2025 Component Abuse Challenge: A Piezo Disk Powers A TransmitterA piezo disk transducer is a handy part for reproducing beeps and boops, and can also function as a rudimentary microphone. Being a piezoelectric element, it can also generate usable power. Enough to run a radio transmitter? [b.kainka] is here to find out, with what may be the simplest possible transmitter circuit.
The active element in the circuit, such as it is, comes from a crystal. This functions as an extremely stable and high Q tuned circuit. When excited by a pulse of electricity, the circuit will carry oscillations in a similar manner to a bell ringing until the pulse is exhausted. A small lever fashioned from a piece of wire supplies the voltage by flexing the piezo disk and a contact, a diode discharges the reverse voltage as the disk returns to shape, and a small capacitor provides an AC path to ground. It works, if a small pulse of very low-power RF near the crystal’s frequency can be described as working.
It may not be the most practical transmitter, but it’s certainly something we’ve not seen before. It’s part of our 2025 Component Abuse Challenge, for which you still have time to make an entry yourself if you have one.

Song Athletics & BORO launch Alchemia Described as a “study in sonic transmutation”, Alchemia blends a range of string, wind and vocal sounds with samples of modular synths and “esoteric sound objects”.

Slower Fragment by e-instruments The latest addition to e-instruments' Fragments series introduces a free virtual instrument that delivers the “evocative warmth and warped textures of half-speed tape recordings”.

Elon Musk wants you to know that Sam Altman got a refund for his Tesla RoadsterElon Musk and Sam Altman are still taking swipes at each other on Musk’s social media platform X.

2025 Component Abuse Challenge: A Transistor As A Voltage ReferenceFor our 2025 Component Abuse Challenge there have been a set of entries which merely use a component for a purpose it wasn’t quite intended, and another which push misuse of a part into definite abuse territory, which damages or fundamentally changes it. [Ken Yap]’s use of a transistor base-emitter junction as a voltage reference certainly fits into the latter category.
If you forward bias  a base-emitter junction, it will behave as a diode, which could be used as a roughly 0.7 volt reference. But this project is far more fun than that, because it runs the junctions in reverse biased breakdown mode. Using one of those cheap grab bags of transistor seconds, he finds that devices of the same type maintain the same voltage, which for the NPN devices he has works out at 9.5 volts and the PNP at 6.5. We’re told it damages their operation as transistors, but with a grab bag, that’s not quite the issue.
We’ve got a few days left before the end of the contest, and we’re sure you can think of something worth entering. Why not give it a go!

Spitfire Audio: Château Piano Roundtable Video Shortly after the release of their Château Piano library, Spitfire Audio returned to the Château d'Hérouville to capture a selection of performances and hold a round-table discussion comparing the the legendary Steinway Model B with its new virtual counterpart.

Get NI Massive or Excite Audio Bloom Vocal Edit Lite FREE with any Purchase
For the next week, you can score Native Instruments’ Massive ($99) or Excite Audio’s Bloom Vocal Edit Lite ($29) free with any purchase at Plugin Boutique. The deal expires on November 7, 2025, and the purchase needs to be a paid product to qualify. Plugin Boutique will be changing its giveaways each week in November, [...]
View post: Get NI Massive or Excite Audio Bloom Vocal Edit Lite FREE with any Purchase

DamyFx Mr Tank PreampMr. Tank Preamp is a VST3 plugin designed to infuse your tracks with the warmth and sonic fullness typical of a high-end tube preamplifier. Ideal for the mastering stage, this processor is the ultimate tool for adding power, cohesion, and rich harmonic coloration to your mixes. Controls: Volume: Adjusts the input signal level into the preamplifier circuit. Increasing the volume pushes the "tube" to work harder, generating more saturation. Dirty: This control is the heart of the preamp's "dirty" and aggressive character. It allows you to dial in the amount of tube saturation and distortion, ranging from a subtle warmth to a more decisive and gritty crunch, adding body and presence to the signal. 3-Band EQ (Treble, Middle, Bass): A musical three-band equalizer to shape the tone of the preamplifier. Treble: Boosts or cuts the high frequencies to add "air" and brilliance or to tame any harshness. Middle: Controls the mid-range frequencies, crucial for the presence of vocals and lead instruments. Bass: Manages the low frequencies, ideal for adding "weight" and "depth" to the mix or for controlling excess. Master: An output volume control to compensate for the introduced gain increase and ensure perfect gain staging in the mastering chain. Read More

Top Music Business News Last WeekTop music business news last week included major upgrades on tools for Artists from Bandsintown, SoundCloud and DistroKid, Indivisible calling for a Spotify boycott, a free Ticket Data tool, AI music updates and more.
The post Top Music Business News Last Week appeared first on Hypebot.

Free PSP Spector plug-in from PSPaudioware PSPaudioware are getting into the spirit of Halloween with the launch of PSP Spector, a precise 31-band spectrum analyser plug-in that is being made available as a free download.

In principle, what needed to be proven, if you think about it logically, is that “only ‘partially’ created AI music can be registered in PRO” was decided in the US and Canada by ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN #Music #MusicIndustry #Authors #Producers #AI

OpenAI, valued at $500bn, reportedly working on generative AI music toolThe move would bring OpenAI into an increasingly crowded field of AI music generation platforms
Source

And UDIO now partners with UMG #music #majorlabels #AI #artists

Universal accused Udio of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement. That lawsuit’s just been settled – here’s what we knowUniversal Music Group has settled its widely publicised lawsuit against Udio, which last year accused the AI music generation platform of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement.
So what exactly has led to the two battling companies reaching an amicable settlement?
Well, it was speculated back in June that major labels, including UMG, were in talks with Udio – as well as Suno, another platform UMG sued in 2024 over alleged copyright infringement – to discuss potential licensing deals that would bring in fees and also include a small equity stake in the companies.

READ MORE: Grimes sings from an AI’s perspective in new song Artificial Angel: “This is what it feels like to be hunted by something smarter than you”

Now, UMG and Udio have not only settled their differences, but announced plans to collaborate on a new music creation, consumption and streaming experience. Here’s what we know:
In a new statement shared publicly by UMG, it announced that both itself and Udio have laid out “industry-first strategic agreements”. The company says that in addition to the “compensatory legal settlement”, new licence agreements for recorded music and publishing will “provide further revenue opportunities for UMG artists and songwriters.”
“The new platform, which will be launched in 2026, will be powered by new cutting-edge generative AI technology that will be trained on authorised and licensed music,” reads the statement. “The new subscription service will transform the user engagement experience, creating a licensed and protected environment to customise, stream, and share music responsibly on the Udio platform.”
UMG is also the first company to enter into AI-related agreements with YouTube, TikTok, Meta, KDDI, KLAY Vision, BandLab, Soundlabs and Pro-Rata, among others. It also shares that Udio’s existing product will remain available to users during the transition period with “creations controlled within a walled garden and the service amended in multiple ways”.

Andrew Sanchez, Co-Founder & CEO of Udio, comments: “We couldn’t be more thrilled about this collaboration and the opportunity to work alongside UMG to redefine how AI empowers artists and fans.
“This moment brings to life everything we’ve been building toward – uniting AI and the music industry in a way that truly champions artists. Together, we’re building the technological and business landscape that will fundamentally expand what’s possible in music creation and engagement.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of UMG, adds: “These new agreements with Udio demonstrate our commitment to do what’s right by our artists and songwriters, whether that means embracing new technologies, developing new business models, diversifying revenue streams or beyond.  We look forward to working with Andrew who shares our belief that together, we can foster a healthy commercial AI ecosystem in which artists, songwriters, music companies and technology companies can all flourish and create incredible experiences for fans.”
Find out more about Udio, and read the full statement from Universal Music Group.
The post Universal accused Udio of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement. That lawsuit’s just been settled – here’s what we know appeared first on MusicTech.

How Emmy-Winning Sound Designer Ryan Hobler Uses Krotos Studio in His Creative WorkflowAccording to news on Friday, "Emmy Award-winning sound designer Ryan Hobler has built a career spanning Super Bowl ads and national campaigns for brands such as Febreze, E*TRADE, and Applebee’s. At the same time, he is an accomplished composer and musician, continually expanding his body of work as a singer-songwriter and producer. In both post-production and music, Hobler has found Krotos Studio to be an integral creative tool. From designing and mixing sound for high-profile commercials to producing short-form promotional videos for his latest folk-pop EP, he uses Krotos to merge his dual identities as sound designer and musician, streamlining his workflow while opening new creative possibilities."

"With nearly two decades in post-production, Hobler knows how important it is to move quickly without sacrificing creativity," a statement reads. "Deadlines for commercials and branded content often leave little room for trial and error, making workflow speed essential."

“I find that for a lot of the dynamic and moving elements, Krotos Studio is an invaluable tool, because it’s so easy to manipulate those sounds and make them work with the motion of whatever you’re designing,” he explains. For Hobler, that efficiency translates directly into more time spent on creative decisions rather than technical hurdles.“You want as little hindrance as possible, and with Krotos Studio, you can tap into that quicker. You can get to the idea in your head sooner.”

"That efficiency has been critical in recent national ad campaigns that required quick, dynamic sound design. In one spot, the commercial opened with a person navigating a smartphone app, where Hobler drew on Krotos Studio’s UI library to create a synthetic palette of taps and text noises. Later in the same campaign, he was tasked with bringing the sound of a sandwich deconstructing into its individual parts to life. The sequence played like a non-destructive explosion that needed the right sonic detail to match the visuals."

“Krotos Studio is incredible for making the abstract sonically tangible,” Hobler says. “This explosive moment had no basis in reality, so I wound up using a variety of Krotos Studio presets to complement the bombastic music and visual effects.”

"With each update, Hobler notes, Krotos Studio has continued to evolve. The software now offers not only an expanding library of sounds and features but also an AI-powered search that fuels discovery as well as efficiency."

“I use the search all the time, and I love what it comes up with, because sometimes it gives me these nice surprises,” he says. “It makes me curious — would that work in there? I’ll try that. I love the suggestive nature of the search and how it inspires me to try unexpected options.”

"Beyond his commercial work, Hobler’s creative identity extends into songwriting and music production, and Krotos Studio has become a tool that helps him merge these worlds."

“I’ve been trying to bridge the gap between those two arbitrary columns for quite some time, making music that uses sound effects and sounds that weren’t necessarily strictly musical in a traditional sense.” Over the years, he has sampled everyday objects like a switchblade comb, a clock, and even the click of a car’s turn signal to create rhythmic or melodic textures in his songs.

"That crossover also extends into how he presents his music. On his latest single, 'Paper Airplane Life,' one of several tracks released with recording artist Erik Blicker, Hobler applied his sound design skills to promotional video content, creating short teaser clips for social media. He used Krotos Studio for expressive swooshes and transitions, pairing them with cues from the track to give the visuals a cinematic quality. The result demonstrates how he moves between post-production and music, using Krotos as a bridge."The post How Emmy-Winning Sound Designer Ryan Hobler Uses Krotos Studio in His Creative Workflow first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.