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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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
Source

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.

Dystopian Waves Celium Granular Max for Live DeviceIntro price until August 31 — regular price: $30. Celium – A New Realm of Granular Sound. Celium is an advanced Max for Live granular instrument designed for deep sonic exploration, from lush cinematic textures to abstract experimental layers. It offers a highly flexible grain engine with precise control over every detail of your sound. At its core is a dual-buffer engine with Live and Freeze modes, each supporting two audio sources. You can blend between sources using crossfading, inter-grain transitions (where a single grain starts from Source 1 and ends in Source 2), and per-source grain probability. Create rich granular detail with up to 70 grains per second and grain durations up to 2 seconds. Shape each grain using per-grain effects, including: Four types of distortion (with probability control). Ring modulation. Panning. Randomized filtering. Pitch processing is equally detailed, with pitch shift and spread up to ±12 semitones, selectable spread direction, major/minor pitch quantization, and probabilistic pitch randomness. Further shape your grains with vibrato, bend, jitter, and stretch over grain life. Trigger grains using simple, random, or Euclidean rhythmic systems. Choose from multiple playback directions including forward, reverse, and palindrome modes. https://youtu.be/UEblN6Jw5A8 Key Features: Dual-Buffer Engine. Live & Freeze modes. Each mode supports 2 audio sources. Morph between sources with source crossfade. Per-grain source probability for randomized grain generating. Inter-grain crossfade: A single grain can begin in Source 1 and end in Source 2. Grain Control. Up to 70 grains per second. Grain duration up to 2 seconds. Multiple playback directions: Forward, Reverse, Palindrome. Grain envelope shaping with adjustable window curves. Visual grain display for intuitive feedback. Per-Grain Effects: Distortion with 4 unique algorithms (with probability control). Ring modulation (with probability control). Stereo panning. Per-grain filtering with randomization options. Pitch Modulation & Processing. Pitch shift and spread up to ±12 semitones. Selectable spread direction (up, down, both). Pitch quantization (major & natural/harmonic minor scales). Pitch randomness control with probability targeting. Per-grain: Pitch vibrato, pitch bend, Pitch jitter, and stretch across each grain's lifetime. Grain Triggering Systems. Simple triggering. Random triggering. Euclidean rhythm-based triggering for structured repetition and patterns. Interface & Workflow. Zoomable parameters for precise control. Organized sections for triggering, pitch, pitch modulation, effects, and routing. LFO and automation mapping for most parameters. https://youtu.be/dD4fDfT4s_w https://youtu.be/5OpKCKhT0J4 Read More

The Live Beat: KAYTRANADA x JusticeFrench electronic music duo Justice and GRAMMY-winning DJ, producer, rapper, and singer KAYTRANADA are joining forces for a co-headlining North American tour, and it’s shaping up to be a dance floor dream.Kicking off October 16 in Vancouver and wrapping November 16 in Miami, the month-long run will cruise through key cities like Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York, and Atlanta—offering fans across the continent a chance to experience both acts in one electrifying night.This tour isn’t just a first—it’s a reunion. The pair last shared a bill at the iconic Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre in Paris last June, and now they're bringing that energy stateside.With Justice known for their thunderous live sets and KAYTRANADA’s genre-fluid groove, this co-headliner is a rare alignment of sonic forces you don’t want to miss.More info and ticket prices HERE.Photo credit: Gerard Romans Camps, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic licenseThe post The Live Beat: KAYTRANADA x Justice first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

FTC goes after Ticket Scalpers, seeks Tens of Millions in DamagesThe U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking legal action against ticket resellers for violation of the BOTS Act seeking millions of dollars in damages.
The post FTC goes after Ticket Scalpers, seeks Tens of Millions in Damages appeared first on Hypebot.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard become next band to leave SpotifyAustralian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are removing their music from Spotify following CEO Daniel Ek’s involvement in an AI-driven military defence company.
King Gizzard join a growing number of bands migrating away from the platform, after it was revealed back in June that Ek had led a €600 million round of investment in Helsing: a German defence-tech company that develops AI software to enhance military weapons systems and other equipment.

READ MORE: AI music awards organisation bans viral AI band Velvet Sundown from entering: “This doesn’t align with our values…”

Posting on social media at the weekend, the band said they had “just removed” their music from the platform, though much of it remained accessible and playable on Spotify hours later.
A spokesperson for the band told Guardian Australia that their “entire catalogue will be coming down”, but explained that the process “takes time because of the different labels and distributors”.
In an Instagram story, also shared by the outlet, they also stated: “A PSA to those unaware: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in Al military drone technology. We just removed our music from the platform. Can we put pressure on these Dr. Evil tech bros to do better?”

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Other artists that have left Spotify due to Ek’s Helsing links include indie rock outfit Xiu Xiu and the art-rock band Deerhoof. Announcing their decision, Xiu Xiu posted a statement on Instagram: “We are currently working to take all of our music off of garbage hole violent armageddon portal Spotify. It is taking longer than we had hoped due to procedural complications but will be completed soon. Thanks for the support and patience.”
In a new interview with Anthony Fantano, Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart added further context behind their move away from Spotify, where he said: “We’ve wanted to for a long time. I mean, I’ve never been a fan of streaming. It devalues music generally. It makes music disposable.”
He later added, “When the announcement came that Spotify head Daniel Ek was using Spotify funds to directly invest in AI war murder drones… There was just no conceivable way that we could be involved in something like that.”

MusicTech has reached out to Spotify and Helsing for comment. You can find out more about King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard via their website.
The post King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard become next band to leave Spotify appeared first on MusicTech.

“I’m like the Nutty Professor!”: Watch Ozzy Osbourne work his way around a vintage ARP 2600 synthWhile Black Sabbath is rooted in a classic formula of heavy metal guitars, sturdy basslines and thundering drums, the band were no stranger to synths. The band’s 1973 release, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, truly embraced synthetic sounds – but a clip of the late Ozzy Osbourne might have you thinking he’d never seen one before.
In a recently unearthed snippet from reality TV show The Osbournes, the Prince of Darkness seems perplexed when faced with an ARP 2600 synth. While showing the device off to his son, calling it “fucking awesome when it gets going”, there’s a clear struggle to remember how to get the ball rolling. “Come on you motherfucker!” he cries. “Why are you fucking doing this?”

READ MORE: Best speakers to buy in 2025: 11 best small studio monitors for any budget

Potty-mouth aside, it’s an experience even the most accomplished of music makers faces now and again. Everything looks good to go – yet, nothing happens. All you can do is yell in frustration, as Ozzy does with gusto: “Come on you fucking thing!”
“It’s like another dimension,” he says at one point. “I haven’t used it for about 20 years!”

@synth_history
Legend Ozzy Osbourne with his ARP 2600. Ozzy used the ARP 2600 on songs like Black Sabbath’s “Who Are You?” off Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973), as well as “Am I Going Insane” off Sabotage (1975). Considered an icon and pioneer of heavy metal music, particularly with the critically-acclaimed albums Black Sabbath, Paranoid (1970) and Master of Reality (1971), he disliked being pigeonholed, stating in a 2023 interview with Revolver, “Well, I’ve never felt comfortable about that title that they put on me — ‘metal’, because Ozzy Osbourne plays heavy, but the bands that are [considered metal] are really heavy, and we’re all put in the same category. When you get pigeonholed with a certain [genre], it can be very difficult to do something a bit lighter or an acoustic track or whatever you want to do. Back in the day, it was always just rock music. It’s still just rock music.” RIP Prince of Darkness. References: In The Osbournes, S2E20 (2003); Revolver.
♬ original sound – Synth History

Eventually the ARP synth does gargle back to life – and Ozzy instantly toys with the sliders and keys with a maniacal look in his eye. “I’m like the Nutty Professor!” he cackles.
When Ozzy’s son, Jack, asks “what are all these then?”, Ozzy answers with a rather brilliant: “well, fuck if I know”. Yet Jack is happy with the lack of a clear answer, praising the ARP 2600 and noting its similarities to the soundtracks of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick.
Considering Ozzy’s navigation of the synth seems unfamiliar, you’d be forgiven for thinking he was a novice. However, the sticker on the back from 1979 serves as a sign of Ozzy’s previous fling with the synth.

Black Sabbath’s DIY combination of Leslie speakers and reversed flute recordings resulted in some pretty mind-bending sounds on cuts like Planet Caravan, with the band only really delving into the world of synths in 1973. Many mark Who Are You? as the first official synth-drenched Sabbath track, with Ozzy using it as a chance to experiment with a newly purchased a Moog synthesiser.
The ARP 2600 was also thrown into the mix. In Ozzy’s 2009 memoir, I Am Ozzy, he recalled: “I’d written it one night at Bulrush Cottage while I was loaded and fiddling around with a Revox tape machine and my ARP 2600.”

“[Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was] our last truly great album, I think,” Ozzy noted. “We’d managed to strike just the right balance between our old heaviness and our new, ‘experimental’ side.”
The clip serves as a lovely reminder of Ozzy’s bombastic impact on music. The singer sadly passed away on 22 July, with news of Ozzy’s passing was shared by his family. “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” an Instagram post said. “He was with his family and surrounded by love.”

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How to Get Music on Spotify PlaylistsLooking to get music on Spotify playlists? This guide walks you how Spotify playlisting works, and proven strategies to increase your chances on getting your music out to new listeners.
The post How to Get Music on Spotify Playlists appeared first on Hypebot.

Get over 60% off the “secret weapon for top mix engineers” right now at Plugin BoutiquePlugin Boutique is offering a huge saving on the tool hailed as a “secret weapon” for the best mix engineers in the game: the Soundtoys Decapitator.
This analogue saturation modeller plugin offers subtle sounds all the way to “extreme hardware-modelled” saturation, delivering the classic tones of tubes, transistors, and circuitry being pushed to the max.

READ MORE: 5 audio effects that will make your synth pads more rhythmic

Now available for just £62, down from a list price of £159.95, Soundtoys created this plugin by collecting and analysing both vintage and modern hardware, including consoles, preamps, input channels, EQs, compressors, and studio distortion units. Selecting those with “the most distinctive sound and unique character when used both subtly and at extremes”, the brand then created their own versions.
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Decapitator offers five different analogue saturation models to experiment with, and includes a modelled tone control for shaping the saturated sound, and a mix control made to blend in dry signal for parallel processing, without the need for routing and sub-mixes.
An added feature of Decapitator is its brutal Punish button – this boosts the gain, pushing it “over the edge” for analogue tone that squeals in pain, according to Soundtoys. So far, the plugin has been praised by the likes of Fabrice ‘Fab’ Dupont (Marc Ronson, Santigold, Jennifer Lopez), Tchad Blake (Sheryl Crow), and Ryan Hewitt (Red Hot Chili Peppers).
Check out the plugin in the video below:

Plugin Boutique is also offering a generous number of other deals on Soundtoys products, including a saving of £266 on the Soundtoys 5.5 plugin collection. You can also get 70 percent off on its Crystallizer, FilterFreak, and SuperPlate plugins.
To find out more about the Soundtoys Decapitator, or purchase now, head over to Plugin Boutique.
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