After Trucking Them Home, Old Solar Panels Keep On TruckingThe fact that there exist in our world flat rocks that make lightning when you point them at the sun is one of the most unappreciated bits of wizardry in this modern age. As hackers, we love all this of techno-wizardry–but some of us abhor paying full price for it. Like cars, one way to get a great discount is to buy used. [Backyard Solar Project] helped a friend analyze some 14-year-old panels to see just how they’d held up over the years, and it was actually better than we might have expected.
The big polycrystalline panels were rated at 235 W when new, and they got 6 of them for the low, low price of “get this junk off my property”. Big panels are a bit of a pain to move, but that’s still a great deal. Especially considering that after cleaning they averaged 180 W, a capacity factor of 77%. Before cleaning 14 years worth of accumulated grime cost about eight watts, on average, an argument for cleaning your panels. Under the same lighting conditions, the modern panel (rated to 200 W) was giving 82% of rated output.
That implies that after 14 years, the panels are still at about 94% of their original factory output, assuming the factory wasn’t being overoptimistic about the numbers to begin with. Still, assuming you can trust the marketing, a half a percent power drop per year isn’t too bad. It’s also believable, since the US National Renewably Energy Laboratory (yes, they have one) has done tests that put that better than the average of 0.75 %/yr. Of course the average American solar panel lives in a hotter climate than [Backyard Solar Project], which helps explain the slower degradation.
Now, we’re not your Dad or your accountant, so we’re not going to tell you if used solar panels are worth the effort. On the one hand, they still work, but on the other hand, the density is quite a bit lower. Just look at that sleek, modern 200 W panel next to the old 235 W unit. If you’re area-limited, you might want to spring for new, or at least the more energy-dense monocrystalline panels that have become standard the last 5 years or so, which aren’t likely to be given away just yet. On the gripping hand, free is free, and most of us are much more constrained by budget than by area. If nothing else, you might have a fence to stick old panels against; the vertical orientation is surprisingly effective at higher latitudes.

What indie distribution bosses really think about UMG’s proposed acquisition of Downtown and FUGAMBW polls opinion from an array of founders leading some of the world's top independent distribution and music delivery platforms
Source

ZenSound Cinematic Impacts - DarknessCinematic Impacts – Darkness is the brand new collection formed by 100 samples, add more punch and drama to your cinematic trailers and soundtracks. Ideal for any project that requires powerful and dynamic cinematic transitions and sound designs that compliments thrilling film score scenes. This Cinematic Impacts collection provides this, a selection of curated, multi layered audios that breathes life and motion into your projects. Whether you are creating a minimalist, ethereal or dark filmscore project or a complex multi rhythmic percussive action sequence; Cinematic Impacts is essential to spice up and and motion to any type of project. Price: € 19. Read More

Modartt release Pianoteq 9 Said to be the most expressive and versatile iteration to date, Pianoteq 9 benefits from a newly designed audio engine, introduces a selection of new instruments and delivers significant improvements to the existing collection.

Spotify and Major Music Companies Unite to Build “Artist-First” AI ToolsSpotify and the world’s biggest music companies are attempting to draw a new line — not against AI, but in favor of artists.
The post Spotify and Major Music Companies Unite to Build “Artist-First” AI Tools appeared first on Hypebot.

John Legend on the art of songwriting and his new Splice INSTRUMENT pack
John Legend sat down with us to provide an intimate look into how he approaches songwriting on his signature instrument, the piano.

Ewan Bristow releases UZU frequency domain filter, will be FREE if 10k followers reached on X
If you’ve been around BPB for a while, you’ve likely heard the impact of some of Ewan Bristow’s weird and wonderful creations. His latest release is UZU, a frequency domain filter, inspired by Harmor’s Phaser. Ewan is a Bristol-based (UK) developer who has given us freebies like EB-CatNip (frequency-shifting delay – Plugdata), EB-Diøne (sampler – [...]
View post: Ewan Bristow releases UZU frequency domain filter, will be FREE if 10k followers reached on X

This portable hardware device from IK Multimedia corrects your headphone’s response to replicate the soundstage of professional studio monitorsIK Multimedia has launched ARC ON·EAR, a hardware device that corrects the response of your headphones so you can “mix, master, and produce with total confidence anywhere.”
This new device comes with control software that allows users to easily set up and fine-tune their listening experience. Once configured, the ARC ON·EAR operates completely standalone for up to four hours on a charge. It has both USB-C and analogue audio inputs, and supports hundreds of headphone models.

READ MORE: At just $99, the Akai MPK Mini IV looks to “set a new standard” for portable music creation

ARC ON·EAR uses precision calibration profiles, measured with state-of-the-art reference rigs, for “accurate, transparent, and reliable sound”. Unlike plugins or impulse-based ‘virtual rooms,’ this device utilises advanced physical modelling to recreate the behaviour of real studio monitors in an acoustic space.
According to IK Multimedia, there are no artificial reverbs or timbral colouration, just the natural depth and clarity of a real control room. The device is powered by a 32-bit ESS SABRE converter, a high-damping-factor, ultra-low-distortion power amplifier, and a digitally controlled analogue volume stage.
Users can test mixes on a wide range of playback systems, with over 20 virtual studio monitors and more than 15 multimedia playback systems available at release. Find out more in the videos below:

Continuous firmware updates are to be expected, offering an expanding headphone database and a growing collection of virtual monitors. ARC ON·EAR will reach full availability in all territories by mid-November, and it has an introductory priced of $/€249.99 (regular price $/€299.99).
In other IK Multimedia news, it recently launched an AI-powered voice modelling plugin called ReSing, which captures the “timbre, tone and expression of real artists, sourced ethically”. ReSing enables producers and vocalists to take scratch vocals (unpolished takes) and replace them with “expressive, professional-quality voices”.
Find out more or locate a dealer over at IK Multimedia.
The post This portable hardware device from IK Multimedia corrects your headphone’s response to replicate the soundstage of professional studio monitors appeared first on MusicTech.

EARLY Launches Tonight in LA — ROSTR x BandsintownEARLY is a brand new showcase series will entertain live crowds and connect emerging artists with key industry players.
The post EARLY Launches Tonight in LA — ROSTR x Bandsintown appeared first on Hypebot.

2B Played Music offers QFX Wax for FREE until October 24
2B Played Music is once again giving away one of its popular one-knob plugins. This time, QFX Wax is free until October 24, 2025, using the coupon code WAX25. If you’ve been following BPB for a while, you probably already have a handful of 2B Played freebies in your plugin folder. The developer regularly runs [...]
View post: 2B Played Music offers QFX Wax for FREE until October 24

MPK Mini IV from Akai Pro Akai Pro’s compact MIDI keyboard has been treated to a significant design overhaul that the company say make it the perfect companion for everyone from bedroom beatmakers to touring professionals. 

The CZ-1 Mini is Behringer’s take on Casio’s classic phase distortion synth, the CZ-1Behringer has unveiled the CZ-1 Mini, offering up its take on the classic Casio CZ-1 Phase Distortion synthesiser.
The unit was first alluded to two years ago, and true to Behringer form, serves up an affordable alternative to the Casio CZ-1, which first hit the market in 1986.

READ MORE: “It’s almost too perfect to be interesting”: Jacob Collier has been trying to “bully” AI into being more creative

Following the same smaller form factor as Behringer’s Pro-VS Mini, Phara-O Mini and JT Mini, the CZ-1 Mini takes heavy inspiration from the CZ-1, but with a slightly different feature set..
Where the original CZ-1 polyphonic synth boasted eight voices, Behringer’s CZ-1 Mini comes loaded with three voices instead. It’s not all subtraction in terms of features, though, as the CZ-1 Mini brings an analogue 24dB low-pass filter.
Elsewhere, the CZ-1 Mini features two DCOs (digitally controlled oscillators), which serve up the same eight waveforms found in Casio’s CZ series: sawtooth, square, pulse, double sine, saw pulse, and three resonant waveforms, which are flavoured with simulated filter resonance.
The CZ-1 Mini also features 27 touch-sensitive keys – facilitating “expressive play” – in addition to a 16-step sequencer and three-pattern arpeggiator, and even a “studio-grade” chorus.
The unit also has comprehensive I/O, with a USB-C input, five-pin MIDI in, sync input and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
“With real-time controls and deep compatibility, it’s everything you love about hands-on synthesis – no compromises!” says Behringer.
 
The CZ-1 Mini is available now, priced at $89. For more information, head to Behringer.

The post The CZ-1 Mini is Behringer’s take on Casio’s classic phase distortion synth, the CZ-1 appeared first on MusicTech.

GullDSP releases Circulate, a FREE phase smearing plugin for Windows
GullDSP has released Circulate, a free and open-source phase smearing plugin for Windows that delivers a unique take on all-pass filtering. Circulate works by using banks of all-pass filters to delay and scatter the phase of your audio around a center frequency. The result is a phase smearing effect that sounds hollow and slightly reverberant. [...]
View post: GullDSP releases Circulate, a FREE phase smearing plugin for Windows

“It’s almost too perfect to be interesting”: Jacob Collier has been trying to “bully” AI into being more creativeMulti-instrumentalist Jacob Collier has openly shared that he’s been experimenting with AI in music, but right now he feels it’s just too perfect to be interesting.
Collier’s attempts at getting AI to work with him have seemingly involved a little bit of “bullying” on his part, in the hopes of getting the tech to be a little more playful and far less polished. Known for his quirky ways of creating and performing music, and his very musical upbringing, some may be surprised to hear that Collier feels we should be getting stuck in and giving it a try.

READ MORE: “It’s shocking, disheartening and insulting”: Cardiff band speaks out after AI artist trained on their music outperforms them on Spotify

Collier released a new record, titled The Light For Days, just last week. The album focuses solely on guitar and is much more raw compared to his four-album run with Djesse, which featured a multitude of collaborations and voices.
Speaking to journalist Rags Martel surrounding the release of his new album, Collier explains his thoughts on the use of AI within his craft (via MusicRadar): “I think an AI can learn skills but it can’t learn a perspective or a sense of humour or an attitude. It’s almost too perfect to be interesting,” he shares.
“I think a person needs an imperfect wiggly person to relate to. That’s my theory. And so I’ve spent a lot of time sort of trying to bully AI into being interesting because it’s quite hard to do, creatively… You can’t sit outside of something and criticise it or be afraid of it. You have to just muck in,” he states.

Collier’s new album features six original songs and five handpicked covers of his longtime idols and inspirations, including James Taylor, The Staves, John Martyn, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys. It was recorded and produced in only four days.
Find out more about Jacob Collier, or view the full list of his upcoming live shows.
The post “It’s almost too perfect to be interesting”: Jacob Collier has been trying to “bully” AI into being more creative appeared first on MusicTech.

How Brooklyn’s The Lot Radio has thrived as an independent station for 10 yearsIn 2015, five years after moving to New York, Belgian expat François Vaxelaire took a long walk through his neighbourhood in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He was tired of freelancing as a photographer and videographer and anxiously contemplating his future when he noticed a “for lease” sign on a long-abandoned fenced-off lot. Immediately, his mind was racing with ideas.

READ MORE: The Collective lives on: former ICON Collective staff have started new educational programs

“Everything connected in my brain in half a second, like in movies, and I’m not a person like that at all. I was like, ‘Wait, I’m gonna do something here’. And two seconds later, ‘I’m gonna do radio’,” he reflects during a recent conversation at The Lot Radio, the beloved independent internet radio station he built on that triangular plot of land once home to a gas station.
“10 years ago, I had no idea what I was doing, but I felt in my gut it was important,” he adds.
Nine months after that spontaneous dream, in February 2016, Vaxelaire launched The Lot Radio from a converted shipping container he tricked out for the space, along with picnic tables for people to listen in person. Since the beginning, he’s remained dedicated to ensuring it remains self-sustaining and to offering a great experience for the DJs, who play for free.
The booth is decked out with the latest gear (including two Pioneer CDJ-3000s, CDJ-2000NX2s, and Technics SL-1200s plus Funktion-One monitors) with an adaptable setup. But, crucially, it’s designed to be a warm, welcoming community space. “New York is a tough city. I really wanted to create a little island of freedom for all the music lovers,” Vaxelaire shares.
Image: The Lot Radio
“The first year was insane,” he reflects, sharing his surprise at how many of his dream guests came through early on. A debut year filled with pinch-me moments is topped by one of his long-time favourites, Antal, the founder of Amsterdam’s Rush Hour Music, who ended up playing five hours because he loved the space. (He’s since returned several times, most recently in March.) That moment made Vaxelaire feel he was onto something good. Most of their dream DJs have already played the decks, yet he would love to have Theo Parrish and Maurice Fulton one day.
Vaxelaire cites the physical space as a core part of The Lot’s ongoing success, one that connects the online world with the tangible one, where DJs can meet their heroes, future collaborators and fans. “The strength and magic of Lot Radio is in the triangle,” he asserts. “In a city where everything is expensive…it’s an actual third space in NYC. We feel so lucky and attached to the triangle.”
Impressively, the non-profit radio station is fully sustained by sales from the small café window at one end of the shipping container. Since the public area is outdoors, it makes most of its money during the warmer months (although New York regularly faces spring and summer rain). “It’s busy until the end of October. Without that high season, we die, because in the winter we lose so much money. Basically, we make enough money in the summer to survive the winter. And every year, maybe we’re able to buy a new CDJ,” Vaxelaire explains. He has one full-time and one part-time staff member, along with six baristas to help the business run smoothly. (The baristas are also passionate about music—Sasha Cwalino, who DJs as deep creep, started as a barista and is now on staff and a radio regular.)
Kiosk café at The Lot Radio. Image: The Lot Radio
“Since day one, the kiosk [café] has been saving us. We had no idea if it would work. Online streaming projects will always hit the same issue at some point where they [run out of] money; it’s impossible to sustain [without sponsors],” Vaxelaire posits.
“It’s important for us to be critical about who we collaborate with, so the fact that we are completely independent economically is really freeing… When we do a collaboration it means we really believe in it.”
Most of the collabs don’t make The Lot money, although some offer paid DJ gigs. They include Lot DJ lineups at the Museum of Modern Art, Making Time fest in Philadelphia, HORST Festival in Belgium with Brussels’ Kiosk Radio (launched in 2017 by his friend), and even at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, home to an impressive record collection.
“My day-to-day isn’t sexy at all, but I feel extremely lucky. Everyone is happy to come and be here, that’s rare [in a workplace],” Vaxelaire says. His passion for the project is evident the moment he begins speaking about it. It’s made him a beloved behind-the-scenes figure on the scene, evidenced by the fact that so many DJs are excited to play pro bono on The Lot.
Love Injection’s magazine stand. Image: The Lot Radio
The Lot currently boasts 200 local resident DJs across the genre spectrum (including ambient, indie, punk and rap) on its schedule who host monthly or weekly shows. Brooklyn underground house power couple Barbie Bertisch and Paul Raffaele, who DJ as Love Injection, have the longest-running show on The Lot. It’s a second home to them, one where Bertisch celebrated her thirtieth birthday and their baby shower. (They offer free copies of their music zine, also named Love Injection, at a custom stand on The Lot.)
“It’s been such a constant for us through so much change. I’ve had jobs come and go, the pandemic, babies. When we take a weekend off, it feels weird,” Raffaele reflects. “It feels untethered [when we skip],” Bertisch adds. “It’s the anchor to our week.”
The multi-hyphenate duo launched their project shortly before The Lot, so they appreciate the space it’s given them to experiment and grow, without deference to streaming or audience numbers. “We’ve grown symbiotically. I don’t know what Love Injection would be without The Lot,” Raffaele says.

“[The Lot] are actual angels; Francois, Karl [Scholz] of Karlala Soundsystem [whose custom pink speakers pump up outdoor fêtes around the city, including the Lot’s Juneteenth block party]. These are people that are dedicating the middle of their lives to art and culture and helping people without any major recognition,” Raffaele commends.
They assert that part of its success is that people want to support it; for example, Raffaele often lends his graphic design skills. “People want to give to The Lot. There are jobs you do for money and jobs you want to do. It’s the latter,” Bertisch says.
While The Lot is an important hub for NYC DJs and electronic music fans, it’s important to Vaxelaire to represent the rich eclecticism of the city’s ever-evolving sound on their airwaves. During his first year, he received feedback that he wasn’t fully encompassing New York music, so he’s aimed to do so ever since. “It became bigger than us; it was part of NYC, so we had the responsibility to represent NYC,” the Belgian creative says.
Image: The Lot Radio
In fact, the station reflects the sonic shifts of the underground Brooklyn scenes, welcoming a new generation of NYC Gen Z DJs—many who are influenced by Jersey club and footwork—and ravers that came of age during the pandemic, while still making space for the many local legends and other great DJs here.
“It has lived through these generational intervals, which are getting shorter now because culture is moving so fast,” Raffaele says. “There are very different eras of The Lot, which will continue; it’ll keep putting a mirror up to what’s going on in the Brooklyn underground.”
Bertisch echoes the many Lot fans by asserting that losing it would have a “monumental” impact on the local scene. “It’s the town square for New York’s underground,” she explains. “The Lot has become the place where people who would otherwise never cross paths end up rubbing against each other, because the New York underground is so many things at once…Where else would we gather?”
This is why the city closing The Lot in October 2024 for eight months was such a disappointment. The Department of Health shut them down after they applied to renovate in order to move from a temporary structure permit to permanent building status. Vaxelaire continued radio operations, but with the café shuttered into the summer, they had no money coming in and a slim window of survival.

Vaxeliare names the Office of Nightlife, who acted as a helpful interlocutor between The Lot and the city departments of health and buildings, as essential to their reopening and, consequently, their survival. (Former Mayor Bill de Blasio launched the department, along with hiring the city’s first “nightlife mayor” in 2018. The Lot recently hosted current nightlife mayor Jeffrey Garcia for an hour-long interview.)
This isn’t the first time they’ve had to close and quickly adapt. At the start of the lockdown, they switched to having DJs stream from home, thanks to former core team member Pauline Lament, who helped them connect to their system virtually. The Lot was one of the first bars to be able to reopen, thanks to their fully outdoor seating, becoming a safe, much-needed gathering space for New Yorkers after months of quarantining in small apartments. Shortly before the pandemic struck, The Lot team visited sunny Los Angeles to look into launching an outpost there. They discovered that attaining a liquor license was even more complicated than in NYC, so they dropped the idea.
Vaxelaire’s next dream for The Lot in the coming years is to secure a ten- to 15-year lease. He’s almost done with the renovations and is currently working with a local architecture studio to build a new space using two stacked shipping containers. “I want The Lot Radio to be part of New York City as a whole, to be the independent online radio of New York City.”
He appreciates the fresh talent and sounds the young people involved with The Lot bring in, and while he’ll always stay involved and help his project thrive, he wants to pass the leadership torch to someone younger in the near future.
“I don’t want to sound cheesy, but I give my whole heart to this project. I really try to have this little island of freedom, creativity and a sacred place for music in the heart of New York. That it’s been ten years is insane.”
The post How Brooklyn’s The Lot Radio has thrived as an independent station for 10 years appeared first on MusicTech.