How To Increase Spotify Streams and Master the AlgorithmStruggling to get more streams on Spotify? Learn how to increase Spotify streams, feed the algorithm and increase visibility.
The post How To Increase Spotify Streams and Master the Algorithm appeared first on Hypebot.

Power of QR Codes in Marketing & MediaFred Jacobs dives into the revolution happening in audience engagement caused by the use of QR codes in marketing and media with innovative applications and strategies. Power of QR Codes. Continue reading
The post Power of QR Codes in Marketing & Media appeared first on Hypebot.

UJAM Beatmaker Circuits is FREE with any Loopcloud subscription
You can now get UJAM Beatmaker Circuits for free with any Loopcloud subscription for a limited time. Loopcloud is one of the most popular sample platforms for musicians and producers in any genre, and it often comes with a welcome gift for new members. Right now, until November 3rd, 2024, you’ll get the UJAM Beatmaker [...]
View post: UJAM Beatmaker Circuits is FREE with any Loopcloud subscription

How To Get Your Music on TV, Video Games and in Movies (Sync Licensing)I study the sync licensing realm (getting songs placed in film, tv, commercials, video games) quite a bit. On the New Music Business podcast, I’ve had as guests: Music Supervisors: Deva Anderson – Greyhound, Band of Brothers, The Pacific Jen Malone – Euphoria, Atlanta, Empire, Step Up Madonna Wade-Reed – Reign, Smallville, Batwoman Lindsay Wolfington […]

API announce 525A FET Compressor The 525A FET Compressor maintains the discrete audio path of the popular 525, but boasts an expanded feature set that API say make it an even more versatile tool for the modern studio user. 

Orchestral Tools update Benjamin Wallfisch Strings Collections In their largest ever update, Orchestral Tools have kitted Benjamin Wallfisch Strings Collections out with a range of user-requested articulations.

In 3 hours, Hans Zimmer Live reminds you why AI won’t replace real musiciansHans Zimmer’s live show will leave you dumbfounded in ways that no machine-learning model ever could.
Hans Zimmer took the stage at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on 1 October, and started his show by referencing the folk tales of his homeland. “Germany takes folklore from Bavaria and other parts of the country but, tonight, all of the music — the folklore — we’re going to play is from here,” said the 67-year-old composer and producer. He is, of course, talking about Hollywood and the killer lineup of blockbuster titles he’s soundtracked here.

READ MORE: San Francisco’s Portola Festival is for the music heads — but still has room to grow

And so the 20,000 attendees strapped in for an emotional, thrilling rollercoaster ride through Tinseltown’s fantastical universes.
Vocalist Loire Cotler opens the show with a stunning performance of Dune’s House Atreides — with more Dune songs heard later in the show. The remainder of the first act saw the 12-time-Oscar- and 20-time-Grammy-winner and his virtuosic orchestra rally us through Wonder Woman, Man Of Steel, Gladiator and Pirates Of The Caribbean. Zimmer, in a white shirt tucked into blue jeans, floats between synthesizer, guitar, and piano, as his fellow musicians beat drums, plucked and bowed on strings, and bellowed out haunting vocals.
The intensity and emotion each musician put into the performance was awe-inspiring — instruments played with flair, sparkling costumes and jovial dancing. As fun as it is to watch Zimmer play instruments for his musical masterpieces, the ingenuity of his band is breathtaking as they, too, float between instruments and playing styles.
Tina Guo performing during Hans Zimmer Live in 2024. Image: Mathew Tsang/Getty Images
Between each performance, Zimmer, paused to praise an individual from his multicultured band (assembled of musicians from six continents, plus an all-Ukranian orchestra). He told tales of meeting cellist Tina Guo and her crucial role in the Wonder Woman soundtrack; how flautist Pedro Eustache would create new brass and woodwind instruments with tools from Home Depot; expressed his love for colleague and longtime friend Harry Gregson-Williams; and set a wooden chair in front of esteemed guitarist Guthrie Govan and stared at him longingly as Govan shredded his way through the Man Of Steel score.
Zimmer even uses Govan’s solo to point out the perceived lack of creativity in modern Hollywood studios: “Every night…the guitar solo is different. No sequel, no remake… Just using your imagination; making something new… I think that’s what’s needed.” The Tinseltown audience cheers.
This sentimental streak continued in the second act. After a dramatic performance of the Dunkirk theme, Zimmer, now changed into pink chinos and a navy t-shirt, shouted out his sound engineer, Colin Pink, who hilariously warps and pitches Zimmer’s voice as he talks — this evolves into Paul’s Dream from Dune, which quickly turns the crowd’s laughter into silence.
But there was a lot more laughter. Zimmer’s charisma and dry (but warm) humour throughout the show sent chuckles around the stadium. From joking about LA traffic as several latecomers looked for their seats some 12 minutes into the show, to cheekily referencing the poor box office performance of X-Men: Dark Phoenix before erupting into the main theme — “You won’t know this one because none of you came to see it.”
Hans Zimmer at Hans Zimmer Live in 2024. Image: Mathew Tsang/Getty Images
Ultimately, Hans Zimmer Live is a spectacle of human entertainment. In 2024, many producers, artists and musicians have become unnerved by the explosive rise of artificial intelligence and its invasion into their studios. You’ll find machines at Zimmer Live — modular synthesizers, immense lighting rigs, high-resolution screens — but only ones that serve to enhance the organic, incomparable performance that’s only made possible by human musicians.
Generative music platforms might try to ingest our music and regurgitate back at us. But, as Zimmer and his orchestra prove with not only their playing but the warmth, playfulness and creative connection between them, it’ll be musicians — humans — that create and inspire the next blockbuster hit. If we’re not making music, we’re making the instruments from brass and wood; we’re making the stage from steel and circuitry; and we’re building the stadiums brick by brick and filling them with our friends. If you get the opportunity, we highly recommend you join the crowd.
“You want more!?” asks Zimmer before his finale. The stadium shakes with thunderous applause.
Hans Zimmer Live is currently on tour in North America, with a Europe tour set to take place in 2025. Learn more at hanszimmerlive.com
The post In 3 hours, Hans Zimmer Live reminds you why AI won’t replace real musicians appeared first on MusicTech.

Classical Highlights for September 2024In September, our classical editors discovered new recordings of well-known pieces including piano quartets by Brahms, featuring the late Lars Vogt on piano in his final recording. Albums of new music included Solos featuring compositions by The National's Bryce Dessner and Anna Clyne: Shorthand, with Eric Jacobsen (pictured) leading his orchestra, The Knights.

Four-legged robot learns to climb laddersThe proliferation of robots like Boston Dynamics’ Spot has showcased the versatility of quadrupeds. These systems have thrived at walking up stairs, traversing small obstacles, and navigating uneven terrain. Ladders, however, still present a big issue — especially given how ever present they are in factories and other industrial environments where the systems are deployed. […]
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SEC files appeal in Ripple lawsuitThe Securities and Exchange Commission first filed the lawsuit against Ripple Labs and both its founders in December 2020.

Rotor by LyricFind Helps Creators with Spotify Canvas VideosDefining your creative identity can be tough, especially when the tools you have aren’t built with your unique needs in mind.

What makes LyricFind's Spotify Canvas creator special? It’s the only tool that transforms your videos into seamless, continuous loops—no pro editing skills needed. These Canvas videos enhance both the visual and audio experience, giving your fans an extra way to connect with your music.

With Rotor, you can easily create all the video content you need to promote your track. From album artwork videos to music and lyric videos, your visuals will be perfectly designed for social media or streaming platforms.

1 Million Clips

Choose from an expansive clip library, containing real-life footage, professional animations and striking visualizers.

Easy-to-use editing tools

Spotify Canvas videos may be short, but what listeners see is important! Select exact segments of clips with intuitive editing tools.

Stunning visual effects

Take your videos up a notch with engaging effects and filters! Get creative - the possibilities are endless.

Sleek Loops

Spotify Canvas creator is the only tool that can turn your videos into an ultra-smooth, continuous loops without professional editing tools.

rotorvideos.com

The post Rotor by LyricFind Helps Creators with Spotify Canvas Videos first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Tackle sibilance with apulSoft splitS apulSoft say that splitS isn’t actually a de-esser, but rather a mixer than makes it possible to balance the level of sibilances with the rest of the vocal signal. 

Witch’s Staff Build is a Rad Glowing Costume PropLet’s say you’re going to a music festival. You could just take water, sunscreen, and a hat. Or, you could take a rad glowing witch’s staff to really draw some eyes and have some fun. [MZandtheRaspberryPi] recently undertook just such a build for a friend and we love how it turned out.
The concept was to build a staff or cane with a big glowing orb on top. The aim was to 3D print the top as a very thin part so that LEDs inside could glow through it. Eventually, after much trial and error, the right combination of design and printer settings made this idea work. A Pi Pico W was then employed as the brains of the operation, driving a number of through-hole Neopixel LEDs sourced from Adafruit.
Power was courtesy of a long cable running out of the cane and to a USB power bank in the wielder’s pocket. Eventually, it was revealed this wasn’t ideal for dancing with the staff. Thus, an upgrade came in the form of an Adafruit Feather microcontroller and a 2,000 mAh lithium-polymer battery tucked inside the orb. The Feather’s onboard hardware made managing the lithium cell a cinch, and there were no more long cables to worry about.
The result? A neat costume prop that looks fantastic. A bit of 3D printing and basic electronics is all you need these days to build fun glowing projects, and we always love to see them. Halloween is right around the corner — if you’re building something awesome for your costume, don’t hesitate to let us know!

FLOSS Weekly Episode 803: Unconferencing with OggCampThis week Jonathan Bennett and and Simon Phipps chat with Gary Williams about OggCamp! It’s the Free Software and Free culture unconference happening soon in Manchester! What exactly is an unconference? How long has OggCamp been around, and what should you expect to see there? Listen to find out!

https://ogg.camp

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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How the SP-303 connects hip-hop’s Holy Trinity: J Dilla, Madlib, and MF DOOMOnce dubbed a DJ sampler and effects unit, the SP-303 was originally aimed at turntablists. However, this compact phrase sampler managed to find its way into the hands of some of hip-hop’s most creative producers.
Introduced by Roland Corporation in 2001, the BOSS SP-303 Dr. Sample is a compact sampler with eight voices of polyphony, 26 effects, and a real-time pattern sequencer that offers external sync. Two banks of eight mono samples can be stored, with a total sampling time of over three minutes at 11.025kHz, and the option of using 22.05 kHz, and 44.1 kHz sampling modes and extending the sample memory with SmartMedia cards.

In the early 2000s, hardware samplers were the primary tools used by hip-hop producers, as DAW-based samplers, like many used today, were still evolving. However, there was some similarly priced competition in the form of the Yamaha SU200 and the KORG ElecTribe ES1. As a result, the SP-303 wasn’t an instantaneous hit.
Although the SP-303’s range of effects and sonic quality was impressive, you could only use one effect at a time which, according a 2001 Sound On Sound review, was a creative limitation. Also, when we consider that older samplers like the AKAI S950 were capable of time stretching over a decade before, the underwhelming initial response to budget samplers wasn’t so surprising.
Astonishingly, the SP-303’s pitch engine was not an improvement on its predecessor. However, with its basic pattern sequencer, it offered a more standalone solution than the SP-202. The digital degradation, jitter, and artifacts introduced when pitching a sample up or down became intrinsic to the 303’s sound, especially when combined with the legendary ‘Vinyl Sound’ compression effect.
The SP-303 was not a complete music production system like the MPC. Nevertheless, it began to develop a mighty reputation when producers like Madlib, J Dilla, and MF DOOM took a shine to its simplicity, creative immediacy, and lo-fi sonic aesthetic.
How Madlib used the SP-303
From about as musical a background as one can have, Otis Jackson Jr, AKA Madlib, grew up with an insatiable musical curiosity. When confronted with his dad’s record collection, it didn’t take him long to express himself through sampling — he flipped his first record at age 11.
Between the early and late 1990s, he truly came into his own as a prolific artist and producer, with his group Lootpack signing to Peanut Butter Wolf’s Stone’s Throw Records in Los Angeles in 1998.
This relationship between Madlib and Peanut Butter Wolf’s indie imprint was fruitful and would bring a cult-like status to both artist and label. A turning point in this journey would come during Madlib’s trip to Sao Paulo for Red Bull Music Academy 2002, where his travelling companions included Cut Chemist, Egon, and J.Rocc of The Beat Junkies.

Although Madlib enjoyed crate-digging with his compatriots, his approach to choosing records was vastly different from his fellow producers. Instead of listening to each record, searching carefully for samples, he would harvest a wide scope of outlandish records, returning to his hotel room with a massive stack under his arm.
According to a 2005 interview with Scratch Magazine, Madlib “did most of the Madvillain album in Brazil. Cuts like Raid I did in my hotel room in Brazil on a portable turntable, my (BOSS SP) 303, and a little tape deck.” During this time, he developed a certain affinity with the SP-303 workflow, saying, “I like to move quickly, and these little boxes are easy to use.”
In Madlib’s high-output workflow, it was the SP-303’s creative immediacy that made it an inspirational tool to use. While sampling vinyl with a Fisher-Price turntable sounds like a delightfully naive idea, it led to the creation of the genre-defining Madvillainy (2004) album.
From this point, the gritty sound of the SP-303 became almost mythical, influencing artists such as Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, The Creator, who were inspired by DOOM’s laid-back cadence and unrelenting flow and Madlib’s eclectic production style.
How J Dilla used the SP-303
James Dewitt Yancey, AKA J Dilla, emerged in the early 1990s as one of hip-hop’s most influential producers. Only two years after he first touched an MPC, he was working on The Pharcyde’s 1995 album, Labcabincalifornia, now widely regarded as a classic.
This was the beginning of a journey that would take Dilla into studios with some of the most important artists in hip-hop history including D’Angelo, The Roots, and Erykah Badu. Under the mentorship of his manager and fellow hip-hop artist, Q-Tip, Dilla was able to navigate his path as a solo artist and producer.

Having been exposed to his work through the circulation of his beat tapes, Dilla crossed paths with Madlib in the early 2000s and the pair went on to form the Jaylib collaboration. Although the duo’s Champion Sound (2003) album on Stones Throw was recorded separately in Detroit and LA, Madlib’s influence made the SP-303 a part of its creation.
During this time, there was a creative cross-pollination between these two great producers as Dilla became part of the Stones Throw family. As a direct result, he would make the move to LA in 2004, and the SP-303 reportedly became a part of his beat production workflow for his next and final solo album Donuts (2006) until his death in February 2006.

There are contrasting accounts about what gear Dilla used in his final days. According to revered musician and friend of Dilla, Karriem Riggins, the Stones Throw crew visited him in the hospital with a 303. “They brought him a little BOSS [SP] 303 sampler and little 45 record player,” he says. “That’s what brought him through to make a lot of music that we hear on Donuts.”

Other reports state that, when the Roland SP-404 came out in 2005, Peanut Butter Wolf gifted Dilla the new sampler as he continued creating music until his passing.
How MF DOOM used the SP-303
Although he was born in West London, the story of Dumile Daniel Thompson aka MF DOOM within hip-hop began in New York in the late 1980s with the graffiti and breakdance crew, KMD — his stage name back then was Zev Love X. It didn’t take long before the trio were signed to Elektra Records and released their debut album Mr. Hood in 1991.
For most of the 1990s, following the death of his brother, DJ Subroc, Dumile went into exile, making his eventual return as MF DOOM in 1999 with his debut album Operation DOOMsday on Bobbito’s Fondle ’Em Records. Under the guise of this new Marvel-inspired supervillain, MF DOOM became a mystical figure. With his unique wordplay on the mic and the atmospheric sample-laden beat productions under his Metal Fingers alias, the legend continued to grow.
Having moved to Atlanta in the late 1990s, DOOM happened across Madlib’s beats through a mutual contact at Stones Throw. Slowly, the seeds were sewn for a new collaboration that would stand the test of time: the now iconic album, Madvillainy.

As Madlib was also an instrumentalist, staying in the same house in LA (and working in Madlib’s The Bomb Shelter studio) exposed DOOM to a different side of hip-hop production. In an interview from late 2004, he mentioned being put onto the SP-303 through Madlib and Jay Dee (Dilla) and it becoming one of his favourite pieces of gear. Sometimes pictured holding the 303, he also commented on the “live feel” of its looping and sequencing workflow as well as the overall simplicity of its interface and raw sonic character.
what’s he holding? byu/riah-lanee inmfdoom

In another interview, DOOM described Madlib as a true partner in his musical journey, saying that he had rekindled the fun for him.
The Legacy of the SP-303
Although Roland replaced the SP-303 in 2005 with the release of the SP-404, it was the 303 that remains an undeniable thread that connected Madlib, Dilla, and MF DOOM. The stripped-down nature of its design encouraged collaboration, and although there are other ways to achieve lo-fi sounds, the 303 allowed an artist to invite another into their creative process without being hindered by technicality.
Over the years, the feature set within the SP series became more comprehensive, but the phrase-sampling workflow remained. This enables producers to access the same creative platform no matter which model of the SP series samplers they use. The key remains in the samples themselves and how you put these puzzle pieces together.
A prime example of this in a modern context is the LA boom-bap producer, Dibia$e. As one greatest exponents of the SP series samples, his use of SP-303 and SP-404 samplers is easily recognizable in the sound of his music.

In an interview by Gino Sorcinelli, Dibia$e describes how he used the SP-303 and SP-404 for its compression, even when he produced his album Swingology 101 (2011), using Reason 5. He also details how the SP-303 has a unique feature that allows you to sample the input and sequencer simultaneously. This allowed him to create sounds over a record playing, a feature that was subsequently discontinued.
The SP-303, and even its predecessor the SP-202, will forever remain on the radar for modern lo-fi hip-hop producers. Once they’ve mastered the latest model (the SP-404 MKII), there is a tendency to go back and explore the grittier sound of the SP-303. As Madlib, J Dilla, and MF DOOM discovered, its limitation made it a catalyst for creativity and meaningful collaboration.
The post How the SP-303 connects hip-hop’s Holy Trinity: J Dilla, Madlib, and MF DOOM appeared first on MusicTech.