NatLife Sounds Boss RV-500 Custom Presets18 Custom Presets for the Boss RV-500 Crafted for depth, motion, and stunning reverb textures. This pack includes 18 custom presets that transform the reverb pedal Boss RV-500 into a powerful ambient and spatial tool. Every preset focuses on clarity, beauty, and creative flexibility: Ping-Pong Delay with Character. You'll hear rhythmic, stereo-panning delays that move naturally and blend with the reverb. These effects add motion and space to your sound. Lush, Long Reverb Tails. These patches offer rich and extended decay. They work beautifully for ambient textures, emotional solos, and cinematic moments. Beautiful, Musical Hall Reverbs. From warm and vintage to clean and spacious, these halls feel alive. Each one adds character without overwhelming your tone. All presets respond well to expression and dynamics. Whether you're playing live or producing in the studio, this collection gives your RV-500 a new creative edge. These custom presets were built over many long hours of deep, hands-on tweaking — not just assembling effects, but crafting spaces I personally wanted to feel. One of the highlights is the unique Ping-Pong delay, which I managed to achieve on the RV-500 — something I haven't seen anywhere else. It's subtle, musical, and reacts like a true part of your playing. Every sound here was made not for trends, but with care — as if I were making them for myself. Note: each preset is programmed with both Reverb and Delay at the same time. https://youtu.be/nIkyRLZexNg?si=ZLbVmjIMK-hoxAGK Read More

Fastino trains AI models on cheap gaming GPUs and just raised $17.5M led by KhoslaTech giants like to boast about trillion-parameter AI models that require massive and expensive GPU clusters. But Fastino is taking a different approach. The Palo Alto-based startup says it’s invented a new kind of AI model architecture that’s intentionally small and task-specific. The models are so small they’re trained with low-end gaming GPUs worth less […]

Rights Management is Crowded—So Why Does UniteSync Stand Out?From the Music Connection inbox -- UniteSync: How a Producer Merged Information Science and Artistic Passion to Find Songwriters and Musicians’ Unpaid RoyaltiesCarlos Palop should have been living the dream. A producer and electronic artist, Palop was seeing real traction with some of his lofi tracks. Streams were picking up--and yet the more he looked at his royalty statements, the more discrepancies and oddities he noticed.He set out to fix this. With a parallel life in library and information sciences, Palop knew the importance of organizing data. He went deep into how information was organized in the music industry, all the struggles of publishing, metadata, and rights administration. He decided to create software to automate some of the processes he found he needed as a composer and artist.What Palop built for himself, he has now brought to the world as UniteSync, a music rights administration platform that allows independent artists and small labels to collect more money faster. UniteSync can provide lightning-fast audits, procedures that once took weeks or months, finding millions in unclaimed digital royalties.Though the company is just becoming widely available to the public, UniteSync has audited nearly 1m artists and 1.2m albums--and discovered $40-100m in unclaimed US mechanicals alone. Once found, these royalties are collected by UniteSync thanks to its close relationships with 53 paying sources in 117 territories worldwide, powered by its highly efficient tech built for the industry.“Discrepancies can be big. Sometimes, songs simply don’t get registered properly, or matching systems don’t work. The whole industry talks about this. It’s hard to give really good service to this many artists but artists deserve it,” Palop reflects. “We are seeing that AI and better tech makes this possible or at least easier. We are digital from the beginning, and that’s helping us help artists.”UniteSync’s approach is straightforward, though the devil is in the details. Once a composer signs on, the platform pulls up all her tracks. After she verifies her splits for each composition, UniteSync’s algorithms can determine what has yet to be properly registered and how much money she is due for these unregistered tracks. The system uses IPI data, along with other metadata, to determine all the aliases and name versions for each composer, simplifying matters. Once royalties are found, UniteSync can collect them for a percentage fee.In addition to publishing administration, UniteSync can manage a composer or artist’s neighboring rights and sync licensing. The platform is expanding into enhanced analytics, as well as helpful aids such as AI agents that will guide artists and songwriters through this often complex and potentially confusing realm. For Palop, however, the technology is always in service to the artist and to music, the main driving force that led him to build UniteSync. As he puts it, “I always pushed the limit as a composer and as an entrepreneur. But I knew no matter what I did it always had to be connected to music.” And what better way to connect than to uncover hidden revenue and create a stable, sustainable foundation for all.Visit unitesync.com for more info.The post Rights Management is Crowded—So Why Does UniteSync Stand Out? first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Liquid Silicone 3D Printing Is No JokeThey might call it Levity, but there’s nothing funny about Rapid Liquid Print’s new silicone 3D printer. It has to be seen to be believed, and luckily [3D Printing Nerd] gives us lots of beauty shots in this short video, embedded below.
Smooth, and fast. This bladder took 51 minutes according to the RLP website.
Printing a liquid, even a somewhat-viscous one like platinum-cure silicone, presents certain obvious challenges. The Levity solves them with buoyancy: the prints are deposited not onto a bed, but into a gel, meaning they are fully supported as the silicone cures. The fact that the liquid doesn’t cure instantly has a side benefit: the layers bleed into one another, which means this technique should (in theory) be much less isotropic in strength than FDM printing. We have no data to back that up, but what you can see for yourself that the layer-blending creates a very smooth appearance in the finished prints.
If you watch the video, it really looks like magic, the way prints appear in the gel. The gel is apparently a commercially-available hydrogel, which is good since the build volume looks to need about 500 L of the stuff. The two-part silicone is also industry-standard and off-the-shelf, though no doubt the exact ratios and are tweaked for purpose. There’s no magic, just a really neat technology.
If you want one, you can sign up for the waiting list at Rapid Liquid Print’s website, but be prepared to wait; units ship next year, and there’s already a list.
Alternatively, since there is no magic here, we’d love to see someone take it on themselves, the way once equally exotic SLS printers have entered the DIY world. There was a time when resin printers were new and exotic and hobbyists had to roll their own, too. None of this is to say we don’t respect the dickens out of the Rapid Liquid Print team and their achievement–it’s just that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

How to write a song: Make a song in 7 steps
Learn how to write a song in seven steps—from lyrics to arrangement, we cover the full songwriting process in this in-depth, beginner-friendly guide.

US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission launch public inquiry into live music businessAgencies launch public inquiry under President Trump’s executive order
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Erica Synths’ upcoming HEXDRUMS drum machine is injected with Hexinverter DNAErica Synths has offered the first glimpse of its HEXDRUMS drum machine, which is due to launch later this year.
HEXDRUMS is an analogue drum machine made in collaboration with Canadian Eurorack module manufacturer, Hexinverter. In 2022, the company announced its closure, and Erica Synths later took over its catalogue. The brand has since re-released a number of its products, namely its drum modules.

READ MORE: Reason Studios’ Arpeggio Lab is a pattern-generating “cure for creative block”

HEXDRUMS utilises the “DNA of Hexinverter’s Mutant circuits”, and Erica Synths says it is “forged out of deep respect for traditional designs with innovative improvements and the combined spellwork of its makers.”
It has a hands-on layout, and offers 10 sound sources mostly based on the Hexinverter Mutant series of percussion modules. Users will be able to experiment with two kick drums – a BD9 and Bass drum – an optimised Mutant Machine, Snare drum, Clap, Rimshot and HiHats. Additionally, Erica Synths’ own Cymbals are added, featuring 10 sets of crash and ride cymbal samples.
All drums have individual outputs and for the master section they are panned in the stereo field before being sent into the Compressor and Master Drive, which is derived from the Hexinverter Mutant Glue. A  kick drum-controlled sidechain is also described as a “special feature” that can be used to animate drum patterns on the beat.
Hear how it sounds in the teaser below:

“Our plan was always to use the Mutant Drum DNA to create a next-level desktop drum machine,” Comments Stacy Gaudreau of Hexinverter Électronique. “We began early work on one before the pandemic. I’m so glad that the Erica Synths crew was able to carry out the vision and finish the dream!”
HEXDRUMS will arrive later this year, but no official release date or pricing information have yet been revealed. In the meantime, you can check out more products from Erica Synths.
The post Erica Synths’ upcoming HEXDRUMS drum machine is injected with Hexinverter DNA appeared first on MusicTech.

Superbooth 2025: the latest news from the German synth and music tech extravaganzaThough far from the same scale as the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, Berlin’s Superbooth is a big date in the calendar of any synth nerd or music technology obsessive. 
Hosted over three days – this year 8-10 May – at the German capital’s FEZ centre, Superbooth sees exhibitors in the form of some of the industry’s biggest players – many of which earmark the event to showcase exciting new products.
Which brands will be at Superbooth 2025?
Superbooth is one of the biggest events in the music tech calendar, and as such, you can expect a presence from some of the industry’s top brands.
This year’s event will see booths hosted by Akai Professional, Korg, Novation, Moog, Arturia, Elektron, Native Instruments and many more, as well as a number of smaller brands, too. There’ll be quite literally hundreds of brands at the show, so visitors will have to plan accordingly to fit in those they particularly want to see.
Which brings us to our next point…
Superbooth 2025: Can anyone attend?
Yep – Superbooth is open to the public, so anyone can attend. One-day tickets are priced at €41 – the same for any chosen day – while you can also purchase a three-day ticket covering the entire event for €100.
The show starts tomorrow (8 May), but tickets are still available over at the Superbooth website.
What else can I expect?
Alongside major new product announcements from some of the biggest brands in music tech, Superbooth 2025 will also see a range of performances from DJs and artists including JakoJako, Surgeon and Italo Brutalo, as well as workshops for attendees to get truly hands-on with new synths, controllers, modular gear and more.
The team here at MusicTech will be updating this article throughout the event with all the latest news and product announcements you need to know about, so stay tuned…

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iZotope unveil Velvet smart de-esser Following on from the introduction of Aurora and Plasma, iZotope have announced the launch of the latest addition to their popular Catalyst series.

Dreamtonics announces Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro vocal synthesis software ($99)
Dreamtonics has unveiled Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro, the next-generation update of its AI-powered vocal synthesis software for Windows and macOS. The software and all version 2 voice banks are available for pre-order now and will officially launch on March 21, 2025. Synthesizer V Studio has already earned a reputation as one of the most [...]
View post: Dreamtonics announces Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro vocal synthesis software ($99)

G Herbo: No Spotify, just 13M direct to fan streams via MySeatIndie rapper G Herbo is bypassing streaming-first releases to bring his music directly to fans with impressive results.
The post G Herbo: No Spotify, just 13M direct to fan streams via MySeat appeared first on Hypebot.

Importance Of Going Global: Rethinking Artist DevelopmentBreaking an artist isn’t just about going viral, it’s about building real fans across the globe. With fewer resources and more challenges than ever, it is essential that we begin rethinking artist development, writes Will Shanahan.
The post Importance Of Going Global: Rethinking Artist Development appeared first on Hypebot.

Will GTA VI change the way gamers discover music?Scientists found life on another planet before we got GTA VI.
Rockstar dropped a new trailer this week to alleviate fans’ disappointment after delaying the game’s release to 26 May 2026. At this rate, we might actually make contact with aliens before anyone plays the next instalment of Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Rockstar’s modern, crime-driven role-playing game series. At least, that’s the joke amongst avid gamers.
The previous game in the series, GTA V, was released in 2013, and its massive player community, including the 100,000 daily Steam players, is driving the same streets and listening to the same radio stations on repeat. This devoted community lives on GTA Online, GTA’s open-world online platform. Rockstar has now released over 40 expansions for GTA Online, and some of them have revolutionised the way gamers discover music, from in-game DJ sets to more star-studded radio stations.
READ MORE: My Forever Studio: TOKiMONSTA nabs a historic synth
With GTA VI’s main cast now revealed, we know that music plays a major role in the game’s environment and plot. Boobie Ike is the founder of the fictional Only Raw Records; Dre’Quan Priest is an aspiring artist on Only Raw; duo Real Dimez drop “spicy rap tracks” and have “a relentless social media presence”; and rapper DWNPLY helped elevate Real Dimez to fame. Keen Reddit users have already spotted an in-game recording studio and DAW (and are debating whether it’s inspired by FL Studio, Logic Pro or Reaper — no one really knows).
So, how might a return to Rockstar’s Vice City (based on Miami, Florida) shake up music scenes in the real world?

How GTA V changed the game for music fans
In the After Hours expansion for GTA V, players run nightclubs in Los Santos where they can book real-life DJs: Dixon, The Blessed Madonna, Tale of Us, and Solomun. When Rockstar released The Cayo Perico Heist expansion, it added three new beloved acts for Cayo Perico Beach club: Keinemusik, Moodymann, and Palms Trax.
While DJ culture was popular in the global mainstream long before these expansions came out, it’s a safe bet that some GTA players discovered dance music through the game. In fact, GTA fans were probably converted to ravers thanks to Rockstar’s attention to detail.
To create an authentic virtual clubbing experience with exact replicas of the DJs, Rockstar hosted DJs and a party’s worth of guests for a real-life dance music event in 2018. Everyone present wore motion-capture suits which would translate their movements into the game engine.
Solomun in GTA Online’s After Hours. Image: Rockstar Games
The DJs performed original mixes, so the players hear an accurate in-game digitisation of what their sets would sound like at a real club. If a track catches the player’s ear, they can hold their phone up to the TV to ‘Shazam’ the track the same way ravers do at real-life clubs.
Rockstar chose selectors that were befitting of both clubbing environments they curated in GTA Online. Keinemusik’s chilled-out worldly beats are a fit for the sunny outdoor dancefloor of Cayo Perico, while the brooding melodic techno of Tale of Us is right at home in the dark barrens of Galaxy (one of nine names players can choose for their nightclub in the After Hours expansion).
As inviting as these expansions are to DJ culture, GTA Online players could listen to the genre long before they came out, thanks to the iconic in-game radio stations. Many famed artists, including Gilles Peterson, Joy Orbison, and Flying Lotus, helm radio stations in GTA V, and all of them recorded new mixes specifically for the online platform throughout their tenure. These stations stretch far beyond just dance music, too.

GTA players have been discovering music through the in-game radio for decades. There have been radio stations present in every game in the series. GTA II was the first game to expand beyond music composed for the game and into synced music with five licensed songs.
As GTA has grown into the powerhouse it is in 2025, more and more songs have been added to the radio stations. Celebrity guest stars include Axl Rose, George Clinton, Iggy Pop, and Kenny Loggins, who have all provided voices for each station’s DJ. The base GTA V game has 217 songs spread across 17 stations, mostly separated by genre. With online expansions, there are 404 tracks across 21 stations.
Many game franchises, such as Tony Hawk and FIFA, have developed a pristine reputation for licensed soundtracks. But GTA elevates the experience by giving the players unparalleled agency. Any player interested in music can select a different station to discover something new and change it in a moment if they don’t like what they’re hearing. Every GTA player undeniably has their favourite radio stations, which soundtrack their journeys across Los Santos and beyond.
Image: Rockstar Games
The Jack of Hearts and Vice City’s potential
Finally, GTA VI is on the horizon. As of 6 May 2025, players have a new trailer giving them a sneak peek of the game. This new edition opens a wealth of potential for how gamers will discover new music.
Considering the series already ventured into live performance from real artists with After Hours, it is highly likely that GTA VI will host live music events, similar to Fortnite, bringing in digitised artists to perform for a virtual crowd. Plus, Rockstar’s latest info assures us that Boobie Ike’s strip club, Jack of Hearts, is a cornerstone venue in the game — perhaps this will act as a hub for these concerts.
Image: Rockstar Games
We also know that Vice City is based on Miami — Rockstar could build a virtual version of the city’s famous Club Space for DJ nights. With the real-life record label Rockstar has curated in collaboration with party brand CircoLoco, a plethora of artists such as TOKiMONSTA, Jamie Jones, and Mochakk are already integrated into the Rockstar ecosystem.
For the major stars, there could be a virtual version of Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium in GTA VI. Should Travis Scott and Ariana Grande (and artists of a similar calibre who have performed in Fortnite) seek more performance opportunities in video games, GTA VI could be a viable option.
The difference between Fortnite and GTA VI, in terms of integrating famous artists, is that it’s unlikely GTA will replace their playable character with celebrities as Fortnite does — as recently shown with Sabrina Carpenter. Main characters in GTA have rich personalities, from GTA IV’s vengeful immigrant, Nico Bellic, to the reluctant gangster, CJ, in GTA San Andreas.
From a musical standpoint, such characters introduce the possibility of personalised playlists. GTA has had a mobile phone function since GTA Vice City; each playable character in GTA VI could have playlists on their phones in a streaming app that Rockstar invents just for the game. This could present another option for listening to music in the car, or there may be a headphone function to allow the player to listen while they’re walking around. And because of the ongoing nature of the game, these playlists could be updated over time, delivering a constant stream of new music.
GTA has always been known for pushing the limits of gameplay, so my predictions could even be shortsighted in terms of what Rockstar has planned. GTA V’s After Hours expansion allowed players to run their own club. Will there be an expansion for running an entire music festival? Perhaps running a booking agency? Maybe GTA VI will introduce a purchase function for their chain of record stores, Vinylism. Players could browse and purchase records that they could play in their virtual homes.
Image: Rockstar Games
Rockstar’s games have endless scope. Alongside the GTA series, it also produced Red Dead Redemption II where, at the end of the game, players can spend hours doing monotonous farm work, and it’s somehow still fun.
The developers know fans have been waiting years for GTA VI, and they are not intending to disappoint. Factor that intention into their commitment to music, and players will surely find new tunes when they land in Vice City.
Check out all the latest info on GTA VI at rockstar.com
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Intensity 2: Zynaptiq unveils major upgrades to its one-knob loudness processing pluginZynaptiq has rolled out Intensity 2, the latest iteration of its acclaimed one-knob loudness plugin.
The updated version doubles down on the classic’s core features and workflow, adding exciting new features and improvements across the board, including new algorithms with low CPU use and near-zero latency, support for up to 16 channels for immersive workflows, more Bias Curve presets, mid/side processing options, and more.

READ MORE: Plugin Boutique is hosting a massive Excite Audio sale – including all 10 Bloom plugins for just £149

Conceptually similar to what HDR does for photography, Intensity 2 brings out a sound’s inherent detail, increases perceived loudness, and adds clarity and bite – all operated using essentially a single control, says Zynaptiq.
Notably, the new version introduces CRYSTAL and BRONZE algorithms, delivering more bite and stronger transients, with 64-bit precision, near-zero latency (3 samples), and reduced CPU load. The v1 algorithm is still included, and has been renamed to Smooth.
Mid/Side (M/S) processing is available as well, which allows users to process the stereo signal, just the Mid channel, or just the Side channel.
In addition, the plugin now offers 20 Bias Curve presets (up from 10), expanding tonal shaping options. The redesigned, fully vectorised UI supports up to 200% zoom and features a new help text system for enhanced usability. Preset management is also improved with MIDI control for Previous/Next/Load/Save functions.
As with all of Zynaptiq’s latest releases, version 2 Intensity comes with dual activations as well.
“Between three proprietary algorithms, mid/side processing, an optional soft-knee saturating limiter, 16-channel support, and a super-fast and inspiring workflow, Intensity 2 is a must-have for mixing, mastering, and sound design,” says the company.
From now till 19 May 2025, users can purchase the plugin at an intro price of $99 (U.P $149) from Plugin Boutique, or upgrade from version 1.x at $49 via the Zynaptiq website. Those who purchased Intensity 1.x between 1 January and 28 April this year can request for a free upgrade.

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Artist-friendly streaming platform Deezer earned €134 million in revenue in Q1 2025As Spotify continues to grow its already-massive subscriber base – last week it announced its highest subscriber net adds since 2020 in Q1 of 2025 – interest in alternative streaming platforms is also on the rise.
As a result of this industry growth, in the first quarter of 2025, Deezer has seen a revenue increase of 1.1% YoY, with Q1 2025 revenue sitting at €134 million.

READ MORE: “Your subscription goes to the artist you listen to”: Deezer boss explains what it does differently to other streaming platforms

The French streaming service also reveals that its user base now sits at 9.4 million subscribers, with a significant increase in France of 4.5% YoY.
While Spotify remains at the heart of a seemingly perpetual debate surrounding allegedly low artist payouts, Deezer makes a point to assure its users that a larger percentage of their subscription payments go to the artists they listen to.
Back in February, the company’s CEO Alexis Lanternier said users’ subscription payments actually “goes to the artist you listen to”.
“The overwhelming feeling for a lot of people is that their life is more and more dictated by algorithm, and there is this ask that we see from our user base, and especially the young generation, to kind of take back control, understand how the algorithms work and be able to influence it,” he said.
Back in 2023, Deezer announced that it had partnered with Universal to launch an “artist-centric” streaming model, designed to reward artists and de-prioritise non-musical content, like white noise.
“The current music streaming model needs to be re-imagined,” Universal Music Group said at the time. “While streaming has been the most significant technology advancement in music in many years, a flood of uploads with no meaningful engagement, including non-artist noise content, has necessitated reassessment… to foster a thriving music ecosystem.”
The new model doubles the pay per stream for ‘professional artists’ (artists with 1000+ streams per month from at least 500 unique listeners). It also gives the most commonly searched tracks a bonus, putting a premium on tracks people actively hunt down. As a result, it doesn’t just pay the big bucks to tracks amassing more streams due to passive algorithms.
Earlier this year, the platform also implemented an AI detection tool to sideline mass-produced AI-generated music from its algorithmic recommendations. It found that 10% of all tracks submitted to the platform were AI-generated. According to Deezer, it continues to catch roughly 10,000 AI-generated tracks per day.
Learn more about the company’s Q1 2025 performance at the Deezer Newsroom.
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