Songwriters mock low streaming royalty rates in new videoOne of the tragedies of the streaming age is that even hit songwriters are finding it hard to earn a living in the age of streaming.....
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Think musicians should be paid for radio play? SIGN THIS PETITION NOWThe United States is one of a handful of countries that don’t compensate artists when their music is played on AM/FM radio. The others denying hundreds of thousands of musicians. Continue reading
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512 Audio’s Limelight mic struggles to cut through the competitionPrice £189.99/$199.99
With the Limelight microphone, Warm Audio spin-off brand 512 Audio takes on the heavy hitters of the broadcast dynamic mic niche. And, while it trades finesse for price, it still delivers a lower noise floor than those more established mics in most situations.

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512’s Limelight makes an immediate — and perhaps contradictory — impression with its large size and light weight. In broadcast and podcast terms, these are desirable characteristics. The size is necessary to house the large diaphragm (28mm) favoured in broadcast mic designs while also providing a frequency and axial response-defining acoustic chamber for the moving coil transducer.
Aesthetically, it also boasts a stylish, vintage design similar to 1968’s Electro-Voice RE-20, an industry-standard in broadcast mics — a nice touch.
Image: Electro-Voice’s RE20
Limelight’s hypercardioid pattern is tighter than the cardioid pickup of the classic Shure SM7B and Electro-Voice RE20, with the latter’s distinctive grille layout providing a clear inspiration for 512 Audio. Its lightweight metal housing makes it far less challenging for mic stands than either of these broadcast stalwarts, both of which weigh over 700g. Sprung desktop boom arms will have no problem suspending a Limelight, leaving some extra strength for adding a pop filter if necessary, both of which are also part of the 512 Audio range.
The high-pass filter switch (100Hz, 12dB/oct) is on the underside of the mic, which is inconveniently obscured by the ring of the swivel mount, though this is usually a set-and-forget function. The downside of the Limelight’s lightweight casing is that it resonates higher in frequency when handled or vibrated compared to heavier steel types. This means that the high-pass filter isn’t as effective as you’d hope.

Additionally, engaging the filter reduces the mic’s resistance to electromagnetic hum, resulting in noticeable hum from the mains power. This means that positioning it away from transformers is essential for a quieter recording. Therefore, you should consider using a preamp/mixer-based high-pass filter.
The proximity effect at play with the Limelight plays a significant, positive role in defining the body tone of the Limelight’s sound. Getting close up to the mic gets a little bass-heavy and, expectedly, makes plosives more prominent. But we’d recommend using a pop filter even at a more reasonable distance.
The tonal sweet spot is about 10cm to 15cm from the front grille, delivering a balanced low-end. This balance continues through the mid-range and doesn’t break up upon contact with compression and limiting — an inevitable part of podcast audio production. Off-axis, the proximity effect quickly dies away without the remaining attenuated signal becoming peaky, which is vital for multiple mic setups.
The higher end lacks immediate presence and benefits from a gentle EQ lift from around 7-10kHz, depending on the slope. The Limelight isn’t hiding any nasty sibilance bias, so a little lift won’t force you to reach for the de-esser — at least, not more than normal.
Even with some EQ, there is less noise than a matched-level SM7B, with around 6-10dB gain difference at the preamp, impedance depending. This means it’s unlikely an inline mic booster (Cloudlifter) will be a necessary purchase for quiet voice work. Limelight has a nominal rating of 600Ω, which is on the high side for dynamic mics, but this makes it a fine match for most interface preamps which tend to have input impedances at the high end.
For example, on the Focusrite ISA preamp used for review, the Limelight suited the medium and high impedances (2,400Ω and 6,800Ω, respectively). The SM7B achieved its best noise/level/tone performance at 1,400Ω (subject to taste).

The explosion in podcasting has made the competitive broadcast microphone market fierce. The Limelight goes up against the $99 Rode Podmic, an excellent-sounding dynamic that’s superb value for money, even if it’s susceptible to plosives and sibilance and has no on-body filters or pads. Coming in at $149, the Sontronics Podcast Pro, like the Limelight, has a supercardioid pickup pattern and is similarly low-noise. The Samson Q9U ($199) also does a good job with a USB interface built in. Or for just $50 more, the $249 Shure MV7 is feature-packed with onboard EQ, compression and limiting, plus USB and XLR connectivity.
For $199, the Limelight presents an acceptable balance of price and quality, with the caveat of needing a high-frequency EQ lift and having a poor-quality high-pass filter. However, it looks the part and has a low noise floor and neutral off-axis response, which is beneficial in multi-mic setups.
Learn more at 512 Audio.
Key Features

Capsule: 28mm dynamic
Polar Pattern: Hypercardioid
Frequency Range: 50Hz to 15kHz
Impedance: 600Ω
Max. SPL: 138dB
High Pass Filter: 100Hz (12dB/Oct)
Weight: 350g
Dimensions: 167 x 607 mm
Accessories: Swivel mount and carry bag

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DW Soundworks & DWe kits from Drum Workshop DW have introduced a new virtual drum platform, along with a new drum kit series that can be converted from acoustic to electronic. 

Recent Classical Highlights for February 2024Several albums stood out to our reviewers this month. One of those was a beautiful recital of French orchestral songs by Sandrine Piau (pictured). Also from France, Christophe Rousset lead his ensemble Les Talens Lyriques and impressive star singers in one of Lully's famous operas, Atys.

Why VCs are investing in startups that help other startups shut downIn one of the VC world’s greatest ironies, investors have lately been clamoring to back startups that are helping other startups shut down. So whether a VC-backed startup is succeeding or shuttering, investors themselves are finding ways to make returns for their limited partners while also helping founders move on more quickly. And with an […]
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Lizzy Borden at the Whisky A Go GoLike Alice Cooper, Lizzy Borden is the name of the band and the singer. Dual moniker uses, however, are not the only things that these Los Angeles shock rockers share with Coop. A proclivity for showmanship that veers heavily towards horror movie themes are their most shared traits, plus fake blood by the bucket, a theatrical sneer here and there, and tons of fun.

More importantly, Lizzy Borden has an arsenal of wonderful glam-metal stomp-along tunes. Not as open to mainstream acceptance as Coop's, sure. But still, really freaking good. Also, that's the last Alice Cooper comparison, we promise.

At the Whisky on the evening of Friday, February 23, Borden (the singer) arrived on stage wearing what looked like three faces, sewn together. After a song or two, he was kitted out like a robot skeleton. And the impressive costume changes just kept coming.

Those same costume changes made a song like "Master of Disguise" seem all the more on-the-nose. Meanwhile, "American Metal" is a fist-in-the-air chant, "Love Kills" is a Sunset Strip classic, "We Got the Power" is epic, and Lizzy Borden's cover of the Ramones' "Pet Sematary" is inspired.

They ended with a creepy "Long May They Haunt Us," an appropriate song given the crowd's feelings towards this most influential and never-say-die group.

Closer Music announce Luca Pretolesi world tour Closer Music have announced an upcoming tour which will see Luca Pretolesi deliver mixing and mastering workshops in eight cities around the world.

SEVENTEEN’s FML was the biggest-selling album globally last year, according to IFPINews arrives a day after Miley Cyrus’ Flowers was named the biggest-selling single globally last year
Source

Atlantic Music Group makes around two dozen layoffs to ‘achieve maximum impact’ for its artistsNews was announced in a memo sent by Atlantic Music Group Chairman and CEO, Julie Greenwald
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SunBurnt Is A New FREE Convolution Reverb Plugin
Unplug.red released the SunBurnt convolution reverb plugin for Windows, Mac, and Linux.  SunBurnt is a 64-bit plugin available in VST3, AU, and CLAP formats, and the developer offers both free and paid versions.  The free version has a banner on the interface, which is the only point of difference between the two versions.  The Zip [...]
View post: SunBurnt Is A New FREE Convolution Reverb Plugin

“We couldn’t be more proud”: Chase & Status win Producer of the Year at the BRITs for first timeChase & Status have been given the award of Producer of the Year at the BRITs this year, ahead of the ceremony this weekend.

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The duo, who are set to perform at the event alongside singer, and two-time British Dance Act award winner Becky Hill, are also up for the British Group award alongside Blur, Headie One and K-Trap, Jungle, and Young Fathers. Recent winners of the Producer award include David Guetta, Inflo, Fred again.., and Calvin Harris.
Per the BBC, Chase & Status – Saul Milton and Will Kennard – said in a statement earlier this week, “We couldn’t be more proud – we’ve been flying the flag for British music now for a long time, we’re super proud of all the music that has come out of the UK.
“As producers, and as a creative duo, I think we are probably in one of the best places we’ve been.”
Yesterday (26 February) they spoke about the award on X, formerly Twitter, too, describing it as a “special moment” in their career.

Producer of the year @BRITs
For us, winning producer of the year is a special moment in our career. Being producers is such an important part of who we are as artists and to be recognised for that at the highest level is an honour. #chaseandstatus #brits pic.twitter.com/l5bMyCpMqi
— Chase & Status (@chaseandstatus) February 26, 2024

Chase & Status released their last album, 2 RUFF, Vol. 1, in November, and it features the likes of Stefflon Don, Flowdan, Kwengface and ArrDee. Also in 2023, they collaborated with Hill on the hit single Disconnect, which got to no. 6 on the UK Singles Chart and has reached over 67 million Spotify streams. The duo released their first album, More than Alot, in 2008, but first formed over two decades ago, in 2003.
Aiming to stop Hill from making it three British Dance Act awards in a row are Harris, Barry Can’t Swim, Fred again.., and Romy. And the nominees for Mastercard Album of the Year, always one of the most eagerly-anticipated awards, are Blur, J Hus, Little Simz, RAYE, and Young Fathers.
The BRIT Awards will be on ITV1 and STV from 8 pm to 10 pm on Saturday, 2 March. Along with Chase and Status and Hill, artists set to perform include Dua Lipa, RAYE, Kylie Minogue, Jungle, Rema, and Harris and Ellie Goulding.
You can check out the full list of awards and nominees on the BRIT Awards’ website.

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Independents accounted for 50% of Spotify industry revenue last yearIndependent artists generated $4.5 billion on Spotify in 2023. This is the first year ever that Indies accounted for about 50% of what the entire industry generated on the streamer, which totaled $9 billion....
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The last phase of TikTok’s UMG music takedowns has begunThe third and final phase of TikTok's forced takedown of all UMG-controlled music has begun. The short video service has 30 days from January 31, 2024, to complete all takedowns.....
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