Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation Launches 3rd Annual '7 Days of Giving' AuctionThe Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation (KTBA), led by four-time GRAMMY-nominated blues-rock artist Joe Bonamassa, has announce its 3rd Annual “7 Days of Giving” Auction in celebration of GivingTuesday, a global generosity movement. This special auction, starting Tuesday, November 26 and runs through GivingTuesday, December 3, features an exclusive array of signed guitars, autographed vinyl, fan packages, and one-of-a-kind memorabilia—all aimed at raising funds to preserve and enhance music education. For more information and to place a bid, visit here.GivingTuesday, celebrated worldwide, encourages acts of kindness and charitable contributions. KTBA’s auction aligns perfectly with this mission, offering supporters an opportunity to secure unique items while directly contributing to music education programs.Highlights from the “7 Days of Giving” Auction include:Signed Epiphone SG Custom Joe Bonamassa Guitar

Joanne Shaw Taylor Signed Guitar Package

Robert Jon & The Wreck Fan Package

KTBA at Sea IX Autographed PosterFor more details or to bid, click HEREFor more information about the “7 Days of Giving” Auction or to contribute to the foundation’s efforts, visit ktba.org.The post Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation Launches 3rd Annual '7 Days of Giving' Auction first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Get Wavesfactory Trackspacer dynamic processor plugin for $29!
With Black Friday approaching, we’ll surely see many great deals this week. Plugin Boutique is currently offering Trackspacer by Wavesfactory for only $29. This popular plugin is currently 50% off until December 1st. So, if you’ve been wanting to grab it, now would be a great time. Trackspacer is an award-nominated, one-of-a-kind plugin that is [...]
View post: Get Wavesfactory Trackspacer dynamic processor plugin for $29!

FLOSS Weekly Episode 811: Elixir & Nerves – Real Embedded LinuxThis week, Jonathan Bennett and Lars Wikman chat about Elixir and Nerves — a modern language that’s a take on Erlang, and an embedded Linux approach for running Elixir code on devices.

https://underjord.io
https://elixir-lang.org/
https://nerves-project.org/
Introducing Elixir and the ecosystem from Oredev 2023
Introducing Nerves from Oredev 2024 (just released)
The Soul of Erlang & Elixir, by Sasa Juric

Subscribe to catch the show live, and come to Hackaday for the rest of the story!

Did you know you can watch the live recording of the show Right on our YouTube Channel? Have someone you’d like us to interview? Let us know, or contact the guest and have them contact us! Take a look at the schedule here.

Direct Download in DRM-free MP3.
If you’d rather read along, here’s the transcript for this week’s episode.
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Theme music: “Newer Wave” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

The 15 best Black Friday deals for music production (2024)
We've identified 15 of the best Black Friday deals for music producers in 2024—find some of the top deals on plugins, virtual instruments, hardware, and more.

Yraki announces SABOTAGE Max for Live device SABOTAGE works in the same way as a sequencer, but takes control of Ableton Live’s tempo, creating a production grid that shifts in real time. 

The best Black Friday deals at Plugin Boutique: the biggest savings on plugins from Universal Audio, FabFilter, Native Instruments and moreIf you’re in the market to expand your plugin collection, there’s no better time to do that than on Black Friday, and there’s no better place to do it than at Plugin Boutique. Black Friday itself isn’t until this Friday 29 November, but Plugin Boutique is already offering killer savings on both individual instrument and effects plugins and bundles alike. In some cases you can even grab up to 90% off some plugins. Below, we’ve gathered the very best deals available at Plugin Boutique so far.
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Some of FabFilter’s superb range of plugins are available with an awesome 25% off right now. This takes such favourites as the Pro-Q 3, Saturn 2 and Pro-MB as well as many others down to record low prices starting from just £55 in some cases. Be sure to bag a bargain while you can.
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Universal Audio’s UAD plugins are some of the best in the game, and here’s your chance to get a bundle off a bundle! All month, the Signature Edition is available for £299 and the Producer Edition for just £79 representing up to a staggering 80% discount. Meanwhile, the UAD Studio Classics Bundle is available with a 96% discount. It’s the perfect time to stock up on high-end plugins.
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Plugin Boutique has knocked a cool 50% off Arturia’s powerful and comprehensive V Collection X of classic software instruments – 39 in total with over 10,000 presets. £248.59 for a limited time only.
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Select software instruments by Native Instruments are available now with 50% off. They include Monark, Massive X, Reaktor Spark and loads more.
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IK Multimedia’s gargantuan Total Studio 4 MAX comprises a whopping 19,000 presets, 670GB of sounds and pretty much its whole product lineup into a single bundle. Incredibly, PB is temporarily applying a monster 74% discount making this huge collection just $150 for a limited time. They say it’s the biggest single plugin bundle around – who are we to argue?
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Plugin Boutique is offering some great discounts on products including 30% off the comprehensive Korg Collection 5, the M1 software for just $49 and the option to crossgrade from any Korg product to receive up to $150 further discount.
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Get up to 94% off select Brainworx plugins. Highlights include the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor down 90% to $30, and the AMEK 909 down to $30.
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Plugin Boutique is knocking 70% off its big bundle comprising eight highly-regarded plugins. For $109 you get the Scaler EQ, Scaler 2, BigKick, Carbon Electra synth and more, representing an amazing saving on this powerful bundle of instruments and processors.
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Grab XLN Audio’s LIFE AND XO bundles exclusively via Plugin Boutique at 55% off.
Browse the full range of Black Friday discounts over at Plugin Boutique.
The post The best Black Friday deals at Plugin Boutique: the biggest savings on plugins from Universal Audio, FabFilter, Native Instruments and more appeared first on MusicTech.

The power of being a Music Industry Optimist [Jesse Kirshbaum]Explore the plentiful ways the music industry has bounced back, with streaming, AI, artist-led brands driving growth, new tech, and more. Explore the power of being a music industry optimist.. Continue reading
The post The power of being a Music Industry Optimist [Jesse Kirshbaum] appeared first on Hypebot.

Bandsintown High Notes 2024: 5 days left to update your Artist ProfileArtists have just 5 days left to ge their Bandsintown For Artist profiles to make the most of Bandsintown High Notes 2024. This popular live music year in review for both artists and fans will be released early in December.
The post Bandsintown High Notes 2024: 5 days left to update your Artist Profile appeared first on Hypebot.

What do SiriusXM, Spotify, X have in common? A ‘Cycle of Quitting’SiriusXM, X, Netflix, Spotify and every subscription service faces challenges as listener habits change and competition grows. Fred Jacobs weighs in on subscription fatigue and the cycle of quitting and how it might be good news for radio.
The post What do SiriusXM, Spotify, X have in common? A ‘Cycle of Quitting’ appeared first on Hypebot.

Scapeshift: software groovebox from Tim Exile Scapeshift is a Reaktor-based instrument that's capable of generating rhythms and melodies, but unlike many such projects, doesn’t employ any AI-based technology.

Universal Music Group files to dismiss Fred Durst’s $200 million lawsuit, Limp Bizkit rep claims label is “desperately grasping at technicalities”Universal Music Group has claimed that Fred Durst’s $200 million lawsuit against it is “based on a fallacy” and is seeking to dismiss the case entirely.
In a motion filed to dismiss the case, UMG contends that the Limp Bizkit frontman’s allegations of fraudulent royalty concealment are unfounded and that communications between the band’s management and UMG actually disprove his assertions.

READ MORE: “You get to a point where you’ve gotten good enough so that nothing is good enough”: Billy Joel describes the “curse” of being a songwriter

The suit, initiated in October 2024, accuses UMG of “wrongfully” withholding royalties owed to Limp Bizkit and “possibly hundreds of other artists”, alleging that the company employed fraudulent accounting practices to conceal these payments.
Durst’s legal team argues that despite the band’s success — over 45 million records sold — he has “not seen a dime” in royalties over the years. The suit also demands Durst and his bandmates receive full ownership of their music. However, UMG counters that they have made substantial payments to Limp Bizkit and asserts that any prior confusion regarding royalty entitlements has been resolved.
In its latest filing, UMG states that Durst’s “entire narrative that UMG tried to conceal royalties is a fiction” [via Rolling Stone]. The label also highlights email exchanges between the band’s manager and UMG that purportedly “eviscerates” Durst’s fraud allegations.
In response to UMG’s clapback, a representative for Limp Bizkit says that “we believe UMG is using a typical, formulaic, well-trodden strategy of reaching for any escape route by desperately grasping at technicalities.”
“When someone is caught red-handed, their first response is often to hire very expensive outside law firms who first, as a matter of course, try anything to dismiss the suit when they are in trouble with the facts. We will rely on facts, the law, and the courts. We have no desire to prove a solid case in press releases.”
The post Universal Music Group files to dismiss Fred Durst’s $200 million lawsuit, Limp Bizkit rep claims label is “desperately grasping at technicalities” appeared first on MusicTech.

“You get to a point where you’ve gotten good enough so that nothing is good enough”: Billy Joel describes the “curse” of being a songwriterBilly Joel may still be lighting up stages around the world, but you won’t see the Piano Man putting on his songwriting hat anytime soon, if at all.
The musician – who released Turn The Lights Back On, his first new song in 17 years this February – previously told Variety that while he “love[s] making music”, writing is a “great deal of torment, and I decided I don’t want to put myself through that anymore.”

READ MORE: “We get too lost in the gear, plugins and processes… they need to have a specific purpose”: Oliver Patrice Weder

Speaking on Sirius XM’s brand new interview series How’s Life with John Mayer, Joel reflects on his creative journey, and shares insights into the enduring presence of the songwriter within him, even as he steps back from the craft.
Faced with the question ‘Do you think like a writer still even though you’re not writing?’, the Piano Man replies: “He never goes away.”
“The writer thing is a curse you take with you throughout life,” Joel explains, “and when I listen to material or listen to other people’s songs the writer is always at work — ‘Well, I would have done it this way’ or ‘Why did it go to that chord?’”
At the end of the day, it’s about “constantly trying to improve on what you did,” says the musician, who boasts an impressive 12 studio albums across his multi-decade career.
“When you’re writing early on, you’re not editing as much as you do later on, and the more you write the better you get,” he continues. “But then you get to a point where you’ve gotten good enough so that nothing is good enough.”
To that, Mayer posits that it’s the writer’s “ear getting better than what could come out of you at any given moment.”
“You actually become kind of a sage of writing,” Mayer says, “and then the curse of that is that, as you’re writing, the ear is so good it goes ‘What’s that? That sucks.’”
Elsewhere, Joel also reveals that he never pens lyrics or notes down lyric ideas on his phone, saying, “I never write down lyrics until I’m actually songwriting. I start from the music first, always.”

The post “You get to a point where you’ve gotten good enough so that nothing is good enough”: Billy Joel describes the “curse” of being a songwriter appeared first on MusicTech.

“We get too lost in the gear, plugins and processes… they need to have a specific purpose”: Oliver Patrice WederYou may not know Oliver Patrice Weder by name, but there’s a strong chance you’ve heard the Swiss pianist’s work. It might be through his hundreds of samples and loops available on Spitfire Audio, or his composition for film and TV which has been broadcast on the likes of BBC 2 and ITV. He has become an expert in versatility and adaptability, merging his talents in classical and electronic composition, and writing his own works too, such as the latest EP Grand Piano Works Vol.II.

READ MORE: Anna Lunoe on her plugin-focused album, finding collaborators, and using your voice as an instrument

We dive into what bloomed his combined interests in the classical and the electronic, as well as the production techniques that make his sprawling discography uniquely him. He also talks us through his plugin essentials and the techniques he uses to compose the tracks that are sampled by thousands of people across the world.
Oliver and his synths. Image: Oliver Patrice Weder
Where did the inspiration to combine your interests in classical and electronic music come from?
My inspiration is the people, connections, culture, places and situations I surround myself with. One of the strongest inspirations I have is the blues and jazz. It began when I was 12 years old and I started listening to my father’s huge vinyl collection which included The Doors, Hendrix, Muddy Waters, BB King and much more. But at 10 years old, I started learning the classical piano, and the ability to play those pieces allowed me to learn all of Ray Manzarek’s (The Doors’ Keyboardist) parts. And I suppose that was the first time I combined these interests in classical and more modern music.
I used to be a purist: everything needed to be analogue, playing live, bringing an analogue organ and Wurlitzer piano to every gig I played. That changed when I was 25 years old, when I first opened Logic Pro 9. I started layering and looping cello and violin samples to imitate an orchestra and realised the endless possibilities of creativity, sound and technology.
My ultimate interest in the combination of classical and electronic music came with my involvement with Spitfire Audio in 2014. I started working with founders Christian Henson and Paul Thomson and got first-hand experience with combining live orchestras with virtual instruments and synthesizers.
Synths in Oliver’s studio. Image: Oliver Patrice Weder
On your new EP, Grand Piano Works Vol.II, how heavily do you lean into the resonance of the spaces you record in when mixing the tracks?
If the room sounds nice then that’s a plus, but for this project, I focused on close-micing and delicate, quiet playing, so the sound doesn’t travel that far within the room. By doing it that way, I have less trouble in post-production because the spaces could get tricky — many times, grand pianos don’t stand in a perfectly treated room.
I used to use the RCompressor by Waves, but switched recently to the Cenozoix Compressor which Ben Onono recommended when I was working on a Netflix and Disney+ show with him. For the EQ I’m sticking to the Fabfilter Q3; for the reverb, I’m using a combination of outboard gear (my Chorus Echo, Big Sky, Space Echo) and reverb plugins such as the Fabfilter Pro-R, Blackhole Immersive, UAD EMT140 and 250.
The bungalow of Oliver’s studio. Image: Oliver Patrice Weder
Tell us a bit about your studio.
The HQ of my production company Smokestack Music is in my hometown of Lucerne, Switzerland. The creative processes for my artist and composer output happen in my home studio in the Tramuntana mountains of Mallorca.
The studio is divided in two:
My bungalow, at the end of the garden, is acoustically treated and I’ve measured speaker and seating position to optimize the sound for mixing, mastering and recording solo players. I use the studio to write, record and sometimes collaborate with another producer or artist.
The second part is the shoe factory, which in everyday life, it’s the family living room. It can be converted quickly into a recording studio or live room, so musicians feel comfortable playing and recording in there. I use it to have small orchestral sessions, or sometimes I bring all my gear and invite other artists along to play and record some original material.
Oliver’s plugins. Image: Oliver Patrice Weder
What’s your latest gear or plugin purchase?
As part of Grand Piano Works Vol.II, which I worked on with Ben (Onono), he kindly gifted me some nice plugins.
Some of them I incorporated into my workflow now, such as the Cenozoic Compressor. I also started using SoundShifter a lot, which has a nice and natural sound. For distortion I started using Kraftur — just really crisp and lovely stuff when you move that one slider. A massive addition is the Blackhole Immersive reverb — that just sounds gorgeous.
My latest outboard gear was the Microcosm. I still don’t quite understand it, though I send different things through it and twiddle some knobs, then something aleatoric happens and I might be positively surprised. I’ve created a lot of sounds for the Shoe Factory sample library with that.
What’s the best free plugin you own? Why?
PaulStretch when creating something textural and ambient. It allows you to time stretch especially make sounds slow, creating these artifacts that just sound so gorgeous.
I’m also enjoying the Crow Hills Vaults series. Those libraries are done with so much care and it makes them extremely playable.
Oliver’s Schimmel upright piano. Image: Oliver Patrice Weder
What’s been the biggest investment in your career/studio? Was it worth it? Why?
Probably my MacBook Pro M3, though that’s more of a necessity rather than a fun thing to invest in.
Other than that I always invest in a nice upright piano wherever I am (I usually sell them again when I leave that specific location, mainly due to transport reasons but also due to the change of climate). At the moment, I have a Schimmel upright piano which sounds so lovely.
You have composed hundreds of samples for Spitfire Audio’s library. How do you approach composing something that will be tweaked and pulled apart for years to come?
When approaching a new idea, you might start with a chord sequence or melody. But you might also start with creating a sound you like, tweaking a preset, sending a synth through an effects pedal or reversing some audio, before even knowing the chord or the melody. And that’s the starting point of creating a virtual instrument; once I like a sound, I then sample each note in different dynamic layers. I might use that sound in my album, too, so in a sense, these two things go hand in hand.
I’m honoured if someone used a sound in their production that I’ve created. I’m also excited by the thought of giving away a sound that I have created for everybody to use, so it pushes me to create fresh things in the next production.
Strymon Timeline. Image: Oliver Patrice Weder
You have a wide and ranging discography from film music, advertisements, classical albums and so much more. Do you feel you have a signature sound or technique that ties all of your work together?
I have my Wurlitzer piano through a Strymon Flint reverb, Ibanez Tube Screamer, wah-wah (chain inspired by SRV) and a Strymon Timeline, where I have the reverse mix set to max, and finally through a BlueSky. I get this heavenly, otherworldly, slightly gritty sound which is great for melodies but also endlessly ambient textures.
I also like to use my Juno-60 arpeggiator as a sort of drum machine. I have the ADSR settings quite low, not a lot of high frequencies and an automatic LFO for variation I’m sending this through the Chorus and a Roland Space Echo for additional depth. The bass turns into a warm kick and the high notes are reminiscent of toms or bongos.
Behind all of that, I usually have some warm strings or orchestral beds, with a sustain on the bass going through. I like that meditative yet suspense vibe this creates, almost like a drone note on a bagpipe.
Do you have a dream piece of gear?
A Hammond B3 organ with a Leslie speaker. I’ve only heard this combination live in action once in my life in a studio in LA and wow, the sound, the sheer massiveness, depth and power of that sound is mind-blowing!

What’s a music production myth you think needs debunking?
I observe a lot (in myself as well) that we can get lost in all the gear, plugins and processes.
I recently cleared my mastering chain as I’ve had about eight plugins on there and, when I bypassed them all, it sounded much better. I always think a plugin or an effect needs to have a specific purpose to work — a problem that needs solving.
Who gave you the biggest lesson in your career? Can you tell us about how it impacted you?
I have worked with Christian Henson quite extensively as his assistant. He never gives up, there’s always a solution, always forward-moving, efficient and positive. I was incredibly stunned that he rarely deletes or disregards an idea.
The whole experience of observing his work ethic and attitude was utterly insightful and inspiring. I’m trying to implement that in my daily life as a composer and creator, just keep going, step by step, don’t question things and move forward.
The post “We get too lost in the gear, plugins and processes… they need to have a specific purpose”: Oliver Patrice Weder appeared first on MusicTech.

An Iranian Refugee Became a Hit Producer and Now Finds Humanity with Global CollabsThis week, Ari is joined by alt-pop singer, rapper & multi-hyphenate Noga Erez to discuss the creative process and working with labels.

Snoop Dogg to Close Out 'Amazon Music Live' Season 3 LineupAmazon Music announced 16x GRAMMY-nominated music legend, actor, author and entertainment titan, Snoop Dogg will headline the season finale of Amazon Music Live (AML) after Black Friday Football on November 29. Sponsored by the all-new 2025 Nissan Kicks, the series brings together football and music fans for can’t-miss performances from today’s most exciting artists, playing their latest and greatest hits after the biggest games of the week.Airing on Prime Video and Twitch at 7 p.m. EST, the West Coast icon will bring his expansive catalog to the Amazon Music Live stage, performing chart-topping hits and beloved deep cuts. Fans can expect to hear fan-favorite tracks from one of the world’s most celebrated artists, as well as a sneak peek at new songs off Snoop Dogg’s upcoming album Missionary, out next month.To celebrate his upcoming performance, fans can listen to REDISCOVER Snoop Dogg on Amazon Music. The playlist features the Hip-Hop icon’s genre-defining hits and influential gems. Amazon Music customers can listen to the playlist here.Season Three kicked off earlier this fall with a one-of-a-kind performance from country music superstar Jelly Roll, who put on an epic performance that included songs like “Winning Streak,” “Get By,” and “Liar” off his new album, Beautifully Broken. Jelly Roll’s set also included a series of genre-spanning surprise guests, including Keith Urban, Skylar Grey, and Machine Gun Kelly. Big Sean followed celebrating his new album Better Me Than You with a tribute to Homecoming celebrations at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Accompanied by the band and choir from renowned HBCU North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Big Sean ripped through a set of his biggest hits.The cross genre multihyphenate, Halsey took the stage for a special Halloween episode, captivating the audience with tracks from her recently released fifth studio album, The Great Impersonator. She delivered powerful performances of “Panic Attack” “Lonely is the Muse,” and more. Last Thursday, J Balvin lit up the night with a medley of his greatest hits, including “Mi Gente,” “X,” and “Ginza.” And last week, Grammy-nominated Atlanta rapper Gunna took the stage fresh off the road from Wun of Dem Nights, a series of exclusive, one-off shows in various cities. The rap superstar will perform new material from his critically-acclaimed 2024 album One Of Wun, alongside fan favorites and deep cuts.As the first K-Pop group ever to perform on AML, Global K-Pop superstars TWICE has had a massive year, recently completing their 50+ show "Ready To Be" tour, which spanned Asia, South America, Oceania, Europe, and North America. TWICE achieved global success this past year with their fifth #1 Billboard 200 album, With You-th, released in February, their Japanese LP, Dive, in July, and their newest collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion on an electrifying remix of her track “MAMUSHI,” which dropped October 25th. The group recently announced the upcoming release of their highly anticipated 14th mini-album, STRATEGY, out December 6th through JYP Entertainment/Imperial/Republic Records.​​Each episode will stream live from Los Angeles and air exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch at 9 p.m. PT on Thursdays.The post Snoop Dogg to Close Out 'Amazon Music Live' Season 3 Lineup first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.