Excite Audio releases Bloom Synth Atmosphere Excite Audio have introduced Bloom Synth Atmosphere, designed for crafting immersive soundscapes, ethereal textures and evolving ambient sequences.

“His contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of music”: Korg president and M1 inspiration Seiki Kato dies at 67Korg has announced the passing of its President and Representative Director, Seiki Kato, at the age of 67, following an illness.
A statement posted on the brand’s Instagram page reads, “It it with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Mr. Seiki Kato… Born in Tokyo in 1957, Mr. Kato was a visionary leader whose dedication and passion for innovation shaped the future of Korg and the music industry. From his early days in domestic sales to his pivotal role in the development of groundbreaking instruments such as the M1, his contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of music.”
After graduating from university in 1980, Kato joined Keio Giken Kogyo Co. Ltd, which would later become Korg Inc. While he started in sales at the company, he became the head of product planning by 1985. Kato was instrumental in driving Korg to its well-respected position in music tech, nurturing the brand during the 1980s and gaining recognition for its M1 synthesizer and subsequent evolutions and spin-offs.
The M1’s success can be attributed to its status as the first true workstation synthesizer, combining a synth, sequencer, and effects in one unit. Its high-quality pulse code modulation-based sounds, including iconic presets like the M1 Piano and house Organ, would go on to become staples across all music genres. It is one of the best-selling and most influential synths to exist.
Korg’s statement continues, “As President of Korg USA and later Korg Inc., Mr Kato’s leadership and commitment to excellence were instrumental in expanding our global presence. His warm, compassionate spirit and exceptional guidance earned him the deep respect and trust of colleagues and industry partners alike.”
In 1988, Kato relocated to the USA Korg offices, and the following year was appointed President of Korg USA, committed to improving and expanding Korg’s presence in America. Following that success, he became the Executive Vice President in 1995, and further became the President and CEO in 2003.
Korg concludes, “We remain committed to carrying forward his passion and spirit of innovation, striving to inspire musicians around the world, just as his legacy will continue to inspire us all.”
The post “His contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of music”: Korg president and M1 inspiration Seiki Kato dies at 67 appeared first on MusicTech.

“The availability of having anything at your fingertips devalues music”: Rick Beato and Rick Rubin discuss the impact of streamingMulti-instrumentalist, producer, and YouTuber Rick Beato has spoken about the impact of streaming on the music industry, claiming it “devalues” music.
In a conversation with Rick Rubin on his Tetragrammaton podcast, Rubin asks: “How do you think streaming has changed the way people relate to music?”

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Beato says having a “physical representation of someone’s art, including the album cover and the credits, is a completely different experience than being able to make a playlist that doesn’t necessarily go together”.
“Things are not meant to be listened to in that way,” he says, referring to when album order was important, when artists would choose an A-side and a B-side of their record.
He goes on to provide an analogy about the flow of water. “I turned on the faucet and said, ‘This is basically Spotify.’ The water just keeps going on indefinitely. Every day, 100,000 new songs are added to Spotify and at any point you can interrupt the stream. I put a glass in there and said, ‘This could be Led Zeppelin’s entire catalogue right here in this glass.’ If you take an eye dropper this is Zeppelin III.”
Beato continues, “Music, in some ways, is too available. It’s too easy to obtain.” Rubin agrees, noting that the scarcity of music in history was the very thing that made it desirable. “You had to make an effort to get it, and because of that it had value,” he says.
Beato, who also owns and runs Black Dog Sound Studios, recalls a time where he would physically carry records to and from friends’ houses. “Maybe I had a Jimi Hendrix record that my friend didn’t have, but he had a Beatles record that I didn’t have, and we would trade the things or we would go over and make a cassette copy of it … You would physically carry the record over to somebody’s house.
“Now, on your phone, everything is available for you on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube. You pretty much have everything that’s ever been recorded. That’s hard to wrap your head around, but how much is it worth?”
Beato also feels that streaming has created a “complete disconnect” between listeners and the personnel who put records together. “Where do you go to find out who the people are that contributed to the sound of that record? That’s been lost,” he explains. “Sure, you can look at the credits on Spotify … but they make it incredibly difficult.”

While Rick Rubin is a titanic figure in the music production, many – including himself – have noted his lack of musical or technical ability. And the Cult’s Billy Duffy was recently the latest name to corroborate this when he said Rubin was “not musical… at all”.
The post “The availability of having anything at your fingertips devalues music”: Rick Beato and Rick Rubin discuss the impact of streaming appeared first on MusicTech.

Signal is the number-one downloaded app in the Netherlands. But why?Privacy-focused messaging app Signal has been flying high in the Dutch app stores this past month, sitting many days as the most downloaded free app on iOS and Android for all categories, per data from multiple app-tracking platforms such as Sensor Tower. The app has experienced surges in popularity through the years, often in response […]
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Sottovoce DSP SpeedShift SpeedupSpeedShift Speedup is a plug-in which takes an imported audio file and slows it up or down. This effect it popular in Hiphop, EDM, where the sample is altered to create a new idea. A slowed &... Read More

On Sensory Weaver BuildingWhat is a sensory weaver? [Curiosiate] tells us: “A device which takes sensory data feeds in and converts it in various ways on the body as information streams as though a native sensory input.” As an example, they’ve built one.
This one, called “MK2 Lockpick” is a wrist-mounted array of linear actuators, with a lengthy design/build log to peek into. We don’t get PCB files (blame EasyEDA’s sharing), but we do at least get a schematic and more than enough pictures for anyone interested to reproduce the concept – the levels of bespoke-ness here warrant a new PCB for any newcomers to sensory weaver building, anyway. We also get a story of a proof-of-concept thermal input sensory weaver.  The team even includes a lessons learned da, and plenty of inspiration throughout the posts on the blog.
This kind of tech is getting more and more popular, and we are sure there will be more to come — especially as we keep getting cool new gadgets like linear actuators in form of replacement parts. For instance, the actuators in this sensory weaver are harvested from Samsung S23 smartphones, and you could probably find suitable ones as iPhone replacement parts, too. Looking to start out in this area but want a quick build? Look no further than the venerable compass belt.

Reason 13 gains Bassline Generator device Reason Studios have launched Bassline Generator, a new Player device designed to simplify bassline programming across a wide range of genres.

IK Multimedia release Grand Piano Y7 This meticulously crafted virtual piano is based on the iconic Yamaha C7, a grand piano originally built in the late 1980s at Yamaha’s Hamamatsu factory in Japan.

Why Are Cassette and CD Players So Big Now?The early 2000s were the halcyon days of physical media. While not as svelte as MP3 players became, why are those early 2000s machines smaller than all the new models popping up amidst the retro audio craze?
We’ve bemoaned the end of the electromechanical era before, and the Verge recently interviewed the people at We Are Rewind and Filo to get the skinny on just why these newer cassette and CD players aren’t as small as their predecessors. It turns out that all currently produced cassette players use the same mechanism with some small tweaks in materials (like metal flywheels in these higher quality models) because the engineering required to design a smaller and better sounding alternative isn’t warranted by the niche nature of the cassette resurgence.
A similar fate has befallen the laser head of CD mechanisms, which is why we don’t have those smooth, rounded players anymore. Economies of scale in the early 2000s mean that even a cheap player from that era can outperform a lot of the newer ones, although you won’t have newer features like Bluetooth to scandalize your audiophile friends. A new Minidisc player is certainly out of the question, although production of discs only ended this February.
If you’re looking to get back into cassettes, this masterclass is a good place to start. If you don’t fancy any of the players the Verge looked at, how about rolling your own incarnation with the guts from a vintage machine or just going for the aesthetic if cassettes aren’t your jam?

Researchers explore how to build shapeshifting, T-1000-style robotsResearchers have developed small robots that can work together as a collective that changes shape and even shifts between solid and “fluid-like” states — a concept that should be familiar to anyone still haunted by nightmares of the T-1000 robotic assassin from “Terminator 2.” A team led by Matthew Devlin of UC Santa Barbara described […]
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What is amapiano music? An in-depth guide with Kooldrink
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Marshal Brass from The Crow Hill Company Sample library combines the sound of a flugelhorn and three euphoniums, adding a unique character compared to more typical brass ensembles.

Darkpalace Studio ButterflyButterfly is the ultimate audio plugin designed for precise stereo manipulation. With Butterfly, you gain full control over your mix, featuring Mid/Side Gain and Phase adjustments,... Read More