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How to ask Google to remove deepfake porn results from Google SearchThe internet is full of deepfakes — and most of them are nudes. According to a report from Home Security Heroes, deepfake porn makes up 98% of all deepfake videos online. Thanks to easy-to-use and freely available generative AI tools, the number of deepfakes online — many of which aren’t consensual — skyrocketed 550% from […]
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.The First Fitbit: Engineering and Industrial Design LessonsIt could happen to anyone of us: suddenly you got this inkling of an idea for a product that you think might just be pretty useful or even cool. Some of us then go on to develop a prototype and manage to get enough seed funding to begin the long and arduous journey to turn a sloppy prototype into a sleek, mass-produced product. This is basically the story of how the Fitbit came to be, with a pretty in-depth article by [Tekla S. Perry] in IEEE Spectrum covering the development process and the countless lessons learned along the way.
Of note was that this idea for an accelerometer-based activity tracker was not new in 2006, as a range of products already existed, from 1960s mechanical pedometers to 1990s medical sensors and the shoe-based Nike+ step tracker that used Apple’s iPod with a receiver. Where this idea for the Fitbit was new was that it’d target a wide audience with a small, convenient (and affordable) device. That also set them up for a major nightmare as the two inventors were plunged into the wonderfully terrifying world of industrial design and hardware development.
One thing that helped a lot was outsourcing what they could to skilled people and having solid seed funding. This left just many hardware decisions to make it as small as possible, as well as waterproof and low-power. The use of the ANT protocol instead of Bluetooth saved a lot of battery, but meant a base station was needed to connect to a PC. Making things waterproof required ultrasonic welding, but lack of antenna testing meant that a closed case had a massively reduced signal strength until a foam shim added some space. The external reset pin on the Fitbit for the base station had a low voltage on it all the time, which led to corrosion issues, and so on.
While much of this was standard development and testing fun, the real challenge was in interpreting the data from the accelerometer. After all, what does a footstep look like to an accelerometer, and when is it just a pothole while travelling by car? Developing a good algorithm here took gathering a lot of real-world data using prototype hardware, which needed tweaking when later Fitbits moved from being clipped-on to being worn on the wrist. These days Fitbit is hardly the only game in town for fitness trackers, but you can definitely blame them for laying much of the groundwork for the countless options today.Radial Mourns Loss of Founder Peter JanisRadial Engineering® is deeply saddened to announce the passing of its founder, Peter Janis. Best remembered for his passionate dedication to his family, friends, and work, Janis launched Radial in 1996 with its signature Radial JDI direct box, the first in what would become an extensive line of professional products and brands with a solid reputation for ruggedness and reliability that continues today around the world.
“Peter’s accomplishments were many and his legacy will live on here at Radial, but what will be remembered more than anything was his passion for friends, music and fellowship,” said Roc Bubel, Director, Sales and Marketing for Radial. “Our industry has lost a true innovator and visionary, and we take solace in knowing that Peter’s legacy lives on here at Radial through the products, passion, dedication, and commitment to excellence that he founded the company on.”The post Radial Mourns Loss of Founder Peter Janis first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.
500cc Of 4-Wheel Off-Road FunWho among us hasn’t at some point thought of building a little vehicle, and better still, a little off-road vehicle for a few high-octane rough-terrain adventures. [Made in Poland] has, and there he is in a new video with a little off-road buggy.
The video which we’ve paced below the break is quite long, and it’s one of those restful metalworking films in which we see the finished project take shape bit by bit. In this case the buggy has a tubular spaceframe, with front suspension taken from a scrap quad and a home-made solid rear axle. For power there’s a 500cc Suzuki two-cylinder motorcycle engine, with a very short chain drive from its gearbox to that axle. The controls are conventional up to a point, though we’d have probably gone for motorcycle style handlebars with a foot shift rather than the hand-grip shift.
The final machine is a pocket drift monster, and one we’d certainly like to have a play with. We’d prefer some roll-over protection and we wonder whether the handling might be improved were the engine sprung rather than being part of a huge swing-arm, but it doesn’t appear to interfere with the fun. If you fancy a go yourself it’s surprisingly affordable to make a small vehicle, just build a Hacky Racer.Tickets are now available for Fred again..’s North American Places We’ve Never Been tourFred again.. has announced a North American tour for later this year.
The run of shows will kick off on September 11 at the Ball Arena in Denver, and finish on October 13 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. He will also be making stops in Salt Lake City, Seattle, Minneapolis, East Troy, Detroit, Toronto, Buffalo and Atlanta.READ MORE: How Fred again.. stole the hearts of Glastonbury 2023 (musictech.com)
“Okay North America [we’re] comin’ on tour next month!” he wrote on X. “Whenever we go to the US I hear about (and sometimes see from the plane!) all these mad places that we haven’t gotten to go to and explore. So yeah, I can’t wait to see these parts and play some shows in some magical places.”
The producer has also said there are more dates set to be announced in due course. You can see the full list of dates below and buy tickets here.Okayyyyy North America we comin on tour next month!!
Whenever we go to the US I hear about (and sometimes see from the plane!!) alll these mad places that we haven’t gotten to go to and explore.
So yeah I can’t waittttt to see these parts and play some shows in some magical… pic.twitter.com/C6Dp8efvBz
— Fred again.. (@fredagainagain1) August 5, 2024Fred again.. has already enjoyed significant success on the other side of the Atlantic. In June, he played his first stadium show at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, co-headlined San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza with Skrillex, and sold out three shows at the Frost Amphitheater in Stanford.
The dates will follow the release of his forthcoming album ten days, which is set to arrive on 6th September. Among its list of collaborations are his frequent collaborators Skrillex and Four Tet.
Later this month, Fred again.. will be headlining Reading and Leeds for the first time, performing on the same day as Lana Del Rey. before the end of the summer, he will also be making appearances at Pukkelpop in Belgium, Lowlands in The Netherlands and Rock en Seine in France (August 23).
For tickets and a full list of dates for Fred again..’s upcoming US tour, head to Ticketmaster.
The post Tickets are now available for Fred again..’s North American Places We’ve Never Been tour appeared first on MusicTech.From HYBE’s new label services business to Sony and Warner’s calendar Q2 earnings… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
SourceGamechanger Audio launch AUTO Series The trio of modular effects pedals Gamechanger revealed at NAMM 24 are now available.
Plugin Boutique is offering 50% off a range of top-of-the-line Output virtual instruments for a limited timeThis week marked 808 Day – a celebration of one of the most important sounds in hip-hop, DnB and beyond. And Plugin Boutique marked the occasion by offering killer savings on loads of 808-style plugins (which are still active, by the way).
And ever the generous plugin purveyors, Plugin Boutique is also offering tonnes more deals during August, like 50% off a range of Output plugins until 16 August.READ MORE: Physical Audio offers “next-generation collision modelling” with its new Preparation 2 modelling synth plugin
On offer are a range of Kontakt instruments by Output, like Analog Strings, for example. This virtual instrument enables producers to craft and use “insanely unique and cutting-edge” string sounds, with samples taken from a 60-piece string orchestra and 22-piece orchestra at the BMC Hall in Budapest, Hungary. And if you’re after strings that sound a little more synthetic, Analog Strings also comes loaded with recreations of a handful of vintage synths known for their string sounds. Until 16 August, Analog Strings is only $99, down from $199.
Also on offer is Exhale, also for $99 down from $199. Exhale is a fully comprehensive vocal sampler, with 500 unique presets, three modes, and 10GB of raw material (that’s a hell of a lot of vocal samples to work with.
Created by top producers recording real singers and a choir, 25 sound designers tweaking samples and sounds for six months to create the perfect sounds, which were crafted with vintage and analogue tape machines, vocoders and more, in terms of a vocal sampler, you won’t go far wrong with Exhale.
Also included in the sale is REV X-Loops, a comprehensive loops engine for only $49, Analog Brass & Winds, which like Analog Strings, is a brass and woodwind sampler filled with hundred and hundreds of meticulously crafted and captured sounds ($99), and SUBSTANCE, a bass engine rivalled by few, priced for a limited time at $99 down from $199.
There’s loads more plugins up for grabs in the Output Manufacturer Focus Sale, so head to Plugin Boutique now to browse for yourself.
The post Plugin Boutique is offering 50% off a range of top-of-the-line Output virtual instruments for a limited time appeared first on MusicTech.Spotify and Epic Games call Apple’s revised DMA compliance plan “confusing”, “illegal” and “unacceptable”Spotify has condemned Apple’s revised DMA (Digital Markets Act) compliance plan, branding it as “confusing” and suggesting it is “illegal”.
Apple proposed a new policy on 8 August, in which the tech company added two new commission-like fees for developers on purchases completed by users of iOS apps via link outs to external websites.READ MORE: Sony Music CEO wants free streaming users to start paying – would it ever work, though?
As reported by TechCrunch, the European Union’s Digital Markets Act rules have forced Apple to give iOS developers more freedom over how they can distribute and promote their content on its mobile platform since March. Apple has already been put under investigation by the European Commission for suspected noncompliance with the DMA.
As explained by the publication, developers who had released apps on the App Store couldn’t formerly advertise different prices or alternative distribution channels in their apps. Though Apple now allows developers to include a link to their site, the European Commission believed Apple was imposing too many restrictions, resulting in a third non-compliance investigation into its contractual terms for EU developers.
Under Apple’s new proposed policy, it adds two key new fees – an “Initial Acquisition Fee” and a “Store Services Fee.” The Initial Acquisition Fee is explained as “a commission of sorts for connecting users with the app through the App Store that applies during the first 12 months” by TechCrunch. The Store Services Fee is said to help fund Apple’s App Store operations.
However, Apple is now giving developers more flexibility around how they can communicate external offers to their users and the types of offers they can promote through iOS apps. Developers will also be able to inform users about offers available anywhere, not just their own websites.
In a statement shared to MusicTech from Spotify, the streaming platform says of Apple’s plans, “We are currently assessing Apple’s deliberately confusing proposal. At first glance, by demanding as much as a 25% fee for basic communication with users, Apple once again blatantly disregards the fundamental requirements of the Digital Markets Act.
“The European Commission has made it clear that imposing recurring fees on basic elements like pricing and linking is unacceptable. We call on the Commission to expedite its investigation, implement daily fines and enforce the DMA.”
Fortnite owner Epic Games has joined Spotify in condemning Apple’s revised DMA compliance plan, with its CEO Tim Sweeney saying: “Apple continues its malicious compliance by imposing an illegal new 15% junk fee on users migrating to competing stores.”In the European Union where the new DMA law opens up app store competition, Apple continues its malicious compliance by imposing an illegal new 15% junk fee on users migrating to competing stores and monitor commerce on these competing stores.https://t.co/YUYwsnrh32 pic.twitter.com/xAWGkOWPrH
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) August 8, 2024It is not yet clear if the European Commission will accept Apple’s proposal. MusicTech has reached out to Apple for comment.
The post Spotify and Epic Games call Apple’s revised DMA compliance plan “confusing”, “illegal” and “unacceptable” appeared first on MusicTech.Physical Audio offers “next-generation collision modelling” with its new Preparation 2 modelling synth pluginLondon-based plugin developer Physical Audio has launched a new and updated version of its Preparation physical modelling synthesizer.
You might recall when, in 2022, the brand launched Preparation, a “next-generation collision modelling” plugin which simulates the interactions of strings and bars colliding with objects.READ MORE: At REX Studio, music production is personal
Now, Preparation 2 is described as a “ground-up rewrite” based on the company’s latest physical modelling techniques. New features include a dynamic fret object, new controllable properties for rattle and fret, an effects suite, and dual LFOs.
Preparation 2 consists of two physically modelled strings or bars which collide with a rattle and a dynamic fret. The user can excite the strings using a Pluck, Bow or external audio using a sidechain input.
Users can set the string and bar properties, with controls for Sustain, Tone, Inharmonicity, Gain, Pan, and Non-Linearity/Tuning.
Credit: Physical Audio
There’s also “deep” customisation options with the fret and rattle, too, with controls for Position, Gap, Mass, Stiffness and Edge.
Preparation 2’s effects suite includes an EQ, compressor, tremolo, phaser, VCF, wah, distortion, drive, fuzz, delay and reverb. Meanwhile, two LFOs can modulate rattle/fret properties and/or effects controls.
There’s also Keyboard and Velocity modulation for string and rattle properties, a detailed pluck designer to set range and low/high sensitivity, MIDI integrations and MPE functionality, Attack, Boost and Release controls and, if you want to get stuck straight in, 160+ available presets.
Check out what Preparation 2 is capable of below:Preparation 2 is available now in VST3, AU and AAX formats for both Mac and PC, at an introductory price of £48/$59. Learn more at Physical Audio.
The post Physical Audio offers “next-generation collision modelling” with its new Preparation 2 modelling synth plugin appeared first on MusicTech.Setting Up A Home Studio In our latest SOS Podcast, Paul White and Hugh Robjohns discuss the basics of a good home studio setup.
Physical Audio introduce Preparation 2 Preparation 2 is a ground-up rebuild of Physical Audio's innovative soft synth that introduces new controllable properties, built-in effects, dual LFOs and more.
The 8 levels of 808s (free sounds and MIDI files included)
We explore the 8 levels of 808s, spanning everything from basic sustains and glides to uncharted realms of 808 enlightenment.As HYBE raises $80m for its gaming business, could it try to emulate Sony Corp’s cross-media strategy?New 'HYBE 2.0' global strategy could look to borrow elements of Sony's longstanding multi-divisional structure
SourceIndustry execs discussed crypto policy with White House officials: ReportRepresentatives from Coinbase, Kraken, Ripple and Circle reportedly attended a video call with US policymakers to discuss their approach to crypto regulation.
