NAMM 2024: Sennheiser’s HD 490 Pro mixing headphones give you “superior accuracy”NAMM 2024: Esteemed audio brand Sennheiser has released its latest studio monitoring headphones, the HD 490 Pro and HD 490 Pro Plus. The open-back headphones are designed for producing, mixing and mastering, and offer “superior accuracy,” according to the German brand.
READ MORE: With Sennheiser’s HD 490 Pro, mixing on headphones has never been better
Unveiled at The NAMM Show 2024, the headphones build on Sennheiser’s revered HD headphone design, such as the HD 650s and HD 300s.
But the HD 490 Pros are more than just headphones — these ol’ reliables come packaged with the dearVR Mix SE plugin, which gives you access to a multitude of virtual listening environments to check your mix in. You can now do the car check without even getting in your car — in theory, anyway.
DearVR Mix SE plugin
They’re also capable of spatial audio mixing. According to Sennheiser, the HD 490 Pros boast “an extremely wide, dimensional sound stage for precisely localising the components of a mix.” They also feature Ultralight voice coils for “fast and authentic sound reproduction”, while the frequency response is touted as “uncoloured and honest across the entire audio spectrum.”
Sennheiser says it understands how important comfort is when mixing and mastering. So, the HD 490 Pros sport a lightweight, ergonomic design that “eliminates any pressure points”, with soft comfort zones on the ear pads. The open-mesh ear cups also minimise resonance and distortion thanks to Sennheiser’s Open-Frame Architecture.
What’s the difference between HD 490 Pro and HD 490 Pro Plus, you ask? A bunch of accessories. The HD 490 Pro Plus includes a 3m cable, a transport case, and an extra fabric headband pad in addition to the standard velour headband. If you want to buy these at a later date, though, you can do so from Sennheiser’s website.
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Plus bundle. Image: Sennheiser.
In our review of the HD 490 Pro, we said: “Mixing and mastering on headphones is an essential part of any producer’s skill set these days…The HD 490 Pros more than get the job done, with a brilliantly balanced, neutral sound, comfortable fit for long sessions and optionally, the room simulation plugin should you want to use it. Considering the quality of the results they can help you achieve, they’re arguably even a bit of a bargain too.”
Sennheiser’s HD 490 Pro is available for  $399/€399, and the HD 490 Pro Plus, is $479/€470.
Learn more at sennheiser.com.
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Pioneer DJ to AlphaTheta: 8 theories behind this huge brand name change
Pioneer DJ, under AlphaTheta Corporation since 2020, plans to launch new products branded as AlphaTheta this week. What could explain it? It alludes to a possible contractual end to using the Pioneer name or the desire for a fresh identity unassociated with Pioneer's financial struggles.
The post Pioneer DJ to AlphaTheta: 8 theories behind this huge brand name change appeared first on DJ TechTools.

French small launch startup Latitude closes $30M Series BFrench small launch developer Latitude has closed $30 million in new capital as it eyes the first flight of its Zephyr rocket in 2025. While other rocket companies are going bigger, developing even more massive rockets, Latitude is taking a different approach: light, small, and hopefully cheap enough to beat out competitors. Its first rocket, […]
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Hipgnosis Songs Fund’s Chairman is determined to abolish Merck Mercuriadis’ ‘call option’. He was less bothered when Round Hill Music Royalty Fund’s investment manager had a near-identical clause.A tale of two call options...
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How to use an AKAI MPC One+
In this in-depth tutorial, learn about all of the powerful workflow features the iconic AKAI MPC One+ has to offer.

ANNA DUBOC AT THE MINTPhoto credit: Megan Thompson 

One of the more interesting personal facts noted in 17-year-old musical multi-talent AnnaDuboc’s bio is the fact that the incredibly gifted, prolific and stylistically diversesinger/songwriter is an A student maintain that average in her second year of high school APcalculus. She probably doesn’t need higher math to keep track of her social media numbers, butthey’ve been pretty crazy, adding up to some 45 million streams on all platforms via a flurry ofdynamic singles since launching her career at 13.Writing about her life with the same emotionally expressive wit, narrative bite and vulnerabletenderness as culturally impactful icons like Taylor and Billie, Anna has amassed 220,500followers and over 1.2 million likes on TikTok, 26 million views and nearly 40,000 subscriberson her official YouTube partner channel and over 31,000 followers on Instagram. Amazingly, allof her success to date are via tracks she produced with her mom, veteran pop songwriter and jazzvocalist Carol Duboc.

The release of her upcoming single (set to drop Valentine’s week) marks a unique turning pointin that she wrote and co-produced “One Touch” – which was written when she was 14 – withJuan Ariza (Harry Styles). It’s the first release of an upcoming batch she calls the UnreleasedSeries, featuring songs from her archives which she didn’t feel were right to share when she wasyounger but seem appropriate now. Gearing up for this next phase of her career, the singer madean impressive headlining appearance with a full, high-energy band at The Mint in mid-January.She follows with a gig at Genghis Cohen February 3.When young artists are so successful so quickly in the streaming and video realm, one maywonder if they’ve got the goods live, vocally and performance wise. The great news is that Annais as charming, soulful and engaging a performer onstage as she is a masterful vocalist/producerin the studio. Though she showcased it well into the set, one of the most fascinating revelationsabout the seductive, infectious “One Touch” is that in both lyrical content and driving slowgroove, it’s up there with anything magical the Swifties are digging these days – and remember,Anna was 20 years younger than Taylor when she wrote it. The emotional core of Anna’s set wasthat one as the follow-up to her latest single “Poetry,” which allowed her to showcase her tenderskills as a piano based balladeer and the powerful range of her voice, from a soft tenderheartedcoolness to a towering emotion that sears the heart.Anna’s ten song set, a run through some of her biggest streamers from 2021 to present, offered adynamic range of rhythms and vibes, from the mid-tempo lite funk R&B/pop simmer of “80 in aFlood Rain” and plaintive, stripped down “Flowers and Graves” (backed only by the acousticguitar of MD Enzo Iannello) to one of her most compelling songs “Plot Twist” (another heart-tugging piano ballad) and the sassy, moody pop-rocker “Mystery Lady.” She closed with songstitled “Sinking Feeling” (which displayed the angelic, Billie-esque side of her voice) and“Promises from Hell,” but all her fans were too full of her lively, charismatic sunshine by thatpoint to give into the themes of darkness.

The post ANNA DUBOC AT THE MINT first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

With Sennheiser’s HD 490 Pro, mixing on headphones has never been betterHD 490 Pro: £349 / €399
Plus version: £419 / €479
sennheiser.com
A big change in the way we listen to music over the last decade or two has been the explosion in the number of people listening on headphones. Powered first by the iPod and then by smartphones, this trend means it’s more important than ever for producers to mix and master for personal listening and for speakers.

READ MORE: Shure’s AONIC 50 Gen 2 pack powerful sound customisation but fall flat on ANC

Producers can now also conduct more professional work using laptops, often away from their full studio setup. And on top of these factors, it’s still crucial to test mixes in different environments since this can have a profound effect on how a track sounds. So how are you supposed to tick all these boxes without spending a fortune on gear?
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Image: Sennheiser.
Sennheiser’s solution is its new HD 490 Pro reference headphones. As you’d expect, they have been engineered for extremely accurate sound reproduction and supreme comfort, but there’s also a Plus option that comes with a code for the dearVR Mix SE plugin. This plugin virtualises different listening environments, allowing you to check your mix in different spaces without ever leaving your chair. Before we come to that, though, let’s explore the cans themselves.
How does the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro feel?
Nestling at the top end of Sennheiser’s HD range, the 490s are very lightweight at just 260g without the cable, yet still feel professionally built. The weight is kept down by using mostly high quality plastic, though the headband is made of metal as are the earcup covers, with soft pads on the underside of the band.
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Image: Sennheiser.
They’re extremely comfortable to wear for long periods and, despite the adjustable band fitting the head in a snug fashion, they never feel particularly warm or restrictive.
Sennheiser’s headphones come with two sets of ear pads, one velvet and one fabric, which Sennheiser says are suited to producing and mixing respectively since they have slightly different finishes. While we’re not entirely clear how ‘producing’ is a different process to mixing rather than a catch-all term, we find both sets perfectly suited to whatever kind of listening we’re doing, not worrying too much about which set we’re using. It goes so far as having separate presets in the dearVR plugin for each set of ear pads, so you can go along with this if you want to.
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro in their case. Image: Sennheiser.
The cable can be connected to either side of the headphones — a nice touch since it offers you more freedom based on your particular setup. You get two cables in the box — one cable coiled and one straight — as well as a 3.5mm-to-6.3mm adapter thrown in.
The cups swivel flat when not being worn so the headphones are easier to place flat on a surface, though they don’t otherwise fold down like some models do.
How does the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro sound?
Nice though the 490s feel, it’s how they sound that will matter most to creators.
As an open-backed design, they have been tuned to be very open and neutral since honesty is what you’re looking for when mixing and mastering. There’s none of the boxy bass that can result from closed back models — as gratifying as it can seem on your commute, it’s not a true picture of what’s going on with the audio spectrum. Here, the focus is on absolute accuracy.
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Image: Sennheiser.
The soundstage is remarkable; an absolutely superb balance of frequencies that gives a first-rate picture of a mix. That’s partly thanks to the astonishing frequency response provided by the 38mm dynamic transducers, from a low of just 5Hz all the way up to a sparkling 36.1kHz.
Consider that the range for a prized pair of consumer headphones is generally around 20Hz – 20kHz and you’ll see how much lower and higher the Sennheisers can go. They also have an impressive sensitivity of 105dB and a maximum SPL of 128dBSPL so they can handle mixing loud, even though that’s not how people usually tend to mix — at least not for very long.
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Image: Sennheiser.
Listening to reference material is a revelation, particularly with acoustic tracks. Robbie Robertson’s score for Killers Of The Flower Moon bristles with power and energy, while Bob Marley’s remastered classic Exodus reveals every percussive detail.
At the other end of the stylistic spectrum, classic Prodigy tracks crackle with life, their low end firm and balanced without ever becoming overwhelming.
What is included with the Sennheiser HD 490 Plus?
The Plus version of the headphones has one difference: they come with an unlock code for the dearVR Mix SE plugin.
This plugin, which does have a 14-day trial option, can be strapped across the master bus of your DAW and used to virtualise different physical environments. The idea is essentially that you don’t have to keep taking your mix down to places like your car, or other rooms, to see how it will translate onto different systems. We reviewed the original version in 2021.
The 490s are directly supported so you can select them from inside the plugin while switching between different spaces and speaker placements. It’s an interesting and worthwhile endeavour, and genuinely does help you to tweak a mix or master, especially the low end which can be the hardest to predict, for different environments.
dearVR Mix SE plugin
Can you use Sennheiser’s HD 490 Pro for spatial audio mixing?
Sennheiser makes mention of the fact that the headphones have been designed to allow for precise localisation of sound, which refers to identifying or placing elements in the stereo sound field or indeed, in a spatial field. And in this they succeed, with solid separation and sense of position even in a regular stereo mix.
On this point, it’s worth a quick comparison with the Sony MDR MV1s that we reviewed – both have superlative sound but the Sennheisers are around £70 cheaper and have replaceable earpads. The Sonys have been explicitly designed to work with 360-degree audio and, although the Sennheisers can do this to a reliable standard too, the Sony pair has the edge for absolute separation and placement when working with spatial tracks.
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Image: Sennheiser.
Should you buy the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro?
Mixing and mastering on headphones is an essential part of any producer’s skill set these days. Partly because your target audience will so often be using them too, and also because you might need to work on the move, away from your studio monitors but still with the greatest possible accuracy.
The HD 490 Pros more than get the job done, with a brilliantly balanced, neutral sound, comfortable fit for long sessions and optionally, the room simulation plugin should you want to use it. Considering the quality of the results they can help you achieve, they’re arguably even a bit of a bargain too.
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Image: Sennheiser.
Key features

Open-backed, circumaural design
38mm dynamic drivers
5 Hz – 36 kHz frequency range
130 Ohms impedance
2 detachable cables
2 sets of washable ear pads
Optional room simulation plugin
300 mW power rating
260g weight

The post With Sennheiser’s HD 490 Pro, mixing on headphones has never been better appeared first on MusicTech.

India’s Tips Industries generated $7.78m in calendar Q4, up 27% YoYTips’ rising numbers come amid surging growth in the Indian music market
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NAMM 2024: Suzuki’s postponed Omnichord OM-108 will be at NAMMA new iteration of Suzuki’s much-loved Omnichord instrument is set to be on display at NAMM Show 2024, the brand’s confirmed.

READ MORE: Teenage Engineering co-founder on ‘Fadergate’: “We guessed there would be transport damage, but not at this rate”

The Omnichord OM-108 was originally set to launch in the summer/fall of 2023 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Suzuki Musical Instruments Manufacturing. This was sadly postponed, Suzuki confirmed in a statement in December, citing improvements and specification refinements “in order to provide our customers with the best performance experience possible with the new Omnichord”.
While we’re still yet to see a new version of this much-adored synth, the new Omnichord will be on display for attendees of the LA-based music tech trade show, taking place from 25 to 28 January 2024, the statement also confirmed.
The Suzuki Omnichord, introduced in 1981, is a unique electronic musical instrument blending elements of an autoharp, synthesizer, and rhythm machine. Its revolutionary design features a touch-sensitive surface, allowing players to strum chords with ease.
Initially embraced by folk musicians, the Omnichord gained popularity across various genres due to its versatility and portability throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most notably featuring in The Bee Gees 1987 hit You Win Again and David Bowie’s 1993 track, A Small Plot of Land.
In 2023, Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn showed off how he used the Omnichord for the band’s 2001 track, Clint Eastwood. In an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe in his London studio, he gives away the fact it was a simple, unchanged Omnichord preset used in the track. Watch the clip below:

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A post shared by MusicTech (@musictech_official)

MusicTech’s excited to see the new Suzuki Omnichord OM-108 in action at NAMM next week. It’s not the only exciting piece of tech we want to see, however. Korg is so far stealing the show, recently confirming the launch of its KR-11 compact rhythm machine, the Opsix MKII and – of course – its long-awaited microKorg 2. Yamaha’s SEQTRACK and Audient’s ORIA audio interface are also tickling our fancy.
A release date for the Omnichord is set to be revealed by Suzuki at NAMM in LA next week.
Keep up to date with more NAMM news via MusicTech.
The post NAMM 2024: Suzuki’s postponed Omnichord OM-108 will be at NAMM appeared first on MusicTech.

European Parliament votes for fairer payouts for musicians from streaming servicesOn 17 January, European Parliament MEPs voted for new legislation to address fairer payouts for musicians across revenue distribution in music streaming.
At present, the EU has no set laws or regulations surrounding this topic, which has for several years been swept under the rug. It’s with this new proposed law musicians could finally see a fair share of revenue distribution and further support from streaming services.

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By 2022, streaming grew to represent 67% of the music sector’s global revenue, with an annual revenue of $22.6 billion.
Stats for the vote showcased a whopping majority in favour, with a staggering 532 votes to 61 and 33 abstentions. In the EU Parliament bulletin, three major concerns were flagged: unfair revenue distribution, an imbalance of visibility between popular and emerging artists and a lack of regulation surrounding AI. Over the past year, the use of AI in music creation has raised alarm bells, especially with its rather successful run across the social media platform TikTok. 
Speaking on the matter, Spanish MEP Ibán García del Blanco says: “The Parliament is giving voice to the concerns of European creators, who are at the heart of the music streaming market. Cultural diversity and ensuring that authors are credited and fairly paid have always been our priority; this is why we ask for rules that ensure algorithms and recommendation tools used by music streaming services are transparent as well as in their use of AI tools, placing European authors at the centre.”
Moving forward, the MEP seeks to further develop this vote into a legal framework. Although currently a work in progress, this definitely represents progress for smaller artists.
The post European Parliament votes for fairer payouts for musicians from streaming services appeared first on MusicTech.

The Crow Hill Company has released Shimmer Guitar, the fourth instrument in the FREE Vaults series
Shimmer Guitar is a new free sound library by The Crow Hill Company. The Crow Hill Company is Christian Henson’s brainchild. If you know Christian’s work with Spitfire Audio, the free Vaults series will feel familiar. Now, the company has released Shimmer Guitar, the fourth instrument in the FREE Vaults series. So far, there are [...]
View post: The Crow Hill Company has released Shimmer Guitar, the fourth instrument in the FREE Vaults series

Bandsintown Artist Checklist: How To Build a Community of SuperfansBandsintown offers artists an extensive free toolkit to build a fanbase and keep fans informed about tour dates, merchandise drops, new releases, and more, and their new, simple step-by-step checklist. Continue reading
The post Bandsintown Artist Checklist: How To Build a Community of Superfans appeared first on Hypebot.

Monetizing Music Superfans: Billion Dollar Opportunity or Superfantasy?The yet-to-be-published Annual Music Study by Music Watch will offer an overview of the music industry, but the consultancy’s Russ Crupnick has shared an advance look at its findings on. Continue reading
The post Monetizing Music Superfans: Billion Dollar Opportunity or Superfantasy? appeared first on Hypebot.

Arturia announce Pigments 5 soft synth The latest version of Pigments packs in a new sequencer and enhanced routing options along with enhanced visual feedback, improved CPU performance and more.

NAMM 2024: Suzuki’s postponed Omnichord OM-108 will be at NAMMA new iteration of Suzuki’s much-loved Omnichord instrument is set to be on display at NAMM Show 2024, the brand’s confirmed.

READ MORE: Teenage Engineering co-founder on ‘Fadergate’: “We guessed there would be transport damage, but not at this rate”

The Omnichord OM-108 was originally set to launch in the summer/fall of 2023 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Suzuki Musical Instruments Manufacturing. This was sadly postponed, Suzuki confirmed in a statement in December, citing improvements and specification refinements “in order to provide our customers with the best performance experience possible with the new Omnichord”.
While we’re still yet to see a new version of this much-adored synth, the new Omnichord will be on display for attendees of the LA-based music tech trade show, taking place from 25 to 28 January 2024, the statement also confirmed.
The Suzuki Omnichord, introduced in 1981, is a unique electronic musical instrument blending elements of an autoharp, synthesizer, and rhythm machine. Its revolutionary design features a touch-sensitive surface, allowing players to strum chords with ease.
Initially embraced by folk musicians, the Omnichord gained popularity across various genres due to its versatility and portability throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most notably featuring in The Bee Gees 1987 hit You Win Again and David Bowie’s 1993 track, A Small Plot of Land.
In 2023, Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn showed off how he used the Omnichord for the band’s 2001 track, Clint Eastwood. In an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe in his London studio, he gives away the fact it was a simple, unchanged Omnichord preset used in the track. Watch the clip below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MusicTech (@musictech_official)

MusicTech’s excited to see the new Suzuki Omnichord OM-108 in action at NAMM next week. It’s not the only exciting piece of tech we want to see, however. Korg is so far stealing the show, recently confirming the launch of its KR-11 compact rhythm machine, the Opsix MKII and – of course – its long-awaited microKorg 2. Yamaha’s SEQTRACK and Audient’s ORIA audio interface are also tickling our fancy.
A release date for the Omnichord is set to be revealed by Suzuki at NAMM in LA next week.
Keep up to date with more NAMM news via MusicTech.
The post NAMM 2024: Suzuki’s postponed Omnichord OM-108 will be at NAMM appeared first on MusicTech.