Arturia’s Black Friday offers Until 10 December 2024, new users can obtain half-price licenses for the likes of V Collection X, Pigments, Analog Lab and FX Collection 5, with existing registered users eligible for even greater savings. 

NewJeans just held a press conference to announce they’ve left HYBE’s ADOR… but the K-Pop giant says their deal is still ‘in full effect’"Staying at the agency will only prolong our psychological pain and waste our time," group member Hanni said
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FREE Mystery Plugin from FKFX Drops on December 6 (Sign Up Now)
FKFX Audio is offering a mysterious free plugin for Black Friday on December 6, 2024, and the sign-up to receive the freebie is open now. The chance to sign up for the free, previously unreleased plugin will run until December 6.  FKFX’s other plugins are Windows and macOS releases, so we can probably expect the new plugin [...]
View post: FREE Mystery Plugin from FKFX Drops on December 6 (Sign Up Now)

Staff Picks: Raleigh Ritchie, Jimmy Eat WorldOperations Manager Robin RoseRaleigh Ritchie"Stronger Than Ever"This song, as well as those on this album, send a message of resilience going back and forth between singing and rap, with an emotional backdrop of stings and pounding percussion.

Associate Editor Brett CallwoodJimmy Eat World"Sweetness"In honor of the Coachella lineup announcement, and the inclusion of emo heroes Jimmy Eat World, I've been listening to the Bleed American masterpiece a lot this week. "Sweetness" is an incredible tune, partly because it feels like somebody cut up a Bon Jovi anthem and then pieced it back together in a different order. The "whoah-oh" refrain comes in right at the top. Magnificent!

Photo of Raleigh Ritchie, by George Ezra/mouse555, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.The post Staff Picks: Raleigh Ritchie, Jimmy Eat World first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

As Believe UK celebrates its 15th anniversary, key executives Ben Rimmer, Alex Kennedy and Malena Wolfer talk recent successes and what comes next.Three top Believe UK execs celebrate the company’s 15 anniversary and look to its future...
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Get a pair of Yamaha HS5 studio monitors for under $300 this Black FridayDespite the fact we’re still a day away, the Black Friday music technology deals are coming in thick and fast. We’re seeing thousands of killer discounts just waiting to be lapped up by savvy music producers, and we’re making it our mission to bring the best ones to you.
Like this awesome deal over at Sweetwater: you can save $50 on individual Yamaha HS5 studio monitors, meaning you pay just $149.99 instead of $199.99. Obviously, you’ll need two of them for your home studio, but that means you can get a pair for just $299.98 in total.
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The drivers in Yamaha’s HS series offer top-quality audio performance, while a carefully designed arrangement of screws and a mounting ring eliminate unwanted vibration and resonance, allowing the speaker to realise its full sonic potential without distortion or colouration.

READ MORE: The best Black Friday music technology deals 2024: the biggest savings on synths, DJ controllers and plugins right now

The HS5 also features an advanced smooth-contour design tweeter frame to minimise losses, allowing you to hear high-frequency details with stunning clarity. This frame also dampens resonance which can interfere with treble clarity.

In terms of specs, the HS5 features a 5” cone woofer, 1” dome tweeter, large magnets in an advanced magnetic circuit design, dedicated power amps which are perfectly matched to the woofer and tweeter, and Room Control and High Trim response controls for optimum performance in any room.
Of course, if you’re after a little more firepower, the Yamaha HS7 and HS8 are also discounted at Sweetwater for Black Friday. Whatever your requirements, now’s the time to upgrade your home studio.
If you want to take advantage of this awesome deal, head to Sweetwater right now.
The post Get a pair of Yamaha HS5 studio monitors for under $300 this Black Friday appeared first on MusicTech.

Music production’s most beloved EQ is now on sale with 25% off for Black FridayHow many producers haven’t thought about picking up FabFilter’s Pro-Q3 EQ at least once? This ubiquitous and universally loved EQ plugin, which you’ll find in studios around the world, is now on sale for Black Friday.
Available at Plugin Boutique, the Pro-Q 3 plugin’s price has been slashed by $45, bringing it down to $134. This EQ is used by a plethora of different producers, from bedroom beatmakers like Satl to some of the most revered Grammy-winning mix engineers out there, including Dave Pensado. According to Plugin Boutique, Pensado says that “FabFilter Pro-Q 3 has one of the best GUIs of any EQ out there and sonically compares to the best.”
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Why does everyone love it so much? Well, its clean interface and real-time visualiser make it incredibly easy to see which parts of the frequency spectrum your sounds occupy. If you have a vocal recording that sounds a little too hissy, you can easily find the frequencies that you need to tame.
You can then apply a whopping 24 EQ bands onto your signal, if you need to, with a variety of curve shapes and an optional Dynamic EQ for all bands. Also, the ‘brickwall’ slope for low-pass and high-pass filters makes it effortless to cut low-end rumble or piercing high frequencies. Other smart features, like EQ Match and Spectrum Grab, make this a seriously modern EQ.
If you want to add more than just an EQ to your plugin folder this holiday season, FabFilter has plenty more plugins on sale. The 25 per cent discount is shared across the Pro-L 2 limiter, Pro-C 2 compressor, Pro MB compressor, Pro-G gate, Pro-DS de-esser. Pro-R 2 reverb, all on Plugin Boutique.
We rated the Pro-R 2 reverb plugin as a 9/10 in our review last year, and FabFilter’s Volcano 3 filter plugin was awarded our 10/10 Excellence Award back in 2021.
 
Find more music production deals
The post Music production’s most beloved EQ is now on sale with 25% off for Black Friday appeared first on MusicTech.

Save £60 on the Shure SM7B, one of the best podcasting mics around, this Black FridayBlack Friday is almost upon us, and the team here at MusicTech are working hard to bring you the very best deals on gear from all the biggest music retailers. Naturally, as one of the biggest music retailers in the world, Thomann is hosting deals on thousands of pieces of gear, so there’s no better time than now to upgrade your rig.
Podcasting has never been more popular, and we’re sure at some point or another you’ve considered starting your own. But you can’t do that without a good quality microphone, right? The Shure SM7B, an all-purpose dynamic microphone which excels for podcasting, is discounted by a cool £60 at Thomann this Black Friday, meaning you pay just £333.
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But don’t just take our word for it. The Shure SM7B is used by some of the world’s biggest podcasters, including Joe Rogan, Conan O’Brien, Lex Fridman, so all you need to do is listen to their podcasts to hear how silky smooth this mic sounds.

READ MORE: The best Black Friday music technology deals 2024: the biggest savings on synths, DJ controllers and plugins right now

The Shure SM7B features a cardioid pattern, meaning sound in front of the mic is picked up in crystal clear detail, while sounds behind the mic are much quieter. This is perfect if you’re chatting with a guest and want to be able to adjust mic levels individually.
Other specs include a frequency range between 50 and 20,000 Hz, sensitivity of -59 dB, a bass roll-off switch, mid-boost switch, and a swivel mount so you can orient it how you like while recording.
Of course, the SM7B is a perfect podcasting microphone, but it’s impressively versatile, and great for recording musical elements, too.
Don’t wait around, we expect this deal to sell-through before the weekend is over. For more info, head to Thomann.
The post Save £60 on the Shure SM7B, one of the best podcasting mics around, this Black Friday appeared first on MusicTech.

Save up to 96% on Universal Audio UAD plugins in this absolutely bonkers Black Friday sale at Plugin BoutiqueUniversal Audio’s UAD plugins are some of the most highly acclaimed in the game, and as such, usually come with hefty price tags. But this Black Friday is your opportunity to cop some at some absolutely huge discounts via Plugin Boutique.
Take the UAD Studio Classics Bundle, for example. Featuring five legendary tools – the Fairchild Tube Limited Collection, LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip, Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb, Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder and 175B and 176 Tube Compressor Collection – this bundle brings the unmistakable and sought-after sound of classic analogue processing to digital production, offering that vintage feel with a modern workflow.

READ MORE: The best Black Friday guitar deals 2024 – hand-picked guitar savings you can get right now

And the best part? While this bundle usually retails at $1,595, this Black Friday you can get it for just $59. Yep, you read that right. No, that isn’t a typo. Saving a massive $1,536, you can upgrade your plugin collection with some of the best vintage tools on the market right now for under 60 bucks. Honestly, Black Friday plugin deals don’t really come much better than this.
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Also up for grabs is the UAD Producer Edition bundle, which includes a comprehensive selection of virtual instruments and plugins – including PolyMAX synth, Moog Minimoog and more – designed to take your production to the next level. This bundle has an 80% saving for Black Friday meaning you pay just $79.99.
There’s also the UAD Save The Music Holiday Bundle, which includes the LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip, Pultec Passive EQ Collection, Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection, UAD Ruby ’63 Top Boost Amplifier, Opal Morphing Synthesizer and Verve Analog Machines. Discount is 96% percent, meaning you save $1,536.
Don’t wait around, as deals this good don’t last forever. Head to Plugin Boutique to learn more.
The post Save up to 96% on Universal Audio UAD plugins in this absolutely bonkers Black Friday sale at Plugin Boutique appeared first on MusicTech.

Black Friday 2024: Best gifts guide for producers, DJs and musiciansWhile you’re looking for the best deals on the latest music software and hardware for your studio setup, you might consider something a bit more quirky for yourself or for family or friends. How about a beautifully produced book about the history of electronic instruments for example, or a Dolby Atmos speaker that hangs on the wall and looks like a picture frame? Find all of this and more with our handy gift guide for musicians and producers.
READ MORE: The best Black Friday music technology deals 2024: the biggest savings on synths, DJ controllers and plugins right now
Marshall’s Emberton II Black & Steel Bluetooth Speaker has £30 off
Everyone loves a great-sounding Bluetooth speaker but why not go that extra mile with one that sports the legendary Marshall design? With 30 hours of playback, it’s also waterproof so you can take your sound with you wherever you go. Grab one now for £99.99.
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Push Turn Move is a gorgeous and compelling history of electronic instruments
Kim Bjorn is celebrated for his amazing books – they aren’t just informative but look and feel incredible too. This edition contains 253 pages of interviews, profiles, diagrams and photos covering some of the most important and beloved instruments going back 100 years. Priced at £65 you’ll want to return to it again and again, and it’s a great centrepiece for any living room.

Check it out at bjooks.com.
Work better with 15% off this adjustable standing desk
Sitting for endless hours is recognised as being bad for our body, so why not invest in a desk that can be both a sitting or standing way to work? This model is adjustable so it can raise up to become a standing desk when required meaning you take the strain off your back when you need to. It’s also less costly than you might think.
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Nanoleaf LED lighting gives your studio character
Studios need to be relaxing, inspiring spaces. You’ll spend a lot of time here so, alongside overhead lights, you’ll want a few more ambience options. Multicoloured LED strip lighting is an easy way to calm things down while still providing enough visibility to work. Avoid the cheap stuff and it’ll last longer – these are just under £65 for 2.5m and can be used inside or outside.
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Rock out with the iRig USB 2 guitar and bass interface at just 70 Eur

IK Multimedia’s super-compact interface connects your guitar or bass directly to an iPad, computer or USB-C iPhone and lets you record and monitor as well as jamming along with your favourite tracks. The bundled Amplitube and Tonex apps give you a suite of virtual amps, cabs and stomp boxes to use too.
Check it out at Zzounds.com
Go retro with Roland official clothing
Credit: Roland
Roland has been around since the 70s and as well as amazing instruments also makes some cool and stylish outerwear and hats. Check out their official online store to find some bargains like this New Balance cap for just $34 as well as a range of hoodies and jumpers.
Check out the full Roland collection. 
DJ anywhere with a professional vinyl-carrying bag
Never mind record bags bearing a predictable name – why not go for something that has a Carrying your vinyl to a gig need not be a hassle? These LP bags starting at under £40 look the business and will protect your precious vinyl wherever you go to DJ. They’re even water resistant too.
Find it at Amazon
Charge up wherever you go with an Anker power bank
With £54 off, these high-capacity power banks can charge up your phone, laptop, iPad or even power a synth or controller. The latest tech means they are light and portable while also sending up to 250W, and recharging at high speed too. Perfect for topping up all your devices on the move. There’s even a mobile companion app to help you manage the settings.
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Carry your music collections anywhere with a high-capacity thumb drive

It might seem like a dull gift, but for producers and digital DJs, a USB stick is a no-brainer. These tiny companions can carry entire music collections, a whole arsenal of music plugins, and even pre-analysed tracks for DJ decks. You can grab a drive for as low as $10, with more durable and secure options taking you up to $100. Whatever size you go for, any music-maker will know that a USB stick can prove priceless.
See our full list of USB drives for DJs and producers. 
Find more music technology deals. 

The post Black Friday 2024: Best gifts guide for producers, DJs and musicians appeared first on MusicTech.

Want to hear a saxophone meow? Just ask Nvidia’s new AI music generator, FugattoHearing a trumpet bark or getting a saxophone to meow might sound like the product of one of your fever dreams, but it won’t remain so for long with Nvidia’s new AI music generator.
Called Fugatto (short for Foundational Generative Audio Transformer Opus 1), the tool is said to be capable of generating “any combination of music, voices and sounds” using texts and audio inputs. It can even let you produce sounds “never heard before”, says the chip giant.

READ MORE: “You get to a point where you’ve gotten good enough so that nothing is good enough”: Billy Joel describes the “curse” of being a songwriter

Researchers at Nvidia described Fugatto as a “Swiss army knife for sound”, and found that it could handle tasks it was not pretrained on, like generating a high-quality singing voice from a text prompt.
Unlike most AI music generators on the market which can only recreate the training data they’ve been exposed to, Fugatto allows users to “create soundscapes it’s never seen before”, such as a “thunderstorm easing into a dawn with the sound of birds singing” — or a saxophone that howls and barks for that matter.
To put it simply, “whatever users can describe, the model can create.”
Musicians can use Fugatto to quickly compose or edit ideas for a song, try out different styles, instruments and voices (even accents and emotions!), as well as isolate vocal and instrumental stems. They can also add effects and enhance the overall audio quality of an existing track.
Want to replace a MIDI melody for some power female opera vocals? Or desecrate Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata with some sick drum beats? Fugatto can do it for you.
“We wanted to create a model that understands and generates sound like humans do,” said Rafael Valle, a manager of applied audio research at NVIDIA and one of dozens of people behind Fugatto. “Fugatto is our first step toward a future where unsupervised multitask learning in audio synthesis and transformation emerges from data and model scale.”
To build Fugatto, researchers had to put together a dataset containing millions of audio samples used for training. The team then generated “data and instructions that considerably expanded the range of tasks the model could perform, while achieving more accurate performance and enabling new tasks without requiring additional data.”
“The history of music is also a history of technology. The electric guitar gave the world rock and roll. When the sampler showed up, hip-hop was born,” says Ido Zmishlany, a music producer and member of Nvidia’s Inception program. “With AI, we’re writing the next chapter of music. We have a new instrument, a new tool for making music — and that’s super exciting.”
Check out what Fugatto can do in the video below.

Learn more at Nvidia.
The post Want to hear a saxophone meow? Just ask Nvidia’s new AI music generator, Fugatto appeared first on MusicTech.

Minichord: This pocket-sized Omnichord-inspired synth is the cutest thing everLove the Omnichord but find its near-$1000 price tag a little too intimidating? You might want to turn your attention to the Minichord – a compact, open-source Omnichord-inspired synthesizer that promises a wealth of musical possibilities.
Creator Benjamin Poilve describes the Minichord as a “pocket-sized instrument that allows anybody to create nice sounding chord progressions”, born from his love for easy to use/not keyboard-based synthesizers and the Audio library of PJRC (manufacturer of teensy 4.0).

READ MORE: Best synth plugins 2024: 10 of the best polyphonic synth plugins for all genres

The Minichord features 21 main chord buttons, divided into 7 columns of 3 buttons as well as 1 ‘sharp’ button on the top left corner. Each column of the main chord buttons is associated with a note of the C Major scale, indicated by the letter on the first row of buttons.
As shown in the demo video, basic chords are easily selected by choosing single buttons while more complex chords can be built by selecting multiple buttons at once.
“I wanted to give the possibility to create a ‘slash chord’ (where the root of a chord is replaced by a different note) as it is something that is commonly used in guitar chord progressions,” says Poilve. “Of course, the exterior design is a respectful nod to the Omnichord, but the synthesis capability and customisability are much greater and derive from my interest in analogue synthesizers.”
The other side of the Minichord features a touch zone which is divided into 12 different sections stacked vertically. You can strum notes by sweeping your finger across all sections or pick them individually. Notes can also be held by keeping the contact with the section.
Under the hood, the Minichord boasts a full subtractive synth engine with 12 presets, all of which can be replaced with your own custom ones. Users can also share presets with each other. Poilve explains that due to the physical limitations of the device, he decided to create an interface to edit the internal parameters from a computer instead.
“To do that, I used MIDI Sysex signals, because those signals are compatible with webMIDI. That means that all the internal parameters of the device are user-configurable live simply by connecting the minichord to a computer and opening a webpage!”
Power wise, a full charge (under 3 hours) will offer up to 8 hours of playtime. Charging is done through the mini USB jack available on the bottom right of the device.
That said, the Minichord isn’t in production just yet — though that could become a reality if there’s enough support for the project.

Learn more at the Minichord website.
The post Minichord: This pocket-sized Omnichord-inspired synth is the cutest thing ever appeared first on MusicTech.

Best Thanksgiving Playlist: Songs to Set the MoodWhat is the best Thanksgiving playlist to satisfy the diverse family and friends sitting around your holiday table? We diverge from our regular music industry programming to find out...
The post Best Thanksgiving Playlist: Songs to Set the Mood appeared first on Hypebot.

Sennheiser MD 421 Kompakt: Increased practicality meets time-honoured performance at under $300£233/$279/€280, sennheiser.com
Few dynamic microphones can boast the longevity of the classic Sennheiser MD 421. Launched in 1960, it predates the ubiquitous Shure SM57 by five years.
Like the ‘57, the MD 421 has long been favoured as a trusted workhorse for guitar cabs, bass, brass instruments and drums, especially toms. During its first decade of production, it could be seen used as a live vocal mic for everyone from The Beatles onwards. It remains a fantastic tool both on stage and in the studio.

READ MORE: Is Shure’s SM4 a perfect microphone for the home studio?

What’s the MD 421 Kompakt like to use?
The trouble with the original design though, is that it’s a bulky beast, with all earlier models featuring a precarious mounting clip. It’s not unusual to see ancient examples with dented baskets due to the clip failing and the mic dropping to the floor, not to mention being battered by inaccurate drummers.
The MD 421 Kompakt addresses all these issues by having an integrated mount attached to a body that’s almost half the size and weight of the original design. An optional drum clamp is available, as included with our review example, however, the mic can also be attached to a conventional mic stand.
The smaller body means that the Kompakt is not suitable for use as a hand-held mic, however, Sennheiser still manufactures the full-sized version in the form of the MD 421-II, which first appeared in 1998.
Image: Press
Missing from this new, dinky design is the five-position bass roll-off switch, used principally for vocal and speech applications on the older models. However, as the ‘421 is more commonly used for instrument mic’ing, it’s voiced for the flat setting most engineers use as standard. Any EQ or high-pass filtering can be done further along the signal chain, so the lack of this switch is not so important in modern-day recording or stage work.
Despite its diminished dimensions, the performance of the new MD 421 Kompakt is not compromised in comparison with its larger sibling, featuring a fixed cardioid polar pattern with excellent feedback rejection and a frequency response of 30 Hz to 17 kHz. With more high-frequency clarity than most dynamic mics, the Kompakt also retains Sennheiser’s clever internal bass tube, crucial to the mic’s deep and firm low-end performance.
Build quality is as solid as ever, with the stainless steel basket attached to a tough, scratch-resistant frame. And just like the original model, it features an inner chassis enclosure to protect the microphone from dust and humidity. The XLR connector is gold-plated for durability and longevity, according to the company. Of course, gold plating also serves as a stable, non-corrosive conductor to ensure the consistency of your precious audio signal.
Image: Press
How does the MD 421 Kompakt sound?
I’m lucky enough to own several full-sized MD 421s of various vintages, including the very first model and the revised (MD 421-II) version currently available. When set up in turn to record an electric guitar amp, one thing is immediately apparent: While each mic sounds slightly different when listening critically, the basic character of all three is close enough for this to not really matter.
Differences are mainly in the upper midrange, where both the MD 421-II and Kompakt sound a little richer with more presence than the oldest mic. An A/B test between the current models gives the edge to the Kompakt, which expresses more detail with a brighter treble response.
Moving down the frequency spectrum, things even out a bit more, especially in the bass where the Kompakt delivers the full, weighty low-end response we’ve come to love about ‘421s. Don’t let the reduced dimensions fool you into thinking it won’t have the authority and depth of its bigger siblings; this one punches well above its weight.
Image: Press
The Kompakt really shines on sources that require the full force of the bottom end to be accurately captured. Placed in front of a bass guitar cabinet playing at high volume, the Kompakt sounds mighty special. It captures not only all of the low-end welly and punch coming from the 15-inch speaker but also the throatiness in the midrange and excellent definition in the percussive attack of the plectrum.
Where the bijou body design really makes it a better proposition than the larger model is in one of its most favoured applications; recording toms. The optional MZH drum clamp (which is essential in my opinion) works brilliantly, snapping securely to the drum rim and allowing the both angle and distance to be simply and accurately adjusted. And, unlike the traditionally-sized ‘421, there’s no need for a mic stand, helping to reduce clutter as well as the risk of the mic being accidentally nudged out of position.
Of course, when the Kompakt is used at close range on toms it does interact with other mics, most notably the overheads, which reminds me that quite apart from being an excellent microphone when used in isolation, it’s a fabulous team player. Historically, many engineers like to use an MD 421 alongside a Shure SM57 on guitar cabinets, its robust low- and top-end clarity marrying well with the Shure’s mid-focused bite. I’m able to achieve superb results with this combination, however muting the SM57 to allow the MD 421 to do the donkey work still produces a more full range tone than using the ‘57 in isolation.
Image: Press
Should I buy the new Sennheiser MD 421?
I’m extremely impressed by this new version of the old faithful studio stalwart. It could be considered something of a leap of faith to reimagine a microphone design as iconic as the MD 421, but the original version — or at least the 1998 revision of it — is still available for those who insist upon this full-sized model.
The smaller body does not compromise performance, especially if you disregard the largely ignored filter switch of the original, and it won’t buckle when asked to capture extreme levels of sound. The redesigned integrated mounting clip and optional, invaluable MZH drum clamp are real winners.
I reckon it won’t be long before the MD 421 Kompakt overtakes the MD 421-II in popularity, particularly as it’s less expensive too. If you require one world-class dynamic microphone to record just about anything you place in front of it, the MD 421 Kompakt should be right at the top of your audition list.

Key features

Cardioid dynamic microphone
Frequency response of 30 Hz – 17 kHz
Redesigned mounting clip
Optional MZH drum clamp
Innovative internal bass tube
Protective inner chassis enclosure

The post Sennheiser MD 421 Kompakt: Increased practicality meets time-honoured performance at under $300 appeared first on MusicTech.

Tracktion & Dawesome's free Zyklop synth Although it shares the same cutting-edge engine employed by its sibling, Zyklop is said to “forge its own path as a vibrant, standalone powerhouse”.