving to all Premium users.

READ MORE: Apple AirPods Pro 3: “World’s best” Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, next-gen sound design – and everything else you need to know

With Lossless, Spotify users can now stream tracks in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, meaning greater sonic detail across “nearly every song available on Spotify”.
In terms of when they’ll actually get access to Lossless audio, Spotify Premium users will receive a notification when it becomes available to them.
Spotify is also enabling users to choose their own custom settings for Wi-Fi, cellular and downloads, with quality options for Low, Normal, High, Very High and now Lossless – for “maximum flexibility and control”.
Lossless is available on mobile, desktop and tablet, as well as many Spotify Connect-supported devices including Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser and more. Support for devices from Sonos and Amazon is arriving next month.
“The wait is finally over; we’re so excited lossless sound is rolling out to Premium subscribers,” says Gustav Gyllenhammar, VP Subscriptions, Spotify. 
“We’ve taken time to build this feature in a way that prioritises quality, ease of use, and clarity at every step, so you always know what’s happening under the hood. With Lossless, our premium users will now have an even better listening experience.”
It’s worth noting that Lossless audio will need to be manually enabled, with a Lossless indicator now appearing in the Now Playing view or bar.
Credit: Spotify
Getting the most out of Lossless audio is also subject to certain bottlenecks relating to hardware, so for the best experience, Spotify recommends you stream on Wi-Fi using wired headphones or speakers on a non-Bluetooth connection.
“Currently, Bluetooth doesn’t provide enough bandwidth to transmit lossless audio, so the signal has to be compressed before being sent,” Spotify explains.
The platform also says some tracks will take a moment to play, owing to the larger audio files associated with lossless audio. “But once it’s cached and loaded, you are ready to listen,” it says.
Spotify says Lossless is rolling out “gradually” to more than 50 markets through October, with Premium users in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK already beginning to gain access.
For more information, head to the Spotify Newsroom.
The post Spotify Lossless audio is finally here – and no, we’re not kidding appeared first on MusicTech.

CEDAR introduce DNS 8S noise suppressor New from CEDAR Audio, the DNS 8S is a noise suppressor designed specifically for live sound and broadcast applications where audio over IP is not required.

Apple AirPods Pro 3: “World’s best” Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, next-gen sound design – and everything else you need to knowYesterday saw the latest Apple Event from the California tech giant, and among a host of exciting new announcements – including the iPhone 17, all-new and ultra-thin iPhone Air and upgraded Apple Watch models – was the unveiling of its AirPods Pro 3.
The latest generation of its massively popular in-ear headphones, AirPods Pro 3 bring a plethora of new features, including “world’s best” in-ear Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) – removing up to 2x more noise than the previous generation – as well as improved sound quality, fit and battery life, heart rate sensing and even Live Translation.

READ MORE: Apple Logic Pro 11.2 and 2.2: Stem Splitter, Flashback Capture, ChatGPT and everything else you need to know

The latter – powered by Apple Intelligence – helps users have face-to-face conversations even if they don’t speak the same language as one another.
“With AirPods Pro 3, the most popular headphones take a massive leap forward, providing fantastic sound quality and the world’s best ANC of any in-ear wireless headphones,” says John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. 
“Combined with an improved fit that provides greater stability for even more people, heart rate sensing, extended battery life, and Live Translation enabled by Apple Intelligence, AirPods Pro 3 take personal audio to the next level.”
Those are the new features of AirPods Pro 3 at a glance, but let’s dive in a little further to take a more granular look at the improvements.
“World’s best” Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
Credit: Apple
Sure, ANC is a pretty common feature on earbud headphones these days, but what makes it the “world’s best” – as Apple promise – on AirPods Pro 3 are both ultra-low-noise microphones and advanced computational audio, paired with new foam-infused ear tips for greater passive noise isolation. In fact, these buds offer 2x more noise cancellation than the previous AirPods Pro model, and up to 4x more than the original AirPods Pro.
Improved sound design
Apple says AirPods Pro 3 deliver an “exceptional” spatial listening experience, with next-generation Adaptive EQ, which transforms the bass response, widens the soundstage and brings “vivid” vocal clarity across music, shows and calls.
Upgraded fit courtesy of a new in-ear design
AirPods Pro 3 are said to be the “most secure and best-fitting AirPods ever”, courtesy of over 10,000 ear scans and more than 100,000 hours of user research. The internal architecture has been re-engineered to make each bud smaller, while the external geometry of each tip has been aligned to the centre of the body for increased stability.
Additionally, the ear tips now come in five sizes – including a new XXS size – and AirPods Pro 3 are designed for improved durability with IP57 sweat and water resistance.
Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence
Credit: Apple
In what could be the most useful upgrade with AirPods Pro 3, they now come with Live Translation, enabling users to have conversations in real time with people who don’t speak the same language.
Powered by computational audio and Apple Intelligence, Live Translation is designed to help people “easily connect”, and there’s even an option to use an iPhone as a horizontal display, which shows a live transcription of what the other person is saying in their preferred language.
At launch, Live Translation is available in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, with four more languages – Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (simplified) – coming by the end of the year.
Upgrades to health monitoring
Credit: Apple
AirPods Pro 3 feature Apple’s smallest custom-built photoplethysmography (PPG) heart rate sensor – which shines invisible infrared light 256 times per second to measure light absorption in blood flow. It all sounds very sci-fi, but what does it actually mean?
Well, combined with sensor fusion from the AirPods Pro 3 accelerometers, gyroscope and GPS, users can more closely than ever track their heart rate, calories burned and earn rewards in the Fitness app.
Additionally, AirPods Pro 3 bring Hearing Protection to EU and UK users, following certification in these regions. Conversation Boost is now automatic, hearing-impaired users powerful amplification combined with background noise reduction.
Pricing and availability
Priced at $249.99, AirPods Pro 3 available now for pre-order, and will begin shipping 19 September.
For more information, head to Apple.
The post Apple AirPods Pro 3: “World’s best” Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, next-gen sound design – and everything else you need to know appeared first on MusicTech.

Algoriffix adds pitch correction to Pitch Perfekt, a free voice-to-MIDI plugin
Algoriffix has updated Pitch Perfekt, its free voice-to-MIDI plugin, with a new pitch correction feature in the latest version 1.7 beta. We previously covered Pitch Perfekt when it launched in 2024, and it was already a handy tool for converting your voice into MIDI in real-time or from audio files. The new update makes it [...]
View post: Algoriffix adds pitch correction to Pitch Perfekt, a free voice-to-MIDI plugin

Future Audio Workshop SubLab is just $10 Until September 29th
Future Audio Workshop is offering the SubLab bass synthesizer for just $10 at Plugin Boutique until September 29th. SubLab is a sub-bass synthesizer built for modern hip-hop, trap, and electronic music producers. The idea behind the synth engine is to create custom bass and kick sounds, especially 808 bass sounds and similar patches. The plugin [...]
View post: Future Audio Workshop SubLab is just $10 Until September 29th

Own a piece of synth history: A restored Minimoog is being raffled for charity – here’s how you can take partA fully restored vintage Minimoog Model D is being raffled to raise funds for the Bob Moog Foundation.
The decades-old synth, serial number 4605, was originally manufactured in Moog Music’s Williamsville, NY factory in the early 1970s. It has since been fully restored by Moog Music engineer Tim Johnston and bears the signature of musician Todd Rundgren, whose pioneering use of Moog instruments shaped his work with Utopia and his solo recordings.

READ MORE: I got lost in Moog Messenger’s massive Res Bass sounds

The raffle launches Monday, 8 September 2025, at 7am EST and closes Monday, 29 September 2025, at 1159pm EST. It is open internationally, with tickets priced at $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, and 35 for $500. The winner will be announced on Thursday, 2 October.
Credit: The Bob Moog Foundation
Funds raised will support the Foundation’s key initiatives, including Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, which has introduced more than 35,000 elementary students to the science of sound, the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, and the Moogseum, which opened in 2019 but continues to recover financially from the impact of last year’s Hurricane Helene.
Speaking on his involvement, Rundgren says, “The Moog modular synthesizer and the Minimoog helped define my sound. I am thrilled to have signed this fully restored vintage Minimoog for the Bob Moog Foundation in support of their educational efforts, including Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, which inspires thousands of elementary school students through sound every year.”

Since its introduction in 1970, the Minimoog has become a landmark instrument, distilling the power of Moog’s massive modular synths – like the System 55 – into a more accessible, portable format. Its influence has endured for decades, bridging engineering, artistry, and creativity.
Purchase your raffle tickets today at the Bob Moog Foundation website.
The post Own a piece of synth history: A restored Minimoog is being raffled for charity – here’s how you can take part appeared first on MusicTech.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard lets you “name your price” for their music on Bandcamp after Spotify exitAfter pulling their music from Spotify earlier this year, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have made their catalogue available on Bandcamp – and fans can pay whatever they want for it.
The Australian rock band’s decision to quit Spotify this July came in protest of CEO Daniel Ek’s involvement in AI military drone technology. Their departure meant the vast majority of their music had disappeared from online streaming platforms.

READ MORE: With DMs, Spotify takes its next step towards becoming a fully-fledged social media platform

“I don’t really consider myself an activist, and I don’t feel comfortable soapboxing. But this feels like a decision staying true to ourselves, and doing what we think is right for our music, having our music in places that we feel all right about,” said frontman Stu Mackenzie in an interview with the LA Times last month.
Now, their albums have returned online via Bandcamp, this time with a “name your price” option instead of the previous $10 minimum.
While Bandcamp’s standard pricing is set at $9 per album or $1.50 per track, artists are allowed to set prices “in a way that reflects your goals, your audience, and the value of your work”. In this case, King Gizzard has opted to let listeners decide.
And the results speak for themselves: King Gizzard’s catalogue currently dominates the entire Top 25 of Bandcamp’s best-selling albums section. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming through Bandcamp’s free app.
The band are far from alone in leaving Spotify over Ek’s ties to Helsing. Acts such as Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Hotline TNT, the Mynabirds, Kadhja Bonet, and WU LYF have all pulled their music from the platform in recent months.
“We don’t want our music killing people,” San Francisco art-rock band Deerhoof explained earlier this year. “We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech.”
They added that leaving the platform was a “pretty easy” decision given that “Spotify only pays a pittance anyway,” though they stressed they “don’t judge those who can’t make the same move in the short term” if the platform remains a key income source.
The post King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard lets you “name your price” for their music on Bandcamp after Spotify exit appeared first on MusicTech.

Save the Music Brings Music Education To Schools in NeedThis week, Ari is joined by Henry Donahue of Save the Music Foundation, bringing music education access to millions of students.

PRS Guitars Brings Back the Mira as an S2 594On Tuesday, PRS Guitars announced the return of the Mira model to the Maryland factory line, now with the 24.594” scale length. "This new iteration, available in both gloss and satin finishes, will be a regular offering in the S2 Series," they said in a statement. "The 22-fret S2 Mira 594 covers a wide range of styles, including rock, blues, garage, and punk. Pairing its all-mahogany construction with PRS 58/15 LT vintage-voiced pickups results in warm, focused midrange. The humbuckers are paired with two mini-toggle switches to individually tap the pickups, delivering both authentic humbucking and chimey single-coil sounds."“The Mira has had an interesting history over the course of the last 17 years, but I don’t think it found its true voice until now,” said PRS Guitars Director of Sales, Jim Cullen. “The S2 Mira 594 combines our 24.594” scale length with a Pattern Thin neck shape and a very simple and straight forward feature set that provides an incredibly lively, simple-to-use tool to create music. I hope you are as inspired as we are with the newest evolution of this classic model.”"The S2 Mira 594 is available in: Antique White, Black, Dark Cherry Sunburst, Platinum Metallic, Vintage Cherry, and debut color Black Rainbow Holoflake.""The S2 Mira 594 Satin features the PRS 'sinky' satin nitro finish, and is available in: Matcha Green, Mavis Mint Metallic, Metallic Midnight, Dark Cherry Sunburst, Red Apple Metallic, and debut color Cloud Burst.""The Mira was first introduced in 2007 as an all-mahogany pickguard guitar with moon inlays, 24 frets, 25" scale length, a stoptail bridge, and a single mini-toggle. It has appeared across all of the Series and in various configurations, including the popular Mira X. In 2013, the Mira was moved from Core and was one of three models to launch the S2 Series. It was last offered as an S2 in 2018, becoming part of the SE Series from 2020-2023.""PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year. For all of the latest news, click www.prsguitars.com/40 and follow @prsguitars on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and YouTube."The post PRS Guitars Brings Back the Mira as an S2 594 first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Eric Trump scaling back role at crypto firm ALT5 SigmaThe initial deal between ALT5 and World Liberty Financial included Eric Trump being on the company’s board of directors.

Why SpaceX made a $17B bet on the direct-to-cell marketExplaining SpaceX's aggressive move to dominate satellite-to-phone connectivity.