RF Spectrum Threat: OFCOM Survey Once again, the UHF bandwidth that is currently allocated to RF audio gear is at risk of being reassigned to high-speed data and mobile phone networks, and OFCOM are inviting those who'd be affected to fill in a user survey so that they can effectively challenge the move. 

Cloudy Samples Magneta Experience the magic of authentic cassette tape. Looking for that warm, nostalgic tone from the golden era of cassette decks? Magneta by Cloudy Samples is not just another standard saturation tool. It's a comprehensive, virtual Lo-Fi ecosystem designed to breathe life into your tracks, adding the analog character, grit, and unpredictability missing from sterile digital environments: 8 Fully Editable Lo-Fi Modules: Shape your own flavor of degradation. Control filters (Hi-Cut / Lo-Cut), analog overdrive (Drive), pitch fluctuation (Melt), physical tape damage (Dmg), plus age and noise artifacts (Age, Dust, Hiss). Engage and blend each module with surgical precision. Tape Type Selection: Need the standard tape? Choose the classic iron tape (STD). Want more high-end sparkle and cleaner saturation? Switch to the chrome cassette (CrO2). Split Section (Stereo Magic): Three unique modes (Split A, B, C) utilizing precise, millisecond delays (the Haas effect). Instantly widen your stereo image and build an incredible, three-dimensional space around your instruments by subtly shifting the left or right channel. Tone Shaping (Aura, Air, Comp): Dial in the perfect vibe for your tracks. The Aura and Air switches let you control harmonics and the breath of top-end ambience, while the built-in Comp glues everything together into a thick, cohesive analog signal. Intelligent Randomizer: Lacking inspiration? A single click of the Random button generates unique, randomized settings for the effect section (safely bypassing your master parameters), giving you instant and inspiring results. Hit Reset to instantly return to the starting point. Complete Master Control: A built-in Limiter to protect against digital clipping, a Blend knob for perfect parallel processing (Dry/Wet), and precise control over Volume, Width, and L/R Balance. Bring your synths to life, warm up your digital drums, and add a nostalgic character to any mix with Magneta. Features: Magneta 64-bit VST3/AU FX Plugin. High end & CPU efficient interface. Unlimited effect shaping. Windows & macOS compatible. Read More

SaschArt releases DynamicEchoFree, a FREE dynamic delay plugin
Developer SaschArt has released DynamicEchoFree, a free dynamic delay plugin for macOS and Windows. It’s been a busy couple of days for delay plugins. We’ve had Sonicora Audio’s LiquidTrail (free for a limited time), Overload Audio’s Echodude BBD-150 (vintage BBD delay emulation), and now we have DynamicEchoFree by SaschArt. DynamicEchoFree offers something a little different [...]
View post: SaschArt releases DynamicEchoFree, a FREE dynamic delay plugin

Spotify to lets you steer your own algorithm and review listening data with new Taste Profile featureSpotify is testing a new feature that lets users steer their own algorithm, offering the ability to let you review and edit what it calls your Taste Profile.
The Taste Profile will display your listening data from music, podcasts, and audiobooks, profiling “the artists and genres you love to the habits that define your day”. The new feature will first be available in its beta phase to Premium users in New Zealand only. It’s not yet sure when or if this feature will become more widely available.

READ MORE: Apple Music’s new “Transparency Tags” aim to flag AI-generated content – but labels have to self-report

This new feature was announced at SXSW by Spotify’s Co-CEO Gustav Söderström, and is based on its own finding that more than 80 percent of listeners say personalisation is what they love most about Spotify.
Via a blog published on the Spotify Newsroom, it says that if something doesn’t feel quite right in your listening data, you can “flag when your profile misses the mark” and ask for “more or less of a certain vibe, or simply share what you’re in the mood for”. A video suggests users will need to use an AI-powered chatbot to do so.
The Taste Profile is part of its next steps to make personalisation more “transparent, responsive, and truly yours”. It follows on from another beta launch, Prompted Playlists, which was unveiled in December last year.
Spotify also recently unveiled its annual Loud & Clear report, which dissects music streaming economics. The latest iteration of the report revealed that Spotify was the highest-paying retailer globally last year, paying the music industry more than $11 billion in 2025.
Spotify payouts also increased by more than 10 percent year-over-year, which is more than double the rate of other music industry income sources. It also claims that these payouts weren’t concentrated to a small number of superstar artists, and that roughly half of royalties were generated by independent artists and labels.
To find out more about Taste Profiles or read the full Loud & Clear report, head over to the Spotify Newsroom.
The post Spotify to lets you steer your own algorithm and review listening data with new Taste Profile feature appeared first on MusicTech.

European retailers are pulling headphones following study claiming harmful substances exist in select modelsSelect European retailers have pulled the sales of a number of headphone brands following a report that claimed they contain hormone-disrupting chemicals.
The study, titled The Sound Of Contamination, was published in February by Arnika, a Czech non-profit environmental organisation, as part of the ToxFree LIFE for All EU-funded initiative. It analysed 81 headphone models, 50 of which were from well-known brands, sold across Central Europe and online marketplaces.

READ MORE: Steven Slate’s VSX Immersion One headphones are making me consider selling my speakers

The study claims that 100 percent of products contained hazardous substances, including bisphenols, phthalates, and flame retardants. While these products do not pose an acute or imminent danger, it says “the cumulative and synergistic effects of chronic exposure to these chemical classes pose a long-term risk to public health”.
Since the study was published, Dutch media outlet RTL has reported that online retailers, such as Bol.com, CoolBlue and Mediamarkt, have stopped selling some headphone models.
Karolína Brabcová, a campaign manager on toxic chemicals in consumer products at Arnika says (via The Verge), “We really think a systemic approach in banning and phasing out the most harmful chemicals — which have generational effects — is the way forward.”
Brabcová also says that several manufacturers reached out to Arnika to ask about how it conducted the study. The names of which she has not revealed, but believes this to show positive initiative from the companies.
The Verge also reports that it reached out to 11 major manufacturers included in the study, and only Bose, Sennheiser, and Marshall responded; all of which say that their products comply with legal safety requirements, and have questioned the methodology used in the study.
Sennheiser spokesperson Eric Palonen says it contacted the report authors “hoping to get the exact data for the Sennheiser products tested in order to verify our data and decide on next steps,” but claims the organisation didn’t provide the data it requested.
Anna Forsgren, product compliance and sustainability manager at Marshall Group, adds: “The study used its own testing criteria and flagged the product based on thresholds for BPA-related substances that are stricter than those typically applied to plastics used in electronic products.”
Forsgren also says that the company “welcome[s] reports like this as they drive greater transparency and accountability in the industry.”
The post European retailers are pulling headphones following study claiming harmful substances exist in select models appeared first on MusicTech.

Vicious Antelope offers the Vicious Saws Dark Synth for Full Kontakt for FREE
Vicious Antelope just made its Vicious Saws synth (normally $28) available for free download for a limited time via an exclusive Audio Plugin Deals offer.  Vicious Saws is made for creating majestic, gloomy synth tones with a cinematic touch. Keep in mind that running Vicious Saws requires the full, paid version of Native Instruments’ Kontakt [...]
View post: Vicious Antelope offers the Vicious Saws Dark Synth for Full Kontakt for FREE

Geoff Downes on Asia's New Live Album, John Wetton's Legacy, and His Career from the Buggles to YesIn a conversation with AllMusic, Geoff Downes discusses the origins of the new live album, the evolution of Asia's lineup, memories of working with Wetton, and reflections on pivotal moments in his career – from the early days of MTV to his time in Yes and the Buggles.

Nvidia’s version of OpenClaw could solve its biggest problem: securityNvidia announced an open enterprise AI agent platform, called NemoClaw, that is built off of viral OpenClaw.

Price predictions 3/16: SPX, DXY, BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, SOL, DOGE, ADA, HYPEBitcoin opened the week by rallying straight into a key resistance level. If it holds, BTC and altcoins could embark on the next leg of the crypto bull market.

MMPR Technologies REXALTUSREXALTUS wavetable + subtractive synthesizer plugin REXALTUS is a wavetable + subtractive polyphonic synth software plugin. The sound engine is 2 oscillators, subtractive and wavetable synthesis, and lowpass/bandpass/highpass filtering. It is currently compatible only with Windows, and is in VST3 format. It has two LFOs with selectable shapes, and rate control. It features preset browser, user preset save/load, and arpeggiator. The user interface keeps the core of the instrument in front of you at all times. Oscillator shaping, wavetable tone, filter movement, envelopes, LFOs, modulation routing, arpeggiator settings, and master effects all sit on a single screen for fast efficient workflow. Demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVGNdVs4FAs Read More

Fists Pump for Vince DiCola and Stan Bush at the WhiskyWay back in 1986, before all of the Michael Bay live action stuff, there was the animated The Transformers: The Movie. To this day, many if not most hardcore fans of the franchise will claim that the '86 film is still the best Transformers movie. They'll die on that hill, much like [SPOILER ALERT] Optimus Prime died in the flick.

One of the big reasons that the film remains firmly in the heart of fans is the killer soundtrack. Scored by synth virtuoso Vince DiCola and with a couple of big rock anthems by AOR hero Stan Bush (plus gems by metal band N.R.G. and, amazingly enough, Weird Al), it really is a tremendous piece of work. Yes, it's as cheesy as almighty fuck in that glorious '80s way, but it's unapologetically so and it stands tall today.

On a warm Saturday night in March, DiCola and Bush came together at the Whisky A Go-Go on the Sunset Strip to, in turn, play a bunch of those Transformers tunes and more. The atmosphere in the iconic venue was one of joy. Transformers tees and even a couple of costumes betrayed the affection with which the toy-turned-cartoon-turned-movie franchise is still held, by adults as well as children.

DiCola's set was incredible. As well as his work on the movie, the man has scored a couple of Transformers video games including the odd coming together of Angry Birds Transformers. He played a quirky ditty off of that, plus some stuff from other games that he's worked on, including Saturday Morning RPG.

Most of the fans in attendance were there for the Transformers music. To be honest though, we were there to hear DiCola's Rocky IV work. His "Training Montage" and "War" pieces from that score have, since this writer was a child, made us feel like we could take on Ivan Drago. Bill Conti may have composed the most famous Rocky themes, but DiCola's work compares favorably when it comes to motivational, hair-raising, instrumental sports score. At the Whisky, backed by a great band, those pieces sounded great. The cherry on top was a rendition of "Hearts on Fire" from the same movie. Originally sung by John Cafferty with synth by DiCola, one of the band took up vocal duties here and did the song proud. A great set, all told.

After a short break, it was time for Stan Bush to break out some hard rock anthems. Like DiCola, Bush also had songs on famous fight movies. In Bush's case, he is well known for his inclusions on the Kickboxer and Bloodsport soundtracks (both Jean-Claude Van Damme flicks). At the Whisky, he busted out a wild "Never Surrender" from Kickboxer.

Bush also wrote the power ballad "Love Don't Lie," later a minor MTV hit for House of Lords. Picking up an acoustic guitar, he lovingly ran through the sweet track in Hollywood.

But again, the crowd was there for the Transformers stuff, and the cheers were deafening for main theme "The Touch." Better still, DiCola joined Bush on stage for the song that they both performed on the Transformers soundtrack -- "Dare." An '80s rock belter, "Dare" is one of the best tunes that either man has put their name to.

With that, it was over and the crowd spilled out onto the Strip, stunned by how great these two musicians still are. More than meets the eye, some might say.The post Fists Pump for Vince DiCola and Stan Bush at the Whisky first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Every Ham Shack Needs a Ham ClockEvery ham radio shack needs a clock; ideally one with operator-friendly features like multiple time zones and more. [cburns42] found that most solutions relied too much on an internet connection for his liking, so in true hacker fashion he decided to make his own: the operator-oriented Ham Clock CYD.
A tabbed interface goes well with the touchscreen LCD.
The Ham Clock CYD is so named for being based on the Cheap Yellow Display (CYD), an economical ESP32-based color touchscreen LCD which provides most of the core functionality. The only extra hardware is a BME280 temperature and humidity sensor, and a battery-backed DS3231 RTC module, ensuring that accurate time is kept even when the device is otherwise powered off.
It displays a load of useful operator-oriented data on the touchscreen LCD, and even has a web-based configuration page for ease of use. While the Ham Clock is a standalone device that does not depend on internet access in order to function, it does have the ability to make the most of it if available. When it has internet access over the built-in WiFi, the display incorporates specialized amateur radio data including N0NBH solar forecasts and calculated VHF/HF band conditions alongside standard meteorological data.
The CYD, sensor, and RTC are very affordable pieces of hardware which makes this clock an extremely economical build. Check out the GitHub repository for everything you’ll need to make your own, and maybe even put your own spin on it with a custom enclosure. On the other hand, if you prefer your radio-themed clocks more on the minimalist side, this Morse code clock might be right up your alley.

Sonniss releases the GDC 2026 game design bundle for FREE (7+ GB)
In celebration of the 2026 Game Developers Conference, Sonniss is giving away a game design bundle with more than 347 files (7.47 GB) of high-quality, royalty-free samples (WAV.). Sonniss, founded in 2014, is a digital marketplace for royalty-free sounds. This bundle consists of sounds from several different libraries that you’re free to use with no [...]
View post: Sonniss releases the GDC 2026 game design bundle for FREE (7+ GB)

Live Nation antitrust trial resumes as 30+ states push on despite DOJ settlementStates accuse Live Nation of stifling competition and driving up prices for fans as trial continues without the DOJ.
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Sonarworks Spring Sale Sonarworks' Spring Sale sees promotional prices applied across the company’s online store and retail channels, and users are able to take advantage of 21-day trial versions to see what the company’s renowned software has to offer.