UAD Luna 3.0: A major upgrade introducing Luna Play and new smart features
UAD has launched a major update to its award-winning DAW Luna (macOS and Windows). The update brings a slight name change, new workflows, and AI-powered smart features. Luna Pro becomes Luna Studio; Luna Free is still free, and UAD Spark subscribers now get more for their money. We’ll take a look at what’s new in [...]
View post: UAD Luna 3.0: A major upgrade introducing Luna Play and new smart features

Image-Line & Antares reveal AutoTune Go AutoTune Go is available via the free tier of FL Cloud, making the iconic AutoTune sound available directly in FL Studio.

What’s the relationship between pitch and frequency? A beginner’s guide for music producersMusic producers build complex arrangements using synthesizers, found sounds, acoustic instruments, and vocals, often layering them on top of each other. Sometimes, the result is almost perfect. Other times, unwanted resonances build up and ring out.
Mindlessly isolating each frequency in a parametric EQ plugin to find the one causing the issue can drive even experienced mixing engineers mad. But between the extremes of cacophony and a lifeless mix lies a happy middle — and the path to it runs through understanding the relationship between pitch and frequency.
What is pitch?
Pitch isn’t a concept only singers should worry about: it’s a perceptual tool all musicians use to label notes across all octaves.
Each musical note is assigned a specific pitch. For example, the note A above middle C is commonly referred to as A4.
On a piano, each key is a semitone (or half step) away from the next. On a guitar, frets guide the player in a similar way. But when it comes to singing or playing instruments like the violin, we rely on hearing and muscle memory to land on the intended pitch.
This is what makes some arranging and mixing tasks more complex than others. For an arrangement to sound harmonious, all layers must be in tune relative to one another.
For example, it’s typical for a symphony orchestra to tune to the oboe playing a steady A4, since it produces a clear, stable tone that’s easy to match. In electronic music, it’s the producer’s job to maintain that same level of tuning awareness in the instrumentation.
Pitch deviations
The best way to measure how far a monophonic sound deviates from the pitch centre is with a tuner or pitch correction tool.
In tuning plugins, each semitone is divided into 100 cents. For instance, if you see +11ct when you click on a pitch in a plugin like Melodyne, it means the note is 11 cents sharp. It’s a barely noticeable deviation, and lowering the value to 0ct would tune that pitch to perfection. But there are multiple scenarios in which perfect pitch doesn’t work.
In a jazz band, an upright bass may naturally drift around the pitch centre. A string quartet may sound harmonious together, but clash with the synth layers added later in a production.
Most sound sources consist of multiple frequencies, which is what gives them their distinct timbre or sonic character. So, when making tuning decisions, we subconsciously prioritise the fundamental frequency, which is often the loudest perceived pitch.
But there is one sound source that generates a single frequency with each note you play: the sine wave, which lives in most additive, FM, and modular synthesizers. In other words, a sine wave produces only one audible pitch.
Here’s how a sine wave compares to other sound sources playing the same pitch.

What is frequency?
Frequency in music refers to the rate of vibration of a sound wave, measured in Hertz (Hz), which determines the perceived pitch of an instrument or voice.
Pitch is useful for describing musical notes at various registers. Frequency, on the other hand, is a numerical measurement, closer to mathematics than musical language.
Some frequencies correspond to a semitone, while others fall somewhere in between. Luckily, there are parametric EQ plugins like FabFilter’s Pro-Q 4 that display not only each audible frequency, but also their relationship to the nearest semitone in cents. This makes pinpointing resonances that feel out of tune easier.
Still, knowing the basics of the formula can be useful. For instance, a sine wave at 440 Hz corresponds to A4. The same pitch, an octave higher, appears at 880 Hz, while A3 sits at 220 Hz.
It’s the combination of multiple frequencies at different amplitudes that gives each sound its distinct timbre.
Let’s put it to the test. Here, we have a vocal sample from my BandLab Sounds pack, SIRMA Presents Ethereal Pop Vocals: a single syllable sung in C4. First, you’ll hear how it compares to a sine wave playing the same pitch. Listen to what happens when we isolate the fundamental frequency in the vocal sample using the Brickwall setting, which is a steep filter, in Pro-Q 3.

All of a sudden, it’s nearly impossible to distinguish the vocal from the sine wave.
This is why it’s important to respect the frequency content that makes up the timbre of a sound while producing music. With parametric EQ plugins, it’s easy to reduce or remove specific frequencies. But doing so may strip a sound of its character.
Harmonics / Overtones
When a sound lacks sonic character, producers often turn to saturation or distortion to introduce harmonic excitement. These effects generate additional frequencies by reshaping the waveform, which are commonly referred to as harmonics or overtones.
In physics, a harmonic is an exact multiple of the fundamental frequency, whereas an overtone can be any frequency above it. But musicians generally use these terms interchangeably.
Although it’s impossible to predict every overtone without a spectrum analyser, you can expect to find a specific series of harmonics for each pitch. These harmonics appear at fixed ratios, though their amplitudes vary depending on the source and its timbre.
For practice, let’s revisit the same vocal sample singing C4.
The fundamental frequency, also known as the first harmonic, is C4 at approximately 261 Hz.
The second harmonic is C5 at approx. 523 Hz.
The third harmonic is G5 at approx. 785 Hz.
The fourth harmonic is C6 at approx. 1046 Hz.

Because each harmonic is a multiple of the fundamental frequency, its intervallic relationship establishes musicality within a single pitch. The less crowded the overtones are, the purer the perceived pitch becomes. Too many inharmonic or dense overtones result in what we perceive as noise.
Rethinking your EQ decisions
Now that you understand the relationship between pitch and frequency, you can make smarter EQ decisions.
For example, certain harmonics in melodic instruments may sound atonal relative to the key your arrangement is in, especially when they dominate the fundamental frequency. In these cases, you can shape the layers in the instrumentation with this interaction in mind, or use EQ to tame problematic resonances.
But it’s essential to keep the risk of going overboard in mind. If you solo a vocal take and focus too closely on individual overtones, you’re likely to do more harm than good. Take breaks and regularly check each layer in the context of the full mix.
And remember: every time you make a sharp EQ cut, you shift the balance, giving more prominence to surrounding frequencies. Bypass the EQ to observe the effects of your changes at each step to maintain objectivity and avoid ear fatigue.
The post What’s the relationship between pitch and frequency? A beginner’s guide for music producers appeared first on MusicTech.

Nopia is open now for pre-orders – and it might just give the Telepathic Orchid a run for its moneyNopia – the semi-modular MIDI chord generator and synthesizer that’s been teased since as far back as 2023 – is finally open for pre-orders.
First announced in May 2023 by Argentinian instrument designers Martin Grieco and Rocio Gal, Nopia has had niche synth nerds on the edge of their seat for literally years at this point. But the time has come for you to actually think about adding it to your gear collection…
Nopia revolves around the concept of tonal harmony, focusing on the relationship between chords, particularly the connection between the tonal centre (the home tone of the key) and the dominant (the fifth note in a key). The device features a single-octave chord builder keyboard with a 12-button “tonal selector”, allowing players to select a key centre and generate chords that follow the rules of tonal harmony.

READ MORE: LUNA 3.0: the next generation of Universal Audio’s flagship DAW has arrived – here’s everything that’s new

Nopia also features a multitimbral sound engine, which is a hybrid of sampled instruments and onboard virtual analogue synths. There’s also a five-step effects chain and multitouch strum plate for expressive gestures like strumming, chromatic movement and microtonal pitch bends.
After it was revealed to the world, Nopia quickly gained a huge amount of attention, garnering over seven million views on YouTube as of the time of writing.

Last we heard, Nopia was in the midst of an “exhaustive testing stage” back in December last year.
Now, after a hefty wait, Nopia is finally available to pre-order via Kickstarter. Early Bird deals are now sold through, and there’s one option available: Nopia MK1 – Kickstarter Standard, which lets you grab one for $699, a significant discount from its MSRP of $899. As of the time of writing, there’s only 50 units left, so you’ll have to act fast if you want to get your hands on one… So far, the project has received a whopping $1,412,000 of its mere $50,000 goal.
The creators say pre-orders will directly fund the first production batch of Nopia MK1, and orders are estimated to be fulfilled from May 2027. Those who pre-order will also receive exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at the manufacturing process, sound design sessions, and engineering updates as they become available.

“We’ve all heard music and felt something resonate inside us,” the Nopia Kickstarter page reads. “We didn’t have to understand the theory or the architecture behind it, we just felt it. Our ears already effortlessly know how to decode sounds into emotion.
“Nopia was born out of a single question: Can an instrument tap directly into this quiet miracle? Notes sounding together, and moving through time, build the language of harmony. Nopia is technology crafted to immerse you in that language in real-time.”
Learn more at Nopia.io, and secure your Nopia MK1 via the official Kickstarter page.
The post Nopia is open now for pre-orders – and it might just give the Telepathic Orchid a run for its money appeared first on MusicTech.

Arturia’s MiniFreak gets a free 5.0 update: here’s everything you need to knowA 5.0 update has landed for Arturia’s MiniFreak synth and MiniFreak V software.
The update brings three major upgrades, including the ability to bring your own material into MiniFreak – a highly-requested enhancement. Users can now import their own samples and wavetables and shape them with the Freak engines, in software and on hardware. The update is entirely free to all existing software and hardware users.

READ MORE: “When you challenge the norm, you’re always going to have pushback”: Audima Labs’ Sway controller is an indie innovation

To import your own samples, simply drop a file into the engine, or use the “Import” button. MiniFreak V then very kindly “handles the conversion and trimming”. You can also import mono wavetables from your favourite libraries, including Pigments, and “twist them on the fly” with the Wavetable engine.
The update also delivers the new Factory Bank v5.0, with “exclusive” sample and wavetable content across 23 new presets, and users also now have full management of user content on the hardware MiniFreak, directly from MiniFreak V; this includes transferring samples, removing them, and performing a factory reset.
Find out more in the video below:

In 2022, MusicTech reviewed the Arturia MiniFreak and scored it a 9/10. In the review, we said, “The MiniFreak is a small instrument whose unassuming exterior hides a behemoth of a synthesiser. It’s tough to believe the richness and character you can coax from such a compact, almost cute, instrument.
“Thanks to its cleverly conceived panel layout and performance controls that keep every parameter within reach, playing with the MiniFreak is never frustrating. Being able to connect this excellent control panel with virtual instances of the same hardware adds a deep layer of icing atop an already mouth-watering cake.”
In other Arturia news, the brand also released a new bass synthesiser last month. Pure SUB offers an array of new tools that maintain the “drop-defining” bass quality, and focus on weight, impact, and motion.
To find out more and access the free 5.0 update, visit Arturia.
The post Arturia’s MiniFreak gets a free 5.0 update: here’s everything you need to know appeared first on MusicTech.

This FREE Korg Prophecy emulator lets you sound like The Prodigy
Developer Joe Landers has released Profligacy, a free and open-source emulation of the Korg Prophecy synthesizer for macOS and Windows. This one is definitely rough around the edges, but it is worth your attention if you’re into classic 90s synth sounds. Profligacy emulates the original Prophecy hardware at a low level and runs the instrument’s [...]
View post: This FREE Korg Prophecy emulator lets you sound like The Prodigy

Soundins releases OmniPass, a FREE phase alignment filter
Soundins has released OmniPass, a free all-pass filter plugin for phase alignment and sound design on macOS and Windows. An all-pass filter is a slightly unusual tool. I mean, for starters, it sounds weird. A filter that passes everything through. What’s the point? Unlike a conventional EQ, it keeps the response flat, so it does [...]
View post: Soundins releases OmniPass, a FREE phase alignment filter

Modartt launch Airteq Rather than recreating specific instruments, Airteq instead provides users with a collection of virtual pipes, allowing them to create their own custom instruments that offer a mixture of acoustic and electronic qualities. 

Beat Magazine #249 includes FREE Synthesizer V Studio Core
Buy Beat Magazine #249 and get the Synthesizer V Studio Core plus a free gift from Plugin Boutique. Beat Magazine is a regular source of good articles, useful tips/guides, and excellent freebies. Technically, the magazine costs $6, but the content alone is worth that; the bundled software is the icing on the cake. One of [...]
View post: Beat Magazine #249 includes FREE Synthesizer V Studio Core

LUNA 3.0: the next generation of Universal Audio’s flagship DAW has arrived – here’s everything that’s newLess than a year after the unveiling of LUNA 2.0, Universal Audio has launched the next sweeping update to its flagship DAW. Meet LUNA 3.0…
Touted as a “landmark update” designed to make recording and music production “more intuitive”, LUNA 3.0 introduces a raft of new creative tools, including a faster and simpler way to record new ideas, stem separation, audio-to-MIDI, Moises-powered chord extraction, and more.

READ MORE: AutoTune is now available in FL Studio – even to free users

Launched in 2020, LUNA is now in its seventh year, and is continuously expanding to meet the needs of modern producers. Let’s take a closer look at everything that’s new in the 3.0 update.
LUNA 3.0 – what’s new for free users?

Headlining the new features in LUNA 3.0 is LUNA Play, a new way to record musical ideas on the fly. Universal Audio describes it as “like a voice memo app designed just for making music”, with automatic level setting and UAD plugin presets built right in.
LUNA 3.0 also comes with a number of workflow improvements, including the ability to organise your tracks and route audio to folders, an adaptive grid which adapts to zoom level for streamlined editing, Click Track Automation for “complete control over the metronome”, and the ability to record mono audio sources on stereo channels without the need for additional routing.
There’s also the introduction of Chord, Key and Time Signature rulers, giving you a better understanding of the musical structure of your session.
LUNA 3.0 also introduces four-track stem separation, giving producers the ability to separate stereo mixes into four individual stems for editing, remixing and/or creative sampling. Strip Silence is now available, too, offering the ability to remove silent sections of an audio clip – great for tidying up unwanted noise in a track, or for podcast editing, for example.
There’s also now a Piano Roll, offering “full control” over MIDI via new tools and scale-aware editing.
LUNA 3.0 Studio – everything in LUNA Free, but MORE
Credit: Universal Audio
Priced at a one-time purchase of $199, LUNA Studio is UA’s fully equipped DAW, building upon everything in LUNA Free with extra UAD plugins, LUNA Extensions, and a range of smart tools, including stem separation, lyric transcription, chord extraction and more.
Where the free version of LUNA 3.0 offers four-track stem separation, the paid LUNA Studio ups this to six tracks.
There’s also Audio-to-MIDI, offering the ability to transform audio clips into MIDI to layer virtual instruments and build new parts. In addition, there’s also Lyric Transcription, which automatically transcribes vocals into a time-aligned lyric browser, and Chord Extraction, which detects chords from audio and maps them onto LUNA’s Chord Track.
The third version of LUNA Studio also introduces Celemony Tonalic Elements, Dreamtonics Synthsizer V 2 Core, and Topline Vocal Tune.
UAD Spark Studio – a new way to save while accessing Universal Audio’s entire creative environment
Credit: Universal Audio
Coinciding with the LUNA 3.0 launch, Universal Audio has introduced UAD Spark Studio, a subscription which includes access to LUNA Studio, as well as a complete native UAD plugin and virtual instrument library. This includes an expanding collection of 70 native UAD plugins, with offerings from Neve, Ampex, Lexicon and more, alongside virtual instruments like Minimoog, PolyMAX and Electra 88.
What is Universal Audio saying about the new LUNA 3.0 update? 
“Great songs start with an idea,” says Bill Putnam Jr., CEO of Universal Audio. “And we’ve all been there… when you hear something in your head, hit record, and suddenly the inspiration’s gone or the tech gets in the way. This new era for LUNA makes it easier than ever to capture those ideas and follow them wherever they take you.”
On the new UAD Spark Studio subscription, Putnam Jr. adds: “UAD Spark Studio brings the whole studio together in one place. LUNA, UAD plugins, instruments – it’s all there, so you can spend less time setting things up and more time making music.”
Pricing & availability
A free version of LUNA 3.0 is available, with all of the features mentioned above. The fully equipped LUNA Studio is priced at $199 for a one-time purchase, while a subscription to UAD Spark Studio costs $149 per year upfront, or for $19.99 per month.
Learn more about LUNA 3.0 at Universal Audio.
The post LUNA 3.0: the next generation of Universal Audio’s flagship DAW has arrived – here’s everything that’s new appeared first on MusicTech.

Is the £225 Omnitronic PM-404F the best four-channel DJ mixer on the market?£225 (street price)
Whether you’re looking to layer techno tools, double up on double drops, or just want to keep all of your decks plugged in at once, sometimes a two-channel DJ mixer won’t cut it. But stepping up to four channels can be an expensive prospect.

READ MORE: AlphaTheta XDJ-AN review: Hate physical controls? You’ll love this!

Enter the Omnitronic PM-404F. The German brand has made a name for itself with its TRM series of affordable rotary and fader mixers. With the PM-404F, Omnitronic seeks to continue its success with a compact four-channel mixer, at a much lower price than its major competitors.
At just £225, the PM-404F is one of the most affordable four-channel DJ mixers on the market. The PM-404F offers two phono/line channels, two line/line channels, per-channel filters, an independent mic channel, and Bluetooth capability.
For comparison, AlphaTheta’s cheapest four-channel mixer is the Pioneer DJ DJM-750mk2, which retails at a cool £1,099, while analogue enthusiasts can get the Allen & Heath Xone 43 for around £590. But Omnitronic isn’t just competing with the big brands — the PM-404F is sure to draw comparisons to its predecessors and other budget four-channel options. I took it into the booth to find out more.
Image: Press
Design and I/O
In typical German design fashion, the Omnitronic PM-404F is sleek, stylish, and dressed in all-black. It’s a remarkably compact unit and is only 12 per cent larger than the Pioneer DJ DJM-250mk2 two-channel mixer.
At 2.85 kg, the PM-404F is fairly lightweight, despite its properly tanky metal chassis. The fader caps and chic paddle switches are its only obviously plastic components, but the fader stems themselves are metal and feel pretty sturdy. The removable crossfader is also simply superb for the price – it’s no Innofader, but has an adjustable curve, reverse switch, and tiny cut-in distance.
Omnitronic has been efficient with the front panel, which is busy but not crowded. The four channels take up the middle, each with a source switch, volume meter, gain, EQ and filter knobs, and fader. To the left are the mic, headphone, and crossfader controls, while the right side has the Bluetooth pairing button, master volume meter, and independent volume controls for the master, booth, and record outputs.
I’m less of a fan of the cue buttons, which are made of a tacky rubber and wobble around their central point of contact.
Omnitronic scores another huge win with the PM-404F’s input and output roster. Users should have no trouble getting connected at home or in the booth, as the mixer offers master and booth output via balanced XLR and RCA (though 6.3mm jacks, the standard for booth outputs, are missing). The front panel has 6.3mm and 3.5mm headphone jacks and an XLR dynamic mic input.
For your main inputs, there are two line/phono channels and two channels with alternating line inputs. All four channels have the option to use the built-in Bluetooth receiver as a source — a win for everyday home listening and DJs that deal with a lot of requests.
Image: Press
Sound quality, EQ, and filters
PM-404F’s line inputs are phenomenally loud. With the master volume and my studio monitors both set to 12 o’clock, the PM-404F is louder than any mixer or controller I’ve ever used. Disappointingly, the two phono inputs are both rather quiet and are attached to channels one and two — meaning you’re stuck on the two leftmost channels if you want to mix on wax.
I also test the PM-404F on the main sound system at a South London nightclub, AAJA. Here, the mixer really surprises me. Its impressive line-level volume and headroom pay off on a properly loud system, and the additional power gives the mixer’s aggressive EQ more breathing room (more on that in a moment). Its sound profile is a bit flat, but tracks sum well enough, and while the low-end doesn’t have half as much attack as more expensive mixers, I can see the PM-404F being a solid pick for use at smaller venues.
The PM-404F has a two-band EQ, the same as Omnitronic’s rotary TRM-202, but without its cousin’s three-band isolator, meaning frequency sculpting is much less flexible.
The low EQ is one of the greediest I’ve ever used on a DJ mixer, eating up all of the bass and a fair bit of the mid-range at full reduction. I am a fan of the high EQ, though, which gives nice shine to percussion or older records.
A two-band EQ isn’t the end of the world, but the PM-404F is a budget mixer that will be bought by those looking to get comfortable with club-style workflows. Omnitronic’s previous four-channel fader mixer, the PM-422P, had three-band EQ but no filter, which I ultimately think is the better setup for beginners. With that said, the PM-404F’s per-channel, bipolar filters are a big plus at this price point; they’re more of an effect than a sculpting tool, with a fixed resonance that adds a noticeable boost, but can still be used for subtler blending.
Image: Jamie Richards
Who is the PM-404F for?
If all you care about is getting four channels as cheaply as possible, the Omnitronic PM-404F could be the DJ mixer for you—but I reckon most people who care enough about DJing to need four channels will also care about what the rest of the mixer can offer. And while the PM-404F is a solid purchase in some regards, and holds its own sound-wise, limited EQ and weak phono preamps leave me confused about this mixer’s place in the market.
The previous generation PM-422P is, to my eye, a better option for complete beginners thanks to its more versatile EQ. Behringer’s DJX900USB comes in even cheaper at under £200 and has a suite of sound effects, though online commenters complain about its build and sound. Those willing to spend a little more can get per-channel filters and three-band EQ with the Reloop RMX44BT, which can be had for around £270.
Still, if your only concern is the number of channels on offer, then fantastic I/O, surprisingly good sound quality, per-channel filters, and a handy Bluetooth feature make the PM-404F a solid value buy.
Image: Jamie Richards
Key features

4-channel DJ mixer
6 line inputs
2 phono inputs
Bluetooth receiver
XLR Mic input
Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA stereo master and booth outputs
Unbalanced RCA stereo record outputs
6.3mm and 3.5mm headphone outputs
Crossfader with adjustable curve and reverse switch
2-band per-channel EQ
Per-channel bipolar filters with fixed resonance
All-metal chassis
Dimensions: 240 x 110 x 338 mm
Weight: 2.85 kg

The post Is the £225 Omnitronic PM-404F the best four-channel DJ mixer on the market? appeared first on MusicTech.

The Story Behind Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song": How a Trip to Iceland Inspired a Rock ClassLed Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" was born from a guitar riff and a surprising Iceland trip. Here's the story behind the band's Viking anthem.

The AI data center boom is colliding with cities scarred by big industry National outcry against data center construction has spread to Philadelphia, where officials suggested possible construction in a neighborhood already impacted by a now-defunct oil refinery.

Roc Nation Wants a Music Publishing InternRoc Nation is looking for an intern to join the music publishing team for the Fall 2026 semester. This position offers an opportunity to learn about the creation, management, and monetization of songs and the creatives behind them. You will work in an office setting in Los Angeles for up to 30 hours per week.

What you'll do: Handle song registration and file organization; Coordinate songwriter sessions and manage associated travel budgets; Research new talent and prepare weekly reports for the department; Assist with publishing company organization and meeting preparation; Build relationships with other internal departments and the publishing administrator.

Apply via interninsider.me.The post Roc Nation Wants a Music Publishing Intern first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

BIS paper finds major gap in Bitcoin onchain transfer estimatesA BIS study found widely used crypto metrics can obscure economic activity, with measurement challenges spanning Bitcoin, Ethereum and stablecoins.