PPL to sponsor A&R Awards category celebrating behind-the-scenes linchpinsFast-growing collection society supports award for 'the glue of the A&R department'
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Songtradr acquires Bandcamp from Fortnite maker Epic GamesNews arrives a year and a half after Epic Games acquired Bandcamp
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Modular racks, Moog synths and sandwiches: Inside ‘Betty’s’, Sylvan Esso’s “off-grid” studioIn Chapel Hill near Durham, North Carolina, Sylvan Esso vocalist Amelia is returning from her local store with sandwiches. Meanwhile, her husband and the act’s predominant producer, Nick Sanborn, sits in their studio. Amelia’s speaking to us on FaceTime as she hurries back, while we talk with Nick via Zoom.

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The studio space, named ‘Betty’s’ after Sanborn’s grandmother, is in the woods ​​next to their home, “off-grid”, they say. It’s an open space available for visiting musicians; they rent out Betty’s and their home to friends at little or no cost, prioritising artistic freedom over profit.
“We could start a cult at the drop of a hat!” Nick jibes. “This is our homestead – but sandwiches, we order out.” Suddenly, Amelia exits the conversation only to appear next to Nick in the studio, shaking off her coat and unravelling their lunch.
Twice Grammy-nominated Sylvan Esso are a joyous pair. Their varied electronic sounds can lean into acoustic genres as well as synth-heavy abstract, experimental styles. Nick’s brash synths act as a revolving ribcage around the heart of Amelia’s vocals, which are often tender and gentle. The resulting sound is a unique juxtaposition.
Amelia in her studio
They’re about to embark on a nine-week tour of the US and Canada. Consequently, the studio, with its large floor-to-ceiling window and cabin-like wooden beams, is slightly chaotic – flight cases sprawl across its eucalyptus green floor. Preparation, they say, is a more mundane task than the usual music-making tomfoolery that takes place in the space. Mapping their gear, setting up presets on modular gear, and preparing loops feels “like homework,” they grumble.
“For the live shows, we have Ableton Live running stems with a FaderFox mixer for computer control,” Nick says of their live setup. “There’s a separate computer handling live looping of Amelia’s voice and effects. I have a Eurorack modular rig for drums and samples, a Roland Juno-106, and a Dave Smith Instruments Tempest. We aim to make it feel really flexible, with the starts and ends of songs stretching out in either direction, allowing for changes.”
No Rules Sandy by Sylvan Esso
It’s already sounding complex, but that’s just Sylvan Esso’s live rig. Inside the studio is a Moog Matriarch, a baritone guitar, a Shure SM7B, an Eventide H3000 rack effect, three Moog Moogerfooger effects pedals, Mutable Instruments’ Plaits, Marbles, Tides and Clouds modules, a Make Noise Morphagene, a Yamaha TX7 and – breathe – loads more.
A normal studio day sees Nick at the helm while Amelia, she tells us, will sit directly behind him, facing the back of his head. This is so both can get the optimal sound from their monitor speakers and so Amelia can whisper ideas into Nick’s ear like a wise shoulder angel.
Sylvan Esso | Credit: Nick Sanborn
“Nick does all the programming and engineering,” says Amelia, “and I contribute by suggesting things and providing lyrical and melodic ideas. It’s a collaborative process.”
“It’s a conversation,” Nick adds, “and we both produce in our unique ways. The process changes every time. We’ve worked on songs where Amelia wrote the full acapella, and I created the beat later. Other times, I create a beat, and we build from there.”
“It’s a bit like hanging out and shouting at each other for an hour, really,” says Amelia.
“Yeah, a lot of arguing,” Nick admits.
“We’re each other’s biggest fans. Because of that, we hold each other to a really high standard.”
But “usually it’s boring if we’re not fighting”, Amelia says. Often, there’s a friendly competition when they create music – a race to get to the most exciting and inspirational idea first. This involves honest feedback on each other’s creations in a wider effort to get the best out of one another.
“I’ll put some drum part in that I’m thrilled about, and Amelia will be like, ‘This is bad’,” says Nick, “and either I will deep down know that she’s right, or I will be like, ‘No, I love this. Give me five more minutes. This is gonna be awesome.’ And Amelia does the same thing where she’ll think of something and I’ll be like, ‘I just feel like you can do better’, and then she’ll be like, ‘You’re wrong’.
Sylvan Esso’s workstation
“We’re each other’s biggest fan. And so, because of that, we hold each other to a really high standard.”
Besides goading one another towards a desired sonic outcome, Amelia and Nick experiment; working away on unpredictable modular gear. They’re unafraid of a sound not working initially in the knowledge it can be re-shaped later down the line.
“It allows you the opportunity to react to what’s happening, rather than speaking into the void,” says Nick. “Even if you don’t like what’s happening, you’re already making more progress than nothing happening. It’s a helpful fallback when starting without a concrete idea. For example, with Echo Party, we began by stacking vocals, then evolved the concept into a broken club track centred around Amelia’s voice using the Make Noise Morphagene and a low-pass gate. It encourages exploring ‘what ifs’ rather than starting with a fixed idea, allowing you to narrow in on the inspiring moment.”

Amelia adds: “You let the instrument’s reaction – particularly with modular – surprise you and then that moves you forward.”
The physicality of twisting, controlling and turning hardware is a key part of Sylvan Esso’s process. The pair continue to talk us through some of their favourite items, including the Bastl Microgranny granular sampler, emphasising its unique and quirky nature. Amelia focuses on their preference for broken or vintage-sounding gear while Nick highlights the Overstayer Channel Amp as a versatile and creative tool. They also mention their love for the Make Noise Morphagene and Mutable Instruments’ Marbles for modular synthesis. For vocals, Amelia experiments with vocoders and doesn’t aim for an ultra-clean sound.
Betty’s Studio houses a wealth of gear, but unexpectedly, Sylvan Esso’s advice for producers building their own studio is:
“Don’t buy anything! Yeah, don’t buy anything.” Nick reiterates. “All this shit is cool – it’s great for my attention deficit disorder, but we made our biggest selling record on a MOTU 828 audio interface that I bought used and with a $300 Rode mic.
“Having the mindset that something is going to allow you to make music – that’s not the case. If you have a laptop and any kind of interface and any kind of microphone, you can make music.”
Amelia adds: “Limitations will help you get ideas.”
It’s going to be exciting for fans to see this power couple perform their complex live show over the coming weeks. What they don’t get to see, though, is where it all starts – in Betty’s Studio. It’s a heartwarming image: Amelia sat directly behind Nick, pushing him gently towards an idea, while he does the same back.
There’s a reason why Sylvan Esso’s music has so much weight to it – it’s what happens when two musical minds understand one another’s strengths and believe in one another’s ideas.
Check out all things Sylvan Esso via sylvanesso.com.
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Warm Audio launch Limited Edition Gold WA-8000 The latest version of the WA-8000 large-diaphragm valve capacitor mic comes supplied in an all-gold finish. 

Ray-Ban launches Meta Smart Glasses collectionRay-Ban has launched a next-generation collection of smart glasses with Meta Connect, in partnership with EssilorLuxottica.
The new collection builds on the company’s first generation of smart eyewear, with a new design boasting improved features, and, for the first time, also having AI capabilities that have never been used on smart glasses before.

READ MORE: The Roland GAIA 2 has landed – featuring a new hybrid sound engine that combines wavetable and virtual analogue synthesis

The new Ray-Ban glasses enable users to take photos or videos handsfree, and can be even used for livestreams. They also use open-ear audio with new custom designed speakers featuring extended bass, a higher maximum volume and improved directional audio to reduce audio leakage, even in noisy or windy environments. The new-gen glasses have the capacity for double the bass and 50 per cent higher maximum volume than the first generation.
Furthermore, they contain five microphones to support immersive audio recording, which means videos taken on the glasses capture sound exactly how someone wearing them might hear them.
Meanwhile, a new ultra-wide 12MP camera delivers better photo quality and 1080p videos for up to 60 seconds. In addition, with a simple “send photo” voice command, wearers can send photos immediately to friends and family.
The glasses come with a redesigned charging case which holds up to eight charges for a total of 36 hours of use. They are also prescription-lens compatible and more prescription lens options have been made available to meet a variety of customer needs and price points.
In addition, the new design is lighter and slimmer than ever, with a more universal nose fit and water-resistant capabilities.
They will be available to buy from October 17 and are priced at £249.
For more information, head to Ray-Ban.
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Electric Keys Is A FREE Rhodes Piano For Kontakt Player
Fracture Sounds release Electric Keys, a FREE Rhodes Mk1 library for Kontakt Player. Electric Keys is the first release by Fracture Sounds from the Blueprint series, a collection of free sample libraries for Kontakt Player. It is one of the better free libraries for Kontakt we’ve seen in recent times. It’s always great to see [...]
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Will Smith’s new hip-hop podcast Class of ’88 to feature Queen Latifah, Rakim and moreRapper and actor Will Smith is set to launch a hip-hop podcast titled Class of ‘88.

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Premiering in late October, the podcast will explore 1988 hip-hop alongside guests like Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rakim and Chuck D.
Fans can look forward to unearthed archival material, new interviews with hip-hop’s biggest stars, and personal recollections from Smith himself across the eight episode series.
“Hip-hop has been a central part of my life for over four decades,” Smith tells Billboard. “I’m hyped to share my first-hand experiences and those of some of hip-hop’s greatest legends as we delve into the origins of one of the most influential genres of music in history.”
The trailer for Class Of ’88 has also been released, featuring Smith saying: “Today, hip-hop dominates pop culture, but it wasn’t always like that. Before 1988, a lot of people saw our music as just a passing fad, and to tell the story of how that’s changed, I want to take you back to a very special year in rap.”
Class of ‘88 will be available on Amazon Music and Audible starting 26 October.
Listen to the trailer below.

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Serato DJ Pro 3.1 Beta expands Stems Performance Pad ModeSerato has expanded its stem separation feature in Serato DJ Pro as part of its 3.1 update, which you can now install in its Beta stage.

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The update to the flagship software primarily focuses on bug fixes, but has a few exciting additions.
Most notably, the update expands the Stems Performance Pad Mode, enabling users to isolate stems like vocals, drums, and bass from mixed tracks using official Serato controllers.
Previously, this feature was only accessible on specific dedicated DJ controllers and standalone controllers, like the Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4 or RANE ONE. With the new Serato DJ Pro 3.1 beta, Stems Performance Pad Mode is available on popular Serato controllers such as Pioneer DJ’s SP1, Denon DJ S6000, CDJ-2000nxs2, and CDJ-3000 models.
This means you can have a dedicated controller for stems while using traditional HID mode for mixing, giving more tools for seamless mixing to DJs.
Additionally, Serato DJ Pro 3.1 beta includes stability and performance enhancements, minor GUI updates, and improved keylock detection algorithms for Pitch ‘n’ Time when scratching on a motorized platter.
Serato Stems lets you isolate instruments from your music in real time, letting you pick apart the melody, vocals, bass, drums, vocals. It’s a feature that was introduced as part of the Serato DJ Pro 3.0 launch in October 2022. in
Alongside stem separation, it also provides accompanying stem-specific effects – vocal echo, instrumental echo, instrumental braker and drums echo which can help DJs transition between isolated stems in the moment.
Serato, alongside its flagship DJ software, has released a multitude of tools over the years built to help both DJ and producers. UK dance duo Disclosure recently revealed that plugin and standalone tool Serato Sample played a vital role in the creation of their track, Simply Won’t Do.
Serato Sample is designed for slicing and reshaping imported audio. It provides time stretching, pitch identification and adjustment, as well as automatic sample detection. It also utilises a user-friendly cue-point system reminiscent of Serato DJ.
Download the latest version of Serato DJ Pro via serato.com.
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Is BMI Selling or Are They Selling Out Songwriters? [Bill Werde]or BMI: Another Reason Why the Industry Needs Transparency from PROs.  or Why Songwriters Need to Stop Worrying and Love A Union.  By Bille Werde A version of this essay. Continue reading
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What are the most popular Social Media apps in 2023?Meta’s Threads signed up 100 million users in days, then struggled to keep them, and X, the app formerly known as Twitter, is a mess. These are just the latest. Continue reading
The post What are the most popular Social Media apps in 2023? appeared first on Hypebot.

2000s Emo Music is making a comebackBetween nostalgic veteran listeners and newfound Gen Z fans, 2000s emo bands like My Chemical Romance and the Used are making a comeback. by Karen Fischer of Chartmetric Blog It’s. Continue reading
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Modartt release Organteq 2 Organteq 2 adds a new collection of German Baroque stops, an enhanced sound engine, new voicing parameters and improved sound design capabilities.

The Roland GAIA 2 has landed – featuring a new hybrid sound engine that combines wavetable and virtual analogue synthesisRoland has unveiled GAIA 2, an advanced synthesizer that combines wavetable and virtual analogue engines, intuitive sound design workflow, and expressive hands-on controls.

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Designed to be accessible to both beginners and seasoned musicians, the GAIA 2 boasts a newly developed hybrid sound engine and an intuitive panel layout that makes learning synthesis and exploring sound design fast, easy and fun. In particular, the one-control-per-function panel layout enables instant programming, minimising the dreaded menu diving.
The synth features 37 full-size keys and interactive controls, and is equipped with wavetable and virtual analogue oscillators, offering a never-ending realm of tonal exploration under your fingers.
The wavetable oscillator is a standout feature, capable of morphing between multiple waveforms, enabling everything from dramatic sound shifts to slowly evolving textures. Unique phase and shape modulation options are also available for distorting waveforms and producing complex overtones.
Complementing the wavetable oscillator are twin virtual analogue oscillators, capable of recreating classic synth sounds or crafting futuristic tones. Whether you seek the smooth tones of vintage synths, sharp leads, or futuristic sci-fi soundscapes, GAIA 2 delivers.
Another key feature on the GAIA 2 is its support for Roland Model Expansions, which faithfully replicate iconic synthesizers from the company’s rich history. Users can instantly switch between the built-in sound engine and classics like the JUPITER-8 or JUNO-106 using a dedicated button.
The synth comes pre-loaded with the SH-101 Model Expansion, and additional titles and Sound Packs are available on Roland Cloud.

Speaking of new features, Roland has also added a touch-controlled Motional Pad to the GAIA 2. Users can assign nearly any synth or effect parameter to each of the X/Y points and then morph between them by moving a finger on the pad. You can also record movements to create complex, modulated transformations.
There’s also a free-flowing sequencer for capturing musical ideas, along with a Random Pattern feature for spontaneous pattern creation. The synth comes with over 50 unique MFX effects, a Chorus section for added dimension, and a Reverb/Delay section with studio-grade effects.
Connections wise, GAIA 2 can function as an audio/MIDI interface via USB-C, making it compatible with music production apps on computers, smartphones, or tablets. It also supports Roland Cloud Connect, a wireless adapter for browsing and downloading Roland Cloud content.
For musicians on the move, Roland offers the optional CB-B37 Keyboard Bag. This bag is also compatible with other 37-note keyboards in the Roland lineup (e.g. JUPITER-Xm, legacy GAIA SH-01).
The Roland GAIA 2 is now available for purchase at $899.99.
Learn more at Roland.
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Fender, Yamaha, Korg, Roland and Casio face class-action lawsuit for price fixingInstrument manufacturers Fender, Yamaha, Korg, Roland and Casio are facing a class-action lawsuit after they were found to have engaged in price fixing by a UK anti-trust regulator.

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The move comes after 2019 and 2020 rulings by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), who defines price fixing, or Resale Price Maintenance (RPM), as when “a supplier requires a retailer not to sell below a certain price,” with the goal of “keep[ing] prices artificially high, so consumers are then robbed of a fair deal.”
According to Guitar World, the claims have been launched by legal firm Pogust Goodhead and consumer rights campaigner Elisabetta Sciallis, with the goal of securing compensation for customers who bought instruments from those manufacturers during specific timeframes
Any UK customer who purchased instruments or accessories from the following companies between the dates below is automatically enrolled in the relevant class action claim. They are:

Fender: 2013-2019
Yamaha: 2013-2018
Roland: 2011-2019
Korg: 2015-2019
Casio: 2015-2019

During the dates affected, Yamaha’s brands included Line 6 and Ampeg, while Roland has ownership of Boss, and Korg owns Vox and Takamine.
A similar class action lawsuit was previously launched against Fender back in 2022 following a 2020 ruling from the CMA stating that the brand had engaged in price fixing. The guitar giant was ordered to pay a fine of £4.5 million.
In 2020, the CMA also ruled that Roland, Korg and Yamaha had engaged in price fixing in the UK market, and issued fines of over £4 million to Roland and £1.5 million to Korg. Yamaha was granted immunity from these fines, but not the class action, after cooperating with the investigation. Casio was fined £3.7 million in 2019.
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Black Octopus Sound Futuretone - Chill House Dreamer Black Octopus Sound and Futuretone have released 'Chill House Dreamer', a collection of samples and presets ideal for House and a variety of Downtempo music. What's inside:... Read More