Google Maps announces new features and somehow none of them are ‘pause navigation’Look, we’ve all been there. You’re on a road trip and you pull off the highway for some food or fuel. And then Google Maps starts (rudely) yelling at you to get back on the road. The company has all the money and AI chips in the world and yet the app can’t just chill […]
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Sen. Lummis introduces Bitcoin Strategic Reserve bill in SenateThe pro-crypto Wyoming senator hopes the United States will purchase 5% of Bitcoin's total supply as a strategic reserve asset.

LightBurn Turns Back the Clock, Bails on Linux UsersAngry Birds, flash mobs, Russell Brand, fidget spinners. All of these were virtually unavoidable in the previous decade, and yet, like so many popular trends, have now largely faded into obscurity. But in a recent announcement, the developers of LightBurn have brought back a relic of the past that we thought was all but buried along with Harambe — popular software not supporting Linux.
But this isn’t a case of the developers not wanting to bring their software to Linux. LightBurn, the defacto tool for controlling hobbyist laser cutters and engravers, was already multi-platform. Looking forward, however, the developers claim that too much of their time is spent supporting and packaging the software for Linux relative to the size of the user base. In an announcement email sent out to users, they reached even deeper into the mid-2000s bag of excuses, and cited the number of Linux distributions as a further challenge:
The segmentation of Linux distributions complicates these burdens further — we’ve had to provide three separate packages for the versions of Linux we officially support, and still encounter frequent compatibility issues on those distributions (or closely related distributions), to say nothing of the many distributions we have been asked to support.
We’re not sure how much of their time could possibly be taken up by responding to requests for supporting additional distributions (especially when the answer is no), but apparently, it was enough that they finally had to put their foot down — the upcoming 1.7.00 release of LightBurn will be the last to run on Linux.

To really add insult to injury, LightBurn is paid software, with users having to purchase a yearly license after the time-limited demo period. Accordingly, any Linux users who recently purchased a year’s license for the software can ask for a refund. Oh, and if you’re holding out hope that the community can swoop in and take over maintaining the Linux builds, don’t — LightBurn is closed source.
While there are open source projects like LaserWeb that can be used to control these types of machines regardless of what operating system you’re running, losing LightBurn on Linux definitely hurts. While we try not to put our stamp on closed source proprietary software because of situations exactly like this one, we have to admit that LightBurn was a nice tool, especially when compared to the joke software that many of these lasers ship with.
The developers end their notice to Linux users with what seems like a particularly cruel kick while they’re already down:
Rest assured that we will be using the time gained by sunsetting Linux support to redouble our efforts at making better software for laser cutters, and beyond. We hope you will continue to utilize LightBurn on a supported operating system going forward, and we thank you for being a part of the LightBurn community.
So take comfort, Linux users — LightBurn will emerge from this decision better than ever. Unfortunately, you just won’t be able to use it.

TASCAM's CD-A580 Helps Dan Vargas Re-Discover LA PunkThe early Los Angeles punk scene has amassed a lot of publicity over the decades, as have notable figures whose music, art, media, and literature helped shape the influential cultural movement. To help bring the popular ‘70/80s generation music to still more listeners, Producer/Recording Artist Dan Vargas elected to digitize a collection to not only make this music more accessible, but to also preserve the nature of a generation’s artistic endeavors. To help with the process, Vargas employed the versatility found in the TASCAM CD-A580 Cassette Recorder/CD Player/USB Flash Drive Player/Recorder.

Many affiliated fixtures of the ’70/80s LA punk scene remain under-documented and relatively unknown; Dan Vargas is one such artist. Music on Fire is his latest venture. It is a self-released debut LP, written and engineered by Vargas at Safe at Home Studios in Long Beach, CA. The Los Angeles native cut his teeth in the scene’s salad days as a producer / manager working with artists such as Legal Weapon, Odd Squad, Sludge, The Brat, and Cambridge Apostles. He discussed his experience using the TASCAM CD-A580 on his latest initiative—known as the Eddie Ayala Project.

“Renowned East L.A. musician Eddie Ayala passed away in November 2023,” Vargas reports. “Eddie, who was a mainstay as a lead vocalist and frontman (Los Illegals, Orbit, Odd Squad, and Cactus Flower) also had a large unreleased catalog of recordings that he accumulated throughout the years. These recordings existed primarily in cassette format, along with a few CDRs. After his death, I was given access to these recordings in the hope that I could digitize them for Eddie’s loved ones.”

“These cassettes were in all different conditions,” Vargas added, “coming from three sources and stored in different environments. I tried to use a conventional cassette deck, but some of the tapes were weathered and wouldn’t play. I needed a more robust solution and the CD-A580 is an easy and efficient tool for projects such as this. I transferred multiple cassettes and CDRs directly into my workstation and the playback results were great. I used the CD-A580 to transfer 21 cassettes and three CDRs in real time.

This amounts to roughly 120 songs, including rehearsal and studio takes—all of which remained unheard for decades.” Vargas shared his thoughts on the CD-A850’s attributes he found most appealing. “The cassette function of the CD-A580 is exceptional because the sound quality delivered a faithful audio reproduction of the music. Even though some of the tapes were not well kept and over 30 years old, the CD-A580 transport system was able to play, fast forward, and rewind the tapes effortlessly. In some ways, I think the CD-A580 rescued the music that couldn’t be played on a regular cassette deck.

Eddie’s music is his legacy and the CD-A580 brought back the songs that he sang and now the world can hear.”

With many electronic products, questions arise. Hence, responsive and capable support services are crucial for keeping projects on schedule. Vargas shared his experience with TASCAM’s customer support services. “To be honest, the CD-A580 is a very intuitive piece of studio equipment and as a result, I didn’t require any support. I will say, however, that past experience has demonstrated TASCAM stands ready to assist their customers and they have always been very responsive.”

Before turning his attention to the business of the day, Vargas offered these final comments, “The CD-A580 is an incredible tool for use in any home or professional studio’s arsenal. Its audio performance is excellent and it’s a well-made, robust piece of equipment. I experienced nearly effortless transfer of both cassette and CDR content with top-notch A/D converters. Coupled with TASCAM simplicity, this project was all music and no fuss. The CD-A580 was a central fixture throughout the project, and I couldn’t be happier.”

To learn more about Dan Vargas, visit https://musiconfire.space/. A celebration of Life for Eddie Ayala will be held September 22 at the Pacific Island Project in Highland Park, California.The post TASCAM's CD-A580 Helps Dan Vargas Re-Discover LA Punk first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

This Singing Couple is Making It by Diversifying their Business and Writing Great SongsThis week, Ari sits down with Ni/Co, the musical duo of LA-based couple Dani Brillhart and Colton Jones.

AIR Music Tech overhaul TimewARP 2600 AIR Music Tech have re-released TimewARP 2600 with a whole host of new features that bring the ARP 2600's classic sound into the modern era.

FLOSS Weekly Episode 794: Release Them All with JReleaserThis week Jonathan Bennett and Katherine Druckman chat with Andres Almiray about JReleaser, the Java release automation tool that’s for more than just Java, and more than just releases. What was the original inspiration for the tool? And how does JReleaser help avoid a string of commits trying to fix GitHub Actions? Listen to find out!

– https://andresalmiray.com
– https://github.com/aalmiray
– https://www.linkedin.com/in/aalmiray
– https://jreleaser.org

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It’s ‘business as usual’ at Live Nation despite DoJ antitrust lawsuit, and 3 other things we learned on the company’s Q2 earnings callLive Nation addressed the antitrust suit, the slowdown in stadium activity, and the impact of the Paris Olympics on its live events
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Fracture Sounds release Epic Grand, a FREE piano library for Kontakt Player
Developer Fracture Sounds has released Epic Grand, a free larger-than-life grand piano library for Kontakt Player. Fracture Sounds is a developer I’m sure most of you know well, but if you’re new, they release some excellent libraries, like the lovely Homestead Piano. More importantly for us, they release some fantastic freebies under the banner of [...]
View post: Fracture Sounds release Epic Grand, a FREE piano library for Kontakt Player

‘This is just the beginning. There’s still so much potential for Afrobeats and Amapiano in the coming years.’MBW's Trailblazers series meets Camillo Doregos and Mark Mac, co-founders of Africa focused management and booking company, DC Talent Agency
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Report reveals Financial, Career Challenges Faced by SongwritersA new report examines the challenges faced by songwriters. "Songwriters Take The Stage" is based on the first-ever survey of over 300 songwriters, providing insights into their needs and offering recommendations for support.
The post Report reveals Financial, Career Challenges Faced by Songwriters appeared first on Hypebot.

Stationhead adds Voice Notes to enhance artist-fan connectionsSocial streaming app Stationhead has added a new way for artists to stay connected fans. With Voice Notes, artists share audio messages, promotions, and more with their superfans directly on their fan channels.
The post Stationhead adds Voice Notes to enhance artist-fan connections appeared first on Hypebot.

Everything artists need to know about free music app TREBELSome music listeners are getting tired of racking up subscription bills every month to hear their favorite bands. The free music app TREBEL offers great benefits to artists and listeners so everyone can enjoy music offline for a change.
The post Everything artists need to know about free music app TREBEL appeared first on Hypebot.

Guitar Center employees discover piles of drugs stuffed inside ampStaff at a Guitar Center store in Lawrenceville, Georgia, made a shocking discovery inside a guitar amplifier earlier this month.
On July 17, employees opened a box that was shipped to the store’s location, only to discover thousands of dollars worth of cocaine and methamphetamine packed into the amplifier inside the delivery.

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According to Sgt. Collin Flynn of the Gwinnett County Police via WSB-TV, the drugs were never meant to show up to the store. The package came with an out-of-state shipping address, and the Guitar Center in Lawrenceville was listed as its return address. “It’s extremely rare this happens at any business,” he says.
However, Flynn says this incident is part of a greater and more complex problem surrounding the shipping of various forms of drugs through the United States Postal Service.
“They will often try and make the box appear as real as possible. They’ll attach business logos or business return addresses on the box,” he says.
Last year, a specialist drug enforcement unit in Gwinnett, the county where the Guitar Center in question is located, intercepted 4,500 lbs of drugs sent through postal services. “That equalled about $70 million that had been sent through FedEx or UPS, that officers were able to seize through the help of a K9,” Flynn said.
A representative for Guitar Center says the business has been cooperating with law enforcement since the drugs were discovered. The police do not suspect that anyone at the store was involved in shipping the drugs found.

This isn’t the first time narcotics have appeared alongside music equipment. In 2019, reports circulated of a synthesizer repair engineer who became intoxicated while cleaning a vintage Buchla Model 100 synth from the 60s. The engineer entered a 9-hour LSD trip, which was verified by tests on the synth later on. Talk about high voltage.
Read more music indsutry news. 
The post Guitar Center employees discover piles of drugs stuffed inside amp appeared first on MusicTech.

Moog launch Muse polysynth Moog's latest instrument promises to combine the best features of their classic analogue synths with the benefits of modern digital control.