Liquid Metal Ion Thrusters Aren’t EasyWhat do scanning electron microscopes and satellites have in common? On the face of things, not much, but after seeing [Zachary Tong]’s latest video on liquid metal ion thrusters, we see that they seem to have a lot more in common than we’d initially thought.
As you’d expect with such a project, there were a lot of false starts and dead ends. [Zach] started with a porous-emitter array design, which uses a sintered glass plate with an array of tiny cones machined into it. The cones are coated in a liquid metal — [Zach] used Galinstan, an alloy of gallium, indium, and tin — and an high voltage is applied between the liquid metal and an extraction electrode. Ideally, the intense electric field causes the metal to ionize at the ultra-sharp tips of the cones and fling off toward the extraction electrode and into the vacuum beyond, generating thrust.
Getting that working was very difficult, enough so that [Zach] gave up and switched to a slot thruster design. This was easier to machine, but alas, no easier to make work. The main problem was taming the high-voltage end of things, which seemed to find more ways to produce unwanted arcs than the desired thrust. This prompted a switch to a capillary emitter design, which uses a fine glass capillary tube to contain the liquid metal. This showed far more promise and allowed [Zach] to infer a thrust by measuring the tiny current created by the ejected ions. At 11.8 μN, it’s not much, but it’s something, and that’s the thing with ion thrusters — over time, they’re very efficient.
To be sure, [Zach]’s efforts here didn’t result in a practical ion thruster, but that wasn’t the point. We suspect the idea here was to explore the real-world applications for his interests in topics like electron beam lithography and microfabrication, and in that, we think he did a bang-up job with this project.

Last Week in DIY & Independent Musician NewsLast week in DIY and Independent Musician News including maximizing your Spotify Wrapped account as an artist even after its release, marketing music in during the holidays, a new credit card designed for musicians and more...
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Last week’s top Music Business NewsIt was another busy week in music business news with a Federal Court upholding the TikTok ban law, a scary music AI study, a key industry white paper from Keith. Continue reading
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Pharrell Williams says its a misconception that people think he’s a “tech geek”In a new episode of Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast, Pharrell Williams admits the biggest misconception people have about him is that he’s a “tech geek”.

READ MORE: Director of Pharrell Williams biopic calls musician’s Blurred Lines case “one of the worst judicial decisions about creativity in history”

In reality, he thinks he’s not that great when it comes to technology. “I’m the worst,” he confesses. “I use technology as much as I need to.”
When asked how he feels about “programmed music” versus ‘human-played music’, he explains that they’re two entirely different beasts. “Programmed music is amazing – but, man, when a human beings lock in, there’s a feeling that you get from it,” he insists.

In an age when AI is permeating many areas of music, Williams is fearful for the future of the industry. While he says AI can’t quite capture the human feel right now, he believes it may in the future. “What’ll be scary is when AI gets to that same place,” he says.
His stance is rather different to some of his musical peers – namely his cousin, Timbaland, who recently announced his partnership with Suno AI, calling it “the best tool of the future.” He also claims to use Suno’s AI tools 10 hours a day.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Williams recalls his contributions to Kendrick Lamar’s Alright.
Williams penned the iconic titular hook, and even sings it at certain points on the track. “The way I was saying ‘a’ight’… I was saying it on some Virginia shit,” he laughs. “They corrected me to say all right to put the ‘R’ in there… It was just the feeling of the song, and Kendrick really got it. He really understood it.”

 
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Studio Brass & Studio Special Brass from VSL VSL have announced the launch of two new brass sample libraries that have been captured in the controlled environment of the Silent Stage at Synchron Stage Vienna.

Chris McHugh Added to SONOR Drums’ Artist LineupChris McHugh, known for his exceptional talent and versatile career, is the latest drummer to join SONOR Drums’ roster of artists. With a career spanning over four decades, McHugh has established himself as a highly sought-after drummer in the music industry.Starting with Christian rock band White Heart from 1986 to 1989, McHugh transitioned into a prolific career as a session and touring drummer. Over the years, he has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Aaron Neville, Peter Frampton, Jewel, Alabama, Kenny Rogers, and numerous others. McHugh is on the Nashville "A" list of session drummers with over 3200 credits, 93 platinum and 15 gold certifications, and contributions to projects with over 24 billion streams. His live performances have taken him on tours with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Garth Brooks, as well as onto some of the world’s most prominent stages, including appearances on the Grammy Awards, SNL, the Super Bowl pregame, the Country Music Awards, and many more. McHugh has also toured as Music Director and drummer for Keith Urban and has been the session drummer for seven of Urban's studio albums.For more information about SONOR Drums and its artists, visit www.sonor.comFor more information about Chris McHugh, visit www.chrismchugh.com and www.sonor.com/drums/artists/artists-detail/chris-mchughThe post Chris McHugh Added to SONOR Drums’ Artist Lineup first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Ableton Move: A guide to its key features, workflows, and more
Here's everything you need to know about Ableton Move, from its layout and stock instruments to lesser-known features and tips.

If you can make this AI bot fall in love, you could win thousands of dollarsIf you can be the first person to get an AI bot named Freysa to say ‘I love you,’ you’ll win anywhere from $3,000 to tens of thousands of dollars.  
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Ethereum ‘impulse breakout’ will lead to $15K ETH price in 2025 — AnalystEthereum price finally took out the $4,000 resistance level, and one analyst says ETH could hit $15,000 by May 2025.

VNAs and CrystalsOscillators may use crystals as precise tuned circuits. If you have a vector network analyzer (VNA) — or even some basic test equipment — you can use it to learn the parameters of a crystal. [All Electronics Channel] has the details, and you can see how in the video below.
There was a time when a VNA was an exotic piece of gear, but these days they are relatively common. Crystal parameters are important because crystals have a series resonance and a parallel resonance and they are not at the same frequency. You also may need to know how much loading capacitance you have to supply to get the crystal at the right frequency.
Sometimes, you want to pull the crystal frequency, and the parameters will help you figure that out, too. It can also help if you have a crystal specified as series in a parallel-mode oscillator or vice versa.
If you don’t have a VNA, you can use a tracking signal generator, as [Grégory] shows towards the middle of the video. The quality of a tuned circuit depends on the Q factor, and crystals have a very high Q factor.
We did something similar in 2018. The other way to pull a crystal frequency is a bit extreme.

Ampere WS-1: The Other APL Portable ComputerWhen thinking of home computers and their portable kin it’s easy to assume that all of them provided BASIC as their interpreter, but for a while APL also played a role. The most quaint APL portable system here might be the Ampere WS-1, called the BIG.APL. Released in Japan in November of 1985, it was a very modern Motorola M68000-based portable with fascinating styling and many expansion options. Yet amidst an onslaught of BASIC-based microcomputers and IBM’s slow retreat out of the APL-based luggables market with its IBM 5110, an APL-only portable in 1985 was a daring choice.
Rather than offering both APL and BASIC as IBM’s offerings had, the WS-1 offered only APL, with a custom operating system (called Big.DOS) which also provided a limited a form of multi-tasking involving a back- and foreground task. Running off rechargeable NiCd batteries it could power the system for eight hours, including the 25 x 80 character LCD screen and the built-in microcassette storage.
Although never released in the US, it was sold in Japan, Australia and the UK, as can be seen from the advertisements on the above linked Computer Ads from the Past article. Clearly the WS-1 never made that much of a splash, but its manufacturer seems to be still around today, which implies that it wasn’t a total bust. You also got to admit that the design is very unique, which is one of the reasons why this system has become a collector’s item today.

As Federal Court upholds Sale or Ban: Top TikTok AlternativesIn a major setback for TikTok and boon for top TikTok alternatives, a federal appeals court unanimously upheld a US law that will lead to a sale or ban in mid-January.
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9th Annual Christmas Songwriting Competition Kicks OffThis is a limited time only opportunity when songwriters can enter Christmas or Holiday songs. If you are a songwriter or co-songwriter and you have an Original Christmas Song you have written or co-written like “Last Christmas” by Wham! or “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, you may enter the Christmas/Holiday Songwriting Competition. You could be the top winner and have a special Christmas Songwriting trophy for that special place on your mantle and possible songwriting contract with a major music publishing house.Also, the top 15 finalists’ songs will appear on our Christmas/Holiday Compilation CD, which will be promoted to various radio stations in USA and Canada. This is excellent music industry exposure for up-and-coming songwriters and music artists.Songwriters Ben E. Davis, Nitanee Paris and Ulf Anneken from London, England won top honors with their song "All I Need for Christmas Is You" in the 2023 Christmas Songwriting Competition.“We are thrilled and humbled to have won first prize in the Christmas competition. It was a team effort – we wrote this with Nita and Ulf in LA and me in London, zooming, texting and sending lyrics back and forth to make the 2023 Christmas deadline. Big shout out 7to our producer Joe Rodwell for bringing it all together”, said Ben E. Davis, top winner of the 8th Annual Christmas Songwriting Competition.London, UK based independent singer and songwriter Ben E. Davis released a festive and romantic holiday single titled “All I Need for Christmas Is You” last year. The song, born out of collaboration with LA-based songwriters Nitanee Paris and Ulf Anneken, takes listeners on a magical journey of a chance meeting on a snowy December night. The lyrics of “All I Need for Christmas Is You” convey the warmth and joy of newfound love during the holiday season, with a chorus expressing Ben’s sole wish for Christmas – the presence of his love interest. The song found new life when producer Joe Rodwell, known for his work on the popular Netflix series Bridgerton, joined forces with Ben in London. This heartwarming tune captures the enchanting magic of the holidays, making it a perfect addition to any Christmas playlist. The song’s catchy melody, combined with Ben E. Davis’s soulful vocals, creates an unforgettable listening experience that resonates with the spirit of the season.Songwriters T.J. Kirby, Deema Homsi and Dave Smith of Nashville, TN won the second prize with “Santa Got Stuck in my Chimney Tonight”.Songwriters Dakota Esker and Randi Driscoll of Nashville, TN took the third prize with his song “Fallin’ in Love with Christmas and You”.All three top winners have received various music publishing offers from various music publishers after their win. Also, all the top three songs were multi-way co-writes. Deadline to enter the 9th Annual Christmas Songwriting Competition is December 23rd. For more information, visit: https://www.songwriting.net/xmasmcThe post 9th Annual Christmas Songwriting Competition Kicks Off first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

From ADOR’s NewJeans lawsuit to the biggest music deals of 2024… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
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!K7 Music founder and CEO Horst Weidenmüller honored by IMPALA for Outstanding Contribution to the European independent music sectorWeidenmüller founded !K7 Records in 1985
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