Some international attendees are skipping 2026 GDC due to safety fears and growing ICE presenceMany members of the international games industry are skipping the 2026 Game Developers Conference because of the growing ICE presence and other concerns.

Bitmine’s staked Ether holdings point to $164M in annual staking revenueThe publicly traded Ether treasury has more than 2 million ETH staked, with total holdings of more than 4.2 million, or 3.5% of the outstanding supply.

Electronik Sound Lab Abyss FXWHAT IS ABYSS FX? AbyssFX is a creative reverb and spatial destruction plugin designed for producers, sound designers, and audio engineers who demand more than just ambience. While traditional reverbs aim for transparency and realism, AbyssFX embraces character, movement, and transformation. Featuring three distinct morphing modes that fundamentally alter the reverb's behavior, advanced pitch shifting, and creative destruction tools, AbyssFX delivers everything from organic cinematic textures to aggressive glitch effects. Whether you need textured vintage warmth, deep evolving spaces, or complete sonic annihilation, AbyssFX provides the tools for creative exploration. Built on a custom Dattorro FDN architecture with Hermite interpolation and professional DSP enhancements, this plugin combines studio-grade algorithms with a bold, character-driven approach. Perfect for when you want your reverb to be heard, not hidden. LAUNCH SPECIAL - 50% OFF: €29.99 (ex VAT) - Regular price €59.99 - Offer ends: February 8, 2026 at 23:59 CET https://electroniksoundlab.com/abyss-fx/ KEY Features THREE MORPHING REVERB MODES Transform your sound with three distinct reverb personalities: RUST MODE - Vintage Saturation Engine. Textured, modulated spaces with progressive saturation and organic breathing. Creates vintage tape machine warmth, lo-fi cassette character, and warm analog textures. Perfect for retro electronic music, textured pads, and progressive saturation builds: ABYSS MODE - Deep Space Engine. The deepest and cleanest mode. Creates vast, underwater-like spaces with slow organic movement. Features the deepest modulation (up to 125 samples) without added drive saturation. Perfect for cinematic soundscapes, dark ambient, and film scoring: MAGMA MODE - Destruction Engine. Pure sonic aggression with the fastest LFO speed (2×), increased diffusion, and extreme drive behavior. Intentionally creates artifacts and distortion for creative destruction. Perfect for glitch effects, breakdowns, and experimental electronic music. PRESSURE MACRO CONTROL AbyssFX's secret weapon - a single control that morphs multiple parameters simultaneously: Size breathing and space expansion. Modulation depth increases. Progressive drive saturation (mode-dependent). Wet mix boost for instant impact. Dual functionality: use with reverb OR as standalone drive control. Each morph mode responds differently to Pressure, creating instant sonic transformations from subtle enhancement to complete chaos. HYBRID PITCH FX SYSTEM Two distinct pitch modes optimized for different applications: SUB-ABYSS MODE - Pitch Down Specialist. Serial mixing architecture optimized for sub-bass generation and octave-down effects. Perfect for adding weight and depth to drums and bass: GLITCH MODE - Shimmer. Parallel mixing architecture for ethereal shimmer effects. Creates angelic, crystalline textures perfect for ambient and post-rock styles. Both modes feature adjustable pitch shift from -12 to +12 semitones with independent amount control. CREATIVE DRIVE SYSTEM Five distinct saturation modes for character or devastation: ANALOG - Vintage tube-style saturation for subtle warmth. TAPE - Tape saturation emulation with smooth harmonic compression. BIT - Bit-reduction distortion for lo-fi aesthetics and digital crunch. FOLD - Wave-folding algorithm for complex harmonic content. GRANULAR - Sample rate reduction with glitchy, stuttering textures. Parallel processing with independent Amount, Mix, and Tone controls. PROFESSIONAL FILTERING State Variable TPT filters with advanced control: High-pass filter (20 Hz - 2 kHz). Low-pass filter (2 kHz - 20 kHz). Independent Q control (0.1 - 10.0) for each filter. Selectable slopes: 12 dB/oct or 24 dB/oct. Surgical tonal shaping from mud removal to telephone effects. ADVANCED MODULATION Create movement and organic evolution: LFO Rate: 0.05 - 10 Hz with mode-dependent speed multiplication. LFO Depth: 0-100% modulation intensity. Orbit: Circular stereo panning for swirling spatial effects. Mode-specific behavior: Abyss (0.5× slow), Magma (2× fast). FREEZE FUNCTION Infinite sustain for pad creation and sound design: Capture and hold current reverb tail. Transform transients into evolving textures. Perfect for live performance transitions. Combine with Pitch FX for instant synth pads. PROFESSIONAL OUTPUT PROTECTION Studio-grade signal processing: Soft clipping for musical saturation. Brick-wall limiter prevents intersample peaks. Denormal protection for consistent CPU performance. Zero latency for real-time performance. Extended tail times up to 60 seconds. COMPREHENSIVE PRESET SYSTEM Get started instantly or build your library: 60+ factory presets covering diverse use cases. Save unlimited custom presets. Automatic dirty state detection. Preset browser with dropdown selection. Easy sharing via .afx files. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Audio PROCESSING: Sample rate support: 44.1 kHz - 192 kHz. Bit depth: 32-bit floating point internal processing. Latency: Zero latency (no look-ahead processing). Tail time: Up to 60 seconds. Channel configuration: Stereo in / Stereo out. Dynamic range: >120 dB. DSP ARCHITECTURE: 4-line FDN architecture with Hadamard mixing matrix. Hermite interpolation for artifact-free modulation. Advanced input diffusion network (8 all-pass stages). DC blocking filters for bass preservation. Denormal protection for CPU efficiency. Adaptive delay line sizing with breathing room. OPTIMIZATION: Efficient memory management. SIMD-optimized math operations. Lock-free parameter updates. Conditional processing (bypasses inactive sections). Smoothed parameter changes for click-free automation. COMPATIBILITY: Format: VST3. Platform: Windows 64-bit. Minimum: Windows 10. Tested DAWs: FL Studio, Ableton Live, Reaper, Studio One, Cubase. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Windows 10 (64-bit) or later. Dual-core processor (2.0 GHz or faster). 4 GB RAM. VST3-compatible DAW. 50 MB free disk space. OpenGL 2.0 compatible graphics. RECOMMENDED REQUIREMENTS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit). Quad-core processor (2.5 GHz or faster). 8 GB RAM or more. VST3-compatible DAW. 100 MB free disk space. Dedicated graphics card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwgHDNNUK1Y Read More

Create a Tiny Telephone Exchange with an Analog Telephone AdapterAn analog telephone adapter (ATA), or FXS gateway, is a device that allows traditional analog phones to be connected to a digital voice-over-IP (VoIP) network. In addition to this, you can even create a local phone exchange using just analog phones without connecting to a network as [Playful Technology] demonstrates in a recent video.
The ATA used in the video is the Grandstream HT802, which features one 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port and two RJ11 FXS ports for two POTS phones, allowing for two phones to be directly connected and configured using their own profiles.
By using a multi-FXS port ATA in this manner, you essentially can set up your own mini telephone exchange, with a long run of Cat-3 possible between an individual phone and the ATA. Use of the Ethernet port is necessary just once to configure the ATA, as demonstrated in the video. The IP address of the ATA is amusingly obtained by dialing *** on a connected phone and picking 02 as menu option after which a synthetic voice reads out the number. This IP address gets you into the administration interface.

To configure the ATA as an exchange, the local loopback address is used, along with a dial alias configured in the ‘Dial Plan’ section. This way dialing e.g. 102 gets internally converted to dial the other FXS port. By setting up a similar plan on the other FXS port both phones can call each other, but it’s also possible to auto-dial when you lift the handset off the hook.
The rather hacky configuration ought to make clear that the ATA was not designed to be used in this manner, but if your use case involves this kind of scenario, it’s probably one of the cheaper ways to set up a basic, small phone exchange. There are even ATA models that have more than two ports, opening up more possibilities. Just keep in mind that not every ATA may support this kind of tweaking.

NMPA promotes Danielle Aguirre to Chief Legal Officer & Chief Operating Officer; Charlotte Sellmyer upped to EVPThe pair's new titles reflect how their roles have expanded within the organization.
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Get a free playable sample preset for Splice INSTRUMENT
Download our free playable sample preset for Splice INSTRUMENT—grab these presets during the drop window and they’re yours to keep forever.

The Music Connection February 2026 Playlist is Live!Listen along with MC!

Our monthly issue playlists allow you to hear the featured artists as you read about them, and the February, 2026 playlist is live now!

Check out cover star PinkPantheress, the DIY Spotlighted Leilani Kilgore, and all of the artists included in our Signing Stories, Album Reviews, New Music Critiques, and Live Reviews (as long as they are on Spotify).

Hear the playlist here

While you're there, please "Like" the playlist and "Follow" Music Connection's profile so you'll never miss the chance to listen along with MC!

Previous playlists:

Hear our January playlist here!

Hear the December playlist here!The post The Music Connection February 2026 Playlist is Live! first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

W.A. Production releases Delay Rings 8-Bit (Japan) with a limited-time 70% discount
Delay Rings 8-Bit (Japan) is a brand-new version of the developer’s flagship dynamic delay engine, and you can grab it for just $12 while the intro offer lasts. That’s a massive 70% discount! The introductory sale will last for another 17 days (as of the time of writing – 26 January 2026). Once the sale ends, [...]
View post: W.A. Production releases Delay Rings 8-Bit (Japan) with a limited-time 70% discount

Ablaze Audio releases Ablaze Toolkit bundle with five FREE plugins
Ablaze Audio has released Ablaze Toolkit, a bundle of five free plugins for Windows, macOS, and Linux, designed to simplify common mixing and sound design tasks in modern metal production. Oh, and there’s a fun easter egg for BPB readers. Ablaze Audio is run by the same developer who created our BPB Dirty Filter plugin. [...]
View post: Ablaze Audio releases Ablaze Toolkit bundle with five FREE plugins

New TikTok Music Terms, Feeds & Outages: All You Need To KnowUS TikTok creators and users are experiencing outages and irrelevant content in feeds as new owners take control. But new TikTok Music Terms Of Service may pose the biggest threat to musicians and labels who rely on the platform.
The post New TikTok Music Terms, Feeds & Outages: All You Need To Know appeared first on Hypebot.

Musicians ‘Stealing Isn’t Innovation’ Campaign LaunchesThe battle lines between the creative community and unregulated AI development are being drawn more clearly than ever. The Human Artistry Campaign (HAC), a global coalition of 180 organizations, doubled down on its mission with the launch of the Musicians Stealing Isn’t Innovation campaign. This initiative was signed by a long list of major musicians, creators, and actors.
The post Musicians ‘Stealing Isn’t Innovation’ Campaign Launches appeared first on Hypebot.

Will.i.am: “I can’t be that critical of AI – because I have a career sampling music”The debate surrounding AI in music is complex and highly nuanced. Many are critical of fully fledged AI music generators – saying their content is flooding streaming services and diluting the creativity of real human artists – while others hail the potential of artificial intelligence to expedite the creative process.
Black Eyed Peas superstar Will.i.am is one of many industry veterans urging people to be more open to the adoption of AI in the creative process. Back in 2023, he spoke on how AI was still in its infancy, saying: “It’s Super Mario Bros. right now – we ain’t even got to Call of Duty yet.”

READ MORE: This comprehensive Softube plugin bundle was over £1,000, but you can get it right now for just £129

And speaking to CNBC in Davos, Switzerland last week, the singer once again revealed his thoughts on AI, saying it’s not dissimilar to the rise of sampling decades ago.
“Imagine it’s 1970, we’re talking about jazz here, right?” he says. “A jazz musician would say, ‘What do you think about these samplers that are coming? People just sampling our stuff that we did back in the past. You think that’s music?’
“Turns out that that’s the form of hip-hop sampling and using technology to reimagine and chop up and reconfigure… So I can’t be that critical [of] AI, because I have a career sampling music…”
He also suggests that developers who write the code for AI music generators should also be given some credit in the creative process.
“At the core of AI music is some developer, and though that’s their art, you can’t discredit their art for creating that algorithm to create,” he says.
“Yes, they did borrow from music. They did train on, you know, the entire library that humans have made and that people should be paid for…
“We’re going to get to a point 20 years from now where it would have evolved, and it’s not about training on yesterday’s music. We have to prepare ourselves for that, too. Because the AI that we’re concerned about is not here yet, and that is the AI that’s creating just on it’s own.”

The post Will.i.am: “I can’t be that critical of AI – because I have a career sampling music” appeared first on MusicTech.

NAMM 2026: Korg microAUDIO 22 & 722 Korg have announced the microAUDIO series, two compact USB-C audio interfaces designed for desktop, mobile, and streaming-based workflows.

This comprehensive Softube plugin bundle was over £1,000, but you can get it right now for just £129Plugin Boutique is currently offering a whopping deal on a bundle of 11 Softube plugins, curated with producers in mind.
You can now get 88 percent off its Producer Bundle, which was originally priced over £1,000 and is now just £129. The bundle offers a bunch of nifty tools for mixing, tracking, or sound designing across a wide range of genres.
[deals ids=”5BzDCZB4554BzFPUd7St17″]
The Softube Producer Collection is exclusive to Plugin Boutique, and is described as a “premium suite of essential production tools, combining analogue warmth, classic tone, and modern flexibility”.
The collection features its Amp Room: Vintage Suite, British Class A channel strip, FET Compressor MK II, Harmonics saturation processor, Model 84 synth emulation, a Vocoder, the Passive-Active Pack EQ collection, its Tape plugin, the Transient Shaper, Tube Delay, and its Widener tool. Some of these plugins cost over £100 individually.

READ MORE: Waves Curves Resolve: this plugin “listens” and fixes conflicts between multiple tracks in your mix, intelligently

The Amp Room plugin is a core highlight, offering four classic amps, five cabs, 11 stompboxes, 13 effects and utilities, microphone options, presets, and more. The Class A emulation recreates British Console sound, and is modelled after some of the most sought-after and costly console modules used across records by Queen, Nirvana, David Bowie, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Another core plugin in this bundle is its Model 84 synth emulation, which recreates the sounds of Roland’s Juno-106. We rated this plugin a perfect 10/10 in our 2021 review, calling it “a photo-fit recreation” of the original, while its Extended Control section delivers modern functionality. Producer Tycho also referred to this plugin as one of the best soft synths ever made in his 2024 interview with MusicTech.

This offer runs until 1 February. You can shop this deal and more over at Plugin Boutique.
The post This comprehensive Softube plugin bundle was over £1,000, but you can get it right now for just £129 appeared first on MusicTech.

VSL announce Vienna Ensemble Pro 8 and 8V Vienna Symphonic Library have released Vienna Ensemble Pro 8 and 8V, representing major updates to their established networked mixing and hosting environment.