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Official Avicii subreddit to launch podcast “from fans, for fans” and they want you to be a part of itModerators who run the official Avicii subreddit are launching a podcast in honour of the EDM giant.
The r/Avicii Podcast is “coming soon”, and will explore his life, music and legacy as well as touching on other topics such as mental health, community news, and any notable productions linked to the artist.READ MORE: Avicii Arena launches merch store where customers “pay with emotions” as part of mental health campaign
In an announcement published on Reddit, the podcast team writes, “Hey dear community, as some of you may remember, there was an attempt some time ago to launch an r/avicii podcast for this community. Due to scheduling commitments and implementation difficulties, it didn’t work out back then, but the desire for a podcast remained.”
They further add, “After many months of planning and developing a concept, we are more than pleased to announce that the first episode of our monthly podcast will be released soon! And we want you to be a part of it!”
The team is looking to collaborate with producers and music makers for the show, as well as fans who may have an interesting story to tell about Avicii or his music. Read the full post below:
Announcement: The r/Avicii Podcast is finally coming! And you can become a part of it! byu/teamraviciipodcast inaviciiAvicii, also known by his real name Tim Bergling, sadly took his own life in 2018. His family have since set up a mental health organisation, the Tim Bergling Foundation, in his memory. His music remains cherished by many, with his huge hit Wake Me Up reaching two billion streams on Spotify last year. It became the fourth dance track to do so.
The subreddit currently has over 25,000 members, and the podcast will be available to stream for free on Mixcloud. An official release date is yet to be confirmed.
If you’d like to participate in the podcast then you can fill out this submission form.
The post Official Avicii subreddit to launch podcast “from fans, for fans” and they want you to be a part of it appeared first on MusicTech.Abbey Road One: Soaring High Strings from Spitfire Audio Soaring High Strings promises to deliver a rich, harmonious sound tailored for romantic, lyrical passages, whilst also being capable of creating high-speed runs.
Chase McDaniel Signs with Big Machine RecordsBig Machine Records has announced the signing of singer-songwriter Chase McDaniel to its impressive roster of artists which includes Tim McGraw, Carly Pearce, Midland, The Cadillac Three, Jackson Dean, Brian Kelley, Danielle Bradbery, Mae Estes, LECADE and more. The announcement comes with the launch of the pre-order for McDaniel’s forthcoming Blame It All On Country Music EP, arriving January 26.
Raised in the small town of Greensburg, Kentucky by his grandparents, McDaniel is one of Nashville’s most tenacious, overcoming all of the many obstacles life has thrown at him and turning it into something valuable. A natural entertainer with an unmatched work ethic and disarming charisma, Chase’s true secret to his success lies within his genuine connection and open conversation with his fans.
“Chase is not only talented and smart but is truly someone who makes his own luck. He has a determination that inspires our entire team to dig even deeper,” shares Big Machine Label Group CEO & Chairman, Scott Borchetta. “He has a clear vision, and we can’t wait help make that vision a reality.”
“Scott and the team over at Big Machine Records have understood what fuels me and my dreams from the first meeting. It just clicked,” said Chase McDaniel. “I can’t express how grateful and excited I am to work with them, learn from them and grow this thing together.
Makera is releasing a baby sibling of its Carvera desktop 4-axis millIn the depth of the pandemic, 500 or so backers chipped in to make Makera’s Carvera Kickstarter campaign, a fully automatic desktop CNC machine, hit its goal. Since then, the company has sold another 2,500 or so of them — but with a hefty $6,000 price tag and a huge amount of interest from education, […]
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How the Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O.II encourages you to push past creative limitsIt’s often hard to tell whether Teenage Engineering is being serious when it releases a new product. £1,499 computer desks? A choir of eight wooden singing dolls at £220 each? It’s a tough sell. But when its Pocket Operators are among the most affordable synths and samplers on the market, the OP-1 is a bona fide modern classic, and the OP-Z is treasured enough for a person to get it inked on their arm, you can’t help but pay attention whenever something new arrives.
So when the EP-133 K.O.II dropped in November 2023, all eyes were back on Teenage Engineering.
Yes, it looks like a LEGO calculator. Yes, some buyers are reporting genuine fader quality issues, causing ‘Fadergate’ to become a recurring term on Reddit. But, yes, it is a $299 sampler that you can’t help but be tempted by — and that TE is taking very seriously.
Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O.II. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
“It was a bit overwhelming — we knew it would be popular, but that popular? I think we had different opinions,” says David Eriksson, co-founder and head of hardware at Teenage Engineering, of the reaction to the K.O.II. He’s speaking to us from Sweden, where TE is based, alongside corporate giants Spotify and IKEA.
“We’re not at all market-driven,” Eriksson continues. “I mean, most big companies on this planet are; they try to predict what might sell well. I think we’re probably the opposite.”
So how did Teenage Engineering decide to create the K.O.II?
Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O.II. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
“[A new product] could be something we feel is needed in our studios. This machine is different to what we usually do. We have the Pocket Operators, that are kind of in the same kind of genre — one machine that does one thing really well — but we’ve never done a kind of classic sampler that’s tuned for performing or improvising.”
Inspired by old-school samplers such as the Akai MPC 3000 and E-Mu SP-1200, the EP-133 K.O.II is playful and portable, but certainly has limitations. The 64MB memory, 20 seconds of sample time, and 12-voice polyphony are practically laughable compared to what is capable of our laptops, phones and more expensive samplers. But, as Ricky Tinez quickly realised, such limitations and quirks can prove more creative than they seem.
“[The K.O.II] quickly became, to me, like the number one recommendation to anybody who’s trying to make beats,” says Tinez, a producer, content creator, and Elektron brand manager. Speaking to us from California, Tinez is surrounded by much less gear than you’ll see in the three videos showcasing the K.O.II, but is still palpably enthused to talk studio tech.He experienced some bugs and hurdles in his videos of the EP-133 K.O.II but seems to have since come to terms with the oddities of Teenage Engineering’s new sampler.
“It’s battery powered, it has a speaker, it samples any sound you want, it has a built-in microphone so you can sample sounds directly there, it plays your samples chromatically, it has drum groups, it has mute groups, it has sample editing, you know, MIDI in/MIDI out, MIDI sequence sequencing, and it’s 300 fucking dollars! That is insanity,” he chuckles.
Eriksson and his team always wanted to keep the K.O.II limited, just like its predecessor, the PO-133 K.O.
“People are still buying a lot of vintage gear for insane money,” he says. “A [Roland] TR-909 today…it’s nuts how much you have to pay for it. And why? It’s because people like that it’s very limited and it has its own sound.
The box for Teenage Engineering’s EP-133 K.O.II. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
“That was the idea, with both the Pocket Operators and the K.O.II, to make something that has a vibe to it — both how you use it and how it sounds. Of course, it’s sample-based so how it sounds is [up to you], but the way you apply effects and how the signal chain is built up, it still gives it a bit of character.”
Upon first interacting with the K.O.II, you sort of want to just smash the buttons and see what happens. Thankfully, that can be pretty rewarding. It’s preloaded with 300 sounds and has 12 punch-in master effects (that make the backlit screen go wild), so you can start using those calculator-style buttons to quickly lay down a beat. And, of course, you’ve got the microphone to record whatever you want. It really does have character.
“That’s something I really like about the K.O.II,” says Tinez. “You just press sample and you hold the pad, and you’re sampling. There’s no like, ‘Oh, go to this menu, turn this on, blah, blah, blah’, it’s so simple. I’m at a point right now, where I’m like, if [an instrument] slows me down, and it’s not fun to use, it’s just going in the closet. And I don’t care what the price point is. It could be a $50 sampler or a $2,000. Sampler — if it’s fast, it’s fast, and I’m gonna keep it. And if it’s slow, it’s gone.”
But let’s address the elephant in the room. The K.O.II’s build quality has been rightly criticised by plenty of customers online. Fadergate isn’t a myth — some models have arrived defective, with the sampler’s sole slider being unresponsive. But there are also reports of the speaker not working, the unit not booting up properly, and bugs deleting entire patterns (you can see this happening to Tinez in his video on stretching samples on the K.O.II).We’re yet to experience any issues on the loan unit we’ve received for review purposes. Not yet, anyway. But Eriksson and his team were made quickly aware of Fadergate and assures us they have made steps to minimise future mishaps.
“We tried to predict everything that can go wrong, from production to cosmetics,” he says. “We’ve built a lot of fixtures, tools and automation to build these [instruments] and to avoid things like this from happening.
“We’re going to put up online, quite soon, a factory tour to show the machinery we designed to build the K.O.II. There are a lot of robotics that move the fader up and down and push all the keys and calibrate them, plus we have a log of everything. So we know for sure that they work when they go into the box and leave the factory. And then, of course, we could guess that you get transport damage, but not at this rate.”
“And then there were a couple of different mistakes from our side with the packaging dimensions. The size of the box is 10 inches, so some stores thought it was a 10-inch vinyl package and so shipped it without padding. But it was also our little design flaw, we didn’t have any protection, and if something hit the packaging straight on the fader, it would break. Now that’s been changed. So we have new packaging — now, we’ve been throwing it like a frisbee at work, at the walls, like over and over. And now it doesn’t break.”
Back of the Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O.II. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
A plethora of customers are still awaiting their replacement units or parts, though, which is no use to those who managed to grab a K.O.II before it sold out. The next batch is expected to be available in the next couple of months — here’s hoping new customers will be able to throw theirs like a frisbee with no issues, too.
Those who are lucky enough to have a working model right now will see a handful of software updates recently implemented by TE. This includes some bug fixes and general quality-of-life improvements, which can be applied by opening the TE browser updater and plugging the sampler into a laptop or phone, which is a neat way to handle updates.
“We have a lot of stuff planned, it’s just we were focusing on stability in the beginning and getting it rock solid,” says Eriksson. He keeps any info on the updates close to his chest, but does mention that TE hasn’t even “turned on the CPU’s crazy power-saving features” yet.
Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O.II pads. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Tinez hopes for a threshold level for recording. That way, he doesn’t have to use a paperweight to hold down ‘Record’ as he plays in audio from a synth. But, from his experience at Novation and Elektron, Tinez knows that implementing new features isn’t always straightforward.
“Turning to the audience and the customer and saying, “Tell us everything you want!” just turns into this, like, Homer Simpson car where nothing makes sense,” he explains. “And then navigating it and all that stuff. Because at Elektron, we deal with that, too. If we can’t find a good way to implement [a new feature], UI-wise, we just won’t do it. Because that’s more negative than it is positive and it isn’t helping anybody.”
It’s also kind of difficult to know what you want out of a $300 sampler. You can’t expect features from the likes of an MPC Live II or a Maschine+ to be implemented — you expect a high build quality, still — but sometimes it’s better to learn an instrument as it is. So Eriksson and Tinez believe, anyway.
“I see [the K.O.II] more as an instrument,” says Eriksson. “I mean, that’s why we have fairly good MIDI implementation. I mean, we might need to work on that a little bit to make it even deeper for people with many synths and stuff. But, as I see it, it’s a perfect standalone machine to do full tracks, whether you’re into breakbeat house or more beat-oriented music.
Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O.II screen. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
“I mean, I’m personally like still buying vinyl and using my old Technics turntables, and it’s just looking at that old scene where you have your two faders and the crossfader, and you can still do crazy stuff with, like, two stereo tracks. And a lot of people at TE are working to build a computer-less setup in their studios. It’s not that we don’t like computers, they’re great. It’s more that we use those tools at work every day. So once you’re in the studio, trying to make music, you kind of want to get away from a desktop – I mean for mixing mastering, sure — but for just creating, [a computer] is in the way, I think. You end up just testing, you know, 14 new plugins, and then it’s bedtime.
“I’m impressed with people that can throw together track in an hour or two. You have to be so disciplined not to get carried away with the depth you have.”
“I want the machine to play me as much as I’m playing it,” says Tinez. “So I seek those limitations a lot of the time — and the K.O.II definitely has a lot of those limitations. Because when it comes to the creative process, if you have to decide for every single thing, you’ll gain fatigue. By the time you’re done making a track, you’re exhausted. But if a lot of the decisions are kind of set in stone for you to make, you’re like, ‘cool, this is just what I’m gonna work with. And I’m gonna make it work because this is all I got’, you know?”
Almost all of TE’s products — not the Field Desk — are born to be playful. The brand isn’t trying to create the ultimate groovebox or an endlessly-capable synthesizer. It’s trying to make instruments that are genuinely fun to use. Ricky Tinez is fine with that. “It’s refreshing for a company to be like, ‘This is the product. And if you’re not vibing with it, it might not be for you. And that’s okay.’”
Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O.II. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Learn more about the EP-133 K.O.II at teenage.engineering.
The post How the Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O.II encourages you to push past creative limits appeared first on MusicTech.152 million tracks had 1,000 plays or fewer on music streaming services last year. 45 million had no plays at all.The number of tracks with no plays on audio streaming platforms jumped by 7.7 million over the past year, according to a new Luminate report
SourceFrom 45m unplayed tracks on streaming services to SoundCloud’s potential sale… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days...
SourceMeet Sung Soo Han, the music executive behind K-Pop stars SEVENTEEN, and founder of HYBE-owned PLEDIS EntertainmentMBW’s World Leaders meets Sung Soo Han, founder of HYBE subsidiary PLEDIS Entertainment
SourceReally liked 'Lost in Space' series at Netflix. And now this one 😎 https://www.theverge.com/24030500/3-body-problem-trailer-netflix-sci-fi-mystery.
McDSP introduce Network Licensing McDSP have announced that their latest v7 plug-in update introduces a Network Licensing for those managing multi-seat licenses.
The BBC is auctioning thousands of rare vinyl records and vintage music techThe BBC is auctioning off a wealth of rare vinyl records, vintage music gear and BBC memorabilia later this month.
READ MORE: Unearthed 1982 Brian Eno interview: “I generally don’t like electronic sounds”
Thousands of BBC archival items, from rare vinyl records to hard-to-find vintage recording equipment and one-of-a-kind BBC memorabilia are included in the ‘BBC Collection’ auction, which takes place online on 30 January.
Omega Auctions, with access to the BBC archives, is making online sales possible, with the first wave of these auction items currently online and ready for bidding.
In terms of gear and memorabilia, there’s an original 1970s ‘On Air’ lightbox, a 1930s BBC stopwatch, a neon sign, an original BBC used panel board from a ‘Type B’ broadcasting console, a vintage STC 4038 microphone, a mid-century Saba Lindau radio and loads more.
The majority of the auction, however, is made up of rare LPs from one of the world’s premier music archives. According to Omega Auctions, items primarily consist of duplicate copies of LPs, in an effort by the BBC to make more space available in its offices.
Among the highlights available for bidding are a Pink Floyd rarities LP pack, The Beatles’ Please Please Me LP pressings pack, an SST Records LP Collection with Black Flag, Husker Dü, and Minutemen pressings, an original David Bowie self-titled LP, and an original pressing of The Man Who Sold The World with the UK ‘Tonny’ original sleeve dress.
This isn’t the first batch of BBC history to have been sold recently. In August last year, Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, along with Love Actually and Cats producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, became co-owner of the historic BBC Maida Vale studios.
Upon the sale, Zimmer insisted that he wants Maida Vale to continue to be “a place that inspires, teaches, technologically serves the arts and humanity, and gives the next generation the same opportunities I was given: to create and to never give up”.
The auction of BBC archive items will take place on 30 January. You can check out items and even sign up to bid via bid.omegaauctions.co.uk.
The post The BBC is auctioning thousands of rare vinyl records and vintage music tech appeared first on MusicTech.Official Avicii subreddit to launch podcast “from fans, for fans” and they want you to be a part of itModerators who run the official Avicii subreddit are launching a podcast in honour of the EDM giant.
The r/Avicii Podcast is “coming soon”, and will explore his life, music and legacy as well as touching on other topics such as mental health, community news, and any notable productions linked to the artist.READ MORE: Avicii Arena launches merch store where customers “pay with emotions” as part of mental health campaign
In an announcement published on Reddit, the podcast team writes, “Hey dear community, as some of you may remember, there was an attempt some time ago to launch an r/avicii podcast for this community. Due to scheduling commitments and implementation difficulties, it didn’t work out back then, but the desire for a podcast remained.”
They further add, “After many months of planning and developing a concept, we are more than pleased to announce that the first episode of our monthly podcast will be released soon! And we want you to be a part of it!”
The team is looking to collaborate with producers and music makers for the show, as well as fans who may have an interesting story to tell about Avicii or his music. Read the full post below:
Announcement: The r/Avicii Podcast is finally coming! And you can become a part of it! byu/teamraviciipodcast inaviciiAvicii, also known by his real name Tim Bergling, sadly took his own life in 2018. His family have since set up a mental health organisation, the Tim Bergling Foundation, in his memory. His music remains cherished by many, with his huge hit Wake Me Up reaching two billion streams on Spotify last year. It became the fourth dance track to do so.
The subreddit currently has over 25,000 members, and the podcast will be available to stream for free on Mixcloud. An official release date is yet to be confirmed.
If you’d like to participate in the podcast then you can fill out this submission form.
The post Official Avicii subreddit to launch podcast “from fans, for fans” and they want you to be a part of it appeared first on MusicTech.Annie Nightingale, Radio 1’s first female DJ, has passed away aged 83Annie Nightingale, who was the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1, has died aged 83. Nightingale held the record for the station’s longest-serving DJ, and championed the best in dance music during her show, Annie Nightingale Presents.
She passed away on 11 January at her home in London following a short illness, her family have confirmed in a statement. “Annie was a pioneer, trailblazer and an inspiration to many. Her impulse to share that enthusiasm with audiences remained undimmed after six decades of broadcasting on BBC TV and radio globally,” it reads.
“Never underestimate the role model she became. Breaking down doors by refusing to bow down to sexual prejudice and male fear gave encouragement to generations of young women who, like Annie, only wanted to tell you about an amazing tune they had just heard.”Very sad news. RIP @aanightingale xx pic.twitter.com/TL70PJHZhw
— James Endeacott (@jamesendeacott) January 12, 2024Nightingale joined Radio 1 in 1970 and never left. In her shows, she spotlighted the “biggest bass bangers” of electronic music. Her most recent broadcast took place on 19 December 2023, and her final words on air were “lots of love, from me to you”.
BBC Radio 1 has shared a statement online which reads, “BBC Radio 1 is extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Radio 1 DJ, Annie Nightingale CBE. Our deepest condolences are with Annie’s friends and family at this incredibly difficult time.”
Other figures in the broadcast industry have also shared their tributes to the trailblazer. Zane Lowe writes on Instagram, “Annie Nightingale was one of the greatest DJs, on the decks, in the room and on the air, of all time. Obsessed with music, her impeccable taste pushed boundaries and carved out space for great creative careers.
“She was the first, a true pioneer and a strong and inspiring voice that felt as personal on the radio as it did if you were lucky enough to know Annie and benefit from her wisdom and humour. She was amazing. I admired her hugely. Thank you Annie.”View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Zane Lowe (@zanelowe)
Annie Macmanus also called Nightingale’s passing a “devastating loss”, further writing, “Annie Nightingale was a trailblazer, spirited, adventurous, fearless, hilarious, smart, and so good at her job. This is the woman who changed the face and sound of British TV and Radio broadcasting forever. You can’t underestimate it.
“Before Annie Nightingale came on Radio 1, it was legitimately believed by BBC bosses that people didn’t want to hear women’s voices on the radio. Radio DJs were seen as husband substitutes for the wives who listened at home. God forbid British women might want to listen to other women.”View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Annie Mac (@anniemacmanus)
You can read further tributes to the legendary DJ below:
Annie Nightingale
heartbroken to hear the news. the original trailblazer for us women in radio
she loved music like no other… and could out last any of us at the party
so grateful for all the love & support she offered me over the years
what a dame… rest well pic.twitter.com/nwPpfb7KqP
— Zoe Ball (@ZoeTheBall) January 12, 2024BBC Radio 1 is extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Radio 1 DJ, Annie Nightingale CBE. Our deepest condolences are with Annie’s friends and family at this incredibly difficult time.
Rest in peace, Annie pic.twitter.com/oXbpZz5Me1
— BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra & Asian Network Press Office (@BBCRadio1PR) January 12, 2024View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lady Of The House (@officialladyofthehouse)
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Emily Eavis (@emily_eavis)
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Greg James (@greg_james)
The post Annie Nightingale, Radio 1’s first female DJ, has passed away aged 83 appeared first on MusicTech.
CES 2024: This device teaches your dog to play the pianoCES 2024: ‘How great is your dog at playing the piano’ might sound like a ridiculous question to you, but it’s one that ZooGears, the Hong Kong-based startup behind this smart instrument for dogs, could very well offer the answer to.
READ MORE: Record label CEOs say “superfans” are the focus for 2024
Advancing the musical prowess of our furry friends is TheButter, a four-key instrument with pads that light up so your pup can ‘play’ it. All you have to do is load your preferred song onto the device via a mobile app. The keys will then light up in a specific sequence, which your dog can now follow, producing the ‘notes’ of the song.
As Dr. Pavlov would have it, you should reward your pup with a treat or prize once they’re done with the session. The idea is that with enough repetition, your pet will end up mastering those tracks as seen in the video below.According to ZooGears, TheButter is made from the same materials used for kids, specifically SMMA, SAN, PP, and silicone. These 100% pet-safe, BPA-free, reliable and recyclable materials are scratch-resistant, durable, and made to serve water to your pets safely for years.
Also in development is TheBiscuit, a $299 device that works similarly to TheButter, but with the addition of an automatic food dispenser. Though beware that your status as dog feeder might be rendered void once your dog learns how to hammer out The Beatles’ Let It Be — and those doggie biscuits on their own.
First launched on Kickstarter in 2023, ZooGears was an instant hit and has since earned more than four times its initial HK$ 50,000 goal for TheButter.
The instrument is now available for purchase in the US for $99. Each purchase will also include a companion app that will guide you through your fur kid’s training progress. Because who doesn’t want to witness the glorious journey of the next Paw McCartney, am I right?Learn more at Zoo Gear’s official website.
The post CES 2024: This device teaches your dog to play the piano appeared first on MusicTech.
