Adapting a 100-Year-Old Lens To A Modern CameraYou can get all kinds of fancy lenses for modern cameras, with all sorts of mechanical and electronic wizardly to make them shoot better images. But what if you paired a vintage lens with a modern camera? It would take some work, as [Mathieu] found out, but you’d also get some interesting results.
The optic in question is a 100-year old lens—a Foth 50 mm f2.5 to be precise, originally used with a folding film camera. It was sourced from a market for just 3 euros. Notably, the lens was not designed for modern cameras, and so lacks an aperture and focusing mechanism. [Mathieu] thus had to fabricate something to fit the lens to a Sony FX3. A first attempt used an aperture adapter from Amazon and an elcoid adapter, but there were vignetting problems due to the lens placement in this case. Ultimately, [Mathieu] went with a special macro adapter that allowed him to control focus and tuck in an ND filter behind the lens, which made up for the lack of an aperture.
The vintage glass isn’t the sharpest lens out there, but that’s kind of what’s fantastic about it. The center of the frame is certainly focused, but it fades out softly towards the edges of the image, giving a cinematic, dreamlike effect. The bokeh in the background are particularly charming, too. As far as 3 euro lenses go, this one was a hit.
You can slap just about any lens on anything if you get creative with how you do it. Video after the break.

[Thanks to Stephen Walters for the tip!]

Coatue has a plan to buy up land for data centers, possibly for AnthropicCoatue, one of the biggest names in venture capital, has a new venture that is reportedly buying land near large power sources.

From The Orchard acquiring Brazil’s OniMusic to the BMG-Concord merger… it’s MBW’s weekly round-upThe biggest headlines from the past few days...
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Universal Audio release UAD Enigmatic ’82 Overdrive Special Amp Already available as a hardware pedal, Enigmatic ’82 Overdrive Special Amp has now made its way into the UAD line-up, bringing the same iconic tones to DAW users. 

Heritage Audio announce the Baby RAM Black Edition Created in celebration of the company’s 15th anniversary, the Baby RAM Black Edition offers the same performance and functionality as the original, but in an alternative finish.

Tuva 1.4 adds customizable views, tabs, and pinned items for faster sample browsing
Tuva, the standalone sample and project manager we covered earlier this month, has just been updated to version 1.4. The update is focused on workflow customization, with new left bar views, tab-based navigation, and pinned items. As a quick recap, Tuva is a desktop app that helps you organize, classify, and search audio samples, MIDI [...]
View post: Tuva 1.4 adds customizable views, tabs, and pinned items for faster sample browsing

Stablecoins overtake Bitcoin in Latin America crypto purchases — BitsoA Bitso report shows shifting user behavior as dollar-linked stablecoins gain traction for everyday financial use across Latin America’s inflation-hit economies.

Legal AI startup Legora hits $5.6B valuation and its battle with Harvey just got hotterThe two wildly fast-growing rivals have raised massive sums, pushed into each other's home turf, and now have dueling ad campaigns.

Five Different Styles of Cardboard HingesSimple paper hinge. (Credit: Itoshige Studio, YouTube)
One doesn’t generally associate cardboard with structural components like hinges, but [Itoshige Studio] assures us that you can absolutely create hinges out of this ubiquitous material. In total the video covers five different designs, ranging from the simple and straightforward to an interlocking tab design that approximates a typical steel hinge with paper rod to keep both sides of the hinge together.
The most simple hinge is unsurprisingly just a strip of craft paper, which is also demonstrated as the hinge for a wooden box in lieu of the typical metal hinge. This same principle is then demonstrated for a fancy cardboard box.
From here the hinge designs increasingly get more involved, with first a seamless hinge variation, and then a kamichoban hinge design that’s inspired by traditional Japanese room dividers and furniture, using panels that are interconnected with overlapping sections to create a fascinatingly flexible hinge that can fully fold either way.
The flush hinge design is somewhat like the craft paper hinge, but significantly fancier and probably sturdier, while also looking pretty good on something like a cabinet. Finally the interlocking tab hinge is effectively a cardboard version of the hinge design that’s found on every room’s door, with a similar level of flexibility. This is obviously the trickiest one to assemble and get right, but it has its own charm.
Considering that all of these examples use regular corrugated cardboard that we get shipped to our homes by the truckload, the cost to try these examples is your time plus some basic tools and glue. The author also sells a book that contains templates – in addition to digital versions – for these hinges and other designs, if you’d like to enjoy the 100% paper experience.
Thanks to [greg_bear] for the tip.

THE JEREMIAH SHOW: Kailee Spark Is RestlessSinger-songwriter Kailee Spark brings her quiet honesty to The Jeremiah Show, where two powerful conversations reveal the artist behind the music.

In her first appearance, she introduces her debut album Savor This, reflecting on a path shaped by her writing, travel, and a need to express what she couldn’t always say out loud—“Music was something I could turn to instead of talking.”

In the next interview, the conversation shifts, shaped by the personal losses of her father and grandmother within weeks of each other, and by the experiences behind her single “Restless.”

Still, her perspective remains grounded: “Time is kind of irrelevant—the only time we have is now.” Across both interviews, Kailee resists the pressure to play small—“People tell you to think smaller—but you shouldn’t”—and instead leans into a creative life that’s instinctive, present, and unfiltered.

To hear the full story behind the songs, listen to both episodes of The Jeremiah Show featuring Kailee Spark.

Kailee Spark Savor This Interview

Kailee Spark Is Restless Interview

Kailee’s Website

Kailee Spark’s Instagram

Listen to Kailee Spark’s Music on Spotify

THE JEREMIAH SHOW - POP CULTURE, MUSIC ICONS, and FOOD GODS 

Brought to you by Cuzen Matcha Worldwide

The Jeremiah Show - Please Subscribe - CLICK HERE

Host | Executive Producer - Jeremiah D. Higgins

Sound Designer - Graham Palmer, SURPRISE STUDIO

THE JEREMIAH SHOW PROUDLY FEATURES

Music Connection Magazine, Cuzen Matcha, Voracious Records, Golda Zahra , MusiCares , Omad Records, and Greens First

The Jeremiah Show Airs Monday - Friday, 10 am - 12 pm, and 9 pm on Friday Nights on RADIO EVOLVE ROCKS in Santa Barbara, California

The post THE JEREMIAH SHOW: Kailee Spark Is Restless first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

In Q1, YouTube Music and Premium saw ‘largest quarterly increase’ in non-trial subscribers since 2018 launch, says Alphabet CEO, as platform’s quarterly ad revenues rose to $9.88BYouTube's advertising revenue grew 11% YoY to $9.88 billion in Q1 2026
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Samples From Mars Serum Presets Vol 1 From Mars235 Serum Presets Built From Vintage Hardware Serum Presets Vol I From Mars is a bundle of five original preset packs built around one idea: taking our hardware samples and turning them into something fully playable inside Serum. Lately we've been searching for a way to sample more synths consistently, and when we realized Serum 2 could load custom samples, it immediately opened up a new workflow. The moment we started dropping our own recordings into Serum's engine, the results were better than we expected - raw analog samples just sound so good in Serum, it's immediately inspiring and enjoyable to use. This bundle includes 235 presets across five distinct packs, covering a wide range of tones built from vintage synths, drum machines, electric pianos, voices, and analog hardware. Because everything lives inside Serum, you get the same experience in every DAW - no multisampler setup, no custom mapping, and no compatibility issues. Just load a preset and play. https://soundcloud.com/samplesfrommars/samples-from-mars-serum-2 Five Packs, One Bundle The five packs inside Serum Presets Vol I each explore a different direction, but all share the same foundation: original Samples From Mars recordings shaped specifically for Serum's architecture. Vintage Synths From Mars focuses on classic analog synth tones, using custom oscillators built from vintage hardware samples. Wurli From Mars explores the sound of three different Wurlitzers, from traditional electric piano tones to stretched textures, pads, and more experimental sounds. Analog 808s From Mars centers on analog-sourced 808 basses, kicks, subs, and drum presets, ranging from smooth low-end to heavily saturated tones. Voices From Mars uses human voice recordings - singing, humming, choirs, and vocal textures - as the basis for playable synth patches. Analog Techno From Mars pushes further into modular synth sources, and hardware-driven sounds designed for movement, weight, and modern club production. Built From Samples Unlike most preset packs that rely only on stock oscillators, every preset here begins with custom source material recorded from real instruments and hardware. Vintage synths, drum machines, voices, and electric pianos were sampled, edited, and transformed into oscillators built specifically for Serum. Some presets stay close to the source, preserving the tone and feel of the original recordings. Others move much further, using Serum's modulation, filters, macros, and effects to create sounds that would be difficult to reach with samples alone. Why We Like This Format One of the biggest advantages of putting our samples inside Serum is consistency. Instead of loading raw samples into different samplers depending on your setup, everything works identically inside one instrument. It makes the sounds faster to reach, easier to shape, and often more inspiring to play. And simply put, it's just FUN. A Diverse Range of Sounds Across the bundle, the presets cover basses, leads, pads, keys, techno sequences, vocal instruments, electric pianos, drums, and hybrid textures. Some are immediate and simple. Others are designed to evolve over time and respond heavily to macro movement. That range is what makes the bundle especially useful - it moves easily between traditional synth duties and more unusual sound design, while keeping a clear hardware identity throughout. Serum Presets Vol I includes all five preset packs together at a discounted price, while each pack is also available separately if you want to start with one focused direction. If Serum is already part of your workflow, this is a huge range of new sounds in one place. And if it's not.. it might be worth considering;). Contents: Serum 2 Vintage Synths From Mars Serum 2 Wurli From Mars Serum 2 Analog 808s From Mars Serum 2 Voices From Mars Serum 2 Analog Techno From Mars Leads, Bass, 808s, Sequences, Arps, Pads, Keys, Pianos, Soundscapes, Chords, Drums and Percussion presets, and more. (235) Serum Presets. (5) Serum Packs. 586.6 MB (unzipped). Read More

Creating tension, suspense, and release: Tips from a pro film composer
Learn how expert film composer Dave Kropf (Chopped, The Bachelor) uses cinematic effects to create tension, suspense, and release in his cues.

SynthFest UK 2026 Announced SynthFest UK is the largest event of its kind in the UK, bringing together the top keyboard synthesizer and modular brands from across the electronic music industries.

Everything you need to know about iZotope RXRX is an audio restoration toolset whose seeds were sown in 2003 with a research project that resulted in three innovative tools: De-click, De-clip and Spectral De-noise. It was 2007, however, when those tools were bundled with a suite of more conventional audio processors and a powerful spectral audio editor, and released to the world as RX.
We’re used to working with audio in the time domain, but by adding access to the frequency domain spectral editors make it possible to fix audio glitches and problems in ways that are impossible with purely time-domain processing.

READ MORE: Review: iZotope RX 12’s focus on improved accuracy and quality pays off

As a result, it’s no big surprise that RX was a big hit in industries where being able to make a quick repair could save hundreds – if not thousands – in re-shooting, re-recording, and/or re-mixing costs. We’re talking TV and film post-production facilities, along with a bit of audio mastering, but there was less initial interest from music producers.
This started to change with the 2017 release RX 6, the first version of the software to harness the power of machine learning (ML) to enable functionality that seemed to border on the magical.
Machine Learning Meets Audio Editing
Image: Press
ML works by being trained to recognise patterns. Initially recognition is very poor, but over thousands of rounds of training, and refinement of the resulting neural networks, it becomes more and more able to recognise different types of sound. From here, it’s relatively straightforward to create algorithms targeted at the frequencies that constitute a given type of sound, be it to attenuate that sound, such as for noise reduction/removal, or to lift it out of the audio entirely, such as with stem separation.
In RX’s case musical stem separation is handled by the Music Rebalance module, which allows in-place volume adjustment of vocal, drums, bass and “other” stems (a godsend for mastering engineers!), or can separate those stems entirely. Two similar tools are aimed at TV and film production, namely Dialogue Isolate that removes background noise from dialogue, and the new Scene Rebalance that operates similarly to Music Rebalance but recognises dialogue, music and effects.
Working with separated stems in RX 12 has been massively improved thanks to the new Stems View which allows you to work with separated stems as lanes within a single window. I talk more about this excellent new feature in my review.
Not all of RX’s tools use ML, but the vast majority do in some form or other, and iZotope are steadily working through those that don’t, adding ML where there’s some advantage in doing so. For example, in RX 12, the De-bleed and Breath Control modules are the latest to receive an ML-based overhaul, making them both quicker to deploy and more accurate in their results (see my review for more about this).
Will RX Be Useful For Me?
Scene Rebalance in iZotope RX 12. Image: Adam Crute
Although capable of straightforward editing and processing – cut/copy/paste operations, gain and EQ adjustment, and such – RX’s main focus is on restoring damaged and poor quality audio, with a side-order of enhancement tools that can add polish in ways other plugins cannot. A good example of the latter would be using Music Rebalance’s stem splitting during mastering to tame an overly-dynamic drum stem without impacting the rest of the mix.
It is in restoring audio that RX is truly at its best, however, and it’s easy to see the value of being able to rescue a take or performance that’s perfect but for the squeaking of a piano pedal, the occasional mic pop, or the performer delivering an unexpected spike in volume that causes some clipping? Also invaluable is the ability to repair glitches that you didn’t notice during a recording session, and long after the performer(s) have gone off to do whatever-it-is they do while we’re topping-up our studio tans!
The newly-released RX 12 brings enhancements and improvements that only add to these restorative abilities. The ML-based modules benefit from increased accuracy and transparency thanks to iZotope’s focus on improving its models through countless rounds of training (using ethically sourced and properly licensed training material). The ML algorithms run more efficiently too, so the improved results are delivered with less hanging-around than before.
So, if you work in a studio with faultless equipment and perfect noise isolation, RX may be surplus to requirements, but if you work in a studio in the real world then there’s no doubt it will come in useful.
What Do I Get With RX?
De-bleed in iZotope RX 12. Image: Adam Crute
RX comes in three editions aimed at different types of user. Elements is for those who may need fix common audio problems such as clicks, pops, and overly-reverberant signals, but have no need for a full-features spectral editor. As such, the package comprises a set of plugins for loading into your DAW, but no standalone RX editor software.
Standard edition does include the spectral editor along with all of the restoration and enhancement tools you’re likely to need in a music production context. All of these are available as modules within RX, and many also have realtime plugin counterparts for use in your DAW, including Music Rebalance, Spectral De-noise, De-plosive, and Breath Control.
Advanced edition includes everything found in Standard along with some very attractive and powerful nuggets such as EQ Match, Ambience Match, Spectral Recovery, and Scene Rebalance. If you often work with audio for visual media then these tools will likely prove exceptionally useful (although the price may make you wince!), but for everyone else it’s unlikely the Advanced-only modules and plugins will prove useful.
A full list of the modules and plugins included in each edition of RX, along with explanations as to their functions, can be found on iZotope’s website, as can pricing details and upgrade options. Also, be sure to check out my review to find out more about RX 12’s new abilities features.
The post Everything you need to know about iZotope RX appeared first on MusicTech.