Everything you need to know about Absynth 6 by Native InstrumentsNative Instruments’ Absynth 6 has arrived after a week of teasers from the brand. The hybrid, semi-modular soft synth boasts a powerful system of effects, synth engines, and a new AI-powered preset browser, which all help bring this revered classic into the modern era of music production.
Granular, FM, subtractive and wavetable synthesis are all on board Absynth 6, with presets created by Brian Eno, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Richard Devine. NI’s messaging of Absynth 6 is that it’s “weird by design,” with digital artists Weirdcore and Swarmm contributing to the visual design of the new soft synth.
Here’s what you need to know about the revival of Absynth.
READ MORE: Native Instruments Absynth 6 review: The return of a vintage classic
Absynth 6 key features at a glance

Plugin and standalone software synthesizer, in VST2, VST3,
Includes effects plugin variant
Hybrid, semi-modular synth engine
3 multi-model oscillators
2 multi-model processor stages per oscillator
2 multi-model master bus processors
28 envelopes with a maximum of 68 breakpoints per envelope
3 advanced LFOs
Master effects processor
Custom waveform creator
Mutate parameter randomisation
Full MPE and polyphonic aftertouch
Innovative graphical Preset Browser
Presets by Brian Eno, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Richard Devine
Surround sound and microtuning
Legacy patches from all previous versions of Absynth

What happened to Absynth 5, and when did Absynth 6 start being made?
Around three years ago, Native Instruments announced that Absynth, perhaps the best pad and soundscape synth to ever exist, was being discontinued – no more sales, no more support, no more updates. Those with a license could continue to download, install, and use the software, but this was ultimately the end of a synth so innovative and accomplished that its every patch could be a near symphony in its own right.
Or so it seemed.
Fast forward to summer 2025, when I had just about got over the loss, and NI wrapped up one of its press events with a huge tease: A large “6” on a green background. Not just any old green — it was the same shade as traditionally used by Absynth. “Could it be…?” I asked my contact at NI. “Yup,” they confirmed.

Why has it taken so long for Absynth 6 to be released?
Absynth first hit the shelves in the early days of the soft-synth revolution, way back in 2000. Following a now familiar pace of updates, by 2010 the synth had reached version 5. And there it stayed for 12 years, right up to the 2022 deprecation announcement.
Of course, it was around 2010 that NI started to become the industry behemoth that it is today, and so it’s little surprise that its attention was focused on newer products and technologies. And, to be fair, there was little need to pour attention into Absynth 5: it was already a mature, respected and highly evolved product. Users held out hope for an update that would bring new patches and new Absynth-flavoured toys to play with, but didn’t feel dissatisfied with what they had with Absynth 5.
This changed when Apple Silicon Macs came along. Absynth could not run natively on the platform and, with the synth having fallen so far behind the technological curve, it would take a lot of effort to bring it up to date and furnish it with the features demanded by modern producers.
With so many other products to develop and maintain, NI eventually concluded it didn’t have the bandwidth to drag such an aged product into the 2020s and beyond.
But nobody can accuse NI of having grown too big to listen to its users. With the weeping and wailing of distraught Absynth users ringing in its ears, NI got together with the synth’s original developer, Brian Clevinger, and started making plans.

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Why is Abysynth 6 such a big deal?
“When I originally created Absynth,” says Brian Clevinger, “I wanted an instrument that invited people to lose themselves in sound. Seeing it evolve into Absynth 6 has been genuinely moving. It still has that strange, alive quality,” Clevinger says in a press release.
By the time Absynth 5 came out in 2010, the synth had firmly established itself as the go-to instrument for creating breathtaking pads, ethereal soundscapes, otherworldly SFX, warped and off-the-wall interpretations of acoustic instruments, and a very good line in classic analogue and digital synth tones.
It’s hard to understate Absynth’s tone-wrangling prowess. Although made up of familiar synthesiser fare – oscillators, filters, and all the rest of it – the instrument’s semi-modular architecture and generous supply of envelopes and modulators combine to create some of the most achingly beautiful (and, indeed, terrifyingly hellish) sounds you will ever hear from a synth. Pads contain phenomenal sonic detail, soundscapes endlessly shift and evolve, classic synth tones and acoustic instruments gain extra dimensions of real-time control and performability.
These core capabilities remain in Absynth 6, but are now graced by a decade-and-a-half of technological progress and advances in UI and UX design. MPE and polyphonic aftertouch support add a new depth of interaction and performance to the synth. Extensively editable envelopes with flexible breakpoints and shapes provide an astonishing toolset for creating powerful rhythmic, evolving, and just plain mad modulations. The overall presentation has been updated to look crisp and modern, and an all-new (and stunning) graphical patch browser makes it easy to hunt out the perfect sound from within the instrument’s vast patch library.
Moreover, Absynth was the godfather of the quasi-randomisation of patches seen on so many synths today, its near-legendary Mutate system able to morph and warp a chosen sound by a controllable amount whilst retaining elements of that sound’s original character. Many a happy sound design accident has started with a click on Absynth’s Mutate button, and this is now enhanced with greater visibility of, and control over, what the Mutate system is doing.
Many other synths on the market today can create sounds akin to those that are Absynth’s raison d’être. Uber-synths such as Pigments, Serum and Falcon – plus, indeed, NI’s own Massive X – can all produce similarly enthralling sounds and textures.
Yet there remains something special about how Absynth performs. It’s easy and intuitive to use, and gives the impression of having a near-magical ability to produce sounds that are instantly exciting and inspirational. So much so that browsing through its voluminous patch library takes forever simply because of the constant distraction of new musical ideas that flow from the gorgeous tones the synth produces.
We normally think of classic vintage synths as being dusty old slabs of hardware, yet despite being a soft synth, I can’t help but think of Absynth’s return with the same awed excitement as when Moog released the Minimoog or Sequential put the Prophet back into production. This really is the return of a vintage classic.
How much does Absynth 6 cost?
Absynth 6 can be bought as a one-time license for $199/€199/£179. If you’re already an owner of Absynth versions 2 to 5, you’ll be eligible for an upgrade from Native Instruments — Absynth 2-5 owners can upgrade to Absynth 6 for $99/€99/£99
Is Absynth 6 worth buying?
In my review of Absynth 6, I said: “Absynth 6 is a masterstroke, its updates making it better than ever without sacrificing any of its originality and unique appeal…The graphical browser is exceptionally intuitive and, more importantly, makes light work of finding suitable sounds. Once you find something close to what you want, you can easily check out all of the other patches in the same timbral neighbourhood. It really is the most effective sound browsing system I’ve ever encountered.”
Absynth 6 is available now.
The post Everything you need to know about Absynth 6 by Native Instruments appeared first on MusicTech.

Gulf Coast Synthesis releases Strum Plate, a FREE Omnichord-inspired plugin
Strum Plate is a free Omnichord-inspired MIDI effect plugin from Gulf Coast Synthesis, available in AU, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS and Windows. If you’re wondering what on earth an Omnichord is, you’re likely not alone. If you already know, then you’re one of the lucky ones! Well, perhaps saying one of the lucky [...]
View post: Gulf Coast Synthesis releases Strum Plate, a FREE Omnichord-inspired plugin

Clipping. Announced as the 2026 Sled Island Music Festival Guest CuratorIn this post, we share details of Sled Island's announcement, plus how and why guest curators can offer local audiences a more bespoke largescale event experience in 2026.
The post Clipping. Announced as the 2026 Sled Island Music Festival Guest Curator appeared first on Hypebot.

Native Instruments Absynth 6 review: The return of a vintage classic€199 / €99 upgrade price from Absynth 2 or higher, native-instruments.com
Absynth was a truly groundbreaking synth when launched in 2000, way back at the advent of the soft-synth. It was designed to be an entirely original instrument to showcase the phenomenal potential of real-time, computer-based synthesis.

READ MORE: MusicTech’s favourite plugins of 2025

By the time its fifth version rolled around in 2010, Absynth’s unique character and astonishing sound-design prowess had gained it many adherents and fans, yet there it stayed at version 5, developmentally dormant and falling ever further behind the technological curve. Despite the writing on the wall being written in metre-high text, it still came as a shock when, in 2022, NI announced its decision to retire Absynth.
Roll the clock forward to 2025 and, with the disgruntlement of fans showing little sign of abating, NI quietly put together a team led by original developer Brian Clevinger and tasked it with giving the aged synth the complete overhaul it has needed for so long.
At long last, rising phoenix-like from the ashes of its outdated code, Absynth 6 has finally arrived.

Balancing old and new
Despite receiving a belt-and-braces rewrite and a number of new features, NI and Clevinger have taken great care to retain everything that made Absynth so special in the first place. The new interface design epitomises this balancing act, being fully refreshed and modernised whilst remaining reassuringly familiar and accessible. Newcomers to the synth will see a smart, slick user interface, while old hands will feel right at home.
Similarly, from the user’s perspective at least, Absynth’s core synth engine remains much the same as it was. It has the same semi-modular architecture featuring three oscillators, each feeding through a pair of processing modules before being mixed into a master bus featuring another pair of processors and an effect module.
Although visually refreshed, Absynth 6’s oscillators are largely unchanged from v5, retaining the same choice of nine models: Single waveform, Double waveform, FM, Ring Mod, Fractalize, Sync Granular, Sample, Granular and Audio In, the last also serving to support Absynth’s effects plugin variant. The only functional difference lies in the Granular engine, where increases in computing power have allowed a four-fold increase in the maximum number of grains it can produce, allowing it to create thicker, richer tones than before.
Unchanged too are the pairs of ‘insert’ processing modules that follow each oscillator, and the further pair of such modules that are the first port of call in the master bus. The graphical reworking makes these look like new modules, but their function remains much the same, offering a choice of modulators (frequency shifter, ring modulator and waveshaper) and 13 different filter models.
Multi-model oscillators and processors are commonplace these days, but Absynth was a pioneer of this concept. Its choice of models isn’t perhaps as sonically diverse as the likes of UVI Falcon or Kilohearts Phase Plant, but they have a clarity and character that lies at the heart of the classic Absynth sound. If it ain’t broke…
Improved effects page. Image: Press
Reworked filters and effects
The filter models have been overhauled, with a new suite of ladder filters (low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and notch) that give a wonderfully analogue-like sound and response. The original Absynth filters are included as ‘legacy’ filters, but these have lost the option to add a modulator to the internal feedback loop, which drives their resonance, an ability that now lies in a new pair of Feedback Filter models.
Also carried over from Absynth 5 are the Comb, Supercomb and Cloud filter models, the latter being a rather novel beast that uses granular processing to create shifting, comb-like filter effects, perfect for the ever-evolving soundscapes for which Absynth is deservedly famous. As with the Granular oscillator, the Cloud filter can now produce a denser cloud of grains thanks to a new ‘HD’ switch, and this gives the filter a smoother, fuller sound.
The effect module, which follows the two master insert processor slots, retains the same choice of six somewhat esoteric processors: Multicomb provides another opportunity to shape and animate the harmonics in a sound, Resonators and Pipe generate natural and artificial resonances, and Echoes and Multitap give two different takes on (relatively) conventional delay effects. But the star of the show is surely the Aetherizer effect, a granular-based delay that can transpose, filter and resonate the grains it produces, and this too has received the same grain density upgrade as the Granular oscillator and Cloud filter.
Innovative patch browser. Image: Press
Searching for sounds with Absynth 6
Admittedly, these changes to Absynth’s sound engine aren’t extensive, but they add massively to the synth’s sound-design potential without losing compatibility with older Absynth patches. In fact, Absynth 6 can load patches from any previous version, so if you have a library of custom patches, they will still work, and the synth comes with all factory presets from previous versions alongside a bunch that are new to v6.
In the patch browser, sounds are categorised by type and sub-type, for example, the Bass category wraps Analog Bass, Bass Line, and more. Nevertheless, finding sounds within such a vast collection would be a creativity-crushing hunt for a needle in a haystack were it not for one of Absynth 6’s most impressive innovations: the Preset Explorer.
This presents a cloud or constellation of dots in which each dot represents a patch within the library and is coloured according to the patch type (bass, pad, lead, etc.). Using an AI deep learning system, the unique timbral qualities of a sound are analysed, and the greater the similarity between two patches, the closer together their dots in the browser. Hovering over a dot reveals its patch name and attributes, clicking a dot focuses the view and auditions the patch’s sound, and double-clicking loads the patch ready to be played. Better yet, the included presets are created by synth heroes Brian Eno, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Richard Devine.
This graphical browser is exceptionally intuitive and, more importantly, makes light work of finding suitable sounds. Once you find something close to what you want, you can easily check out all of the other patches in the same timbral neighbourhood (or, indeed, in completely different neighbourhoods). It really is the most effective sound browsing system I’ve ever encountered.
Improved modulation management. Image: Press
Modulation and mutation
Absynth has a well-deserved reputation for producing endlessly evolving pads and soundscapes, the key to this being its generously flexible parameter modulation tools – 28 envelopes with built-in LFOs and up to 68 breakpoints each, three advanced standalone LFOs with support for custom waveforms, 16 assignable macros and various incoming real-time controllers. The exciting news here is that Absynth now supports MPE slide and polyphonic aftertouch, bringing a new depth of performability to what was already an abundantly expressive instrument.
That aside, the main changes here are, again, visual, with the clunky interfaces of yore replaced with clean, slick views that are much easier on the eye, and feature modern interaction methods that make them far more pleasant to work with. Similarly, the tools for creating custom waveforms for use in oscillators, signal modulators and LFOs have been refreshed so that it’s easier to form accurate shapes, or to position harmonics when creating waveforms in Spectrum editing mode.
And of course, there’s Absynth’s Mutate function, the forebear of parameter randomisation features that are now commonplace. Control over the target and strength of mutation is more manageable, and the obligatory Mutation History list remains, so that you can quickly step back and forth through the results of multiple mutations.
Flexible envelopes. Image: Press
Absynth 6 – worth the wait?
The updates in Absynth 6 may seem meagre given the 15-year hiatus since its previous release, and some may argue they haven’t been worth the wait. This isn’t the right way to look at it, though. After all, was the rerelease of the Minimoog or Sequential Prophet 5 worth the wait? No. But they were welcome returns of unique vintage classics, subtly updated to make them more amenable to modern music makers.
What’s that you say? A software synth can’t wear the ‘vintage classic’ badge? I beg to differ! Absynth has been around for 25 years, the same amount of time as lies between the launch of the Synclavier and the release of NI Kontakt. Similarly, the 12 years between Absynth 5’s launch and the instrument’s (now reversed) retirement is the same as the span between the first Minimoog and the arrival of its nemesis, the Yamaha DX7.
By any reasonable measure, then, Absynth qualifies as a vintage classic synth, and so Absynth 6 should be seen in the same light as any other rereleased classic. And seen in those terms, Absynth 6 is a masterstroke, its updates making it better than ever without sacrificing any of its originality and unique appeal. I absolutely love it!
Key features

Plugin and standalone software synthesizer
Includes effects plugin variant
Semi-modular architecture
3 multi-model oscillators
2 multi-model processor stages per oscillator
2 multi-model master bus processors
28 envelopes with maximum of 68 breakpoints per envelope
3 advanced LFOs
Master effects processor
Custom waveform creator
Mutate parameter randomisation
MPE slide and polyphonic aftertouch
Innovative graphical Preset Browser

The post Native Instruments Absynth 6 review: The return of a vintage classic appeared first on MusicTech.

These are the best-selling synths, drum machines and controllers at Reverb in 2025As 2025 comes to a close, Reverb has revealed its best-selling synths, drum machines, controllers and samplers of the year.
“As musicians, we utilise Reverb’s data, from the Price Guide to our indexes, to make decisions when buying and selling gear – and our best-selling gear lists have become a fun tradition that allows us to see where our favourite synths, pedals and more fit into the grand scheme of things each year,” says Joel Handley, Reverb News Editor-In-Chief.
“By expanding our coverage and digging into our data, we’re giving musicians everywhere the ability to do the same.”
Synths
The Elektron Digitakt reigned supreme in last year’s best-selling synths on Reverb, but in 2025 has been dethroned by the compact and uber-affordable Arturia Microfreak. Elektron retains a degree of real estate on the list, though, as its eight-voice polyphonic synth, the Digitone, comes in second place, while its 12-track drum machine and synth, Syntakt, places in 9th.
Arturia’s MiniFreak bags the bronze slot, while Korg secures itself two places in the middle of the table with its MicroKorg Crystal and Minilogue XD units. Moog’s limited Minimoog Model D developed in partnership with Rush bassist Geddy Lee is a surprise entry on the list; despite boasting a $5k+ price tag, the synth comes in at 7th place.
Take a look at Reverb’s 10 best-selling synths of the year below:

Arturia Microfreak
Elektron Digitone
Arturia MiniFreak
Make Noise Maths Module
Korg MicroKorg Crystal
Korg Minilogue XD
Moog Geddy Lee Minimoog Model D
Dirtywave M8
Elektron Syntakt
Moog DFAM

Drum machines, samplers and controllers
The Ableton Push 2 is crowned the victor in the best-selling drum machines, samplers and controllers of 2025, followed closely by the Roland SP-404MKII. The Elektron Digitakt slips two places from first to third, while Teenage Engineering stakes a claim for fourth and fifth place with the OP-1 and EP-133 KO-II, respectively. The Roland TR-8S, Akai MPC Live II and Native Instruments Maschine MKIII also bag places on the list.
Check out Reverb’s 10 best-selling drum machines, samplers and controllers below:

Ableton Push 2
Roland SP-404MKII
Elektron Digitakt
Teenage Engineering OP-1
Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO-II
Elektron Digitakt II
Roland TR-8S Drum Machine
Akai MPC Live II Standalone Sampler/Sequencer
Native Instruments Maschine MKIII
Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field

Check out a full list of Reverb’s best-selling gear in 2025.
The post These are the best-selling synths, drum machines and controllers at Reverb in 2025 appeared first on MusicTech.

Ocean Swift releases Tyrian Tine, a FREE unstable chime engine for Kontakt Player
Ocean Swift has released Tyrian Tine, a free Kontakt Player instrument that blends metallic chimes, wavetable motion, and controlled instability into an expressive sound-design tool. I like how Tyrian Tine combines two very different layers: an intentionally unstable wavetable oscillator and a curated sample engine built from bells, kalimbas, music boxes, and other metallic percussive [...]
View post: Ocean Swift releases Tyrian Tine, a FREE unstable chime engine for Kontakt Player

FTC upholds ban on stalkerware founder Scott ZuckermanZuckerman, who used to run the stalkerware apps SpyFone and SpyTrac, claimed the ban is hurting his unrelated business.

EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert One-week exclusive IMAX (NYSE: IMAX) engagement on February 20, 2026;

Theaters everywhere on February 27th. 

NEON and Universal Pictures International announce the global theatrical release of acclaimed visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann’s (Elvis, The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge!) EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert with a one-week exclusive IMAX (NYSE: IMAX) engagement on February 20, 2026.

The release will allow audiences around the world to immerse themselves in a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience, hearing Elvis perform and tell his story like never before, with the unmatched power of IMAX. 

Following the one-week engagement, EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert will hit theaters everywhere on February 27th. 

In September 2025, the film critic Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised the documentary.

https://variety.com › film › reviews › epic-elvis...

From Sony Music Vision, Bazmark, and Authentic Studios, the film debuted to raves and a standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival, people even danced in the aisles.

EPiC features long-lost footage from Presley’s legendary Vegas residency in the 1970s, woven together with rare 16mm footage from Elvis on Tour and treasured 8mm film from the Graceland archive, along with rediscovered recordings of Elvis telling “his side of the story.”

EPiC marks Luhrmann’s second major project centered around Elvis Presley, following Elvis in 2022, which earnedeight Academy Award® nominations, won multiple BAFTA’s® and Golden Globes®, and grossed nearly $300 million worldwide. With EPiC, Luhrmann transforms unearthed archival material into an electrifying cinematic odyssey that captures Elvis at his best; raw, human, eccentrically humorous, intimate and electric.

The filmis produced by Sony Music Vision, Bazmark, and Authentic Studios.

My only personal location-dependent sighting of Elvis was on a Saturday afternoon during the summer of 1967. I was a teenager, in Dr. Morris Feldman’s Picwood Dental office in West Los Angeles near the MGM studio in Culver City. Presley arrived in a Rolls-Royce, flanked by two guys and immediately whisked into the dentist chair. Dr. Feldman mentioned Elvis broke a tooth during the filming of a movie called Speedway. 

I saw the December 1968 Elvis: The ‘68 Comeback Special on NBC-TV. Afterwards, my father and mother went to see one of Presley’s August 1969 shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas and gave an enthusiastic review.  

During 2008, I wrote the 5,000-word liner note essay for the 40th anniversary edition of Elvis: The ’68 Comeback Special released by Sony/Legacy Recordings.  In 2007, I was interviewed for MGM Home Entertainment’s deluxe DVD edition of Presley’s film, Jailhouse Rock.

On November 14, 1970 I took three buses from West Hollywood to Inglewood to see Elvis Presley’s debut at the Forum, his first concert in Southern California in 13 years. In 1968 I witnessed the Doors at the Forum, the Rolling Stones twice in 1969 at the same venue and now Elvis. It was a devoted beehive hairdo crowd like a casting call from another era. Thousands of cameras clicked and flashed when Elvis emerged on stage. Presley’s voice sounded terrific as I sat in the colonnade section.

Between 1972 and 1976, Grelun Landon, the beloved and well-respected head of public affairs at RCA Records in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. arranged for me to attend a handful of Elvis 1972-1976 concerts as a music journalist and briefly meet Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker. 

“I have a feeling in 10 years or sometime in the future you may still be writing about Elvis,” suggested the USC graduate.  

Around October of 1972, Grelun invited myself, Rodney Bingenheimer of GO! magazine, and Canadian music journalist and Hit Parader magazine contributor Larry LeBlanc to a screening of Elvis On Tour, which chronicled Presley’s ’72 US personal appearances and concerts. It was directed by Pierre Adidge and Robert Abel and released by MGM in November 1972. That same month I heard these filmmakers speak at an RCA Records college seminar.

“I was there at the MGM screening in Culver City,” LeBlanc emailed in September 2025.

“Grelun invited me and he introduced me to Parker. Huge theatre with maybe 35 of us with incredible sound and picture. I knew Rodney a bit and I said hello. Parker was at the concession stand handing out popcorn.”  

It was Grelun who had introduced me in 1974 to Vernon Presley at an Elvis concert in Anaheim. Vernon and guitarist James Burton could walk around the Convention Center during intermission and not be recognized. The crowd came to see Elvis but I came to check out his band, too.

In 1976 I interviewed Emmylou Harris in Studio City for Melody Maker before she did her first show at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. Glen D Hardin and James Burton were at her rehearsal. At the time I was driving a 1959 Cadillac with big fins. Burton’s ride was a new Cadillac El Dorado. James was delighted to chat about Elvis and the Shindig! television series. He was in the house band where I attended tapings at the ABC-TV studios on Prospect Ave.

In 1976 and 77 I reviewed two Elvis Presley concerts for Melody Maker. My 1977 article was headlined “The King Has Lost His Crown.” Presley was now forgetting lyrics and dropping the microphone in performance. This was a man who was sick and should have been off the road.  In my story I suggested hospitalization.

I didn’t think Grelun and perhaps Colonel Parker in 1977 had any real idea how ill and troubled Elvis was in the mid-seventies, although the well-kept secret in summer of 1977 was finally let out of the bag when Presley confident and bodyguard Red West published Elvis What Happened? His book based on intimate accounts of Elvis' former bodyguards detailed the singer’s medical condition and alleged drug-use.

Then, it slowly dawned on me, as 1977 unfolded, and the first wave of punk rock music and a number of original acts and unique singer/songwriters were emerging, that Elvis was basically a guy stuck doing cover versions, formulaic movies, and Las Vegas residencies, and wishing and hoping he could remedy his live act, even tour the world or really stretch out as an actor.

I was subsequently taken out to lunch at The Hollywood Ranch Market by a concerned Grelun Landon after my stories were published.

During 2007, I conducted an interview with Jerry Schilling, author with Chuck Crisafulli of the insightful book, Me and a Guy Named Elvis, published by Penguin/Gotham Books. Jerry was a longtime Presley insider and a trusted employee. 

“Something happens when Elvis got to be in front of a live audience. He decided to put a band together and do a month at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. I became involved in what was happening around him, even though I wasn’t working for him. RCA studio in Hollywood. Colonel Parker is never there for rehearsals or recordings.

“I watched a guy put a rock ‘n’ roll band together. That’s what he does. He started by picking James Burton. That’s where Elvis was a genius. That’s where he was the most underrated producer in musical history. Whether it be in the studio or putting the band together. Whether it was ‘I hear voices here,’ ‘play this line here.’ The guy was a great producer.

“The ’68 special inspired him but he was doing what he had not been able to do for years. He was doing his thing and he was doing it being able to choose the people he was able to do it with. Being able to choose what songs and not being told what has to be in the soundtrack. What he had to wear. He was out of prison, man.

“I remember being at Elvis’ house with a list that Joe, maybe Charlie Hodge a little bit, ‘here’s some of the musicians that people are suggesting.’ What do you think of this, this and this? Elvis pretty much picked and chose.  He knew who James Burton was. He knew who Ronnie (Tutt) was. Ronnie was the guy who did what DJ had come in and done. He could accentuate Elvis’ moves, but more importantly, when there were bigger name drummers in the audition, like Hal Blaine. I remember what Elvis told me and Joe. He would come over and we both thought he was gonna go for Hal Blaine. It was the obvious choice. And he said, ‘watch this guy’ (Ronnie). Elvis came over and he said, ‘I need one guy on stage that has my temperament. Ronnie Tutt. That’s why Ronnie Tutt has the job.’”

Paramahansa Yogananda, who was born Mukunda Lal Ghosh, (January 5, 1893-March 7, 1952), was an Indian Hindu monk, yogi and guru whose teachings of meditation and Kiya Yoga reached millions of people through his organization Self-Realization Fellowship. His teachings of yoga provided unity between Eastern and Western religions. During 1925 in Los Angeles, he established an international center for SRF.

Yogananda’s life story, Autobiography of a Yogi, was initially published in 1946, and expanded by him in subsequent editions. It’s been a perennial best seller having sold millions of copies, and translated into many languages.  George Harrison would give the book to friends and musical associates. 

In 1950, Yogananda held the first Self-Realization Fellowship World Convocation at the international headquarters in Los Angeles. He also dedicated the beautiful SRF Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, that has since become one of California's most prominent spiritual landmarks.

By the very late sixties, Elvis Presley was looking for a new spiritual and musical road map just before his memorable Elvis…’68 Comeback Special done at NBC studios. At this time Presley was now preparing for a life and a potential career renaissance.  Elvis, often with pals in town, or driving himself in Hollywood and Beverly Hills could on occasion be seen buying copies of the weekly underground newspaper The Los Angeles Free Press at the lip of the entrance to Laurel Canyon on Sunset Blvd. or with his entourage ordering food to go from Greenblatt’s Delicatessen. 

Elvis had visited Self-Realization Fellowship center on Sunset Blvd. near the Pacific Coast Highway in Southern California and devoured Autobiography of a Yogi from the movement’s founder, Paramahansa Yogananda. Presley and his wife Priscilla had a friendship with Daya Mata of the SRF retreat in the Mt. Washington area in East Hollywood.Sir Daya Mata, born Rachel Faye Wright, was President and spiritual head of SRF from 1955 to 2010.

In Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N’ Roll, by Priscilla, with contributions from Sandra Harmon, Priscilla mentioned her husband’s fascination with spirituality. Elvis made several trips to the Mount Washington retreat for sessions with Daya Mata hoping to attain the highest form of meditation.

“As Elvis’ fascination with occult and metaphysical phenomena intensified, [his friend and hairdresser] Larry [Geller] introduced him to the Self-Realization Fellowship Center on Mount Washington, where he met Daya Mata, the head of the center,” Priscilla wrote. “She epitomized everything he was striving to be.” According to Priscilla, “Mata resembled Elvis’ mother, Gladys Presley.” Elvis would call her “Ma.”

“Elvis was a seeker,” described Jerry Schilling. “He did go to the Bodhi Tree (spiritual book store in West Hollywood that opened in July, 1970). There was a part of our group that did not like that. I was in the minority with Larry Geller. Elvis was open to show a spiritual and vulnerable side. He was into that. What I loved about it was that through his spiritual quest I got to know the man even deeper. We would go to SRF in Pacific Palisades and Mt. Washington in East Hollywood many times.”

Baz Luhrmann directed, co-produced, and wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed biographical drama, Elvis (2022), with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner. Luhrmann emerged from the documentary world when he conceived and appeared in the television movie, Kids of the Cross (1983).

I did an interview with Baz in 2001 for Hits magazine (it was subsequently reprinted in 2014 for Baz Luhrmann Interviews, published by University of Mississippi Press, edited by Tim Ryan).

At the time, Luhrmann was promoting his theatrical feature, Moulin Rouge.

I asked him about the essential role of music soundtracks in films and documentaries.

“That’s why we’ve got audiences who clap and cheer at the songs in cinemas,” Luhrmann replied. “They are not cheering the projectionist. What they are doing is communing with everybody else in the room. Nothing is more powerful than that in doing music. If you can shackle music to story—I know it sounds dramatic, but if you can do that—you unleash an unstoppable force.”

During 2025, Luhrmann returned to the Elvis universe.

“We’ve found reels and reels of never-before-seen footage of Elvis on Tour [1972] and That’s the Way It Is [1970],” Luhrmann earlier posted on Instagram in October 2023. “Stay tuned.” He showed an accompanying video of a cardboard box with a Warner Bros. label that had “Elvis outtakes box” written on the side.

Luhrmann resurfaced in 2025 with his EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert documentary, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 5.

In his director’s statement provided to me by Sony Music Vision, Luhrmann detailed his latest Elvis endeavor.

“During the making of Elvis, we went on a search for rumored unseen footage from the iconic 1970s concert films Elvis: That’s the Way It Is and Elvis on Tour that had reportedly been lost. My initial thought was that, if we could find it, we may be able to restore the unused footage and use it in our Elvis feature, starring Austin Butler. I had researchers go into the Warner Bros. film vaults buried in underground salt mines in Kansas and, to the astonishment of all, we uncovered sixty-nine boxes (fifty nine hours) of film negative that hadn’t been seen.

“In addition to this, Angie Marchese (VP of Archives and Exhibits, and curator at Graceland) was able to unearth some never-before-seen Super8 from the Graceland Archives. It has taken over two years to restore the footage to a quality that it has never been projected at previously.

“Whilst some of the negatives had been printed and used in previous productions, there were many ‘never before seen’ shots, sequences and performances; so, if portions of these cuts were out in the public realm, they were generally poor-quality bootlegs. The team had to meticulously restore sound from the many unconventional sources that were also unearthed.

“Throughout this incredibly detailed process, one of the great finds has been unheard recordings of Elvis talking about his life and his music: from the 1970 Vegas show, on tour in 1972, and even precious moments of the 1957 ‘gold jacket’ performance in Hawaii. I knew we could not pass up this opportunity. It was these discoveries that gave the inspiration for the new film.

“What if, instead of reduxing the previous works, we made a film that wasn't a documentary and wasn't a concert film?

“What if Elvis came to you in a dreamscape, almost like a cinematic poem, and sang to you and told you his story in a way in which you haven’t experienced before? And what if we were able to work with the likes of Peter Jackson and the team at Park Road Post Production and other high-end technicians, and bring this original footage to a quality [that made it possible] to be seen on the big screen in a way in which it could not have been realized until now? What if we took both known recordings of Elvis telling you about his life and could reconstitute his own personal voice at a sonic level never before heard?

“Sonically, what if we could both reconstitute and remix the original orchestrations, but at the same time imagine what he might do with his classic musical works through a contemporary prism? And what if in a world where Artificial Intelligence can make all sorts of illusions, the illusions were made from authentic and original material and restored with meticulous human craft? We asked the what-ifs and answered them in what we presented at the Toronto International Film Festival.”

At the 2025 premiere, Luhrmann explained to the festival audience that his film about Presley’s residency at the International Hotel from 1969 to 1976 was “not a documentary, not a concert, but ‘a tone poem.’”

Elvis may have left the building, but we’re still watching.

(Harvey Kubernik is the author of 20 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon, 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972, 2015's Every Body Knows: Leonard Cohen, 2016's Heart of Gold Neil Young and 2017's 1967: A Complete Rock Music History of the Summer of Love. Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To The Last Waltz. In 2021 the duo wrote Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble. 

Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters. His Screen Gems: (Pop Music Documentaries and Rock ‘n’ Roll TV Scenes) is scheduled for early 2026 publication.     

Harvey Kubernik wrote the liner notes to CD re-releases of Carole King’s Tapestry, The Essential Carole King, Allen Ginsberg’s Kaddish, Elvis Presley The ’68 Comeback Special, The Ramones’ End of the Century and Big Brother & the Holding Company Captured Live at The Monterey International Pop Festival.

During 2006 Kubernik appeared at the special hearings by The Library of Congress in Hollywood, California, discussing archiving practices and audiotape preservation. In 2017 he lectured at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in their Distinguished Speakers Series. Amidst 2023, Harvey spoke at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles discussing director Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz music documentary.

Harvey is featured in The Sound of Protest documentaryairing on the Apple TVOD TV broadcasting service. https://tv.apple.com › us › movie › the-sound-of-protest. Writer/director Siobhan Logue’s film also spotlights Smokey Robinson, Hozier, Skin (Skunk Anansie), Two-Tone's Jerry Dammers, Angélique Kidjo, Holly Johnson, David McAlmont, Rhiannon Giddens, and more).The post EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert  first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

UltraRare RototomRototom is a very simple plugin that accurately emulates the percussion module of the same name produced by Lel during the Soviet era. Read More

Crypto, TradFi sentiment improves: Will Bitcoin traders clear shorts above $93K?Improving retail crypto and TradFi investor sentiment align with the recent uptick in Bitcoin price, but sell orders and short positions in the $93,000 range threaten to cap the rally.

One Lucky 3DS Gets A Switch-Style DockThe Nintendo Switch dock set a new bar for handheld docking user experience – just plug your console in to charge it, output image to your monitor, and keep it working with any USB peripherals of your choice. What if a 3DS is more your jam? [KOUZEX] shows off a Switch-style dock design for his gorgeous yellow 3DS, with Switch Pro controller support, and this dock wasn’t just a 3D printing job – there’s a fair bit of electronics to show, too.
While the 3DS looks stock at a glance, it has already been upgraded internally – there’s a USB-C capture card built in, half-ticking the “monitor output” requirement, and a Raspberry Pi board turns that output into HDMI. Building a charging dock is also pretty simple, with just two contacts on the side that desire 5V. Now, the pro controller support was a fair bit harder – requiring an internal modchip for emulating buttons, and trying out receiver boards for the Switch controller until a well-functioning one was found.
The build video is quite satisfying to watch, from assembling some QFNs onto tiny OSHPark boards using a hotplate and soldering them into the 3DS, to planning out, building, and dremeling some prints to create a true slide-console-into-dock experience, same way the Switch pulled it off. It even has the same USB-C and HDMI arrangement as the Switch dock, too! Want a simpler dock for your 3DS? Don’t forget that you can build a charger dock for yours with just a 3D print and a few wires.

The 23 biggest music business deals of 2025: From Taylor Swift to Tencent Music, Live Nation, and Chord.The biggest artist catalog related deal on this year's list is for the masters of Taylor Swift's first six albums, acquired by... Taylor Swift from Shamrock Capital
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12 Days of Soundtoys Each of the plug-ins will be available for just 48 hours, exclusively from the Soundtoys website, giving artists, producers and sound designers a selection of powerful new tools to shape and enhance their creativity.

NoiseAsh offers Backs EQ as a free download for a limited time
NoiseAsh offers Backs EQ as a limited-time free download for macOS and Windows. The EQ is normally priced at $90 but is currently available at no cost. Backs EQ combines Baxandall-style curves with a few modern twists. The main idea here, though, is that the workflow is straightforward enough that you could get around it [...]
View post: NoiseAsh offers Backs EQ as a free download for a limited time

Tame Impala isn’t worried about AI music: “I’m one of the people that doesn’t really give a s**t”Few conversations have dominated the music industry this year quite like artificial intelligence. Sure, the increasing prevalence of AI artists like the Velvet Sundown – powered by AI platforms like Suno – is a cause for concern, but should we really be that worried?
AI sceptics have voiced concerns over the increasing number of AI artists on streaming platforms like Spotify, and how they may be diminishing the reach of real human artists. There are also concerns over whether copyright laws are being bypassed by some of the biggest AI companies in order to train their models.
But not everyone is all that concerned. Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, for example, says he’s “not worried”.

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In its current state, AI is exceptionally good at creating music based on styles on which it is trained. But as Parker explains, raw, gritty, imperfect tracks are where humans will continue to excel.
“I do feel like the music that I hear is getting more and more perfect, and more pristine,” he tells The Hot Hits and Hit Network.
“Production’s getting better, computers are getting better. AI is the elephant in the room. So for me I just like making music that’s a bit dirty, a bit scungy. That’s kind of what I want to listen to. I’m not sure if it’s because of the looming possibility of this AI thing, I don’t know.” 
He concludes: “I’m one of the people who doesn’t really give a shit [about AI]. I’m not worried.”
It’s been a busy year for Kevin Parker, owing mostly to the hype surrounding Orchid, his brand Telepathic Instruments’ first synth. Following a sellout second drop in May, the synth eventually got its global release in September, and was the centrepiece of a popup store at this year’s ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event).
We were lucky enough to get our hands on Orchid in October, and not at all to our surprise, loved it so much we scored it a 9/10 in our review.
Learn more about Orchid at Telepathic Instruments.

The post Tame Impala isn’t worried about AI music: “I’m one of the people that doesn’t really give a s**t” appeared first on MusicTech.