“You could work for 10 years on a Sphere show if you wanted to”: Inside the creation of Illenium’s odysseyThis week, ILLENIUM will join the ranks of Metallica, U2, Dead & Co, and Eagles when he steps on stage at the Las Vegas Sphere to open ODYSSEY, his residency running nine dates between 5 March and 4 April.

READ MORE: “A lot of people know me as a guitar player, but I want to showcase my production”: Cory Wong

For roughly 90 minutes, the audience will engage with a 16K, wrap-around screen and 167,000 individually amplified loudspeaker drivers as two warriors battle to a soundtrack that ILLENIUM, real name Nick Miller, crafted specifically for this show.
For over a year, the producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist captained a crew of more than 100 people: management, media, lighting, special effects, visual designers, sound engineers, production, performers, and more, to bring this multimedia sensory experience to life.
A visual from ILLENIUM’s ODYSSEY at Las Vegas Sphere. Image: Press
Miller has been directing electronic music performances on a large scale for years. In 2021 and 2023, he led his Trilogy stadium shows, which used two different stages for three distinct sets, one of which featured a five-piece band. But even with that history, working in the Sphere, with its state-of-the-art immersive visual and audio capabilities, represented a special opportunity.
“I’ve been touring for over 10 years, and I’ve done the ‘make an album, make a cool live show’ [thing]. I always love doing that, but I wanted something refreshing and challenging,” Miller says. “Where can we creatively make an impact? At Sphere, you can just do so much more. It is one of a kind. You could work for 10 years on a [Sphere] show if you wanted to. You would still be pushing things. So, to have the opportunity to do that, I gotta take it. I gotta build everything around that.”
Miller’s last point was literal — he produced his new album, ODYSSEY, specifically to fuel his Sphere performance. But building everything around the residency goes one layer deeper: Miller and the core members of his team developed new skillsets and ventured into new technical areas to maximise the experience at the venue.
Miller has learned a type of Ableton-based performance he’s never employed before. Cameron Scurek, Miller’s front-of-house engineer and crew chief, worked with spatial engineers for as many as 12 hours per song in the set. They mixed each one, placing every audio element throughout Sphere’s expanded range precisely. Miller’s visual director, Sandy Meidinger, flew to Berlin to work directly with Woodblock Animation Studios on the 90-minute narrative that was built from storyboards, just like an animated feature film.
“I’ve been touring for over 10 years, and I’ve done the ‘make an album, make a cool live show’ [thing]. I always love doing that, but I wanted something refreshing and challenging”
Leading by example as he takes new challenges head-on is key to Miller’s leadership style on these big shows.
“Nick decides he wants to do something, and I feel like I’m not ready to do it, but he forces me into the position. Then I grow and get a lot of new skills,” Meidinger says. She adds that, beyond the prospect of learning everything new for Sphere, the bar of what to expect was high following Anyma’s Sphere residency last year. “We have to stand out. We have to be the best. Sometimes it’s difficult to deal with the pressure, but we’ve been working together for so long, I always feel supported. It’s not only on my shoulders.”
Miller and Meidinger started collaborating in 2016. She was there for every show that set a new standard, from Illenium’s first arena show onwards. So, when it came time to develop the visual element for Sphere, he trusted her completely. That made it seamless for the Woodblock team to fold into their longstanding dynamic.
“You are always going in the same direction. It felt very natural to be part of that. It didn’t feel like there was any conflict, or different visions of what this should be,” says Ilija Brunck, CEO of Woodblock, referring to Meidinger on a shared Zoom call. “‘Let’s embark on this journey. Let’s do it together.’ We all worked towards the same goal.”
A visual from ILLENIUM’s ODYSSEY at Las Vegas Sphere. Image: Press
With Meidinger and Woodblock in sync, Miller’s involvement in the visuals expanded into an oversight role. They regularly checked in with him for feedback, and, like a film director, he was there to ensure everything on Sphere’s 160,000-square-foot screen aligned with his vision —with the story he wanted to tell.
“I called it ODYSSEY because it’s a journey of really beautiful moments, and really dark and intense moments,” Miller shares. “It’s balance, having a light side and a dark side, yin and yang, acceptance.”
In truth, the idea of the story was all Meidinger and Woodblock had to go on at first. The visual process began before Miller even finished the album. It was January 1, 2025. He and Meidinger saw Anyma’s show at Sphere, and the inspiration flooded from there:
“Nick was like, ‘We don’t have the show yet, but just act like we do,’” Meidinger says. “‘Start reaching out to studios. Start figuring things out.’”
A visual from ILLENIUM’s ODYSSEY at Las Vegas Sphere. Image: Press
Woodblock Animation was the natural choice because it also produced Anyma’s set. By the following March, they had a PDF of a rough layout and a few paragraphs of text. Then, until August, when Miller finished the album, he and Meidinger would take time while they were still on tour to pass notes back to Woodblock.
Their initial goal was to convert the music and the story into key scenes that formed a foundation, but could also be altered as changes were made during the creative construction of the visuals. Once they had the music, it was full speed ahead. 65 animators worked in Houdini [3D animation software] to design the images.
“You can compare it to when you adapt a book for a feature film. You cannot translate a story one-to-one because there are certain scenic rules and editing rules. It’s a different narrative structure,” says co-founder of Woodblock, Jan Bitzer. “You can think of Sphere in the same way. The ideas were there, but you have to adapt them to that special format. It was a super fun part of the project—trying to distil key moments of the story into bite-sized scenarios that propel the story forward, but are not too complex.”
Image: Press
Now, with the months-long process just about complete, Meidinger has seen the story of the visuals unfold before her:
“It’s a story of two female warriors. They’re searching for something, and ultimately, they find each other,” Meidinger says. “They find wholeness. They find a state of rest—a state of being complete.”
It’s Miller’s job to direct the warriors through their journey with the music and performance. The album complements the emotional peaks and valleys of the story with his celebrated talent for dynamic range. Softer tracks, such as the pure orchestral composition, Monster, suggest they will come to rest. But along the way, there will be intense battles fueled by the blaring intensity of Slave to the Rithim, Miller’s electronic/metal collaboration with Bring Me the Horizon.
“I built the album thinking of the show constantly, but this also needs to be a beautiful standalone album. I would never get behind something that is just a sidestep to something else,” Miller says. “I really care about my albums, and I feel like it turned out to be the most interesting of all [of them]. I did different things production-wise and songwriting-wise. The undertone throughout each song is not a signature sound, but a familiar feeling.”
A visual from ILLENIUM’s ODYSSEY at Las Vegas Sphere. Image: Press
Miller is quick to admit the familiar feeling for ILLENIUM is grand euphoria, shepherded by his favourite software tools: Sylenth, Omnisphere, and Serum 2. The album (and surely the show) offers many of those moments through his classic melodic bass sound, as on In My Arms, the soaring collaboration with HAYLA, and the cinematics of I’ll Come Runnin’, the co-production with Zeds Dead.
But, like the rest of his team, Miller pushed himself out of his comfort zone to honour the grand undertaking of Sphere. On ODYSSEY, he explored more production techniques specific to house music, while still integrating that familiar feeling of dramatic EDM. On some tracks, it’s more pronounced, such as with the golden age EDM throwback With Your Love, but on the progressive roller To The Moon, the ILLENIUM frivolity sneaks in during the breakdown like fireflies buzzing in the middle of the night.
When Miller’s on stage at Sphere, he’ll control and improvise with different bounced out stems from his tracks. He has two Audima Labs Sway motion controllers. Rather than playing keys, simple hand movements will activate chosen sounds in precise reaction to the music and what he’s feeling in the moment. Another is the Embodme Erae 2, a MIDI controller with 3D touch, which he uses for looping sequences and controlling instruments.
Image: Press
When I chat with Miller, he has been practising on this new rig for months already, dialling in different effects and other settings so he can operate freely without worrying too much about mistakes.
“It’s gonna be really simple, fun, and ideally hard to make mistakes. When I play guitar, I fuck up a lot, and here I want to make it a lot more seamless and safe,” Miller says. “If I have all my settings right, it’s not gonna destroy the sound too dramatically. It takes some fine-tuning, but there’s a nice balance of doing all of these live edits in a really cool way, but not too aggressively.”
This isn’t just another DJ set. It’s an entire cinematic production. Film scores don’t mess up in the theatre, and after over a year of hard work, he wants to stand on that stage and deliver the best experience possible for himself, his team, and the hundreds of thousands of fans that will show up throughout all nine shows:
“When it comes down to it, I want to make music that gives people a moment to be fully encapsulated by the sound,” Miller says. “We gave all of our final notes [on the show], and some of them are gonna be accomplished, and some can’t, and that’s just, like, part of the deal. But I think it’s probably gonna get to 97%, which is pretty damn good.”
The post “You could work for 10 years on a Sphere show if you wanted to”: Inside the creation of Illenium’s odyssey appeared first on MusicTech.

How SXSW Works For MusicThis week, Ari is joined by Brian Hobbs and Dev Sherlock of SXSW to break down everything you need to know about the festival.

Frap Tools Magnolia now available The Magnolia draws on Frap Tools' experience with Eurorack modules, and aims to bring a modular-like experience to the world of polysynths.

Songs for Good: The Sudden Resurgence of the Protest SongA common refrain during the first Trump presidency was "With so many people upset, where are the protest songs?" Something began stirring in Trump's second term, and beginning in the middle of 2025, politically-minded (or just fed up) musicians slowly began making their rage and frustration known. Here is a loose timeline of some of the recorded protest music thus far in the President's current term.

Just three companies dominated the $189B in VC investments last monthCrunchbase data shows a record $189 billion of global venture capital flowed to startups last month, with AI startups nabbing 90% of the capital.

What's at stake for crypto as 3 US states kick off party primaries?Super PACs backed by the crypto industry are expected to spend millions of dollars in the 2026 midterm elections after many of their chosen candidates won in 2024.

Best plugins for Pro Tools (free and paid)
Explore high-quality free and paid plugins that are compatible with Pro Tools, spanning essentials for composition, mixing, mastering, and more.

In the Studio with The Barbarians of CaliforniaMembers: Aaron Bruno, vocals; Eric Stenman, guitar; Zach Irons, guitar; Linden Reed, drums; David Amezcua, bass; Isaac Carpenter, drums (founding member, now in Guns N’ Roses)

The Origin: Across multiple creative circles — bands, production rooms, musical experiments, and songwriting sessions — the members of The Barbarians of California moved in parallel, simultaneously sharpening separate sonic identities as currents built and intensified toward an inevitable flashpoint.

The first phase manifested through the pairing of frontman Aaron Bruno’s punk band, Insurgence, with Eric Stenman behind the board. While their initial collaboration was transitory, the collision of their shared hardcore sensibilities resonated long after they diverged — Bruno with Hometown Hero and Under the Influence of Giants, and Stenman engineering and producing for bands including Senses Fail, Dashboard Confessional, and Deftones. Despite the distance, their creative momentum gathered strength within separate channels, set on a trajectory to converge once more.

Fast forward a few years, and the two aligned for a second time under the AWOLNATION banner. With Stenman at the helm, Bruno hammered out a sonic identity known for blending hard-edged electronics with arena-scale alternative rock. While AWOL’s music reached a global stage, a dormant undercurrent of abrasive punk mixed with metal pulsed beneath the polished synthesis —  steadily growing, waiting for a resurgence.

After harboring a collection of unleashed riffs for years, the next surge occurred when Stenman shared his power chord monstrosities. The barrage of discordant motifs immediately captured Bruno’s attention and ultimately evolved into full-bore hardcore arrangements, crystallizing an aggressive sonic landscape between the two.

This energy pulled in longtime collaborators — fellow AWOL musicians Zach Irons (Irontom), Isaac Carpenter (Loudermilk/Gosling now with Guns N’ Roses), David Amezcua (Under the Influence of Giants), and Linden Reed (AWOL) —  unifying the band’s collective history.

What had been a network of isolated currents transformed into The Barbarians of California, a self-contained, combustible force: louder, heavier, and more visceral than before. With the release of And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth, the organically formed project became a reality, reaching critical mass, channeling years of shared creative energy into a singular explosive entity.

As The Barbarians of California continue touring and toggle from stage to studio, they offer an inside look at their creative process — a proving ground for capturing evolving, volatile energy.

The Production: When And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth materialized, it was an experiment — a way to reignite a passion for a genre that had simmered beneath the surface for years. The approach was intuitive; guided by a desire to release something primal and honest, for the unfiltered soul of it all.

As Aaron Bruno recalls, the goal was straightforward: to release the material, play a proper hardcore show, and see if anyone with ears to hear would ride with them. That one show, “absolutely went off,” and the unexpected embrace of their music did more than surprise them — it inadvertently validated their conviction. What had once felt like an undercurrent became something tangible: permission to create, permission to redline the sound.

Beyond the heavy sonics and raw energy, Bruno’s lyrics cut with precision — cunning, wry, and sly — offering societal observations open to interpretation, tempered with spirited irreverent defiance.

Now, stepping into a second full release, the conviction remains — but the drive has intensified. The music is expanding in every direction: “I want it to be heavier, more brutal, and as far-reaching as artistically possible,” Bruno explains. “We have no rules… no genre to adhere to. I still don’t know if we are hardcore, metal, thrash, punk, or all of the above. Maybe it’s pop music.”

Even with this boundary pushing, the approach while recording in the studio remains minimalistic.  After years in large studios with endless options, guitarist and producer Eric Stenman has embraced restraint. “I operate out of a small studio/workspace located at [his] house. Ninety-five percent of everything Barbarians (and AWOL) happens there. It’s super modest… not a lot of gear. I have an even smaller version of the same thing at my house.”

That simplicity is intentional. In a guttural punk-meets-metal band, the foundation is clear: chords, rhythm, and vocals must occupy distinct spaces while commanding sonic strength. The challenge is carving enough room in the mix so every element hits with unfettered power, clarity, and cohesion.

Anchoring the band’s aggressive sound, Isaac Carpenter and Linden Reed’s drums provide both precision and propulsion. Whether tracked in the main studio or home setups, their playing drives the riffs and chords forward, sculpting the energy and intensity while leaving clearance for vocals to hit and soar.

Layering guitars without muddiness requires skill and taste. Stenman’s longtime go-to has been a Les Paul, though he also leans into ESP/LTD tones for heavier, more metallic textures. Zach Irons brings his own dynamic; as a left-handed guitarist, his options are naturally limited. “I’m still experimenting with all of this,” Irons adds. “I recently got a vintage Carvin (Kiesel). I wanted a guitar with a full whammy bar, and now I have it.”

While the drums and guitars frame the architecture for The Barbarians’ sound, Aaron’s voice must cut through to carry the emotion. Recorded with a handheld Shure SM7 in a modest control room, vocals are often captured in three passes or less. “With Aaron,” Stenman explains, “so much of capturing his vocals is based on instinct and vibe.  If something isn’t working, he’ll know very quickly and adjust course… or throw away an idea completely.”

Shaping this specific, heavily powered sound is a constant balancing act amid chaos and control. For the band, overthinking while tracking is the enemy.  “Keeping things just raw enough to be exciting and chaotic in the right way is very important.”  Stenman adds, “However, we also want to maintain cohesion and a level of professionalism. The bigger your drum sound, the less room there is for guitars… and vice versa. The more you edit a performance to perfection, the more you run the risk of being sterile and unexciting.”

Oscillating across polish and volatility creates a beautiful tension that defines the Barbarians of California’s work in the studio. Nothing is overdone, but nothing is careless.  The band operates in a space where passion meets experience — where minimalism sharpens aggression.

What began as separate creative currents has fused into a sound with no fixed boundaries.  In a band devoid of rules to obey, that paradox feels fitting. The Barbarians occupy a realm where crossover, metal, thrash, punk, or something else entirely could all serve as monikers, but that is the point. Whatever it is, it’s loud, visceral, deliberately crafted — and unapologetically their own.

Photo Courtesy: Atom Splitter PRThe post In the Studio with The Barbarians of California first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Exploring Security Vulnerabilities in a Cheapo WiFi ExtenderIf all you want is just a basic WiFi extender that gets some level of network connectivity to remote parts of your domicile, then it might be tempting to get some of those $5, 300 Mbit extenders off Temu as [Low Level] recently did for a security audit. Naturally, as he shows in the subsequent analysis of its firmware, you really don’t want to stick this thing into your LAN. In this context it is also worrying that the product page claims that over a 100,000 of these have been sold.
Starting the security audit is using $(reboot) as the WiFi password, just to see whether the firmware directly uses this value in a shell without sanitizing. Shockingly, this soft-bricks the device with an infinite reboot loop until a factory reset is performed by long-pressing the reset button. Amusingly, after this the welcome page changed to the ‘Breed web recovery console’ interface, in Chinese.
Here we also see that it uses a Qualcomm Atheros QCA953X SoC, which incidentally is OpenWRT compatible. On this new page you can perform a ‘firmware backup’, making it easy to dump and reverse-engineer the firmware in Ghidra. Based on this code it was easy to determine that full remote access to these devices was available due to a complete lack of sanitization, proving once again that a lack of input sanitization is still the #1 security risk.
In the video it’s explained that it was tried to find and contact a manufacturer about these security issues, but this proved to be basically impossible. This leaves probably thousands of these vulnerable devices scattered around on networks, but on the bright side they could be nice targets for OpenWRT and custom firmware development.

Damon Whiteside to step down as Academy of Country Music CEOWhiteside will remain as CEO Emeritus for the remainder of 2026 as the organization searches for his successor.
Source

Toontrack Music Drumopolis SDX Drum Sound Expansion for Superior Drummer 3 by Toontrack The Drumopolis SDX is a premier sound expansion for Superior Drummer 3, meticulously crafted to capture the essence of rock history. Produced by the legendary, Grammy Award-winning producer Tony Visconti—the sonic architect behind iconic records by David Bowie, T. Rex, and Thin Lizzy—this library brings five decades of audio mastery into the digital realm. Recorded at the world-renowned Metropolis Studios in London, the expansion offers a diverse range of drum tones, from the massive, open energy of large room setups to the gritty, focused punch of tight iso booths. Captured by engineer Liam Nolan (known for his work with Adele and Rihanna) and performed by drummer Stephen Gilchrist, the Drumopolis SDX features a versatile collection of kits that mirror Visconti's most famous production eras. The library is divided across two distinct studio environments within Metropolis: the spacious Studio A, known for its soaring ceilings and natural ambience, and a damped isolation booth designed for vintage-style, bone-dry textures. To further enhance the sonic depth, Toontrack included recordings from an adjacent stone room using stereo ribbon microphones, providing an additional organic layer for blending. Beyond the raw samples, the Drumopolis SDX includes an extensive selection of mix-ready presets engineered by Visconti himself. These presets allow users to instantly tap into the "Bowie-era" shimmer or the hard-hitting "Thin Lizzy" drive with minimal effort. Complementing the sounds is a dedicated MIDI library of grooves and fills, also performed by Stephen Gilchrist, ensuring that your productions benefit from both professional-grade tones and authentic human performance. Whether you are producing glam rock, modern alternative, or classic indie, this SDX provides a sophisticated palette of drums that are both historically significant and modernly flexible. Features: Produced by Tony Visconti: Legendary producer of David Bowie, T. Rex, and Thin Lizzy. Recorded at Metropolis Studios: Captured in the heart of London in one of the world's most iconic recording spaces. Two Distinct Environments: Includes the open, natural ambiance of Studio A and a tight, damped iso booth for grittier sounds. Comprehensive Kit Selection: Features multiple full kits including Slingerland (1970s), Canopus (Yaiba 2), and more. Stone Room Ambience: Extra stereo ribbon mic recordings from an adjacent stone room for unique reverb layers. Custom MIDI Library: Includes a wide array of grooves and fills inspired by Tony Visconti's discography. Mix-Ready Presets: Pre-configured channel strips and effects chains designed by Tony Visconti and the Toontrack team. Surround Sound Ready: Recorded with additional height and ambience microphones for immersive audio configurations. High-Resolution Samples: Provided as raw, unprocessed waveforms for maximum flexibility in the Superior Drummer 3 mixer. Versatile Range: Covers everything from 70s glam and classic rock to modern alternative and cinematic percussion. https://youtu.be/guYaC8U-b_4?si=YlQtg_qkj1ypZV61 Read More

Get the Roland TB-303 plugin for $49 at Plugin Boutique (ends March 8)
Plugin Boutique is offering the Roland TB-303 synth plugin at 67% off its regular price, bringing it down to $49 from $149. The deal runs until March 8th in celebration of 303 Day. The TB-303 hardware was released by Roland in 1981 as a substitute for the bass guitar. We all know the rest of [...]
View post: Get the Roland TB-303 plugin for $49 at Plugin Boutique (ends March 8)

Novation introduce the Launch Control 3 Following on from the release of the Launch Control XL 3, Novation have announced that its smaller sibling has just been treated to a similar upgrade. 

A Behringer spring reverb unit for less than £130? Yes, please.Behringer’s take on the Grampian Reverberation Unit Type 636 from the late 1960s is currently on offer at Thomann, with 10% off its normal price tag.
Now down to £129, Behringer’s Spring Reverberation 646 (previously named 636), recreates the preamp/spring reverb combo made famous by the original unit used by artists like Pete Townshend and producer Martin Hannett. It was even instrumental in shaping the sounds of early reggae, and original Grampian units are now rare, often selling for four-figure sums.
[deals ids=”6qn60FNrejt9yacBSBX6rn”]
Launched in 2024, this recreation has a simple interface inspired by the original, with control knobs for Reverberate (a dry/wet mix control to adjust the amount of reverb in your signal), Aux Channel, and Mic Channel. It has an overload circuit for warm analogue tone, plus 3.5mm inputs/outputs on the front panel and 6.3mm ins/outs on the back.

READ MORE: The best free and paid-for plugins you need to know about this week

Learn more and hear it in-use in the video below:

We’ve seen a number of Behringer items reduced in recent weeks. The price of the brand’s LM Drum was also slashed at Thomann. For less than £300, this drum machine is not just a modern take on the LinnDrum. Instead, it captures the essence of “a hundred legendary ’80s drum sounds”, according to Behringer, including those designed by Roger Linn such as the LM-1, LM-2, LM9000 and more.
Meanwhile, you can still get Behringer’s Wave synth – also at Thomann – for under £500…
Learn more about Behringer’s Spring Reverberation 646 – and shop more great deals – over at Thomann.
The post A Behringer spring reverb unit for less than £130? Yes, please. appeared first on MusicTech.

Novation unveils the latest generation of its Launch Control DAW controller: here’s everything you need to knowAfter giving it its first firmware update earlier this year, Novation has given its Launch Control XL 3 a whole new baby sibling with the Launch Control 3.
Designed for additional hands-on control with DAWs plugins and hardware both in studio and stage environments, the Launch Control 3 arrives as the latest addition to Novation’s line of compact control surfaces, bringing a number of upgrades and modern features. It’s essentially a downsized version of the Launch Control XL 3 with a similar sleek aesthetic vibe, eschewing its faders for a knob-and-button-only control surface.

READ MORE: The best free and paid-for plugins you need to know about this week

Novation Launch Control 3: features and specs

DAW integration is the bread and butter of the Launch Control, so like its big brother the Launch Control XL, this new unit is compatible with most major workstations, with “deep integration” with the likes of Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase and Bitwig. The unit also features Mackie HUI support for Pro Tools.
At the core of the interface sit 16 endless rotary encoders/knobs, which can be assigned to pan tracks, tweak send levels, or set to control whatever parameters you like. Each of these is customisable using adjustable acceleration curves, and has its own RGB status indicator. You can also store up to seven Custom Modes, and manage them via Novation’s Components hub.
Credit: Novation
There’s also eight assignable buttons which can be used to Solo, Arm, Mute or Select tracks, or indeed mapped to specific functions to suit your own workflow.
The front face of the Launch Control 3 features a crisp OLED display, too, offering “detailed, real-time feedback” of any parameter adjustments.
You can also connect a host of hardware to the Launch Control 3, too, with 5-pin MIDI In, Out, and Out2/Thru options available offering connectivity to other devices without a computer.
Credit: Novation
Finally, the Launch Control 3 also comes with a host of additional software, including entry-level DAWs Ableton Live Lite and Cubase LE, plus Klevgrand Fosfat percussion enhancer, Baby Audio Parallel Aggressor and Output Movement.
Pricing & availability
Credit: Novation
The Launch Control 3 is available now for pre-order, both direct from the Novation website and via select authorised retailers. Shipping is expected to begin in late March 2026. Price-wise the Launch Control 3 clocks in at $169.99 / £ 129.99 / €126.
Learn more at Novation.
The post Novation unveils the latest generation of its Launch Control DAW controller: here’s everything you need to know appeared first on MusicTech.