California governor signs laws establishing safeguards over AI chatbotsThe laws will likely impact social media companies and websites offering services to California residents, including minors, using AI tools.

L7 and Lunachicks Party at the BelascoPhoto credit: C. Elliot Photography

Over the years, L.A. band L7 has been tagged riot grrl, grunge, alt-rock, and a bunch of other sub-genres that semi-fit. But the reality is, L7 is and have always been a punk band. A musically untouchable, melodically gifted, ferocious, intelligent and inspiring punk rock band.

At the Belasco, Los Angeles, on a Friday night in early October, L7 was celebrating its 40th anniversary, and the idea that they would still be performing after four decades must have seemed far-fetched in the '90s when they were throwing a tampon "from source" into the crowd at the Reading Festival, U.K. Or appearing sans pants on The Word. But here we are, and here they are.

And ok, nowadays the four musicians--Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner, Jennifer Finch and Dee Plakas--aren't so much into baring asses or lobbing tampon grenades (Sparks in both cases), but they've lost none of the fire, the unbridled energy, that mades records like Bricks Are Heavy, Hungry For Stink and Smell the Magic so utterly infectious.

Photo credit: C. Elliot Photography

We got tunes from all of those and more at the Belasco. The wonder-drone of "Andres" came first, the stomp-along of "Everglade" soon afterwards. And we were reminded that, as good as The Prodigy's cover of "Fuel My Fire" was, nothing beats the original.

"Monster" and "Freak Magnet" have the sludgy groove that L7 perfected, and "Dispatch from Mar-A-Lago" is appropriately topical. "Pretend We're Dead" remains one of the best songs that ever came out of the '90s, and "Shitlist" is the chaotic, rapid-fire punk anthem than served as the soundtrack to Mickey and Mallory shooting up a diner in Natural Born Killers. At the Belasco, it inspired some bouncing and that was perfect.

Forty year in and L7 is still this good. Maybe 40 more is too much to ask for, but who the fuck knows?

Photo credit: Brett Callwood

Earlier, New York band the Lunachicks performed their first set in L.A. for 20 years. Marching on stage to the sound of Harry Richman's "I Love a Parade," pom-poms held aloft, the musicians of the Lunachicks were soon joined by singer Theo Kogan who span and pirouetted around the stage before she'd sung a note.
 
The setlist focussed on tunes from their most recent album, 1999's Luxury Problem, with just two tracks from the first two albums "Jan Brady" and "C.I.L.L." The title track from the Jerk of All Trades album was particularly welcome, but the likes of "Bad Ass Bitch" and "Shut You Out" really stole the show.
 
This was L7's night, but the Lunachicks are old friends and the limelight was duly shared.
 
Earlier still, Brazilian dance-pop, new-rave group CSS did a great job of getting the Belasco bouncing early on. Fronted by the incomparable Lovefoxxx, CSS has songs as hooky as "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above" to draw on. That said, the set was compelling from start to finish.
 
 

Edit this setlist | More L7 setlists
 

Edit this setlist | More Lunachicks setlists

The post L7 and Lunachicks Party at the Belasco first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

SMD Soldering with Big IronYou have some fine pitch soldering to do, but all you have on hand is a big soldering iron. What do you do? There are a few possible answers, but [Mr SolderFix] likes to pull a strand from a large wire, file the point down, and coil it around the soldering iron. This gives you a very tiny hot tip. Sure, the wire won’t last forever, but who cares? When it gives up, you can simply make another one.
Many people have done things like this before — we are guilty — but we really liked [Mr Solder Fix’s] presentation over two videos that you can see below. He coils his wire over a form. In his case, he’s using a screwdriver handle and some tape to get to the right size. We’ve been known to use the shanks of drill bits for that purpose, since it is easy to get different sizes.

Truthfully, while sometimes you do really need a tiny tip, we prefer having a tip with some thermal mass. If you use something shaped like a slotted screwdriver blade, you can get contact area when you need it, or rotate the iron 90 degrees and get a very narrow profile.
But the copper coil method does work well, as you can see. This will work with nearly any iron. The first examples with fairly large resistors work predictably well. But we were really impressed with some of the very fine pitch connectors in part 2.
Of course, a fine tip is only part of the equation. It doesn’t hurt that he has a microscope and thin solder. If you want to up your SMD game, Oregon State University can help. We find it amusing that many products today are smaller than the components we used to use.

Bootleg vinyl from Russia & China… and 3 other things you might have missed from the RIAA’s latest piracy revelationsUS recorded music revenues are still around $9 billion per year lower than they were before the age of digital piracy arrived, the RIAA says
Source

Playfair Audio update Dynamic Grading plug-in Playfair Audio have just released a free maintenance update that kits their Dynamic Grading plug-in a range of user-requested improvements and fixes 

NIVA State of Live: How US Independent Venues Power Local EconomiesAcross the United States, independent music venues are doing far more than hosting concerts—they are fueling jobs, tourism, and cultural connection in every community. A new state level reports from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) shows just how vital these spaces are to state and local economies, while also highlighting the challenges threatening their survival.
The post NIVA State of Live: How US Independent Venues Power Local Economies appeared first on Hypebot.

Get a free indie baritone guitar for Splice INSTRUMENT
Download our free indie baritone guitar plugin for Splice INSTRUMENT—grab these presets during the drop window and they’re yours to keep forever.

Why Sign With a Label?Why Sign With a Label? Weighing the value against independent release strategies in today’s music landscape.
The post Why Sign With a Label? appeared first on Hypebot.

Hisong AirStudio S1: the all-in-one mobile recording studio that literally fits in your pocketAudio tech startup Hisong has announced the AirStudio S1, a pocket-sized “recording capsule” that promises to simplify mobile music-making and content creation once and for all.
Designed for musicians, podcasters and streamers who need professional-grade audio without the bulk, AirStudio S1 combines a dual-mode microphone, wireless in-ear monitors, and a USB-C audio interface in a single pocket-sized device.

READ MORE: Pro Sound Effects launches CORE 7, a sound library for creators featuring over 1.3 million sounds and contributions from Oscar-winning artists

The goal? To make high-quality recording, monitoring and streaming possible anywhere without the hassle of tangled cables and external gear.
At its core, the AirStudio features a switchable condenser/dynamic mic with a built-in pop filter, capable of 24-bit/48kHz recording and handling up to 137dB SPL. An onboard DSP engine delivers EQ, compression, reverb and limiting, along with AI-powered noise reduction, all adjustable via the Hisong Link app.
Wireless monitoring is another major selling point. Hisong says the bundled in-ears offer “imperceptible” ultra-low latency, with up to 10 hours of battery life on the mic and 3.5 hours on the earbuds. The device can also double as a USB-C audio interface for laptops, tablets and smartphones, and comes with a free license for Steinberg’s Cubasis LE app to get users started right out of the box.
Three versions of the kit are available: The $299 4-in-1 Musician Kit, which includes the capsule, IEMs and interface; The $349 5-in-1 Creator Kit which adds a Wireless RX Mini dongle for USB-C connectivity; and the $399 Master Kit which includes the Wireless RX Plus with a 3.5mm output.
Hisong’s Kickstarter campaign for the AirStudio S1 launches 14 October, with early-bird VIP slots offering up to 40% off. First units are expected to ship on 30 November.

Learn more at Hisong.
The post Hisong AirStudio S1: the all-in-one mobile recording studio that literally fits in your pocket appeared first on MusicTech.

Metric Halo MELDMELD provides a comprehensive signal chain for your ATMOS and stereo mix processing: 12-band fully parametric EQ with Analyzer. Compressor. Limiter. Loudness/Clipping processor. MixHead tape saturation processor. All of the process blocks are dynamically reorderable and groupable across any number of instances. MELD is the answer to the problem of building a cohesive music mix in ATMOS. It was created to solve the key issue that John Hanes was encountering while building immersive ATMOS mixes to match stereo mix masters. In ATMOS immersive mixes, channels are mixed to beds and objects. A bed is a multichannel bus or stem, and may be processed similarly to how a stereo bus is processed (as long as you have multichannel capable tools - which MELD provides). Objects, which are required for immersive overhead panning, are panned by the renderer - which means they must be delivered discretely. Simply put, with ATMOS objects, when you are processing audio that conceptually forms a bus, the bus you are creating is virtual (as there is never a sum available in the mix environment). With a virtual bus there is no place to apply bus processing, which is a key technique in building proper music mixes for pop and rock. MELD elegantly and quickly solves this problem. It turns out that solving these problems in ATMOS mixes yields great benefits for stereo mixes as well. When you insert MELD into a session, every instance is aware of all the other instances. You can access any channel directly from within the MELD UI - no need to navigate your mix from the host DAW - everything (including Solo, Mute, Metering and grouping) is at your fingertips within the MELD UI. MELD has 26 virtual busses (groups); any instance can be added to a group. All instances in a group share the same processor settings. This allows you to apply the same processing to many channels - same as you would if you bussed them together and applied the processing on the bus. But each channel is still available discretely to be sent to objects or processed further. MELD also allows you to manage the detector sidechain for the dynamics processing blocks (Compressor and Limiter) in a group. This lets you key channels within a group or from any other channel or bus that has a MELD instance - all without having to manage complex routing within the host. The default shared-sidechain routing for groups allows you to achieve bus-compression for channels routed to objects. MELD also provides exciting new tricks that are unavailable in traditional bus-processing workflows; since the channels that are part of the bus are still available discretely after processing, you can adjust levels and EQ post-bus compression - whether or not you plan to send the channels to objects or simply submix them back to a stereo bus or a multichannel bed. And of course, it sounds great. Key Features World-class Signal Processing and Workflow 12-band Fully Parametric EQ w/ Analyzer. Compressor. Limiter. MixHead tape processing. Loudness clip processing. Instantaneous Process block reordering. User-Selectable Over-sampling (up to 16x). Process-overview UI. 26 Virtual Busses/Groups. Integrated Solo+Mute. Instance Table with project overview and metering. LUFs and True Peak Metering per channel. Reference LUFs and True Peak Metering readouts for selected channels. Support for Mono to 9.1.6 channel instances. Shared-sidechains between instances to support keying and virtual bus compression/limiting. Many presets included. Adjustable UI size. MH Preset Manager - Provides cross-platform presets. YouTube.com/watch?v=1H0Y-axDiy4 YouTube.com/watch?v=lwXYwjA4J68 Read More

API 312 joins Karno’s SEPIA platform The latest third-party module for Karno's SEPIA brings an official version of API's much-loved 312 mic pre to the modular platform.

Techivation launches M-Puncher 2 – a transient shaper for enhancing impact without increasing peak levelsTechivation – a UK-based brand specialising in music production tools and software – has unveiled M-Puncher 2, a new transient shaping plugin designed to enhance impact without increasing peak levels.
As the brand explains, some transient shapers can “throw your mix off balance by raising the peak levels unpredictably”. But M-Puncher 2 enables producers to add “punch and impact” to a track without the worry of raising these peak levels.

READ MORE: How to get better Google Search results: follow MusicTech on Google News and make us a Preferred Source

M-Puncher 2 includes features like tonal shaping for attacks, frequency-dependent targeting and even intelligent setting suggestions to streamline the mixing process.
Additionally, there’s a Thump-Presence slider, which offers another level of tonal control by allowing the user to adjust both the low end and high end without affecting overall tonal balance.

The aforementioned Mix Assistant is also on hand – powered by machine learning – to analyse audio and propose settings to optimise the user’s workflow.
M-Puncher 2 also features an updated interface compared to the previous iteration, with a waveform visualiser offering clear visual feedback on the effect the plugin is having on your mix.
Pricing and availability
M-Puncher 2 is available now – at an introductory price of $45 (down from $129) until 24 October – on both Windows and macOS, and in VST, VST3, AU and AAX formats, compatible with all major DAWs.
Owners of Techivation’s M-Puncher Mk1 can download M-Puncher 2 for $25, while owners of other Techivation plugins can purchase for $35. Additionally, Techivation Full Access users can download M-Puncher 2 totally free.
For more information, head to Techivation.
The post Techivation launches M-Puncher 2 – a transient shaper for enhancing impact without increasing peak levels appeared first on MusicTech.

Pro Sound Effects launches CORE 7, a sound library for creators featuring over 1.3 million sounds and contributions from Oscar-winning artistsIf there’s a sound you can imagine, Pro Sound Effects’ new CORE 7 library probably has it.
The Brooklyn-based company has unveiled the latest evolution of its flagship sound effects bundle, packing 1.3 million sounds across more than 650 categories, including 112,000 new recordings added in 2025.

READ MORE: KV331 Audio’s new SynthMaster 3 Player is made for those who prefer tweaking presets over designing sounds from scratch

For sound professionals working across film, television, games, and immersive media, CORE 7 is designed to be the one-stop sonic toolkit that keeps up with fast-changing production demands. The new edition adds 13 fresh libraries and high-profile collaborations with Oscar-winning sound designers Mark Mangini (Dune), Richard King, Alan Howarth, Dave Whitehead, alongside renowned nature recordist Chris Watson.
“CORE 7 reflects our commitment to giving creative professionals the tools they need to deliver world-class audio faster and more efficiently,” says Douglas Price, the founder and CEO of Pro Sound Effects. “By expanding our library with over 112,000 new sounds this year… we’re ensuring our users stay ahead of the creative and technical demands of today’s media landscape.”
Beyond its sheer size, CORE 7 stands out for its workflow optimisations. Every sound is meticulously tagged with Universal Category System (UCS) metadata, delivering faster, more accurate search results and saving valuable time – whether you’re accessing via the cloud or locally. Licensing is made simple too, with the promise of “lifetime, royalty-free, commercial usage”, saving you from any legal headaches.
CORE 7 is available via monthly and annual subscriptions, or as a lifetime license for those who prefer to own their library outright. Meanwhile, individual sounds can be searched, previewed, and purchased à la carte for $5 each, making Hollywood-grade audio accessible to creators of all budgets.
From now till 23 October, the bundle is available at up to 83% off its total value.

Learn more at Pro Sound Effects.
The post Pro Sound Effects launches CORE 7, a sound library for creators featuring over 1.3 million sounds and contributions from Oscar-winning artists appeared first on MusicTech.

How to get better Google Search results: follow MusicTech on Google News and make us a Preferred SourceWith more content available on the internet than ever, our feeds have never felt so cluttered. And this probably means what you really care about – the latest news, gear releases, artist insights and reviews from the world of music production and technology – feels sparser on your feed than you’d like.
That’s why you should make sure you’re following MusicTech on Google News, so you make sure you never miss the latest news from the world of music technology, or in-depth interviews with DJs and veteran producers and expert reviews on the latest synths, DJ controllers and software.
To follow us, simply head to Google News, enter ‘MusicTech’ in the search bar, and hit follow in the top right-hand corner. Easy!
Additionally, Google has just introduced a new feature – Preferred Sources – which allows you to manually curate your own Google News feed, prioritising your favourite outlets, including MusicTech, obviously. But how does it work?
The feature is currently only available in the US and India, but should be rolling out to other countries soon.
Adding MusicTech to your list of Preferred Sources is straightforward and will ensure you never miss our content.
So if you’re reading from the US or India, simply click this link right here, and tick the box next to MusicTech.com to add us to your Preferred Sources. In return we’ll make sure we deliver you the very best music technology content.
Alternatively, you can follow these steps directly from the Google homepage to add MusicTech as one of your Preferred Sources:

Visit the Google homepage and search for any news story
Hit the icon next to ‘Top Stories’ that looks like a box with a star in it
Type ‘MusicTech.com’ in the search box that then appears
When you see MusicTech.com show up, check the box to the right
Hit the ‘reload results’ button and enjoy more MusicTech in your searching!

Credit: MusicTech
It’s also worth noting that by adding MusicTech as a Preferred Source, you won’t only see MusicTech content – you’re basically just telling Google that you like what we do and that you want to see more of it in your feed.
You’re also free to remove any Preferred Sources at any time following the same method, though with MusicTech’s top-quality content we doubt we’ll ever lose a place in your list…
“When you select your preferred sources, you’ll start to see more of their articles prominently displayed within Top Stories, when those sources have published fresh and relevant content for your search,” says Google.
So it’s as simple as that – by following these steps you can have MusicTech’s news, features, and reviews front and centre in your “Top Stories” and “From your sources” sections on Google.
The post How to get better Google Search results: follow MusicTech on Google News and make us a Preferred Source appeared first on MusicTech.

Get Matra, a versatile delay effect by Karanyi Sounds, for FREE in a LIMITED time offer
If you’re on the lookout for an addition to your delay effects, Karanyi Sounds currently offers their flexible Matra delay plugin for free! I couldn’t determine the exact time window for this offer, so act quickly if you want to secure the plugin. You must provide an email address, and Karanyi Sounds will instantly send [...]
View post: Get Matra, a versatile delay effect by Karanyi Sounds, for FREE in a LIMITED time offer