Sarah Kinsley featured on final episode of BMI & More or Less (With Jess) series 'Struck a Chord' BMI and More or Less (With Jess) share the final episode of their newly launched series Struck a Chord today. In this episode, More or Less (With Jess) sat down with breakout artist Sarah Kinsley ahead of her hometown show at Webster Hall, the final stop on the North American leg of her Escaper tour. Sarah’s journey from crafting intimate EPs in her NYC apartment to achieving viral success has captivated audiences worldwide. Her authentic storytelling and emotional depth create a space where fans can explore complex feelings and connect on a profound level. With the recent release of her debut album Escaper, Sarah’s music has grown from its introspective roots to filling sold-out venues across the globe. Watch episode 3 now here.At Webster Hall, More or Less (With Jess) interviewed fans who shared their own stories how Sarah’s music has helped them navigate mental health challenges, confront cultural stigmas, and celebrate the beauty of platonic love.BMI and More or Less (With Jess) recently partnered to produce a new series, Struck a Chord, to highlight the importance of mental health and the power of music and lyrics in the healing process for both creators and fans. The three-part series features interviews with BMI singer/songwriters Ashe, Lauv and Sarah Kinsley, and their fans on location at concerts, giving an insider’s look into how an artist’s mental health can impact their songwriting and how those lyrics resonate with fans who personalize and internalize them as a source of comfort and connection. The first installment launched October 10th in honor of World Mental Health Day, and featured Ashe at her sold-out Brooklyn Bowl concert in Nashville. The "One Night Only" event saw fans from all across the country welcoming her back to the stage after a 22-month-long mental health hiatus. Watch episode 1, featuring Ashe here and episode 2, featuring Lauv here. The post Sarah Kinsley featured on final episode of BMI & More or Less (With Jess) series 'Struck a Chord' first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

TikTok deepens integration with Spotify and Apple Music via new feature that lets streamers ‘Share to TikTok’‘Share to TikTok’ allows users to share music they found on streaming platforms to TikTok
Source

2023 Hackaday Supercon: One Year of Progress for Project Boondock EchoDo you remember the fourth-place winner in the 2022 Hackaday Prize? If it’s slipped your mind, that’s okay—it was Boondock Echo. It was a radio project that aimed to make it easy to record and playback conversations from two-way radio communications. The project was entered via Hackaday.io, the judges dug it, and it was one of the top projects of that year’s competition.
The project was the brainchild of Mark Hughes and Kaushlesh Chandel. At the 2023 Hackaday Supercon, Mark and Kaushlesh (KC) came back to tell us all about the project, and how far it had come one year after its success in the 2022 Hackaday Prize.

Breaker, Breaker

The talk begins with a simple video explainer of the Boondock Echo project. Basically, it points out the simple problem with two-way radio communications. If you’re not sitting in front of the receiver at the right time, you’re going to miss the message someone’s trying to send you. Unlike cellular communications, Skype calls, or email, there’s no log of missed calls or messages waiting for you. If you weren’t listening, you’re out of luck.
The device works with conventional amateur radios and can capture messages, store them in the cloud, and even react to them.
Mark was inspired to create a device to solve these problems by his father’s experience as an emergency responder with FEMA. Often, his father would tell stories about problems with radios and missed transmissions, and Mark had always wondered if something could be done.
Boondock Echo is the device that hopes to change all that. It’s a device designed for recording and playback of two-way radio communications. The hardware is based around the ESP32, which is able to capture analog audio from a radio, digitize it, and submit it to the Boondock Echo online service. This also enables more advanced features—the system can transcribe audio to text, and even do keyword monitoring on the results and email you any important relevant messages.
The Boondock Echo service can be set up to react to keywords and provide notifications in turn.
Rather amazingly, Hackaday actually helped spawn this project. Mark had an idea of what Boondock Echo should do, but he didn’t feel like he had the full set of technical skills to implement it. Then, Mark met KC via a Hackaday Hackchat, and the two started a partnership to develop the project further. Eventually, they won fourth place in the 2022 Hackaday Prize, which netted them a tasty $10,000 which they could use to develop the project further. They then brought in Mark’s friend Jesse on the hardware side, and things really got rolling.
The hope was to start producing and delivering Boondock Echo devices. Of course, nobody is immune to production hell, and it was no different for this team. KC dives into the story of how the device relied on the ESP32-A1S module. When they went to make more, this turned out to be problematic. They found some of the purchased modules worked and some didn’t. Stripping the RF shields off the pre-baked modules, they found that while they all included audio codec chips marked “8388,” some modules had a different layout and functioned differently. And these were parts with FCC IDs, identical part numbers, and everything! This turned into a huge mess that derailed the project for some time. The project had to be retooled to work with the ESP32-based AI Thinker Audio Kit, to which they added a custom “sidekick” board to handle interfacing with the desired radio hardware.
Dodgy parts caused a great deal of trouble for the team.
Mark notes that there were some organizational lessons learned through this difficult journey. He talks about the value of planning and budgets when it comes to any attempt to escape the “Valley of Death” as a nascent startup. Mark also explains how Boondock Echo came to seek investors to grow further when he realized they didn’t have the resources to make it on their own.
“You don’t go out asking for $10,000 from family and friends, you go out and you ask for a heck of a lot more than that from professional investors,” explains Mark. “It’s a lot easier to come up with $100,000 than $10,000, because the venture capitalists don’t play in the $10,000 price range.” Of course, he notes that this comes with a tradeoff—investors want a stake in the company in exchange for cold, hard cash. Moving to this mode of operation involved creating a company and then dividing up shares for all the relevant stakeholders—a unique challenge of its own. Mark and KC explain how they handled the growing pains and grew their team from there.
The successful live demo was a moment of some joy. It used a modified Supercon badge to display transcription of an audio message captured by a Boondock Echo device.
The rest of the talk covers the product itself, and we get a demo of what it can do. KC and Mark show us how the Boondock Echo units capture audio, record it, and submit it to the cloud. From there, we get to see how things like AI transcription, keyword triggers, and notifications work, and there’s even a fun live demo. Beyond that, Mark explains how you can order the hardware via CrowdSupply, and sign up with the Boondock Echo cloud service.
It’s not just neat to see a cool project, it’s neat to see something like this grow from an idea into a fully-fledged business. Even better, it grew out of the Hackaday community itself, and has flourished from there. It’s a wonderful testament to what hackers can achieve with a good idea and the will to pursue it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Shy Audio introduce Shy 90s Channel plug-in Shy Audio's debut plug-in has been inspired by the sound of the budget gear that shaped the raw and unapologetic sound of 90s techno, hip hop and other electronic music. 

Waves announce a new plugin for Black Friday with 10,000 FREE copies
Developer Waves has announced a new plugin for Black Friday with 10,000 FREE copies available. Those of you who were suitably unimpressed by the recent Air Music Tech Black Friday plugin news are going to love this one! Before I continue, anyone who likes free plugin offers with information like, you know, what it does, [...]
View post: Waves announce a new plugin for Black Friday with 10,000 FREE copies

TikTok just got banned in Canada, under Trump is the US next?The Canadian government has ordered TikTok to close its operations in the country, citing national security concerns. Canadian users will continue to have access to the app. But when President,. Continue reading
The post TikTok just got banned in Canada, under Trump is the US next? appeared first on Hypebot.

‘You can’t advocate for something if you don’t believe in it.’Donna Caseine, Reservoir's EVP and Global Creative Director on her career in publishing, championing her writers and the power or being patient
Source

How To Use Cover Songs to Promote A Career In MusicFind out how to use cover songs to promote music and grow an audience. Learn simple strategies to turn popular songs into career-boosting tools.
The post How To Use Cover Songs to Promote A Career In Music appeared first on Hypebot.

Why Album Variant Releases Aren’t Enough: Fans Want Exclusivity!While album variant releases are everywhere, it's exclusive content and special access that truly boost music sales. Check out how successful artists are winning over fans by offering unique bonuses and limited editions that go beyond standard releases.
The post Why Album Variant Releases Aren’t Enough: Fans Want Exclusivity! appeared first on Hypebot.

“DJs need to play for free every now and again”: Laurence Guy on how the live music sector could “bounce back quicker”Laurence Guy has discussed the nightlife industry’s current decline, and says that DJs taking on smaller gigs for a smaller fee, perhaps even free, could help the industry “bounce back”.
It’s no secret live music is struggling. Massive events like Coachella are having trouble selling tickets, and just last week, the government’s Autumn Budget is putting 350 grassroots music venues in danger of closing.
READ MORE: “It always starts with the sample”: Laurence Guy is connecting listeners to loops in more meaningful ways than ever
“We’re not in a boom time,” Guy says. “A lot of small venues are still closing. Really, [DJs] just need to play smaller venues for lower fees, and play big festivals for big fees, and yes, for free every now and again,” Guy says in MusicTech’s digital cover feature.
Guy is currently in the midst of a North American tour, and as he DJs impressive venues like The Midway in San Francisco and The Hollywood Theater in Vancouver, he is also finding time for smaller sets. For his stop in San Diego, he even DJ’d at a fan’s house.
According to Guy, playing in these non-traditional spaces without an expectation of a fee leads to new fans who will come out and buy a ticket next time.
“In my opinion,” Guy says. “It’s quite easy for DJs to do that. You can go and play a small club the day after playing a big club. Little things like that keep stuff going, and I think if more people were doing it then we could bounce back quicker.”
He adds that smaller venue performances can also establish a deeper connection with fans: “Sometimes I’ll go play at a dive bar alongside the main set. You get to meet people that are really interested in the music and make a direct connection… “Someone passed me a note saying one track had helped get them through a certain time in their life.”
Guy was one of the many DJs—along with Disclosure, Nia Archives, and Fred Again..—who helped the UK hospitality sector bounce back after COVID by playing a series of pub sets. His favourite is The White Hart in Stoke Newington, and he assures he will play more sets there in 2025.
“You meet loads of people, you can play new music, and it’s just fun to DJ in a pub, you know? I want to be playing as many nights of the week as possible to as many people, or as few, as want to listen.”
Check out the full MusicTech cover feature to read about Guy’s impending album, his label Accidental Pieces, and more.
The post “DJs need to play for free every now and again”: Laurence Guy on how the live music sector could “bounce back quicker” appeared first on MusicTech.

Sequential is showing off a special edition synthesizer at Music Expo’s 10th anniversaryThis Saturday, November 9, Music Expo will celebrate its 10th anniversary, where iconic synth brand Sequential (founded by the late Dave Smith) is presenting a special edition Prophet-10.
Over 40 Grammy-winning producers, engineers, songwriters, and artists are set to attend the conference, and leading brands in tech will be there as well to converge for a day of large-scale networking and collaboration.
READ MORE: Reddit users discover Teenage Engineering’s potential new product – the OP-XY
The day’s programming will follow three primary tracks: Immersive Audio Sessions presented by Neumann and ASG, Creative Sessions presented by Kali Audio and Audigo Labs, and music business panels. In total, there will be 30 masterclasses and panels, 20 brands such as Novation, GS Music, and Audeze displaying their gear, and 500 music-makers on the ground.
Among the speakers are Tony Brooke, who revolutionized music metadata during his time at Warner and Pandora; Jessica Thompson, an audio restoration specialist who has worked on recordings from Louis & Bebe Barron, Erroll Garner, and Barbara Dane; and Heidi Trefethen, an Audio Engineer who has worked with Tammy Hall, Michael Burles, and the Sonoma Bach Choir.
There will also be nine immersive Dolby Atmos workshops led by various audio professionals. This includes Michael Romanowski, who won a Grammy for Best Immersive Audio Album for his work remastering Alicia Keys’ 2003 opus, The Diary Of Alicia Keys.
As a special addition to the programming, the Prophet-10 Special edition will be on display to celebrate 50 years of Sequential. Then after the day is over, Singer-songwriter/Producer and DJ Cigarbox Man will top the bill at the debut Music Expo after-party.
Tickets for Music Expo are $79 in advance and $99 at the door. Those who register will have a chance to win various prizes such as KIT Plugins’ Blackbird emulations, and a new KIT Drums plugin designed by Beartooth drummer, Connor Denis.
Learn more at the Music Expo website.
The post Sequential is showing off a special edition synthesizer at Music Expo’s 10th anniversary appeared first on MusicTech.

Black Box Analog Design HG-Q from Plugin Alliance Black Box Analog Design HG-Q aims to combine analogue warmth with cutting-edge flexibility and tonal depth, and promises to reshape and enhance sounds in a new and unique way. 

Maschine 3 is here after a decade — here’s what’s newAfter over a decade of waiting, Native Instruments has released Maschine 3, the newest version of its beat-making and sampling software. Oh, and it’s apparently pronounced ‘machine-ah’, by the way.
The major features added to the program include stem separation, MIDI editing upgrades, per-scene tempo adjustments, and Kontrol S-Series MK3 integration. Stem separation uses iZotope’s RX technology to break down any audio file into its various parts — prime for remixing or editing classic tracks into something new.
READ MORE: Our favourite new plugins, effects and VST instruments released this week
Moreover, the latest edition comes with Maschine Central, a library filled with new sounds, rhythms, and presets, giving you a bunch of tools to start making music quickly. In total, Maschine Central includes 103 sample packs spanning numerous genres and moods, 144 Kontakt instruments for original creations in any style, and 204 synth presets to get things started on the right note.
You’ll find stalwart Native Instruments soft synths in Maschine 3. The revered wavetable synth, Massive, is included, alongside Minimoog-syle synth Monark and physical modelling synth Reaktor Prism.
Outside software within the Maschine oeuvre, Maschine 3 comes with iZotope’s Ozone 11 Elements for at-home mastering.
Check out the full breakdown below.

On top of the new software, Native Instruments is offering discounts on Maschine hardware for a limited time. You don’t necessarily need Maschine hardware to run Maschine 3, but you’ll have more hands-on control with the software if you have a physical companion.
Until January 15, 2025, the following product discounts are available: Maschine Mikro for $199 ($50 off); Maschine MK3 for $499 ($100 off); Maschine Plus for $999 ($200 off). Maschine 3 also works without hardware for those who prefer creating on their laptops.
For those ready to make the upgrade to Maschine 3 there are several purchase options. The full bundle is $99 / €99 or $69 / €69 when updating from Maschine 2. Purchasing Maschine 3 on its own without Maschine Central or any additional software will run $29 / €29 to upgrade from Maschine 2. Finally, just the Maschine Central Sound Library is $49 / €49.
Learn more at Native Instruments.
 
The post Maschine 3 is here after a decade — here’s what’s new appeared first on MusicTech.

Get the ArcSyn Synthesizer by SPC Plugins for $17.99 (80% OFF)
Audio Plugin Deals have a brand new deal, among many others. Until November 20th, you can grab the ArcSyn Synthesizer by SPC Plugins for only $17.99. ArcSyn is $89 when not on sale, so this deal offers a big discount of 80%. Let’s take a look at what this synthesizer can do. At first glance, [...]
View post: Get the ArcSyn Synthesizer by SPC Plugins for $17.99 (80% OFF)

Sony’s MDR-M1 headphones give ​​a true picture of your mixes and masters£209, sony.com
We were blown away by the stunning clarity of Sony’s MDR-MV1 closed back monitoring headphones in 2023. Though they have dropped a little in price since then, they’re still around £400 – a little pricey for some producers who would value the insight they provide while mixing.
Aiming to widen the MDR audience, Sony has released the new MDR-M1s priced at £209. At around half the price, there are likely to be some differences and perhaps compromises, but will they be ones you can live with?

READ MORE: Sony’s MDR-MV1 headphones offer a stunning insight into your mixes and masters

The goal of the M1s is essentially the same as that of their more expensive counterpart – to provide a clean, neutral and accurate picture of your mixes and masters and a platform on which you can mix and master tracks safe in the knowledge that your audio is not being coloured by the headphones.
Reference monitors like these are different from other over-ear headphones which might have all kinds of bells and whistles; they really just do one thing.
As such, it’s a wired-only operation, with two 3.5mm cables of different lengths provided in the box plus a 6.3mm adapter. Only one of the two cups has a plug but it does feature a screw mechanism for securing the cable. The headphones are lightweight but also well constructed, weighing just 216g. Headphones such as these are often worn for long sessions of several hours so comfort is essential. Happily the M1s don’t disappoint on this front.
Image: Press
It’s not quite that you can’t feel you’re wearing them, but it’s not far off as they’re incredibly comfortable, not becoming overly warm or uncomfortable over time. The ear pads are made in very soft leather and are user-replaceable, which the more expensive MV1s don’t allow. The head band is adjustable of course and although the phones don’t fold down for transport, each one can be rotated sideways to free up one ear while listening with the other, a frequent requirement when recording parts in the studio.
The drivers are 40mm neodymium units and the phones have an “ultra wide” frequency response of 5 Hz to 80 kHz. As we noted in the previous review this is wider than the range of human hearing, but it does at least mean you know that every frequency will be reproduced with nothing missing – even if your ears can’t detect it. A relatively low impedance rating of 50 Ohms makes them pretty easy to drive.
The closed-back design means there’s little leakage except at the highest volumes. While some people believe open-backed models offer a more natural sound, they’re also impractical in many studio situations since they leak so much sound. Unlike a lot of high-end hi-fi headphones the MV1s don’t feel particularly closed. In fact, they have a convincing open character despite not being open-backed.
Image: Press
Another characteristic they possess is that they reveal in unsparing detail the different mixing and mastering treatments that tracks have undergone. While some consumer headphones, even the pricier models, can smooth everything out to a kind of uniform soundstage, the aim with reference headphones here is just the opposite. And in this they excel – a 70s funk album and an early 2000s electronic album for example have wildly different separation, gain and dynamics. Revealing this, of course, is the whole point of this kind of headphone.
In tests, the sheer cinematic breadth of Sigur Rós is on full display, pedal noises and all, while the pin-sharp perfect production of Joshia Redman’s 2023 jazz album Where We Are is something to behold. Busta Rhymes’ Extinction Level Event 2 fizzes with energy and fury. Clarity and detail are infectious, making you want to listen to music and work on it.
There are caveats, however. We can be so used to the aforementioned smoothing in consumer headphones that anything less than thunderous bass can initially feel lacklustre. The low end in the M1s is balanced rather than booming because this is a true picture of the recording. Your Beats Studio Pros will be all too keen to swamp you in bass but that’s not what these are for – the signal here is cleaner and more accurate.
Image: Press
There’s also a minor quibble with the M1s. One thing that wasn’t evident on the MV1s is an aggressive upper-midrange at the highest volumes. It’s not an issue until you go to around 85% of full volume – which is pretty loud – but then certain vocals or brass, or other things in that range, can become too prominent. It doesn’t have to be a problem as long as you’re aware of it and perhaps compensate a little for it when mixing or mastering at full volume. Still, the more expensive MV1s didn’t seem to have this problem.
There are many good reasons to use reference headphones for mixes and masters, be it needing to work in a space where there are neighbours or simply testing mixes for the headphones or earbuds that so many people listen on these days. Headphones designed for tracking or general use won’t necessarily offer the level of detail of true reference monitors like these, so it’s always worth using a pair designed for this task.
The price difference from the MV1s is significant – yet the M1s still offer an excellent listening experience, a clear, clean and balanced picture of your audio in a way that even good consumer headphones cannot.
Brightness at high volumes is a definite issue, though not a deal-breaker as long as you’re aware of it. Sony’s MDR-M1s represent a solid and worthwhile investment in your studio and your productions and are also a wholly pleasant way to listen to your music library too. If you’ve not mixed or mastered on reference headphones before, the Sony MDR-M1s will be a revelation.
Image: Press
Key features

Closed-back – designed for sound isolation
40mm dynamic neodymium drivers
50 Ohms impedance
Frequency response 5 Hz – 80 kHz
2 cables supplied (3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter supplied)
Weight: 216g weight
Swivel ear cups
Replaceable ear pads

The post Sony’s MDR-M1 headphones give ​​a true picture of your mixes and masters appeared first on MusicTech.