This is the best Tears for Fears remake tutorial on the planet right nowIt’s been 40 years since Tears For Fears released their landmark second album Songs From The Big Chair, which is now considered a staple of ’80s synth pop. It notably made prominent use of MIDI sequencing, which at the time was very fresh technology.
To celebrate, Reverb Machine has provided provides an in-depth recreation of the band’s song Everybody Wants To Rule The World using modern software synths, with no sampling of the original hit.

READ MORE: Here’s how to remake Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime with plugins and emulations

As Reverb Machine points out, the original song employed synths including the Yamaha DX7, PPG Wave 2.3, and Sequential Prophet T-8. The system was controlled by UMI (Universal Musical Interface), a software-based MIDI sequencer running on the humble home computer, the BBC Micro.
The intro used the factory presets on either a DX7 or Yamaha’s DX1, both of which were pretty new technologies at the time. Reverb Machine recreated the electric guitar riff using a Les Paul on the neck pickup through a Roland JC-120 patch on a Kemper Profiler. Sampled guitar tracks are used alongside the live guitars.
There’s also the sound of a choir, which was originally created with the sampler and workstation Fairlight CMI. It uses the samples OOHH1 and CHOIR6, which were put in separate tracks on the remake. The recreation used Arturia CMI V to recreate it.
The Arturia Prophet-V 5, a software emulation of the Prophet-5, was used to recreate the main synth part. Reverb Machine also identifies that the DX7 preset used was ROM1B 32-BASS 4. There’s also a PPG wave layer that comes from a modified version of the 013 A preset, which was replicated with Waldorf’s PPG Wave 3 VST plugin.

As for the drum machines, Tears For Fears used the new Fairlight and Emulator samplers alongside as the sample-based drum machines that were also fresh onto the market at the time. For the remake, a DMX kick was layered with a LinnDrum kick, while the hi-hat and shaker sounds are classic LinnDrum sounds. In addition, there is the use of a snare sample from Zenhiser’s Classic 80’s Snares sample pack.
The reverb used was the Valhalla VintageVerb with the Small R-Hall preset, with the low cut tweaked to remove excessive bass.
You can take a look at a full – and impressively comprehensive – breakdown of Everybody Wants To Rule The World right now over at Reverb Machine.
The post This is the best Tears for Fears remake tutorial on the planet right now appeared first on MusicTech.

UVI released UVI Workstation 4 update with new FREE sounds
UVI has released a major update for their free sample player – UVI Workstation 4. With this new update, they’ve also included the refreshed UVI Starter Soundpack, a collection of free samples for Workstation 4. Installing Workstation 4 will automatically install the free sound pack, which is very cool! Feel free to watch the one [...]
View post: UVI released UVI Workstation 4 update with new FREE sounds

Apple to introduce new ambient music feature with iOS 18.4With the upcoming version of iOS, Apple is set to offer ambient music playlists from directly within the Control Center, each curated for a different mood. By default, it will give access to four categories – productivity, wellbeing, chill, and sleep – but users can customise this to allow access to any playlist from Apple Music.
For those with an Apple Music subscription, this feature will come with additional benefits. Subscribers will have full control over the tracks played, enabling them to skip songs, choose specific tracks, and save their favourite songs into custom playlists.

READ MORE: “This just looks like another wild scam”: Billy McFarland claps back at Mexican tourism board for claiming it has “no knowledge” of Fyre 2 – but people aren’t buying it

However, even without a subscription, users can still enjoy the feature, with Apple’s algorithms selecting and playing the most fitting tracks based on the chosen mood.
Currently, this feature is available in Beta mode, allowing users to test out its functionality and offer feedback before its full release. It’s expected to be officially rolled out in April 2025 with the release of iOS 18.4.
This update is set to include some other major changes to Apple devices, several of which involve new features for Apple Intelligence. For example, Apple Intelligence will now be able to determine which notifications are the most important and display these in a separate section of the lock screen, so only the most relevant notifications get through.
Apple also recently released the new Powerbeats Pro 2, following their first-generation release in 2019. These sporty headphones are designed to offer ten hours of battery life and have active noise cancellation. They are also the first Apple headphones able to monitor the wearer’s heart rate, a useful feature for any sportsperson wanting to keep track of their progress.
Learn more about iOS 18 at Apple.
The post Apple to introduce new ambient music feature with iOS 18.4 appeared first on MusicTech.

GS Music launch Bree6 desktop synth GS Music's second instrument, the Bree6, is a six-voice MPE-capable polysynth that has been designed to offer a straightforward and intuitive user experience with no menu-diving.

Mercury Rev in the Cusp of ZebulonThey're quite lovely, Mercury Rev. For this writer, a Saturday night at Zebulon, Los Angeles, represented the first time witnessing the Buffalo, NY psychedelic outfit in the flesh, and the experience was an eye-opener.Last year's Born Horses is Mercury Rev's 10th studio album, though they only played one song from it at Zebulon (the esoteric "Ancient Love"). Rather, we five songs from 1998's beloved Deserter's Songs.That's fair enough; that album is a bonafide classic and the likes of "Goddess on a Hiway," "Holes," and "Opus 40" are hair-raisingly beautiful. Like peers The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev takes you on a journey that at least feels like its transcending music.Jonathan Donahue's voice is a big factor; emotive, authentic and beautiful, he's a compelling frontman. His musical partner is Sean "Grasshopper" Mackowiak, the only other mainstay, and Grasshopper's guitar sound is recognizable in a manner similar to Reeves Gabrels. The show, while relatively short with just 11 songs, was incredibly sweet.The post Mercury Rev in the Cusp of Zebulon first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Google co-founder Larry Page reportedly has a new AI startupGoogle co-founder Larry Page is building a new company called Dynatomics that’s focused on applying AI to product manufacturing, according to The Information. Page is reportedly working with a small group of engineers on AI that can create “highly optimized” designs for objects and then have a factory build them, per The Information. Chris Anderson, […]
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Crypto voters could swing New Jersey gubernatorial raceWith roughly eight months until a November election, a Stand With Crypto poll suggested that the organization’s New Jersey advocates could determine who will be the next governor.

Plastic Gear RepairWe’ve seen several methods of repairing plastic gears. After all, a gear is usually the same all the way around, so it is very tempting to duplicate a good part to replace a damaged part. That’s exactly what [repairman 101] does in the video below. He uses hot glue to form a temporary mold and casts a resin replacement in place with a part of a common staple as a metal reinforcement.
The process starts with using a hobby tool to remove even more of the damaged gear, making a V-shaped slot to accept the repair. The next step is to create a mold. To do that, he takes a piece of plastic and uses hot glue to secure it near a good part of the gear. Then, he fills the area with more hot glue and carefully removes it.

He uses WD-40 as a mold release. He moves the mold to the damaged area and cuts a bit of wire to serve as a support, using a soldering iron to melt it into the gear’s body. Some resin fills the mold, and once it is cured, the gear requires a little rework, but then it seems to work fine.
We would be tempted to use some 3D printing resin with UV curing, since we have it on hand. Then again, you could easily scan the gear, repair it digitally on the computer and just print a new one. That would work, too.
We’ve seen the same process using candle wax and epoxy. If you want to see an example of just printing an entire replacement, we’ve seen that, too.

Universal Music Group’s recorded music subscription streaming revenues topped $5bn in 2024, up 9.1% YoYThere was less good news, however, from the world of ad-funded streaming.
Source

Unofficial Guide to Music Tech events during SXSW: Top PicksThe free Unofficial Guide to Music Tech events during SXSW in Austin next week is live and we share out top picks.
The post Unofficial Guide to Music Tech events during SXSW: Top Picks appeared first on Hypebot.

TeMuFra releases Colours, a FREE 8-voice polyphonic synth plugin
TeMuFra’s Colours is a new polyphonic synth plugin aimed at producers of all levels. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to download Colours; I’m running into an error at the Gumroad checkout. I’m not sure if I’m alone in that issue, but it’s working for some others, so I’ll keep trying. KVR Audio lists Colours as available [...]
View post: TeMuFra releases Colours, a FREE 8-voice polyphonic synth plugin

ROSTR adds Radar music industry contact searchLive music industry trade ROSTR has added Radar - a new way to search for contact info on professionals across the music industry.
The post ROSTR adds Radar music industry contact search appeared first on Hypebot.

“This just looks like another wild scam”: Billy McFarland claps back at Mexican tourism board for claiming it has “no knowledge” of Fyre 2 – but people aren’t buying itBilly McFarland, convicted fraudster and founder of the Fyre Festival – which went so spectacularly wrong it earned itself a Netflix documentary charting the disaster – has clapped back at the Mexican tourism board, which recently claimed it had “no knowledge” of a purported second edition of the festival due to take place in three months time.
The second edition of the Fyre Festival – if you can even call the first one the “first edition” – is due to take place from 30 May to 2 June at Isla Mujeres, a tropical island off Cancún, Mexico. Tickets went on sale this week, with prices ranging from $1,400 to $25,000, and premium packages being sold as high as $1.1 million. 
The only issue is both the Mexican tourism board and hotels supposed to be offering accommodation claim they have heard nothing about the event.

READ MORE: Former Fyre Festival investor warns of “red flags” for Billy McFarland’s 2025 reboot: “He knows how to pull people in”

Now, McFarland has posted a lengthy video statement to Instagram in an attempt to reassure those who doubt the legitimacy of his Fyre reboot.
“First, Fyre 2 is real,” he says. “Second, we have incredible partners leading the festival. They’re in charge of all the logistics, productions and operations. This includes an incredible production team in Mexico who does not [fuck] around. There is no way they would ever take on a fake festival.”
McFarland stops short of naming a single one of these “incredible partners”, or the “incredible production team” in Mexico.
He goes on: “Three, we have accommodations. Naturally, this was a huge point of emphasis given the issues surrounding Fyre 1. Our accommodations include contracts with a number of villas, yachts and hotels. 
“It also includes two hotels who were contacted by the media, and in response gave misleading statements saying they’d never heard of Fyre, and they aren’t working with us. After hearing this, I asked my team to terminate those contracts and to focus on the hotels and other partners who are eager to work with and support Fyre.
“Four, we have talent. Artists, athletes and other performers are on board and scheduled for Fyre 2.” Again, McFarland doesn’t mention the names of any of these artists or performers scheduled, despite the event being three months away.
He continues: “Five, restitution is being paid. Since being released 30 months ago, I’ve made 40 payments to restitution. I’ve also made it my mission to do more than legally required. Part of this has been giving a large percentage of Fyre 2’s budget and profits directly to restitution.”
He concludes: “My partners and I have remained in communication with local and state governments to ensure full compliance and a successful event that benefits the local economy, shares the beauty of the Mexican Caribbean with the world, and helps make right for all of the wrongs.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FYRE FESTIVAL (@fyrefestival)

The comments on the post certainly don’t make it seem like people believe him en masse. One user writes: “Billy, pack it up. No one believes you and this just looks like another wild scam.”
Another, who claims to live in Isla Mujeres and owns an events company on the island, says “everything he is saying is a lie”.
“There is not going to be a festival here,” they say. “The hotels weren’t cancelled by him – he never had them to begin with. The government hasn’t been contacted for anything- and now they will not touch this event, and no one here wants this event associated with the island.
“For those who don’t know, the island is five miles long and at its widest point is less than a mile wide. We don’t even have hotels or businesses here that can hold events even half this size. I think this dude literally closed his eyes, pointed to a spot on a map & was like ‘Okay, I landed on Isla Mujeres, let’s run with it.’ This video is laughable!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FYRE FESTIVAL (@fyrefestival)

The post “This just looks like another wild scam”: Billy McFarland claps back at Mexican tourism board for claiming it has “no knowledge” of Fyre 2 – but people aren’t buying it appeared first on MusicTech.

Reverb Machine MinotaurMinotaur is a preset pack designed for Arturia Mini V4, focused on raw, aggressive, and dark sounds. Most of the 80 presets in this collection are monophonic, giving you basses, leads, arpeggiators... Read More

BFD Drums release BFD 3.5 BFD 3.5 boasts a wealth of new kits, mix-ready presets and advanced modelling technology that promises to improve tom resonance and cymbal swells.