Behringer invokes ’80s nostalgia with its new Wave synthBehringer has officially released the Wave Synthesizer, a clone of the iconic PPG Wave hybrid synthesizer from the 1980s. This long-awaited instrument, which has been four years in development, is now available for $599, and promises to bring the legendary sound of the original PPG Wave to modern musicians.

READ MORE: “No other company delivers as many innovative and affordable products as we do”: Behringer hits back at “vapourware” critics following NAMM 2025 announcement

Behringer’s new synth is designed to replicate the unique architecture of the PPG Wave 2.2 and 2.3, which are groundbreaking instruments known for their wavetable synthesis capabilities. Notable artists who used the original PPG Wave include Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Rush, Gary Numan, and electronica pioneers Tangerine Dream.
The Wave is an 8-voice multi-timbral hybrid synth equipped with 16 digital oscillators, each of which can draw from 30 original factory wavetables. It hosts 64 user-defined wavetables, each containing 64 waveforms, along with 32 user-defined transients. Users can easily import their own wavetables and transients via the SynthTribe app, available on both macOS and Windows.
Capable of classic 8 or 16-bit resolution wavetable synthesis, the sound of Wave is synonymous with the sound of the 80s, says Behringer. Its oscillators run through a 24db low-pass analogue filter, and the synth features two ADSR envelopes, an additional AD envelope, and an LFO for creating vibrato, tremolo or cyclic wavetable sweeps.
There’s also a built-in polyphonic sequencer and dual arpeggiator that features various play modes (up, down, up-down, random).

On the hardware side, we have 49 full-size keys equipped with aftertouch and velocity sensitivity, offering the “perfect balance between expressiveness and playability”. And while the Behringer’s latest synth — with its blue front panel and retro-style numeric keypad — shares a striking resemblance to the original PPG Wave, it is noticeably more compact.
Complementing this is a robust selection of input and output options, including USB, CV/gate, sync, and MIDI In/Out/Thru connections. The Wave also features a stereo main output, headphone output, and eight mono outputs — one for each voice — as well as inputs for expression and sustain pedals.
Check out the synth in action below.

 
Learn more at Behringer.
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Selling out Clubs With Very Few Followers? This DIY Band Is Making It Happen.This week, Ari is joined by the band DOUBLECAMP to discuss how they built such a successful independent career.

ElevenLabs’ AI voice generation ‘very likely’ used in a Russian influence operationGenerative AI has a plethora of well-documented misuses, and now, it appears to be cropping up in state influence operations.
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Chainlink integrates with Coinbase tokenized assets platformChainlink will enable verifiable data transmission and crosschain interoperability for Coinbase’s Project Diamond.

3D Printer Eliminates the Printer BedAnyone who has operated a 3D printer before, especially those new to using these specialized tools, has likely had problems with the print bed. The bed might not always be the correct temperature leading to problems with adhesion of the print, it could be uncalibrated or dirty or cause any number of other issues that ultimately lead to a failed print. Most of us work these problems out through trial and error and eventually get settled in, but this novel 3D printer instead removes the bed itself and prints on whatever surface happens to be nearby.
The printer is the product of [Daniel Campos Zamora] at the University of Washington and is called MobiPrint. It uses a fairly standard, commercially available 3D printer head but attaches it to the base of a modified robotic vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner is modified with open-source software that allows it to map its environment without the need for the manufacturer’s cloud services, which in turn lets the 3D printer print on whichever surface the robot finds in its travels. The goal isn’t necessarily to eliminate printer bed problems; a robot with this capability could have many more applications in the realm of accessibility or even, in the future, printing while on the move.
There were a few surprising discoveries along the way which were mentioned in an IEEE Spectrum article, as [Campos Zamora] found while testing various household surfaces that carpet is surprisingly good at adhering to these prints and almost can’t be unstuck from the prints made on it. There are a few other 3D printers out there that we’ve seen that are incredibly mobile, but none that allow interacting with their environment in quite this way.

JMG Sound introduce DarkFire plug-in DarkFire offers a more flexible approach than most saturation plug-ins, providing users with some tone-shaping controls that affect only the generated harmonics.

The Blues Foundation Salutes The 2025 Keeping The Blues Alive Recipients During International Blues Challenge WeekThe Blues Foundation launches its 40th year by saluting the 2025 Keeping The Blues Alive (KBA) honorees during International Blues Challenge week, Tuesday, January 7 through Saturday, January 11. This year's KBA recipients are The Rhythm Room; Blues Blast Magazine; Charlie Hussey; Big Ed's Blues Jam; Little Steven's Blues School; Cincy Blues Society; Jefferson Street Sound Museum; and Ryszard Gloger.Keeping The Blues Alive Awards are chosen annually by a select panel of blues professionals, honoring those who have played crucial roles in advancing the art and commerce of blues. This year’s esteemed honorees will be recognized for their achievements at the Keeping the Blues Alive Awards brunch, taking place Friday, January 10 at 10:30AM, at the Hyatt Centric Hotel on Beale Street. Tickets are $80. and available on the blues.org website.The KBA ceremony is part of the Blues Foundation’s 40th Annual International Blues Challenge. This year's IBC Week kicks off Tuesday, January 7, 2025, with International Showcase performances on historic Beale Street, concluding with the Finals at Memphis’ Orpheum Theatre Saturday, January 11. Over a thousand musicians will converge in Memphis from across the globe, competing with their blues peers for the honor of winning — along with prizes and bookings — the International Blues Challenge, the world’s largest and most renowned blues music competition. Showcases, jams, panels, workshops, and master classes take place throughout Beale Street; spontaneous live music jams continue into the early-morning hours after the IBC performances conclude each evening, including unannounced appearances by well-known artists.This year marks the 33rd anniversary of the Rhythm Room, a cornerstone of the blues community in Phoenix, Arizona. Over the past three decades, the Rhythm Room has hosted thousands of performances by blues artists and has become a vital hub for the genre. In a city as large as Phoenix—the fifth largest in the U.S.—it remains the only venue offering weekly blues performances, making its role indispensable to the local music scene.Owned and operated by blues musician and advocate Bob Corritore, the Rhythm Room has faced numerous challenges in its mission to keep blues music alive in the Southwest. At a time when many blues venues are shutting their doors, Bob’s dedication and personal sacrifices have ensured that the Rhythm Room remains a sanctuary for blues fans and musicians alike.The Rhythm Room’s importance extends beyond its role as a live music venue. It attracts blues enthusiasts from across the country, providing local audiences with opportunities to see national and international blues acts, not just local talent. Moreover, the venue offers a unique benefit to musicians: many performers who play at the Rhythm Room are invited to stay an extra day to record in Bob Corritore’s world-class recording studio. These sessions often result in music that is distributed at no cost to the artists, providing additional income and exposure. This model of support is unparalleled among music venues globally.In addition to its contributions to blues music, the Rhythm Room is a steadfast supporter of the broader blues community. It has hosted the Phoenix Blues Society’s International Blues Challenge competition and has been a longtime advocate for the Blues Foundation’s HART Fund, organizing an annual benefit where all proceeds from ticket sales go directly to the fund’s mission of helping blues musicians in need.While the Rhythm Room welcomes artists across various genres, its unwavering commitment to blues music is what sets it apart. Few venues can claim such a strong and enduring dedication to preserving and promoting the blues. Through its exceptional efforts, the Rhythm Room has solidified its place as an essential institution for the blues community and beyond.The post The Blues Foundation Salutes The 2025 Keeping The Blues Alive Recipients During International Blues Challenge Week first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Stingray’s karaoke app is becoming a common feature in electric cars. Now the company has secured an expanded $352m credit facilityMontreal-headquartered music, media, and tech company is involved in numerous businesses, from advertising to streaming and conventional broadcast TV and radio
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100+ indie distributors in 20 countries have now signed up for The MLC’s data portal for unmatched royaltiesThe MLC says "millions of dollars" in royalties have been paid out thanks to its portal for indie distributors
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Trying to Shatter the World’s Fastest RC Car RecordThe RC car is controlled via an FPV setup. (Credit: Luke Bell, YouTube)
Fresh off a world record for the fastest quadcopter, [Luke Bell] decided to try his luck with something more own to earth, namely trying to tackle the world record for the fastest RC car, with the current record set at 360 km/h. Starting off with a first attempt in what will be a video series, the obvious approach seems to be to get some really powerful electric motors, a streamlined body and a disused runway to send said RC car hurtling along towards that golden medal. Of course, if it was that easy, others would have done it already.
With the quadcopter record of nearly 500 km/h which we covered previously, the challenge was in a way easier, as other than air resistance and accidental lithobraking there are no worries about ground texture, tire wear or boundary layer aerodynamics. In comparison, the RC car has to contend with all of these, with the runway’s rough tarmac surface being just one of the issues, along with making sure that the wheels would hold up to the required rotation speed. For the wheels you got options like foam, hard rubber, etc., all with their own advantages and disadvantages, mostly in terms of grip and reliability.
So far speeds of over 200 km/h are easy enough to do, with foam wheels being the preferred option. To push the RC car to 300 km/h and beyond, a lot more experimentation and trial runs will have to be performed. Pending are changes to the aerodynamic design with features also commonly seen in F1 race cars such as downforce spoilers, diffusers and other tricks which should prevent the RC car from (briefly) becoming an RC airplane.

Layoffs at CD Baby as DIY & Indie Music Distributors struggleThere are layoffs at CD Baby, one of the largest DIY and independent music distribution services.
The post Layoffs at CD Baby as DIY & Indie Music Distributors struggle appeared first on Hypebot.

Singer-Songwriter Cape May Conference returnsAfter a five-year hiatus, the Singer-Songwriter Cape May conference returns on March 28-29, 2025. Singer-Songwriter Cape May Conference returns Helmed by music industry veteran John Harris, the Singer-Songwriter Cape May conference will. Continue reading
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Two notes’ Genome goes standalone With the release of Genome v1.6, the suite is now available as a standalone application as well as a DAW plug-in, and has also gained two new TSM-Ai Amplifiers and 10 additional DynIR cabinet models.

Christmas Music Dominates Streaming: The Ever-Expanding Holiday SeasonLearn how Christmas music dominates streaming in the ever-expanding holiday season as its influence on pop culture grows.
The post Christmas Music Dominates Streaming: The Ever-Expanding Holiday Season appeared first on Hypebot.

Wire Grind Audio releases FREE Rasp Distortion Plugin for Windows
Over the weekend Wire Grind Audio dropped Rasp, a Windows-exclusive plugin that can add grit, noise and a raspy sound to tracks. Now you might be thinking that sounds a whole lot like distortion, but the dev explains that while Rasp sounds similar to distortion, it is not a conventional distortion effect.  Wire Grind Audio’s [...]
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