If niche is music’s new mainstream, how do you measure success? [Hanna Kahlert of MIDiA]“It seems that the 1000-stream artist is both everyman’s trash and everyman’s treasure… and is being thrown under the bus to ensure the more ‘successful’ artists are compensated,” writes Hanna. Continue reading
The post If niche is music’s new mainstream, how do you measure success? [Hanna Kahlert of MIDiA] appeared first on Hypebot.

NAMM 2024: Waves’ SuperRack LiveBox lets you “mix live with any VST3 plugins”NAMM 2024: Waves has unveiled two new products, the SuperRack LiveBox and a new version of its eMotion LV1 Live Mixer.

READ MORE: NAMM 2024 recap: All the biggest synth, studio, DJ and software releases

Announced during a jam-packed NAMM Show last week, the brand – “the world’s leading developer of professional audio signal processing technologies and plugins” – didn’t hold back on showcasing new products such as its 2023-launched AI-powered Waves Online Mastering tool, several new plugins and two brand new bits of hardware
Waves SuperRack LiveBox
The first to mention is the new SuperRack Livebox. It’s a user-friendly compact solution that lets you “mix live with any VST3 plugins” from “one simple box”. The unit, which you can mount in your rack in your studio, runs VST3 plugins from any brand thanks to Dante/MADI connectivity, ensuring seamless live production setups.
For the unawares: Dante and MADI are digital audio networking technologies. Dante, by Audinate, sends audio over Ethernet networks, simplifying setup and routing. MADI (Multichannel Audio Digital Interface) transmits multiple audio channels over a single cable, commonly used in professional audio for high-quality signal transfer between consoles and recorders.
The SuperRack LiveBox, according to Waves, delivers low latency. The included Waves SuperRack Performer software provides control over VST3 plugins.
Waves eMotion LV1 Live Mixer
Waves also announced a new product called the Waves eMotion LV1 Live Mixer at NAMM. It’s a digital audio mixing system that offers high-quality sound mixing capabilities for live events, broadcasts, and streaming.
Originally launched in 2016, this new updated version now includes compatibility with the MixMirror app for iOS tablets, enabling remote control of the LV1 and SuperRack.
There are also new expanded gain mapping options, a new mix bus input fader mode, improved touch usability, and bug fixes.
New Waves plugins: Space Rider, Feedback Hunter & Silk Vocal
Aside from these new announcements, Waves also revealed that it will now be “shipping” (ie. launching) three new plugins – Space Rider, Feedback Hunter and Silk Vocal.
Space Rider is a multi-effect plugin combining reverb, delay, and chorus. Its unique ‘Rider’ function dynamically shapes mixes, streamlining routing and automation processes.
Waves Feedback Hunter plugin swiftly optimises live sound setups, maximising gain before feedback in just 30 seconds. It analyses mic-speaker interaction, creating an EQ curve for clear sound, and eliminating the need for speaker ringing. Easy-to-use interface suits both seasoned engineers and beginners, with customisable settings for complex environments.
Silk Vocal balances vocals with smart EQ and dynamics processing. It removes common issues like resonance, boominess, and harshness, streamlining mixing. Additional controls fine-tune processing, while Silk Vocal Live offers real-time processing with reduced latency. It’s an intuitive tool for professional vocal mixing.
Find out more about the SuperRack LiveBox, the updated eMotion LV1 Live Mixer, Space Rider, Feedback Hunter & Silk Vocal plugins via Waves.
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Music.AI launches third-party AI modules Masterchannel and Cyanite on its platformAI-powered music solutions platform Music.AI has launched two third-party AI modules on its platform that are now available to all users: Masterchannel’s AI mastering and spatial audio mastering and Cyanite’s AI-based music tagging and search solutions.

READ MORE: NAMM 2024 recap: All the biggest synth, studio, DJ and software releases

With the introduction of the new modules, Music.AI expands its hub of best-in-class AI technologies, offering businesses an array of drag-and-drop modules from multiple suppliers in a single platform.
The result, it says, is the creation of an ecosystem on the platform for companies looking to build a foundation and quickly adopt AI into their workflows at scale needless of a in-house research and development team.
Masterchannel, for one, has been pioneering industry-first AI approaches to conventional mastering and now also spatial audio mastering. Digital streaming platforms have recently created incentives for labels to create spatial audio mixes for their platforms. Leveraging Music.AI, record labels can now easily combine Music.AI’s high-fidelity stem separation with Masterchannel’s Spatial Audio Mastering module to efficiently process and remaster extensive catalogues.
Cyanite, on the other hand, provides AI-based solutions that automatically generate comprehensive creative metadata for every song or catalogue in seconds. From genre and mood to instruments and tempo, Cyanite extracts a rich set of valuable tags directly from any audio file. Together with state-of-the-art search algorithms, this helps labels, publishers, production music libraries, DSPs, and radio and TV stations better and more efficiently organise, manage, and distribute their media catalogues.
“With a blend of creativity and expertly developed AI models, Music.AI is well-positioned to become the world’s most comprehensive and capable AI ecosystem specialising in music and audio,” says Matt Henninger, VP of Sales and Business Development. “We realise that it’s rarely a single AI technology that a partner needs to leverage, so we built an ecosystem capable of combining multiple technologies in a single place.”
The company adds that it plans to partner with specialists in the coming months to launch more AI-driven solutions that can be combined, integrated, and deployed quickly.
Learn more at Music.AI.
The post Music.AI launches third-party AI modules Masterchannel and Cyanite on its platform appeared first on MusicTech.

It’s settled: Logic Pro is the best digital audio workstation in the world, at least according to the NAMM TEC AwardsThe battle for best digital audio workstation could finally be over, as the 2024 NAMM TEC Awards has given Apple’s Logic Pro with the title of Best Workstation Technology.

READ MORE: Universal Music Group pulls entire song catalogue from TikTok after fiery open letter

The NAMM TEC Awards aims to celebrate technical achievement and design, in areas including microphones, headphones, DJ technology, monitors and DAWs.
Logic Pro didn’t just win in the best digital audio workstation category; it also achieved the top spot for top audio app for smartphones and tablets.
The software has received its fair share of upgrades in recent months, including a Mastering Assistant. This offers creators a “quick and easy way to add that final professional polish for a release-ready mix”.
As Apple explains, once a mix is complete, Mastering Assistant can instantly analyse the audio and make “expert refinements to the sound, adjusting elements such as the dynamics, frequency balance, timbre and loudness”.
Apple’s developments in spatial audio has also set the DAW apart from the rest of pack, meaning producers can now create and mix music in three-dimensional audio.
MusicTech also awarded the iPad version of the software a 9/10, calling it “the most powerful way to produce music on the platform”, thanks to its use of intuitive multi-touch gestures, and it’s 96 kHw recording capabilities.
Other TEC winners include Native Instrument’s Traktor Pro for DJ production technology, and Universal Audio’s Volt 476P for best computer audio hardware.
The latter has been praised in helping achieve “album ready sound”, including an analogue compressor based on one of the most coveted compressors/limiters of all time – UA’s iconic 1176.
See the full list of winners over at the NAMM TEC Awards.
The post It’s settled: Logic Pro is the best digital audio workstation in the world, at least according to the NAMM TEC Awards appeared first on MusicTech.

Warner Chappell Music signs Grammy-nominated R&B artist Coco Jones to exclusive publishing dealJones is up for five awards at the forthcoming 66th Annual Grammys
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Big Machine Label ups Mike Rittberg to COO, Clay Hunnicutt to EVP, Label OperationsRittberg, a veteran of Universal Music Group, joined Big Machine in 2017, while Hunnicutt, formerly of Big Loud, joined in 2019
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Aquae Organ Is Soundiron’s New FREE Pipe Organ For Kontakt Player.
Soundiron releases Aquae Organ, a FREE experimental pipe organ library for Kontakt Player.

Aquae Organ Is Soundiron’s New FREE Pipe Organ For Kontakt Player
Soundiron releases Aquae Organ, a FREE experimental pipe organ library for Kontakt Player. It’s no secret that the Soundiron team likes to blur the lines between realistic and experimental sounds, and they do it very well. You can hear the painstakingly authentic yet ethereal side of Soundiron’s work in libraries like Hyperion Strings/Brass and the [...]
View post: Aquae Organ Is Soundiron’s New FREE Pipe Organ For Kontakt Player

Universal Music Group pulls entire song catalogue from TikTok after fiery open letterThe entirety of Universal Music Group’s song catalogue will be removed from TikTok after its current licensing agreement expires on 31 January 2024, Music Business News has confirmed.

READ MORE: TikTok testing generative AI songmaking tool – and so far, it absolutely sucks

In an open letter issued yesterday (30 January), titled ‘Why we must call time out on TikTok’, UMG accused TikTok of attempting to “bully” them into “accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth”.
UMG said that during its contract renewal discussions with TikTok, it has been “pressing” the tech giant on “three critical issues”, including “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”
“TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay,” the music company added. “As an indication of how little TikTok compensates artists and songwriters, despite its massive and growing user base, rapidly rising advertising revenue and increasing reliance on music-based content, TikTok accounts for only about 1% of our total revenue.”
On AI, UMG claimed that TikTok is “allowing the platform to be flooded with AI-generated recordings” and “developing tools to enable, promote and encourage AI music creation on the platform itself”. It then slammed the move as “nothing short of sponsoring artist replacement by AI.”
Crucially, UMG also alleged that when negotiations had stalled, TikTok tried to “intimidate” them by “selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars.”
“TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans.”
Responding to UMG’s announcement, TikTok says that “It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.”
“Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent,” said the company.
“TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”
The post Universal Music Group pulls entire song catalogue from TikTok after fiery open letter appeared first on MusicTech.

Haven't tried this one but pretty much enjoying Gullfoss - https://www.soundtheory.com
#Tools #musicproduction #Mixing

The music industry is changing. Thomas Coesfeld is busy preparing BMG for what’s next.The BMG boss discusses the sweeping changes he's made at the Bertelsmann-owned company – and the future of music
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Behringer revives a “legend” with the Spring Reverberation 636 Eurorack moduleBehringer has officially released its Spring Reverberation 636 Eurorack module – an emulation of the Grampian 636 reverb processor unit of the 1960s and ‘70s.
Original Grampian 636 units are now rare to come by, and sell on marketplaces often for four-figure sums. It was famously used by the likes of Pete Townshend of The Who, producer Martin Hannett, and was even instrumental in shaping the sounds of early reggae.

READ MORE: Behringer 2024: Every synth, drum machine and controller Behringer is working on

In Behringer’s new recreation, which is available for shipping now, the Spring Reverberation 636 hosts dual mechanical springs that provide “lush and dynamic” reverb sounds. The brand also says that if you bump the 636, it can even do the iconic spring reverb “sproing” – but it advises you to still be gentle with the unit.
It has a super streamline interface, inspired by the original, with control knobs for Reverberate (a dry/wet mix control to adjust the amount of reverb in your signal), Aux Channel, and Mic Channel. It has an overload circuit for that warm analogue tone, plus 3.5mm inputs/outputs on the front panel and 6.3mm ins/outs on the back. It has mic and line inputs with high/low line inputs, and a foot switch pedal input at the back.
Find out more in the video below:

Behringer also teased a prototype of its JT-16 synth, which resembles the Roland Jupiter-8, just last week. No details have yet been shared on when it will officially launch, but it looks like hopeful buyers will have to sit tight for a little bit longer.
“Currently, the synth is in its very early stages, and we are now focusing on debugging and implementing the necessary software,” the brand said on social media. “We kindly ask for your patience, but we assure you that this beauty will come to fruition.”
The Spring Reverberation 636 is priced at $199. It is soon to be available from other dealers.
Find out more at Behringer.
The post Behringer revives a “legend” with the Spring Reverberation 636 Eurorack module appeared first on MusicTech.

Generative AI music market to be worth $3bn by 2028, says report commissioned by Sacem and GEMAThe study found nearly unanimous support for payments to rights holders when their music is used to train AI
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Will The NAMM Show thrive or barely survive after 2024’s encouraging show?That’s a wrap on The NAMM Show 2024. There were some huge announcements, but some notable absentees: Universal Audio didn’t return with an extravagant, space-themed spectacle like in 2020; Moog didn’t have a presence, nor did Focusrite, Sequential, Oberheim or Arturia; the guitar world’s major brands didn’t show — Fender, Gibson and PRS, which also means no Presonus (Fender) or KRK (Gibson). We didn’t even see the adorably named ‘Modular Village’, where Eurorack brands showcase their latest innovations.

READ MORE: NAMM 2024 recap: All the biggest synth, studio, DJ and software releases

If more high-profile music technology companies follow suit in 2025, will it spell the end of The NAMM Show?
After speaking to some brand reps and attendees at the show this year, the main takeaway is (and this isn’t news to anyone) that it’s very expensive to host a booth at NAMM. We’ve heard of top-tier companies paying over $1,000,000 for a significant space at the Anaheim Convention Centre over the four days it takes place — and that’s before accounting for accommodation, travel, and paying talent for performing or hosting workshops.
Evidently, that’s no longer deemed a worthwhile investment for the aforementioned brands. It’s even encouraged some manufacturers to exhibit just over the show’s fences — the late great Dave Smith once showed us his Sequential Pro-3 from a nearby hotel room; this wasn’t a new thing and will certainly carry on for the foreseeable future.
Stevie Wonder at the Teenage Engineering booth during The NAMM Show 2024. Image: Sam Willings
Following Musikmesse’s demise in 2019 and E3 officially being cancelled in 2023, the pandemic paved the way for more considered announcements online. Why pay $1,000,000 for a limited-time space at NAMM when you could use that for a tremendous marketing campaign, rife with artist videos, influencer sponsorships, media partnerships, and a big social media push?
The thing is, we’ve not seen any of that from the big synth makers who skipped NAMM 2024. Arturia, which released its flagship products V Collection X and Pigments 5 in 2023, hasn’t released a massive marketing campaign, and UA recently sort of just said, ‘hey, LUNA is free without hardware now, btw’, rather than making a song and dance of it.
Instead, at NAMM 2024, we saw some of the smaller brands soaking up the attention for their new products. The Teenage Engineering booth was, quite literally, always packed, with Stevie Wonder even checking out the new products. Oeksound showed off Bloom, which had plenty of plugin fans stopping by. The Solodome — frankly, one of the coolest chairs I’ve ever sat in — garnered a ton of intrigue. Attendees couldn’t resist stopping by the Stylophone space to play with its new theremin-inspired instrument, and Reloop had a consistently packed crowd with performances by Laidback Luke, DJ Qbert and more.

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Generally, the atmosphere at NAMM this year was exciting and elated. The buzz in the air was extremely palpable compared to the weird, empty vibe at NAMM 2022 and 2023. It really felt like the show was back to its old self, even without the likes of Fender, UA, Gibson and Focusrite.
Simply put, the absence of giant corporations gives ample space for more bespoke brands to flex. There are, of course, still plenty of household names – Korg, Yamaha, Sony, and Pioneer DJ (AlphaTheta) had plenty to show off and always had a crowd — but the charm of conventions like NAMM are in their quirkier offerings.
For the same reason, Superbooth is an excellent festival for the music technology space. Boutique brands connect with their audience and can actually have a conversation with them — even a quick jam, as we saw in the Erica Synths room in 2023.
On paper, this is excellent news for all. But, realistically, these smaller brands are likely blowing most of their annual marketing budget on the show and taking massive risks by attending. Imagine spending tens of thousands of dollars on a booth in 2022 as a Eurorack manufacturer and finding out that attendance numbers are 50 per cent lower than the previous show. Compared to the bustling, packed show in 2020 — and, indeed, 2024 — the 2022 show was upsettingly scarce.
A demonstration at The Midi Association’s booth during The NAMM Show 2024. Image: Sam Willings
And, really, there aren’t as many wins at every NAMM as there could be for these companies. Although they do make truly valuable connections with retailers, media, and customers, the promotion they might get is lacklustre. For all the influencers and media platforms that attend, all you ever see posted online is the same video demonstration at the same booth with the same spokesperson from each brand. That’s no shade on anyone creating these videos, it’s just a product of limited space and resources at the show.
It’s awesome to walk past the Sony booth, or the Mix With The Masters stage, or the SSL mixing console, and see artists and producers running live workshops and performances. That’s the stuff that is worth capturing on camera to put online. Unfortunately, that’s where you hit the $1,000,000 budget very quickly.
It’d be amazing to see more opportunities for smaller companies to collaborate on events where they can have talent running through each of their products, jamming with them in a live environment and teaching attendees how to use them. Even if it’s just once a day, rather than keeping all the boutique brands static at their booth for the whole show. Other people will have more and probably better ideas than that, but it’s just one thing I picked up from the show.
But here’s the good news: NAMM 2024 genuinely felt like a successful show — an air of optimism, some fun and fantastic products, a host of interesting panels, workshops and events, and a healthy attendance. NAMM 2025 could easily follow suit, with or without the big brands. But the cost of exhibiting has to remain consistent — and not over-inflate — to maintain its charm and utility.
The post Will The NAMM Show thrive or barely survive after 2024’s encouraging show? appeared first on MusicTech.

Using acapellas to inspire your ideas. https://splice.com/blog/use-acapellas-improve-production-chops
#musicproduction #ProductionTips #Producers #Musicians