Manchester Launches Fund Supporting Grassroots Venues: Could This Work Elsewhere?Manchester City Council's new fund supports small live music venues in the city. Is this a model that could work in other cities?
The post Manchester Launches Fund Supporting Grassroots Venues: Could This Work Elsewhere? appeared first on Hypebot.

iamReverb Audio’s Black Friday Sale iamReverb Audio are running their first ever Black Friday promotion, with a 50% discount now being applied across their product range until 7 December 2025.

WA Production Synthwave Arcade sample pack is FREE for a limited time
W.A. Production offers the Synthwave Arcade sample pack as a free download for a limited time. This one is a straightforward freebie. Use the code WACM8695 at checkout, and you’ll get a collection that covers the classic synthwave sound palette. I’ve checked out plenty of W.A. Production packs over the years, and this one slots [...]
View post: WA Production Synthwave Arcade sample pack is FREE for a limited time

Ticketmaster caps Olivia Dean resales at face valueLast week Olivia Dean called out Ticketmaster and promoters Live Nation and AEG over their handling of ticket sales for her tour. In response, now Ticketmaster caps Olivia Dean resales at face value.
The post Ticketmaster caps Olivia Dean resales at face value appeared first on Hypebot.

SOUNDRAW Launches Black Friday Sale with up to 80% OFF
SOUNDRAW is running its Black Friday promotion, offering discounts on all monthly and annual subscription plans until December 1st, 2025 (20:00 EST). The annual plans are discounted by 80%, while the monthly plans get a 50% price cut. The discount is applied automatically at checkout, with no coupon codes needed. SOUNDRAW is an AI music [...]
View post: SOUNDRAW Launches Black Friday Sale with up to 80% OFF

Telepathic Instruments is opening its store for “one last run of Orchids” instead of a Black Friday sale – then it’s going to figure out ways to improve itTelepathic Instruments is opting out of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday chaos, and is instead choosing to open its store for one last run of its Orchid synth – for now, at least.
The brand’s website declares the drop as its final run of Orchids for the year, noting that it will be your last chance to grab one until April 2026. It’s not yet certain what it has up its sleeve for the synth, though it does say it’s looking to improve it.

READ MORE: ASM puts the power of its widely renowned Hydrasynth in new Diosynth wind synthesizer

In a statement shared via email, Telepathic Instruments writes, “This BFCM we’re not going to run any flash sales, dynamic pricing or fever-dream discounting tactics. Instead, we’re opening the store for a few days. Then we’re going to take a beat. We’re going to spend time in the Garden, listening to our customers. Building a community. Improving our firmware. Looking for collaborators, not just customers.”
It adds, “Rather than spending our time thinking about how to tell new people about Orchid, we’re going to figure out ways we can improve it. It might not be great for our quarterly earnings, but we think it’ll be better in the long-run.”
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals will soon begin to wreak havoc across the internet, TI is opening its store prior to the madness. Early access opens for its international community from 10am GMT / 11am CET on 26 November. It says we can “stay tuned” for further details.

The Orchid was first launched by TI – founded by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker – back in January this year. Its first drop was limited to just 1,000 units, and sold out in under three minutes. A further 3,000 were released in May, and a global launch kicked off in October.
Though the brand is still in its infancy, Parker conceived the idea for Orchid over 10 years ago, with a mission to create an instrument for songwriters to “find what’s on their mind”. The synth received a 9/10 in our review, and its primary feature is its intuitive chord-generating ability.
In a cover interview with MusicTech, Parker revealed how a Casio keyboard he owned as a child and into adulthood was a key inspiration for the creation of Orchid. It featured a collection of tiny buttons that let users punch in sequences of chords to create backing tracks.
“When I first signed a record deal, [our label] sent us touring, fucking non-stop. I used to love sitting on the aeroplane with a pair of headphones and this Casio keyboard, just writing songs with chords that were different to the chords I’d usually write on guitar,” he said.
“By that time, I’d gotten so good at guitar that the muscle memory part was automatic. And that’s what I’ve always loved about the idea of a chord generator: that you can land on chords that your fingers otherwise wouldn’t want to do. In the back of my mind, I always thought, ‘Man, I would love something that only did this.’ If I ever made something, it would be this sort of crazy songwriting tool.”
To find out more, head over to the Telepathic Instruments website. You can enter your contact details to be alerted when the drop goes live. 
The post Telepathic Instruments is opening its store for “one last run of Orchids” instead of a Black Friday sale – then it’s going to figure out ways to improve it appeared first on MusicTech.

Get FREE plugins from MeldaProduction, United Plugins, and W.A. Production
The BPB Community discovered an epic Black Friday deal that lets you grab three premium plugins for FREE with code WRUBF25. United Plugins, W.A. Production, and MeldaProduction have a fantastic Black Friday surprise: you can pick up three paid plugins for free just by using the code WRUBF25 at checkout. There are no hoops to [...]
View post: Get FREE plugins from MeldaProduction, United Plugins, and W.A. Production

Here’s what happened in crypto todayNeed to know what happened in crypto today? Here is the latest news on daily trends and events impacting Bitcoin price, blockchain, DeFi, NFTs, Web3 and crypto regulation.

Roblox CEO interview gets heated over child safetyRoblox CEO Dave Baszuki joined the Hard Fork podcast to discuss the gaming platform’s new age verification feature — but he seemed to get frustrated at the number of questions focused on child safety.

Retrotechtacular: Computers in Schools? 1979 Says YesThe BBC wanted to show everyone how a computer might be used in schools. A program aired in 1979 asks, “Will Computers Revolutionise Education?” There’s vintage hardware and an appearance of PILOT, made for computer instructions.
Using PILOT looks suspiciously like working with a modern chatbot without as much AI noise. The French teacher in the video likes that schoolboys were practicing their French verb conjugation on the computer instead of playing football.
If you want a better look at hardware, around the five-minute mark, you see schoolkids making printed circuit boards, and some truly vintage oscilloscope close-ups. There are plenty of tiny monitors and large, noisy printing terminals.
You have to wonder where the eight-year-olds who learned about computers in the video are today, and what kind of computer they have. They learned binary and the Towers of Hanoi. Their teacher said the kids now knew more about computers than their parents did.
As a future prediction, [James Bellini] did pretty well. Like many forecasters, he almost didn’t go far enough, as we look back almost 50 years. Sure, Prestel didn’t work out as well as they thought, dying in 1994. But he shouldn’t feel bad. Predicting the future is tough. Unless, of course,  you are [Arthur C. Clarke].

Kushview offers FREE DuckDuck and Goose dynamics plugins
Kushview releases DuckDuck and GOOSE, two free one-knob dynamics plugins for Windows, macOS, and Linux Kushview has released two new dynamics tools, DuckDuck and GOOSE, and you can grab both for free until December 1st. They’re simple one-knob plugins, but each targets a different mixing job: rhythmic ducking and upward compression. Both plugins share a [...]
View post: Kushview offers FREE DuckDuck and Goose dynamics plugins

GRAMMY Nominations 2025: Best Alternative Music PerformanceThe 2025 GRAMMY nominations are here and we're going to help you to untangle it all right up until the big event, continuing with the Best Alternative Music Performance category.

Take a listen to the nominated performances below--who do you think will win?

See the full list of nominees in every category here.

Everything Is Peaceful LoveBon Iver

AloneThe Cure

SEEIN' STARSTurnstile

mangetoutWet Leg

ParachuteHayley Williams

Wet Leg photo by Megan Perry Moore

The post GRAMMY Nominations 2025: Best Alternative Music Performance first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Sonarworks Black Friday Sale For this year’s Black Friday season, Sonarworks are launching one their biggest sales of the year, giving music creators unprecedented access to their range of world-class audio tools at unbeatable prices.

Ample Sound AGWFAmple Guitar WF aim to bring a Gretsch Vintage 1959 White Falcon hollow body guitar sound to your studio. Finger, Pick two sample libraries. Sampling: Sustain, Palm Mute, Natural Harmonic, Hammer On & Pull Off, Legato Slide, Slide In, Slide Out, Pop, Pinch Harmonic, Dead Note, Mordent, Tap 12 articulations. Size: 6.9 GB. Polyphonic Legato and Slide Smoother: Enables realistic legato across any interval and speed. Drop tuning supported, with lowest note down to D1. Authentic left-hand performance noises. Riffer 4: A MIDI editor tailored for plucked string instruments: All-new Strumming and Chord System: The innovative "Strum Note" treats multiple sub-notes within a chord as a single editable object, allowing unified control over strum time, velocity gradient, and legato parameters. Combined with authentic guitar fingering settings, this makes strum creation more intuitive and efficient, delivering results that are closer to real performance. Dual View Modes: Seamless real-time switching between Piano Roll and Guitar Tab views ?? a first of its kind, offering two perspectives for reviewing and editing the compositions. String Visualization System: Strings are now visualized within the Piano Roll, enabling MIDI writing that adheres to authentic plucked instrument techniques ?? automatically preventing polyphony on the same string and intelligently assigning fingering. The result is MIDI that sounds closer to real performance. Full MIDI Import/Export Compatibility: Whether import external MIDI files or export from Riffer to DAW's MIDI or instrument track, the playback result remains identical and accurate. Intuitive Technique Editing: Easily program fingering, articulation, legato, and expression ?? no need for cumbersome key switches or complicated MIDI CC programming. New MIDI CC and Velocity Editors: View and edit multiple MIDI CC lanes simultaneously with different colors and transparency. One-click CC curve presets allow fast and expressive automation. Extensive Riff Library:Hundreds of brand-new riffs to spark creativity and accelerate the workflow. Strummer: Select and detect two chord modes, with the ability to define any custom chord. Strum SEQ allows strumming in any rhythm and at any speed. Includes an extensive rhythm library with MIDI drag-and-drop support. Tab Reader 4: Supports Guitar Pro files from GP3 to Guitar Pro 8. Files created using third-party tab editing software (not officially from Guitar Pro) are not supported. Capable of importing entire bass tracks into Riffer with full retention of fingering, articulations, and performance data. AMP and FX system: AMP Simulator: Includes 7 classic amp heads — Metal Double, Metal Treble, Lead 800, Jazz 120, 65 Twang, 65 Delight, and 57 Delight — paired with 8 guitar cabinets, each captured with 8 microphones. Built-in effects: 8-band EQ, Compressor, Delay, and Convolution Reverb. Read More

Convex Audio introduce Atrium Atrium is the debut release from recently established developer Convex Audio, and has been designed to provide an “innovative and holistic solution to reverberation, stereo positioning and depth perception”.