Musik Hack release Fuel plug-in Described as the ultimate sound enhancer, Fuel provides users with an all-in-one mix-processing solution that promises bring any session to life. 

New Toys: iZotope Aurora Intelligent reverbAurora is the second installment of iZotope's new Catalyst Series. Aurora is an “intelligent” reverb that actively “listens to your audio and dynamically carves space out of the reverb signal to keep your instruments and vocals focused”. Promising you keep your mixes clean and clear, Aurora creates lush, three-dimensional spaces with six reverb types, over 60 presets, convenient on-board filters, and an adjustable unmasking section. Aurora truly is a different kind of reverb and the key to this is the feature NI calls unmasking. I would describe this feature as Aurora is continuously analyzing the audio and in real time nonlinearly deciding what frequency areas to dynamically minimize to enhance reverb clarity quality. The effect is quite striking. The feature can be completely bypassed, and Aurora can behave as a premium “ordinary” reverb. Perhaps the difference could be described as passive or active reverb. And sonically, I found the difference between having unmasking on and off to be quite dramatic, with the adjustable unmasking control delivering space and clarity as promised. Aurora sounds good with unmasking bypassed, and when it is engaged, the sonics sound closer to what engineers describe as polished record or radio sound, analogous to when you add a compressor to an entire mix.Aurora is designed to be fast and easy to use with a minimum of controls. A pulldown menu selects the 6 reverb algorithms, consisting of Hall, Room, Chamber, Plate, Ambience and Cathedral. Then the preset menu allows massive modification of the algorithm with interestingly named presets like “GlimmerVerb” and “Harmonic Wave”. Additional controls include pre-delay, decay, width and tone which allows the overall character of the reverb to be adjusted between dark and bright easily. If you are using Aurora on an Aux or Reverb return, the dry to wet blend control if bypassed by engaging the Solo Reverb button, which is a little unusual of a name for that control so worth noting.  We have entered a time where plugins are becoming more intelligent, active and interactive. Aurora is one such plugin that interacts and makes choices that you as the user can adjust and use to your advantage, or not. At a low price, Aurora stands up in quality sonics to reverbs costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars more. Aurora is available to run in AAX, AU, and VST3 formats. A computer with a newer operating system is necessary and requires macOS Ventura (13.6.9), macOS Sonoma (14.6.1) or Windows 10 and 11. $49 MSRPizotope.comThe post New Toys: iZotope Aurora Intelligent reverb first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Perplexity has reportedly closed a $500M funding roundAI-powered search engine Perplexity has reportedly closed a $500 million funding round, valuing the startup at $9 billion. Bloomberg, citing sources familiar, reports that the round was led by Institutional Venture Partners, and that it closed earlier in December. In an email to TechCrunch, a Perplexity spokesperson declined to comment. The mammoth tranche comes as […]
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Investor lawsuit filed against Hawk Tuah memecoin creators, partners“The HAWK Token exhibits all the characteristics of an unregistered security under established legal precedent,” litigants claimed.

Fibonacci Clock Looks Like Beautiful Modern ArtDon’t ask us why, but hackers and makers just love building clocks. Especially in the latter case, many  like to specialize in builds that don’t even look like traditional timepieces, and are difficult to read unless you know the trick behind them. [NerdCave] has brought us a pleasing example of such a thing, in the form of this gorgeous Fibonacci clock.
The build was inspired by an earlier Fibonacci clock that later became a Kickstarter project. Where that build used an Atmega328P, though, [NerdCage] landed on using a Raspberry Pi Pico W instead. The build throws the microcontroller board on a custom PCB, and sticks in inside an attractive 3D-printed enclosure. Black filmanet was used for the body, while white filament was used for the face of each square to act as a diffuser. Addressable RGB LEDs are used to illuminate the five square segments of the clock.
Obviously, you’re wondering how to read the clock. All you need to know is this. The first five numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 1, 1, 2, 3, and 5. Each square on the clock represents one of these numbers—the side lengths of each square match these numbers. Red and green are used to represent hours and minutes, respectively, while a blue square is representing both. Basically, to get the hour, add up the values of red and blue squares, and to get the minutes, do the same with green and blue squares, but then multiply by 5. In the header image, the clock is displaying 8:55 PM… we think.
We’ve featured Fibonacci-themed clocks before, albeit ones with entirely different visual themes. Video after the break.

Measuring a Well with Just a Hammer and a SmartphoneWhat’s the best way to measure the depth of a well using a smartphone? If you’re fed up with social media, you might kill two birds with one stone and drop the thing down the well and listen for the splash. But if you’re looking for a less intrusive — not to mention less expensive — method, you could also use your phone to get the depth acoustically.
This is a quick hack that [Practical Engineering Solutions] came up with to measure the distance to the surface of the water in a residential well, which we were skeptical would work with any precision due to its deceptive simplicity. All you need to do is start a sound recorder app and place the phone on the well cover. A few taps on the casing of the well with a hammer send sound impulses down the well; the reflections from the water show up in the recording, which can be analyzed in Audacity or some similar sound editing program. From there it’s easy to measure how long it took for the echo to return and calculate the distance to the water. In the video below, he was able to get within 3% of the physically measured depth — pretty impressive.
Of course, a few caveats apply. It’s important to use a dead-blow hammer to avoid ringing the steel well casing, which would muddle the return signal. You also might want to physically couple the phone to the well cap so it doesn’t bounce around too much; in the video it’s suggested a few bags filled with sand as ballast could be used to keep the phone in place. You also might get unwanted reflections from down-hole equipment such as the drop pipe or wires leading to the submersible pump.
Sources of error aside, this is a clever idea for a quick measurement that has the benefit of not needing to open the well. It’s also another clever use of Audacity to use sound to see the world around us in a different way.

Inside the portfolio of businesses owned by Downtown Music – the company Universal is buying for $775mKey facts and stats about the businesses and platforms owned by Downtown today
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‘As a manager, you have to be somebody’s biggest fan.’MBW’s World’s Greatest Managers series meets Dan Petel, founder of songwriter-producer management company This Is Noise
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Ticketing in turmoil as Congress, Live Nation send mixed messagesFrom Taylor Swift to Oasis, concert ticketing was the focus of more media attention in 2024 than ever. But as the year ends, failed efforts to enact meaningful change by Congress, industry trade groups and the nation's largest live music company have left concert ticketing in turmoil.
The post Ticketing in turmoil as Congress, Live Nation send mixed messages appeared first on Hypebot.

Boom Library LiftFX Beat Drop Generator is Just $25 at Audio Plugin Deals
Audio Plugin Deals is currently offering Boom Library’s LiftFX beat drop generator plugin for just $25, which is 74% off the list price of $95. LiftFX is a 64-bit-only macOS and Windows release that delivers risers, breaks, build-ups, swells, sweeps, falls, and downlifters to help you craft the perfect beat drop. Note that the $25 [...]
View post: Boom Library LiftFX Beat Drop Generator is Just $25 at Audio Plugin Deals

Aphex Twin’s surprise compilation album, Music From The Merch Desk, is exactly what you think it isAphex Twin has put out a surprise compilation of music he previously released as one-off vinyl pressings at his live shows.
The release hosts 38 tracks which were sold between 2016 and 2023, and is aptly named Music From The Merch Desk (2016-2023). Landing via Warp Records, it marks the first full digital release of these tracks, which were sold in limited quantities and became highly sought after, and features some pretty, err, cool cover art.

READ MORE: Benn Jordan dives deep into the “bats**t” software Aphex Twin has used throughout his career

As part of the release is a track titled London 19.08.2023. Previously, a limited vinyl copy of this in mint condition was listed between £170 and £1,240 on platforms such as Discogs (as per Mixmag).
And that isn’t the only example of Aphex Twin’s vinyls selling on for extortionate prices. Back in 2023, limited edition 12-inch vinyls that he released prior to his headlining performance at London’s Field Day festival were being sold for more than 100 times their original price online. Limited to just 100 copies, the Field Day-exclusive 5-track vinyl were reportedly snapped up by 2:30pm on the day of its release.
On sites such as eBay the vinyl, which cost just £5 originally, was listed for a whopping £699 on one listing, while a bidding war also took place on another listing, with six bidders and a bid of £520 live at the original time of reporting.
Music From The Merch Desk (2016-2023) lands after Aphex Twin’s reissue of his 1994 record Selected Ambient Works Volume II, which arrived in October in honour of its 30th anniversary. The expanded edition was available in five formats and included additional tracks, th1 [evnslower] andRhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev.

You can stream Music From The Merch Desk… now, or download it digitally in full for £14.99 (or as individual tracks) directly from the Aphex Twin official store.
The post Aphex Twin’s surprise compilation album, Music From The Merch Desk, is exactly what you think it is appeared first on MusicTech.

What Do Christmas Songs Earn in Royalties?What do Christmas songs earn in each year? Find out which holiday hits rake in millions and the secrets behind their lasting success. What Do Christmas Songs Earn in Royalties?. Continue reading
The post What Do Christmas Songs Earn in Royalties? appeared first on Hypebot.

Indies sound alarm after UMG Downtown and PIAS acquisitionsIndie trade groups and label execs are sounding the alarm after UMG Downtown and PIAS acquisition - two crucial independent music companies. Learn what’s at stake and why it matters for artists and labels alike.
The post Indies sound alarm after UMG Downtown and PIAS acquisitions appeared first on Hypebot.

Get Sonora Cinematic Panorama Hybrid for FREE with any $45+ Purchase
Sonora Cinematic released Panorama Hybrid, which is a post-rock guitar Kontakt Player instrument that you can get for free with the purchase of any eligible Sonora Cinematic NKS product ($45 minimum). Panorama Hybrid runs on the free Kontakt Player 8.1+. Sonora Cinematic does not specify whether the instrument runs on the paid version of Kontakt [...]
View post: Get Sonora Cinematic Panorama Hybrid for FREE with any $45+ Purchase

Berlin Solo Strings from Orchestral Tools The latest addition to Orchestral Tools' flagship Berlin Series includes four new expressive and detailed solo string instruments designed specifically for melodic lead lines.