Open Planet Software release Sessions 3.0 Open Planet Software have announced the launch of the latest version of their Mac-based plug-in host, along with the welcome news that the application can now be used on an iPad. 

2% of Spotify listeners buy 50% of concert ticketsSpotify dropped some stats and advice on nurturing streaming Super Listeners last week. With the data comes a surprising takeaway on the importance of an artist's most active fans, particularly when it comes to selling tickets to live shows.
The post 2% of Spotify listeners buy 50% of concert tickets appeared first on Hypebot.

Native Instruments release FREE Massive X Player virtual synthesizer
Native Instruments has released Massive X Player, a free, streamlined version of its flagship synthesizer, now available as part of the Komplete Start bundle for macOS and Windows. Massive X Player brings the power of Massive X’s sound engine to a broader audience, now available as a free virtual instrument. It features a simplified interface [...]
View post: Native Instruments release FREE Massive X Player virtual synthesizer

7 Features every Musician Website Must Have + How to add themA well-built website is one of the most powerful tools a musician can have to attract fans, industry attention, and new opportunities. The experts at Cyber PR share 7 features every musician website must have and how to add them.
The post 7 Features every Musician Website Must Have + How to add them appeared first on Hypebot.

LAST CALL: Get Sonnox Voca for Only $14.51 until July 31st (90% OFF)
Plugin Boutique is offering a massive 90% discount on Voca, the all-in-one vocal processing plugin from Sonnox, until July 31st. Originally priced at over $150, you can now grab it for just $14.50 in a fantastic deal for anyone working with vocals. Sonnox is well-known for high-end studio tools like Oxford EQ and Inflator, and [...]
View post: LAST CALL: Get Sonnox Voca for Only $14.51 until July 31st (90% OFF)

Rekordbox just made DJing on your phone ridiculously easy with the new Lite modeAlready deep into Rekordbox but wish you had a simpler way to mix on the go? Maybe something you can fire up on your phone during commutes, holidays, or sofa sessions? Say hello to Lite mode, the brand new, stripped-back version of Rekordbox built right into the iOS and Android app.
Available now as part of Rekordbox 4.5.0, Lite mode offers a stripped-back, beginner-friendly experience that still feels legit. It’s free to use, super intuitive, and designed to get you mixing tracks on your smartphone or tablet in seconds, even if it’s your first time trying.

READ MORE: How AlphaTheta Chordcat puts 110,000 chords at your fingertips

Lite mode’s interface is designed to keep things fun and frictionless. You get a pair of virtual decks with animated jog wheels and pulsing backgrounds that match your music’s beat and album art. It’s colourful, clean, reactive – and honestly, pretty hypnotic to watch.
Moving the on-screen crossfader intelligently and smoothly adjusts the tempo to transition from one song to the next. No beat matching is required. Plus, you can throw in echo and rhythm-based effects with those big on-screen buttons that don’t need a manual to figure out even for beginners. Visual feedback also appears on-screen with every tap, adding to the interactive nature.
If the two-deck setup feels like overkill, Single mode gives you just one track to focus on by displaying one track’s record artwork across the screen. Everything works in vertical orientation, too, making it super handy for commuting, chilling, or just zoning into a song and vibing with it in your own way.
And with support for popular music streaming services such as Apple Music, SoundCloud, Beatport, and Tidal, you can start mixing your favourite songs from your playlists or top track lists without even having any music stored on your device.
Once you’ve got the hang of Lite mode, you can switch to the full version of Rekordbox with a single tap. Everything’s designed to grow with you, with no pressure, no paywall in the way of the basics.

Learn more at rekordbox.
The post Rekordbox just made DJing on your phone ridiculously easy with the new Lite mode appeared first on MusicTech.

MusicTech Magazine relaunches – here’s how to get your copy of the July/August 2025 issueMusicTech returns to print this week – as part of a bundle with NME Magazine! Here’s how you can get a copy of the July/August 2025 issue.
In April, we announced the relaunch of the MusicTech print edition after a four-year hiatus. This Thursday, you’ll be able to get your hands on the July/August 2025 issue of MusicTech Magazine, featuring unmissable features and reviews, which comes with a copy of the July/August 2025 issue of NME Magazine.
Mark your calendars for Thursday July 31 at 2pm BST – that’s when the cover stars of both magazines will be revealed and the mags go on sale exclusively via retailer Dawsons. The waiting room is open, so check it out now.
Besides MusicTech, Guitar.com has also returned to print. Guitar.com, MusicTech and NME are sister publications under NME Networks. The new Guitar.com and MusicTech print editions will alternate with every bi-monthly edition of NME Magazine – which itself was relaunched in 2023 – meaning three print editions per calendar year for each brand.
Subscribe here for more information about MusicTech Magazine and for the chance to receive an exclusive queue jump opportunity, where readers can get their hands on a copy before anyone else. MusicTech will be sending out queue jump tickets shortly before the magazine goes on sale to randomly chosen subscribers.
The post MusicTech Magazine relaunches – here’s how to get your copy of the July/August 2025 issue appeared first on MusicTech.

The Formant was a ’70s modular synth you could only build from a magazine diagram. Now it’s coming back as a DIY kit – here’s how to get yoursBefore Eurorack took over studio walls and YouTube feeds, there was the Formant, a fascinating modular analogue synth you could only build by following circuit diagrams from Elektor, the groundbreaking electronics-themed magazine from the 1970s.
Now, it’s getting a proper revival thanks to Erica Synths, who’ve turned the elusive system into a modern DIY kit.

READ MORE: “I’m like the Nutty Professor!”: Watch Ozzy Osbourne work his way around a vintage ARP 2600 synth

In collaboration with British musician and YouTuber Look Mum No Computer aka Sam Battle, Erica Synths previewed the updated Formant at a live soldering marathon that took place at Battle’s This Museum Is (Not) Obsolete museum. The mission? Assemble the entire synth in just 24 hours.
Spoiler: it took 25 hours instead. But that’s still pretty awesome.
With support from artist and synth builder JacqNoise, a team of solder-hardened enthusiasts spent a sleepless night piecing together Erica’s reimagined Formant. The project kept the soul of the original but added some very welcome modern touches: MIDI, pitch and gate transfer, 12V compatibility, and an easier back panel for rewiring.
For those who missed the big build, fear not for this isn’t just a one-off flex. According to JacqNoise, the full Formant system will soon be available as a DIY project you can reserve through Erica Synths.
While the Formant’s final configuration hasn’t been confirmed, the system shown at the Kent event was nothing short of beefy, featuring a sequencer, two VCOs, two filters, RFM, FX, ADSR envelopes, dual VCAs, LFOs and more. Basically, everything you need to build weird, wonderful walls of sound.
And yes, it looks as gnarly as it sounds.
As JacqNoise writes in her latest Instagram post: “The OG design has been challenged with upgrades like MIDI, 12V, pitch and gate transfer, a Gucci beauty case… definitely worth it for your next crown in your studio or for making the stage rattle.”

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A post shared by J̥ͦḁͦc̥ͦk̥ͦy̥ͦ 🄹🄰🄲🅀🅽︎🅸🆂🅴 (@jacqnoise)

Check out the synth below.

Learn more at Erica Synths.
The post The Formant was a ’70s modular synth you could only build from a magazine diagram. Now it’s coming back as a DIY kit – here’s how to get yours appeared first on MusicTech.

“Looping is merely the ultimate extension of overdubbing”: Top insights from the creator of the Akai MPCMost musicians know the Akai MPC as a beat-making powerhouse, but according to original creator Roger Linn, it may also be “the ultimate looper” – even if it wasn’t exactly meant to be one.
In a new video, the legendary electronic instrument pioneer and designer behind the MPC60 walks through how he uses the Akai MPC for live looping.
“If you think about it, looping is merely the ultimate extension of overdubbing,” Linn says. What makes live looping so compelling, he explains, is that it allows the audience to witness the music being built in real time – much like watching a “painting” unfold stroke by stroke.

READ MORE: Akai Professional brings stem separation to its standalone MPC hardware

Most conventional loop pedals, however, come with two major limitations: they only record audio, which “removes the possibility of live manipulation of the MIDI data after recording”, and they don’t allow switching between different multi-track sequences, which can make performances feel repetitive over time.
That’s where the MPC blows the doors wide open.
“Although the MPC isn’t primarily intended to be a looper, I found it to be the ultimate looper,” says Linn.
He explains that the MPC allows for the recording of drum tracks, pitched sequence tracks, and audio tracks as overdubs in real time, as well as the manipulation of tracks (effects changes, transposition, etc.) and the changing between multitrack sequences – all without ever stopping playback.
“You can create a multitrack loop sequence and then without stopping, create another… then another,” he says. “Then arrange them in real time with manipulations.”
This is something that can’t be done even in major DAWs like Apple’s Logic Pro or Ableton Live.
“Computer DAWs only load a single multitrack sequence at a time,” Linn notes. “This is significant, because it’s tricky to write software that manipulates so much data. So kudos to Akai’s software team.”
Linn’s endorsement is also especially noteworthy given the rocky history between him and Akai. While he collaborated with the company on the original MPC60 back in 1988, later changes in management led to a falling-out over unpaid royalties. That said, the two parties appear to have reconciled recently, with Linn even praising the MPC Live 2 on his YouTube channel last June.
“It is said that the reward is in the journey,” Linn concludes his demo. “So, let audiences see your journey. Thanks for watching.”

The post “Looping is merely the ultimate extension of overdubbing”: Top insights from the creator of the Akai MPC appeared first on MusicTech.

“There is no perfect mix”: If you’ve ever been stuck on a mix that never seems finished – you should listen to this stellar advice from Andy WallaceStuck on tweaking that chorus for the tenth time? You’re not alone – but maybe it’s time to walk away. As legendary producer and mix engineer Andy Wallace puts it: “There’s no perfect mix”.
And he would know. With a resume that spans Nirvana’s Nevermind, Slayer’s Reign in Blood, and Linkin Park’s Meteora, Wallace has shaped some of the music business’s most definitive sounds.

READ MORE: Get over 60% off the “secret weapon for top mix engineers” right now at Plugin Boutique

In a rare new interview with Rick Beato, the engineer opens up about the creative tightrope that mixing demands: balancing vision with “instinct”, clarity with character, and polish with personality.
“There’s different mixes and there’s good mixes, but there’s no perfect mix,” he says.
For Wallace, mixing isn’t just about nailing the sonics – it’s about serving the artist’s intent and vision without flattening their identity in the process.
“I always like to have the artist input as well. Because it’s their record,” he explains. “I’ve said this many times. It’s their record. It’s not my record. And I can mix it on my own and you know, hopefully it’ll sound great and people will love it, but their input is what makes it their record.”
“I like to make sure that the band likes what I’m doing and they don’t feel it’s turned into a cartoon or something.”
When it comes to knowing when a song is “done”, the mixing legend relies on two gut checks: catching the right “vibe”, and resisting the temptation to overload the mix.
“To some degree even before you start, when you are doing pre-production or something like that you have a basic concept, however ethereal it might be, of what you want that song to be,” he says. “Maybe you know some reference songs, like ‘I want it to sound like Led Zeppelin’s this, that or the other thing.’ Or have that vibe. So you kind of know when you caught that vibe in it.”
Once that vibe is locked in, it becomes a matter of knowing when enough is enough. Or in Wallace’s words, “[it’s] when you don’t feel that it’s lacking.”
“There’s always a temptation to put too much on it and then it gets distracting,” says the engineer. “That’s something I think you learn with experience – when to say that’s enough.”
“It’s certainly possible to add more things that are really cool,” he adds, “but you can’t have everything in there at once or you lose the special, unique quality that you’re looking for because you want that song to stand out and be unique.”
At the heart of it all is a sensibility that can’t quite be taught: “Instinct. I can’t really put a name on it other than that,” says Wallace. “Because it’s the same thing that happens in anything that I that I mix or produce, whether it’s Jeff Buckley or Slayer, the same mindset is happening just with different tools, and sometimes a different objective”

You can follow Rick Beato via his official YouTube channel.
The post “There is no perfect mix”: If you’ve ever been stuck on a mix that never seems finished – you should listen to this stellar advice from Andy Wallace appeared first on MusicTech.

Soyuz announce the 023 MALFA Delux Soyuz have announced the upcoming launch of a limited-edition mic based on a modified example of their 023 Bomblet, along with a capsule option for their existing 023 Bomblet and 017 TUBE/FET.

ETH traders predict lower support retest before breakout to $4KETH treasury buying and consistent spot ETF inflows have not been sufficient enough to send Ether price above $4,000. Is a correction incoming?

Flexport sells former freight unicorn Convoy’s tech 2 years after buying itThe assets of Convoy are now in the hands of DAT Freight & Analytics.

Cyrille Bolloré, son of Vincent, steps down from Universal Music Group board, as Bolloré Group fights French regulator over Vivendi share offerAccording to its website, The Bolloré Group owned an 18.5% stake in Universal Music Group at the close of 2024
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Destructive Testing of ABS and Carbon Fiber Nylon PartsPAHT-CF part printed at 45 degrees, with reinforcing bolt, post-failure. (Credit: Functional Print Friday, YouTube)
The good part about FDM 3D printing is that there are so many different filament types and parameters to choose from. This is also the bad part, as it can often be hard to tell what impact a change has. Fortunately we got destructive testing to provide us with some information here. Case in point [Functional Print Friday] on YouTube recently testing out a few iterations of a replacement part for a car.
The original part was in ABS, printed horizontally in a Bambu Lab FDM printer, which had a protruding element snapped off while in use. In addition to printing a replacement in carbon fiber-reinforced nylon (PAHT-CF, i.e. PA12 instead of the typical PA6), the part was now also printed at a 45° angle. To compare it with the original ABS filament in a more favorable way, the same part was reprinted at the same angle in ABS.
Another change was to add a machine screw to the stop element of the part, which turned out to make a massive difference. Whereas the original horizontal ABS print failed early and cleanly on layer lines, the angled versions put up much more of a fight, with the machine screw-reinforced stop combined with the PA12 CF filament maxing out the first meter.
The take-away here appears to be that not only angles are good, but that adding a few strategic metal screws can do wonders, even if you’re not using a more exotic filament type.