Steinberg launch Cubasis 3.7 & Iconica Sketch for iOS The latest update to Steinberg’s mobile/tablet DAW App has arrived, introducing improved support for tempo and time signature changes alongside a range of new built-in sounds.

“I haven’t met anyone who heard the hardware equivalent of a plugin and didn’t wonder what they’ve been missing” Chris SD on the power of analogueChris SD knows what an effective studio setup entails. After working on albums for the likes of Bryan Adams and Kris Kristofferson, before being recruited as the in-house producer for roots rock band Blue Rodeo, the award-winning Canadian producer gives us insight into the gear that has shaped his career and has developed his talents as an engineer.

READ MORE: CHLOÉ: “Every piece of gear, every collaboration, and every mistake is an opportunity”

Chris now resides in the United States, as the founder of the online studio, Sundown Sessions Studio. His team provides virtual recording, mixing and mastering for artists all across the world, removing many of the geographical barriers that exist for musicians. Adding yet another string to his bow, he is also the founder of sync studio Sync Songwriter, where he assists songwriters with placing their music in TV and film.
The multi-talented producer sits down with MusicTech to digest all of the expertise he has collected over his nearly three decades in the industry, and how it has shaped him in the studio.
Image: Press
What were the soundtracks that made you want to start producing music for film and TV?
There have been so many, but the formative ones were the Spaghetti Western soundtracks by Ennio Morricone, and the work of John M. Keane on the original CSI show.
As a sync producer, you often have to work towards specific briefs in a genre you might not be familiar with. How do you approach new styles, especially on tight deadlines?
We experiment and work with a lot of different styles, but we don’t stray too far from what we’re comfortable with and tend to stick with what we do well. I don’t want to try and compete in outside genres that others do every day. I’m a big believer in finding your lane, and getting better at the things that inspire you.
Tell us a bit about your studio.
I spend time between my home in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains and my sailboat in Southern California, so the studio is pretty much virtual these days. I have a fantastic co-producer and mix engineer who have their own setups.
A lot of the work we do comes from songwriters and instrumentalists from around the world that I meet through my organization, Sync Songwriter. We produce a lot of their music for TV & film and then I introduce them directly to music supervisors for shows, movies, and ads through my program, ‘The Art of the Song Pitch’.
Image: Press
What’s your latest gear or plugin purchase?
My latest purchase was the dynamic resonance suppressor, Oeksound Soothe2. It can sometimes be a bit over the top and easy to overdo on things like vocals, but it works really well on drum overheads and other cymbals to tame harshness and weird resonances. It helps the presence and clarity while reducing weird overtones. It’s definitely worth the purchase for the amount of time it saves over fiddling with an EQ to solve a weird problem!
What’s the best free plugin you own?
The Kilohearts Transient Shaper gets used on pretty much every kick and snare track. It does an incredible job at adding snap and attack and reducing boomy tails on drums.
Goodhertz Tupe and Kilohearts Transient Shaper
What’s been the biggest investment in your career/studio?
The biggest investment has been the analogue pieces that have become the muse of our digital creations. We’re all used to hearing sounds straight out of DAWs, but when you can burn some electricity into those signals, it increases the vocabulary of the track. I haven’t yet met anyone who has heard the hardware equivalent of a plugin they love and didn’t wonder what they’ve been missing.
That said, we’re digiheads like most and there are a lot of things you can do in a binary world that you can’t with sine waves — but brisket always tastes better out of a smoker than an oven, if that makes sense. My smokers are some Neve strips, TAB V72S, Sta-Level, Lisson Grove R-124 and a tape echo.
You have a vast discography. Is there a production or writing technique that can be found across all of your works?
Keeping strong ‘organic’ elements is definitely a theme across the discography. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dance track or a cinematic pop song; having some ‘real’ touches like guitar, acoustic drums, and/or piano can really elevate songs beyond a niche.
Has there been a specific piece of gear or a plugin that has shaped your work as a composer?
The Vox AC30 has been a regular go-to amp for a long time and has been an inspiring sound for years. Something about that tone makes it incredibly easy to sit down and just play and create. It doesn’t matter which guitar or pedals you throw in front of it, turning it on with all the knobs at noon is enough to get something great happening.
How do you see your sound and studio evolving in the next two years?
I’m always really interested in exploring new technology. As plugins become more advanced, new sound design possibilities open up for me. The idea of new gear/plugins allowing me to discover and create brand-new sounds is definitely exciting.
Image: Press
Do you have a dream piece of gear?
The Yamaha CS-60 is definitely up there. The CS-60 has been used a lot by LCD Soundsystem and has an incredibly wacky character that I don’t think plugins have really captured yet.
What’s a music production myth you think needs debunking?
That all you need is a great song. I believe that a great song AND great production go hand in hand. Subpar songs with really cool production can make it. Great songs with subpar production can make it, but the biggest successes happen when both meet at the top.
 
Who gave you the biggest lesson in your career?
When I had just started my first band, I went to a music conference to try and network with some industry folks. As I was walking into the venue, one of the keynote speakers happened to be walking out. It was Malcolm McLaren, the ex-manager of the Sex Pistols. I seized my moment and in passing quickly asked him if he had any advice for a band just starting out.
He looked me up and down, grabbed the conference lanyard around my neck, threw it on the ground and said: “Don’t come to them, go home and write great songs and make them come to you.”
I have kept that advice close to almost everything I do.
Read more music producer interviews. 
The post “I haven’t met anyone who heard the hardware equivalent of a plugin and didn’t wonder what they’ve been missing” Chris SD on the power of analogue appeared first on MusicTech.

This is the best DJ gear of 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewersThe DJ world offers just as much variety as the studio when it comes to controllers large and small, simple or advanced. While there’s still a wealth of big hardware systems for those playing packed-out sets in clubs, performing on a smaller scale has got easier than ever too.

READ MORE: These are the best new plugins of 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewers

This year, compact controllers from companies like Native Instruments and the explosion of stem separation tools in software for remixing have made possible performances that were previously near-impossible, using just a laptop. Those looking to record their sets got some love too with the release of the ultimate ‘DAW for DJs’. We loved the breadth of DJ gear released in 2024, and the ease with which you can get into that world – and hone your skills to take things to new heights.
If you’re itching to try your hand, read on…
AlphaTheta Euphonia
AlphaTheta Euphonia. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
AlphaTheta is the new name for Pioneer DJ. And the company rebranded with a bang. Euphonia is the company’s first digital analogue hybrid DJ mixer, designed with custom-made transformers from the legendary Rupert Neve Designs. At $3,800 it’s a serious investment but when we got to have a hands-on trial with it we were seriously impressed, finding ourselves “desperately reluctant to hand the mixer back… it’s deeply fun to use and really does have a unique character of being vintage yet modern.”
Although its specialised design means it likely won’t become an industry-standard club mixer, we identified a growing hunger in smaller venues and hi-fi bars like London’s Spiritland for better quality sound, a space in which boutique manufacturers can flourish. And the Euphonia with its superb fidelity and build looks set to find many fans there.
Read our full interview with the AlphaTheta team on Euphonia here.
AlphaTheta OMNIS-DUO
Image: AlphaTheta
In a crowded field, AlphaTheta’s OMNIS-DUO stands out not just because of its striking blue finish but also its compact size. It’s a little heavier than some at 5kg but then it does also include an onboard battery, audio interface and touchscreen. It can power over USB-C and stream music from a USB-A drive or SD card or wirelessly from rekordbox over wi-fi. One interesting feature is its ability to ‘stream’ from a Bluetooth device, caching audio live from a Bluetooth source into a deck in real-time, with the waveform being built before your eyes. It can also record mixes internally.
We loved its overall feel and performance, noting “it sounds excellent and it’s exceptionally fun. The battery might seem like an afterthought to most users, but you’ll find yourself going cable-free more often than not.” And if you’re a rekordbox user, “the OMNIS-DUO is just effortless to use. It’s not cheap, at all, but don’t let the monotone blue fool you – this is a pro unit”.
Read our full review of the Omnis Duo here.
Native Instruments Traktor Z1 MK2
Native Instruments Traktor Z1 MK2. Image: Native Instruments
Native Instruments has always been able to seamlessly integrate its DJ products thanks to building both the software and the hardware elements itself. The Traktor Z1 is among its most compact DJ controllers and comes bundled with the latest Traktor Pro 4 software with its hyper-creative new stem separation tools developed by iZotope.
Connecting to your computer and powering over a single USB-C cable, it also provides monitoring via headphones as well as live EQ and Stem controls, advanced displays and of course mix faders and a crossfader. Being so portable and self-contained, we are big fans of the way it lets you turn up anywhere and DJ with excellent control of playback and FX – there’s even a light-based system on the base for visual feedback about tempos and looping. At just £214 including the software it’s quite the bargain.
Learn more about the Native Instruments Traktor Z1 MK2 here.
DJ Studio
DJ Studio. Image: MusicTech
There are surprisingly few efficient ways to record or prepare a live DJ mix or radio show ahead of time, or edit one afterwards, with many apps requiring you to more or less perform the set and simply record it in real-time. DJ Studio bills itself as the first DAW for DJs, providing a linear-style interface but also specialised features like AI-powered auto-mixing from rekordbox and other libraries, and direct search of YouTube to create legal, full mixes together with video.
In our review we praised the way the app “is constantly evolving and driven by passionate, skilful people. We’re confident that this will evolve into an industry-standard tool for DJs and radio show hosts and will become an entry point for music obsessives wanting to explore making their own mixes”. Among other killer features, it’s able to export your mixes as editable Ableton Live projects, in case you want to go even more in-depth.
Read our full review of DJ Studio here.
Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4
Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4. Image: Press
Traktor has been around for almost a quarter of a century but only just reached its fourth major revision, give or take the odd tweak to the branding. Pairing with NI’s diverse range of hardware controllers it remains one of the most user-friendly DJ suites on the market, its system of beat analysis and matching generally all happening automatically and making your DJ life much easier.
Version 4 brought an amazing new development, and something that 2024 saw popping up in other apps and DAWs too – stem separation, powered in this instance by iZotope. We were blown away by its simplicity – with a couple of clicks you can separate out drums, bass, instruments and vocals and then load each one into a special stem deck, deconstructing and reconstructing tracks live, on the fly. There are four decks available, extensive effects and cool new features like the Pattern Player and Ozone Maximizer. It’s probably the easiest and most fun way to perform as a pro DJ.
Read our full review of Native Instruments’ Traktor Pro 4 here.
AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ

DJ’ing needn’t be difficult to get into, and we were impressed by AlphaTheta’s efforts to bring decks to the masses with its highly affordable, ultra-portable XDJ-AZ unit. Powering over USB-C is possible – something that’s appearing in many moderately sized controllers and means fewer cables to carry around.
The killer feature here is the unit’s ability to integrate easily with streaming services like Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music as well as more pro services like rekordbox, Djay and Serato. So you don’t have to download tons of stuff – just connect over USB or Bluetooth and away you go. At £159 we believe it to be quite the bargain and its wide compatibility means everyone should be able to get spinning those virtual discs.
Learn more about the AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ at alphatheta.com. 
AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ wireless headphones
AIAIAI TMA-2 wireless headphones. Image: AIAIAI
AIAIAI continues to plough its own furrow, producing high-end pro audio and DJ gear with a focus on portability. The TMA-2s are wireless DJ headphones with a twist – a hardware dongle plugs into your computer and wirelessly streams latency-free, hi res sound, removing the delay issues that usually prevent wireless cans being much use for live performance. Of course you can use regular Bluetooth too for when you’re just listening on the move.
Coming in 2025, the headphones use 40mm bio-cellulose diaphragms tuned to perform in noisy clubs, and 25 hours of battery life for those all-night sets. Custom EQ and settings are available via an app, and we’re really excited to put these through their paces as soon as they become available.
Read more about the AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ wireless headphones at aiaiai.audio.
AlphaTheta HDJ-F10 wireless headphones
AlphaTheta HDJ-F10 wireless headphones. Image: AlphaTheta
Also staking their claim in the wireless DJ headphone world is AlphaTheta, which has created a new flagship model that is also able to switch between regular Bluetooth operation with all the noise cancelling and features you’d expect, and a hi-res, virtually zero latency mode. This it also does using a special wireless adapter though in this case you will need to buy the transmitter separately – an extra $129 on top of the $389 for the cans, or $499 if both bought together.
They’re certainly tough, having passed US military standard shock testing (for those very energetic sets) and will give you up to 9 hours of SonicLink hi-res playback or 30 hours of regular Bluetooth. This is a relatively new product category and while the price of entry is currently higher than it is for wired models, expect to see this come down over time, and the transmitters get a bit more compact too.
Read more about the AlphaTheta HDJ-F10 here.
The post This is the best DJ gear of 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewers appeared first on MusicTech.

Can The Music Industry Be a Safe Place?This week, Ari is joined by Katie Tucker, Founder of Sharp Edges Records, to discuss advocacy and inclusion in the music industry.

Arturia release Tape J-37 Tape J-37 recreates the sound of Studer’s much-admired J37, an all-valve four-track machine that helped to define the sound of the 50s, 60s and 70s.

The DOJ wants a Perplexity executive to testify in its Google antitrust caseThe US government is calling on a Perplexity executive to help make its case that Google is a monopolist.
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Bitcoin ETFs flip gold funds in AUM: K33 ResearchOn Dec. 16, US spot and derivative Bitcoin ETFs collectively broke $129 billion in net assets, surpassing gold ETFs for the first time.

IK Multimedia offers 3 FREE Vintage AmpliTube 5 CS Effects
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, and you know what that means: Three more free AmpliTube 5 CS gear giveaways to close out the year! For December, IK Multimedia is giving away the Leslie 122A amp and matching cab, Chorus-1 stomp (based on the Boss CE-1), and Phazer 10 stomp (based on the [...]
View post: IK Multimedia offers 3 FREE Vintage AmpliTube 5 CS Effects

YouTube partners with Creative Artists Agency on AI deepfake recognition tools“CAA’s clients’ direct experience with digital replicas... will be critical in shaping a tool that responsibly empowers and protects creators"
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A Compass That Looks to the StarsAlthough a lot of tools have been digitized and consolidated into our smartphones, from cameras, music players, calendars, alarm clocks, flashlights, and of course phones, perhaps none are as useful as the GPS and navigational capabilities. The major weakness here, though, is that this is a single point of failure. If there’s no cell service, if the battery dies, or you find yourself flying a bomber during World War II then you’re going to need another way to navigate, possibly using something like this Astro Compass.
The compass, as its name implies, also doesn’t rely on using the Earth’s magnetic field since that would have been difficult or impossible inside of an airplane. Instead, it can use various celestial bodies to get a heading. But it’s not quite as simple as pointing it at a star and heading off into the wild blue yonder. First you’ll need to know the current time and date and look those up in a companion chart. The chart lists the global hour angle and the declination for a number of celestial bodies which can be put into the compass. From there the latitude is set and the local hour angle is calculated and set, and then the compass is rotated until the object is sighted. After all of that effort, a compass heading will be shown.
For all its complexity, a tool like this can be indispensable in situations where modern technology fails. While it does rely on precise tabulated astrometric data to be on hand, as long as that’s available it’s almost failsafe, especially compared to a modern smartphone. Of course, you’ll also need a fairly accurate way of timekeeping which can be difficult in some situations.

4 observations on… Downtown’s agreed $775 million sale to Universal Music Group/Virgin Music GroupIt's one of the year's biggest deals – and it's come right at the final whistle of the year. We dig deeper into the details.
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Why NASA Only Needs Pi To So Many Decimal PlacesIf you’re new to the world of circular math, you might be content with referring to pi as 3.14. If you’re getting a little more busy with geometry, science, or engineering, you might have tacked on a few extra decimal places in your usual calculations. But what about the big dogs? How many decimal places do NASA use?
NASA doesn’t need this many digits. It’s likely you don’t either. Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Thankfully, the US space agency has been kind enough to answer that question. For the highest precision calculations, which are used for interplanetary navigation, NASA uses 3.141592653589793 — that’s fifteen decimal places.
The reason why is quite simple, going into any greater precision is unnecessary. The article demonstrates this by calculating the circumference of a circle with a radius equal to the distance between Earth and our most distant spacecraft, Voyager 1. Using the formula C=2pir with fifteen decimal places of pi, you’d only be off on the true circumference of the circle by a centimeter or so. On solar scales, there’s no need to go further.
Ultimately, though, you can calculate pi to a much greater precision. We’ve seen it done to 10 trillion digits, an effort which flirts with the latest Marvel movies for the title of pure irrelevance. If you’ve done it better or faster, don’t hesitate to let us know!

Discover an exclusive documentary on Tape J-37Arturia just unveiled Tape J-37: a detailed recreation of the iconic Studer J37 tape recorder. Perfect for subtle tape coloration or rich harmonic distortion, Tape J-37 brings tube-driven depth and character to any mix with unmatched accuracy.Discover the story behind this legendary machine, featuring artists Howie B, Craig Bauer, Steve Baughman, Poussin Kechit, and Clément Bastiat.Explore the world of legendary sound with Howie B, Craig Bauer, Steve Baughman, Poussin Kechit, and Clément Bastiat in our feature documentary.They share personal insights into the rich history and iconic sound of the Studer J37, revealing how the Tape J-37 faithfully brings this legendary tape recorder to life with stunning detail and cutting-edge neural-based modeling.

The post Discover an exclusive documentary on Tape J-37 first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

UK government considering allowing tech companies to train AI on copyrighted contentThe UK government is considering whether tech companies should be allowed to train AI on copyrighted content. Campaigners keen to protect creatives’ and artists’ rights have expressed their opposition.
TechUK welcomed the discussion, proposing that tech firms should be exempt from copyright laws when training AI. If accepted, the proposal will allow Google, OpenAI and more to bypass current copyright laws. However, creatives will supposedly be allowed to “reserve their rights” and “opt-out” of AI training.

READ MORE: “Human-created works must be respected”: 50 major music tech brands sign Principles for Music Creation with AI

MP Chris Bryant insists it will be a “win win” for both creatives and tech firms. “This is about giving greater control in a difficult and complex set of circumstances to creators and rights holders,” Bryant tells The Guardian. “We intend it to lead to more licensing of content, which is potentially a new revenue stream for creators.”
Despite Bryant’s positive outlook, the nature of AI training is already murky. Back in January, OpenAI told The Telegraph that it ‘complies’ with copyright laws – but it noted that “legally, copyright law does not forbid training.”
Furthermore, when the BBC blocked ChatGPT from using its content for training, OpenAI said that it would be “impossible to train today’s leading AI models without using copyrighted materials.”
“Limiting training data to public domain books and drawings created more than a century ago might yield an interesting experiment,” the company explained in The Telegraph. “But it would not provide AI systems that meet the needs of today’s citizens.”
Creatives’ rights campaigner Beeban Kidron says she is “very disappointed” with the proposal. “The government is consulting on giving away the creativity and livelihoods of the UK creative sector,” she adds.
The news comes as British composer Ed Newton-Rex’s anti-AI statement has garnered over 37,000 signatures. Backed by Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, Kate Bush, The Smith’s Robert Smith and more, the Statement On AI Training asserts that “the unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.”
Paul McCartney also spoke out against AI just last week. The Beatles legend labelled the “mass copyright theft” of companies as a “very sad thing indeed.”
“We[’ve] got to be careful about it because it could just take over,” he reflects [as reported by The Guardian]. “We don’t want that to happen, particularly for the young composers and writers… If AI wipes that out, that would be a very sad thing indeed.”
The post UK government considering allowing tech companies to train AI on copyrighted content appeared first on MusicTech.

Behringer’s channels the classic LinnDrum drum machine with the new LM drumBehringer‘s got a new drum machine on the market, the LM Drum – and it channels the classic LinnDrum drum machine.

READ MORE: “No other company delivers as many innovative and affordable products as we do”: Behringer hits back at “vapourware” critics following NAMM 2025 announcement

While it is designed with a nostalgic feel in mind, it’s not strictly a replica of the instruments of four decades ago. Instead, it’s designed to deliver vintage sounds with modern sensibilities.
The LM Drum features an authentic 8/12-bit sampling sound engine that is preset with 100 80s drum sounds. Users can even record and store their own samples using the integrated line input.

It also boasts analog circuitry, including original 3320 VCF and 2164 VCA, 16-voice architecture and independent level and pan controls for each voice.
Furthermore, LM DRUM features a 64-step drum sequencer that supports poly-meter, step-repeat, note-repeat, real-time triggering, track-mute and track-solo. You can create intricate patterns and grooves with the 16 velocity-sensitive drum pads and there’s also an encoder to edit parameters such as Tempo, Swing, Probability, Flam and Random. You can also record, edit and playback the analog filter cutoff via automation for a greater sense of movement and expression.
It’s also designed to work well in a studio. It has 16 independent analog outputs for external processing or recording rhythms as multi-track audio. Meanwhile, there’s an integrated FX bus that features Wave Designer and dual-mode Analog Filter with per voice assignment, allowing for more sonic options and creative control.
Up to 8 songs and 128 patterns can be stored on LM DRUM and can be imported/exported during playback. The Pattern Mode and Song Mode can be used to arrange your patterns into full songs and link your songs together for live sets and expanded compositions. Elsewhere, the unique Auto Scroll feature enables improvisation in all modes, so drums can be tweaked at will.
The LinnDrum – on which the LM Drum is based – was produced between 1982 and 1985, and featured 12-voice polyphony, storage for 56 user patterns, 42 preset drum patterns and more.
The LM Drum isn’t the only ’80s-esque piece of kit Behringer has launched lately. Last week, it unveiled a Wave Synthesizer, a clone of the iconic PPG Wave hybrid synthesizer from the 1980s. It had been in development for four years.
The post Behringer’s channels the classic LinnDrum drum machine with the new LM drum appeared first on MusicTech.