Analog Obsession releases MuChild, a FREE Fairchild 660 emulation plugin
uchDeveloper Analog Obsession has released MuChild, a free Fairchild 660 emulation for macOS and Windows. It’s a good day for Analog Obsession fans; we’ve already had LAEA and RazorClip from the developer this year, and here we are getting ready to discuss another new release. This latest release is MuChild, Analog Obsession’s take on the [...]
View post: Analog Obsession releases MuChild, a FREE Fairchild 660 emulation plugin

RME TotalMix FX 2 now available TotalMix FX 2.0 delivers some major updates to the popular mixing and routing tool, introducing a new graphics engine along with a scaleable user interface and a whole host of enhancements.

Pulsar Audio Smasher is FREE for a limited time again
Pulsar Audio is giving away Smasher, its €49 FET compressor plugin, as a free perpetual license. If the name sounds familiar, it should. We’ve covered Smasher being free four times before, going back to 2020. If you’ve somehow missed it every single time, here’s another chance. And I’m having a hard time coming up with [...]
View post: Pulsar Audio Smasher is FREE for a limited time again

Mastering The Mix releases STEREOVAULT, a new stereo width plugin (LAUNCH OFFER)
Mastering The Mix has released STEREOVAULT, a stereo width plugin for macOS and Windows. The plugin addresses a common problem where stereo widening can make audio sound bigger immediately, but it often weakens the low end, blurs the center of the mix, and introduces phase issues that hurt translation outside the studio. STEREOVAULT fixes this [...]
View post: Mastering The Mix releases STEREOVAULT, a new stereo width plugin (LAUNCH OFFER)

New Global Booking Agency from ATC and Arrival Artists Now Reps 800 ArtistsThis week on the New Music Business podcast, Ari sits down with Ethan Berlin and Skully Kaplan of Roam Artists to break down the modern landscape of booking and live touring.

As crypto cools, a16z crypto raises a $2.2B fundAs some of the biggest VCs in crypto start to consider funding AI startups, a16z crypto's new fund will stay the course.

Black Lion Audio Auteur 8DAT The Auteur 8DAT is an eight-channel microphone preamplifier and A/D converter designed to expand interface setups via ADAT. The unit combines the company's signature high-speed transparent preamplification with integrated digital conversion, offering a solution for tracking full drum kits or large ensembles within a single rack unit. The Auteur 8DAT features eight channels of Chicago-style transformer-coupled preamps. The first two channels include front-panel Hi-Z inputs for direct instrument tracking. Each channel is equipped with a dedicated gain control, polarity flip, 10dB pad, and 48V phantom power. The analog circuit is designed to provide a wide frequency response and low noise floor, while the IC-based input stages ensure rapid transient response. For digital integration, the unit utilizes high-quality A/D converters capable of resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz. Connectivity is handled via dual ADAT Optical outputs, allowing for full eight-channel counts even at higher sample rates (S/MUX). The unit also includes a Word Clock I/O for synchronization with external digital clocking systems. Key Features Eight-Channel Preamplification: High-speed transparent circuitry with Cinemag output transformers. Integrated A/D Conversion: Supports sample rates from 44.1kHz up to 192kHz. Front-Panel Access: Two Hi-Z instrument inputs for guitars and basses. Flexible Connectivity: Dual ADAT outputs and BNC Word Clock I/O. Per-Channel Controls: Independent 48V phantom power, phase invert, and 10dB pad. Metering: 8-segment LED meters for accurate signal monitoring on every channel. Form Factor: 1U rack-mountable chassis with an external power supply to minimize internal noise. Technical Specifications & Requirements Preamp Type: Solid State (Transformer-coupled output). Digital Outputs: 2 x ADAT Optical (Toslink). Max Sample Rate: 192kHz. Analog Inputs: 8 x XLR (Rear), 2 x 1/4" TS Hi-Z (Front). Word Clock: 1 x BNC In, 1 x BNC Out. Power: External 24V DC Power Supply. Read More

Crypto PAC spends $500K in support of Indiana candidate ahead of primaryDays before an Indiana primary, the Defend American Jobs PAC reported spending about $514,000 on media in support of a Republican House member running for reelection in the state‘s 4th Congressional District.

Cutting Steel Gears with Homemade EDM
Electrostatic discharge machining (EDM) may be slower than alternatives like laser cutting, water jets, or a milling machine, but for some applications there’s no alternative: it can cut through any conductive material, no matter how hard, and it leaves no mechanical or thermal stress in the workpiece. Best of all, they’re relatively accessible for a resourceful hacker, such as [Inofid], who recently built the second iteration of his desktop wire EDM.
The EDM’s motion system comes from a cheap desktop CNC router, which had a water tank mounted in its workspace and had the spindle replaced with a wire-management mechanism. The wire-management mechanism needs to continuously wind a tensioned brass wire from one spool through the cutting zone onto another spool. The tensioning system uses two motors: one to pull the wire through, and one to maintain tension by slightly counteracting it, with a tension sensor and Ardunio to maintain the proper tension. If it detects that the wire has broken, it can stop the CNC controller. To keep the wire from breaking or short-circuiting with the workpiece, a current monitor counts sparks between the wire and workpiece and uses this to predict whether the wire is getting too close to the metal, in which case it slows down the movement.
As a first test, [Inofid] cut through a five by three centimeters-thick block of aluminium, taking two hours but producing a clean cut. To speed up the next cut, [Inofid] added a pump and filter to remove sludge from the cutting area. The next cut was an aluminium gear, and then a meshing steel gear, which took about ten hours but turned out well.
EDMs of various kinds appear here from time to time, particularly since the popularization of 3D printers. We’ve even seen one built into a lathe.

Thanks to [Keith Olson] for the tip!

Reffrey is a FREE reference track plugin for Mac and Windows
Reffrey is a free reference track plugin available in VST3 and AU formats for Mac and Windows, with no account required to download. Plugins like this one are useful when you want to quickly compare your track to your favorite mixes, and referencing is one of the most important parts of mixing, in my opinion. [...]
View post: Reffrey is a FREE reference track plugin for Mac and Windows

Native Instruments expands its Komplete series with Komplete 26Native Instruments has made its Komplete bundle that little bit more complete. With 69 new instruments and effects to play with, Komplete 26 comes as the Komplete bundle’s most comprehensive collection to date.
Expanding on the already impressive Komplete 15 bundle, Komplete 26 boasts over 340 products and over 180,000 sounds in total. The selection spans Native Instrument’s premium instrumental offerings, as well as mixing tools from iZotope, Brainworx and plenty more.
Stand-out additions come in the form of semi-modular synth plugin Absynth 6, grand piano instruments Noire and Claire, as well as Moments: Vocal Clouds’ ethereal soundscaping abilities.

READ MORE: ROLI on the Seaboard BLOCK M: “MPE has become accepted in many producer’s workflows — MIDI 2.0 will be another big step forward”

Elsewhere, Marco Polo Drums, 24k Drums and Songwriter Drums also all allow you to experiment with a vast selection of drumming sounds. There’s also the new Definitive Electric Keys Collection to add a vintage edge to electric keyboard sounds, Session Bassist’s Jam Bass, as well as LCO Producer Strings’ array of unique string parts specially captured and performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra.
The expanded bundle also features Scene variants Bloodplant, Lotus, Nightshade and Willow, with the Scene offerings coming as a specialised tool for composers, geared towards sonic storytelling to accompany visual worlds.

Alongside all the new offerings, Komplete 26 of course comes loaded with all of Komplete 15’s previous tools and sounds, like FM8, Kontakt 8, Massive X, and more. It’s also designed to seamlessly integrate with Kontrol keyboards, as well as Maschine and NKS partners.
Though, users should note that there are three different tiers on offer, with a different price depending on if you’re upgrading a Komplete bundle or buying it new. If you’re a pre-existing Komplete user, the Collector’s Edition comes in as the most loaded collection, sitting at an update price of $399.
There are cheaper alternatives available, but they provide you with slightly less upgrades; the Ultimate bundle sits at $299, while the Standard bundle costs $149, with lowest tier missing out on Absynth 6, the Scene series the LCO Producer Strings to name a few.
For those keen to dive into Komplete for the very first time, Komplete 6 Standard costs $549, while the Ultimate bundle sits at $1249. The complete Collector’s Edition will cost you $1949.
For more information, head to Native Instruments.
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The next drop of Telepathic Instruments’ Orchid is imminent – and this time it sports a transparent designThe momentum never seems to stop for Telepathic Instruments; hot off the back of the official launch of the Orchid companion app Pistil, the Kevin Parker-headed brand has revealed details about the next drop of the groundbreaking Orchid synth, which this time arrives with a limited-edition clear Arctic design.
In reality, it hasn’t been long since the Orchid landed on the market. The music producer community first caught wind of the chord-generating synthesizer in late 2024, and in less than two years, the unit has become an industry favourite, named as one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025, and more importantly, in our favourite new studio gear roundup of last year.

READ MORE: Ableton Live 12.4 has arrived – here’s everything you need to know

Now, a new drop of Orchids is set to land on 11 May, with the transparent limited-edition Clear Orchid: Arctic variant capped at 3,000 units worldwide, plus a bunch of classic Orchid colourways alongside it.
To mark the launch, Telepathic Instruments has created a new short film, TeleVision, which you can watch below:

The film sees Darlene LeClair – a “musical medium of considerable charisma and questionable credentials” – channel the cosmos to aid “creatively crunched musicians”. Narrated by Queens of the Stone Age leader and Orchid owner Josh Homme, the film also sees endorsements from familiar faces including Lewis Capaldi, Janelle Monae and Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst.
“Lewis Capaldi, Janelle Monae, Fred Durst and Josh Homme are Orchid owners. They’re also, as it turns out, longtime Darlene clients. We didn’t plan that. Darlene probably did.”
Credit: Telepathic Instruments
Orchid has also been adopted by the likes of Kid Cudi, Diplo, Ryan Tedder, Fred again.., Joy Anonymous, Madison Beer, Logic, Mark Hoppus and many more.
Clear Orchid: Arctic and the classic Orchid will be available exclusively through the Telepathic Instruments website. Members of the waitlist will receive priority access to regional drops (9AM PDT for North America and 10AM CEST) on 11 May, ahead of the wider public launch an hour later.
For more information, head to Telepathic Instruments.
Credit: Telepathic Instruments
The post The next drop of Telepathic Instruments’ Orchid is imminent – and this time it sports a transparent design appeared first on MusicTech.

Beyond Abysnth: Into the depths of Native Instruments’ Komplete 26Ad feature with Native Instruments
Native Instruments Komplete 26 is here, and with it comes the return of an old friend. The mighty Absynth 6 has rejoined Native Instruments’ lineup, and, like some sort of green eclipse, its resurrection has drawn so much focus that we can all be forgiven for missing the other incredible instruments joining the mega bundle.
Across the three core editions – Standard, Ultimate, and Collectors – there are goodies aplenty. Here are a few standouts that might have flown under your radar.

Speedy Songwriting
One of Komplete’s biggest drawcards is its ability to cater to a range of different workflows. There are times when you want in-depth control over every parameter, and times when quickness is key – and the new Session Guitarist Neon Essentials falls neatly into the latter category. Available in the Standard edition, it sounds slick immediately, has a streamlined UI, and comes with ‘song’ patterns to get an arrangement past those pesky writer’s blocks.
Native Instruments Komplete 26: Session Guitarist Electric Neon
As it says on the tin, this instrument boils things down to the ‘essentials’, and so you don’t get all the playing techniques of a full-fledged Session instrument, but in practice, I find Neon’s four includes articulations (open, muted, flageolet, and tremolo) more than enough to get started. And, while I could easily have been satisfied with the 30-odd amp and effects presets that come with the instrument, I couldn’t resist running the signal through Guitar Rig 7 Pro to open up new vistas of tone.
Anyone familiar with Komplete will already know the Guitar Rig series, but I feel compelled to state that this has become one of my absolute essential tools – not just for guitars, but for sound design too. I’ve put everything from vocals to bird tweets to a recording of an espresso machine through this thing, and every time I end up getting something surprising.
Since first joining the Komplete lineup in version 14, another set of essentials has been the Brainworx suite of mixing and mastering tools. In particular, I regularly pull up bx_glue when tackling multitracked guitars or vocals. Also available in the Standard edition, this dual band compressor offers independent control over both the high and the low end frequencies, and if I need some vintage saturation on a subgroup I seldom need to look further.
Scene stealers
A similar ‘it just works’ tool is Scene. This collection of cinematic instruments offers minimal controls – just an XY pad to blend between two sound sources and a smattering of envelope, tone, and effect macros. While each is ostensibly tailored to a specific mood, the whole series broadly lends itself to horror, sci-fi, and dystopia.
K26 Scene
I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to like these. ‘Too streamlined and too simplified’ was my initial takeaway. However, after coming back to them a few times, I have to admit that there is a real attraction to loading up a lightweight plugin that creates a specific kind of musical atmosphere, and does it well.
If your music needs a bit more meat on the bone, look no further than Claire. Developed in collaboration with Galaxy Instruments, and sampled from one of the world’s largest concert grand pianos—a massive 10ft Fazioli F308 —there is serious weight to this instrument. It’s not all sonorous chords and bright arpeggios, however; Claire is a surprisingly versatile library. It can sound soft and intimate, punchy and modern, and even believably evoke the rich acoustics of a classical concert experience. This adaptability is largely thanks to its easy ability to blend between close, mid, and far microphones, and to control the instrument’s overtones, resonances, pedal dampening, and key noise.
Claire might give me the sound of a concert piano, but my keyboard skills certainly don’t approach that of a pianist. Luckily, Kontakt 8’s MIDI Tools have gotten me out of more than a few jams. There’s plenty of Tools to choose from, but my favourites are Scale Lock, which allows me to quickly improvise a melody safe in the knowledge that every note I play will be shifted to fit with a chosen key signature, and Chord Builder which lets me work out complex harmonies and then trigger them all from a single note.
The new Kontakt 8 player is available in Standard, but both Claire and Scenes are reserved for Komplete 26’s Ultimate edition. However, for my money, the most exciting new additions are the instruments which push into sound design territory.
Extending The Sound Palette
The first of these is actually a companion library to Claire, titled Claire Avant. Instead of normal keyboard techniques, this library sees the piano’s strings stroked with brushes, thumbed with ivory or wooden plectrums, and hit with soft, metal, and rubber mallets. It’s the kind of sample library that was almost impossible to find a decade ago, and to hear these techniques sampled on such an impressive instrument is a delight.
Native Instruments Komplete 26:
Another newbie I enjoy is Erosia. The source material, which includes creaking ironing boards, squeaky wheels, and rattling chains, would probably be more at home in a mechanics workshop than a recording studio; the results speak for themselves. Hard to define tones grow into enveloping walls of sound thanks to four audio layers that can be quickly morphed using a macro knob. Dual LFOs, granular synthesis, waveshaping, and harmonic resonators offer extensive sound design potential – especially when working with such idiosyncratic samples.
Last but not least is Odes, which occupies a space between sound design and contemporary scoring. This is the third entrant in a trilogy of instruments developed by Evolution Series, the others being Fables and Lores. Where those two instruments draw heavily on strings, woodwinds, and choir to craft beautifully evolving textures, Odes instead puts rhythm front and centre. Staccato notes and pulsing drones are all tempo-synchronised to your DAW.
Alongside a well-considered sound engine and plenty of articulations to choose from, the primary attraction in Odes is the gorgeous and somewhat lesser-known instruments that have been sampled. We get bowed instruments like the Iranian kamancheh, the Mongolian horse-head fiddle, plus a Japanese shakuhachi bamboo flute and a Swedish nyckelharpa.
While Erosia is available in the Ultimate edition, both Odes and Claire Avant are reserved for the Collector’s tier. So, you’ll need to be serious about your sound design and have seriously deep pockets to access these beasts. However, if you’re not ready to splurge on the higher tiers, then I’d recommend trying iZotope’s Vocalsynth 2 as an off-label sound design tool. Available in the Standard edition, and designed for voice processing, there’s actually a wealth of weird and wonderful effects here to discover. Whether you’re working on monster sounds for a video game, or running some nature recordings through it to get some psychedelic ambience, it’s a surprisingly powerful plugin.
A strong move by Native Instruments
I’ll readily admit my bias toward weird and wonderful sounds, but I genuinely think the move by Native Instruments to include more libraries of rare and non-Western instruments, extended playing techniques, and hybrid textures is spot on. Increasingly, these are the kind of sounds that media composers are looking to work with, and Komplete 26 offers a wide selection.
Of course, for those who didn’t already grab it on first release, Absynth 6 is sure to be the first thing you boot up when Komplete 26 lands in your Native Access library. But once you break free of that intoxicating green fairy, there is plenty more here to keep you busy.

Check out the full suite at native-instruments.com
The post Beyond Abysnth: Into the depths of Native Instruments’ Komplete 26 appeared first on MusicTech.

From Wine to Diamonds, Every Major Consumer Industry Protects You From Fakes. Why Doesn’t Music?Music supervisor and Catalog founder Frederic Schindler argues it's time for standardized 'Music Facts' labels – modeled on food nutrition panels – to make the origin of every track in the supply chain visible to consumers.
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Native Instruments release Komplete 26 Available in four versions, Komplete 26 delivers everything from virtual synths and orchestral sample libraries to high-quality mixing and mastering processors, and as you’d expect, offers tight integration with NI’s hardware controllers.