Federal Reserve withdraws crypto guidance for banksThe US Federal Reserve has announced it would withdraw guidance for banks engaging in crypto asset and stablecoin-related activities.”The Board is rescinding its 2022 supervisory letter establishing an expectation that state member banks provide advance notification of planned or current crypto-asset activities,” the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve explained in an April 24 statement.Any crypto-related activities will now be monitored through the Federal Reserve’s normal supervisory process, it said.The Federal Reserve is also rescinding its 2023 supervisory letter that impacted how state banks could engage in stablecoin activities.This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Intel reverses course, opts not to spin out Intel CapitalSemiconductor giant Intel won’t spin out its venture arm, Intel Capital, after all. During Intel’s Q1 earnings call Thursday, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan said the company has reversed its decision to spin out its 34-year-old venture arm. Instead, Intel Capital will remain internal and continue to invest with Intel’s interests in mind. “We have made […]

VG Trumpet VG Jazz Tenor Saxophone VIYouTube/V56DGf1ZEho Virtual Instrument, VST, AU plugins, standalone application. Made by a musician, for musicians—designed to inspire and enhance your music: Five of the most common types of saxophone style sounds: Subtone, Warm, Smooth, Bright and Lead. It works with Windows and Mac as a standalone and will run as a plugin in all major DAWs (Cubase, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Reaper, FL Studio etc.) as VST/VST3/AU. Compatible with breath controllers (AirMotion, TEControl, MRTAudio), wind controllers (AKAI EWI4000s, EWI5000, Solo, Roland Aerophone AE-10, AE-20, Pro AE-30, Yamaha WX, Yamaha YDS, Berglund NuEVI, NuRad, EMEO, Robkoo R1, Clarii mini, etc.), and MIDI keyboard controllers. More than 410 unique samples. Recorded sample quality: 24-bit / 44.1 kHz. Custom designed, unique GUI. Aftertouch, Mod Wheel, and Keyswitches are the key features to morph and perform sounds while playing. Articulations: Falls, Squeezes, Soft attack, Accented attack, Bend. Expressive effects: Expression, Attack, Vibrato, Growl, Wah. Reverb, delay and stereo control to fit the instrument in every mix. Designed for electronic wind instrument performers, sound designers, and music producers. VG Jazz Tenor Saxophone Virtual Instrument Quick Start Guide (PDF). YouTube/qChu0Mm1SCo YouTube/r10qf-3NUd8 YouTube/SL5_cOum7qc YouTube/lnH9yqF_DZw YouTube/Afu8E3wnQtc Read More

Onkyo Receiver Saved With An ESP32[Bill Dudley] had a problem. He had an Onkyo AV receiver that did a great job… until it didn’t. A DSP inside failed. When that happened, the main microprocessor running the show decided it wouldn’t play ball without the DSP operational. [Bill] knew the bulk of the audio hardware was still good, it was just the brains that were faulty. Thus started a 4-month operation to resurrect the Onkyo receiver with new intelligence instead.
[Bill’s] concept was simple. Yank the dead DSP, and the useless microprocessor as well. In their place, an ESP32 would be tasked with running things. [Bill] no longer cared if the receiver had DSP abilities or even the ability to pass video—he just wanted to use it as the quality audio receiver that it was.
His project report steps through all the hard work he went through to get things operational again. He had to teach the ESP32 to talk to the front panel display, the keys, and the radio tuner. More challenging was the core audio processor—the obscure Renaisys R2A15218FP. However, by persevering, [Bill] was able to get everything up and running, and even added some new functionality—including Internet radio and Bluetooth streaming.
It’s a heck of a build, and [Bill] ended up with an even more functional audio receiver at the end of it all. Bravo, we say. We love to see older audio gear brought back to life, particularly in creative ways. Meanwhile, if you’ve found your own way to save a piece of vintage audio hardware, don’t hesitate to let us know!

HYBE teams up with Spanish-language TV giant Telemundo on ‘first-of-its-kind’ competition and reality show to form a Regional Mexican groupMembers of the winning group will win $100,000 and a recording contract with HYBE Latin America
Source

Arturia V Collection 11 released The latest version of Arturia’s powerful all-in-one virtual instrument collection is now available, bringing a total of seven new additions to the table.

The composer who scored The Last of Us has released a ronroco sample library with Spitfire AudioGustavo Santaolalla, a composer known for scoring the likes of The Last of Us and Brokeback Mountain, has teamed up with Spitfire Audio to release a first of its kind library based on the ronroco.
Santaolalla has used the ronroco, a double-stringed Andean instrument, as his signature voice for decades. Spitfire has captured its hair-raising sound by recording Santaolalla’s own ronroco in his LA studio, with his personal E-minor tuning and articulation choices too.

READ MORE: Venus Theory’s new free piano library is sampled from Benn Jordan’s unique upright Yamaha

Santaolalla’s ronroco can be heard within the scores of films such as Babel, The Motorcycle Diaries, and over both The Last Of Us games and its accompanying TV series. His use of the instrument makes for highly-emotional, and instantly recognisable soundscapes. As Spitfire Audio explains, the ronroco’s character stems from its five courses of double strings, with its middle course tuned to an octave, which creates “rich resonance and notable sustain”.

With the new Spitfire Audio library, composers and producers can experiment with multiple articulations, intuitive performance modes (Sequencer, Chord & Note), and built-in FX – these are programmed by Mike Georgiades, the developer behind Spitfire’s MG Soft Acoustic Guitar and MG Soft Nylon Guitar libraries. It also hosts a custom 32-step sequencer, with articulation per step, and a simple MIDI drag-and-drop to DAW feature.
Find out more and hear it in action below:

“Gustavo opened up the world’s ears to the creative possibilities of the ronroco thanks to his sensitive, luminous playing and intuitive yet complex compositions,” comments Spitfire Audio co-founder, Paul Thomson. “We want to offer these creative possibilities to more musicians, composers, and producers who love what they’ve heard in Gustavo’s score and want to incorporate that same feeling into their own projects. The instrument has inspired Gustavo and we are certain its virtual counterpart will inspire countless artists in new ways.”
Ronroco by Gustavo Santaolalla will be available for £139 ($169/€149) from 24 April. An introductory discount of 20 percent is available until 8 May. Find out more via Spitfire Audio.
The post The composer who scored The Last of Us has released a ronroco sample library with Spitfire Audio appeared first on MusicTech.

UK Grassroots Tours shrink and Ticket revenues fallThe Music Venue Trust has released its 2024 annual report which saw UK grassroot venue tours shrink. Ticket revenue fell 13.5%.
The post UK Grassroots Tours shrink and Ticket revenues fall appeared first on Hypebot.

Arturia V Collection 11: New plugins, price, V Collection Intro, and everything else you need to knowArturia has released V Collection 11, the latest instalment of its revered suite of plugins that emulate classic analogue synthesizers and acoustic instruments. Along with a handful of new emulations, V Collection 11 also introduces new additions to Arturia’s Augmented series and a new synth, Pure LoFi. Also new is the V Collection Intro bundle, which offers a slimmed-down version of the library at a lower price.

READ MORE: Best free plugins 2025: 15 free synths that you didn’t know you needed

Speaking to MusicTech about V Collection 11, Arturia explains: “As the market and contemporary music production evolve, one of our main challenges is to come up with new types of instruments to bring more versatility and complementarity for music makers, while remaining true to our identity…We take pride in the fact that our products are not simply content-based. They are the result of meticulous engineering, built to deliver pristine audio and long-term value.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the update.
Arturia V Collection 11. Image: Press
What’s new in V Collection 11 at a glance
Seven new instruments arrive in V Collection 11, bringing the total number of instruments up to 45. The new instruments are:

Jup-8000 V
SEM V
MiniBrute V
Synthx V
Pure LoFi
Augmented Mallets
Augmented Yangtze

In addition, the entire Augmented Series lineup receives a major update, as does the MiniFreak V (an emulation and companion synth to Arturia’s MiniFreak hardware).
The Jup-8000 V, SEM V, Synthx V and MiniBrute V are all emulations of hardware synths. Meanwhile, Pure LoFi, Augmented Mallets and Augmented Yangtze are all new, original instruments. Why did Arturia opt to create these particular instruments?
“Certain instruments have played a crucial role in shaping musical eras and cultures,” Arturia tells MusicTech. “These instruments remain indispensable for musicians today, whether producing music that adheres to established aesthetics or forging innovative musical paths…The new original instruments allow us to infuse the pure DNA of the brand.”
Truthfully, only four of the seven new additions are truly ‘new’. The SEM V is a remake, while the MiniBrute V and Synthx V were released in 2025. Still, there’s a lot to unpack — check out a breakdown of each instrument later in this article.
V Collection Pro and V Collection Intro — how much do they cost, and what’s the difference?
V Collection Intro is a new tier for Arturia’s plugin suite.
As expected, V Collection Intro is a “compact, carefully curated” suite of 10 V Collection plugins. This comes at a lower price of €199/$199 and gives you Analog Lab Pro, Mini V, Jun-6 V, Prophet-5 V, DX7 V, PureLofi, MiniFreak V, Stage-73 V, Augmented Grand Piano and Augmented Strings.
Meanwhile, the full suite — now sold as V Collection Pro — is  €699/$699.
Speaking to MusicTech, Arturia says V Collection Pro is “aimed at contemporary music producers, beatmakers and nostalgics,” boasting instruments that “cover the whole spectrum of the music era.” The brand adds that V Collection Intro is better viewed as “a starting point for [producers] beginning their journey with our instruments.”
Arturia V Collection 11. Images: press; edited by MusicTech
But, hang on — isn’t Analog Lab already a sort of V Collection Intro? Not exactly, Arturia says.
“Analog Lab and V Collection have always taken different approaches,” a spokesperson says. “Analog Lab prioritises efficiency, providing access to a wide variety of sounds in one place and encouraging creativity by simplifying preset exploration. V Collection, on the other hand, offers a deeper, more focused experience.”
All the new V Collection 11 instruments in detail
Jup 8000-V
Arturia’s Jup-8000 V is an emulation of Roland’s JP-8000 analogue modelling synth, first released in 1996.
The plugin packs seven synthesis engines, a surgical filter, a multi-arpeggiator and a melodic sequencer. Arturia also says it reverse-engineered every detail in the circuitry of the JP-8000, making sure to replicate the powerful Supersaw oscillator that the original synth was celebrated for.
The Jup-8000 V also has an expanded, modernised effects section with 18 effects, including a new Trance Gate.
Arturia Jup-8000 V. Images: press; edited by MusicTech
SEM V
The Oberheim SEM was one of Tom Oberheim’s first synth creations. Released in 1974, the monophonic synth became the foundation for the legendary synth maker’s most celebrated instruments. Arturia brings this to your DAW as the SEM V.
Here’s the thing — the plugin itself is not new. Arturia’s been flogging the SEM V since 2012, but this iteration is remodelled from the ground up. It sports a sleeker, more modern interface, but also has some additional quirks.
The SEM V has a 12dB/oct state variable filter, just like Oberheim’s original, that Arturia claims is “smooth, musical and endlessly expressive.” Elsewhere, dual oscillators, two ADS envelopes, and eight voices of polyphony make up the synth’s sound engine, letting you move beyond the monophonic nature of the original. In addition, an Advanced Panel offers access to a deep modulation engine, an effects rack, a multi-arpeggiator and expressive tools.
MiniBrute V
Arturia’s MiniBrute has become a modern classic in the synth world. The brand’s software recreation, which reimagined it from monophonic to polyphonic,  was released in May 2024, but only as a standalone synth for €199. Now, it comes bundled into the V Collection.
You can check out our news story to get the full lowdown on the MiniBrute V.
Synthx V
Another synth that was released standalone before V Collection 11 is the Synthx V. This emulation revives the coveted Elka Synthex polysynth released in 1981.
Touted by Arturia as a “stereo dream machine”, the Synthx V is a multitimbral synthesizer that boasts the same dual-engine architecture that combines two layers of synthesis. There are also two digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs) for “lush, warm and characterful analogue sounds,” says the brand, and a multimode filter based on the CEM 3320 multimode filter in the original. Plus, the beloved Chorus effect from the original Synthex has been emulated here, too.
Again, you’ll get the same multi arp function, modulation page, expanded effects, and more in the Advanced Panel found in other V Collection instruments.
Pure LoFi
Arturia Pure LoFi Images: Arturia; edited by MusicTech
This unexpected addition is an Arturia original. Pure LoFi is, unsurprisingly, all about giving you lo-fi sounds. It’s a polyphonic synthesizer that has nine different hardware modes to emulate the sound of vintage samplers, which include tape-focused samplers like the Mellotron, digital samplers like the Akai MPC60 and E-Mu SP-1200, and VHS-style samplers similar to modern plugins used in lo-fi hip-hop.
READ MORE: The E-mu SP-1200: How one sampler ushered in a revolution
Pure LoFi also has six different lo-fi modes for a variety of gritty, degraded textures, plus three sound design engines that let you combine acoustic instruments and samples with digital synthesis.
Augmented Series
New to the Augmented series (Arturia’s sample-based synths) are Augmented Mallets and Augmented Yangtze.
Mallets is focused on bringing you the sound of the marimba, vibraphone, celeste and tubular bells. You can blend these sounds with a built-in synth engine for hybrid sounds, and get expressive with the plugin thanks to MPE support.
Yangtze, meanwhile, offers a palette of traditional Chinese instruments, again combined with a synth engine to get creative. This plugin boasts six instruments, 38 articulations and 30 process and multisample articulations, plus MPE support.
Arturia has updated the entire Augmented range with a new interface and workflow, a host of new features, plus new sampled content and factory banks for Augmented String and Voices.
Arturia Augmented Yangtze. Images: Arturia; edited by MusicTech
Should you buy Arturia V Collection 11?
We awarded the V Collection X a 9/10 score in our 2024 review, but the price has jumped up by $100 since then. Is it worth the extra expense?
We’ve been working on a review of the V Collection 11 over the past few weeks and will be sharing our critical thoughts with you soon. Sign up for the MusicTech newsletter for weekly product reviews, features and guides.
In the meantime, we asked Arturia why producers should consider the V Collection 11. The brand responded:
“We’ve been 25 years in the making, refining our skills to deliver premium instruments.
We consistently push the boundaries to elevate the user experience by improving our engine sound quality, expanding extra features, refining interfaces and workflow, and adding presets and content. This allows us to keep our product portfolio up to date and continue to catalyse the creativity of music makers.”
Learn more about V Collection 11 at arturia.com. 
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Can Superfan platforms solve the musician income crisis?Can superfan platforms solve the creator and musician income crisis? As the industry embraces superfans, a look at the potential and limitations of superfans platforms to help creators earn a living.
The post Can Superfan platforms solve the musician income crisis? appeared first on Hypebot.

“Labels have found a new way to put artists in a position where they seem to be making a lot of money, but they essentially own nothing”: Rick Beato and Anthony Fantano discuss the impact of Spotify and streamingMusic critic and content creator Anthony Fantano has shared his thoughts on the streaming model in a new in-depth conversation with Rick Beato.
With artists making less than a penny per stream on most streaming platforms, the business model is continually brought under fire, with the largest platform, Spotify, facing the most criticism. In its Loud & Clear annual report for 2024, Spotify spoke of the “paradox” of the modern music industry, where it said “the sheer volume of uploaders” to its platform “means the fraction who find success appears smaller over time”.

READ MORE: Over 60% of emerging producers and DJs feel “the electronic music industry is a closed club”, with social media presence prevailing over skill

Spotify has also said it doesn’t pay artists directly, but pays rights holders instead. In general, it says it pays them roughly two thirds of every dollar it makes from music. To support its report, it also released a video on “how the money flows” – you can watch it below:

In his discussion with Beato, Fantano explains his frustrations with Spotify in particular: “We’ve done lots of videos about Spotify that deal in the ongoing monetary squeeze that they’re doing on artists. The fact that they kind of sit there and continue to act like, ‘We’re paying artists as much as we can, we can’t pay them anymore.’ They pass the buck over to the labels as well.”
He adds, “Meanwhile, [Spotify CEO] Daniel Ek and other people who are at the top at Spotify are cashing out their stock to the tunes of 10s of millions of dollars multiple times a year. The major labels have an investment in Spotify as well, so they have a monetary interest in the platform succeeding.”
Fantano also refers to a book he’s been reading on the life of rapper MF DOOM, which gives insight into how the music industry used to work back in the 1990s: “It discussed the first deal he and his brother had gotten when they were in this rap group called KMD. Their deal was, like, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“As you know, back in the day when you would get those kinds of deals, it would be a lot of money up front, but then simultaneously, you’re getting charged for the studio time. You’re getting charged for this by the label. And essentially you get nickel and dime to the point where you don’t recoup anything. This is just like the new version of that,” he says of streaming.
“It’s like the labels have found a new way to put artists in a position to where it seems like they’re making a lot of money up front, they’re getting a lot of access, there’s a lot of potential there. But then they turn around and they essentially own nothing, and they’ve made nothing.” He later concludes, “The only people at this point who could do anything and shut off the faucet are the rights holders, and they’re not saying no. They’re fully on the train, they’re throwing coal into the steam engine.”
You can watch the full video from Beato and Fantano below:

When faced with criticism over its payout model, Spotify has, on numerous occasions lately, blamed the amount of money that artists receive on the deals they have signed with rights holders. When Kate Nash recently said, “We’re paid very, very, very poorly and unethically for our recorded music,” the company told the singer to look at the payment terms she has with her label and other rights holders.
“Spotify has no visibility over the deals that Kate signed with her rights’ holders. Therefore, we have no knowledge of the payment terms that were agreed upon between her and her partners,” it said.
“We do know that British artists generated revenues of over £750 million on Spotify alone in 2023, a number that is on the rise year on year. So it’s disappointing to hear that Spotify’s payments are not making it through to Kate herself.”
Take a look at Spotify’s full Loud & Clear Report.
The post “Labels have found a new way to put artists in a position where they seem to be making a lot of money, but they essentially own nothing”: Rick Beato and Anthony Fantano discuss the impact of Spotify and streaming appeared first on MusicTech.

Electronic music industry is now worth $12.9 billion, with large festivals and tours driving revenueA new report has revealed that electronic music has risen in worth by six per cent, totalling at $12.9 billion in 2024.
The data comes from the newly published IMS Business Report 2025 with assistance from MIDia Research. It shows the majority of revenue was created by festivals and clubs, as well as things like merch and sponsorships.

READ MORE: “I needed a big name people would remember, even if it’s attached to infamy”: Someone’s bought some Fyre IP – and plans to launch a streaming service later this year

Across last year, electronic music continued to steadily become a bigger part of the global festival landscape, with 18 per cent of line-ups of the top 100 festivals being electronic artists in 2024 – up two points from 2023 and five points from 2021. Nine of the top 100 festivals across the globe were electronic music festivals.
The report also says that “the post-Covid recalibration is done”, and that revenue growth for live music normalised in 2024, with revenues more than double what they were pre-Covid. Growth was boosted by pre-sales for 2025 tours, however higher ticket prices were the main driver of growth, rather than the volume of tickets sold.
The higher end of live events did best, like big tours at large venues, while the lower end of the market continued to face venue closures and face a lower willingness and ability to spend by many consumers – these concerns are continually being raised by owners of grassroots music spaces and artists across the UK.
Also in the UK, dance music was subject to the “brat summer” effect – 2023 and 2024 were years of growth for dance music in the UK, with its share of consumption in the albums market increasing in both years. Dance tracks in the year-end UK Top 100 Official Singles Charts were up in 2024 after a fall in 2023.

As for music labels, the majors grew revenue by six per cent in 2024 (with Sony being the fastest growing major last year), but non-majors saw a growth of eight per cent to reach $10.7 billion. Independent labels such as Believe and Concord are carving out market share gains, while many Global South labels are on the up as streaming growth surges in their home markets.
Consumers also show an increase in wanting to participate in music, not just listen. The trend of speeding up or slowing down music is continuing to be hugely popular, and 2024 is also described as “the year that generative AI kicked into gear”. 10 per cent of consumers have used generative AI to make music or lyrics, and there is also a combined total of 60 million users of music AI apps.
To find out more and download the full report, head over to the official IMS website. 
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Bitwig Connect 4/12 now available The Bitwig Connect 4/12 marks the company’s first foray into hardware, and offers an all-in-one solution that combines audio, MIDI and CV I/O with monitoring and DAW control functions.

“Designed not to deliver perfect results, but to encourage exploration”: Sampleson’s Predictor plugin generates new notes and voicings from any MIDI fileSampleson has launched a brand new plugin that learns from any MIDI file, and generates new melodic and harmonic content.
Aptly named Predictor, the tool analyses cadences, note relationships, velocity patterns, structural position, modulations, and other features from your file, and then predicts upcoming notes and voicings. Users can trigger these predictions in real-time via mouse clicks, computer keyboard, or a MIDI controller.

READ MORE: Electronic music dethrones indie on TikTok for the first time in app’s history: “Dance music has become more accessible and big in the commercial sphere”

You can simply feed it your MIDI files through a drag-and-drop interface, but it already hosts a curated library of 600 MIDI files for an easy start. Integration with any DAW is described as “seamless” by the independent developer (though Pro Tools is not supported), but it also works as a standalone app.
Sampleson also says that Predictor is designed not to deliver perfect results, but to encourage exploration instead. This means some of its suggested paths will work, and some won’t – “and that’s the point”, according to the brand.
“Predictor isn’t about control. It’s about momentum. About breaking through creative blocks and discovering musical ideas you might never have imagined,” explains Sampleson in a press release. “You control the rhythm, Predictor takes care of the notes. Each input you give it triggers a prediction, letting you shape the outcome of the phrase in real time.”
Take a look at the videos below for a better idea of how it works:

Last year, Sampleson launched Scaper, a plugin that promised to turn absolutely any audio signal into an ambient soundscape – even a sneeze. It works “by extracting essential attributes from dropped audio files and incorporating them into the creation of atmospheric soundscapes”, and is capable of generating “hours” of audio, with a generative algorithm creating slightly different compositions each time.
Predictor is available now for an introductory price of $29 (standard $49). You can find out more or download now via Sampleson.
The post “Designed not to deliver perfect results, but to encourage exploration”: Sampleson’s Predictor plugin generates new notes and voicings from any MIDI file appeared first on MusicTech.

“I don’t have to clear any samples and I’m also getting original music”: Why Will Clarke writes entire songs just to sample them laterSampling has been the bedrock of electronic music for decades – but Will Clarke is putting his own spin on it.
Speaking on the first episode of MusicTech’s My Forever Studio Season 7, the British DJ, artist and producer reveals his unconventional method of writing entire tracks just to resample them, noting that the approach helps him stay creative and legally stress-free.

READ MORE: Over 60% of emerging producers and DJs feel “the electronic music industry is a closed club”, with social media presence prevailing over skill

“So the way I wrote the album and the way I write now is I go into a studio, I’ll write a disco song, or I’ll write like a ballad or I’ll write something that’s just completely a rock song,” Clarke says. “Then I’ll go back to my studio and just completely resample it and treat it like a sample so I don’t have to clear any samples. I don’t have to worry about that but I’m also getting original music.”
“If you look at all the records [that] as house music producers we sample previously, they weren’t perfect records,” he adds. “They weren’t recorded in the best studios in the world because the best studios weren’t even around then.”
This lo-fi charm is something the musician embraces fully: “You get artifacts in the recordings which sometimes is really annoying,” he admits, “but with technology nowadays you’re like ‘okay it is what it is’. You can take those artifacts out or sometimes leave them in. It’s for me just trying to write the best record, not sonically the best record.”
“When you’re making a record, if you’re trying too hard to make it sound good at the time, you just lose everything.”
“We still want grit and sand in the records and I think by having the most perfect mic setup, preamps, all of that – yes it sounds great but I’m not writing pop records.”
The same philosophy extends to the producer gear’s choices too. Instead of relying on industry staples like the Roland TR-808 or 909, Clarke says he prefers using the AVP ADS-7, a somewhat obscure Russian drum machine, when crafting beats.
“It’s not a clean sound,” he says. “But I’m not looking for a clean sound. I’m looking for something gritty. I’m looking for something to get textures that you wouldn’t get from a sample.”

You can subscribe to My Forever Studio on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and check out all episodes so far via MusicTech.

The post “I don’t have to clear any samples and I’m also getting original music”: Why Will Clarke writes entire songs just to sample them later appeared first on MusicTech.