Excite Audio introduce Bloom Drum Breaks Bloom Drum Breaks promises to make quick work of finding the perfect drum sounds for any project, and includes a selection of powerful editing, modulation and effects tools.

“It would be an awesome challenge to do a fire-ass rap album at 48 years old”: André 3000 on returning to his rap rootsAndré 3000 says he’d be up for making a rap album again, in a new interview with Highsnobiety.
The musician and producer, who rose to fame as one-half of the rap duo OutKast alongside Big Boi, appears on the front cover of the magazine’s spring 2024 issue.

READ MORE: Diplo: “We downloaded so many different plugins to try and recreate the TB-303 and they were so hard to programme”

André released his debut solo album, New Blue Sun, in November. While he’s always been ready to experiment with different genres and styles, the ambient, experimental flute music that makes up the album was a marked departure from the hip-hop and funk he’s known for.
However, he might return to hip-hop in the future, saying he’d “love” to make a rap album. “I just think it’d be an awesome challenge to do a fire-ass album at 48 years old,” he says. “That’s probably one of the hardest things to do! I would love to do that.”
He also discusses listening to New Blue Sun with Tyler, the Creator. He explains, “I was in Tyler’s living room listening to it, and then Frank [Ocean] just shows up. And so we’re all sitting there listening to it. I’m wondering what the young people’s opinions would be. And I’m so happy that what I’m hearing is really good feedback.
“Sometimes the melodies you’re hearing, I was making them up on the spot or I was responding on the spot. That’s the value of this album, that it’s fully alive. It wasn’t planned.”
He says of his latest album, and the departure from his usual sound, “I’m scared. I don’t want to troll people. New André 3000 album coming out! And you play it – like, man, what the fuck?
“On the packaging, there’s a graphic that says ‘Warning: no bars.’ So it completely lets you know what you’re getting into before you get into it. I don’t want people to feel like I’m playing with them. That could ruin the whole thing.”
The post “It would be an awesome challenge to do a fire-ass rap album at 48 years old”: André 3000 on returning to his rap roots appeared first on MusicTech.

“It’s terrifying”: Ariana Grande slams AI covers using her voiceIt’s difficult to escape AI at the moment, and everyone has their own view on it. One of the latest stars to share their thoughts is Ariana Grande, who says she isn’t exactly overjoyed with people recreating her voice using the technology.

READ MORE: Researchers claim to have invented a better version of Auto-Tune that uses AI

Speaking to podcaster Zach Sang, she says, “What are we doing? Why? I hate it.”
When Sang mentions that AI could be useful to songwriters creating demos for other artists and using AI versions of their vocals to look at how to finished product could sound, she doubles down and says, “It’s terrifying.”
Over the past year, the discussion around AI recreations of vocals has been raging on – ever since April 2023, when an artist named Ghostwriter977 released a song called Heart On My Sleeve, featuring vocals which sounded like they were recorded by The Weeknd and Drake.
It was quickly removed from streaming platforms, but in the following months, we’ve seen myriad AI-generated songs popping up on social media. With Grande alone, there are ‘covers’ of everything from Bring Me to Life by Evanescence to Ed Sheeran’s Bad Habits.

Elsewhere in the interview, Grande also admits that she wasn’t happy when songs she recorded with Max Martin ended up doing the rounds on TikTok. She says, “Thank you very much. I’ll see you in jail – literally.”
She continues, “So [leaked track] Fantasize comes out,” and then corrects herself. “‘Comes out’ – crazy – was stolen … thieves, pirates, crooks, illegal. I’ll pay you more to get it back.”
When Sang asks her why she was so unhappy about the leaks, she explains that the songs were intended for a TV show, and a parody of “a ‘90s girl group vibe,” so she was surprised when people “loved it.”
That said, she “took the note,” and incorporated a ‘90s influence into her upcoming album, Eternal Sunshine, which is set for release on 8 March. She explains, “I kind of gave them Ariana’s version of that.”
You can check out the full interview here:

The post “It’s terrifying”: Ariana Grande slams AI covers using her voice appeared first on MusicTech.

Even more songs are now being removed from TikTok due to UMG royalties disputeYou’ve probably heard the news that TikTok and Universal Music Group have had a disagreement over royalties. If you haven’t, well this is exactly why so many songs have disappeared from TikTok, leaving your videos muted.
However, even more tracks are set to be removed as UMG has now made the platform take off songs that contain compositions controlled by Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). This means that all songs written or co-written by a songwriter signed to UMPG must be removed.

READ MORE: Spotify introduces music advisory agency for brands wanting to work with emerging artists

This news has been confirmed to TechCrunch. According to the outlet, in order to be legally compliant and remove all content licensed by UMPG before the end of February, it says that TikTok needs to start removing the songs now. UMG and UMPG’s catalogue represents roughly 20-30 per cent of popular songs on TikTok.
To give some context, the disagreement between the two companies began back in January. In an open letter titled ‘Why we must call time out on TikTok’, UMG accused TikTok of attempting to “bully” them into “accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth”.
UMG said that during its contract renewal discussions with TikTok, it had been “pressing” the company on “three critical issues”, including “appropriate compensation” for artists and songwriters, “protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”
TikTok’s own open letter said it was “sad and disappointing” that Universal Music Group had “put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.”
It added, “TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”
The post Even more songs are now being removed from TikTok due to UMG royalties dispute appeared first on MusicTech.

Daft Punk get Madame Tussauds waxworks to celebrate 10th anniversary of Random Access MemoriesJoe Biden, Oprah, Beyoncé… and Daft Punk?
Yep, the iconic duo are the latest figures to get waxwork likenesses as they go on display in Madame Tussauds in Times Square.

READ MORE: “We couldn’t be more proud”: Chase & Status win Producer of the Year at the BRITs for first time

Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo’s figures appear in their trademark helmets, with no ‘skin’ showing. They’re styled in replicas of the sequinned Saint Laurent Le Smoking tuxedos they wore in the promo material for their 2013 album Random Access Memories. The album celebrated its ten-year anniversary last May, and this is one part of the celebrations.
Ben Shapiro, Madame Tussauds New York’s marketing executive, says in a statement (via Billboard), “As Daft Punk and Madame Tussauds both share French origins, this collaboration is a testament to the innovation and artistic brilliance of those that came before us and the ability of music and art to transcend global boundaries.”
The exhibit launched earlier this month with a French house tribute party featuring DJ collective Maison Disco at Avant Gardener in Brooklyn.
Other events and releases to celebrate ten years of Random Access Memories include a reissue with previously unreleased music, a drumless edition, a five-part mini-documentary series about the duo’s collaborators, a documentary series about the making of the track Infinity Repeating with Julian Casablancas, and an interview series too.
Meanwhile, to mark the three-year anniversary of their split last week, Daft Punk live-streamed their 2003 anime sci-fi musical movie Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. And, a studio drummer who’s previously worked with them has suggested that an unreleased album from 2018 could make an appearance, per Stereogum.
There had been rumours that the duo will reunite for the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer, but a representative told Pitchfork that it won’t be happening.
However, if you’re looking for your Daft Punk fix, Bangalter composed the score for the movie Daaaaaalí, which is out now.
The post Daft Punk get Madame Tussauds waxworks to celebrate 10th anniversary of Random Access Memories appeared first on MusicTech.

Diplo: “We downloaded so many different plugins to try and recreate the TB-303 and they were so hard to programme”In the latest episode of the Tape Notes Podcast, DJ and producer Diplo sits down with host John Kennedy to discuss his favourite plugins, synths and samplers, mentioning, in particular, his love of Roland‘s TB-303 Bass Line bass synthesizer.
He explains how he’s spent considerable time using plugins to try to recreate the sound of the TB-303, but to no avail. “We downloaded so many different plugins to try and recreate the 303 and they were so hard to program,” he says, adding that he eventually just bagged himself the real hardware deal instead.

READ MORE: “It’s a wee bit suspect”: Calvin Harris on why he wants to stop DJing at 50

Elsewhere, Diplo gives a special shoutout to the Ableton Sampler as a staple of his toolkit. “That’s where all my sounds started from,” he says, but adds that he felt starting out using a hardware sampler was an easier process because it gave him access to explore more freely.
“I always love putting stuff in there, finding weird sounds and making a polyphonic keyboard out of whatever you want. I would have done that if I had an [Akai] MPC3000, but those are so hard to programme nowadays,” he says.
In terms of plugins and other software in his rig, Diplo mentions his affinity for FabFilter plugins, as well as synths Serum and Synplant, which he describes himself as “basic” for using. “The last couple of years I’ve recorded a lot of instruments and then added the basslines and synths, because I can’t do that naturally,” he says.
Watch Diplo geek out on plugins, samplers and synths in the video below:

Find out more about Tape Notes via tapenotes.co.uk.
The post Diplo: “We downloaded so many different plugins to try and recreate the TB-303 and they were so hard to programme” appeared first on MusicTech.

Remove drum bleed with ReMuse:KIT The first release from ReMuse promises to eliminate the need for the likes of gating and extensive EQ while preparing drum multitracks for mixing.

Songwriters mock low streaming royalty rates in new videoOne of the tragedies of the streaming age is that even hit songwriters are finding it hard to earn a living in the age of streaming.....
The post Songwriters mock low streaming royalty rates in new video appeared first on Hypebot.

Think musicians should be paid for radio play? SIGN THIS PETITION NOWThe United States is one of a handful of countries that don’t compensate artists when their music is played on AM/FM radio. The others denying hundreds of thousands of musicians. Continue reading
The post Think musicians should be paid for radio play? SIGN THIS PETITION NOW appeared first on Hypebot.

Loving mini-games

512 Audio’s Limelight mic struggles to cut through the competitionPrice £189.99/$199.99
With the Limelight microphone, Warm Audio spin-off brand 512 Audio takes on the heavy hitters of the broadcast dynamic mic niche. And, while it trades finesse for price, it still delivers a lower noise floor than those more established mics in most situations.

READ MORE: SSL UF8 Studio Controller review: a premium, pricey mixing controller

512’s Limelight makes an immediate — and perhaps contradictory — impression with its large size and light weight. In broadcast and podcast terms, these are desirable characteristics. The size is necessary to house the large diaphragm (28mm) favoured in broadcast mic designs while also providing a frequency and axial response-defining acoustic chamber for the moving coil transducer.
Aesthetically, it also boasts a stylish, vintage design similar to 1968’s Electro-Voice RE-20, an industry-standard in broadcast mics — a nice touch.
Image: Electro-Voice’s RE20
Limelight’s hypercardioid pattern is tighter than the cardioid pickup of the classic Shure SM7B and Electro-Voice RE20, with the latter’s distinctive grille layout providing a clear inspiration for 512 Audio. Its lightweight metal housing makes it far less challenging for mic stands than either of these broadcast stalwarts, both of which weigh over 700g. Sprung desktop boom arms will have no problem suspending a Limelight, leaving some extra strength for adding a pop filter if necessary, both of which are also part of the 512 Audio range.
The high-pass filter switch (100Hz, 12dB/oct) is on the underside of the mic, which is inconveniently obscured by the ring of the swivel mount, though this is usually a set-and-forget function. The downside of the Limelight’s lightweight casing is that it resonates higher in frequency when handled or vibrated compared to heavier steel types. This means that the high-pass filter isn’t as effective as you’d hope.

Additionally, engaging the filter reduces the mic’s resistance to electromagnetic hum, resulting in noticeable hum from the mains power. This means that positioning it away from transformers is essential for a quieter recording. Therefore, you should consider using a preamp/mixer-based high-pass filter.
The proximity effect at play with the Limelight plays a significant, positive role in defining the body tone of the Limelight’s sound. Getting close up to the mic gets a little bass-heavy and, expectedly, makes plosives more prominent. But we’d recommend using a pop filter even at a more reasonable distance.
The tonal sweet spot is about 10cm to 15cm from the front grille, delivering a balanced low-end. This balance continues through the mid-range and doesn’t break up upon contact with compression and limiting — an inevitable part of podcast audio production. Off-axis, the proximity effect quickly dies away without the remaining attenuated signal becoming peaky, which is vital for multiple mic setups.
The higher end lacks immediate presence and benefits from a gentle EQ lift from around 7-10kHz, depending on the slope. The Limelight isn’t hiding any nasty sibilance bias, so a little lift won’t force you to reach for the de-esser — at least, not more than normal.
Even with some EQ, there is less noise than a matched-level SM7B, with around 6-10dB gain difference at the preamp, impedance depending. This means it’s unlikely an inline mic booster (Cloudlifter) will be a necessary purchase for quiet voice work. Limelight has a nominal rating of 600Ω, which is on the high side for dynamic mics, but this makes it a fine match for most interface preamps which tend to have input impedances at the high end.
For example, on the Focusrite ISA preamp used for review, the Limelight suited the medium and high impedances (2,400Ω and 6,800Ω, respectively). The SM7B achieved its best noise/level/tone performance at 1,400Ω (subject to taste).

The explosion in podcasting has made the competitive broadcast microphone market fierce. The Limelight goes up against the $99 Rode Podmic, an excellent-sounding dynamic that’s superb value for money, even if it’s susceptible to plosives and sibilance and has no on-body filters or pads. Coming in at $149, the Sontronics Podcast Pro, like the Limelight, has a supercardioid pickup pattern and is similarly low-noise. The Samson Q9U ($199) also does a good job with a USB interface built in. Or for just $50 more, the $249 Shure MV7 is feature-packed with onboard EQ, compression and limiting, plus USB and XLR connectivity.
For $199, the Limelight presents an acceptable balance of price and quality, with the caveat of needing a high-frequency EQ lift and having a poor-quality high-pass filter. However, it looks the part and has a low noise floor and neutral off-axis response, which is beneficial in multi-mic setups.
Learn more at 512 Audio.
Key Features

Capsule: 28mm dynamic
Polar Pattern: Hypercardioid
Frequency Range: 50Hz to 15kHz
Impedance: 600Ω
Max. SPL: 138dB
High Pass Filter: 100Hz (12dB/Oct)
Weight: 350g
Dimensions: 167 x 607 mm
Accessories: Swivel mount and carry bag

The post 512 Audio’s Limelight mic struggles to cut through the competition appeared first on MusicTech.

DW Soundworks & DWe kits from Drum Workshop DW have introduced a new virtual drum platform, along with a new drum kit series that can be converted from acoustic to electronic. 

Recent Classical Highlights for February 2024Several albums stood out to our reviewers this month. One of those was a beautiful recital of French orchestral songs by Sandrine Piau (pictured). Also from France, Christophe Rousset lead his ensemble Les Talens Lyriques and impressive star singers in one of Lully's famous operas, Atys.

Why VCs are investing in startups that help other startups shut downIn one of the VC world’s greatest ironies, investors have lately been clamoring to back startups that are helping other startups shut down. So whether a VC-backed startup is succeeding or shuttering, investors themselves are finding ways to make returns for their limited partners while also helping founders move on more quickly. And with an […]
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Lizzy Borden at the Whisky A Go GoLike Alice Cooper, Lizzy Borden is the name of the band and the singer. Dual moniker uses, however, are not the only things that these Los Angeles shock rockers share with Coop. A proclivity for showmanship that veers heavily towards horror movie themes are their most shared traits, plus fake blood by the bucket, a theatrical sneer here and there, and tons of fun.

More importantly, Lizzy Borden has an arsenal of wonderful glam-metal stomp-along tunes. Not as open to mainstream acceptance as Coop's, sure. But still, really freaking good. Also, that's the last Alice Cooper comparison, we promise.

At the Whisky on the evening of Friday, February 23, Borden (the singer) arrived on stage wearing what looked like three faces, sewn together. After a song or two, he was kitted out like a robot skeleton. And the impressive costume changes just kept coming.

Those same costume changes made a song like "Master of Disguise" seem all the more on-the-nose. Meanwhile, "American Metal" is a fist-in-the-air chant, "Love Kills" is a Sunset Strip classic, "We Got the Power" is epic, and Lizzy Borden's cover of the Ramones' "Pet Sematary" is inspired.

They ended with a creepy "Long May They Haunt Us," an appropriate song given the crowd's feelings towards this most influential and never-say-die group.