Making a Laptop with a Mechanical KeyboardA laptop is one of the greatest tools at the disposal of a hacker. They come in all manner of shapes and sizes with all manner of features. But perhaps the greatest limit held by all laptops is their chiclet keyboard. While certainly serviceable, a proper mechanical keyboard will always reign supreme, which is why [flurples] built a laptop around a mechanical keyboard. 
Such a keyboard could not fit inside any normal laptop, so a custom machined case was in order. The starting point was a standard Framework Laptop 13. Its open source documentation certainly helped the project, but numerous parts such as the audio board and fingerprint sensor are not documented making for a long and tedious process. But the resulting machined aluminum case looks at least as good as a stock Framework chassis, all be it, quite a bit thicker.

The resulting laptop retains three of the four modular input ports the Framework is known for, but one was sacrificed for a USB-A hub and HDMI port exposed by a custom carrier. Only one of the USB-As is externally accessible, with one used as a mouse dongle hider, and the other for keyboard connectivity.
The keyboard itself uses Kailh Choc Sunset switches, with the PCB resting on o rings for a more consistent typing experience. The key caps come from two sets of caps, with the shift and escape keys being dyed an excellent shade of orange. Sitting on the right hand side below the keyboard is a trio of rotary encoders. Using low profile encoders, the knobs blend neatly into the overall laptop, perhaps being invisible at first glance.
The rotary encoders forced a speaker arrangement redesign. Instead of siting next to the battery where the rotary encoders now are, they are attached to the top cover above the battery. This change required lengthening the speaker connector cables, but otherwise worked extremely well.
If you enjoy the work of laptop case replacement, make sure to check out this Toshiba Libretto get a fresh lease on life with a re-designed case. 

Calvin Harris files legal action against Thomas St. John, after firm’s US company filed for bankruptcy citing $11m+ in debtsHarris filed an arbitration demand accusing his former financial advisor of pocketing $22.5 million
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23 Preschool/Young Fives Music Lesson Plans And Activities (2025)Teaching music to young children is a great way to start a student’s love of music early on.

Most people really struggle with this age group, but when you come armed with some great preschool music lesson plans and activities.

So I sorted through my favorite music lessons to share with you.

Note: You don’t have to be a music teacher to use these either. Preschool teachers can use these too.

Save time with these 60 FREE Music Resources to use in your room right away!

Stop searching the whole internet to find good activities. I’ll help you cut to the chase with my favorite 60 FREE resources.

Get it now!

Peas Porridge Hot

This simple chant has been around for literal centuries, and it’s one of the first action songs I teach my preschool students.

The words go like this:

Peas porridge hot. (Ah!)

Peas porridge cold. (Br!)

Peas porridge in the pot

Nine days old. 

–

Some like it hot. (Ah!)

Some like it cold. (Br!)

Some like it in the pot

Nine days old. 

With this chant, I like to have them practice the steady beat on different body parts.

Body percussion is the best way to reinforce the steady beat at this age.

Percussion instruments are great, but the students get too distracted right away for real practice.

Do a little bit of moving every time, and then hand out instruments.

(Really, any of the nursery rhymes will do a great job in preschool.)

The Ants Go Marching One By One

When it comes to movement activities in preschool, we really want the kids to do two main things:

Move to the steady beatMove freely, matching the feeling of the music

Of these, the most important thing, in my opinion, is keeping a beat.

This song is one that most people have heard of, and it’s great for steady beat movement.

March around the room while singing or listening to this song.

As a bonus, it’s appropriate for the preschool grade level, too, as it features counting.

The Crabfish

The Crabfish is a great songbook with a haunting melody.

Either sing the folk song and book yourself or listen to it and follow along with the recording at the link.

Or better yet, do both!

This is one of my favorite songs to do with any level, and it’s a regular in my preschool classroom.

Check out The Crabfish lyrics and history in my article at the link.

Johnny Works With One Hammer

Movement games where we add in more moves, taking a simple song and making it even more fun for music time is always a blast.

This song adds in motions and works on gross motor skills.

It’s silly, and the kids love it.

Shake And Shake And Freeze

Here is a game with a bit more practice on fine motor skills for preschool on top of the musical skills we work on.

Listen and move to the video first, and then break out the egg shakers.

Egg shakers (or shaker eggs, as they’re sometimes called), for those who don’t know, are plastic eggs with little beads inside, just like maracas.

Found Sound Band

I love doing Found Sound Bands.

I take a simple song and add a steady beat.

Then, I show them how we don’t need “real” instruments to keep the beat.

We can use a lot of different sounds to make a unique band. 

After setting a few safety ground rules, let kids explore and find their own ways to make music and play different instruments.

This is always a favorite from 3 year olds to 10 year olds! 

Herman The Worm

Sometimes, you just have to be silly. 

A lot of preschool music is creating fun, musical experiences where the students can hear different types of music and practice the steady beat. 

Herman the Worm is just another example of this (with emphasis on the silly part!). 

Check out the video and learn it yourself to sing with them. 

You may want to slow it down a bit when you teach it to them the first time. 

Aquarium Movement From Carnival Of The Animals

Classical music and expressive movement shouldn’t be ignored. 

Aquarium from Carnival of the Animals is one of the perfect pieces for this age level. 

It’s short enough that it’ll hold their attention, and there are enough changes in the song to make the movement go well. 

Check out more directions for what I do with this (and other classical pieces besides) in my list of classical music to teach emotion. 

Save time with these 60 FREE Music Resources to use in your room right away!

Stop searching the whole internet to find good activities. I’ll help you cut to the chase with my favorite 60 FREE resources.

Get it now!

Mother Goony Bird

I decided to bookend the previous preschool music lesson with two silly activities, I guess! 

This silly song is similar to Johnny Works With One Hammer. 

We move to a steady beat and keep adding moves until we look pretty silly. 

Bumping Up And Down In My Little Red Wagon

Maybe it’s just music teachers from my generation, or maybe it’s just me, but I love Raffi. 

His fun songs and shows for kids were part of why I wanted to become a music teacher. 

This song is one of my favorites of all the ones he’s done. 

You get to bump up and down and invite students to pick different tools (or silly things) to use for movement prompts in practicing the steady beat as we fix the wagon. 

Marching Band Follow The Leader

Following the leader is another great way to engage the body while moving to music. 

I’m a marching band fan myself, so it’s no surprise one of my go-to’s is to pop on a standard march and lead the kids around the room. 

Give them egg shakers, rhythm sticks, or hand drums if you feel brave. 

I usually come with different beat motions for the first few times we play before adding in the non-pitched percussion.

One of my favorite marches to do this with is the Stars And Stripes Forever.  

Pro-tip: Stick with easy moves for a while first (patting, tapping nose, touching the head) before doing harder ones like crossing the midline (great for brain development). 

Did you know that following the leader requires students to focus on one person? (Duh!)

This helps a lot with social skills too.

Little Bunny Foo Foo

Little Bunny Foo Foo is a classic finger play activity with a great steady beat. 

After the students know it really well, I like to extend the learning in a couple of different ways: 

Acting out the storyAdding instruments to match parts of the storyPlaying the steady beat while singingWatching/reading other variations and discussing how they’re the same and different. 

Apples And Bananas

Who doesn’t love this song with preschoolers?

It’s so much fun! 

Plus, you get to practice some good vowel sounds. 

Any time we can get cross-curricular with important concepts like speech and letter sounds is a big deal with this age group. 

B-I-N-G-O

When I was first teaching, I remember standing with one of my pre-K teachers in the hall as her kids took a bathroom break. 

Those waiting in line were a little impatient about how long another one of their friends was taking. 

I jokingly said: “Well, these preschoolers don’t have a lot of patience, do they?”

She looked at me deadpanned and responded: “That’s the understatement of the century!”

In music, we can help develop self-control and patience through songs that require focus and waiting. 

B-I-N-G-O removes a letter each time on the chorus, forcing the students’ brains to wait for the spot where those words would be. 

Bonus: It also prepares them for learning quarter rest faster in their older grades. 

Hokey Pokey

Fine motor control and knowledge of body parts are two of the key elements of preschool education. 

And this song hits both of these in spades! 

Play this song for maximum fun and learning with music.

10 In The Bed

Counting backward is almost as important as counting forward, and doing it with a song helps the students learn it even faster! 

There’s a reason there are so many catchy kid songs and music activities that help them learn better. 

We’re On Our Way

This is a fun one I like to use as we’re getting closer to a holiday. 

Even if they’re not going anywhere for a break, the students can still sing about the stuff they’ll find at home. 

It provides a great chance to get to know the kids when you only see them for a limited amount of time. 

Musical Coloring

Art and music go together really well. 

Whether you tell students to simply color what they feel or tell them a story to draw while music plays, musical coloring is a slam dunk in terms of creativity and listening. 

Classical music works best here, especially if it has a clear feeling to it. 

Check out these classical songs that teach dynamics in our article at the link.

Name That Tune

For Name That Tune, you’ll want to make a playlist of kids’ songs they know well (Disney songs, for example) or learn how to play them yourself on an instrument such as the recorder or piano. 

Then, give them a hint of the song or play it without words to have them guess what it is. 

Split into teams or keep track of how many they got right to keep it even more interesting. 

Pro-tip: Make your last tune the next one you want to sing or play with on your preschool music lesson plan. 

Build Your Own Musical Instruments

Building your own musical instruments is a big undertaking, but it’s one a lot of people love to do. 

I’ll admit I don’t have much experience in this, so I’ll link you to this article for specific ideas on building DIY instruments. 

Freeze Dance

Freeze Dance is always a blast. 

Put on a song they know and tell them to dance. 

Give them specific dance moves if they don’t have ideas for how to move on their own. 

Then, pause the song regularly to “trick them.”

When the song pauses, they have to freeze.

Some people make it a competition and make those who don’t stop fast enough sit out.

I don’t always do that, but if I do, I’ll also let everyone back in after a minute of sitting out. 

Check out my article on how to play freeze dance for more ideas.

Scarf Dancing

Getting out fabric scarves and adding them to your movement refreshes the same activities you did before, but now it feels new to your kids. 

Do this with classical music or songs that have a motion to them. 

Check out my dancing with scarves lesson plan template for help in organizing and teaching with these. 

Trust me, adding onto activities with scarves is a lot easier on your lesson planning than always coming up with new stuff.

Online Music Games (PBS Kids)

If you have access to technology, it may not be a bad idea to offer them some time (on occasion) to explore music games. 

I don’t like to use too much of this as it’s nowhere near as good as making actual music. 

But if you show them certain games on PBS Kids or Chrome Music Lab, they can explore more at home too! 

Check out our list of the best online music games for the classroom. 

Save time with these 60 FREE Music Resources to use in your room right away!

Stop searching the whole internet to find good activities. I’ll help you cut to the chase with my favorite 60 FREE resources.

Get it now!

Pro Tools shortcuts guide: Key tips for a faster workflow
Master essential Pro Tools shortcuts for a faster workflow—learn key keyboard and mixer shortcuts that boost efficiency and streamline your production tasks.

Floof Audio Paw Control Randomness machine for MIDI notes. Use it to create shifting alterations of your melodies. VST3 compatible with all major DAWs (Mac/Windows). Read More

Yuri Semyonov releases My Happy Tape, a FREE vintage tape recorder emulation
My Happy Tape is a free vintage tape machine plugin for macOS and Windows, created by Yuri Semyonov. Yuri Semyonov is an indie developer with a stellar reputation among audio enthusiasts for recreating the core character of classic vintage hardware. The “My Happy” project also includes My Happy Bus Compressor and My Happy Channel Strip. [...]
View post: Yuri Semyonov releases My Happy Tape, a FREE vintage tape recorder emulation

Get the UVI HX-ODDY sample-based ARP Odyssey emulation for $19
Plugin Boutique offers the UVI HX-ODDY, a hybrid virtual instrument based on the classic ARP Odyssey Mk1, for just $19 (75% off) until September 22. HX-ODDY is part of UVI’s HX Series, which blends deep multi-sampling with physically-modeled synthesis. This time, the team focused on the white-face Odyssey Mk1. It is ARP’s original duophonic analog [...]
View post: Get the UVI HX-ODDY sample-based ARP Odyssey emulation for $19

Imaginando unveils VS 2 – the next generation of its popular visual synthesizerPortuguese music tech brand Imaginando has unveiled VS 2, the next generation of its popular visual synthesizer, with a host of new features derived from user feedback, including a redesigned interface, new creative tools and improved performance.
Heading up the new changes for VS 2 is a redesigned and streamlined user interface inspired by media editing workflows. It now features a consolidated Layer Properties panel, more intuitive controls, and a clearer overview of all active elements.

READ MORE: Rudimental: ‘Learn one thing and learn it well – I would rather be good at one or two plug-ins than okay at 50’

Users can also now create preset playlists with “individually assigned playback times, enabling automatic timed playback”.
There’s also new Audio Visualisers and an Oscilloscope, with Shaders now being able to receive audio waveform and spectrum data, “enabling detailed sound-reactive visuals”.
Additionally, VS 2 now features support for Syphon, Spout and live camera feeds for seamless integration with other media tools. Users can also insert customisable text elements, and route visual output back into layers for “recursive” effects, fractals, and other unique motion trails.
Other features include improved MIDI mapping, as well as a Media Manager for easily tracking, relinking and organising media assets.
Fundamentally, the soft synth is loaded with eight polyphonic visual layers with blend modes – with four voices per layer – multiple layer sources, four multi-shape LFOs with sync and MIDI trigger options, two MIDI-triggered envelope generators, four audio-triggered modulators with peak and frequency band modes, a Modulation Matrix per layer and loads more.

VS 2 is available now for Windows and macOS, with all existing VS expansion packs fully compatible and importable from the previous VS.
In terms of pricing, VS 2 will set you back €129, while the upgrade price for existing VS owners is just €49. That said, until 31 December, 2025, Imaginando is hosting a special launch offering, where each of these prices is reduced to €99 and €39, respectively.
For more information, head to Imaginando.
The post Imaginando unveils VS 2 – the next generation of its popular visual synthesizer appeared first on MusicTech.

“No more saving credits for ‘important’ moments”: Get unlimited mastering credits with Waves Online Mastering PROBack in 2023, Waves launched its AI-powered Online Mastering platform, which uses advanced machine learning to deliver quick and easy professional audio masters. But like many mastering platforms, users were limited to a set number of mastering credits before having to purchase more.
Now, the brand has added a new PRO tier to its Online Mastering platform, offering users unlimited master credits – meaning as many professional-sounding masters as one might desire.

READ MORE: Bots are flooding Deezer: Nearly a third of music uploaded daily is fully AI-generated, platform reveals

“With the new PRO option, you’ll never have to think about credits again,” says Waves. “Master any track, any time – whether it’s a quick demo, a mix-in-progress check, or a final release.
“No more saving credits for ‘important’ moments. Master your music with professional results – every track, every version, every idea – with nothing holding you back.”
PRO is now one of two plans on Waves Online Mastering, the other being Standard, which offers 36 mastering credits per year.
In terms of pricing, PRO comes in at $169.99 per year – again, for unlimited masters – while the Standard plan is priced at $71.64 per year.
Of course, Waves does offer the option to purchase mastering credits as a one-time purchase, with one credit at $3.99, five credits at $17.45 and 15 at $44.85. If you’re a producer after frequent masters, however, the PRO plan is by far the best value for money.
You can also get a taste of what Waves Online Mastering is capable of using its free 30-second preview feature on any of your tracks.
Learn more about the new Online Mastering PRO tier at Waves.
The post “No more saving credits for ‘important’ moments”: Get unlimited mastering credits with Waves Online Mastering PRO appeared first on MusicTech.

EHX release Pico Swello Attack Envelope Electro-Harmonix have introduced the Pico Swello Attack Envelope, a compact pedal inspired by the popular POG2 Attack slider.

Analogy Instruments releases FREE Mothership Lite sample-based virtual instrument
Analogy Instruments has released Mothership Lite, a free sample-based virtual instrument plugin for macOS and Windows. Based on the same concept as their earlier release, AnaMatrix Lite, this new instrument offers a taste of the full Mothership plugin. Both instruments are built on a collection of multi-samples captured from hardware synths. Like its predecessor, Mothership [...]
View post: Analogy Instruments releases FREE Mothership Lite sample-based virtual instrument

Rudimental: ‘Learn one thing and learn it well – I would rather be good at one or two plug-ins than okay at 50’It’s a big weekend for Rudimental when MusicTech catches up with Piers Aggett, one-third of the world-renowned drum and bass group. The trio — completed by Kesi Dryden and Leon ‘Locksmith’ Rolle — have just dropped their fifth album, RUDIM3NTAL, and played a smashing set at Reading and Leeds festival. The sense of occasion — more than a decade into their career — is not lost on Aggett.
“It’s been the most amazing rollercoaster,” Aggett says. “We’ve been living our dreams for 13 years, but even before that, Rudimental was going for 10 years,” he recalls of the band officially starting around 2006, decades after the three met in preschool. “There’s that whole graft before you make it, and then there’s the graft when you make it.”

READ MORE: “High-end studios are not places I feel comfortable making music”: Why Omar+ is still making hits from his bedroom

While many of the dance and electronic acts that broke out in the 2010s have since disbanded or faded away, Rudimental are still scoring huge hits. Their rave anthem Dancing Is Healing reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart last year, and the Skepsis-assisted Green & Gold became the second most-streamed d’n’b tune on Spotify in 2024. This summer, they played Boomtown, and Pukkelpop in Belgium, two of Aggett’s favourite festival shows to date. The trio’s decision to return to the sound they grew up on and first started out creating, then, was perfectly timed yet completely natural.
“We grew up around the corner from Kool FM and my dad was a big junglist, so I was brought up on a lot of those tunes,” Aggett says of his pirate-radio-immersed childhood in Hackney. “My dad and his raving friend, who was like an auntie to me, would almost try and force jungle on me,” Aggett recalls of his teenage years. “I was into it, but I wasn’t as into it as them,” he admits, having also been into grime and garage. This changed, however, as he grew older and began attending jungle raves with Rolle and Dryden.
Even more impactful was taking on an “incredible” collection of jungle vinyls from his aforementioned ‘auntie’ around a decade ago. “She was a collector rather than a DJ, so they were all untouched,” Aggett enthuses, having driven to Scotland to pick them up when he was 29 years old. “Ever since I inherited her records, I’ve always wanted to do a d’n’b/jungle album,” he says.
Image: Press
Fast forward to the 2020s and d’n’b is more popular than ever. Not only has it experienced a massive resurgence, but Rudimental has also played a huge part in its second coming. “The rave culture for d’n’b is so strong and always has been,” Aggett says of the renaissance, “but I really do think it’s the dads of the 90s who play it to their kids at home.
“It’s all passed on, and that’s what I love about drum and bass,” he considers. “While it’s always been a healthy scene, I do feel like it’s most vibrant right now,” he says of youngsters (re)discovering d’n’b via social media and new producers coming through all the time. “It’s never going to die. Like all good genres, they just keep going.”
All this has fed into the changing nature of the group’s live setup, which they stripped back from a full band to a visual-heavy DJ show last year. “It just costs too much to fly people around the world,” Aggett says candidly. “When you fly a 20-strong crew to Australia, it does half your take-home figure.”
Though financial implications have played a part, Aggett felt as though they had exhausted all options: “We’ve done the live show in every format, at every festival, and, creatively, we needed to have a break from that and make this d’n’b album, so it made sense to keep it as a DJ set.” That’s not to say they’ve skimped on the production element, though: “We really got quite tech-y,” he says of the screen-synced vocals that are triggered for specific songs within the mix. “It’s been really fun and I’m very proud of it.”
Image: Press
Similar to their behind-the-decks pivot, the idea of making a genre-specific album was also refreshingly new for Rudimental. Having always hopped between sounds within their records, deciding to stick to just d’n’b led them to return to the mindset they had when making their 2013 debut Home. “We’re well-known for our soulful drum’n’bass hits and we wanted to go back to the roots of that first album, but doing it the 2025 way,” Aggett explains. With this in mind, the trio “went back to the drawing board and made songs — and then added the drum’n’bass afterwards”.
Alongside working together in Major Tom’s — the band’s Hoxton recording studio since their inception — they “tried different things”, like recording in old school studios with vintage pianos, as they did on the first album. “It’s been fun to go back to that sound,” Aggett says, adding that experiencing different approaches to writing sessions (particularly with songwriter and vocalist Mike Needle) was eye-opening. “In the middle of the monitor in his studio, there’s a massive projector screen and we’d all be writing the song together, looking at the words as they appear.” This, he says, was a “really fun way to write a song because it keeps you all engaged rather than being on the phone and using it as a notepad.”
When he wasn’t in rooms with others, Aggett would work on tracks in his garden studio. Built several years ago with the idea of being more productive while staying at home due to having a family, the school hours enabled him to get things done. “I’ve got a code, so if I really want to lock myself in, then I can,” he laughs, before giving MusicTech a virtual tour of the gear-packed space.
“There are various toys — some of them I use a lot, some of them I rarely use, some need to go on eBay,” he concedes. Going on to highlight some of his treasured equipment (variations of which also feature in the band’s own studio), Aggett says the Minimoog Voyager is his “favourite synth by a country mile. It’s got some wacky bass sounds and, instead of going on Splice, you can make a better riser on it. The filter, he adds, is “really simple and not too tech-y” and the patches are “really easy to manipulate and sound like they are from outer space, hence the name.”
Image: Press
When it came to adding the varying styles of d’n’b production to this album, Aggett learned Serum “properly; I tweaked the presets, the LFO and got stuck into it a bit more”, he says, describing the self-education as “quite enlightening”. While he’s not sure if it’ll be Serum for the next album, he followed the advice that he would offer aspiring producers: “learn one thing and learn it well, because I would rather be good at one or two plug-ins than okay at 50.”
Unlike many artists, Aggett and co are bucking the trend by not using artificial intelligence during their creative process. “In some ways, we’ve been using AI for a long time, but if people feel like they need to use it to make music, that’s cool.” Aggett is “not anti-AI”, per se. He’s “just a bit old school. I love vinyl and can’t imagine making music outside of getting the instruments out and jamming.” He continues: “I don’t think I’m going to be in the studio with some AI chord progression generator, not because I’m not open to it, it’s just not my thing.”
Nonetheless, Aggett appreciates it’s here to stay. “With AI, you’ve got to go with it.” He’s confident, though that “as humans, we’ll just smell a rat”; the cancellation of AI-generated rapper FN Meka in 2022 is his music-based example. “We’ve still got to maintain our humanity and decide whether something is even worth listening to or not,” he considers.
“Some of the stuff AI will create will be awful, but you never know. If someone can make the most incredible song with that and it makes me feel good, I don’t give a fuck whether it’s AI or not. Music is subjective, at the end of the day.” He ponders: “It might even create a whole new genre”.

As has been the case with all their albums, RUDIM3NTAL is stacked with guests. Velvet-voiced Texan superstar Khalid brings real emotion to the stunning All I Know, while Rag’n’Bone Man’s unmistakable baritone drives the poignant Nights Like These into anthem territory. The sessions for the latter were particularly memorable, Aggett says. “It took several days and a number of ideas… and then eventually there was a piano moment with Rag’n’Bone Man and we thought ‘wow, that’s amazing’. Those chords didn’t even make the final song, but it then progressed into the hook while we were jamming.”
Getting Jess Glynne (who sang on Rudimental’s 2018 megahit These Days) to feature on Back To Me was a no-brainer: “she’s a friend and we’ve all stayed in touch, so it was easy getting her back in”. While Back To Me was “the one that really popped for this album”, Aggett teases that, having made “a few great tunes”, another song from those sessions might come out in 2026. “She’s got a great voice and really soulful tone. I really enjoy working with her.”
The trio have once again provided a stepping stone for the next generation, too. “There are some great pop singers, songwriters and young d’n’b producers who come through the studio,” Aggett says, adding that the “up-and-comers are always very important to us – that was the whole thing with the first album, there were a bunch of them.”
While 2012 chart-topper Feel the Love made then-unknown vocalist John Newman a household name, this time round there’s Liv Campbell (Thank You), Charlotte Plank (who Rudimental wrote top-10 hit Dancing Is Healing with) and rapper Peter Xan (“we love him so much that we flew him to Los Angeles”) who features on the protest-inspired track London Burning; “he’s good at making serious subjects like riots seem fun”, Aggett says of the track which also boasts a rapid-fire verse from Idris Elba.

As for the future, Rudimental are already busy working on what will follow RUDIM3NTAL. “Creatively and mentally, we’ve moved on from this album already,” Aggett teases, adding that they finished working on the record in 2024. “Being on a major label, things don’t move as quickly as you want them to — no disrespect, but that’s the way it is.”
While he says, “It’s nice to live in the moment of these songs for a bit, we are already planning the next album”. Teasing that “it’s probably one or two tracks from being finished”, Aggett is keen to drop something as early as possible in 2026. As for what it might sound like, he hints, they “really enjoyed exploring all the different types of d’n’b, but we might play around with some genres for the next record.
“… I just feel happy and grateful to still be here,” Aggett concludes. “It’s amazing that we’re still doing albums and having a connection with our fans.”
RUDIM3NTAL is out now
The post Rudimental: ‘Learn one thing and learn it well – I would rather be good at one or two plug-ins than okay at 50’ appeared first on MusicTech.

Roland introduce Aerophone Brisa Roland have expanded the Aerophone family with the launch of the Aerophone Brisa, a new flute-style digital wind instrument.

Nothing Headphone (1) review: Not bad, but definitely quirky£299, nothing.tech
London-based Nothing has made a name for itself with its distinctive Nothing Phone, aimed at people who want something a little different to what the tech giants offer. Headphone (1) is the company’s first full-sized headphone model, following on from its range of earbuds, and it enters into a crowded marketplace of around-£300 models offering a bunch of tech on top of hi-fi sound.
But are the Nothing headphones just about looks, or is there serious sound packed into these cassette-shaped cans?

READ MORE: RØDE’s NTH-50 headphones are $100, but sound like twice the price

The headphones come in black or white, with the white model more clearly emphasising the use of transparent casing and design touches that have a retrofuture feel. Build quality is impressive and blends plastic, aluminium and soft leather pads which sit comfortably over your ears but do not appear to be user-replaceable. At 330g the headphones are solid enough to feel like a premium product yet still light enough not to feel like they are weighing you down.
The battery life is excellent, with a two-hour full charge giving 80 hours with noise cancelling off and 35 with it on, and 54 / 30 hours respectively when streaming using the higher resolution LDAC as opposed to the standard AAC Bluetooth codec. A five-minute fast charge produces 2.4 / 5 hours of playback, depending on ANC. These numbers, which I find to be accurate, mean you’ll not need to worry about recharging even on particularly long journeys. For comparison, Apple’s ageing AirPods Max only manage 20 hours, the Sonos Ace 30 and Sony’s latest around 32, all with ANC on.
Image: Press
The headphones pair easily with up to two devices – the pairing button is somewhat hidden – and Nothing has opted for physical controls rather than the touch-based tactile controls many other manufacturers choose. This is simply a different approach, and there’s nothing wrong with touch except its occasional inaccuracy, but here the controls are a breath of fresh air. Configurable in the app – more on this momentarily – they all live on a single cup and quickly become familiar with use.
First up is the Roller, which works as a combo control. Pressing it and press-and-hold can be assigned to playback and cycling ANC and transparency modes, while rolling it works as a volume control. Then there’s the Paddle, which can skip tracks and answer calls, while press-and-hold here is fast forward and rewind, which you don’t always get as physical options. Then there’s the Button (Nothing keeps the names simple), which triggers your voice assistant and, if you have a Nothing Phone, can cycle through recent audio apps or favourites.
The audio side of the headphones has been developed with hi-fi specialists KEF, and there’s honestly a lot going on here in terms of customisation and playback. You’ll want to get a pretty tight seal of the cups around your ears for optimum playback – not uncomfortably so, but with cancelling on, the mics analyse both inside and outside the cups and adjust continually. Initially, wearing them quite loosely, I find the sound fluctuates in character a little, but this is solved by achieving a snug fit.
The 40mm dynamic drivers have a frequency response of 20 Hz – 40 kHz, topping out far higher than the human ear. We find quite a variation in the sound depending on how we configure the headphones in the app, which provides a bunch of tweaking and tuning options. Listening with active noise cancelling switched on, at any of its levels, provides a well-rounded soundstage with a pleasing balance of low, mid and high frequencies and solid separation. Switching ANC off, however, drops a significant amount of the bottom end out, sounding somewhat thinner.
EQ. Image: MusicTech
Switching on the Bass Enhance control at about 2 or 3 out of five stops returns the richness to the sound. Then there’s also a comprehensive EQ stage you can use to further shape the signal; an eight-band parametric system in which you can save presets, a ‘simple’ option with several presets, or a custom mode where you can draw in your own EQ shape. Combining the ‘wrong’ settings, say full ANC plus bass boost, gives incredibly boomy results, but finding a combo that works best for you shouldn’t take too long.
Headphone (1) also offers wired listening modes, more rarely encountered on wireless headphones but extremely welcome. In addition to a 3.5mm analogue connection, uncompressed digital USB-C is listening, with both cables supplied in the box. The hierarchy here works as you’d expect, with LDAC wireless offering a small but noticeable uptick in sharpness and detail over the standard AAC, then analogue and USB-C a little more again. These aren’t huge leaps but are definitely noticeable, plus wired modes also offer more volume when pushed right to the maximum.
The aforementioned noise cancelling, powered by a total of six microphones, while not quite up there with Sony’s latest, is still impressive, especially on its highest setting and transparency mode feeds the outside world into the cups for better awareness. Making calls works well, and there’s IP52 waterproofing too, which means the odd splash is OK, though anything more is not.
Settings. Image: Press
A couple of other features are worth mentioning, including fast pair for Google and Microsoft, wear detection and low latency mode for movies and gaming, which does seem to speed things up slightly. There’s spatial audio too, which converts stereo signals into a 3D soundstage. This always sounds odd with music, but it’s more useful with movies or games. The headphones also allow dynamic head tracking, which can keep the soundstage centred as you move your head or have it follow you as you move. Again, this is a nice option to have for games or films, but probably not so much with regular music tracks. All this stuff is switched off by default, so you’re free to ignore it if you prefer.
Headphone (1) is an intriguing product. It looks and feels great, has excellent battery life, friendly physical controls and a solid and engaging sound, even if you might have to find the particular setup and combination of settings that suits you personally. Sony’s WH-1000XM6 headphones cost £100 more and don’t have USB-C listening, though they are a little more comfortable, and their sound goes that extra mile in terms of richness and fidelity. Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e are available for £200 and are well regarded, though they lack a wired option, and battery life is a little shorter at 30 hours.
Nothing needs to introduce a little more consistency to the sound, which is possible via software updates. You can get to a really pleasing, rich and balanced playback, but it involves finding the right balance of cancelling, EQ and possibly bass enhancement.
The app is well-designed, though, and battery life, ANC and build are all up to scratch. Having multiple wired and wireless modes is a great bonus and makes them super flexible, while the £299 asking price seems reasonable considering the competition. I’d love to see a little repairability introduced, however.
While it may not quite scale the sonic heights of pricier cans, Headphone (1) is a solid all-rounder with some standout features and a unique design.

Key features

Over-ear wireless/wired headphones
Bluetooth AAC or LDAC codecs, 3.5mm and USB-C digital wired modes
40mm drivers
20 Hz – 40 kHz frequency response
Up to 80 hours of battery life (35 hours with ANC turned on)
Powerful multi-mode EQ
Physical on-body controls
Wear detection, spatial audio and head tracking
6 mics for calls and ANC
Nothing X companion app
IP52 weather proofing
Carrying case

The post Nothing Headphone (1) review: Not bad, but definitely quirky appeared first on MusicTech.

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