Primary Wave strikes deal with Village People for publishing, recorded music, name and likeness rightsFounded in 1977, Village People have sold more than 100 million records worldwide
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DirektDSP Launches FREE MakeItLoud Compressor Plugin
DirektDSP launched the MakeItLoud compression and distortion plugin, which is a name-your-own-price release (free option available). MakeItLoud is available for Windows and macOS users in VST3 and AU formats. DirektDSP states that MakeItLoud is an “innovative new plugin… designed specifically for sound designers and mixing engineers in search of an effortless workflow.” The purpose of [...]
View post: DirektDSP Launches FREE MakeItLoud Compressor Plugin

From Rod Stewart’s $100m catalog sale to a takeover bid for Believe… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days…
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“Thank you GarageBand”: PinkPantheress named Billboard’s Producer Of The YearWhen PinkPantheress arrived on the scene in 2021, it was clear she had a spark. Despite recording and mixing tracks from the comfort of her own bedroom, her dreamy approach to music quickly breached the UK top 40.
Three years on from her debut singles, Just For Me and Pain, Billboard are honouring PinkPantheress’s self-made magic, crowning her as their Producer Of The Year. The 22-year-old star is Billboard’s second-ever Producer Of The Year, following on from the first winner in 2023, Rosalía.

READ MORE: Yes, Alicia Keys’ Super Bowl performance was fixed afterwards – but why do we care?

In light of the award announcement, PinkPantheress has attributed one thing to her success. Taking to X, she simply writes: “Love you GarageBand.”

love u garageband https://t.co/0L7P3xmmVl
— pinkpantheress (@pinkpantheress2) February 15, 2024

While she hasn’t allowed many peeks behind the curtain, she has previously shared snippets of her GarageBand work in collaboration with Apple. PinkPantheress took to TikTok to explain the process behind Central Cee collaboration Nice To Meet You. The video shows her using GarageBand as well as Logic Pro.

@pinkpantheress
me and cash collaborated with apple to show y’all how we made nice to meet u #fyp #newmusic
♬ original sound –

Aged only 22, PinkPantheress has previously been named Best Female Act at the MOBOs, as well as the BBC’s Sound of 2022.
Speaking to the BBC in 2022, PinkPantheress explained why her DIY, self-produced approach allows her to flourish. “I sing more confidently when I know no-one can really hear me, “ she said. “There’s something about it being really late and dark and relaxing and silent that’s more inspiring than a busy, sunny day. Especially for my music.”
Billboard’s Editorial Director Hannah Karp says she is “thrilled to honour PinkPantheress as one of the most exciting young producers on the rise”.
“Women are still seriously under-represented among the producers making today’s top hits, so we’re grateful to our partners at Bose for helping spotlight talented artists like PinkPantheress who are producing and inspiring a new generation of women to get behind the boards, in addition to wowing fans their fans as performers on stage,” she comments.
The Billboard 2024 Producer of the Year Award will be presented at the Billboard Women in Music Awards on 6th March.
Tickets to attend currently range between $95-$285, and fans can watch the show on 7 March at 5pm PT/8pm ET at Billboard Women in Music.
The post “Thank you GarageBand”: PinkPantheress named Billboard’s Producer Of The Year appeared first on MusicTech.

Plugin Boutique is offering 96% off this huge bundle worth £760 in honour of its 12th anniversaryPlugin Boutique is celebrating its 12th birthday this year, and in honour of the special anniversary it is offering customers a huge 96 per cent off a bundle of eight plugins worth £760 until the end of the month.
This bundle deal expires on 29 February, and includes over 7GB of samples and over 100 synth presets, with access to “millions of sounds”.

READ MORE: Best free plugins and freeware of the month: February 2024

“It’s our birthday, but we want to give you a gift! To celebrate our 12th Anniversary, we’ve selected some of our favourite products for this exclusive collection,” says the company.
“From crowd pleasers to cult icons, household names to underground heavyweights, this bundle has a carefully curated choice of our heaviest hitters! We want to thank you for your support, and with eight plugins, over 7GB of samples, over 100 synth presets, and access to millions of sounds for $29, we can’t think of a better way to do it.”
Included in the bundle is:

Bx_subsynth from Brainworx
God Mode from Denise Audio
MTurboDelay from MeldaProduction
Lifeline Console Lite from Excite Audio
KNOCK Clipper from PLUGINS THAT KNOCK
UniChannel from United Plugins
Deflect from Glitchmachines
Convex from Glitchmachines
Loopcloud one-month artist plan
Inspired Synth Riffs sample pack by Loopmasters
Pop Session Drums sample pack by Organic Loops
NeonCity Synthwave for Massive from The Tone Foundry

Also as part of the anniversary celebrations, further deals are on offer. These include an Electronic Music bundle consisting of Universal Audio products which is now £67 (worth £1,395), 82 per cent off the Scaler 2 music theory workstation with prices starting from £5, and 50 per cent off Output’s granular synthesis Portal plugin (now £64.95 down from £131). These deals end on the 18 February.
There are also anniversary deals across the iZotope range, which last until 29 February, with up to 95 per cent off across products such as Stutter Edit 2, Ozone 11 Advanced, VocalSynth 2, and more (prices start from £10).
To view the full range of anniversary bargains, visit Plugin Boutique.
The post Plugin Boutique is offering 96% off this huge bundle worth £760 in honour of its 12th anniversary appeared first on MusicTech.

Beyoncé has released an acapella version of Texas Hold ‘EmBeyoncé has blessed producers and DJs with a brilliant late Valentine’s Day gift this year. While the Queen Bey surprised fans with two cuts from her forthcoming March release Act II, budding mixers will be pleased to know she has also shared acapella and instrumental versions of country anthem Texas Hold ‘Em.
READ MORE: “Move over, Taylor – Queen Bey is in the house!”: TIDAL servers crash after Beyoncé drops two new songs during Super Bowl

In the late hours of Valentine’s Day, Beyoncé took to social media to share the tracks. They came shortly after the superstar shared a Valentine’s Day reel soundtracked by Texas Hold ‘Em, captioned “Happy Valentines Day to you, sending lots of love.”

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A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)

The acapella track puts Beyoncé’s distinctive vocals and gorgeous harmonies at the forefront, transforming the uptempo, hoedown happy anthem into something almost soulful. On the other hand, the instrumental track allows Rhiannon Giddens’ bouncy banjo plucking and Raphael Saadiq’s organ playing to shine.
Giddens took to Instagram to expand on her banjo performance on track, stating: “The beginning is a solo riff on my minstrel banjo – and my only hope is that it might lead a few more intrepid folks into the exciting history of the banjo. I used to say many times as soon as Beyonce puts the banjo on a track my job is done. Well, I didn’t expect the banjo to be mine, and I know darn well my job isn’t done, but today is a pretty good day.”

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A post shared by Rhiannon Giddens (@rhiannongiddens)

Producers are set to have a field day with these isolated vocal and instrumental tracks. We should make it abundantly clear though that should you wish to release any remixes or reworkings anywhere, you must first get express permission from the copyright holders of the original track.
Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages are the first taste of the follow-up to the 2022’s quadruple Grammy-winning Renaissance. Act II is set to build on Renaissance’s reimagining of classic musical genres, with a heavy focus on country and western sounds – hence Beyoncé’s newfound obsession with cowboy hats.
Act II is set to drop 29 March. For more info, head to Beyoncé’s website.
The post Beyoncé has released an acapella version of Texas Hold ‘Em appeared first on MusicTech.

The best President’s Day deals on headphones, Bluetooth speakers, and morePresident’s Day is just around the corner, this year taking place on Monday 19 February. The holiday traditionally celebrates the birthday of the first US president, George Washington, but in modern times has become a window for music tech brands to dish out some delicious deals, just as our founding father would have wanted.
Right now is an ideal opportunity to grab a deal on a new piece of music gear, whether that’s a speaker, a pair of headphones, turntables, or audio gear.

READ MORE: You can get up to 93% off Sonnox, Solid State Logic, UJAM plugins over at Plugin Boutique right now

We’ve scoured Amazon to find you the best President’s Day deals on offer, from the likes of JBL, Apple, Marshall, Soundcore and more:
JBL PartyBox 310 – $100 off

With powerful sound and dynamic light effects, the JBL PartyBox 310 lets you turn any gathering into a lively party. Its portable design, long-lasting battery, and connectivity options ensure seamless entertainment wherever you go, making it a must-buy if you want to start a party in your kitchen, but don’t need booming speakers.
It’s now available for just $399 on Amazon, down by 20 per cent from $499.
JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless Headphones – 10% off

The JBL Vibe Beam headphones offer immersive JBL Deep Bass Sound, ensuring high-quality audio. Their ergonomic design provides a comfortable fit, while being water and dust-resistant, making them suitable for all-day use. With hands-free calls enabled by VoiceAware, they’re a must-buy for those seeking reliable wireless earbuds.
These are now less than $45. Grab them via Amazon.
Marshall Woburn III Bluetooth Wireless Speaker – save $80

The Marshall Woburn III blends iconic Marshall design with exceptional audio performance. Offering Bluetooth connectivity, customisable sound settings, and a classic look, this speaker delivers immersive sound experiences in style. Its powerful drivers and fine-tuned EQ make it a must-buy for music enthusiasts seeking premium sound quality.
Now, this characterful speaker is on offer for just $499, down from $579.99. Find this deal on Amazon.
Fosi Audio BT20A Pro Amplifier Receiver – now under $80

The Fosi Audio BT20A Pro amplifier receiver combines high power output with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, delivering superior audio quality and flexibility. With its compact design, advanced features, and robust construction, it’s a must-buy for audiophiles seeking a versatile and reliable amplifier solution.
This amplifier receiver is now less than $80, down from $100, on Amazon.
Soundcore H30i Wireless On-Ear Headphones – 20% off

The Soundcore H30i headphones offer a blend of comfort, style, and exceptional sound quality. With active noise cancellation, long battery life, and customisable sound profiles, they provide an immersive listening experience. Their sleek design, ergonomic fit, and intuitive controls make them a must-buy for music enthusiasts on the go.
These are on offer for less than $32 at Amazon. 
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) + USB-C charging case – now $189

Do Apple’s AirPods Pro in-ear headphones really need a lengthy introduction? They’ve been the ideal accompaniment for iPhone users for years now, and although we’re on the third generation, these second-gen Apple AirPods Pro deliver high-quality audio, adaptive audio and personalised spatial audio all housed within a sturdy design all the same. This Amazon offer bundles them with a USB-C charging case, too.
Find this deal, which takes them down by 24 per cent from $249 to just $189, on Amazon.
What is President’s Day?
President’s Day, observed in the United States on the third Monday of February, commemorates the nation’s presidents, notably George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Initially established to honour Washington’s February 22nd birthday, it later included Lincoln’s February 12th birthday, evolving to honour all presidents.
Today, it’s transformed into a major retail event in the US, becoming synonymous with significant sales across various industries, drawing eager consumers seeking discounts comparable to those of Black Friday. It’s become one of the busiest shopping periods, offering opportunities for savvy shoppers to snag deals on a wide range of products.
For more consumer tech content, head to MusicTech.
The post The best President’s Day deals on headphones, Bluetooth speakers, and more appeared first on MusicTech.

“Thank you GarageBand”: PinkPantheress named Billboard’s Producer Of The YearWhen PinkPantheress arrived on the scene in 2021, it was clear she had a spark. Despite recording and mixing tracks from the comfort of her own bedroom, her dreamy approach to music quickly breached the UK top 40.
Three years on from her debut singles, Just For Me and Pain, Billboard are honouring PinkPantheress’s self-made magic, crowning her as their Producer Of The Year. The 22-year-old star is Billboard’s second-ever Producer Of The Year, following on from the first winner in 2023, Rosalía.

READ MORE: Yes, Alicia Keys’ Super Bowl performance was fixed afterwards – but why do we care?

In light of the award announcement, PinkPantheress has attributed one thing to her success. Taking to X, she simply writes: “Love you GarageBand.”

love u garageband https://t.co/0L7P3xmmVl
— pinkpantheress (@pinkpantheress2) February 15, 2024

While she hasn’t allowed many peeks behind the curtain, she has previously shared snippets of her GarageBand work in collaboration with Apple. PinkPantheress took to TikTok to explain the process behind Central Cee collaboration Nice To Meet You. The video shows her using GarageBand as well as Logic Pro.

@pinkpantheress
me and cash collaborated with apple to show y’all how we made nice to meet u #fyp #newmusic
♬ original sound –

Aged only 22, PinkPantheress has previously been named Best Female Act at the MOBOs, as well as the BBC’s Sound of 2022.
Speaking to the BBC in 2022, PinkPantheress explained why her DIY, self-produced approach allows her to flourish. “I sing more confidently when I know no-one can really hear me, “ she said. “There’s something about it being really late and dark and relaxing and silent that’s more inspiring than a busy, sunny day. Especially for my music.”
Billboard’s Editorial Director Hannah Karp says she is “thrilled to honour PinkPantheress as one of the most exciting young producers on the rise”.
“Women are still seriously under-represented among the producers making today’s top hits, so we’re grateful to our partners at Bose for helping spotlight talented artists like PinkPantheress who are producing and inspiring a new generation of women to get behind the boards, in addition to wowing fans their fans as performers on stage,” she comments.
The Billboard 2024 Producer of the Year Award will be presented at the Billboard Women in Music Awards on 6th March.
Tickets to attend currently range between $95-$285, and fans can watch the show on 7 March at 5pm PT/8pm ET at Billboard Women in Music.
The post “Thank you GarageBand”: PinkPantheress named Billboard’s Producer Of The Year appeared first on MusicTech.

Music in YouTube Shorts triples the total reach of the Artists usedYouTube Shorts featuring an artist's music tripled the average artist's total reach, according to YouTube global music chief Lyor Cohen. ..
The post Music in YouTube Shorts triples the total reach of the Artists used appeared first on Hypebot.

DistroKid staff seek Union affiliation via Communications Workers Of AmericaStaff members at digital music distributor DistroKid have elected to join the National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians (NABET Local 16), a union within the Communication Workers of America...
The post DistroKid staff seek Union affiliation via Communications Workers Of America appeared first on Hypebot.

Futurebirds and Building a Loyal Fanbase: #1 Ditch the Discount CodesDiscounts encourage impulse purchases, not meaningful relationships. But there are proven ways to build a supportive community of fans...
The post Futurebirds and Building a Loyal Fanbase: #1 Ditch the Discount Codes appeared first on Hypebot.

VSL introduce Fazioli F212 piano library VSL have announced the release of Synchron Fazioli F212, which captures Fazioli’s classic mid-sized piano played in Stage B of their Synchron Stage Vienna facility.

Yes, Alicia Keys’ Super Bowl performance was fixed afterwards – but why do we care?Yes, Alicia Keys’ Super Bowl Halftime Show performance was dubbed, with a clear voice crack moment fixed before its upload to YouTube. But should we really care?
The moment came as the singer played If I Ain’t Got You, the hugely popular ballad taken from her 2003 sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. After nailing the track’s soft intro, many viewers – of the 123 million in total – caught a glaring vocal error as she entered into the chorus.

READ MORE: “Move over, Taylor – Queen Bey is in the house!”: TIDAL servers crash after Beyoncé drops two new songs during Super Bowl

It’s no surprise, then, that many of those who spotted it have flagged the very different version heard in the official performance video uploaded to the NFL YouTube channel.

Last night Alicia Keys’s voice cracked (first video), and fascinatingly, the official NFL YouTube channel appears to be attempting to erase that little moment, having edited it out in their upload (second video). pic.twitter.com/EM4k8rWT8c
— Robert Komaniecki (@Komaniecki_R) February 12, 2024

But why does it matter? It’s common knowledge that a good chunk of official live releases – probably most – are overdubbed, edited, tweaked, or fixed in some way before their release to a wider commercial audience, right?
The fact that Keys’ voice crack and subsequent correction have hit the headlines shows we in the music world may be blind to the reality that the average consumer isn’t aware of the audio manipulation that takes place in these instances. So is it perhaps an issue of a lack of awareness?
Of course, it should be mentioned that it’s unusual for a live broadcast – one of the most tuned-into in the world – to be corrected in such an obvious way. It was perhaps wishful thinking on the part of the producers hoping many of the tens of millions of spectators wouldn’t notice.
However, whether you’re outraged at the correction, aware and accepting of the practice across the industry, or simply indifferent, it’s a promising takeaway from the whole debacle that Alicia Keys was actually singing live.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show is notoriously run like clockwork, with a hell of a lot of moving parts having to sync up in the 12-15 minutes allotted. Therefore, the authenticity of artists’ performances is sometimes put into question.
When our friends at Guitar.com highlighted H.E.R.’s guitar solo during Usher’s set, many on social media were quick to cast their doubt. “Wait: Did you guys just describe an air guitar performance as a “breeze” in a headline?” one user wrote.
To be fair, some of H.E.R.’s hand movements don’t exactly match up with what we hear on the official audio. Was some of Usher’s set pre-recorded and some performed live? We won’t open up that can of worms.
All things said, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest spectacles on Earth, so should we really be surprised that producers want to make it sound as perfect and pristine as possible? It’s probably not worth losing sleep over, to be honest.
[Editor’s note: Guitar.com and MusicTech are both part of Caldecott Music Group.]
The post Yes, Alicia Keys’ Super Bowl performance was fixed afterwards – but why do we care? appeared first on MusicTech.

This AI-based music synthesizer might just change how you make musicOn today’s episode of ‘wacky instruments you’ve probably never asked for’, we have SPIN, an AI music synthesizer that lets you make compositions with the language model, MusicGen.
Developed by designer Arvind Sanjeev, the machine – which kinda looks like a cross between a turntable and a Novation Launchpad – offers a tangible interface for co-composing music with AI.

READ MORE: Supreme’s 2024 collection features a Roland JU-06A and TR-08 in white

Simply enter the desired mood, genre, sounds and bpm, and listen to the music come alive on an LP record. A DVS (Digital Vinyl System) lets you slow down, zoom in, scratch and listen between the notes. You can use it to create new compositions, as a simple sound synthesizer, as a scratch tool, or to play generative music in the background.
Beneath its wooden hood, SPIN takes the input prompts via button presses through an Arduino Mega. This is sent via serial to a Raspberry Pi that prompts the MusicGen API, which spits out an mp3 file that’s then loaded onto the DVS.
For the turntable, a transmuted Numark PT-01 and a timecoded control vinyl record were used. The xwax DVS package for Raspberry Pi, meanwhile, reads the vinyl timecode through a Behringer audio driver, and all output is played via stereo speakers.
Of his process, Sanjeev explains: “There are a lot of amazing generative music experiments, from Dadabots’s relentless death metal streaming AI on YouTube to Holly Herndon’s experiments around voice transplantations.”
“But I realised we hit a tipping point when I stumbled upon the Riffusion music model; I was taken aback by its depth and realism, including its new update that adds lyrical voices to the output. Inspired by this, I wanted to build a platform to let me further explore and combine never-before-heard combinations of music and sounds. This laid the seed for building SPIN.”
Check out the synthesizer in action below.

Learn more at Arvind Sanjeev’s website.
The post This AI-based music synthesizer might just change how you make music appeared first on MusicTech.

Audient’s ORIA is the Atmos interface that engineers have been waiting forThe age of immersive audio is here. No, really.
Sure, when Apple began its push for Spatial Music in 2021, the initiative was met with a heady mix of excitement and scepticism. But since then, the hype has faded and what’s left is a very real, industry-wide push to establish spatial audio as a new standard for commercially released music.

READ MORE: How the Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O.II encourages you to push past creative limits

High-quality immersive home speaker systems are increasingly affordable, the library of spatially mixed music has expanded exponentially, and Apple seems determined to accelerate this trend by offering to pay higher royalties to artists who serve up a Dolby Atmos mix. We’re past the point where this format might have faded into obscurity.
For studio engineers, the surging demand for Atmos mixes has been a blessing and a curse. More work is a positive thing but, on the other hand, getting into the spatial audio game has often meant ad-hoc hardware solutions, workflow bottlenecks, and eye-watering price tags. Or, at least, it did.
Audient, the UK-based purveyor of pro-audio gear, has come up with a solution for audio interfaces in the spatial age – and it’s called ORIA.
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Billed as the first audio interface designed specifically for immersive mixing, it’s an I/O powerhouse. Supporting up to 9.1.6 speaker setups, ORIA is also armed with a pair of stereo line outputs; a further 16 outputs via AES; two independent headphone outs; a couple of analogue mic preamps; two ADAT inputs; and space for a Dante expansion card. And all for £2,520 (€2,885/$2,625)
“A lot of the current market solutions were what we would describe as ‘workarounds’,” says Audient’s director of product and marketing, Andy Allen. “We wanted to develop a purpose-driven solution from the ground up that not only addressed these issues but also made it affordable.”
Easier said than done. ORIA’s design needs to support the most common studio workflows and remove roadblocks while limiting the ‘nice but optional’ features that can drive up a unit’s price tag. To achieve that balance, the company reached out to professionals across the industry for their input.
The team at Present Day Productions were one of many studios tapped to help beta test the ORIA and provide input. Amidst offering mixing and mastering services, manufacturing and selling their own in-house monitors, and running a growing YouTube Channel, the team recently embarked on the challenging journey of building their own Dolby Atmos system.
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
“You would not believe the frustration we’ve had just trying to get audio from A to B without having to spend £10-15,000,” says co-founder and technical director, James Nugent. “The reason why no other manufacturers have yet built a dedicated Dolby Atmos interface, in my opinion, is that they haven’t listened to what end users want. Most interfaces before ORIA, branded as Dolby Atmos compatible, have been after-thoughts or add-ons to existing products.”
Determined to integrate Atmos on a foundational level, Allen says the team at Audient canvassed the opinions of 40 engineers, mixers, composers, sound designers, installers, and technical experts to get input at the earliest stages of the development. “It really became an iterative process,” Allen recalls. “We used the feedback to adapt our original design concepts, then went back around the user group multiple times until we were getting thumbs up across the board.”
Working closely with musicians and engineers is nothing new for Audient – in fact, it’s a core part of its history. Co-founder David Dearden spent much of the 70s building personal studios for the likes of John Lennon, George Harrison, and legendary producer, Gus Dudgeon. From those formative experiences, Dearden developed design principles that would culminate in a series of classic analogue consoles: the DDA AMR24 and Audient’s ASP8024.
Nowadays, the company is perhaps best known for its critically acclaimed entry- and mid-level interfaces, but that legacy of manufacturing excellence is still part of Audient’s DNA. “All of our more recent products have fundamental capture and performance capabilities that are either based on the ASP8024’s original analogue circuits or largely inspired by them,” Allen says. “ORIA continues that philosophy.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
The interface may boast two of the company’s classic mic preamps but make no mistake: this is a device designed for the future. “There are some truly amazing technical innovations taking place inside the box,” Allen assures us. “All of which were built from the ground up specifically for ORIA.”
One of those innovations is the Down Mix button ORIA sports on its ultra-thick face plate. The magic of Atmos has always been its adaptability – whether you’re listening on headphones, a car stereo, or a full-fledged home entertainment system, Atmos will seamlessly serve up the correct mix.
On the studio side, this means that engineers now need to account for many different listening scenarios. Checking that your mix sounds just as slick in binaural as it does in surround sound would seem like a pretty essential part of an Atmos workflow, but achieving this has generally been a costly and convoluted affair. To that end, ORIA’s Down Mix button — which is linked directly to the Dolby Atmos renderer — is said to make the whole process close to effortless. Pressing it will instantly fold down an immersive mix so it can be checked in 7.1, 5.1, binaural, or stereo.
It also makes checking out reference mixes on Apple Music a no-brainer, something Nugent says the Present Day Productions crew were over the moon about. “We spent the last 18 months banging our heads against the wall trying to find a product which would allow us to not only work in Atmos within a DAW but then go and listen to commercial mixes on streaming services. ORIA has given us a working solution.”
“It’s the product we begged manufacturers for, and to see it come to life has been incredible” – James Nugent
Another massive step forward comes in how ORIA handles studio setup. As you go beyond stereo, the process of placing and balancing speakers becomes exponentially more complex. To combat this, Audient partnered with Sonarworks to harness the company’s SoundID Reference technology.
“Working with multi-channel speaker arrays requires a calibrated room, and this is an incredibly technical and difficult process to understand,” Allen explains. “The user first has to precisely measure their room and use the results to level match and time align speakers, apply corrective EQ to deal with room modes, and apply bass management.”
Getting all these factors to line up is complicated enough that many studios just outsource the job, at a significant cost. And even that can be hard enough – just finding an available specialist in studio acoustics can take considerable time. Sonarworks’ calibration software shrinks the whole process down into something that can be sorted in under an hour.
“The Sonarworks partnership was a vital component,” says Allen. “It ensures ORIA users aren’t restricted by lack of knowledge around room calibration or lack of access to professional acousticians.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Each ORIA comes with a reference microphone and a 60-day trial of the SoundID Reference software. Users who want to continue using their calibrations past the trial period will need to purchase a Sonarworks licence – an additional cost, to be sure, but still less than hiring an expert in room acoustics.
But if you do want to set up everything from scratch — or tweak the calibration profile generated by Sonarworks — there’s an eight-band EQ, trim, delay, and bass crossover options for each individual speaker output.
Crucially, all of this is handled by ORIA’s onboard DSP with no CPU impact on the host computer. The unit can store up to 32 user profiles, each with unique speaker configurations and calibration settings, and recalling profiles is performed via another physical button on the front panel that cycles through four preferred profiles.
Physical buttons are all well and good but, if you like to keep your rack units out of sight and out of mind, Audient has produced both a standalone software application and a companion app for iPadOS. Together, these roll up all the calibration and monitoring controls and make them portable.
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Nugent says that after having ORIA in the studio these recent months, it has streamlined everything from volume control, to physically getting sound to their speakers, to how they monitor their mixes. Each of these, he says, previously required extra, expensive, hardware units.
But the biggest drawcard? “Simplicity!” exclaims Nugent. “It just works, in every way. It’s the product we begged manufacturers for, and to see it come to life has been incredible.”
ORIA may keep things simple, but it also manages to stay versatile. If you’ve invested in your existing studio setup then the ADAT inputs allow the unit to function as a standalone monitoring device, if you’re just getting started then it becomes a one-stop-shop for Atmos mixing. If you’re working with video there’s a global delay for picture sync, if you need to do small-scale recording or voiceovers there’s the in-built mic preamps.
It’s a design that recognises the working reality of modern mix engineers who apply their skills across a variety of genres and, increasingly, to a diverse range of audio content. And, of course, the demand for immersive audio goes far beyond album remixes; it’s now a must-have for films, games, and mixed-reality apps. Hell, with the proliferation of immersive live venues like the Las Vegas Sphere, even backing tracks will need a spatial mix.
“Once you actually give it a chance and see what’s possible, it changes your mindset” – James Nugent
Increasingly, the capability to mix in Atmos doesn’t feel optional and Allen says he understands the trepidation some engineers continue to have around the format. “Dolby’s creation and distribution platform alongside the Spatial audio rollout has changed everything,” he says flatly. “This has driven the major media distribution services and record labels to start looking for mix engineers who are set up to mix in immersive audio formats and subsequently has had a negative effect on any mixers that aren’t.
“I believe this has caused a widespread rush to adopt immersive audio,” he continues. “Traditional stereo and surround sound mixers have started to invest in additional hardware in order to compete – whether they like the format or not.”
Not everyone is happy about this industry push, and we won’t pretend things got off to a promising start. The early rollout of Apple’s Spatial Music was accompanied by some truly awful mixes of legendary songs and a mere handful of standouts. But the ratio of good to bad has shifted massively in recent years as engineers, and artists, have learnt how to make the medium sing.
“Once you actually give it a chance and see what’s possible, it changes your mindset,” says Nugent. “Atmos music doesn’t have to have 72 guitars spinning around your head; you can keep it simple and still increase immersion. A jazz record we mixed recently has the band entirely upfront in Left/Centre/Right, with just reverbs and subtle effects pushed to the sides and rear.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
This format is completely novel for most consumers, and most engineers. The industry is still busy working out best practices and ironing out kinks. When it’s done right, Atmos mixes offer a genuinely new, and genuinely great way to listen to music. None of which threatens the relevance of stereo.
“Stereo mixing is absolutely still important and will continue to stay so, probably forever,” says Nugent. “Immersive mixing is not an absolute requirement for generally releasing music. However, to get featured on playlists on services such as Apple Music you must have an Atmos mix, and I do see things going further in this direction.”
So, stereo isn’t going anywhere. But neither is spatial audio. “Our feeling at Audient is that immersive audio is here to stay,” Allen says. “Now, the onus is on technology brands like ourselves to help democratise the ‘creation’ part of the chain by designing products like ORIA that make immersive audio more accessible.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Audient has really thrown down the gauntlet here, breaking new ground to offer a level of quality, functionality, and affordability that other manufacturers may be measuring themselves against for years to come.
Based on the simple premise that working in Atmos should be easy and affordable, ORIA is a giant leap in the right direction for spatial audio – in fact, it’s the device that mix engineers needed from the get-go. So, if you’re wondering whether the time is right to jump into Atmos, the water has never been warmer.
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