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  • AI-powered music creation app Moises launches new tools for easier productionMoises, an AI-powered app for music creation, has launched three new features which aid the production process.
    The new features – AI Lyrics Transcription, Song Sections, and Extended Chords – will “empower singers, songwriters, and musicians to unlock their full potential”, according to the brand.

    READ MORE: New music platform Myvox lets artists licence and monetise their own AI voice models

    The app’s new AI Lyrics Transcription tool can transcribe lyrics from songs in multiple languages, such as English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French, and can synchronise lyrics with “word-by-word precision”.
    Users can also access their transcribed lyrics on all platforms, so you record an idea on a mobile device, import it into Moises, and continue to work on the same project on a desktop device for easier collaboration, or producing on the go.
    Also now in the app is Advanced Chords, a new addition to the Chord Detection feature. This provides more accurate chord detection and advanced chord capabilities so that users can access complex jazz chords and more.
    Chords are also categorised into three different types (easy, medium, and advanced) so that musicians have the right chords for their skill level.
    And finally, due to user requests, the platform is also now offering an AI-powered Song Sections feature which automatically detects and can loop different parts of a song such as the intro, verse, and bridge. The tool has been created to offer gigging musicians who need to learn fast a swifter way to practice.
    “Each of these features provides new functionality unique to Moises,” says Spencer Mann, VP of Growth at Moises in a press release. “Our product team has listened to our incredible customers and these new features are the result. They are all designed to help intermediate and advanced musicians get the most from their experience in Moises.”
    Find out more at Moises.
    The post AI-powered music creation app Moises launches new tools for easier production appeared first on MusicTech.

    Moises, an AI-powered app for music creation, has launched three new features which aid  the production process.

  • Andrew Huang teams up with Baby Audio on new FX plugin, TransitProducer extraordinaire Andrew Huang has teamed up with Baby Audio to create Transit, a multi-effects plugin that will give your mix “transitions super powers”.

    READ MORE: AI-powered music creation app Moises launches new tools for easier production

    Transit hosts 18 powerful effect-modules, freely loadable across 7 slots. You get classic modulation effects, distortion and degradation options, motion FX, reverb, delay, two filter types – and even a synth oscillator and noise generator for adding risers and sweeps to your transitions. All effect parameters can be linked to a global Macro Control, which you automate to create complex FX transitions with one knob movement.
    There’s also a Sequencer Mode allowing users to program and trigger DAW-synced automations at the click of a button. Perfect for live use or for writing perfectly timed automations into your mix session without entering the automation lanes.
    In addition, Transit comes preloaded with more than 300 presets created by Huang and sound designers at Baby Audio. Users can also get creative with a flexible randomisation engine that lets you set specific random-ranges and lock modules/ parameters to only randomise certain parts of the plugin.
    “We wanted to create a type of plugin that hadn’t been done before – one that would make it easier and more creative to dial-in the transitions and ‘ear candy’ that modern tracks rely on,” a statement from Baby Audio reads. “Transit delivers on this idea, and its semi-modular architecture, along with 300+ high quality presets, makes it as deep or as fast as you need it to be.”
    “Initially the concept was about speeding up the workflow when you’re creating transitions in songs, but as the development process went on, we just kept discovering new, really cool possibilities with it,” Huang says, adding that he’d had this plugin idea “kicking around for a while”.
    “And then I decided there’s no way I could make it myself. And when I started thinking about who I’d want to collaborate on with it, Baby Audio was at the top of my list just for their sound quality, their aesthetic… So I reached out to them and it was just this amazing moment of serendipity because they got back to me and they were like, ‘hey, we were actually thinking of reaching out to you just because we think you have cool ideas and maybe you’d wanna do a plugin together.’”
    The plugin is compatible with all major DAWs for Mac and PC and is fully Mac M1 native.
    You can now pick up Transit at an intro price of $59 (U.P $99).

    Learn more at babyaud.io
    The post Andrew Huang teams up with Baby Audio on new FX plugin, Transit appeared first on MusicTech.

    Producer Andrew Huang has teamed up with Baby Audio to create Transit, an FX plugin that will give your mix “transitions super powers”.

  • Room Sonics: New audio consultancy company Specialising in on-site acoustical assessments, acoustic design and speaker alignments, Room Sonics was formed with the aim of providing best possible listening quality for audio professionals and domestic listeners alike.

    Specialising in on-site acoustical assessments, acoustic design and speaker alignments, Room Sonics was formed with the aim of providing best possible listening quality for audio professionals and domestic listeners alike.

  • Sam Bankman-Fried’s life in jail, Tornado Cash’s turmoil, and a $3B BTC whale: Hodler’s Digest, Aug. 20-26Sam Bankman-Fried faces challenges in jail, Tornado Cash’s developer is arrested, and a Bitcoin whale holding $3 billion is identified.

    Sam Bankman-Fried faces challenges in jail, Tornado Cash's developer is arrested, and a Bitcoin whale holding $3 billion is identified.

  • Microsoft brings Python to Excel, Cruise reduces fleet following crash, and MrBeast creates controversyHello, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter that covers the biggest happenings in tech over the past few days. Haven’t been able to follow the news closely? Don’t sweat it. WiR will get you up to speed.
    In this edition of WiR, we cover Microsoft bringing Python to Excel, Cruise being forced to reduce its robotaxi fleet following a crash, and Amazon launching its new Fire TV Channels app. We also recap Twitter competitor Bluesky buckling under load, influencer MrBeast’s poorly timed Olympics video, IBM building a code translator for COBOL, and Snapchat expanding further into generative AI.
    If you haven’t already, sign up here to get WiR in your inbox every Saturday. Now, without further ado, here’s the week’s news!

    Most read
    Microsoft brings Python to Excel: Microsoft this week announced the public preview of Python in Excel, which will allow advanced spreadsheet users to combine scripts in the popular Python language and their usual Excel formulas in the same workbook. The feature will first roll out to Microsoft 365 Insiders as part of the Excel for Windows beta channel, Frederic reports.
    Cruise told to reduce fleet following crash: Cruise, the self-driving car subsidiary of GM, has been asked by the California Department of Motor Vehicles to reduce its robotaxi fleet by 50% in San Francisco following a crash Thursday night with a fire truck.

    MrBeast’s geopolitical nightmare: Billionaire creator MrBeast inadvertently stoked generations of geopolitical tension in his latest YouTube video, in which participants from “every country on Earth” competed in “Squid Game”-like elimination challenges for a chance to win $250,000. It was the countries that weren’t included in the competition, as well as the map featured in the video, that made the stunt ripe for discourse.
    IBM taps AI to translate COBOL code: IBM this week unveiled Code Assistant for IBM Z, which uses a code-generating AI model to translate COBOL (one of the older programming languages in use) into Java syntax. It’s potentially quite handy, considering there’s over 800 billion lines of COBOL in use on production systems and a strong desire among many of the companies using it to migrate to more modern languages.
    Amazon launches Fire TV Channels app: Amazon announced Monday the launch of its new Fire TV Channels app, giving Fire TV customers access to over 400 free ad-supported TV channels, including ABC News, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, MLB, Martha Stewart and more.
    Bluesky struggles with growing popularity: X (formerly Twitter) competitor Bluesky buckled following Elon Musk’s announcement that X will no longer support blocking users in favor of mutes only. The company has often had to deal with an influx of users when Twitter announces particularly unwelcome changes, Sarah writes.
    Snapchat adds new generative AI features: Snapchat is preparing to further expand into generative AI features, after earlier launching its AI-powered chatbot My AI, which can now respond with a Snap back, not just text. With the company’s forthcoming generative AI feature called “Dreams,” Snap will again experiment with AI images — but soon, those images may contain you and your friends in imaginative backgrounds.
    Phone hacking company tries to keep tech secret: For years, cops and other government authorities all over the world have been using phone hacking technology provided by Cellebrite to unlock phones and obtain the data within. And the company has been keen on keeping the use of its technology “hush hush,” Lorenzo reports.
    Audio
    Have a hankering for new podcast content? You’re in luck. TechCrunch has plenty on deck for your listening enjoyment.
    On Equity, the crew discussed Nvidia’s earnings report, raises from Ramp and AI-powered writing platform Lex, Northvolt’s move to North America, the story behind Better.com’s IPO and startups that are literally full of crap (it’ll make sense once you listen — trust me).
    Meanwhile, Found focused on Feyi Ayodele, the co-founder and CEO of CancerIQ, a precision health company designed for physicians to help their patients with monitoring cancer risk and prevention. Ayodele recounted how she came up with the startup idea while hiking Mount Kilimanjaro with her mother.
    And on Chain Reaction, Erik Svenson talked about Blockstream, a bitcoin and blockchain-focused infrastructure firm that he helped co-found in 2014. Blockstream has its own sidechain technology, Liquid Network, as well as bitcoin mining operations and hardware wallets for Bitcoin and other assets.
    TechCrunch+
    TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys — which you know if you’re already a subscriber. If you’re not, consider signing up. Here are a few highlights from this week:
    OnlyFans proves the creator economy boom was real: Venture capital investment into the creator economy category slowed down significantly starting in the second half of 2022. But Ron and Anna write about how OnlyFans’ profitability suggests that there’s juice in the sector yet.
    Nvidia rides the AI wave — but for how long?: When Nvidia announced eye-popping earnings on Wednesday with three-digit year-over-year growth, it was easy to get caught up in the excitement. But the lingering question is, can it keep it up?
    The late-stage venture market is crumbling: New data from CB Insights details that there have been sharp valuation declines across nearly every startup stage around the world. But is that a reason for panic? Alex and Anna don’t think so — at least not now.
    Grab your pass to TC Disrupt 2023
    Join 10,000 startup leaders in San Francisco at TechCrunch Disrupt on September 19–21. Last-minute passes are still available. Save 15% with code WIR. Register now!

    In this edition of Week in Review (WiR), we cover Microsoft bringing Python to Excel, MrBeast stirring up controversy and Cruise reducing its robotaxi fleet following a crash.

  • Exec Profile: Allen Sanford of BeachLife FestivalAllen Sanford

    Founder

    BeachLife

    Years with Company: 5

    Address: 239 North Harbor Dr., Redondo Beach, CA 90277

    Web: beachliferanch.com

    Email: info@thebeachlifefestival.com

    Publicity: Angela Moreno, amoreno@falconpublicity.com, 805-390-5263

    Clients: Tons of satisfied concert attendees

    BACKGROUND

    Allen Sanford grew up loving California’s sandy coasts. Naturally, he thought it wise to create a festival that revolved around the beach lifestyle. BeachLife began in 2019, later expanding with a second festival devoted to Americana, country, and roots music, BeachLife Ranch. Sanford and his team are also building a 15,000 square foot theater called the California Ocean Club, which will deliver the same sunny vibe all year.

    Music + Beach Culture = BeachLife

    Our festival is different from a lot of festivals. Most festivals aren’t created around any sort of culture. It’s more organized by genre of music. Obviously, there are a lot of festivals that are not subject to what I’m talking about. But our festival was created to serve a certain type of fan. It’s as much about the culture and community as it is the music. 

    Building on Sand

    Any show you do near the water makes it much more difficult to build. The stages and structures have to be designed with a lot more strength. Instead of wheeling things in, you’re using tractors. It definitely provides challenges. 

    But the question of whether it’s worth it is a no-brainer. Every time the sun sets and there’s a band playing, we look at each other and go, “Yep, that was worth it.”

    Many Moving Parts

    I would love to tell you I never worry about anything, but that would be a lie. You’re depending on a lot of human beings to do their jobs. We have about 1,200 people working the festival. If you think about how much has to go right to have a successful festival, it’s daunting. I’ve run a lot of businesses over my career, but none that are as 3D-chess as this and with as many moving parts. 

    Choosing Artists

    I have a partner. After each festival, we’ll sit down and talk. We like to span generations, so we’ll go old-new-old-new. And then we spitball headliner names, with the preface that it’s got to fit within the BeachLife culture and vibe. 

    And then we get at it. I do all the booking, because I’m fairly particular. It’s like putting together a video montage and you want each frame to be right. It’s one thing to get all the right frames, and it’s another to put them in the right order. 

    Finding Artists

    We’re not a huge festival, and we’re not trying to be a festival where the only reason somebody comes is because of the names. So, we like to pick ones you wouldn’t immediately shine after, maybe aren’t playing the festival circuits that year. I look at a lot of festival posters, and it tends to be the same artists. 

    We have an area on our website where you can pitch [yourself as an artist to perform]. And we go to the agencies and ask them to send us anybody they think might fit. We have a stage for up-and-coming artists. It doesn’t matter how many fans you have; it matters how good your music is. 

    Gone Country

    Country music kind of gives me the same feel in my heart that the beach life does. I grew up going to the central California coast, where it’s a little more cowboy land. And I love the idea of mixing that with the cowboy-surfer mentality. Surfers are like the cowboys of the coast―riding waves and riding horses. It seemed like a cool way to send our culture into the winter. Having us on both ends of the summer seemed like a great idea. 

    A Vibe of Respect

    I think [throwing things at artists on stage] is super lame. I couldn’t think of a more despicable thing to do to somebody who’s putting one’s heart out there. 

    I don’t think we’d ever have that issue at BeachLife, because we have a respectful culture. If we did, those people wouldn’t be welcome. That’s not what the beach life is about. At BeachLife, if you drop your wallet, somebody will pick it up for you. That’s the culture we try to promote. 

    Keeping Everyone Safe

    A lot of times, people who do festivals are music people. They’re not security people. And they hire an outside security company to make them safe. Many times, these companies fail. 

    We wanted to take extra precaution. We brought on one of the best, a former chief of police with 30 years as a police officer. I’ve got my five-year-old daughter running around, so that’s my litmus test for how safe this festival needs to be. 

    Singing the Pandemic Blues

    COVID was brutal. I’m in restaurants and live music. You couldn’t pick worse verticals to be in during a pandemic. It was very tough. Luckily, we came back to a hunger for live events. That gave us the motivation to get back on our feet. It was a journey, for sure. I’m glad it’s behind us.

    [The live music industry is] still finding its way. It weeded out a lot of small people, so the Live Nations are stronger than they’ve ever been. But as time goes by, more independents will pop up again, hopefully. 

    Switching On and Off

    The [BeachLife] app is a cool tool to help people enjoy the festival. Our whole goal is using technology to make the experience better. But we’re also not guys that love being on the phone at a show. It’s a fine line between using technology to improve the experience but also not overdeveloping to where fans are on their phones instead of enjoying the show. 

    Dining On Stage

    The perfect experience for me would be eating a nice meal on the side of the stage with a glass of wine. So, when we created the festival, we asked Michelin-level chefs to come. I don’t think any other festival’s doing this. We’ve had all sorts of crazy chefs, and they design their menus based on the type of artist they’re paired with. It’s another cool experience that you don’t get often in this world. 

    Everything But Water Sports

    We stay away from the swimming. Swimming and drinking is not a good mix. And you’d also have to bring a change of clothes and all that stuff. 

    We’ve got a Kids Zone. We have a karaoke bar. We’ve got a sports lounge for those that like to watch sports. [We have] tons of shopping, tons of health and wellness. We have an arts area. We bring in a lot of musicians who are also graphic artists who sell their art. Last festival, Chad Smith, drummer for the Chili Peppers, was selling his art. We want to indulge your senses over and above the music. 

    DonationLife

    It wouldn’t be genuine of us to call our festival BeachLife but not care about the beach life. We have a mission statement as to whom we support. Our May festival focuses on ocean- and kid-related philanthropies, and our September festival focuses on hero philanthropies, like police, fire, and veterans. I happen to be the chairman of the local police foundation, so I’m a big supporter of first responders. The least we could do is help them raise some money. 

    We do ticket giveaways. We have a big party at the beginning of Ranch for several charities. And pretty soon we’re going to be launching our own 501(c)(3) to help these same causes on a local level. I think we raised $150,000 for local charities last May. Not too shabby for an independent festival. • 

    Allen Sanford Founder BeachLife Years with Company: 5 Address: 239 North Harbor Dr., Redondo Beach, CA 90277 Web: beachliferanch.com Email: info@thebeachlifefestival.com Publicity: Angela Moreno, a…

  • Creating your music career: A step-by-step blueprint for success
    From zero to upload, veteran producer Isaac Duarte overviews the full process for getting your career in music production started.

    From zero to upload, veteran producer Isaac Duarte overviews the full process for getting your career in music production started.

  • Getting It Done: Last Week in D.I.Y. & Indie MusicLast week, our tips and advice for independent, do-it-yourselfers covered how to market music on TikTok, a look at Spacloud, music merch in 2023, how to submit Grammy entries, and. Continue reading
    The post Getting It Done: Last Week in D.I.Y. & Indie Music appeared first on Hypebot.

    Last week, our tips and advice for independent, do-it-yourselfers covered how to market music on TikTok, a look at Spacloud, music merch in 2023, how to submit Grammy entries, and. Continue reading

  • REWIND: The new music industry’s week in reviewLast week was a busy week by any definition and the music industry was no exception, with an AI copyright court case, OpenSea betraying NFT creators, and much more… How. Continue reading
    The post REWIND: The new music industry’s week in review appeared first on Hypebot.

    Last week was a busy week by any definition and the music industry was no exception, with an AI copyright court case, OpenSea betraying NFT creators, and much more… How. Continue reading

  • Manley Labs announce Massive Passive XXV Manley Labs have announced the upcoming launch of a limited edition model of their popular Massive Passive stereo valve equaliser.

    Manley Labs have announced the upcoming launch of a limited edition model of their popular Massive Passive stereo valve equaliser.

  • ALBUM REVIEWS: "Marlboros & Avon" BY McBride & The Ride 8/10Marlboros & Avon

    TMC Records / Ingrooves

    Producers: Terry McBride, Billy Thomas and Ray Herndon

    McBride & The Ride’s members each have jaw-dropping resumes, boasting experience with country royalty such as Vince Gill and Lyle Lovett. Naturally, the trio’s latest, a five-track EP, will make you click your spurs. Title track “Marlboros & Avon” is a flavorful chunk of tear-streaked nostalgia, while “Along Comes a Girl” could’ve charted in the 90s. The disc concludes with a boot stomping cover of a Webb Pierce classic. 

    Marlboros & Avon TMC Records / Ingrooves Producers: Terry McBride, Billy Thomas and Ray Herndon McBride & The Ride’s members each have jaw-dropping resumes, boasting experience with country…

  • Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers push for temporary release, object to prosecutors' proposed dealThe U.S. Justice Department has produced “millions of pages of documents" related to SBF's criminal case, which his lawyers claimed was too much to access from jail before trial.

    According to Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers, he needed "constant access to an internet-enabled computer" in order to prepare for his October criminal trial.

  • The mugshot that launched a thousand memesMemes can happen in the blink of an eye, like a Jeopardy! contestant who accidentally makes a sexual innuendo under the pressure of stage lights, or a kid who randomly gets interviewed on a playground and professes his undying love for America’s most plentiful crop, corn.
    But as soon as we knew former President Donald Trump would be processed at Fulton County Jail for his fourth indictment, we knew that the resulting mugshot would be all over the place for years to come, from novelty t-shirt stands to our hypothetical future childrens’ history textbooks. We waited for it, knowing that as soon as the image was released to the public, it would become unavoidable.
    “This will break Etsy,” Jesse Case wrote in a now-viral tweet (or X post, whatever). And sure enough, less than 24 four hours after Trump’s mugshot was released, Etsy already turns up 5,290 results to the search “trump mugshot.”

    What the chicken nuggets in my microwave see at 3AM: pic.twitter.com/4nzuueZwuS
    — Kristi Yamaguccimane (@TheWapplehouse) August 25, 2023

    Even the former president himself has already set up an extensive merch store with t-shirts, posters, mugs and stickers featuring the photo, which is accompanied by text declaring “NEVER SURRENDER!” It’s unclear if Trump chose this wording since he literally surrendered to Fulton County Jail, or if this somehow went over his team’s head. But nonetheless, Trump supporters can now buy their very own mugshot beer koozie, and yes, this sentence took a year off of my life to type.
    Naturally, fake mugshots circulated social media before the real thing was even released — and perhaps due to their less rigorous fact-checking standards, pop culture news accounts like Pop Base beat legacy news outlets to the punch, circulating the now ubiquitous mugshot.
    It didn’t matter what Trump’s mugshot would look like. No matter what, this image was going to be both a viral meme and an historically monumental artifact. But even without any editing, Trump looks yassified: his bright blonde hair shows no trace of gray, draped in a swoop across his forehead. Prison lighting is unforgiving, but combined with the over exposure of the flash, Trump almost looks younger, as the shadows smooth out the wrinkles on his left cheek. The wave of his hair is perfectly positioned in the center of his forehead, accentuating his angry countenance. At first glance, it looks as though his eyebrows and hair are one, making his scowl even more sinister, more jarring.
    Image Credits: Anonymous internet user, with permission to TechCrunch
    As TikToker Kirby Alice pointed out, there’s an irony to these historic mugshots, which aren’t very high-quality images, since, well, they’re mugshots from a county jail.
    “I can pretty well guarantee that whatever camera they have to take mugshots was probably purchased at like, a Radio Shack circa 2007,” she said, days before Trump turned himself in. “It might be in the back of a closet suffering heat damage in Georgia right now, and it is about to take one of the most important images in American history.”

    @kirby.alice
    If you have the ability to rectify this situation i am personally begging that you do not
    ♬ original sound – kirby


    I’m reminded of a recent episode of “The Kardashians,” when Kim brought an entire hair and makeup team with her to the DMV to get her license renewed, cheating us out of the idea that awkward driver license photos are the one great equalizer of mankind. While Trump’s team surely thought long and hard about everything from his tie color to his facial expression, he wasn’t going to get any special treatment while getting processed in jail, even as some probably underpaid municipal employee pressed the shutter button to take an undoubtedly iconic photo of our lifetime.
    “LizaMinnelliOutlives was how I saw Trump’s mugshot,” a friend wrote to me on Discord. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that we found out that the Queen of England died due to the pronouncement that Liza Minnelli had outlived Queen Elizabeth II.

    Liza Minnelli has outlived America’s wait for Donald Trump's mugshot. His latest arrest was finally accompanied by his first perp photo. pic.twitter.com/GXaICDO9yV
    — LizaMinnelliOutlives (@LiZaOutlives) August 25, 2023

    After Trump’s presidency, the American right and left are so far divided that perhaps only the Donald himself could unite us once more: Everyone, regardless of their political affiliation, is making memes of Trump’s mugshot. It is, quite literally, memetic, as used in the Richard Dawkins sense. It will be circulated, remixed, repurposed and mutated until it perhaps outlives even the LizaMinnelliOutlives meme, surviving the brutal natural selection that is the attention span of digitally-addled brains.
    In liberal internet circles, the mugshot is a cause for celebration, an “I told you so” to relatives who were naively lured by Trump’s emboldening rhetoric almost eight years ago. And yet on Truth Social, the somewhat dormant social app that Trump himself founded, the image is a rallying cry — it’s literally being used to solicit campaign donations — yet Trump supporters still find the image funny.
    One Truth Social meme account edited Trump’s mugshot to replace the Mona Lisa, as crowds swarm to get a closer look. Another user advertised t-shirts with the mugshot that declare “my pronouns are Trump/won,” which also conveys a serious misunderstanding of how grammar works.
    You would think that nothing could be more political than a mugshot of a former president who is indicted for interfering with the democratic process. But some memes just aren’t political at all, reminding us of the absurdity of the moment.
    “who cares,” wrote @roastmalone_ on X (Twitter). “trump isn’t even the first actor from home alone 2 to have his mugshot released.”

    Former president Trump returns to Twitter, now X, with his mugshot

    Once we knew Donald Trump would be processed at Fulton County Jail, we knew the resulting mugshot would be everywhere for years to come.

  • Oliver Anthony rejects Right’s embrace, Left’s criticism of hit song [VIDEO]Oliver Anthony, the singer and songwriter of the breakout hit “Rich Men North of Richmond,” rejected Republicans and conservative media who “identify with me like I’m one of them” and. Continue reading
    The post Oliver Anthony rejects Right’s embrace, Left’s criticism of hit song [VIDEO] appeared first on Hypebot.

    Oliver Anthony, the singer and songwriter of the breakout hit “Rich Men North of Richmond,” rejected Republicans and conservative media who “identify with me like I’m one of them” and. Continue reading

  • From Universal Music and YouTube’s AI partnership to BMI’s equity sale… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-upFive of the biggest headlines on MBW this week...
    Source