TEED on using one synth for 80% of his album: “If you get used to any single synth, you can do anything”When the pandemic hit, TEED was faced with a producer’s worst nightmare: sell all his gear or go broke.
Like so many other musicians at the time, his income relied significantly on touring. Although TEED had the sound foresight that it would be at least two years until he could once again earn money by performing. So, he made the call. He sold everything. His Rhodes. His MS-20. His OB-6. All gone.

READ MORE: Subtronics has a complex relationship with studio monitors: “I’m superstitious and I get hyper-obsessed”

“That was horrible,” says TEED, real name Orlando Higginbottom. “I haven’t really wanted to start collecting equipment and building a studio again.”
But the loss of his arsenal did not mean he stopped making music. He still has plugins such as Cableguys Shaperbox and FabFilter Saturn. He is also seeking opportunities to use new pieces of kit. Sometimes he would borrow synths from his friends. That included the Access Virus TI, which he used to make 80 per cent of the sounds on his new album, Always With Me.
Higginbottom messed around with the Access Virus at the studio of his friend and member of the electropop duo Bag Raiders, Chris Stracey. Stracey let Higginbottom borrow it 18 months ago, and it’s still at his house. The pain of watching his own studio disintegrate sticks with him, but Higginbottom relishes the opportunity to use one piece of equipment as the soul of a body of work.
Image: Press
“If you get really close with any single instrument, any single synth, you can reach the place where you can do anything,” Higginbottom contends. He goes on to admit that he rarely updates his software either; he prefers to stay with the version he’s most comfortable with, even if he is literally seven versions behind.
“I grew up listening to classical music. My dad’s a classical musician. Until I heard jungle, I hated everything apart from classical music,” he continues. “For 600 years, people have been working out what to do with the violin. Our obsession with new technology is cool, but we’ve got enough stuff to keep making music for a while.”
That unburdened attitude leads to what Higginbottom enjoyed about the Access Virus. The main panel isn’t overloaded with knobs and settings. The parameters are simple. He enjoys the built-in reverb and arpeggiator. He was also drawn to the character of the sound. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t recreate it using any of his soft synths.
“If you get really close with any single instrument, any single synth, you can reach the place where you can do anything”
“It feels almost like I’ve only started to uncover it,” Higginbottom says with verve. “I still think I could make another record on it.”
The quality also filled him with nostalgia for his youth because he associated the synth with early jungle and drum & bass production. That was the music that made him want to be a producer.
“The first time I heard jungle, it was incredible. It is what I’d been waiting for, and that happened to me when I was 10. It was so visceral,” Higginbottom recalls. “I was in the record store every day during my school years. I wouldn’t spend my lunch money on lunch. If I didn’t eat for four days, I could buy a record.”
Image: Press
He still has all the records in his house. He didn’t sell those during the pandemic. One is Woman That Rolls by Aphrodite (1999). Another is And Remember Folks by DJ Hype (1996). He reveres that music to the point that he doesn’t want to make it himself. At least not directly.
“I loved those times. I loved those years. I’m sure that subconsciously, I’m always trying to go back to those feelings with music,” Higginbottom says.
That nebulous, yet persisting relationship to early experiences defines Always With Me. The first musical obsession. The first crush. “Those memories stick with you and shape you for your whole life,” Higginbottom says, adding that those moments create the framework of how the next ‘version’ will feel. It will be different, but it will remind you of the original — finding the Access Virus provided a link to his first experience with synth.

One track on the album where he dives deep into the synth is In Darkness, a vocal house tune with numerous moving melodic lines. He settled on the various glittery passages after he had almost discarded the track completely. But in that state of nearly giving up—of being so close to the end—he came back with a new perspective.
“Often what I’ll do is I’ll open up a channel, press record, go over to the keyboard, and start fucking around and scrolling through presets. The track sort of came to life again at a lucky moment of flicking over to a different sound and hitting two notes. When you hit those two notes, the rest of the riff is just there in your head,” Higginbottom says. “You can be too precious about an idea. You can be treading too softly around it. You should always have the guts to try something crazy.”
“For 600 years, people have been working out what to do with the violin. Our obsession with new technology is cool, but we’ve got enough stuff to keep making music for a while”
Everyone’s definition of “crazy” is different, but Higginbottom takes an unexpected turn with Start Again. Following ten explorative tunes that move between indie dance and rave-ready techno, this closer is a pure ambient track built from an Access Virus pad, as well as old organ recordings, some MS-20, among other pieces of audio. He put them all together, resampled the combination, pitched it down, and then started the process over until the soundscape was full. He also mastered the track at a lower volume than the rest of the album.
“I hope that what happens if you’re listening to the record in order is that the penultimate song ends, and then you don’t even notice that the final song is playing,” Higginbottom says.
Perhaps his album will launch the same kind of first obsession for someone that jungle did for him all those years ago. If so, Start Again creates the space for reflection on what will come next. Higginbottom wasn’t sure what would come next after selling his gear, and while he waits until he owns his own house to start rebuilding his studio, he now has the chance to stumble on different pieces of equipment that could remind him what it’s like to make music for the first time.
The post TEED on using one synth for 80% of his album: “If you get used to any single synth, you can do anything” appeared first on MusicTech.

I’ve used Cubase for 36 years — here’s what I honestly think about Cubase 15’s AI toolsYes, you read the headline correctly. I first started creating music with Cubase all the way back in 1989 when, as a budding young music technology student, my college updated the MIDI sequencing software on its suite of Atari STs from Steinberg Pro24 to the new, shiny, and much more advanced Cubase. While I have acquired wrinkles and grey hair (and wisdom, I hope!) since that time, Cubase has remained evergreen, accumulating features and abilities that have kept it close to the cutting edge of technology.

READ MORE: Universal Audio’s LUNA 2.0 DAW, as reviewed by a Pro Tools user

The newly released Cubase 15 has received its first sprinkling of AI technology in the form of stem separation and has gained the ability to produce vocals without going near an actual singer. But are these tools useful, and will they put anybody out of a job?
Stem separation in Cubase 15. Image: Press
How effective is Cubase 15’s stem separation?
As with all its recent releases, Cubase 15 comes with SpectraLayers Go, a cut-down version of Steinberg’s advanced spectral editor. This can run as an ARA extension, lending various abilities to the DAW, including separation of vocals from a mix. Separation of other stems – drums, bass, and so on – required an upgrade to SpectraLayers Pro. Not so with Cubase 15, though, because it has stem separation built in, and this recognises vocals, drums, bass and ‘other’ stems.
The separation operates directly in the timeline, placing the separated stem tracks into a folder track directly beneath the source audio, and I find this much more convenient than running an ARA extension or opening an external app. Stem recognition is decent too but, as with all such tools, accuracy depends in large part on the source material — the predictable instrumentation of a traditional rock band being much easier for AI to identify than the sonic smorgasbord of contemporary electronic styles.
The separation process itself is surprisingly swift, but there’s no way of telling Cubase to slow things down in order to produce better results, and, unfortunately, I don’t think the fixed speed/accuracy is quite where it should be. Results are easily respectable enough for sketching out ideas, or for adding reinforcement to other parts in a mix, but I find they have a more processed sound than delivered by other stem separators I use. Hopefully, Steinberg will add a ‘quality’ slider to the stem separation in a future update; until they do, I’m likely to still be calling on SpectraLayers Pro more often than not.
Omnivocal beta in Cubase 15. Image: Press
Will Omnivocal allow me to fire my singer?
Omnivocal is developed by Steinberg’s parent company, Yamaha, specifically for use in Cubase (and, presumably, the next Nuendo release). As the name suggests, it’s a vocal plugin. No, it isn’t a vocal effect processor, but an instrument that synthesises vocals entirely from scratch. And it’s astonishing.
Despite what you may have heard online, Omnivocal isn’t actually an AI-based system but rather a highly specialised synthesiser. However, it’s rooted in the same technology as used to give AI systems a speaking voice, and raises many of the same questions about putting creative humans out of work, so I think it’s fair to describe it as ‘AI-aligned’ and to consider it as part of the bigger AI technology picture.
The instrument allows you to choose between male and female voices, and allows the character of that voice – formant, attack, air, and such – to be tweaked and automated. It’s incredibly simple to use too: just record (or input) a melody, open the Key Editor, select a note and then enter the desired lyric for that note into the Text field on the editor’s status bar. Each piece of text you enter is automatically converted into IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) notation, and this is shown in square brackets following the plain text so that you can edit and adjust it as needed (‘cos we all know the IPA, right?).
Listened to in isolation, it’s relatively plain to hear that Omnivocal’s voice isn’t real but once it’s lathered with effects and perhaps a harmony or four, the results are far more convincing. And this is only the beta version – apparently, there’s a lot more to come for this remarkable instrument.

Vocals can be crucial when composing, providing context and structure that keep your ideas focused and the music moving forward. I could lay down guide vocals, but as someone who can hit the notes but sounds awful when doing so, I find listening to my own singing to be massively off-putting. Omnivocal is a compelling solution to this – it’s much nicer to listen to than my own caterwauling. I will still intend to replace lead vocals with a real singer’s unique voice and interpretation, but I will perhaps leave backing vocals to Omnivocal.
On the flip side, simple though it is to use, I find creating an entire vocal part with Omnivocal to be quite a chore, necessitating consultation of IPA tables, text, and a fair slab of automation to bring the voice to life. It’s certainly nothing like as spontaneous and fun as working with an actual musician, but it’s an amazing tool that I’m already making a lot of use of.

Cubase 15’s AI tools: The verdict
There is, naturally, a lot more to Cubase 15 than just these two features, so keep an eye out for our full review.
Some people may be unnerved by seeing AI creeping into Cubase, or by Omnivocal’s surprisingly realistic voice, but I see these features as nothing more than tools.
There’s room for improvement, sure, but they keep Cubase on the crest of that technological wave, and as youthful and sprightly today as it was 36 years ago.
The post I’ve used Cubase for 36 years — here’s what I honestly think about Cubase 15’s AI tools appeared first on MusicTech.

Nvidia is reportedly testing tracking software as chip-smuggling rumors swirlA new software option could make it possible to see the approximate location of some of Nvidia's AI chips.

Steinberg VST Live 3 has arrived Steinberg’s live performance software platform has just been treated to a major update that adds an array of new creative tools and enhances many of its existing features.

What is drum and bass music? History, artists, and subgenres
Learn about the rich history of drum and bass music, its key characteristics, subgenres, artists, landmark records, and more.

Production KiCad Template Covers All Your BasesEver think about all the moving parts involving a big KiCad project going into production? You need to provide manufacturer documentation, assembly instructions and renders for them to reference, every output file they could want, and all of it has to always stay up to date. [Vincent Nguyen] has a software pipeline to create all the files and documentation you could ever want upon release – with an extensive installation and usage guide, helping you turn your KiCad projects truly production-grade.
This KiBot-based project template has no shortage of features. It generates assembly documents with custom processing for a number of production scenarios like DNPs, stackup and drill tables, fab notes, it adds features like table of contents and 3D renders into KiCad-produced documents as compared to KiCad’s spartan defaults, and it autogenerates all the outputs you could want – from Gerbers, .step and BOM files, to ERC/DRC reports and visual diffs.
This pipeline is Github-tailored, but it can also be run locally, and it works wonderfully for those moments when you need to release a PCB into the wild, while making sure that the least amount of things possible can go wrong during production. With all the features, it might take a bit to get used to. Don’t need fully-featured, just some GitHub page images? Use this simple plugin to auto-add render images in your KiCad repositories, then.

We thank [Jaac] for sharing this with us!

Songwriter Matt McKinney Signs Worldwide Publishing Deal with Position MusicShown (left to right): Mark Chipello (President, Position Music), Chandler Thurston (Position Music, A&R), Matt McKinney, and Tyler Bacon (Founder & CEO, Position Music)

Position Music officially announced that Nashville-based songwriter Matt McKinney has signed a worldwide publishing deal. The move brings McKinney into a growing stable of Nashville talent that already includes names like Dave Cohen, Matt Geroux, Khal Yassein, Steve Solomon, and Zach Skelton—a sign that Position is doubling down on deepening its footprint in Nashville.

McKinney, originally from Augusta, Georgia, made the move to Nashville just after graduating from the University of Georgia. He wasted little time establishing himself: his first publishing deal was with Sony Music Publishing, and he has since amassed a catalog of cuts with major artists such as Jordan Davis (“Part Of It”), Elle King (“Ohio,” “Lucky,” “Tulsa,” among others), Jon Pardi (“Beer For Santa”), Bryce Leatherwood (“Neon Does,” “In Lieu Of Flowers”), along with songs for Ella Langley, Tim McGraw, ERNEST, Kolby Cooper, and Shane Profitt. This range speaks to his versatility and his growing reputation on “Music Row.”

Position Music CEO Tyler Bacon underscored their confidence in McKinney, while A&R rep Chandler Thurston praised his “honest, authentic, and genuine” style, calling him “a great storyteller.” “We are proud to welcome Matt McKinney … and our team is excited and ready to lean in to help unlock new opportunities for him,” said Mark Chipello, President of Position Music.

McKinney himself shared the excitement with characteristic humility: “I’m incredibly excited to be a part of this roster and team at Position moving forward in my career, and thankful to have a champion like Chandler in my corner as we turn a page to this exciting chapter.”

The post Songwriter Matt McKinney Signs Worldwide Publishing Deal with Position Music first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

‘That’s called robbery’: Gene Simmons urges US Congress to end loophole that allows radio stations not to pay for using recordingsThe KISS frontman told a Senate hearing that recording artists are treated 'worse than slaves' in the US
Source

u-he announces Zebralette 3.0 RC, improving one of the best FREE synthesizers
There isn’t much more to say about Zebralette; it has been among the best free software synths for a very, very long time, and the excitement about this new release is merited. For anyone new to Zebralette, it’s the much-loved little brother of u-he’s premium synth Zebra, and you can find out more about it [...]
View post: u-he announces Zebralette 3.0 RC, improving one of the best FREE synthesizers

Modartt SyngularSyngular is a creative playground with imaginary timbres and organic expressivity that transforms Pianoteq's physical modelling engine, originally designed to emulate real acoustic instruments, into a powerful laboratory for sound creation. While rooted in the modelling of strings and hammers, the technology extends far beyond just pianos, enabling the generation of entirely new, imaginary timbres. Its core parameters – Unison Width, Strike Point, Spectrum Profile and many more – become instruments for exploration, allowing users to design sounds that are detached from the limitations of real-world acoustics, and yet retain an organic, dynamic feel with natural velocity response. Syngular comes with more than 50 presets: inspiring Keys ranging from crisp and shimmering to warm and lo-fi; richly textured Pads, some soothing and nostalgic, some tense and mystical. Dive into Replicant Dream, a spacious, retrofuturistic keys patch, or lose yourself in Outer Rim, a richly textured pad that feels like floating among the stars. For cinematic scores or ambient soundscapes, layer the Mixed Choir or Strings Ensemble presets with your favourite grand piano. Syngular also features a range of Basses, Leads, and Synth-like sounds for modern productions. Being part of the Pianoteq engine, Syngular can be layered and morphed with other Pianoteq instruments. All the creative features of Pianoteq are also available with Syngular, including Mallet Bounce for expressive note repetition, Randomisation for instant exploration of many variations of a preset, and audio effects like Amp distortion and Ping-pong delay. Read More

2025 Live Music Society Toolbox Grants awarded, surpassing $5.1M in total support for Small VenuesLive Music Society is closing out 2025 with a major boost for small independent venues. The nonprofit announced recipients of its 2025 Live Music Society Toolbox Grants, awarding $252,500 to 33 small performance spaces across 19 states and Washington, D.C.
The post 2025 Live Music Society Toolbox Grants awarded, surpassing $5.1M in total support for Small Venues appeared first on Hypebot.

6 New Year’s Resolutions for Musicians in 20262026 is right around the corner. Need help figuring out your musical goals for the next year? Here, borrow some of ours.
The post 6 New Year’s Resolutions for Musicians in 2026 appeared first on Hypebot.

Get the “unmistakable vibe of classic spring reverb” with Solid State Logic’s new SpringVerb pluginSolid State Logic has expanded its SSL ‘Verb’ collection with the new SpringVerb, offering producers the “unmistakable vibe of classic spring reverb”.
SpringVerb joins two other reverb plugins in the ‘Verb’ collection – PlateVerb and GateVerb – completing a comprehensive lineup of reverbs for producers.
As SSL explains, Spring reverbs have a tendency to emphasise the mid and high frequencies of a mix – areas that can become busy very quickly. But SpringVerb offers “precise control” over these areas, with dedicated controls to tame problem frequencies before they build up.

READ MORE: Best gifts for musicians and producers this holiday season

SpringVerb features three spring models – a famous “space-age echo”, classic rackmount spring tank and an emulation of the spring reverb used by the likes of dub legends King Tubby and Lee Perry.
At the heart of the plugin is an interactive Spring Tank, with a Tension control, as well as a Strength knob and a Boing button for chaotic reverb bursts. There’s also a Width knob, which can be turned fully counter-clockwise for a vintage-style mono reverb, and fully clockwise for a stereo image even beyond 100%.

There’s also controls including pre-delay – perfect for utilising a rhythmic slap back effect when locking into a global tempo – as well as a Drive section for adding saturation to an input signal, and damping knobs for tuning specific frequencies of a reverb tail.
SpringVerb is part of SSL’s Complete Access Bundle subscription, which also features a wealth of Harrison Audio and Slate Digital plugins – as well as Academy tutorials, samples and producer presets –  for $19.99 per month.
Alternatively, SpringVerb is available perpetually from the SSL eStore for an introductory price of £21. A 14-day free trial to SSL’s Complete Access Bundle is also available.
Learn more at Solid State Logic.
The post Get the “unmistakable vibe of classic spring reverb” with Solid State Logic’s new SpringVerb plugin appeared first on MusicTech.

SSL introduce SpringVerb plug-in The latest addition to SSL’s family of plug-ins promises to deliver an authentic recreation of some classic spring reverb effects, but also includes some parameters that allow it to offer far more control than would be possible on a physical unit. 

Best gifts for musicians and producers this holiday seasonThat time of year has come again, when you’re wracking your brain to come up with gift ideas for your music producer friend or family member. As a long-time producer myself, I can tell you that they probably have a very specific idea of the items they’d want when it comes to expanding their studio. Unless they’ve specifically asked for something, it’s probably not a good idea to take a chance on a random expensive synth or MIDI controller, as there are so many options out there. They probably don’t want an extra pair of budget headphones when they have a decent pair already.

READ MORE: The best gifts for DJs this holiday season

With that in mind, we’ve picked out 10 affordable gift ideas with a broader appeal that should put a smile on the face of your favourite producer.
A perfect coffee-table book to get lost in
[products ids=”1fCpZRBW5E9VZ7KH2vHyBk”]
If you have a synth lover in your life but you don’t want to fork out thousands for a vintage analogue synth, then you could opt for one of these incredibly well put together books from Bjooks. They’re not cheap (for books), but they’ve been lovingly put together with exceptional attention to detail, pictures, tutorials and how-to diagrams, and a solid hardback cover. Options include rare synths, modular synthesis, stompbox effects, and specials on Moog, Korg and Roland.

Find out more at thomann.co.uk
Their favourite drum machine on their feet
New Balance – New Balance Numeric x Roland Tiago Lemos 808 trainers £105
Who doesn’t love a bit of crossover merch? Clothing brand New Balance teamed up with pro skater Tiago Lemos on a range of high-quality skate shoes. They also made a special Roland edition that features the 808 colour scheme, the Roland R logo on the tongue, and Rhythm Composer written on the back. The box is pretty cool as well. It goes without saying that you’ll need to know the recipient’s shoe size for this one.
Find out more at routeone.co.uk
Mighty FX fun in a tiny package
Don’t let its tiny size fool you, the Korg NTS-3 Kaoss Pad is a beast. You can have four simultaneous effects that can be controlled via the XY pad or edited and fine-tuned using the controls. What’s even more amazing is that you can develop your own effects via a software development kit or download additional algorithms from other creators and companies. It’s surprisingly powerful and incredibly versatile, which is why it makes for a great gift. And it comes as a DIY kit, so it will also keep them busy for half an hour.

Find out more at zzounds.com
Something different for the one that has everything
For those who love sound design, found sound and field recording, then Soma’s ETHER could be the perfect, unusual gift. It lets you tune into the invisible world of electromagnetic waves that are generated by electrical equipment and are all around us. It’s a simple device with a volume control and a headphone out. You could go for a meditative wander around town with your headphones on, waving it at lights and machines to the bemusement of onlookers. Or you could hook up a recording device and capture some unique electrical soundscapes to use in your music.

Find out more at thomann.co.uk
Give the gift of knowledge
This is a strong open-ended gift if you don’t know much about what kind of music or production your loved one is into. MacProVideo has a vast library of online video courses that cover pretty much everything, including synthesis, sound design, recording, mixing, mastering, specific plug-ins, DAWs, bits of hardware, and writing with different instruments and genres. It also has both beginner and advanced levels so there’s something for everyone. If that sounds like too much for you to choose from, then fear not. You can purchase an all-access library pass and select it as a gift on checkout, then the recipient can choose to view as many courses as they like for a month (or a year if you’re feeling generous).
Find out more at macprovideo.com
Give the gift of money!
Zzounds – Gift Vouchers
Some may view a voucher as a cop out gift, but it can also be the best one of all, because it lets them choose what they want instead of getting something they don’t really need.
Zzounds has a wide selection of studio and DJ equipment. Vouchers can be purchased with amounts starting at $250, and can either be sent digitally to arrive by email, or you can easily print it out to include as a present with a greeting card.
Find out more at zzounds.com
A gift for the acid raver in your life
Do you have an uncle who doesn’t stop going on about the glory days of acid house? Or perhaps your daughter has just discovered clubbing and the joys of a squealing acid bassline. An analogue 303 was once an elusive bass synth that would cost you north of a thousand pounds, but now you can pick up a Behringer TD-3 clone for a mere £85.
Is it as good as the original? Maybe not, but it still sounds great, and you’ll be raving around the Christmas tree by lunchtime (as long as they can work out how to program the sequencer).

Find out more at thomann.co.uk
Something for the messy ones
Here’s a way to not so subtly hint that your producer friend’s studio looks like an explosion at a spaghetti factory. There are lots of different cable management options you could consider, including cable ties, clips, and mountable cable racks. These JOTO Cable Tidy sleeves are a simple solution that can be used to bunch multiple cables together. Especially useful for turning multiple leads into one on equipment that might have both stereo and MIDI leads going in and out. It may not be fun, but at least it’s useful.

Find out more at amazon.co.uk
Add some studio vibe with LED strip lights
Lighting can dramatically help to improve the vibe of a studio room, and LED strip lights let you do it in a way that can make it look like your furniture is glowing from behind. The amount you can spend varies greatly, and whilst there’s no denying that the more expensive options like Philips Hue are higher quality products, you can still get great results on a budget. This 5 metre strip from Govee lets you choose from 16 million colours via WIFI or Bluetooth and the Govee Home App. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant, and can be set to react to the beat.
Find out more at uk.govee.com
A fun stocking filler for the cost of a pint
If you’re just looking for a simple stocking filler, then these keyrings are fun and cheap (although you’ll need to pay for postage from Japan). They come in a range of product options including a Roland 303, 808, 909 and Juno 106, Sequential Prophet 5, Nord Lead, Yamaha DX7 and a Korg M1. If it’s someone that has a lot of keys, then you could opt to get a set. Alternatively, Etsy has some great synth related knick-knacks like synth knob fridge magnets, synth post-it notes and badges if you do a search.
Find out more at etsy.com.uk
The post Best gifts for musicians and producers this holiday season appeared first on MusicTech.