Best audio gear at CES 2024: Headphones, turntables, speakers and… a picture frame?It’s back – the technology convention that promises eccentric products, bleeding-edge concepts, and a ton of ‘WTF?’ moments. This year at CES 2024, Las Vegas, we’ve spotted slick turntables, powerful speakers and headphones, lighting systems for your studio, a quirky contemporary jukebox and, yes, even a picture frame that doubles as a sound system.
We’ll be updating this article with our favourite audio gear releases from the Consumer Electronics Show as they are announced and unveiled. Be sure to keep checking back to learn more about products that you may never need or may never knew you wanted.
LG DukeBox – A vacuum tube smart speaker for the audiophile that has it all
Credit: LG Newsroom
LG’s new DukeBox smart speaker concept combines old-school-cool vacuum tubes with 360-degree speakers to create “an immersive audio experience that surrounds the listener,” according to the brand. It also boasts a modern OLED display with adjustable transparency that, yes, can show you the vacuum tubes and current song information but will also let you play movies and other visuals. You know, like creating “a cosy fireplace ambience where the vacuum tube is visible amidst the flickering flames” – just like you always wanted…right?
Alas, the DukeBox is not likely to appear in your home anytime soon. It’s just a concept that LG is showing off at CES 2024 but that doesn’t mean we can’t expect it to come to life at some point in the future.
Read more about the LG DukeBox.
Nanoleaf’s light-up panels now sync to your music output
Nanoleaf Orchestrator. Image: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf, the maker of home lighting panels, has announced Orchestrator, a new feature to sync up your lights to your audio. Your music studio and listening space probably looks pretty cool anyway, we’re sure, but it’s hard to say no to customisable lighting. And when the lights pump along to your favourite beats? Come on!
Learn more about Nanoleaf Orchestrator. 
Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 wireless earbuds boast lossless audio
Credit: Sennheiser
Thanks to Qualcomm’s AptX Lossless technology, Sennheiser’s earbuds have finally gone lossless. The Momentum 4 earbuds will let you listen to your music at CD quality with compatible devices – this probably doesn’t mean from the latest MacBook Pro or iPhone, as it’ll also need an AptX Lossless codec, sadly.
The Momentum True Wireless 4 will be released on 29 February at $299.95 (€299.99 / £259.99).
Learn more about Sennheiser Momentum 4. 
Samsung’s Music Frame is real and it’s actually kinda cool

Speakers are getting quirkier by the year. Remember Bang & Olufson’s Beoplay A9s with Joy Division and New Order designs? Samsung’s got a new idea.
The Music Frame doesn’t have a screen – which feels like it defeats the whole point of the product, honestly – but you will insert your physical photos into the frame to disguise your speaker setup behind your favourite art. It could be a vinyl cover art, a family photo or, sure, a picture of a turntable.
As Engadget says in the video above, you can use it as a home smart speaker with six drivers that might be more impressive than you think. You can also set up multiple Music Frames for a stereo pair or multiroom setup. It also has Dolby Atmos capabilities for home theatre and listening applications.
Learn more about the Samsung Music Frame.
Where is CES 2024?
The Consumer Electronics Show is held at 12 different venues around Las Vegas, Nevada. This includes the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Venetian Expo, the Aria Resort & Casino and Park MGM. These are categorised into Tech East, Tech West and Tech South.
CES 2024 runs from Tuesday 9 January 2024 to Friday 12 January 2024.
Learn more at ces.tech
The post Best audio gear at CES 2024: Headphones, turntables, speakers and… a picture frame? appeared first on MusicTech.

Jamie xx returns with new single It’s So GoodArtist and producer Jamie xx has released a brand new single, titled It’s So Good, marking his first release in over a year.
Described as a “subtly euphoric anthem that builds over four and a half minutes of stop-start tension and release”, the track builds on his 2022 singles, Let’s Do It Again and Kill Dem.

READ MORE: “Innocent” Four Tet “shocked” by career success, says Logic1000

Throughout the last year, the musician has been performing at festivals globally alongside a run of North American dates with LCD Soundsystem and IDLES as part of the Re:SET Concert Series.
He also recently worked with his The xx bandmate Romy on her new solo album, Mid Air, having co-produced the single Enjoy Your Life alongside Fred again.. and Stuart Price.
Listen to It’s So Good Below:

The new track also features in the video for the latest campaign from designer brand, Chanel. “It’s So Good is a piece of music I made to soundtrack this incredibly good looking game of musical chairs,” he writes on Instragam of the campaign video. “Thank you [Chanel] for having me.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jamie xx (@jamie___xx)

Back in September, Romy confirmed that The xx are making new music, marking the first time in six years that all three members are back together and working on new material. The band’s most recent album is 2017’s I See You.
She further commented on their work in the studio at Australia’s recent Beyond The Valley festival, adding: “Yeah it’s fun. It’s quite different being in the studio with The xx. I think Oliver [Sim] and Jamie [xx] and I have all tried new things and learned a lot from different projects and I think that’s quite healthy.”
She later continued, “I think it’s quite wide open and it’s exciting to be starting again, in a way. But we’ve started making some music and I’m really excited about it.
“It’s still pretty early [but] I still think you’ll be able to tell it’s us but I think we’re excited to move it on and keep it feeling fresh.”
View the latest updates from Jamie xx via his official website.
The post Jamie xx returns with new single It’s So Good appeared first on MusicTech.

What is the future of synths? Korg, Newfangled Audio and Madrona Labs share their predictionsSynthesizers are an incredible mixture of physical instruments and electronics. While the physical side of things doesn’t change very much – the piano has remained relatively the same for centuries now – the technology inside is like a wild rollercoaster ride; twisting and turning, with new highs around every corner. Or at least it used to feel like this. The past decade or so has seen the evolution of synthesis slow down, with modifications replacing wholesale introductions.

READ MORE: On the borderline: The different synthesis styles of the world

While there have been a few modern developments, most of the synthesizers we enjoy today are based on old ideas. Analogue has been around since the middle of the 20th century, while sampling, FM synthesis and physical modelling came out of advancements made in the 1970s. Even virtual analogue, which has played such a large part in modern synthesizers, developed out of physical modelling.
But is this just the quiet before the storm? There is surely something new, some excitingly novel form of synthesis lurking just around the corner. AI seems like a likely candidate for the Next Big Thing – but then again, who knows?
If anyone does know, it’s the engineers and developers working on them: people like Korg Berlin CEO Tatsuya Takahashi and Korg Berlin’s Lukas Hartmann; Randy Jones of Madrona Labs; and Dan Gillespie from Newfangled Audio. They’re all engaged in pushing the envelope of synthesis.
Here’s what they had to say.
Musician making music with a synth at his desk. Image: Westend61/Getty Images
What is the future of synthesis?
Randy Jones, Owner and Systems Designer, Madrona Labs
“Since computers became music machines, we can think of all sounds as being out there in the possible space of data, somewhere. And so synthesis is really about finding them. Finding them, and connecting them in meaningful ways to controls for performance.
“There are a limitless number of ways to think about sound; new metaphors that can become tools for synthesis, and I think we’ll continue to see a big kind of opening up as people use computers and new analogue/digital hybrids to explore these possibilities.
“The idea for my newest synth, Sumu, came from a very specific experience: listening to a stream in the woods and thinking about how to make a sound like that. Or ‘What if the stream could sing?’ These kinds of ideas are available to anyone willing to be still for a moment and pay attention to nature. And with computers and sensors, we can take these abstract or even poetic ideas and design usable, human-centred systems around them. That’s the future I want to help build.”
A synth on a rack in a recording studio. Image: Jose Carlos Cerdeno Martinez/Getty Images
Lukas Hartmann, Hardware Developer, Korg Berlin
“I don’t know if I see any one future of synthesis. I guess it depends on how you look at it but, importantly, I don’t think you need future tech to make new and exciting sounds. I think that’s why making instruments is fun.”
Dan Gillespie, Founder, Newfangled Audio
“I don’t think anyone knows exactly, which is fantastic. I tend to view all musical instruments as a combination of an interface (the part the human interacts with) and a synthesizer (the part that makes the sound). Both are equally important. For instance, a piano and a harp both have a synthesizer comprised of resonating strings connected to a soundboard but they sound totally different because the interface is different. This way, I don’t think of a synthesizer as something that started with the invention of electronics but something fundamental to our humanity, ever-changing, but ever the same.”
Tatsuya Takahashi, CEO, Korg Berlin
“The future is bright. I feel it in my bones that the world is shifting away from the geekery, knobs, switches and more into what helps you make music – with or without all the bells and whistles.”

Do you think AI will be a part of the future of synthesis?
Dan Gillespie
“Absolutely. It’s been a big year for AI but it’s important to remember that AI is just the word we use for computers doing things that we thought only people could do. Because of this, once we get used to computers doing these things, we stop calling it AI, now it’s just technology.
That said, there are some new AI-branded technologies that have the capability to really transform how people make music.
“(A) recent AI trend has been audio-controlled synthesis. These are processes that take audio input, extract some control data, and use it to resynthesize a new sound. AI Drake is an example of this but similar projects exist which allow your voice to control other synthesizers. This analysis/resynthesis approach is not new to AI but neural networks are powerful here. I’d guess we’ll see more projects like this in the future.”
Randy Jones
“Sure, but let’s call it what it is: statistics – or if you like, machine learning. ‘Artificial Intelligence’ is a marketing term that was effective at getting military funding when it was first invented and more recently at boosting the share price of some startups. It obscures the truly neat new things that can be done with machine learning techniques.
“Synplant 2 is a great example of how to apply machine learning to make something cool, useful and new. What’s great about it is that Sonic Charge started with a nice synth engine and built the machine learning stuff around helping people use that. As the tools to do similar things become easier to use I’m sure we’ll see other remarkable new uses of machine learning to find sounds.”

Tatsuya Takahashi
“There will always be a place for resource-efficient content generation and AI looks to serve this sector for sure.
“As for the prospect of AI as a creative tool, I think the rebellion against it will be the more interesting driver for new music than its direct use. There is always going to be counter play to keep things interesting. Punks against the rockers. Impressionists against the academics. That kind of thing.”
Lukas Hartmann
“I absolutely think it will, and it already is. I reckon I see AI as more of an enabler – more than AI being the voice of an instrument maybe the most exciting thing about it is the instruments it can allow us to make. But let’s see!”
A poly synth alongside other equipment in a recording studio. Image: FilippoBacci/Getty Images
Have we reached the point where current synthesis methods such as analogue or FM are at their peak, with only room for small adjustments as with the guitar or piano?
Randy Jones
“Yes, some kinds of synths have definitely entered the realm of codified instruments. A few things like a Moog-y filtered mono voice or a lush stringy pad are part of the timbral vocabulary of composers now, and so probably, forever, we’ll see versions of those instruments that differentiate mainly on usability and other features.
“But there are always composers and sound designers at the cutting edge who love to incorporate new things and then, if there’s enough sustained musical activity around a weird new thing, it can become commonplace too.”
Lukas Hartmann
“Maybe? But there’s still a huge amount of people making and enjoying those. For the majority of people, a synthesizer probably isn’t defined by the technology inside it but much more by the music it allows them to make. For me, it’s more about connection and character, and guitar and piano surely excel in both of those categories. Let’s make more instruments like them!”
Musician making music with a synth in a recording studio. Image: South_agency/Getty Images
Dan Gillespie
“In the early 1700s, an Italian man named Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the gravicembalo col piano e forte, literally, the ‘harpsichord that can play soft and loud.’ We call this the first piano but it looked and sounded like a harpsichord. It took about 100 years and many false starts for the piano to morph into the instrument we know today. Steinway and Sons were still filing major piano patents in the 1930s.
“The point is that musical instrument development is better seen as an evolutionary process rather than a revolutionary one by which a new instrument is birthed from whole cloth. The good news is that musical instruments are probably evolving at a faster rate than ever before. In the past 20 years, wavetable synths have moved from a way to recreate acoustic sounds to their own instrument with their own unique sounds, and the cornerstone of several genres.
“Analogue modelling technology has also vastly improved over the last decade, enabling us to design ‘analogue synths’ that could never have been created in the real world. I view this as a new form of analogue design.
“Even on the interface side, MPE is a powerfully expressive protocol and the most successful way to control musical synthesis in a generation.”
Cables connected on an analogue synth. Image: hanohiki/Getty Images
Tatsuya Takahashi
“It would be amazing if synths reached the ubiquity of the guitar or piano. My job is done when someone dresses up as one of my designs at Halloween (and normal people get it). Seems we’re not there yet, so maybe we need to look outside of existing synthesis methods. We are doing that now with our acoustic synthesis research.
“But really, who cares about what the synthesis method is or whether the revisions are big or small? We’re just trying to make better instruments to make music with. End goal being a great Halloween costume, of course.”
The post What is the future of synths? Korg, Newfangled Audio and Madrona Labs share their predictions appeared first on MusicTech.

Is Music Marketing With TikTok Still ViableThis week, Ari is joined by Suzy Yoder, founder of YO SUZY, an agency specializing in short-form vertical content for musicians.

CES 2024: Everything revealed so far, from Nvidia to rabbit’s pocket AI to Kodiak’s autonomous semi truckOne of the year’s biggest tech events has kicked off in Las Vegas, and we’re here to bring all the reveals before the show floor opens.
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SOMA Laboratory introduce Metaconformer MIDI router Metaconformer makes it possible to combine multiple MIDI devices into a single instrument with custom split zones, layering and more.  

SOMA Laboratory introduce Metaconformer Metaconformer makes it possible to combine multiple MIDI devices into a single instrument with custom split zones, layering and more.  

Queens Of The Stone Age at the Kia ForumJosh Homme hit some of his finest high notes as Queens of the Stone Age's "The Endis Nero" tour wrapped up in 2023 in the man's home state of California. One of the lasttrue rock stars and artists, Homme & Co. delivered a show in all caps. As manyhardcore Queens fans did attest following the show at the Forum, it was the band at theheight of their creative and raw power.

Even when Queens goes a little more stylistically slick, as they did on their previousalbum, "Villains," it's not all polish and sheen, especially live. One of the highlights ofany Queens shows, which this writer attended three of this year, is discoveringnewfound love for many of their tracks, thanks to the helluva live experience. "Villains ofCircumstance," made for such a disturbed, moving moment as Queens were drenchedin darkness. The melancholia behind the thunder was volcanic. A redundant reminderQueens can pull at the heartstrings when desired. As for the tracks off the new album“In Times No Roman,” such as the pained lyrics of “Time & Place,” continue to grow likeflowers under an acid-powered sun in a live setting.

Thunderous is exactly how to describe the work of dapper guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen,triple threat Dean Fertita (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), mega-fingered bassistand energizer bunny Michael Shuman, and the mild-melter drummer, Jon Theodore.Talk about a group of singular artists playing together in such extreme harmony. Whenthese guys are all on stage together and let it rip – most notably in “God is in the Radio,”in which Theodore’s solo drums out the rest of the world – it’s a hard-charging, no-brakes pumped 100-minute or so experience.

If it isn’t clear by now, Queens goes hard. What’s been particularly wonderful about thistour, though, which reached another peak on a wild night in Glasgow, Scotland, was thepeace and love behind the chaos of it all. Josh Homme pontificating about love? Beinghere and now? Well, the tour was called “The End is Nero” for a reason, and duringthese apocalyptic days and daze, Homme’s "let’s love each other, man" attitude provesinfectious. If the end is truly near, at least Queens of the Stone Age are providing thesoundtrack.

Queens Of The Stone Age

qotsa.com

FM-Film & Music Artist Platform The organisation behind the annual Film Music Contest have announced the launch of a new networking platform dedicated to artists, companies and institutions working in the world of music and film.

Sir Lucian Grainge: After ‘artist-centric’ royalties, UMG’s ‘next focus’ is ‘superfan experiences and products’UMG is 'already in advanced discussions with [its] platform partners regarding this phase and will have more to announce in the coming months,' said Grainge in his New Year note to UMG staff
Source

Dubreq launches pitch-only version of the ThereminDubreq, known for creating the Stylophone, has designed its own budget-friendly version of the ground-breaking Theremin synthesizer.
The Stylophone Theremin is a portable, touch-sensitive synth inspired by the original 1920s tech designed by Leon Theremin; much like the original, Dubreq’s take on the Theremin will detect a user’s movement, meaning artists will be able to physically flesh out their desired sound, which an antenna will pick up.

READ MORE: CES 2024: JBL unveils new range of true wireless earphones plus portable speakers for travel and parties

However, the piece is not intended to be a perfect clone of the original Theremin. The Stylophone Theremin will only boast a single-antenna, rather than the classic pairing of a pitch and volume (VCA) antenna. This means that a user’s movement will only be able to control the pitch, while the removal of the volume antenna should result in it being easier to learn and play.
Credit: Dubreq
Every effort has been made to make the tech easier for modern creatives to use. While the motion sensitivity will allow for wild, wobbling retro Theremin magic, there is also a control panel to adjust and fine-tune sounds. With a slider for precise notes, and the ability to have vibrato and delay effects, as well as drone and trigger notes, the Stylophone Theremin aims to have an incredibly accessible interface.
The synth also has a built-in speaker as well as a headphone input socket, as well have having the option to be mounted on a microphone stand.
On the official pre-order page, Dubreq writes: “wave your hand around its antenna, move its slider from side to side, and go over the edge with mad modulation, wobbly vibrato, and crunchy echoing delay for crazy, quirky, sci-fi sound creation!”
Pre-order on the Stylophone website. Pricing will be approximately $110/€100/£90.

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Smashing Pumpkins are holding Open Auditions to find a new GuitaristThe Smashing Pumpkins are looking for a new guitarist, and anyone – as in anyone who thinks they can share the stage with Billy Corgan – is welcome to apply.. Continue reading
The post Smashing Pumpkins are holding Open Auditions to find a new Guitarist appeared first on Hypebot.

Record Store Day sets 2024 dateThe next Record Store Day will be on Saturday, April 20th. “Be sure to save that date on your calendars for the largest single-day music event in the world, taking. Continue reading
The post Record Store Day sets 2024 date appeared first on Hypebot.

QUICK HITS: Roxi to launch in US with Sinclair • MBW Entrepreneur Of The Year • EastCoast EntertainmentMusic video platform ROXi has partnered with station owner Sinclair to create the first interactive over-the-air broadcast channels in the US. Initially, three interactive music TV channels will launch in. Continue reading
The post QUICK HITS: Roxi to launch in US with Sinclair • MBW Entrepreneur Of The Year • EastCoast Entertainment appeared first on Hypebot.

“Innocent” Four Tet “shocked” by career success, says Logic1000UK producer Four Tet still has a humble sense of “innocence” and is “shocked at his life”, says fellow producer and DJ, Logic1000.

READ MORE: Photographer fined after Fatboy Slim nearly hit by drone

In a recent cover interview for NME, Logic1000 says Coachella 2023 co-headliner Four Tet – real name Kieran Hebden – has made her realise how much she loves her job as an artist. According to her, he’s surprisingly “shocked” at the opportunities his career has given him even after 27 years in the game.
“We were sitting in Pret before a show and he mentioned how shocked he was at his life, and what his career had enabled him to do and experience,” she tells NME. “This is someone who has been in the industry for so long and still had this innocence of someone who couldn’t believe what position he was in. He had this bright-eyed, not jaded disposition and that really stuck with me even if I didn’t realise it at the time.”
Mother by Logic1000
Now set to release her debut album, Mother, in March, Logic1000 – real name Samantha Poulter – goes on to say how it was Hebden’s reality check that partly re-invigorated her, saying she now feels “blessed” to be where she is.
“For so long I was in survival mode and so negative about everything and now I understand where [Kieran] is coming from,” she says. “This whole life and career is such a blessing to have this opportunity; there are so many great things about this job that I didn’t realise but do now.”
“I realised in therapy that this is actually my dream job: to perform as a musician. For many years I repressed that and told myself that I didn’t deserve it. It renewed me – I had that innocence again about how cool this life is.”
Also in the interview, Logic1000 reveals how giving birth to her daughter Genie provided new “confidence” to make music.
“When I entered motherhood I was like, ‘If I can create a baby, I can create something else that’s pretty awesome’. It felt like I finally had confidence in myself,” she says.
Listen to Logic1000’s music via Bandcamp.
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