Fail of the Week: The Case of the Curiously Colored StreetlightsWhat color are the street lights in your town? While an unfortunate few still suffer under one of the awful colors offered by vapor discharge lamps, like the pink or orange of sodium or the greenish-white of mercury, most municipalities have moved to energy-saving LED streetlights, with a bright white light that’s generally superior in every way. Unless, of course, things go wrong and the lights start to mysteriously change colors.
If you’ve noticed this trend in your area, relax; [NanoPalomaki] has an in-depth and surprisingly interesting analysis of why LED streetlights are changing colors. After examining a few streetlights removed from service thanks to changing from white to purple, he discovered a simple explanation. White LEDs aren’t emitting white light directly; rather, the white light comes from phosphors coating the underlying LED, which emits a deep blue light. The defunct units all showed signs of phosphor degradation. In some cases, the phosphors seemed discolored, as if they experienced overheating or chemical changes. In other LEDs the phosphor layer was physically separated from the backing, exposing the underlying LEDs completely. The color of these damaged modules was significantly shifted toward the blue end of the spectrum, which was obviously why they were removed from service.
Now, a discolored LED here and there does not exactly constitute a streetlight emergency, but it’s happening to enough cities that people are starting to take notice. The obvious solution would be for municipalities to replace the dodgy units Even in the unlikely event that a city would get some compensation from the manufacturer, this seems like an expensive proposition. Luckily, [NanoPalomaki] tested a solution: he mixed a wideband phosphor into a UV-curable resin and painted it onto the lens of each defective LED in the fixture. Two coats seemed to do the trick.
We have to admit that we have a hard time visualizing a city employee painstakingly painting LEDs when swapping out a fixture would take an electrician a few minutes, but at least it’s an option. And, it’s something for hobbyists and homeowners faced with the problem of wonky white LEDs to keep in mind too.

Joy To The Polls Confirms 2024 Concert lineup: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rakim, Carla Morrison, Durand Bernarr, Princess Nokia + moreJoy To The Polls (JTTP), the original joy factory in civic engagement, kicked off with a 9/29 all-star Broadway block party in Times Square in partnership with Broadway Votes, as well as a block party this past weekend in Philadelphia featuring activist and DJ Cosmo Baker, Sanovia, DJ Nash and The Positive Movement Drumline. Today, JTTP confirms a string of pop-up performances at early voting and Election Day polling locations in PA, AZ, NC & GA.

Initial performers include DJ Jazzy Jeff, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and Rakim (Philadelphia 10/19), rapper Flau’jae and R&B star Tray Milz (Atlanta, 10/20), Princess Nokia and singer/songwriter/DJ Durand Bernarr (Philadelphia 10/26), Dreamville Records rapper Lute (Raleigh 10/29), and Carla Morrison (Phoenix 11/1), with more surprise artists on election day (11/5) in all 4 cities (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, Phoenix) – to be announced soon. 

Founded in 2020, JTTP has brought musicians including Rick Ross, Questlove and Jon Batiste out to polling sites across the country to initiate fun for voters in long lines, and released playlists from the likes of President Barack Obama, Selena Gomez, and Lin-Manuel Miranda for anyone to listen to while waiting to vote. In addition to playlists and pop-up performances, JTTP kicked off an original song series last month with Rhiannon Giddens, Crys Matthews, and the Resistance Revival Chorus’ cover of Peggy Seeger's "How I Long For Peace".

Amid efforts to restore “joy” to politics, few organizations capture the joy of political engagement as tangibly as Joy To The Polls. Commenting on this, Joy To The Polls cofounder Nelini Stamp says: 

“Since 2020, our work has inspired a movement of joy-centered activations to get out the vote as people began to understand the power of our cultural strategy. The Joy To The Polls secret sauce is surprise, delight, and human connection all wrapped up in the guise of pop-up DJ sets, roving concerts, and spontaneous sidewalk dance parties that have the power to transform the culture around voting. Using your voice at the ballot box becomes the community-focused celebration it should be— all while creating a protective, de-escalating presence outside polling places using the soft power of music, art, and communal joy. Look for us this election season and bring your own joy to the polls wherever you vote.” 

Photo credit: Ryan Collerd

Joy To The Polls On The Web:

Website | Instagram | Twitter/X | FacebookThe post Joy To The Polls Confirms 2024 Concert lineup: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rakim, Carla Morrison, Durand Bernarr, Princess Nokia + more first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

FLOSS Weekly Episode 804: The AI Alliance — Asimov was RightThis week Jonathan Bennett and and Dan Lynch chat with Anthony Annunziata about Open Source AI and the AI Alliance. We get answers to our burning AI questions, and talk about the difficulty of defining what Open Source means for these large models.

https://thealliance.ai/

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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Universal Music sues Chili’s restaurant chain owner over alleged copyright infringement in social media adsThe restaurant chain's owner Brinker reported $4.42 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ended June 26, 2024
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In key markets outside the US, TikTok’s revenues soared 75% to $4.6bn last year, but losses widened amid $1bn in legal costsTikTok's massive increase in European, LatAm and African revenue was more than offset by a sharp spike in expenses
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PreSonus Studio Pro One 7 arrives The latest version of PreSonus’s popular DAW is now available, and comes packed with new features that promise to make it the most innovative version to date.

Spitfire Audio releases FREE LABS Intimate Grand Piano
Spitfire Audio has released LABS Intimate Grand Piano, a free piano sound library for LABS. I can never get enough piano libraries, and I was particularly excited about this one because I know how much everyone loved the new LABS setup. OK, maybe love is a little strong, but everyone liked it, that’s for sure! [...]
View post: Spitfire Audio releases FREE LABS Intimate Grand Piano

The Live Music Crisis: Challenges Facing the IndustryIs live music facing an unprecedented crisis? Discover the major challenges shaking the industry and what it means for the future of concerts and events for artist big and small.
The post The Live Music Crisis: Challenges Facing the Industry appeared first on Hypebot.

Sureel AI offers music AI protection and monetizationSureel AI offers music AI protection and monetization as creators battle unauthorized use in AI models.
The post Sureel AI offers music AI protection and monetization appeared first on Hypebot.

Beatport Streaming adds lossless audio ability to play FLAC filesThe audiophiles asked – and Beatport answered. Beatport Streaming now has an option to play lossless FLAC files to subscribers of both the Beatport Streaming Professional plan and the Beatsource Streaming Pro+ plan. That means Beatport’s entire 12-million+-track library – along with Beatsource’s 7-million-strong gold mine – is now at your disposal to stream in high-quality, uncompressed, crystal […]
The post Beatport Streaming adds lossless audio ability to play FLAC files appeared first on DJ TechTools.

Musician’s Guide to LiveStreamingIn this Musician's Guide to LiveStreaming discover how to livestream with proven strategies used by successful musicians. Learn how to grow a fanbase, maximize revenue, increase visibility, and take full control of your virtual success.
The post Musician’s Guide to LiveStreaming appeared first on Hypebot.

AlphaTheta’s new DJ controller hosts a new feature for freely manipulating drum parts and creating original groovesAlphaTheta has launched a new four-channel DJ controller, compatible with rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro.
The DDJ-GRV6 arrives this October, though no official date has yet been revealed. It hosts a new Groove Circuit feature, allowing DJs to freely manipulate drum parts and create original grooves.

READ MORE: AlphaTheta’s new HDJ-F10 wireless DJ headphones are designed with a “meticulous focus on sound quality”

To use the Groove Circuit feature, available in rekordbox, DJs can simply press one of the dedicated buttons to swap the drum part of any track with a beat or break in a completely different genre while it’s playing, and add effects to create unique sounds. Paired with Serato DJ Pro, the DDJ-GRV6 can also manipulate and separate Stems using the Stems FX feature.
The controller’s layout is “inherited” from the Pioneer DJ CDJ and DJM setups, so it gives users a feel for playing on club-standard equipment and in turn, prepares them for the booth. AlphaTheta is Pioneer’s parent company, and has been since 2020. As we reported back in January, the corporation affirmed that its new DJ-focused products will now come with the AlphaTheta name, reserving the Pioneer DJ name solely for old products released during the Pioneer DJ era only.

The controller also includes a Smart Rotary Selector and Discover function, to help make browsing and selecting tracks faster. The DDJ-GRV6 can be used with both PC/Mac and mobile devices, and has a matte black finish and ergonomic design.
Its display is described by the brand as minimalistic, with indicators to offer intuitive access to necessary functions. The Groove Circuit is cleanly laid out above the Performance Pads with a “step up” in between, ensuring DJs won’t accidentally touch a jog wheel when they’re using it.
Check out more in the video below:

The DDJ-GRV6 will be available in mid October for $829 (excluding tax). Find out more information over at AlphaTheta.
The post AlphaTheta’s new DJ controller hosts a new feature for freely manipulating drum parts and creating original grooves appeared first on MusicTech.

Splice is now in Studio One Pro 7
Splice is now integrated into Studio One Pro 7—discover how to search, filter, and audition Splice sounds, all synced to your project’s key and tempo.

Softube introduce Layers plug-in Softube’s latest plug-in aims to offer the ultimate doubling and stereo-widening tool, and also packs in some helpful extras such as de-essing, multi-band compression and octave effects.

“We didn’t get anything good”: Ninajirachi on her disappointing experience with AI music generatorsElectronic producer and artist Ninajirachi has opened up about her disappointing encounter with AI music generators in the studio.

READ MORE: “What’s interesting about this song is there’s actually very little going on”: Watch Jack Antonoff break down Sabrina Carpenter’s Please Please Please

Speaking to MusicTech, Nina says that the value of AI in music production lies in its ability to improve the “brain to page” flow, bridging the gap between abstract musical ideas and concrete expression.
And while AI music generators have become increasingly popular for their ability to create background tracks and assist in music composition, they often fall short in delivering the emotional depth that human musicians bring to their work.
“We were trying to give it the most obscure prompts, just to see what we could get out of it,” says Nina of her experience with the tool. “We didn’t get anything good.”
That said, like many other musicians, Ninajirachi hopes that AI will evolve into a tool that assists rather than replaces human creativity.
“My hope for AI is that it develops in a way that’s assistive for creators and is not replacing the creative work,” she says.
Elsewhere in the chat, Nina also shares her thoughts on the democratisation of music technology, noting the way artists can now make music that sound “fully professional” at a fraction of the cost.
“In the past, someone would have to spend 20 grand on a studio, an engineer and a mix person to create something that people would deem consumable,” she says. “When I was in high school, I was making songs on my laptop that sounded fully professional. With a computer, you can hypothetically make any sound. That’s so awesome.”
The post “We didn’t get anything good”: Ninajirachi on her disappointing experience with AI music generators appeared first on MusicTech.