Void & Vista update STRANDS STRANDS has been kitted out with a number of powerful new features that were developed for Void & Vista's more recent FOLDS instrument.

Amazon starts testing ads in its Rufus chatbotRufus, Amazon’s recently launched, shopping-focused chatbot, is getting ads soon. That’s according to a changelog published by Amazon this week (first spotted by AdWeek), which states that sponsored ads could soon start appearing in placements for Rufus users in the U.S. Ads will be shown based on Amazon search and conversational context, Amazon says, and […]
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OpenAI fundraising could push valuation to $150BAs fundraising unfolds, OpenAI’s valuation is expected to reach $150 billion. Several tech giants, including Apple and Nvidia, are reportedly backing the round. 

IBM’s 1969 Educational ComputingIBM got their PCs and PS/2 computers into schools in the 1980s and 1990s. We fondly remember educational games like Super Solvers: Treasure Mountain. However, IBM had been trying to get into the educational market long before the PC. In 1969, the IBM Schools Computer System Unit was developed. Though it never reached commercial release, ten were made, and they were deployed to pilot schools. One remained in use for almost a decade! And now, there’s a new one — well, a replica of IBM’s experimental school computer by [Menadue], at least. You can check it out in the video below.
The internals were based somewhat on the IBM System/360’s technology. Interestingly, it used a touch-sensitive keypad instead of a traditional keyboard. From what we’ve read, it seems this system had a lot of firsts: the first system to use a domestic TV as an output device, the first system to use a cassette deck as a storage medium, and the first purpose-built educational computer. It was developed at IBM Hursley in the UK and used magnetic core memory. It used BCD for numerical display instead of hexadecimal or octal, with floating point numbers as a basic type. It also used 32-bit registers, though they stored BCD digits and not binary. In short, this thing was way ahead of its time.
[Menadue] saw the machine at the IBM Hursley museum and liked it so much that he proceeded to build a prototype machine based partially on a document shown at the museum that showed the instructions. Further research revealed a complete document explaining the instruction set. The initial prototype was made on a small PCB with a Raspberry Pi Pico W, an OLED display, and key switches, which proved that he understood the system enough to replicate it.
An inside view
After that prototype, work began on the replica. It’s a half-scale model, but it does use a touch keyboard like the original. The attention to detail is nice, with the colours of the case matching and even a small IBM logo replica on the front! It’s made from a metal chassis, with the keyboard surround being plastic (as on the original) so as not to interfere with the touch keyboard. It’s programmed using the same set of instructions as the original — a combination of low-level commands, similar to assembly for microprocessors, but with an extra set of slightly higher-level instructions that IBM called Extra Codes. For a more in-depth explanation, check out the video going over the original system and the prototype replica!

Photos courtesy of IBM Hursley Museum

As Live Nation stares down antitrust suit, here’s what CEO Michael Rapino says is the real ‘secret sauce’ for Ticketmaster’s successRapino says Ticketmaster's success stems simply from having built a better product.
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FLOSS Weekly Episode 800: Champagning the Ladybird BrowserThis week Jonathan Bennett and Aaron Newcomb chat with Andreas Kling about Ladybird, the new browser in development from the ground up. It was started as part of SerenityOS, and has since taken on a life of its own. How much of the web works on it? How many people are working on the project? And where’s the download button? Listen to find out!

https://awesomekling.com/
https://ladybird.org/
https://ladybird.org/posts/fork/
https://ladybird.org/posts/announcement/
https://ladybird.org/posts/why-ladybird/

Did you know you can watch the live recording of the show Right on our YouTube Channel? Have someone you’d like us to interview? Let us know, or contact the guest and have them contact us! Take a look at the schedule here.

Direct Download in DRM-free MP3.
If you’d rather read along, here’s the transcript for this week’s episode.
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UMG India launches Vedam Records, a wellness music label alongside Grammy Award winner Ricky KejVedam is embarking on a "transformative journey" to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of wellness music
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CARMEN AND CARNIVAL WITH DUDAMEL at the Hollywood BowlAfter a three-month absence, Gustavo Dudamel, longtime musical director of the LA Philharmonic, made a triumphant return to the Hollywood Bowl in late August to launch the orchestra’s final two weeks of the season with six different programs.

So potentially popular that it merited two nights (September 3 and 5) on the schedule, Carmen and Carnival with Dudamel made for a wonderfully alliterative marketing title but a very unusual and offbeat tonal pairing. From casual conversations between patrons, the audience responses and the fact that some folks left at intermission (after the glorious Carnival left town), it seemed that many in the audience were fans of either Camille Saint-Saens’s classic, often whimsical parade of animal inspired pieces OR the dramatic Bizet opera.

Fortunately, I felt like I was perhaps one of the minority who embraced both for different reasons. I enjoy the boisterous prelude to Carmen and the sly vocal expression “Habanera” because these pieces were soundtrack music to one of my favorite all-time films, The Bad News Bears.

Photo credit: Shannon Cottrell

I love Carnival of the Animals not only because Saint-Saens so artfully captured the personalities of each member of the animal kingdom, but because one of his pieces, “The Swan” is. IMHO, one of classical music’s most beautiful and transcendent compositions, all at once capturing the bird’s majestic, divinely sculpted beauty and its graceful glide through water. This piece was the highlight of the Carnival, with cellist Robert deMaine’s elegant, lyrical and richly emotional cello melody gliding on the angelic wings of Karen Lechner’s soft hypnotic piano.

Under Dudamel’s ever nuanced and intuitive guidance, the LA Phil created a dramatic, flourish-filled instrumental equivalent of a brisk 25-minute trip to the zoo or a wild animal park. Along the way, we met lions (“Royal March of the Lion”), “Hens and Roosters” (with pecking simulated by playful string accents), “Wild Donkeys” (featuring fast piano flurries), “Tortoises” (slow and measured chording, naturally), “Elephants” (with percussive, stomping piano and a low toned cello quarter), graceful, hopping “Kangaroos,” and “The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods.” The cuckoo piece and “Aviary” simulated the sounds of their subjects with quickly fluttering flutes. Amidst the whimsy were caressing moments of immersion in the elegant fluidity of the “Aquarium” segment and, as mentioned, the dreamy, ballet-like beauty of the suite’s showstopper, “Swan.”

The narrative elements introducing some of the individual pieces of Carnival of the Animals between its 2019 performance at the Bowl and this one was pretty much night and day. While the earlier one featured Emmy winning actor Sean Hayes hamming it up and adding lighthearted humor to the show, Dudamel found a magnificent way to replace that shtick with a much more reverent and appropriately childlike approach. Sounding a bit like Linus in the classic Peanuts TV specials, the conductor’s 13-year-old son Martin provided the charming voice narration to a series of animated videos for many of the animals, creating a colorful and thoughtful feast for the eyes and ears even before each piece was performed.   The post CARMEN AND CARNIVAL WITH DUDAMEL at the Hollywood Bowl first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

It’s Daniel Ek’s World and Musicians Just Live In ItStreaming accounted for 84% of the revenue that U.S. labels and artists receive from recorded music. Total revenue from U.S. recorded music was $8.67 billion based on RIAA stats for the first half of 2024.
The post It’s Daniel Ek’s World and Musicians Just Live In It appeared first on Hypebot.

Band Shirt Day 2024 is coming. Sign up now!Band Shirt Day 2024 is next Friday, September 20. Every musician with merch should sign up now to participate. Band Shirt Day is a single day global fundraising initiative where. Continue reading
The post Band Shirt Day 2024 is coming. Sign up now! appeared first on Hypebot.

Apple’s upcoming AirPods Pro 2 headphones feature a clinical-grade Hearing Aid featureApple has confirmed the launch of its AirPods 4 line up, the “most advanced and comfortable headphones Apple has ever created”.
The new AirPods host an open-ear design, and there are two versions to choose from – the standard AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).

READ MORE: Apple’s new iPhones apparently have four “studio-quality” mics and multi-track recording in Voice Memos

Predictions on the new AirPod line up and what it would entail began making headlines last month, with estimations on an “advanced model” with ANC now confirmed to be official.
There are also some extra launches though which weren’t widely predicted, with Apple now also confirming a slight upgrade for its AirPods Max – these now come in midnight, starlight, blue, purple, and orange, and offer USB-C charging.
This autumn, its AirPods Pro 2 will also introduce the “world’s first” end-to-end hearing health experience, delivering active Hearing Protection, a scientifically validated Hearing Test, and a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature. More on this later.
AirPods 4 – What’s New?
First, let’s dive into the AirPods 4. According to the tech giant, their new design has been built with an “unparalleled data set” that used advanced modelling tools, like 3D photogrammetry and laser topography, to precisely map and analyse thousands of ear shapes and over 50 million individual data points in total.
AirPods 4 also feature a new acoustic architecture, low-distortion driver, and high dynamic range amplifier. Additionally, there’s Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking too.
There’s also Voice Isolation, enabling clearer call quality, and improved Siri Interactions, allowing users to nod or shake their head yes or no to respond to announcements. A new force sensor on the stem now lets you play or pause media and mute or end calls as well.
As for the ANC version, these AirPods mark the first time such technology has been introduced to an open-ear design. The ANC helps to reduce external noise and hosts intelligent features like Transparency mode to keep users aware of their environment; Adaptive Audio, which dynamically blends Transparency mode and ANC based on the conditions of a user’s environment; and Conversation Awareness, which lowers the user’s media volume when they start speaking to someone nearby.
AirPods Pro 2 – Hearing Protection and Testing
According to an Apple study, one in three people are regularly exposed to loud environmental noise levels that can impact their hearing. As a result, Apple has brought Hearing Protection to AirPods Pro 2.
Essentially, the ear tips on this model help to provide passive noise reduction, while a H2 chip helps to actively reduce louder, more intermittent noise at 48,000 times per second. With a new multiband high dynamic range algorithm, sounds at live events like concerts however, remain “natural and vibrant”.
The accompanying interactive Hearing Test feature utilises a standard clinical approach called pure-tone audiometry, and provides a summary of results in a personalised hearing profile. AirPods Pro’s Hearing Aid capability is also described as an “over-the-counter” tool for mild to moderate hearing loss. Using the personalised hearing profile, this new feature transforms AirPods Pro into a clinical-grade hearing aid.
AirPods 4 ($129) and AirPods 4 with ANC ($179) are available to pre-order now, with availability from 20 September. The hearing health features do not yet have a confirmed arrival date, but will launch for AirPods Pro 2 customers in a free software update this year.
Find out more over at the Apple Newsroom.
The post Apple’s upcoming AirPods Pro 2 headphones feature a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature appeared first on MusicTech.

Metal Legacy expansion for DW Soundworks Metal Legacy is a free expansion for DW Soundworks that has been designed for those in search of hard-hitting metal, rock and punk drum sounds. 

5 easy ways to improve your Singer/Songwriter Performance SkillsTransform your show performance skills with these five easy tips that most singer/songwriters overlook. Larry Butler unlocks the secrets to captivating any audience and making every performances unforgettable.
The post 5 easy ways to improve your Singer/Songwriter Performance Skills appeared first on Hypebot.

Former Fyre Festival investor warns of “red flags” for Billy McFarland’s 2025 reboot: “He knows how to pull people in”Andy King, a former investor of the infamous Fyre Festival, has shared concerns over “red flags” for a reboot event currently scheduled for April 2025.
The original Fyre Festival was scheduled across two weekends in April and May back in 2017, with artists such as Disclosure, Major Lazer, Kaytranada, and more listed on the bill. Festival-goers arrived to find all the talent cancelled, and promises of glamorous accommodation and catering were non-existent. The festival became the subject of the 2019 Netflix documentary, Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.

READ MORE: Man drives car into Berlin nightclub after being denied entry

The festival’s organiser, Billy McFarland was sentenced in 2018 to six years in jail for wire fraud as a result of the failed festival, and was also ordered to return $29m to investors. He was freed in 2022 as part of an early release programme but remains on probation until August 2025.
Speaking to the BBC, King says McFarland is “known for the biggest failure in pop culture and wants to flip the script. But I’m not sure he’s going about it the right way.” In the Fyre Netflix documentary, King became the centre of arguably its most talked about viral moment, in which he claimed McFarland urged him to offer sexual favours to Bahamian customs officials to secure enough bottled water for the 2017 event.
He adds, “I’m just seeing a lot of red flags, and a lot of red lights, and I feel bad. It saddens me… We were going to rent one of the biggest estates in the Hamptons and have a big, swanky party. We ended up having 30 people at a pizza place along the Montauk highway.”
McFarland, however, confirmed on NBC News earlier this month that work on a reboot dubbed Fyre II is underway, with the festival set to go ahead from 25-28 April next year, on a private island off the coast of Mexico.
He claims 100 early bird tickets at a price of $449 have already been sold. Other tickets start at $1,400 but go as high as $1.1m for a “luxury package” supposedly including yachts, scuba diving, and island hopping. He is yet to book talent. McFarland claims “Fyre II has to work”, and that he has spent a year planning it.
The post Former Fyre Festival investor warns of “red flags” for Billy McFarland’s 2025 reboot: “He knows how to pull people in” appeared first on MusicTech.

Nextmidi announce Divisimate 2 Nextmidi's innovative Divisimate software can now control up to 512 instruments, and has gained a built-in arpeggiator as well as powerful performance tools.