Dusk Audio releases TapeMachine 2, a FREE tape plugin with a new interface
Dusk Audio has released TapeMachine 2, a free tape emulation plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux. We featured Dusk Audio’s original Tape Machine plugin earlier this year, when it arrived alongside 4K EQ and MultiComp. TapeMachine 2 is a new version with a redesigned interface and a new tape engine. The main point is that [...]
View post: Dusk Audio releases TapeMachine 2, a FREE tape plugin with a new interface

Thingstone Track8’s tape-style workflow is almost the perfect DAWless recording solution£1,580, thingstone.com 
‘DAWless’ has become a slippery term. Sometimes it means a table full of hardware; other times, a DAW-like experience compressed into a standalone device. Either way, it’s usually about stepping away from the computer in favour of a more hands-on, present approach to making music.

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That setup is immediately gratifying — until the point where you need to record something, and a promising loop collapses into cable-swapping, menu-diving, or another evening in the DAW.
Thingstone’s Track8 might bypass that bottleneck. Inspired by yesteryear’s eight-tracks, it exploits the immediacy of tape workflows while keeping the computer out of the room for as long as possible. That prospect is compelling enough for the first batch to have sold out, but can it cement Track8 as a permanent studio fixture?
First impressions of Track8
Arriving in a Peli-style hardcase, Track8’s olive drab chassis and utilitarian keycaps feel more Cold War bunker than modern recording device. The vintage affectation extends to the screen, featuring a toggleable CRT-style filter.
Track8 and case. Image: James Langley
Given that DAWless is partly about escaping screens, Track8 strikes a convincing balance. The display is large enough to read at a glance, but it’s not imposing. It’s touch-sensitive too, though only for carefully chosen tasks like naming tracks and drawing automation.
Track8 buttons. Image: James Langley
Physicality is another major part of the DAWless appeal, swapping mouse clicks for dedicated knobs and buttons. Track8’s mechanical keys feel excellent, to the point that tapping them is mildly addictive. It’s instantly rewarding to use a device with this much personality.
Recording with Track8
I plug my guitar into the mono input and create a new project, which is automatically titled ‘LeanIntoMist’ by the playful name randomiser. Track8 is straightforward enough that I can get going without a manual, laying down guitar atop a drum loop imported from my USB stick.
My guitar takes aren’t particularly sharp, and without modern DAW tools like warping or tuning, nailing the performance matters a lot more. After using punch-in/out to mop up a few mistakes, I discover Track8’s varispeed—set by pitch or percentage—that makes difficult parts easier to track.
Varispeed is also a sound design tool in its own right. I speed the project up, record a transposed guitar line, then slot it down and repeat the process in reverse. Returning Track8 to its original tempo retunes everything back to baseline, but leaves behind a subtly warped, tape-like character.

Endless overdub is another tape-inherited trick. Setting it up is slightly convoluted, requiring punch-in/out to be enabled—recording stops at the end of the loop by default—but once configured, it’s one of Track8’s most immediate creative modes.
I use it to record lush pad chords with a monophonic synth before adding varispeed and effects (more on those later):

Track8 includes stereo jacks alongside the mono one, and an XLR input with phantom power and preamp, but you can only use one at a time, and the stereo input can’t be split between two tracks.
That feels like a missed opportunity on a machine otherwise tailor-made for capturing small hardware jams, minimally mic’d drum kits, or rough guitar-and-vocal demos. Although, external class-compliant audio interfaces can expand inputs/outputs via USB-A to enable simultaneous multitrack recording.
Editing audio and MIDI with Track8
Track8’s tape-style workflow also extends to editing, at least for simpler arrangement tasks. You can create slice markers, then cut or copy each designated section to paste it elsewhere in the timeline. In no time at all, I escape eight-bar purgatory in a process that’s both quick and satisfying.
More granular audio editing is possible, but it requires wrangling multiple controls: start and end points, cursor scrolling, grid size, and so on. I try to chop a drum break into a new beat, but finessing individual hits into place is too slow-going. Editing recorded MIDI is even more fiddly, and is not Track8’s forte.
One more creative editing tool is clipboard mod. After recording eight bars of my Electribe ER-1, I copy sections to the clipboard and apply stutter, reverse, and downsampling effects before pasting them on the timeline.
The results are more performative than polished, but that suits the device. It’s a quick, dirty way to inject variation, and things can get quite extreme:

Applying effects with Track8
Track8 includes a considered set of essentials: per-track EQ and compression, plus sends for delay and reverb. These fundamentals can take a mix surprisingly far, turning a scrappy arrangement into something relatively fully formed.
Delay and reverb settings are global, and both effects are tools for mixing more than sound design. The former is fairly simple, capping out at 350 ms, with no way to set dotted notes unless you calculate the time manually. As for reverb, four flavours provide ample spatial character.

Automation is one of my least favourite DAW chores, but Track8 makes it feel unusually approachable. It’s drawn freehand via the touchscreen, or linear changes can be entered manually with the encoders. However, ramping curves aren’t available.
Track8 is well-equipped on the mastering side, too. The Drive control glues everything together, while low/high gain controls add punch and sparkle in tandem with the stereo enhancer. I quickly dial in my guitar-and-drums sketch, resulting in a bounce that sounds remarkably robust for about 15 minutes of recording and mixing.

Once you’re ready to export, Track8 can bounce a stereo mix or full stems to a USB stick or the internal drive, which is accessible on computers via USB-C. The one thing I’d love here is a fade-in/out option for the master. For now, you can achieve this by automating individual track volumes.
Should I buy Track8?
Track8 occupies an unusual space. Its feature set is deliberately focused, yet its price puts it far above most standalone recorders and even MPC-style workstations.
Without using an interface, the limited inputs and outputs are perhaps the biggest flaw. It’s hard to overlook given Track8 costs £1,580, removing the possibility of out-of-the-box multitrack recording on a device that otherwise seems perfect for the job.
However, the more time I spend with Track8, the more natural it begins to feel, and capturing ideas without the usual DAW-based faff is liberating. It isn’t perfect, especially once you explore more advanced functionality, but it delivers exactly the immediate, distilled recording experience it sets out to provide.
Keep in mind, this is a boutique product. Thingstone mastermind Collin Raddatz assembled the first batch by hand in Weingarten, Germany. He’s also continuously improving the platform: users can request new features via the Track8 GitHub, many of which have been implemented since the device launched.
Ultimately, Track8 is not the most flexible way to record without a DAW, and it’s certainly not the cheapest – if you’re on a budget, classic digital or cassette multitracks from the likes of Tascam or Zoom offer their own nostalgic workflows for around £200.
Physically though, the device is a joy to use, and over time, its creative influence becomes progressively powerful. Rather than endlessly tweaking parameters and editing takes, I find myself listening harder, playing with more intent, and simply creating faster. The focus is part of the product – and for the right setup, it may be Track8’s most valuable feature.
Track8 effects screen. Image: James Langley
Key Features

Up to 8 audio tracks (32-bit float WAV) and 8 MIDI tracks simultaneously
Mono and stereo line inputs plus XLR mic input
Emulates tape workflow with punch-in/out
Level, pan, mute, EQ, and compression per track
Delay, reverb, and mastering effects
USB for connecting class-compliant interfaces, memory sticks, and MIDI devices
Export stereo mixdown or stems
19.05 cm x 6.35 cm touch-sensitive screen, plus encoders and mechanical keys
120 GB of internal storage
Comes in a Thingstone-branded Peli-style hardcase
Dimensions: 34 cm x 17 cm x 6.1 cm
Weight: 1.5 kg

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TK Audio unveil the TK-Lizer 3 As with its predecessor, the TK-Lizer 3 includes three bands of EQ along with a pair of high-pass filters, and boasts an onboard Mid-Side encoder and decoder. 

Satya Nadella says companies that trust one AI for everything may not surviveCompanies without their own models — or without a layer of AI infrastructure known as AI gateways to separate their prompts from the model itself — will be in trouble, Nadella says.

Cross River to enable P2P payments, banking services for X MoneyThe banking-as-a-service provider will power X Money’s peer-to-peer payments, FDIC-insured accounts and Visa debit cards as the platform expands its financial services.

RON PASTORE SHARES NEW SINGLE “ROBOT HANDS” FROM LATEST ALBUM TURTLE ROCKN.Y.C.-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Ron Pastore has released “Robot Hands,” the lead single from his new album Turtle Rock, now available on all major streaming platforms.

Blending analog synths, live drums, and layered improvisation, the track introduces a seven-song project shaped by Pastore’s steady, self-driven creative process and his evolving approach to melodic, groove-focused composition.

The post RON PASTORE SHARES NEW SINGLE “ROBOT HANDS” FROM LATEST ALBUM TURTLE ROCK first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

AI Music Is An Abomination – It’s Time We Stop Normalizing ItThe Recording Academy just published a panel discussion from a "Grammys on the Hill" event where CEO Harvey Mason Jr. repeated his favorite talking points regarding generative AI music. How did we get here?

Reviving a Retro Mouse with BlueTooth low Energy supportOne of the disadvantages to collecting retro peripherals is that they’re not necessarily easy to use anymore. [eSPee77] changes that by retrofitting a Genius GM-6000 mouse with modern hardware, all while preserving the feel.
To make this mouse without compromising on the feel of the original, means replacing the PCB with a new one while retaining the same buttons and encoders. So [eSPee77] did exactly that. At the heart of the conversion lies an nRF52840 on a custom PCB. It uses new optical sensors to read the existing quadrature encoders, and uses the same type of switch for the mouse buttons as the original.
But from there, it diverges because–powered by the BLE capabilities of the nRF–this is actually a wireless mouse! And the modern features don’t end there, either. To support scrolling on a mouse which did not originally have it, you can press the middle mouse button while moving it forward/backward. Finally, as the cherry on the cake, it features an “air mouse” mode using an inertial measurement unit, handy for use in presentations.

The 6 fastest-growing sounds on Splice (and how to get started with them)
From botanica to cloud rap, here are the six fastest-growing sounds on Splice that music producers should know about.

Nebula Audio Nebula ClusterNebula Cluster is an open-source dirt box plugin made by Nebula Audio. It is built for one job: take clean, polite audio and give it weight, bite, heat, movement, and attitude. Put it on drums, bass, synths, vocals, guitars, loops, rooms, buses, or anything that needs to stop behaving. Nebula Cluster is released under the AGPL v3.0 license. It is not proprietary software. The Sound Nebula Cluster is not a transparent utility plugin pretending to be exciting. It is a character box. At low settings it adds thickness, density, and subtle harmonic lift. Push it harder and it turns into a crunchy saturation engine with enough harmonic control to go from warm and rounded to sharp, torn, and aggressive. The filter and compressor sections make it easy to shape the chaos into something that still works in a mix. Use it when a track needs: - More grit. - More forward motion. - More body. - More edge. - More impact. - More strange little sparks around the sound. It can be gentle, but it is happiest when you ask it to misbehave. Why Use It Nebula Cluster gives you the classic dirt-box workflow: drive, shape, squeeze, blend, and compare. The controls are immediate, the UI is built around fast decisions, and the post-effects analyzer shows what the plugin is doing to the signal in real time. It is especially good for: - Smashing drum loops. - Making kicks and snares hit harder. - Turning plain bass into a mix anchor. - Adding edge to soft synths. - Giving vocals a gritty parallel layer. - Warming up sterile digital sources. - Creating aggressive transitions and sound-design layers. - Making boring buses feel alive. Plugin Formats - CLAP. - VST3. Platforms - macOS Universal: Apple Silicon and Intel. - Linux x86_64. Nebula Cluster is 64-bit only. Interface The editor uses a deep black neon sci-fi look with resizable controls. The main analyzer stays visible globally while the effect sections live in tabs, so you can shape the sound without losing sight of the output. The UI includes: - Global toolbar. - Post-effects spectrum analyzer. - Waveform display. - Output peak meter. - Gain reduction meter. - Tabbed Global, Distortion, Filter, and Compressor controls. - Preset save/load. - Undo and redo. - A/B comparison. - Chaos randomization. - MIDI learn. The Dirt Engine The distortion section is the heart of Nebula Cluster. Instead of giving you one fixed distortion flavor, it lets you build the character from multiple harmonic layers: - Saturation intensity. - 2nd order harmonics for warmth and thickness. - 3rd order harmonics for bite and aggression. - 4th through 7th order harmonics for extra edge, texture, and fuzz-like complexity. - Dedicated distortion mix. - Distortion phase flip. - Pre-shaping HPF and LPF controls. - Continuously variable filter slopes. Turn up Saturation for more grind. Blend the harmonic controls to decide whether the sound gets round, sharp, buzzy, raspy, or broken. Filter Section After the distortion stage, the filter section lets you carve the result into place. Use it to: - Remove low-end mud after heavy saturation. - Tame harsh high end. - Add resonant bite around cutoff points. - Create focused midrange grit. - Shape parallel dirt layers so they sit under the dry sound. Controls: - HPF. - HPF Slope. - HPF Resonance. - LPF. - LPF Slope. - LPF Resonance. Compressor Section The compressor is there to make the dirt move. Modes: - Down: classic downward compression. - Up: brings lower-level detail forward. - Boost: pushes the signal with controlled upward-style energy. Use it after distortion to clamp, pump, thicken, or pull hidden texture forward. Controls: - Mode. - Ratio. - Knee. - Makeup. - Boost. - Attack Threshold. - Attack Time. - Release Threshold. - Release Time. - Hold. Global Controls Nebula Cluster also includes the practical controls needed to keep extreme tones usable: - Input Level. - Input Pan. - Output Level. - Output Pan. - Global Mix. - Oversampling: Off, 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x. - Global Phase. - FX Bypass. The pan knobs are bipolar: center is 12 o'clock, left turns left, and right turns right. Analyzer The analyzer is placed after the effects, so it shows the signal coming out of Nebula Cluster. It includes: - Real-time spectrum view. - Real-time waveform view. - Output peak readout. - Gain reduction readout. - Frequency grid. - dB grid. This makes it easy to see when the low end is getting too wild, when the high end is getting fizzy, or when compression is pulling the sound into shape. Presets, A/B, and Chaos Nebula Cluster is built for fast exploration. Presets. Save your current setup and recall it later from the preset menu. A/B Set up one tone on A, switch to B, create another tone, then flip back and forth until one wins. Chaos Chaos randomizes the plugin controls and section states. Sometimes it creates something subtle. Sometimes it creates a problem. Sometimes the problem is the sound. Use it when you want the plugin to surprise you. MIDI Learn Nebula Cluster includes MIDI learn for mapping hardware controls. Basic workflow: 1. Click MIDI Learn. 2. Click a knob, button, or menu control. 3. Move a MIDI controller knob or slider. 4. The mapping is assigned. Right-click MIDI Learn to manage mappings: - MIDI On/Off. - Clean Up. - Roll Back. - Save. Safety Nebula Cluster can get loud if you push it. That is part of the point. To keep the output host-safe, the plugin includes a final stereo safety limiter at approximately -0.3 dBFS. This helps prevent extreme settings from overloading the output while still letting the plugin hit hard. Reporting Issues: For reporting any issues create an issue on the Github repository. https://github.com/subhankardas15071992-cloud/Nebula-Cluster Read More

‘Respect your fans above everything else.’As heavy metal giants Iron Maiden mark their 50th anniversary with a global stadium tour, long-time manager Rod Smallwood OBE tells MBW in this exclusive interview about the honesty that sustains a decades-long artist partnership, his war on ticket touts, and what the industry gets wrong about superfans…
Source

Drawmer reveal the OC1 & FC1 Drawmer have officially announced the introduction of the OC1 and FC1, a pair of 500-series modules which share a common feature set but offer two different ‘flavours’ of compression. 

Tweakbench releases Jigsaw, a FREE pedal board effect plugin
Tweakbench has released Jigsaw, a free pedal board effect plugin for macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS. This one is not groundbreaking, but it is still a reason to celebrate for me. Tweakbench is an old-school indie developer, and seeing that name in the news takes me back to the old days, when there were only [...]
View post: Tweakbench releases Jigsaw, a FREE pedal board effect plugin

Jeesonic updates EQ Pro, one of the best FREE EQ plugins right now
Jeesonic has updated EQ Pro, its free 24-band dynamic equalizer plugin for macOS and Windows, to version 1.2.2. I rarely cover free plugin updates in the news section because we get free updates every day. But I felt like sharing this one because EQ Pro is definitely one of the best free EQ plugins right [...]
View post: Jeesonic updates EQ Pro, one of the best FREE EQ plugins right now

inMusic donates nearly 4,500 items to the Bob Moog Foundation – including Bob Moog’s office files, over 500 schematics, and prototypesinMusic has given a generous donation of music gear items and paperwork that once belonged to Bob Moog to The Bob Moog Foundation.
The donation encompasses 4,489 items in total, including Bob Moog’s personal office files, 500 schematics, 700 letters, and a number of vintage synthesisers and prototype models. inMusic, which is the parent company of Moog Music, has donated the items so they can be preserved and made accessible for education and research.

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The vintage synths and prototype models that were donated include a Fairlight CMI, a Synton System 3000 modular synth, a bench-model Minimoog Voyager prototype, and more. Among a number of test models are Moogerfooger prototypes, a Multiple Resonant Filter (MuRF) test fixture, and a Moog Phone Controller model PC-30.
The foundation has also received hundreds of back issues of industry magazines and dozens of rare product catalogues for “almost every imaginable peer company” in the electronic music instrument industry, and letters of correspondence between Bob Moog and industry luminaries, including Wendy Carlos, Herb Deutsch, Felix Visser, and Lydia Kavina.
Also donated were 16 multi-drawer cabinets filled with capacitors, integrated circuits, and other electronic components used in the creation and repair of Moog synthesisers. Evaluating, documenting, and archiving the immense donation has taken well over a year to complete.
Credit: inMusic / The Bob Moog Foundation
Joe Richardson, President of Moog Music and Executive Vice President of inMusic says, “The Bob Moog Foundation serves as an essential steward of one of the most important legacies in electronic music. We are proud to contribute these materials so they can be preserved and made accessible to researchers, educators, musicians, and fans.
“As Moog Music continues to bring creative tools to artists around the world, the Foundation’s educational mission helps ensure that the ideas, curiosity, and ingenuity that defined Bob Moog continue to inspire others.”
Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation, adds: “The Bob Moog Foundation is deeply grateful to inMusic for this incredible, generous donation of historical archival material. Every donated piece helps us tell the story of Bob’s complex, indelible legacy. This donation helps solidify the Bob Moog Foundation Archives as a world-class repository for Moog and electronic music history.”
To learn more about the archive and the work of the foundation, head over to The Bob Moog Foundation website.
The post inMusic donates nearly 4,500 items to the Bob Moog Foundation – including Bob Moog’s office files, over 500 schematics, and prototypes appeared first on MusicTech.