UJAM introduce Cinedream UJAM’s latest offering combines the realism and playability of their popular Virtual Guitarist series with the more cinematic focus of their Symphonic Elements collection.

Dead Robot DR Spec Ref v1https://youtu.be/PvbAa6Oxg44 Spec Ref v1 is a new handy little mid/side spectrum analyzer plugin for windows and mac, which lets you see the mid and side channels of any incoming signal. there are also spectrum reference overlays, created from the combined frequency spectrums of the loudest sections of my own released albums, which allow you to use them as a helpful mixing guide when finalizing your music. Main Features. - Mid / Side focus button to toggle between mid and side channel spectrums. - 7 Spectrum Color choices (Purple/Teal, Purple, Red, Pink, Teal, Blue, Green). - 8 Reference Overlays (7 Albums Combined, Alchemyths, Beyond The Void, Fear As The Fire Grows, The Lightkeeper, Primal Fire, Sanctuary, & Transference). in addition to using my own album overlays, i recommend playing your favorite mixed and mastered songs (dl or buy the highest quality you can find!!) through the plugin for a little while to get acclimated to how well-mixed music should look visually. Read More

Ramp is trying to get the US government as a customer after seeing a tweet from DOGEExpense management startup Ramp is being considered for a charge card pilot program by the U.S. government’s General Services Administration, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday. The government’s internal expense card program, dubbed SmartPay, is a $700 billion program. It is estimated that the charge card pilot program contract for which Ramp is being […]

Designing an FM Drum Synth from ScratchHow it started: a simple repair job on a Roland drum machine. How it ended: a scratch-built FM drum synth module that’s completely analog, and completely cool.
[Moritz Klein]’s journey down the analog drum machine rabbit hole started with a Roland TR-909, a hybrid drum machine from the mid-80s that combined sampled sounds with analog synthesis. The unit [Moritz] picked up was having trouble with the decay on the kick drum, so he spread out the gloriously detailed schematic and got to work. He breadboarded a few sections of the kick drum circuit to aid troubleshooting, but one thing led to another and he was soon in new territory.
The video below is on the longish side, with the first third or so dedicated to recreating the circuits used to create the 909’s iconic sound, slightly modifying some of them to simplify construction. Like the schematic that started the whole thing, this section of the video is jam-packed with goodness, too much to detail here. But a few of the gems that caught our eye were the voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) circuit that seems to make appearances in multiple places in the circuit, and the dead-simple wave-shaper circuit, which takes some of the harmonics out of the triangle wave oscillator’s output with just a couple of diodes and some resistors.
Once the 909’s kick and toms section had been breadboarded, [Moritz] turned his attention to adding something Roland hadn’t included: frequency modulation. He did this by adding a second, lower-frequency voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and using that to modulate the drum section. That resulted in a weird, metallic sound that can be tuned to imitate anything from a steel drum to a bell. He also added a hi-hat and cymbal section by mixing the square wave outputs on the VCOs through a funky XOR gate made from discrete components and a high-pass filter.
There’s a lot of information packed into this video, and by breaking everything down into small, simple blocks, [Moritz] makes it easy to understand analog synths and the circuits behind them.

Knobula launch the Monumatic Kobula's new Monumatic module comes equipped with 16 selectable oscillator modes, with its collection of virtual-analogue algorithms covering a wealth of classic and modern sounds.

Native Instruments has partnered with DJ Mustard on some ultra-limited gear – here’s how you can enter to win itLast weekend, American producer and DJ Mustard showcased his limited-edition Native Instruments Maschine MK3 and Kontrol S49 on the Coachella stage. Native Instruments created the gear exclusively for Mustard – but one other set exists, and it’s up for grabs.
An exclusive giveaway could see you winning your very own NI x Mustard limited-edition gear. All you have to do is enter on Native Instruments’ website, and the ultra-rare Maschine MK3 and Kontrol S49 instruments could be yours.

READ MORE: Best free plugins: free synths that you didn’t know you needed

The Maschine MK3 is a top-tier sampler and drum machine, boasting two high-res RGB colour displays for precision sample slicing, sound tweaking and more. It also comes with 25 pro-quality effects, including filter, EQ, delay, reverb and compressor. There’s also 16 pads sensitive pads for precise two-handed drumming, as well as touch-sensitive knobs to toy with parameter.
In terms of the Kontrol S49, we awarded it 9/10 in 2023. The keyboard is particularly impressive in terms of how tactile customisable it is; the Kontrol S49 is the “ultimate controller” for instruments, effects, controlling your DAW or doing entirely computer-free when in MIDI mode.
DJ Mustard (or, as Kendrick Lamar would refer to him, MUSTAAAAAAAARD!) had an incredibly successful 2024. It saw him picking up multiple awards for his production work, including five Grammys for the pivotal Not Like Us. Performing at Coachella with some fresh Native Instruments custom gear is surely a sign that 2025 will be equally as fulfilling.

Speaking on the collaboration, Mustard says: “It’s an honour to team up with Native Instruments on this. Maschine and the Kontrol S49 are powerful tools I’ve always respected – they make it easy to get ideas down fast and add real musicality.”
While Mustard has since “broken in” his gear for Coachella crowds, he’s set to knock it out yet again on the second weekend of Coachella. But he’s already grateful for how weekend one went down.
“This Coachella was bigger than the set – it was a full-circle moment,” Mustard told VIBE in the aftermath of his Coachella set. “I brought the studio to the stage, tapped in with some of my favourite collaborators, and took fans through my catalogue, hit by hit.”
“The energy was crazy from start to finish,” he added. “Big love to the team and everyone who helped bring the vision to life.”
Mustard’s second performance will take place during the second weekend of Coachella on 18th April. The set will kick off late, continuing on into the early hours of the following day.
Native Instruments’ giveaway will run until 25th April. Enter now.

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Charles Goldstuck’s GoldState raises $500m to buy music rights, with investment from Northleaf Capital and Ares Management"Our new relationship with Northleaf and Ares marks the next step in the evolution of our music investing strategy,” said GoldState founder Charles Goldstuck
Source

Spotify Responds: Did the 1000 Stream Rule cost Artists $47M?Spotify's 1000 stream rule has stripped artists of $47 million in royalties, according to Disc Makers CEO Tony van Veen. After Hypebot published this article a Spotify spokesperson reached out to rebut some of the data.
The post Spotify Responds: Did the 1000 Stream Rule cost Artists $47M? appeared first on Hypebot.

Pollstar Live Music Industry Awards 2025: Full Winners ListPollstar unveiled its Pollstar Awards 2025 winners on Wednesday night during the live music industry trade's annual Pollstar Live! conference.
The post Pollstar Live Music Industry Awards 2025: Full Winners List appeared first on Hypebot.

iZotope announce Equinox reverb plug-in iZotope’s latest offering combines their popular Stratus and Symphony reverb engines into a single plug-in that’s capable of tackling both music and post-production projects.

Get the Ableton Made Easy Online Course for $29 in LIMITED time offer
Audioplugindeals is currently offering Ableton Made Easy, an online, in-depth course for the Ableton Live DAW by Tapelab, for a heavily discounted price. Usually valued at $175, you can now get the entire Ableton Live Made Easy course with lifetime access for only $29. That’s 83% off! Do you want a comprehensive all-in-one package for [...]
View post: Get the Ableton Made Easy Online Course for $29 in LIMITED time offer

Another new club is opening in London – despite predictions that 57% of clubs will be closed by 2030With The Guardian calling 2024 the year of the “precipitous decline of UK nightclubs”, it’s evident that the clubbing industry has been struggling. A Capital On Tap report even suggests 57% of London’s clubs will close by 2030 – but 2025 could change that.
According to the report, London lost nearly 18% of its clubs and pubs between 2022 and 2025. Based on these figures alone, the UK capital is on chart for a steep decline. However, a string of new London clubs have already opened this month alone.

READ MORE: Two dance venues open in East London in quick succession – is the UK’s nightlife scene looking up?

One of the latest clubs to open its doors is Peckham’s 120-capacity HONOR. Nestled underneath a Peckham Rye station archway, the venue is kitted out with a TW AUDiO PA-SYS-ONE soundsystem and has already hosted some events since opening on 4th April.
The venue is being run with the help of DJ Oneman. “HONOR was initially born out of the want to honour DJs and scenes that I appreciate,” he told Resident Advisor . “That’s what built the idea of HONO. It’s thinking about the whole aspect of what clubland and nightlife is all about, and everyone who encompasses it. Sound, light, atmosphere.”

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“I like to describe HONOR as being in the end of a lit cigarette. It’s dark, orange and smokey,” he added. “I’m very lucky to be given this opportunity. An opportunity to create a space where the DJ and live culture I love can thrive in the heart of London’s most vibrant community.”
While HONOR is an intimate clubbing haven, other clubs are offering bigger nightlife experiences. No90 Hideout is a newly renovated 450 capacity space in Hackney Wick’s No90, while an abandoned Shoreditch warehouse has been transformed into the 1,500 capacity Unlocked.
According to Unlocked’s launch video, the venue occupies “a once illegal rave venue [that has been] abandoned for a decade” to revive the “fading culture” of East London.

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The new venues will hopefully serve as a clubbing renaissance and bring new life to an apparently declining club scene.
Capital On Tap’s findings also hinted at a decline in clubbing across the UK. The report predicts that Leeds, Brighton and Bristol will also lose upwards of 60% of their clubs by 2030. Elsewhere, Sheffield and Liverpool are predicted to see a 50% decline.
However, it could be looking up – the injection of new venues isn’t just exclusive to London. A new club space is set to open in Liverpool on 2 May.
Kapsule will be opening a space within within Invisible Wind Factory’s former wind turbine factory. The club is a collaborative effort from the Invisible Wind Factory and Sun Palace Sound System – the only UK unit who work with a quadraphonic RLA system.
As a result, Kapsule has got its hands on some pretty powerful sonic power, boasting a 4-point high-fidelity soundsystem and substack.

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Caelum Audio DynaBunny is FREE Until May 5
Caelum Audio has released DynaBunny, a quirky but powerful dynamic bitcrusher plugin available for free until May 5th. The plugin drops just in time for Easter and helps mark the release of the developer’s new premium dynamics processor, DynaBit ($59.99). After the free promo ends, DynaBunny will be priced at $12.99. But if you’re quick, [...]
View post: Caelum Audio DynaBunny is FREE Until May 5

NAMM CEO warns US musical instruments industry will “lose its global competitive advantage” due to Trump’s tariffsNAMM president and CEO John Mlynczak has once again urged the Trump administration to “exempt musical instruments and accessories, along with materials used to manufacture musical products” from the tariffs announced in President Trump’s recent executive orders.
Earlier this month, Donald Trump rolled out a fresh wave of tariffs aimed at reducing the US trade deficit – a move that sent shockwaves across global industries, including the music products sector. Given how many American brands rely on overseas manufacturing, or on importing key materials not readily available in the US such as certain tonewoods or metals to manufacture their gear, it’s not hard to see why.
Under Trump’s new plan, imports from countries like Vietnam could face tariffs as high as 46% – a move the NAMM executive previously warned will have “devastating consequences” for the music products industry.

READ MORE: How will Trump’s tariffs affect the music gear and vinyl pressing industries? A Billboard journalist breaks it down

In response to mounting pushback, Trump has since announced a 90-day pause on what he’s calling “reciprocal” tariffs, essentially delaying enforcement of certain measures until 9 July. Tariffs already aimed at China, however, remain in effect.
Addressing the move in a new statement, Mlynczak welcomed the pause but stressed that the broader uncertainty is already taking a toll: “The negative effects of these measures threaten the economic and cultural impact of US-made musical instruments and accessories, as well as cause our US music products industry to lose its global competitive advantage in producing high-quality products, especially at professional and entry levels,” he says.
“The 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs announced last week via executive order (until July 9) is a welcomed measure, but the continued unpredictability of these tariff actions makes it difficult for companies to react in a meaningful way.”
“The back-and-forth raising of tariffs between the US and Chinese governments that we have witnessed this past week will have serious business implications and create consumer turmoil for the music products industry,” the statement continues. “The effects of these sudden and unpredictable tariff actions will have a long-term effect on musicians worldwide.”
In addition, last week also saw NAMM sending a letter in support of US-based acoustic stringed instrument manufacturers, urging the US Secretary of Commerce not to recommend additional tariffs on imported tonewoods.
“These tonewoods are often impossible to grow in the US, and they are used to create many iconic music products for American brands,” says the NAMM CEO.
Billboard reporter Kristin Robinson previously broke down how the new taxes could impact the music gear and vinyl pressing industries. She pointed out that bands have faced difficulty bringing unsold merchandise back to the US from international tours, as these also face tariffs, unless the artist is selling only American-made merch. Vinyl prices will likely be hit as well, as the materials used to make them are from overseas countries, including PVC and their paper sleeves.
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