Valor, Atreides, and Sequoia back AI startup Flow Engineering at $750M valuationFlow Engineering, which is bringing AI agents to hardware design, also landed Roelof Botha as an angel investor and board member.

Standard Chartered sees Ethena’s USDe reaching $40B, ENA hitting $2The bank also expects Ethena’s ENA token to rise roughly sevenfold to $2 by the end of 2028 as USDe scales and token buybacks increase.

MeldaProduction MSymphonia: Bells & MalletsMSymphonia: Bells & Mallets Beautifully sampled melodic percussion MSymphonia: Bells & Mallets is the first release in the MSymphonia series of instruments for MSoundFactory. This nearly 10GB library is based on weeks of recording sessions with the Budapest Symphonic Orchestra, capturing every single note with high precision. Recorded using four professional microphone setups, it is perfect for everything from massive cinematic scores to classical pieces, or just adding some sparkling acoustic colour to your pop and electronic tracks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYK59foCGf0 Seven Great Instruments in One Collection The Bells & Mallets collection features seven premium melodic percussion instruments for MSoundFactory: Celesta, Crotales, Glockenspiel, Marimba, Tubular Bells, Vibraphone, and Xylophone. Each instrument was recorded with four spatial microphones in a professional studio for a realistic concert stage feel. You also get simple performance controls to easily shape mallet hardness, body resonance, and tone colour to fit your mix. Celesta A keyboard instrument with a sweet, magical sound. You can easily adjust mallet hardness to change the attack, tweak the body resonance, or turn up the shimmer for extra high-end sparkle. Crotales These small metal discs (also called antique cymbals) have a bright, piercing tone. Use the Focus control to sharpen the transient so it easily cuts through a busy mix. Glockenspiel A classic orchestral mallet instrument with a pure, bell-like ring. You can adjust how hard the mallet hits and use the Focus control to get a clearer, more defined attack. Marimba A woody instrument with a deep, warm character. Tweak the Resonance of the wooden bars to let notes ring out longer or make them tight and short. You can also choose from different mallet materials (from mellow to sharp) using the Character selector. Tubular Bells Large metal tubes that bring grand, dramatic weight to your project. Adjust mallet hardness and use Focus to make the bells hit with a clean, sharp definition. Vibraphone A metal bar mallet instrument with a built-in motor for a lush tremolo effect. You can control the tremolo's speed, depth, and stereo width, use the Duck slider to keep your transients clear, and control the sustain pedal naturally. Xylophone A bright, woody percussion instrument that is incredibly rhythmic. Its dry, percussive sound is perfect for fast runs. You can adjust the body resonance, mallet hardness, and high-frequency character. The Mix Section Every instrument in the library comes with the exact same 4-channel microphone mixer. This lets you blend the four original microphone recordings to get the perfect balance for your track: Close: The dry, direct sound right next to the instrument. Decca: The classic, wide-stereo orchestral Decca Tree setup. Mid: Balanced mid-distance room microphones. Outrigger: Wide, ambient microphones that capture the full space of the room. Each channel has standard controls for volume, pan, stereo width, and a low-cut filter, plus a Distance slider to time-align the microphones and create a realistic sense of stage depth. Built-in EQ and Reverb The FX page lets you polish your sound with a simple 3-band EQ (with low-cut and high-cut filters) and a beautiful algorithmic reverb. You can tweak the reverb's decay time, pre-delay, and mix level, or choose from different space types (like Grand Symphony) to place your bells in a massive, epic hall. Innovative Roll Keys for Authentic Performances Playing fast repetitions and realistic tremolos on a standard keyboard can be a massive challenge. Bells & Mallets introduces a unique solution with our innovative Roll Keys (repetition keys). This dedicated key range automatically replays the last note you triggered, allowing you to perform rapid repetitions using alternating hands—exactly like a real percussionist. Whether you need an intense marimba roll or a shimmering glockenspiel tremolo, this feature makes complex, rhythmic performances effortless and incredibly natural. Combined with up to 7 Round-Robin variations per note, it guarantees completely organic repetitions without any robotic "machine-gun" effect. FREE for MSoundFactory Users If you already have MSoundFactory or MSoundFactoryLE, MSymphonia: Bells & Mallets is completely free to download. You just need to run MPluginManager and grab it. Don't own MSoundFactory(LE) yet? You can still buy this library separately and use it with the free version, MSoundFactoryPlayer. Read More

Open Source Tricorder Is In It For The ScienceIf you’re reading Hackaday there’s pretty good odds you’re at least somewhat fond of Star Trek. We’d bet good money most of you would quit your jobs today if a Starfleet recruiter showed up. That’s something you’d have in common with [PeterAJansen], who has been working for over a decade now to create something worthy of being called a tricorder. If his latest iteration, the Open Source Science Tricorder Cyberdeck, isn’t there yet, it’s pretty darn close.
Frankly, it looks more usable than Roddenberry’s version.
The “tri” in tricorder means three, but this device has more than three instruments– so did the ones on the show, come to think of it. You won’t be scanning for veteron radiation with this, but you do get a scintillation crystal to get a spectroscopic analysis of beta- or gamma-ray sources; there’s also a visible light spectrometer, thermal camera, and magnetic field camera along with a standard magnetometer and the usual environmental sensors to give you temperature, pressure, and humidity, plus particulate, VOC and CO2 concentration. Enough to explore an alien planet? That’s hard to say, but it seems like enough to explore this one.
The device is based around a Clockwork Pi uConsole, which takes care of the form-factor: a slabtop with a QWERTY keyboard and an IPS display in a nice screen, and a Compute Module 5 to crunch all that data. It might not be quite as stylish as the folding units seen on-screen in Star Trek, but it seems like an eminently practical form factor. There are videos of it in operation as well as being assembled on the GitHub repository,  where you can get all the details needed to make your own. It is the Open Source Science Tricorder, after all.
This isn’t the first project we’ve seen chasing tricorder glory, but many of the others were more interested in screen accuracy than science. [Peter]’s earlier “arducorder” was a very notable exception to that trend.
Thanks to [MarcCote] for the tip! If your scanners pick up something interesting in cyberspace, remember our hailing frequencies are always open. 

Margot Sinclair at Cat's Cradle, North CarolinaWeb: margotsinclair.com

Players: Kyle Mix, vocals; Luke Sutherland, guitar; Carson Baer, guitar; Owen Rice, bass guitar, background vocals; Donovan Hess, drums, background vocals

A totally unexpected quartet of Orange County escapees—perhaps slightly bewildered to find themselves this far east—takes the stage and, within seconds, traps the room in an opening crescendo. The “wow” factor is immediately off the chain. Mutinous electrons ricochet off the walls, rafters and bar, coalescing into soaring minor chords, barre-chord power surges and enormous slabs of guitar before somehow resolving back into the major.

Meet Margot Sinclair. Their first three songs are a gut punch to the inner ear. Imagine some of the country-rock brilliance of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the early Byrds when Roger McGuinn’s Rickenbacker was practically weaponized, and a dose of Henry Rollins-era Black Flag being fired through the same electrical grid.

After exploding through “POV,” “Boat” and “Napalm,” Margot Sinclair locks into a groove train that simply refuses to let go. “Jealousy,” “Excuses” and “Jester” become absolute heaters—big, muscular songs propelled by a band that already understands something many young groups spend years figuring out: how to move as one organism without everybody fighting for the same square inch of sonic real estate.

These guys are dialed in from the first note, and frankly, they seem way too good to be from this part of the galaxy. As the set gathers kinetic propulsion, the thin crowd begins moving closer, bodies collecting around the stage as if somebody quietly turned on a giant musical electromagnet.

The four-piece rock machine bounces, swerves and rides the ramjet hard into “Ween,” “Free” and “Watching,” a closing three-song rattlesnake that leaves the room smoldering and the walls suspiciously sticky with groove juice.

There is unusual cohesion in this quartet. They ride each sound wave to its crest, then hand off verses, intros, rhythmic accents and melodic ideas with impressive smoothness. Nothing feels accidental, yet nothing feels overly rehearsed. There’s muscle here, but also restraint—and that combination is considerably harder to manufacture than sheer volume.

Sutherland’s guitar work is especially notable. Not overbearing, not underwhelming—just the right amount, at the right moment, saying exactly what the song needs said. Having already been through the live-performance grinder at rooms like The Troubadour in Los Angeles and Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco, Margot Sinclair has clearly had time to sharpen the machinery.

Carson Baer and Rice kick this musical golf ball straight through the Garden Hose of Groove, supplying compression, clarity and dynamic punch while keeping the whole contraption moving forward. Then there’s Kyle Mix, with enough vocal range, presence and raw power to suggest that this band has considerably larger stages ahead of it.

If there’s a crack in the veneer—and you have to look pretty hard to find one—it’s this: once Margot Sinclair reaches full bore, they are so strong, so relentless and occasionally so overwhelming that your head and ears start begging for a little dynamic daylight. Give us a whisper. A crack in the door. Twenty seconds to locate our internal organs before firing up the engines again. But that will come. Margot Sinclair has a future so bright it hurts your eyes.

The post Margot Sinclair at Cat's Cradle, North Carolina first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Oasis archive recordings pulled from auction as band take legal action against former sound engineerThe claim was filed in the High Court in London on Tuesday (September 29)
Source

Phoenix James and Abner Dennis break down how “Hold On” was made
Watch Phoenix James and Abner Dennis break down their Ableton Live session for James' lead single "Hold On."

Sonuscore The Pulse: Synth Wave & Epic Atmospheres Synth Wave and Epic Atmospheres each contain 20 new patches for The Pulse, and join the existing Motion Textures and Dark Machina offerings to bring the total expansion count to four packs.

Airwindows releases ConsoleX3 open-source mixing system with an adaptive GUI
Airwindows has released ConsoleX3, a free and open-source mixing console system for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Most Airwindows plugins famously prioritize efficient DSP over custom interfaces, but ConsoleX3 continues the developer’s newer experiments with in-house GUIs. It is not the first Airwindows release with one, but I think this one is the most elaborate example [...]
View post: Airwindows releases ConsoleX3 open-source mixing system with an adaptive GUI

BandLab Technologies appoints new CEO, Ivan ChenEditor’s note: BandLab Technologies and MusicTech are both part of Caldecott Music Group
Ivan Chen is the new CEO of BandLab Technologies, as previous CEO Meng Ru Kuok moves into an executive chairman role.
Kuok co-founded BandLab Technologies in 2015, with Chen joining the team in 2016 as chief operating officer; Chen became president in 2024. Chen will officially become the company’s CEO on 1 October 2026.
The reappointment is in preparation for the “next stage of global growth”, says BandLab Technologies in a press release. Chen will oversee day-to-day operations of BandLab Technologies, with Kuok continuing to work closely with Chen on long-term strategy, partnerships, opportunities and investments. He will remain CEO of BandLab Technologies’ parent group, Caldecott Music Group — Chen will continue his role as group president of CMG.
BandLab Technologies is named after its flagship app, BandLab, and is also the parent company of Cakewalk, ReverbNation, Airbit, and, as of July 2026, AI-powered digital music studio Aiode.
Kuok says in the press release: “Ivan has been closely involved with BandLab Technologies from its early years and has been a key contributor and partner in realising our vision of making music creation more accessible for creators and artists around the world. A decade on, this ambition has only grown and we are in the most dynamic and fast-moving period we have ever seen across music, technology, media and fandom. I’m pleased to announce this change which gives us the capacity to take the company to new levels of success,” said Kuok.
“In his tenure as COO and President, Ivan has turned many of our biggest ideas into reality, and I believe he has the judgment, experience, and understanding needed as we continue to drive forward as a company. He knows where we’ve come from, but more importantly, he has a clear view of where we want to go next. I have every confidence in him to lead the company forward as CEO and I look forward to continuing to work alongside him.”
“I’m grateful for the trust Meng and the Board have placed in me, and I’m excited to lead BandLab Technologies forward,” said Chen. “We have built products that creators value and a business with enormous potential ahead of it. Creators around the world make music on BandLab every day, and my focus is on ensuring we continue to define the future of music creation for many years to come.”
Read more music industry news. 
The post BandLab Technologies appoints new CEO, Ivan Chen appeared first on MusicTech.

Get SampleScience RC909 Pro FREE through October 31st
SampleScience is giving away RC909 Pro, a sample-based TR-909 drum instrument for macOS and Windows, free instead of $30 through October 31st. There is no shortage of free 909 samples, but RC909 Pro packages them into a drum plugin that’s ready to play as soon as you load it and offers plenty of options for [...]
View post: Get SampleScience RC909 Pro FREE through October 31st

GamesSoundCon 2026: Your chance to network with the composers for Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed and FalloutGamesSoundCon is coming back to LA next month, and some of the biggest composers and sound designers in gaming will be there. Speakers include Inon Zur (Starfield, Fallout 3, Fallout 4), Wilbert Roget II (Call of Duty: WWII), Garry Schyman (Bioshock, Middle-earth), Jason Graves (Dead Space), and Jesper Kyd (Assassin’s Creed, Hitman, Warhammer), who will all be speaking on a panel about probably the most in-demand topic for any burgeoning composer: Creating Iconic Themes for Franchises.
Many people reading this can likely hear the themes for at least one of the aforementioned franchises in their head right now. That’s the kind of knowledge that can make a career.

Beyond the art of writing an unforgettable melody, the conference will have plenty of discussions that fit with the technological nature of games. There will be a presentation about the field recording used on Battlefield 6. Given the hallmark of the Battlefield franchise is that everything in the environment can be destroyed, the amount of different sounds needed to create realistic destruction is bound to be extensive.
For the single-player fans out there, another talk will be on how Adaptive Music was used in Ghosts of Yotei. Players have so much control over what happens in this kind of open-world adventure, and the music needs to follow their actions precisely for a truly seamless experience.
The conference will also address a reality that is inseparable from gaming music: AI. So far, several discussions have been announced with no-frills titles such as AI in the Audio Department: What’s Actually Useful, A Frank Discussion About AI for Sound Designers, Games Music, AI and Human Connection, and Practical Advice for Game Developers Working with AI Under the SAG-AFTRA Agreement.
GamesSoundCon will take place October 20-21 at the Marriott Burbank Convention Center in Burbank, CA. Registration for online and in-person is open now.
For more information, head to GamesSoundCon.
The post GamesSoundCon 2026: Your chance to network with the composers for Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed and Fallout appeared first on MusicTech.

Arturia releases Pigments Play, a slimmed-down free version of its mainstay soft synthArturia is taking one of its most beloved products and releasing it for free! Well, almost. Pigments Play is a free, condensed version of the flagship Pigments soft synth. While it doesn’t pack the same potential as the full product, Pigments Play has numerous creative functions that can keep newer (or more experienced) artists busy for a long time.
There are over 100 sounds loaded into Pigments Play, including keys, pads, basses, and leads that fit into numerous genres such as modern pop, R&B, garage, house, drum and bass, trap, and ambient. All of these sounds also have four macro parameters to provide options for individual taste, along with a visual aid to demonstrate how each change affects the sound output. And if these 100 aren’t enough to start (they really should be), there is a sound store built into the UI that offers over 200 more for sale with new items added regularly.

READ MORE: Arturia Pigments 7 review: “Almost a no-brainer at $199”

After messing around with the presets, users can dive into their own creations with modal, granular, wavetable, sample, harmonic, and virtual analog synthesis. Once something cool has come from all the knobs and levels, there are also over 50 filter modes and 20 effects to add even more personalised character to the sound.

Beyond the extensive capabilities, Pigments Play is so primed for beginners that it can function with or without a DAW. Download it and start creating immediately, or use it as a way to expand a current workflow.
However, if the holiday shopping is already on the mind, Pigments Play works with Arturia’s full line of controllers such as the MiniLab, KeyLab, and KeyStep. Give the gift of tactile music creation with solid free creation software.
Pigments Play is available now as a free download. Learn more at Arturia.
The post Arturia releases Pigments Play, a slimmed-down free version of its mainstay soft synth appeared first on MusicTech.

Technics continues its commitment to premium sound fidelity with new flagship EAH-A1000 wireless headphonesTechnics has become a staple for DJ performance, but the Japanese audio brand is also committed to the listening experience. Enter the company’s new flagship wireless over-ear headphones: EAH-A1000.
These new models feature a new build from the ground up, reworking key elements including the driver mechanism, diaphragm, structure, and how they fit around the ear.
Rather than build the biggest driver possible, which could lead to distortion, Technics has implemented a more standard-size 40mm driver. Except this part uses Technics’ specially developed magnetic fluid technology, first introduced for in-ear models such as the EAH-TZ700 and EAH-AZ100. The magnetic fluid drivers retain both magnetic and liquid characteristics to create precise reactions to different frequencies and thus precise sound reproduction. 

READ MORE: Ableton CEO and co-founder Gerhard Behles on independence, longevity and community

Zooming out a bit, over-ear headphones sit generally between a speaker and an in-ear headphone in terms of sound potential. So, Technics also brought in an element from its speaker models. Specifically, the SST (Symmetrical Surround Technology) Edge that goes around the rim of the driver. With emphasised symmetrical movement of the edge, there is less distortion.

The headphones also manage external audio with adaptive noise cancelling. Each side of the frame has three feed-forward microphones and one feedback microphone to capture and eliminate noise coming from all sides.
Then, with a sleek metal frame, the cans will look cool but also be sturdy in case they fall from your head for whatever reason. Though that won’t happen too often, given the high-density memory foam and the newly designed headband that fits both snugly and comfortably on the ear.
Credit: Technics
Furthermore, the EAH-A1000’s offer 45 hours of playback, hi-fi playback over LDAC and USB audio, and they come in both Black and Platinum Greige.
The new EAH-A1000 wireless over-ear headphones are currently available for €449,  £399, and $449 USD. Learn more at Technics.
The post Technics continues its commitment to premium sound fidelity with new flagship EAH-A1000 wireless headphones appeared first on MusicTech.

Strymon launch the La Brea The latest member of Strymon's new Series A family features multiple gain stages that have been designed to replicate the behaviour of vintage tape machines.