OTODESK releases FREE open-source Ambience algorithmic reverb plugin for Windows
OTODESK has released Ambience, a free and open-source algorithmic reverb plugin for Windows. Ambience is a 16-channel Feedback Delay Network reverb from Makoto Iida, a solo developer and hobbyist producer behind OTODESK. I asked the developer how he made the plugin and was surprised to learn that it is not based on convolution and that [...]
View post: OTODESK releases FREE open-source Ambience algorithmic reverb plugin for Windows

Three-Body Technology Transi-QInspired by a revered analog classic, this EQ is defined by its fast, smooth, and punchy character. It performs exceptionally well on percussion and any source where preserving transients is essential. It features one high-pass filter, one high-shelf filter, one low-shelf filter, and three proportional-Q bell filters, whose bandwidth tightens with gain to deliver more focused shaping while retaining attack and definition. No matter which filter type you use, the way it handles transients simply sounds beautiful. Zero-sample latency, ideal for live tracking and performance. Read More

AIR Music Technology offers Jura Chorus plugin FREE until August 2nd
AIR Music Technology is offering Jura Chorus as a free download until August 2nd. Jura Chorus is the standalone chorus effect from AIR’s Jura virtual synthesizer, which is based on the classic Roland Juno-60. The plugin normally costs $39, and it is currently discounted to $14 on Plugin Boutique, but you can get it for [...]
View post: AIR Music Technology offers Jura Chorus plugin FREE until August 2nd

Ever fancied playing Flappy Bird in your DAW? Ableton’s new Extensions Software Development Kit has you coveredGather round coders – Ableton’s latest JavaScript toolkit awaits. Today, the DAW launches its most experimental public beta to date. The free Extensions Software Development Kit comes as a way of extending the possibilities of Ableton Live, allowing users to create custom tools to shape and revolutionise their creative process.
Very much embracing the spirit of homebrewed plugins and tools, the Extensions Software Development Kit provides users with a foundational JavaScript framework – and that’s about it. The rest depends entirely on the creativity and innovation of the Ableton community, with the DAW encouraging users to share their Extensions via the Ableton Discord Server.

READ MORE: “The role of the music webstore is becoming less significant”: Independent music webstore Juno Download has shut down

While Ableton is keen to see what its community cooks up, the public beta launch comes with a few example Extensions to get your creative juices flowing… And they range from useful tools to downright goofy gags.
Credit: Ableton
You could conjure up something like BBenCut’s algorithmic breakbeat slicer, or Photo MIDI’s ability to convert any provided image into MIDI notes – or you could create something playable like Bird Game, a Flappy-Bird-esque game that generates corresponding MIDI notes to match each flap of your bird’s wings.
The creative process aims to utilise “familiar web technologies” to help the process be quick and simple. And, again, if there’s any teething pains, Ableton is putting a lot of emphasis on this being a community collaborative project – we’re sure the Discord will be overflowing with coders keen to share their knowledge to help you learn the ropes.
Credit: Ableton
Of course, Extensions are optional tools. There’s no need to employ any into your current set up – but, if you decide to try out a few Extensions, they can easily run alongside your project, accessible with a right-click from anywhere in your Set. And it’s certainly worth trying a few out, as someone may have created the perfect add-on for your project, which you can load onto your DAW and utilise for free.
To download the Extensions Software Development Kit for free, head to Ableton. You can also explore further Extensions via Ableton’s Discord community.
The post Ever fancied playing Flappy Bird in your DAW? Ableton’s new Extensions Software Development Kit has you covered appeared first on MusicTech.

The SSL 1 is Solid State Logic’s most affordable audio interface yetSolid State Logic has launched a new audio interface, the SSL 1, which promises “powerful performance” at a cheaper price point, ideal for beginners and seasoned pros on the go.
This 2-in/2-out interface is more nifty and budget-friendly than its other interfaces, such as its SSL 2 range. The brand says it “combines a portable form factor with the trusted SSL sonic character, making professional results more accessible than ever”.

READ MORE: SSL autoSeries Bundle review: Smarter mixing or just another SSL plugin collection?

The SSL 1 offers two channels: Channel 1 features an XLR input with +48V phantom power, while channel 2 offers a dedicated instrument/line input for direct recording of guitars, synths, and other electronic instruments.
It has a “class-leading preamp”, 4K analogue enhancement, professional-grade 32-bit/192 kHz conversion capability, and a high-current headphone output. With flexible power options, including bus power or a 5V external source such as a phone charger or power bank, SSL 1 is ideally suited to mobile recording setups.
Purchases of the SSL 1 also include the SSL Production Pack, a collection of virtual instruments, samples, and software tools from leading industry brands including Harrison Audio, Slate Digital, Antares, Loopcloud, Native Instruments, AAS, IK Multimedia, Ableton and more. Inside you’ll get SSL’s Drumstrip, VocalStrip 2, Complete Access trial (which features every plugin from SSL, Slate Digital and Harrison), and other tools.
Learn more in the videos below:

In other SSL news, new equipment from the brand has been fitted in the newly launched recording studio at London’s KOKO music venue. The studio, situated in the Penthouse of the members-only House of KOKO, includes the same mixing desk that was used for Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Super Bowl Show and connects to all rooms within KOKO and The House Of KOKO.
The new SSL 1 interface is priced at $159.99 ex TAX / £119.99 ex VAT / €149.00 ex VAT. Find out more via Solid State Logic.
The post The SSL 1 is Solid State Logic’s most affordable audio interface yet appeared first on MusicTech.

How we remixed Taylor Swift: Tips and tricks from Chris Lake and Ely OaksWhat do Chris Lake’s 13-year-old niece and 90-year-old grandfather have in common? The main thing they understand about his career as a DJ and producer is his Taylor Swift remix:
“My 13-year-old niece called me up, saying, ‘Uncle Christopher, this is possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen anyone do in their life.’ That would only come from accepting a remix from Taylor Swift,” Lake says with relaxed enthusiasm. Then he explains his grandfather’s reaction:
“I told [my grandfather] I was up for a Grammy nomination, and he goes, ‘What’s a Grammy?’ I told him I did a remix for Taylor Swift, and he [was shocked]. So, Taylor Swift’s global.”

READ MORE: How We Remixed Fred Again..: Tips from HAAi, Oppidan and Hamdi

Lake is one of four dance artists to put their spin on Opalite, a single from Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl (2025). The other artists are Ely Oaks, BUNT., and Skream. Remixing music that wasn’t made for the club into a DJ-ready version is often a challenge, but a challenge that carries more pressure when the song is from the only artist who is as familiar to 13-year-olds and 90-year-olds.
MusicTech spoke with Lake and Oaks about taking on the challenge of remixing the biggest pop star of this generation.
Chris Lake

What is your favorite remix of all time, and why?
Tory Amos, Professional Widow, Armand Van Helden remix. Armand’s style has truly stood the test of time. You listen back to his old records, and people are trying to emulate that today. That’s the sign of a really good sound and signature, and that’s Armand.
How did it feel to get a request to remix Taylor Swift, the undisputed biggest pop star in the world?
I’ve dedicated my life to music production and DJing, and there are lots of people who understand it. But people who don’t go to clubs just don’t really get what DJs do. They don’t get what producers do. They have no concept of it. Well, you tell them that you’re remixing Taylor Swift, and suddenly you have people’s attention. She resonates on a frequency unlike anyone else on this planet.
I don’t think it’s easy, remixing her songs. She writes beautiful, emotional pop songs, and she’s one of the best in the world to do it. I don’t think that’s necessarily the best song to be remixing, so I accepted it with hesitation, but it was a fantastic experience. It was uncomfortable for me because I wouldn’t normally do it, but I enjoyed the challenge, and I’m really happy with how the remix turned out.
Why did this make you uncomfortable compared to remixing another legacy house artist?
I was determined to find a progression and a series of sounds that could work from the verse through into the chorus, but give it a different feel and would work with the vocal. That was challenging because the verses are in [unconventional] chords, then the chorus flips to a [standard] major chord progression. It’s very poppy, very happy. When I figured that out, I was like, “Yes! This is really exciting.” That’s what I’m most proud of.
What are some key plugins, synths, or other pieces of gear you used to make your remix?
One of the things that worked really well was that I continually printed to audio anything that I was making. I’d make a complicated project, break it down to six stems, move to a new project, then start the cycle again, until I ended up on that last version. That last version, from the moment I started the beat to the finished remix, took me about two hours to get the sounds that I was using within that. I’d spent about three days putting it together.
The other thing that’s really key is loads of Overdrive. I think it’s one of the most underrated plugins in Ableton Live. It just gives vibrancy and life to the songs and makes them a bit more imperfect. It’s just really musical to me.
When you bring in the pure instrumental drop, there are a lot of really gorgeous, shimmering melodic sounds. How did you make those, and what about the original track inspired that quality?
That was a little guitar run from the original song. I don’t think it’s a majorly prominent sound in the track, but I added reverb, delay, and then put overdrive afterwards. So you’re over-driving the reverb and the delay, which makes it sound disgusting.
Ely Oaks

What do you think makes a good remix?
A great remix is done when you shine some new light on the original song, but also don’t completely change the intention and vibe of it. It’s a fine balance, and ultimately the goal is opening the song to a potential new audience.
How does your approach to remixing a pop artist compare to remixing another dance/electronic artist?
Definitely, the door is more open to explore different directions, which also makes it more difficult to find the right spot. Taylor’s vocals are in a softer range than the vocals I’m mostly working with, so that was also a challenge.
What are some key plugins, synths, or other pieces of gear you used to make your remix?
The synths are mostly Serum 2. I also like to use Ableton stock stuff. I almost overuse RC-20 Retro Color, Comeback Kid, and Valhalla Reverb for the space. I try to source as many of the internal effects from Ableton as possible, as I love the workflow, and they also sound great. My go-to Ableton effect is probably the drum bus. It‘s just amazing.
Those 3 plugins would be heard best on the synth. RC-20 is for me almost an instant “feels kinda better“ plugin, and with the Valhalla and Comeback Kid combo, you can create insane spaces immediately. Comeback Kid has a built-in ducker feature, which is amazing and keeps your mix from cluttering without any sidechaining and Send/Returns.
The original version is dancey, and Taylor Swift has plenty of dancey songs in her discography. But she’s never gone into full-on rave territory like your remix. How did it feel to take the song into a realm she’s never explored?
Honestly, it was a risk I wanted to take, and luckily it paid off. It’s a big honor. As I mentioned before, her vocal is softer than what I usually work with, so the synths are definitely a bit more melodic and softer compared to what I usually use. Honestly, it took me some tries, and the first ones sounded terrible, so I think it was quite a lucky shot.
The post How we remixed Taylor Swift: Tips and tricks from Chris Lake and Ely Oaks appeared first on MusicTech.

Classical Highlights for May 2026This past month there seemed to be a sizeable amount of very good keyboard music, as well as opera or opera-adjacent recordings. Nikolai Lugansky (pictured) gives masterful readings of three of Schumann's large piano compositions, while harpsichordist Pierre Gallon selects pieces to accompany the nighttime hours before dawn, and Claire Huangci plays music by German and American female composers.

What is a DAW? A guide to digital audio workstations
We take a look at what a DAW (digital audio workstation) is, explore their rich history, and discuss how to choose one that's right for you.

Defense tech darling Mach Industries hits $1.8B valuation, a 4x jump in a yearIn a wild ride for 22-year-old founder and CEO Ethan Thornton, Mach Industries has raised another $300 million. It already has five autonomous vehicles in development and completed a major acquisition.

Lily Allen at The Orpheum Theatre  Los Angeles, CAWeb: lilyallenmusic.com

The noise surrounding Lily Allen’s incredible 2025 comeback album West End Girl has been close to deafening. Justifiably so, because this is so much more than a regular album. West End Girl recalls, in excruciating detail, a chapter of Allen’s life that could diplomatically be referred to as difficult. Moreover, it’s a vitally important opus because it lends a voice to other women in an abusive situation. 

We knew, going into the first of Allen’s two nights at the Orpheum, that the album is essentially about her marriage to actor David Harbour which lasted from 2020 to 2025. We knew that there was a definite “ick” element about the whole concept of essentially being pushed into an open marriage. From the day of the record’s release, that felt like a very specific form of hell: wanting a loving, committed, monogamous marriage but being faced with the choice of “open or nothing” and choosing the former in order to keep the family together.

It’s also true that, while with Harbour, Allen didn’t release an album. Her last one prior to West End Girl was 2018’s No Shame. The fact that Harbour sent Allen a sinister note with “bad luck flowers” when she appears in the play 2:22 A Ghost Story in 2021 naturally makes one wonder just how controlling he was over her career.

Regardless, Allen is back now, the album is pure brilliance, and her one woman show at the Orpheum was a celebration of those things. Still, it remains a fact that we weren’t ready for the emotions that this album, performed start-to-finish on this tour, would stir in the live environment. Seeing Allen, alone on stage and utterly vulnerable, singing these beautiful, strong, devastating songs was an undeniably powerful experience. 

It’s worth mentioning that, as an opening act, the Dallas Minor Trio is a group of cellists who play songs from Allen’s prior albums, while a screen beams out the lyrics so that the crowd can sing along. Tons of fun to be had there, and it highlights the fact that Allen is the focus here.

Again, the album was performed in its entirety and in order, so Allen’s set list offered no surprises. The title track kicked off the West End Girl show, a song that immediately introduced the toxicity that plagued Allen’s marriage: “You were pushing it forward, Made me feel a bit awkward.” The songs also dip into the aforementioned play (gifting the album and song its title): “That’s when your demeanor started to change, You said that I’d have to audition, I said, ‘You’re deranged.’”

With the stage set, Allen moved straight into “Ruminating,” a song that any human can relate to. Her husband is out and about, sleeping with other people, and Allen is lying awake at night unable to exorcise the mental image. Pure, vicious agony!

“Sleepwalking” is nothing short of a musical plea. “Tennis” and then “Madeline” awkwardly introduce the begrudged rules of their “open marriage.” Jesus fucking Christ, it’s all so unpleasant. “Pussy Palace” follows, and then “4chan Stan,” with the refrain “What a sad, sad man, It’s giving 4chan stan.” 

“Nonmonogamummy” is the best song on the album, and of the night. Structurally, it’s an upbeat pop song with a ‘60s go-go vibe, plus additional vocals by reggae man Specialist Moss. But, unsurprisingly given this album, the lyrics touch all the feels: “I’ve been trying to be open, I just want to meet your needs, and for some reason, I revert to people pleasing, I’ll be your Nonmonogamummy.” Just ouch!

“Dallas Major” gets its name from the moniker Allen used on the dating apps that she didn’t want to be using. Through it all, she poured her heart out for Los Angeles, and the crowd reacted in kind. This wasn’t just a concert, or even a regular one-woman theatrical performance. This was and is a giant therapy session. It’s also a display of strength, of resilience, and yes, of love. 

Musically, the songs are dazzling; 14 pop gems ending with the ultimately affirming “Fruityloop.” Allen’s voice is on point throughout and, when she took her flowers at the show’s conclusion, it would be tough to imagine that any artist has earned them more. 

Photos by Christina Bryson (@averagecowgirl).The post Lily Allen at The Orpheum Theatre  Los Angeles, CA first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Automaton41 UnglareUnglare removes harsh glare from cymbals, synths, drums, vocals, and full mixes — without EQ, reverb, or losing brightness. Phase dispersion pushes harsh frequency content back in the mix by changing when frequencies arrive, not what's there. The result is a smoother, more controlled sound that retains its brightness and energy. Features: - Asymmetric saturation for subtle, musical coloration. - Magnetic hysteresis (Jiles-Atherton model) for warm, analog-style transient interaction. - Pitch drift to loosen rigidity in static-sounding material. - Real-time 3D spectrum analyzer. - Wet Mix knob for parallel processing. - Controls: Depth, HF Smear, Tube Bend, Drive, Softening, Pitch Drift, Anti-Digital, Bloom, Trans Bend, Stereo, Output, Wet Mix. Works on individual tracks (cymbals, drums, synths, vocals) and on the mix bus. Lightweight (under 1.1 MB). Pay-what-you-want pricing from $0. Includes four builds in a single purchase: - Windows x64 VST3 (512 KB) — all Windows DAWs. - Windows ARM64 VST3 (442 KB) — Surface Pro, Snapdragon laptops. - macOS Universal VST3 (1.1 MB) — Reaper, Ableton, Bitwig, etc. - macOS Universal AU (960 KB) — Logic, GarageBand. Read More

Bitcoin volatility is down 56% but analysts still expect up to 20% BTC price moveBitcoin’s sharp volatility decline coincides with a 114-day trading range, setting the stage for a potential 10% to 20% price move, but the direction remains uncertain.

On the Wisdom of Replacing a NiMH Module in a Prius Battery PackOld versus new Prius NiMH module. (Credit: HubNut, YouTube)
It’s possible to get a pretty good deal on used Toyota Prius cars, but as with all hybrid cars that also means a used battery pack and resulting issues. In the case of the Gen 2 Prius that [HubNut] recently acquired it was clear that its battery was effectively toast, with the engine running constantly and the car often giving up due to detected issues with the pack. After getting to an EV-focused garage for repairs, a spare NiMH module was used to replace a problematic module to bring it back to good health, while raising the question of how sensible such a repair is.
Certainly, compared to the average BEV where a much larger battery is generally integrated well into the frame, a Prius makes things very easy, with the compact battery readily accessible and removable from the trunk. It is also a very modular battery, with some elbow grease and bolt-twisting enough to disassemble it.
Even with that it still a high-voltage battery with all the associated risks, and as raised in the comments there’s a big question about putting a new(er) cell into a pack with more worn-out NiMH cells as generally the cells wear out fairly evenly. While this fix can give the pack some more life, the new cell won’t match the internal resistance and other parameters of the pack, leading to issues like voltage drift. Then there’s the issue that if one cell failed, others probably aren’t far behind, so this hack would soon become a regular ritual.
Much like swapping one bad 18650 Li-ion cell in a bigger battery, it’s probably a more sustainable solution to simply replace the entire battery at once, or at least replace all modules or cells to properly refurbish it. For [HubNut] this fix suffices because he suspects that this pack was already assembled from random modules, it’s an important consideration to make if you don’t enjoy ending up stranded during a trip.

TikTok trumpets Temper City’s viral ‘Self Aware’ as SoundOn expands services for US indie artists and labelsThe track has surpassed 150m streams on Spotify and has been used to soundtrack more than 6.4m videos on TikTok
Source

Scaler Music Carbon Electra 2 Carbon Electra 2 is a four-oscillator instrument that offers wavetable and wave terrain synthesis, but its standout feature is the inclusion of a whole host of “musical intelligence” features.