Roland release Earth Electric Piano The latest addition to Roland’s ever-growing collection of virtual instruments collates a diverse range of electric piano sounds and brings them together in a single interface.

Live Nation files motion to end US’s antitrust lawsuitLive Nation says the DoJ’s case against the company is based on 'gerrymandered' evidence that doesn’t meet the criteria for monopoly power
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Parallel Touch Audio THAT VISION - EDM Sample PackTHAT VISION - EDM Sample Pack Parallel Touch Audio proudly presents THAT VISION, 974 Samples built for the new era of Electronic Dance Music. Inspired by the sound of Skrillex and the next wave of boundary-breaking Music Producers, THAT VISION is one of the most versatile EDM Sample Packs on the market, offering unique sound design and immaculate vibes. Content: A total of 974 samples, comprising 294 loops and 680 one-shots, delivering 1.05 GB of high-quality content. 204 Glitches One Shots 93 Drum Loops 84 Bass One Shots 51 Synth Loops 51 Snare One Shots 45 Claps One Shots 43 FX One Shots 43 Percussion One Shots 41 Songstarters Loops 41 Kick One Shots 38 Bass Loops 33 Textures One Shots 28 Percussion Loops 27 Rythmic Loops 27 Synth One Shots 22 FX Risers One Shots 22 Hat One Shots 17 FX Downers One Shots 15 808 One Shots 12 Top Loops 12 FX Impacts One Shots 11 Crash One Shots 5 Ride One Shots 5 Top Kicks One Shots 4 Build Ups Loops THAT VISION was created with the intent to blend grit, catchy sounds, allowing both high level Songwriting and Sound Design. Technical Info: By Industry Standard, all the samples are exported in 24-bit WAV format and normalized to -1db, ensuring optimal sound quality, efficient workflow, and consistent levels across every sample in the pack. All loops are perfectly grid-aligned. Simply drag-and-drop in your DAW and start creating. Naming procedure follows Splice's naming guidelines, both for folders and for files. Read More

Save over $1,000 on this classic Korg synth: the early Black Friday deals have arrived at ReverbWith Black Friday deals often kicking off before 28 November, it can get a little tricky to keep track of the best offers around. But don’t fear, MusicTech is here – and we’ve already spotted a bunch of great savings on marketplace Reverb.
Each year we round up all of the best Black Friday and Cyber Weekend finds, and over at Reverb, there’s some exciting deals from some huge names. There are currently three Arturia goodies up for grabs, as well as deals on Korg, Yamaha, and Dexibell.

READ MORE: You could get over £8,000 of Warm Audio microphones for under £200 in this unbelievable Reverb deal

So, if there’s a music maker and gear-obsessive in your life, we’ve got you covered. There’s also no shame in treating yourself to an early festive prezzie, either. It’s not even December yet, after all. We’ve listed its top deals below for you, and we’re kicking things off with three great Arturia offers…
Arturia AstroLab 88 – save $120
This future-ready stage keyboard has an 88-key hammer-action keybed, over 1600 stage-ready presets, and offers deep integration with Arturia’s ecosystem. Users can integrate a vast range of custom sounds through its Analog Lab plugin, V Collection suite, and Pigments soft synth. It’s also built using aluminium and bakelite to ensure solid sturdiness and portability. In this deal, you can save $120, as it’s now reduced to $2,279.99. No laptop is required.
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Arturia DrumBrute Impact 1984 – save 20%
The DrumBrute was given a retro-inspired makeover earlier this year, and there’s 20 percent knocked off this mint-condition one on Reverb – taking it down to just $239.20. It delivers “beefy, Brute-powered sound”, as Arturia says, and offers per-voice colour controls, built-in analogue distortion, and polyrhythmic sequencing. There’s also a 64-step sequencer, 10 drum sounds, and can be used via MIDI or USB, making it perhaps the perfect way to integrate retro beats into your studio setup.
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Arturia MINIBRUTE 2 (noir edition) – save 10%
Another Arturia goodie with a unique makeover is this noir edition MINIBRUTE2. This semi-modular 25-key analogue synth features Brute oscillators, an acidic Steiner-Parker filter, and the signature “mayhem-inducing” Brute Factor knob loved by fans. With 10 percent off, it’s down to $296.10.
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KORG Nautilus 88 – save over $1,000!
Korg’s Nautilus gives players the “sound quality and capability” of its Kronos workstation in a streamlined, Japanese-made performance synth. It has the power of Kronos’ nine sound engines, a lightweight design, and up to 14 simultaneous effects and 32 simultaneous EQs – just to name a few key features. There’s also over $1,000 in bonus EXS sound libraries, fully featured onboard sampling and HD audio recording.
Not only is this a solid investment, but it currently has over $1,000 knocked off its price. You can get your hands on this one for $1,399.99.
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Yamaha MONTAGE-M8x – save $675
Second-hand but in certified mint condition, this M8x is one of three MONTAGE-M models, and exclusively offers a GEX action keyboard with Polyphonic Aftertouch. It has three engines for vintage analogue, FM, and realistic instrument sounds, plus a Motion Control engine. It also boasts 400-note polyphony, 10GB of ROM preset memory, 88 keys and polyphonic aftertouch. Save over $600, as this one is now priced at $3,824.99.
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Dexibell VIVO S8 Stage Piano – save $600
This 88-key stage piano features a graded hammer action keyboard with ivory feel keys and a quad-core processor (4x Faster Loading and 2x CPU Speed). It’s got 3.2 GB of memory, 180 sounds, a dedicated organ sound engine, and programmable outputs. There’s also unlimited polyphony at 24-bit /48 kHz audio quality, as well as 12 studio-quality effects, Bluetooth audio and MIDI support. You can grab it now for $2,399.99, saving you $600.
[deals ids=”RHC3XEIlugfEAWrKH6yPp”]
And that concludes our Reverb round up (for now!). Reverb has introduced a lot of changes on its platform as of late – all following its return to independence – which are intended to make buying and selling a smoother experience. It’s launched a newly revamped version of the Reverb Wallet, and lower seller fees for those in the UK.
The Black Friday sale ends on 1 December. View more early deals via Reverb.
The post Save over $1,000 on this classic Korg synth: the early Black Friday deals have arrived at Reverb appeared first on MusicTech.

DAWJunkie releases FREE DSS-130SE plugin based on the Yamaha PSS-130 keyboard
DAWJunkie has released DSS-130SE, a free sample-based plugin inspired by the Yamaha PSS-130 keyboard for macOS and Windows. I’m always on the lookout for plugins that bring these quirky 1980s consumer keyboards into the DAW world, and DSS-130SE is exactly that kind of freebie. The original Yamaha PSS-130 came out in 1987. From the modern [...]
View post: DAWJunkie releases FREE DSS-130SE plugin based on the Yamaha PSS-130 keyboard

EVEN powers direct to fan sales, data BEFORE streaming releaseDirect to fan platform EVEN powers direct to fan sales and fan data capture before streaming release. A deceptively simple proposition that rewards fans while providing much needed pre-streaming income, Even is gaining real traction.
The post EVEN powers direct to fan sales, data BEFORE streaming release appeared first on Hypebot.

Cymatics will release Pandora plugin and Shrine sound library for FREE on November 26th
Cymatics will release Pandora, a virtual instrument plugin, and the Shrine R&B Collection sound library on November 26th. You can sign up today to claim your free copy. So, Cymatics is gearing up for Black Friday with a pretty cool giveaway. You can claim their upcoming instrument plugin, Pandora, and a new sound library for [...]
View post: Cymatics will release Pandora plugin and Shrine sound library for FREE on November 26th

The Crow Hill Company releases Dulcet Vocal as part of the FREE Vaults series
Part of their free Vaults series, Dulcet Vocal is the little sister plugin of The Crow Hill Company’s Dulcet Voice, featuring Dot Alison. Dot Alison is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and composer with a wealth of experience spanning the stage, studio, and film. If you aren’t familiar with Dot’s ethereal vocals, you can hear her [...]
View post: The Crow Hill Company releases Dulcet Vocal as part of the FREE Vaults series

Why alt-pop producer Sophia Stel turned a nightclub basement into a music studio“I started to feel like I was stuck…and I found it very difficult to finish songs,” says Canadian alt-pop star Sophia Stel, who transformed the downstairs of a Vancouver nightclub into a makeshift studio to craft her second EP.

READ MORE: BlackGummy: “People get caught up in rules about mixing, loudness or arrangement but creativity doesn’t follow a formula”

Considering that the producer, vocalist and songwriter could have elevated to working in flashy spaces following the viral success of her TikTok sleeper hit I’ll Take It – especially as it led to the alt-pop artist supporting PC Music king A.G. Cook, and counting Troye Sivan and Megan Skiendiel of KATSEYE among her fans – Stel’s decision to take such a DIY approach is commendable. However, for her, it felt totally natural.
Having cut her teeth in Vancouver’s local music scene (and juggled gardening jobs and painting houses while making tracks in her bedroom), the skating fan’s decision to turn part of the now-closed Paradise into a creative space made sense – especially as she had worked at the small after-hours spot in her home city for nearly five years.
“I needed somewhere I could be loud,” she explains.
Image: Press
The self-written, self-produced and self-recorded EP, How to Win At Solitaire, is a sonic mix of drowsy shoegaze, electronic pop and rave-y beats. “I knew that Paradise wasn’t open during the weekdays and no one was there, so I thought it was perfect,” Stel adds.
Stel wasn’t the only employee at Paradise — it was ‘a second job’ for other creatives, too. Her co-workers quickly became her close friends and collaborators, and the owners eventually allowed Stel to record music there, free of charge, when the venue wasn’t in use.
So, Stel would work late, set up the studio after each club night, tear it down again when they’d have to use it, and then repeat the process. Though such disassembling and rebuilding was laborious, she found it easy to transform the dungeon-like space.
This was undoubtedly helped by her “quite simple set-up”, which encompassed an Aston Origin microphone, an Apollo Twin Duo interface, a MacBook Pro 14-inch, studio monitors, a microKORG, a Squier Stratocaster electric guitar, and four guitar pedals.
Image: Press
However, she says she couldn’t really install anything permanent — “I had to take it all down for the club to open every week,” she says. Bearing in mind that this would happen the following morning after she’d finish a shift in the early hours, Stel remained impressively committed. “Each club night, I’d work until 4 AM, then I’d clean up the bar, and the next day, I would come and set up the studio,” she recalls.
With so much free rein, Stel liked that she was able to switch things up from day to day: “I had a pretty good system going, and I didn’t mind doing that, because I could bring in different equipment if I wanted to,” she recalls. “And I was always able to set things up fresh and how I wanted.”
As Stel usually makes music at home, it was a case of replicating that comfort in the club’s basement. “It was honestly the same as my normal studio set-up, but just in a different setting,“ she says. There was one key benefit, though: “I was able to play everything as loud as I wanted to, which makes a huge difference”.
Image: Press
When it came to working on the bones of the six songs that would later form the EP, she had a specific sonic direction in mind. She doesn’t quite know how to describe it, however — “It was more of a feeling,” she suggests. Nonetheless, the space in which it was recorded had a big impact on its sound. “It was very big and empty, so I think you can hear that on the project,” she says.
While the new experience of working in a makeshift studio was not only “very fun at first” but “exciting and cathartic” too, it came with its challenges. Chief among them was consistent, interfering noise from airways – “no matter how hard I tried to turn them all off”, says Stel.
Things got progressively harder as she struggled to finish songs and began feeling somewhat stuck in the basement. However, having her friends regularly pop by for a cigarette and to hear the songs as she was working on them helped to combat this. “That was really cool, and encouraging,” she says, adding that spending long nights there working (and partying) spurred her on.
Image: Press
Recording in such a DIY way also affirmed what Stel already knew of herself: “it taught me that I can work anywhere”. This approach also made her realise one important aspect. “Mostly, it taught me that I need somewhere that I can play music loud,” she says, adding that this is especially true when it comes to recording guitar.
Having enjoyed the time at Paradise – so much so that footage from the last party there before it shut down in March is heavily featured in the video for one of the EP’s singles, Taste – Stel says she would return given the chance.
“It’s sad that it’s closed now, but I’d do it again there,” she enthuses. “Even if I had a million dollars.”
‘How to Win At Solitaire’ is out now. Sophia Stel tours the UK and Europe throughout this month.
The post Why alt-pop producer Sophia Stel turned a nightclub basement into a music studio appeared first on MusicTech.

IK Multimedia iLoud Precision 6 MKII review: Take control of your sound in any studio environment€1600 per pair, ikmultimedia.com
A year ago, I reviewed IK Multimedia’s iLoud Micro Monitor Pros and found them to be an excellent solution for working on the move with built-in room correction technology. Now, three years after the original launch, the Italian audio manufacturer has a new iteration of the iLoud Precision 6, the MKII.

READ MORE: HEDD Audio’s Type 05 A-Core monitors are practically perfect

There’s also a brand new 5-inch version and an update to the larger MTM MKII, but I was sent the 6 MKII, which sits in the centre of the lineup. They are designed both for home and professional studios (the calibration features help with room compensation, as we will see), but a little costly for keen amateurs. On the other hand, a pair of quality monitors could be with you for many years, so you can also look at it as an investment.
Each speaker is identical, powered from the mains and has a USB port, though this is for firmware and servicing and does not carry audio. There’s a combo jack / XLR input, manual level control, ARC mic input (a mic is included in the box) and a port for connecting the optional four-button remote. A button section has several options, including low frequency extension, low and high frequency boost and cut, plus a calibration start button. The speakers are also compatible with special mounting brackets you can buy from IK, making them suitable for immersive audio systems, and each speaker comes with a set of four feet to assist with isolation when placed on a flat surface.
Image: Press
This model uses a 6.5-inch, custom-made midwoofer and a 1.5-inch low-distortion, graphene-reinforced dome tweeter, with 150W total RMS power and a rear bass reflex port. Its frequency response is 45 Hz – 30 kHz with the ability to add low-end frequency extension (via a button press) to 37 Hz at -4 dB. Internally, the speaker uses DSP-controlled, 96 kHz processing. The speakers work with IK’s ARC X room correction and calibration system, and you will want to run through this process on the first set-up, or indeed when moving your speakers to a different position or room. It’s one of their main selling points, and though you don’t have to use it, you’d be missing out on a big feature of the product.
IK was kind enough to loan me the four-button remote (€100) to test, and this is really handy for quickly punching between four ARC X speaker emulation presets or custom voicings. You can also assign functions, including ARC on/off, mute and dim to the buttons. One unit daisy-chains to both speakers, and while it’s not strictly essential, I found it made my workflow faster, so it’s worth considering.
You can download the ARC X software for free after registering your hardware; it installs both an app and a plugin. The software can be purchased separately or with a dedicated hardware interface if you’re using third-party speakers, but here it’s included, and the measurement hardware is actually built into the speakers themselves. To that end there’s a mic input on each speaker, and the calibration can be performed using the relevant button on the rear panel. Instructions are provided online to walk you through this process, which is mostly done without requiring much input from you.
Image: Press
Given the imperfect design of many home studios, it’s a particularly useful thing to be able to compensate in software for the myriad things that can colour your sound. Using it in my space, I find it definitely sharpens and tightens up playback when auditioning tracks I’m familiar with. The stereo image becomes more focused, and the boomy bass, which I’m already aware is a problem in the room, is dramatically reduced. It’s well worth performing the calibration in a professional studio, too, of course, though if the space has already been treated, the results might be more subtle.
The ARC X system doesn’t stop at calibration; it’s also an advanced emulator. Once you have run the initial calibration, you are free to make your own fine-tuning changes or to emulate a number of other speakers or environments. If you’re looking to manually set the response, the Device Configuration section contains a range of parameters that let you do this. It’s pretty involved stuff, and if you’re not experienced in acoustics, it might be a bit much for you. The Virtual Monitoring section lets you choose from a bunch of monitor models and types, as well as hi-fi speakers and a generic TV or smartphone model. There’s also a list of Target options that let you select room types, Dolby Atmos and more.
ARC X. Image: Press
Speaker emulation isn’t unique to the iLouds, but it can be incredibly useful. IK’s advanced tech does a great job here, transposing the EQ and response curves of different speaker models onto the hardware to allow you to test your mixes without changing anything physically. And leaving the emulation to one side, these are extremely accurate, well-balanced and neutral monitors. They produce a firm but controlled low end that’s robust, a fast treble response and a high level of detail. These are speakers you can trust for every part of the production process, from tracking to mixing and mastering.
They are a little more expensive than HEDD’s Type 05 A-Core, which we loved, but basically the same price as the Type 05 MK2, which does have a bunch of DSP. Where IK’s model stands out is the integration of the onboard ARC system and bundled measurement mic. The resulting room calibration and also the speaker emulation work brilliantly and are compelling reasons to choose these, adding value to already-fine studio monitors. Whether you dig into the minutiae of fine-tuning the voicing or not, the iLoud Precision 6 MKII should serve you well for many years.

Key features

6.5-inch, custom made mid woofer, 1.5-inch tweeter and rear bass reflex port
Custom designed class D power amps, 150W RMS
DSP controlled system with 96 kHz internal sampling
ARC microphone and input for direct room calibration
ARC X plugin and software for calibration and speaker emulation
45 Hz – 30 kHz frequency response
On-body calibration controls
Bundled isolation feet
Optional remote control
Phase response: coherent, -/+20° max. from 150 Hz up

The post IK Multimedia iLoud Precision 6 MKII review: Take control of your sound in any studio environment appeared first on MusicTech.

AI music generator Suno raises $250M in latest funding roundAI music generation platform Suno has just raised $250 million in a Series C funding round at a $2.45 billion post-money valuation, the company reports.
The funding round – led by Menlo Ventures with participation from NVentures (Nvidia’s venture capital arm), as well as Hallwood Media, Lightspeed and Matrix – will accelerate the development of Suno’s “full-stack music ecosystem, model, workstation, artist tools and community”.

READ MORE: How I turned my DAW into an improv partner while producing my jazz album

The latest funding round follows a series of moves by Suno aimed at “redefining what’s possible in music creation”. In September, the company launches the “first-ever” generative audio workstation, Suno Studio, which pairs professional-grade multi-track editing with AI stem generation.
In the leadup to the launch of Suno Studio, the platform acquired WavTool, the first browser-based DAW. The move saw Suno adopting WavTool’s browser-based functionality, allowing it to repurpose the technology for its Suno Studio DAW.
“We’re seeing the future of music take shape in real time,” says Mikey Shulman, Co-Founder and CEO of Suno. “In just two years, we’ve seen millions of people make their ideas a reality through Suno, from first-time creators to top songwriters and producers integrating the tool into their daily workflows. This funding allows us to keep expanding what’s possible, empowering more artists to experiment, collaborate, and build on their creativity. We’re proud to be at the forefront of this historic moment for music.”
“Suno is the world’s #1 music creation app, making music accessible to everyone. Mikey and the team have built something people genuinely love using and millions of fans are on the platform every day, creating original songs and sharing them with friends,” says Amy Martin, Partner, Menlo Ventures.
You can read more about Suno’s latest funding round in a blog post entitled ‘The Future of Music is Already Here’.
The post AI music generator Suno raises $250M in latest funding round appeared first on MusicTech.

Coinbase to roll out its new ‘DeFi Mullet’ offering in BrazilCoinbase is rolling out its DEX trading platform to Brazil about six weeks after it launched in the US, offering Brazilians over 10,000 tokens to trade without leaving Coinbase’s app.

Nvidia’s record $57B revenue and upbeat forecast quiets AI bubble talkNvidia's earnings were dominated by its data center business.

House vs. techno: Key differences explained (and where tech house fits in)
Explore the similarities and key differences between house, techno, and tech house music.

Build a Stranger Things Wall You Can Freak Out At In Your Own HomeWhen Stranger Things premiered in 2016, it was a cultural force. Foreign DJs gushed over the lush 80s soundtrack, fashionistas loved the clothing, and the world became obsessed with the idea of using Christmas lights to communicate across material planes. [kyjohnso] has recreated that experience with the technology of today.
If you haven’t watched the show — Joyce Byers is trying to communicate with her son Will, who just so happens to be stuck in another plane of existence called the Upside Down. She screams questions at her living room wall, upon which hangs a series of Christmas lights, marked with the letters A to Z. Will is able to communicate back by causing the lights to flash, one letter at a time.
This build works a little differently. You basically type a message into a terminal on a Raspberry Pi, and it gets sent to a large language model—namely, the Claude API. The response from Claude (or Will Byers, if you’re imagining) is then flashed out on a WS2812B set of LED Christmas lights on the wall. [kyjohnso] added dramatic pauses whenever there’s a space in the output, somewhat replicating the dramatic elements of the show itself. Files are on GitHub for the spooky and curious.
It’s a neat build that would be a hit at any Halloween party. We can’t imagine how much more immersive it would be if paired with a speech-to-text engine so you could actually scream at the thing like a distraught Midwestern parent who has just lost her youngest child. It’s all about committing to the bit; if you build such a thing, don’t hesitate to notify the tipsline!