Roland introduce Aerophone Brisa Roland have expanded the Aerophone family with the launch of the Aerophone Brisa, a new flute-style digital wind instrument.

Nothing Headphone (1) review: Not bad, but definitely quirky£299, nothing.tech
London-based Nothing has made a name for itself with its distinctive Nothing Phone, aimed at people who want something a little different to what the tech giants offer. Headphone (1) is the company’s first full-sized headphone model, following on from its range of earbuds, and it enters into a crowded marketplace of around-£300 models offering a bunch of tech on top of hi-fi sound.
But are the Nothing headphones just about looks, or is there serious sound packed into these cassette-shaped cans?

READ MORE: RØDE’s NTH-50 headphones are $100, but sound like twice the price

The headphones come in black or white, with the white model more clearly emphasising the use of transparent casing and design touches that have a retrofuture feel. Build quality is impressive and blends plastic, aluminium and soft leather pads which sit comfortably over your ears but do not appear to be user-replaceable. At 330g the headphones are solid enough to feel like a premium product yet still light enough not to feel like they are weighing you down.
The battery life is excellent, with a two-hour full charge giving 80 hours with noise cancelling off and 35 with it on, and 54 / 30 hours respectively when streaming using the higher resolution LDAC as opposed to the standard AAC Bluetooth codec. A five-minute fast charge produces 2.4 / 5 hours of playback, depending on ANC. These numbers, which I find to be accurate, mean you’ll not need to worry about recharging even on particularly long journeys. For comparison, Apple’s ageing AirPods Max only manage 20 hours, the Sonos Ace 30 and Sony’s latest around 32, all with ANC on.
Image: Press
The headphones pair easily with up to two devices – the pairing button is somewhat hidden – and Nothing has opted for physical controls rather than the touch-based tactile controls many other manufacturers choose. This is simply a different approach, and there’s nothing wrong with touch except its occasional inaccuracy, but here the controls are a breath of fresh air. Configurable in the app – more on this momentarily – they all live on a single cup and quickly become familiar with use.
First up is the Roller, which works as a combo control. Pressing it and press-and-hold can be assigned to playback and cycling ANC and transparency modes, while rolling it works as a volume control. Then there’s the Paddle, which can skip tracks and answer calls, while press-and-hold here is fast forward and rewind, which you don’t always get as physical options. Then there’s the Button (Nothing keeps the names simple), which triggers your voice assistant and, if you have a Nothing Phone, can cycle through recent audio apps or favourites.
The audio side of the headphones has been developed with hi-fi specialists KEF, and there’s honestly a lot going on here in terms of customisation and playback. You’ll want to get a pretty tight seal of the cups around your ears for optimum playback – not uncomfortably so, but with cancelling on, the mics analyse both inside and outside the cups and adjust continually. Initially, wearing them quite loosely, I find the sound fluctuates in character a little, but this is solved by achieving a snug fit.
The 40mm dynamic drivers have a frequency response of 20 Hz – 40 kHz, topping out far higher than the human ear. We find quite a variation in the sound depending on how we configure the headphones in the app, which provides a bunch of tweaking and tuning options. Listening with active noise cancelling switched on, at any of its levels, provides a well-rounded soundstage with a pleasing balance of low, mid and high frequencies and solid separation. Switching ANC off, however, drops a significant amount of the bottom end out, sounding somewhat thinner.
EQ. Image: MusicTech
Switching on the Bass Enhance control at about 2 or 3 out of five stops returns the richness to the sound. Then there’s also a comprehensive EQ stage you can use to further shape the signal; an eight-band parametric system in which you can save presets, a ‘simple’ option with several presets, or a custom mode where you can draw in your own EQ shape. Combining the ‘wrong’ settings, say full ANC plus bass boost, gives incredibly boomy results, but finding a combo that works best for you shouldn’t take too long.
Headphone (1) also offers wired listening modes, more rarely encountered on wireless headphones but extremely welcome. In addition to a 3.5mm analogue connection, uncompressed digital USB-C is listening, with both cables supplied in the box. The hierarchy here works as you’d expect, with LDAC wireless offering a small but noticeable uptick in sharpness and detail over the standard AAC, then analogue and USB-C a little more again. These aren’t huge leaps but are definitely noticeable, plus wired modes also offer more volume when pushed right to the maximum.
The aforementioned noise cancelling, powered by a total of six microphones, while not quite up there with Sony’s latest, is still impressive, especially on its highest setting and transparency mode feeds the outside world into the cups for better awareness. Making calls works well, and there’s IP52 waterproofing too, which means the odd splash is OK, though anything more is not.
Settings. Image: Press
A couple of other features are worth mentioning, including fast pair for Google and Microsoft, wear detection and low latency mode for movies and gaming, which does seem to speed things up slightly. There’s spatial audio too, which converts stereo signals into a 3D soundstage. This always sounds odd with music, but it’s more useful with movies or games. The headphones also allow dynamic head tracking, which can keep the soundstage centred as you move your head or have it follow you as you move. Again, this is a nice option to have for games or films, but probably not so much with regular music tracks. All this stuff is switched off by default, so you’re free to ignore it if you prefer.
Headphone (1) is an intriguing product. It looks and feels great, has excellent battery life, friendly physical controls and a solid and engaging sound, even if you might have to find the particular setup and combination of settings that suits you personally. Sony’s WH-1000XM6 headphones cost £100 more and don’t have USB-C listening, though they are a little more comfortable, and their sound goes that extra mile in terms of richness and fidelity. Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e are available for £200 and are well regarded, though they lack a wired option, and battery life is a little shorter at 30 hours.
Nothing needs to introduce a little more consistency to the sound, which is possible via software updates. You can get to a really pleasing, rich and balanced playback, but it involves finding the right balance of cancelling, EQ and possibly bass enhancement.
The app is well-designed, though, and battery life, ANC and build are all up to scratch. Having multiple wired and wireless modes is a great bonus and makes them super flexible, while the £299 asking price seems reasonable considering the competition. I’d love to see a little repairability introduced, however.
While it may not quite scale the sonic heights of pricier cans, Headphone (1) is a solid all-rounder with some standout features and a unique design.

Key features

Over-ear wireless/wired headphones
Bluetooth AAC or LDAC codecs, 3.5mm and USB-C digital wired modes
40mm drivers
20 Hz – 40 kHz frequency response
Up to 80 hours of battery life (35 hours with ANC turned on)
Powerful multi-mode EQ
Physical on-body controls
Wear detection, spatial audio and head tracking
6 mics for calls and ANC
Nothing X companion app
IP52 weather proofing
Carrying case

The post Nothing Headphone (1) review: Not bad, but definitely quirky appeared first on MusicTech.

Colin Hay Discusses Men at Work, His Solo Career, and the Music Biz [Part Two]Here's part two of AllMusic's conversation with Colin Hay around the release of his latest solo release, Man @ Work: Volume 2, which like its successful predecessor, contains "re-imagined favorites from across Hay's rich catalog, including Men at Work classics, solo album highlights, and new material."

Jamie Muhoberac relies on Novation Summit for touring work with My Chemical Romance and John MayerKeyboardist Jamie Muhoberac performing live with his Novation Summit. Photo credit: @thomasfalconeAccording to news that emerged on Monday, "renowned session and touring keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac has made the Novation Summit a central part of his live performance rig, bringing its powerful synthesis and sound design capabilities to arena stages with both My Chemical Romance and John Mayer. The Summit is a 16-voice synth that fuses analog warmth with digital flexibility, powered by Novation’s powerful Oxford Oscillators.""With a career spanning more than 1,000 album credits and collaborations with icons from Seal and The Rolling Stones to Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band and Tim McGraw, Muhoberac is widely regarded as one of the most versatile keyboardists of his generation. On recent tours, he turned to the Novation Summit to help shape the sonic energy of two very different live productions: the theatrical, guitar-driven wall of sound of My Chemical Romance, and the expansive, textural atmospheres of John Mayer’s band.""For My Chemical Romance, Muhoberac uses his Novation Summits throughout the show, creating massive, distorted unison tones that double guitars, drive choruses, and fill the sonic space with industrial textures during transitions," a statement reads. “With MCR, I’m often finding ways to glue the guitars together or make the loudest moments even louder,” says Muhoberac. “The Summit’s unison sounds with distortion have incredible weight, exactly what’s needed to push the dynamics over the top in a band that’s already very loud.”“John’s music called for rich, evolving pads, sounds that move and breathe in the background without calling attention to themselves,” he explains. “The Summit gave me that space to create textures that were reminiscent of Richard Wright’s work with Pink Floyd, adding depth while letting the songs remain centered on John’s voice and guitar.”“It’s an instrument with endless creative headroom,” he notes. “If I think of a sound, I can get there quickly, and usually discover something new along the way. That’s why I plan to always keep at least a couple of Summits in my setup.”“The Summit is the rare instrument that feels limitless,” stated Muhoberac. “No matter how many shows I play or sounds I design, it always gives me new possibilities. It’s the kind of synthesizer I trust to inspire me every night on stage.”The post Jamie Muhoberac relies on Novation Summit for touring work with My Chemical Romance and John Mayer first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

SEC, Gemini Trust reach agreement over crypto lending disputeAlmost three years after the SEC filed a complaint involving allegations with the Gemini Earn product, the crypto company and regulator said they had reached a potential deal.

Rodatherm Energy wants to make geothermal more efficient, but will it be cheaper?Rodatherm Energy emerged from stealth with $38 million in Series A funding. It plans to build a closed-loop geothermal power plant that uses refrigerants to move heat to the surface.

Jody Gerson appointed to Board of Directors at retail giant Gap Inc."I’m honored to join Gap Inc.’s Board of Directors and excited to bring my perspective and experience in the creative industries to the table," said Gerson.
Source

Hosting a Website on a Disposable VapeFor the past years people have been collecting disposable vapes primarily for their lithium-ion batteries, but as these disposable vapes have begun to incorporate more elaborate electronics, these too have become an interesting target for reusability. To prove the point of how capable these electronics have become, [BogdanTheGeek] decided to turn one of these vapes into a webserver, appropriately called the vapeserver.
While tearing apart some of the fancier adult pacifiers, [Bogdan] discovered that a number of them feature Puya MCUs, which is a name that some of our esteemed readers may recognize from ‘cheapest MCU’ articles. The target vape has a Puya PY32F002B MCU, which comes with a Cortex-M0+ core at 24 MHz, 3 kB SRAM and 24 kB of Flash. All of which now counts as ‘disposable’ in 2025, it would appear.
Even with a fairly perky MCU, running a webserver with these specs would seem to be a fool’s errand. Getting around the limited hardware involved using the uIP TCP/IP stack, and using SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol), along with semihosting to create a serial device that the OS can use like one would a modem and create a visible IP address with the webserver.
The URL to the vapeserver is contained in the article and on the GitHub project page, but out of respect for not melting it down with an unintended DDoS, it isn’t linked here. You are of course totally free to replicate the effort on a disposable adult pacifier of your choice, or other compatible MCU.

HoRNet Audio HA2A LA-2A-Style Opto Compressor is FREE for 48 hours only!
HoRNet Audio offers the HA2A hardware-inspired opto compressor plugin for macOS and Windows at no cost for a limited time. At the time of writing, there are exactly 48 hours left to claim the plugin for free. HA2A is HoRNet’s take on the legendary LA-2A compressor, and it arrives not long after Universal Audio’s limited-time [...]
View post: HoRNet Audio HA2A LA-2A-Style Opto Compressor is FREE for 48 hours only!

Should you upgrade to macOS Tahoe 26 if you’re a music producer, artist or DJ? Probably not — here’s whyApple has just released a major new version of its Mac operating system, macOS Tahoe 26. And no, you haven’t missed a version – the company is bringing all its operating systems under a new naming convention – hence, “26”. While many producers will be keen to explore its new features, there are important reasons why you shouldn’t update your music Mac just yet. But why, and what’s your best course of action when you do actually perform the update?
Don’t panic. Your Mac won’t automatically install a major new system update without your express permission, even if you have automatic updates switched on. It might download the installer automatically, but it won’t run it. You can check these settings on your Mac in System Settings > Software Update > Automatic Updates.
A new system update houses thousands of changes beyond the major ones you can see. Although Apple tests its OS extensively, the many combinations of software people tend to complicate things.
Apple Music on MacOS Tahoe 26. Image: Apple
For producers, there are lots of possible ways this can happen; there’s your DAW, your plugins, sound libraries, audio interface drivers, MIDI hardware drivers and more. Any one of these going on the fritz will likely make your music rig function sub-optimally or even break altogether. It could be something as simple as application windows not rendering properly because of changes to the graphics system, but it’ll still stop you.
Your first steps should be to check the websites for your products to see the official word on compatibility with Tahoe. If there’s no information, assume that problems are likely. Identify which are vital — your DAW, audio interface, key plug-ins — and wait until you’re sure all have been made compatible before upgrading your Mac. There may be a few plugins that take longer to be updated that you can live without for a while, uninstalling and then reinstalling them later.
The safest bet is to wait a while, even if your software is supported. Sometimes, there can be bugs on Apple’s side that don’t become apparent until the new OS has been out in the wild for a month or two. Some people wait until the first major x.1 release, which often irons out a lot of these kinds of bugs. Quick fixes tend to be released as x.0.1 numbered updates.
We recommend you back up your Mac regularly using Time Machine or a similar system, especially before a macOS upgrade, even a full backup to a new drive if possible. You would then be able to roll back to this working system in the event of problems with the update. Power users sometimes prefer a clean install of a new system and then re-importing their data, though this may be a more complex process. Truthfully, Apple’s update process is pretty slick these days, so the risks are low.
macOS 26 is supported on every Mac with Apple Silicon (an M-series chip) plus a couple of the very last models of Intel Mac, though it will be the last version that supports Intel, and in the not-too-distant future, new versions of DAWs and plugins on macOS will likely stop supporting Intel too.
Liquid Glass on MacOS Tahoe 26. Image: Apple
When you do update, you’ll get the new Liquid Glass theme, common across all the new systems, upgraded Apple Intelligence with live translation (Apple Silicon only), enhanced Spotlight functionality and many smaller changes.
You’ll notice there’s nothing specifically audio-related that’s new, which is another reason to hold off for a while — there’s no killer feature for musicians you’ll be missing.
The new AI features, the new look and myriad smaller tweaks are certainly nice to have and, in time, might improve your workflow. A music Mac, however, is a finely balanced thing; if your system is working well under macOS 15 Sequoia, there’s no reason to rush into upgrading to Tahoe and possibly causing yourself unnecessary problems. The update will still be available in a month or two, and most developers will have had time to deal with any issues.
If you do decide to update and find a few unique bugs with certain software, we’d recommend letting the developer know so they can inform other users. You might just be saving a fellow producer’s magnum opus from corruption!
Check out all the new features of macOS Tahoe 26 at Apple
The post Should you upgrade to macOS Tahoe 26 if you’re a music producer, artist or DJ? Probably not — here’s why appeared first on MusicTech.

Analogy Instruments MOTHERSHIPVintage Power, Modern Soul. Step aboard MOTHERSHIP, a new virtual instrument from Analogy that delivers authentic analog tone. Built from meticulously multi-sampled waveforms of a classic analog synthesizer, MOTHERSHIP offers over 1GB of richly detailed samples, carefully captured across the keyboard for expressive, natural playability. This isn't just another retro emulation — it's a living library with its own character. With 100 original programs designed for creativity, MOTHERSHIP combines the warmth of vintage hardware with a fresh modern feel, ready to inspire basslines, pads, leads, and textures that cut their own path. MOTHERSHIP Features: True Analog DNA – Multi-sampled directly from classic analog circuits for authentic warmth and punch. 1GB Sound Library – Detailed sampling across the keyboard ensures expressive and natural play. 100 Original Programs – From deep basses to shimmering leads, every preset was crafted for originality. Hands-On Interface – Envelopes, performance controls, and a full suite of built-in effects put powerful sound-shaping tools right at your fingertips. Seamless DAW Integration – Works effortlessly on Mac/PC and supports all major DAWs, including Ableton, Logic, FL Studio, and Reaper. MOTHERSHIP Lite MOTHERSHIP Lite is a free version of MOTHERSHIP, with 12 programs. Read More

iamReverb Audio release iamReverb lite iamReverb's lite edition brings the same proprietary modelling technology to a wider audience, offering the core spatial realism of the full version with a slimmed set of controls.

“At the end of the day, you have to sell tickets and stream well”: Sombr on artists who “don’t think about the numbers”Indie singer-songwriter Sombr has opened up on the juggle of reaching for streams and ticket sales, while also caring for art itself.
The 20-year-old musician currently has over 58 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, and his hit singles Back To Friends and Undressed have also received millions of streams due to them going viral on TikTok.

READ MORE: “High-end studios are not places I feel comfortable making music”: Why Omar+ is still making hits from his bedroom

With such a huge presence in the world of streaming, Sombr has shared his thoughts on the pressure of achieving successful streaming numbers off the back of his successes so far, while still caring about the music first and foremost.
Speaking to MusicWeek, he explains, “Undressed was the first song I wrote this year. It was just after I’d dropped Back To Friends, which was my most successful song at that point. It was having a lot of success on streaming, and I was feeling really confident because of that, so I just thought, ‘OK, let me make another one,’” he says.
“I feel like so many artists say, ‘Oh, I just make music to make music, I don’t think about the numbers,’ but at the end of the day, if you’re putting yourself out there, doing it as a job and you have an audience, you have to sell tickets and stream well. It’s hard not to feel a sense of pressure at least in the back of your mind – it’s human!”
Despite this, Sombr’s main focus remains his actual music, and says that numbers are not the first thing he thinks of: “I never expected to make a career out of [music]. And with Undressed, we were all just shocked and super excited; it was like, ‘Wow, this is really good shit here.’ We all knew it was special, especially because it had already received such a great response online before we even finished it.”

Another artist who’s spoken about the competition among modern artists is producer Stimming. During an episode of MusicTech’s My Forever Studio podcast, he shared how some artists focus more on showing off rather than focusing on the purpose or passion of making music.
“Being a musician is sometimes more like being a top athlete. [For some artists] it’s not even about the music any more, to be honest,” he said. He went on to add that competitive musicians can often feel like “musician police” rather than supportive peers, and that they tend to release music just to show off their skills, releasing cuts that “nobody wants to listen to” bar “the other 5,000 people on Earth that can also play very good and are astonished by how fast you can play.”
The post “At the end of the day, you have to sell tickets and stream well”: Sombr on artists who “don’t think about the numbers” appeared first on MusicTech.

NUSofting releases Filter4Tongue Free, an experimental filter FX plugin for Windows
NUSofting has released Filter4Tongue Free, a creative filter-based effect plugin available as a free download (with optional donations) for Windows. The developer describes Filter4Tongue as a “Hyper Wah,” “Formant Maker,” and a “Drone Shaper.” It’s definitely aimed to be more of a sound design tool than a filter for basic mixing and tone shaping. Sound [...]
View post: NUSofting releases Filter4Tongue Free, an experimental filter FX plugin for Windows

“Biggie was like, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll just stand here until each one gets in’”: Mark Ronson recalls the time Biggie Smalls rocked up to an NY club event he was DJing in the ‘90s with “50 dudes from Brooklyn”Super producer Mark Ronson has looked back on his days DJing in the New York club scene in the ‘90s, in a conversation with Rick Rubin discussing his new book, Night People.
The book – titled, in full, Night People: How to Be a DJ in ‘90s New York City – arrives 16 September, and charts Ronson’s years as a DJ in the city’s vibrant nightlife scene.

READ MORE: The Great Gig In The Sphere: David Gilmour says he’s “hoping” to watch a Pink Floyd avatar show at the Las Vegas Sphere one day

On his motivation for writing the book, Ronson says: “Far more famous DJs than me have written books, but no one’s really written the book that just talks about what it’s like to be a gigging DJ. Not a superstar DJ, but that shit when you’re just going to work four or five nights a week, playing in bars and clubs and dealing with regular people.
“I don’t want to over-dramatise the emotional highs and lows, but there are these things that are baked into it. You’re the most solitary figure in the most action packed surroundings.”
In one particular memory that stands out, Ronson remembers DJing at a party attended by Biggie Smalls.
“It was obviously a fucking seismic event,” he recalls. “And even the way the club was shaped, this weird angle and corners, I barely saw him. I could feel the energy like, ‘Holy shit’ – Biggie and the crowd ripple, you knew something was going on.
“I remember at the end of the night… his security [and] promoter telling me [about] Biggie rolling up with 50 dudes from Brooklyn. Some of them had guns [and] swords.
“[Security told Biggie:] ‘Yo, I can’t let 50 dudes in right now.’ And Biggie was like, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll just stand here until each one gets in. You just let them in how you can. You balance them with girls, and then I’ll come in when it’s all done.”
Ronson adds that Biggie was “just standing there” with a “wad” of cash, “just giving a bill each time someone [came] in”.
Asked by Rick Rubin what, in his opinion, makes a great club, Ronson says venues which are more rudimentary are often better environments for DJ sets.
“The best ones, some of them were just a fucking corridor with two speakers,” Ronson says. “You know, the crowd is what makes the club great. I think the crowd and the DJ.”
He continues: “For me, my favourite places, 50 percent of them were basements. And I try to get into that in the book, I’m like, why was it a basement? Is there something like going underground where you’re just like, you’re getting a little closer to Satan’s real estate?”
Mark Ronson’s new book, Night People: How to Be a DJ in ‘90s New York City, arrives tomorrow, 16 September. Preorders are available now.

The post “Biggie was like, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll just stand here until each one gets in’”: Mark Ronson recalls the time Biggie Smalls rocked up to an NY club event he was DJing in the ‘90s with “50 dudes from Brooklyn” appeared first on MusicTech.