Justice release Incognito, the “​​synth-laden” third single from their forthcoming album HyperdramaElectronic duo Justice have launched the third single, Incognito, from their forthcoming album Hyperdrama.
The new release follows on from comeback singles One Night/All Night featuring Tame Impala and Generator which landed back in January. Further details on the track listing for the new record are yet to be revealed, but it is set for a 26 April release.

READ MORE: How to create Justice-style distorted synths

The new single begins with a spacey intro and then picks up into a faster pace, packing in loads of chunky synth sounds. It goes through varying pace changes throughout, with each one bringing a new melodic pattern.
Justice say of the track, “Like many songs on this record, it switches from all electronic to all human music abruptly, multiple times within its four minute run. The structure is dictated by what feels good at the moment it happens, without necessarily following any other rule.
“We had to unlearn everything we thought we knew about song structures, and music in general, when we started working on Hyperdrama, which was very refreshing,” they conclude.
Listen below:

Justice’s new album will mark their first studio record since 2016’s Woman. As the track listing is still under wraps, it could well be possible for a collaboration with The Weeknd to feature on the album.
Back in January, The Weeknd had been posting a range of cryptic images on Instagram containing Justice’s signature cross logo, with one also featuring a French flag – the duo, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, are of French nationality.
Justice are also billed as a headliner of Field Day Festival, and a topline performer for this year’s Coachella Festival – this will act as the debut performance of their as-yet-unseen new live show. They will be playing a range of shows shortly before and following the release of the new album.
View all live dates via the official Justice website.
The post Justice release Incognito, the “​​synth-laden” third single from their forthcoming album Hyperdrama appeared first on MusicTech.

Actuate By Ardura Is A FREE Open-Source Subtractive Synthesizer
Ardura, an independent developer and trance producer, has just released a free, open-source synth called Actuate. Actuate is a subtractive synthesizer, a sampler, and a granulizer all at once made in Rust. While it can be scary to look at because of its cluttered UI, it does deliver a very nice sound and has a [...]
View post: Actuate By Ardura Is A FREE Open-Source Subtractive Synthesizer

Talk Box pioneer and sound system innovator Bob Heil has passed away at 83Bob Heil, the man behind the Talk Box effect unit, has sadly passed away aged 83. Heil founded Heil Sound in 1966, where he also began to create improved live sound systems compared to what was on the market at the time. He later released the Talk Box in 1973.
According to a post shared by Heil Sound, he passed away peacefully and surrounded by family following a battle with cancer. Many industry figures have paid tribute to the innovator, who also worked with the likes of the Grateful Dead, The Who, Joe Walsh of the Eagles, Jeff Beck and more.

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A post shared by Heil Sound – Modern microphone company rooted in tradition. (@heilsound)

Heil was drafted in to provide a PA for the Grateful Dead’s show at the Fox Theater in St Louis in 1970 when their regular sound operator was unavailable, according to Music Radar. His powerful and uniquely crafted sound system was a huge success, and saw him invited to tour with the band thereafter. Heil also worked for Pete Townshend, and created the quadraphonic sound system used while the band toured their Quadrophenia album.
Walsh, who Heil’s Talk Box was developed for, describes the innovator as an “amazing musician” and “a tireless problem solver” in a statement shared online. He adds, “Bob was our wizard in the Midwest. He was also my friend for more than 50 years… RIP, man. I love you and miss you already. Sending love to Sarah [his wife] and to the world of audioheads you leave behind.”

"So waddya got that doesn't work?" I can hear Bob Heil's voice in the back of my mind. An amazing musician (especially…
Posted by Joe Walsh on Saturday, March 2, 2024

Rock artist Peter Frampton, who famously used Heil’s Talk Box on his successful 1976 record Frampton Comes Alive!, writes on X/Twitter: “I am so sorry to hear of the loss of my friend for so many years, Bob Heil. A musician, inventor, ham radio expert, Heil Sound and microphones. He gave me a very important present [in the] mid seventies. The Heil Talkbox! Can never thank Bob enough. Rest in power my friend.”

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of my friend for so many years, Bob Heil. A musician, inventor, ham radio expert,  @Heilsound and microphones. He gave me a very important present mid seventies. The Heil Talkbox!! Can never thank Bob enough. Rest in power my friend.
— Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) March 3, 2024

You can read more tributes below:

Bob Heil of Heil Sound just passed away. A sound pioneer, he helped refine the Heil Talk Box and his Heil Microphones are true workhorses. Tape Op sends condolences to family, co-workers, and friends of Bob’s. He’ll be missed. https://t.co/dnpXcBnfwM pic.twitter.com/NBsX9Hjm8K
— Tape Op (@tapeopmag) March 1, 2024

Renowned music industry innovator Bob Heil, celebrated for his creation of the Talk Box effect unit, has passed away at 83. His legacy is marked by groundbreaking contributions to live concert sound systems, pipe organ tuning, ham radio, and running a music store, too. pic.twitter.com/A6aXCzf3Xd
— Eric Alper (@ThatEricAlper) March 5, 2024

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A post shared by Sunn Amps (@sunn_amps)

The post Talk Box pioneer and sound system innovator Bob Heil has passed away at 83 appeared first on MusicTech.

Apple fined €1.84 billion for breaching antitrust rules, a vastly higher amount than first reportedApple has been fined €1.84 billion for breaching antitrust rules due to its restriction of users’ access to competing streaming services via its App Store, also known as “anti-steering provisions”.
The fine is significantly higher than first expected. The Financial Times had originally reported last month that the brand was facing a €500 million antitrust penalty.

READ MORE: “Football is played by millions of people – but there’s a very small number that can live off playing full time”: Daniel Ek addresses Spotify’s low royalty payments

The European Commission’s investigation found that Apple bans music streaming app developers from fully informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app, and from providing any instructions about how to subscribe to these offers.
Its report explains that the hefty fine is “proportionate to Apple’s global revenues and is necessary to achieve deterrence” and reveals that it has ordered Apple to “remove the anti-steering provisions and to refrain from repeating the infringement or from adopting practices with an equivalent object or effect in the future”.
The Commission also shares that Apple’s conduct went on for 10 years. Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy states, “For a decade, Apple abused its dominant position in the market for the distribution of music streaming apps through the App Store.
“They did so by restricting developers from informing consumers about alternative, cheaper music services available outside of the Apple ecosystem. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules, so today we have fined Apple over €1.8 billion.”
As previously reported, Apple responded to The Verge in a request for comment on the matter when original reports began to circulate. A representative said the company would not be “commenting on speculation” surrounding the fine, and referred it to previous comments made by another Apple spokesperson, who said the case had “no merit”.
Find out more via the European Commission.
The post Apple fined €1.84 billion for breaching antitrust rules, a vastly higher amount than first reported appeared first on MusicTech.

All the best free loops, music samples, breaks, one-shots and synth soundsPowered by BandLab
There are millions of sample packs available online right now — from archives of old sample CDs from the 90s, right through to daily-updated sample pack platforms and artists releasing sounds on a Patreon page. This is awesome for creators wanting to manipulate royalty-free audio into a new track or just find inspiration for a new sound. But that’s a daunting number of samples to trawl through, right?

READ MORE: Best free plugins and freeware of the month

We’re gonna try and help you out.
Our list gives you a ton of sample pack recommendations, all of which are free to download and free to use. The only thing you’ll need is a bit of imagination and an internet connection. We reckon you have both of those. We’re obviously going to include the ones that we, MusicTech, have created for you, but we’re also throwing some more in so you have a strong variety.
Image: Jose Carlos Cerdeno Martinez via Getty Images
This month’s best samples from MusicTech and BandLab
Handclap Toolkit
Drum machine clap samples are a staple in myriad genres of music, but a unique, more human-sounding handclap can inject a sense of liveliness into your music.
This white-label sample brand produces an eclectic mix of sounds for all types of music-maker. The Handclap Toolkit pack contains loops and one-shot recordings of crisp human claps and finger snaps.
Check out Handclap Toolkit on BandLab Sounds.
Patch & Play Lab: Binaural Stress
Patch & Play Lab brings sounds inspired by the experimental side of music using innovative recording techniques. For this free sample pack, Binaural Stress, the brand used a binaural microphone to record immersive sounds that encompass the listener.
You’ll find unnerving, tension-inducing foley sounds that evoke dark atmospheres. Expect huge explosions, fireworks, smashing glass, and unnerving machinery sounds that swirl around your ears – perfect for creating immersive atmospheres.
Check out Patch & Play Lab: Binaural Stress on BandLab Sounds.
Shadow Child Presents Loops, Bleeps & Bass
A Shadow Child-created sample pack is a one-way ticket to bumping bassy house music. The UK producer has pulled out all the stops for this free sample pack, giving you 64 loops and 36 one-shots of snappy drums, huge synth arps, cool sound effects and weighty bass.
Check out Shadow Child Presents Loops, Bleeps & Bass on BandLab Sounds.
Image: cokada via Getty Images
Sample This: Big Bad Bassline House
Loop label Sample This knows every corner of the underground dance music scene. They reflect on these edgy sub-genres by creating packs that deliver two sides of the sample story.
This free collection of samples does what it says on the tin, really – it’s big, it’s bad and it’s bassline. Coming in hot from bassline’s Sheffield roots, Sample This: Big Bad Bassline House, a sample pack capturing the essence of the UK’s bassline scene, features wobbling basslines, detuned screeches, glitching effects and warbling melodies across 90 loops and 10 one-shots.
Check out Sample This: Big Bad Bassline House on BandLab Sounds.
MusicTech’s Free samples

MusicTech: Analogue Drones & Textures
MusicTech: Vintage Drum Machines
MusicTech: Vintage Polyphonic Ensemble
MusicTech: Dreamy Analogue Pads
MusicTech: Mellow Acid
MusicTech: Berlin Sounds

Best free loops and sample packs online

Blu Mar Ten Jungle Jungle
Cymatics: Percussion Toolkit Vol. 1
Cymatics: Vibes II Drum Loop Collection
Splice: Sounds of KSHMR Vol. 3
The Cookbook Vol. 2: Soul Food
Free Vinyl Drums From Mars
Grooves From Mars
101 Drums From Mars
Free 808 From Mars
Free MPC60 From Mars
All The Breaks Vol.1, 2 & 3
BBC Sound Effects
LANDR: 50 Best Free Vocal Samples
LANDR: 50 Best Free Kick Samples
LANDR: 50 Best Free Synth Samples
Black Octopus Stay Inspired Beats Vol. 2

Check out more buyer’s guides on MusicTech.
[Editor’s note: MusicTech and BandLab are both part of the Caldecott Music Group.]
The post All the best free loops, music samples, breaks, one-shots and synth sounds appeared first on MusicTech.

Judas Priest's Ian Hill Discusses New Album, Metal Classics, Hall of Fame InductionJudas Priest bassist Ian Hill spoke with AllMusic shortly before the release of the band's upcoming album Invincible Shield, discussing the record, his picks for favorite and most underrated Priest recordings, and if a 20th studio album is a possibility.

TikTok says its revamped creator fund has increased total creator revenue by over 250%TikTok announced today that its revamped creator fund has increased total creator revenue by over 250% within the last six months. The company says the fund, which launched a year ago and eventually replaced TikTok’s original $1 billion Creator Fund, is exiting beta in the coming weeks. TikTok also announced that its LIVE Subscription monetization […]
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Introducing the new Splice mobile app: Discover sounds and create ideas on the go
Learn how to use Splice Mobile to organize your favorite sounds on the go and start new ideas with Create mode.

Making a Crystodyne Radio With Zinc Oxide and Cat’s WhiskersZinc negative resistance oscillator circuit. (Credit: Ashish Derhgawen)
During the first half of the 20th century radio technology was booming, albeit restricted by the vacuum tube technology of the time which made radios cumbersome in size and power needs. The development of a solid state alternative to the vacuum tube was in full swing, but the first version pioneered by [Oleg Losev] in the form of crystal radios failed to compete. Even so these ‘crystal radios’ laid much of the groundwork for subsequent research. The ease of creating this type of radio also makes it a fun physics experiment today, as [Ashish Derhgawen]  demonstrates in a blog post.
In the January 1925 issue of Radio News the theory  of the circuit is explained by [Oleg Losev] himself (page 1167). At the core is a material capable of negative resistance, as a non-linear (non-Ohmic) material, which means that the current passing through them decreases as voltage increases over part of their I-V curve. This enables it to work as an amplifier or oscillator. After the cessation of research on crystal radio technology by [Losev] and others, the negative resistance diode was rediscovered in 1957 with the tunnel diode.

The semiconductor used here is zinc oxide (zincite), which is obtained by taking a strip of zinc and heating it with a blow torch. This creates spots of zinc oxide on the strip, which can then be contacted by the ‘cat’s whisker’ contact. In the circuit, the clock is created by the 4 MHz crystal and a 10 kOhm potentiometer is used to adjust the biasing. What [Ashish] noticed is how fussy this type of oscillator is, as where the cat’s whisker touches on the strip has to be often adjusted, presumably due to how imperfect the formed semiconductor material is. This was one of the main downfalls of crystal radios during the 1920s and onwards, as though they were cheap, they couldn’t amplify very much and required constant maintenance.
Regardless, as a practical demonstration of early solid-state semiconductor research it remains a wonderful example. meanwhile if you’re interested in [Losev]’s life and untimely end, we wrote a biography of him back in 2017.

HYBE’s CEO delivered some strong fiscal results to investors last week. Except it wasn’t him. It was an AI clone.Jiwon Park's voice on company's earnings call was actually an AI replication via HYBE's Supertone technology
Source

Gaming on a TP-Link TL-WDR4900 Wireless RouterWhen you look at your home router, the first thought that comes to mind probably isn’t about playing games on it. But that doesn’t stop [Manwyrm] and [tSYS] from taking on the task of turning the 2013-era TP-Link TL-WDR4900 router into a proper gaming machine using an external GPU. This is made possible by the PCIe lanes on the mainboard, courtesy of the PowerPC-based SoC (NXP QorIQ P1014) and remappable Base Address Registers (BARs). This router has been an OpenWRT-favorite for years due to its powerful hardware and feature set.

This mod required a custom miniPCIe PCB that got connected to the PCIe traces (after cutting the connection with the Atheros WiFi chipset). This allowed an external AMD Radeon HD 7470 GPU to be connected to the system, which showed up in OpenWRT. To make full use of this hardware by gaining access to the AMD GPU driver, full Debian Linux was needed. Fortunately, the distro had a special PowerPCSPE port that supports the e500v2 CPU core in the SoC. After this it was found that the amdgpu driver has issues on 32-bit platforms, for which an issue ticket got filed.
Using the legacy Radeon driver helped to overcome this issue, but then it was found that the big endian nature of the CPU tripped up the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City game code which has not been written with BE in mind. This took a lot of code patching to help fix this, but eventually the game was up and running, albeit with glitches. Whatever the cause of these graphical glitches was will remain unknown, as after updating everything things began to work normally.
So now it’s possible to convert a 2013-era router into a gaming console after patching in an external GPU, which actually could be useful in keeping more potential e-waste out of landfills.

Thanks to [adistuder] for the tip.

Executive Profile: Joshua RosenbergPartner

Venable LLP

Years with Company: 2 Address: Los Angeles, CAPhone: 310-229-9931Web: venable.comEmail: JMRosenberg@venable.com 

Publicity: Margo Kaplan - Venable, MHKaplan@venable.com

Clients: Many entertainment industry clients including production companies, talent agencies, management companies, concert promoters, and record labels.

BACKGROUND

Joshua Rosenberg wanted to become a screenwriter, so he moved to L.A. and earned a master of fine arts from University of Southern California. After a few years, he realized being a television and movie scribe wasn’t his destiny, so he attended Loyola Law School. In January of 2022, he joined law firm Venable, where he represents a wide variety of entertainment industry personalities and entities.

Transactional Versus Litigation Lawyers

There are two types of entertainment attorneys: transactional and litigation. Transactional attorneys do the deals. They represent the talent. Those are the types of lawyers the clients like to speak to, because usually they’re making their clients lots of money. I’m the one who comes in when the deal goes wrong.

A Hearty Defense

I try to resolve [an issue] before it goes to trial or becomes public. At the same time, I vigorously defend my clients, both on the plaintiff and defense side. When I’m representing talent, I’m protecting their rights, everything from their intellectual property to their privacy. A lot of my clients are celebrities who have stalkers, so I work with their private security and threat assessment people. I’m sort of a one-stop shop when it comes to problem solving.

A lot of the dealmaker entertainment lawyers bring me in to do everything from writing a motion to be heard in court or defend them in litigation, to some of the more sensitive matters that aren’t really resolved in court but through other means.

A Lack of Proper Paperwork

The music industry, in particular, can be problematic. If people contribute to a song and there isn’t something signed in writing, you’re going to have disputes. I have a case right now where I’m representing Jason Derulo and Sony Music, who are getting sued by a person who claims he cowrote and coproduced the song “Savage Love.” The remix with BTS was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020. That’s litigation where I’m lead counsel.

The Right Stuff

A good entertainment lawyer is someone who knows how best to solve a problem for their clients so they can go on doing what they love to do.

Putting Artists at Ease

A lot of [artists] don’t want to talk to their litigator, because it’s stressful. Part of my job is to take away the worry. That’s consistent with every client, whether it’s a singer-songwriter, an in-house counsel for a record label, or a publisher. “You are not to worry about this.” My job is to give you peace of mind.

A lot of that comes with explaining the process, projecting confidence, and making sure you earn their trust. Sometimes, I deal with lawyers, so I don’t have to explain certain things. Other times, I deal with people who have never been involved with a lawsuit. You have to really start from the beginning and distill it down. That has nothing to do with someone’s education. If someone tried to explain to me how to create a song, I would be lost. Everyone does different things. It’s just what I do.

Referring Matters to Partners

Venable is a full-service law firm. It has corporate. It has trusts and estates. It has bankruptcy. It has trademark prosecution. It has patent work. It literally does everything. I worked at a litigation-only firm for eight years. Now, not only can I handle litigation matters but also I can refer [clients] to one of my partners.

A client I’ve done litigation work for is called Love Renaissance, which is a record label. They came to me and were like, “Someone wants to buy a portion of our company.” A partner of mine does that kind of work and handled the transaction.

The Danger of A.I.

I keep an eye on some of the cases, because it’s obviously new. Technology always poses threats to the music industry. In this instance, it’s affecting all aspects of the entertainment industry, not just music but also film and television. That’s why the guilds are striking.

If you give A.I. a database of every movie ever made and a few plot points— Die Hard-meets-Pretty Woman—the screenplay is probably not going to be so bad. That’s kind of terrifying.

So lawsuits have been filed. But, at some point, technology wins out. It’s going to be interesting to see how the industry adapts to these new technologies.

“Heart on My Sleeve”

I had a referral source ask about A.I. because of that song that [sounded like] Drake and The Weeknd. “This is concerning. What’s going to happen?” And I’m like, “If something happens to one of your clients, let me know.” That example scared a lot of people. I’d like to think there’s something special about music that A.I. cannot replicate.

Protecting Your Voice and Image

There’s both the statutory law and what we call common law that protects your privacy and right of publicity. To the extent someone tries to use A.I. to replicate [your sound and likeness,] that would be a violation of those rights.

I had a matter that settled before litigation where a prominent company used not only what we call a sound-alike song of a client but also a look-alike of the artist. You had a commercial with somebody who looks just like the artist singing along to a song that sounded just like this artist’s number-one hit song. We were able to resolve that before it went to court because it was so obvious.

Register Songs and Seek Legal Advice

Register things with the U.S. Copyright Office, because that gives you a presumption of copyright ownership. And consult counsel before signing any agreement. It doesn’t have to be a top-flight firm. I know plenty of attorneys who work by the hour, solo practitioners, who zealously defend the rights of artists.

Dealing With Leaks

I work with record labels that have leaks departments and investigators. It really is a game of whack-a-mole in terms of DMCA takedowns. Discord is one that has been really problematic. It’s easier with YouTube or Facebook or Instagram. But there are websites where users are able to anonymously auction off songs. It’s tough, because not only are you trying to get stuff taken down and it keeps popping back up but also you’re trying to investigate the source of these things.

Understanding the Creative Process

I came to L.A. as a creative. I’ve seen all phases of the entertainment industry, music as wellas film and television. I really understand, appreciate and admire what an artist has to go through and how hard they have to work.

Australia’s GYROstream and DistroDirect launch GROUP SPEED artist services ventureFormer Spotify exec Adrian Burke will serve as General Manager of GROUP SPEED
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Sheeran Looper + & Looper X pedals announced The new Sheeran Looper + and Looper X offer two- and four-track loop pedals kitted out with a range of innovative features. 

Introducing MIDI Widgets for Apple Vision Pro, allowing users to anchor controllers anywhere in their physical spaceA handy new app called MIDI Widgets allows Apple Vision Pro users to position and anchor MIDI controllers around them in their physical space. It is the first spatial MIDI designer to be released for the new virtual reality tool.
Developed by Geert Bevin, MIDI Widgets is available now via the App Store and currently supports faders, buttons and knobs. More controls will be added in future updates.

READ MORE: The Apple Vision Pro could be game-changing for music makers – with a host of futuristic DJ and production apps already available

According to the MIDI Widgets website, the tool will recognise different rooms and locations and restore your controller designs exactly as you left them, even across restarts.
Controllers can also be grouped in scenes, allowing different layouts to be recalled for different purposes, and each scene has its own set of enabled MIDI outputs. You can create as many buttons, faders and knobs as you need, and the latter two of these can be set as unidirectional or bidirectional.
Further features include:

Spatial snapping to make it easy to build out aligned larger control surfaces
Ability to freely re-position/re-orient entire scenes
Scenes can send MIDI messages to multiple configurable MIDI ports
Support for Bluetooth LE MIDI devices
Built-in virtual MIDI to send MIDI to other Vision Pro apps on the same device
Per controller MIDI channel selection
Per controller MIDI Control Change, Channel Pressure, Programme Change or Pitch Bend messages
Every part of a control can be assigned a different colour
Controllers can have optional labels that can be placed on any of the four edges
A floating tool window follows your left or right hand and allows editing anywhere
Multiple controllers can be used simultaneously, allowing for dual hand interaction

Check out more in the videos below:

Apple Vision Pro is still a very early introduction into the music space, but there have already been a fair number of production and music performance-inspired apps revealed. These include the Algoriddim djay app, which puts realistic turntables right in the space in front of you, and the first 3D and spatial AI DAW.
Find out more about MIDI Widgets.
The post Introducing MIDI Widgets for Apple Vision Pro, allowing users to anchor controllers anywhere in their physical space appeared first on MusicTech.