Adam Neumann’s startup Flow opens co-living community in Saudi ArabiaFlow, Adam Neumann’s co-living startup, opened a compound with 238 apartments in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, and Forbes has some details. The opening included an Aztec-themed hot chocolate ceremony and tote bags with the words “holy s— I’m alive” on them. The rent for the furnished units starts at $3,500 a month and includes hotel-style […]
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Raspberry Pi RP2350-E9 Erratum Redefined as Input Mode Leakage CurrentAlthough initially defined as an issue with GPIO inputs when configured with the internal pull-downs enabled, erratum RP2350-E9 has recently been redefined in the datasheet (page 1341) as a case of increased leakage current. As it is now understood since we previously reported, the issue occurs when a GPIO (0 – 47) is configured as input, the input buffer is enabled, and the pad voltage is somewhere between logic LOW and HIGH. In that case leakage current can be as high as 120 µA with IOVDD = 3.3 V. This leakage current is too much for the internal pull-up to overcome, ergo the need for an external pull-down: 8.2 kΩ or less, per the erratum. Disabling the input buffer will stop the leakage current, but reading the input requires re-enabling the buffer.
GPIO Pad leakage for IOVDD=3.3 V (Credit: Raspberry Pi)
The upshot of this issue is that for input applications, the internal pull-downs are useless, and since PIO applications cannot toggle pad controls, the input buffer toggling workaround is not an option. ADC usage requires one to clear the GPIO input enable. In general any circuit that relies on floating pins or an internal pull-down resistor will be affected.
Although this should mean that the affected A2 stepping of the RP2350 MCU can still be used for applications where this is not an issue, and external pull-downs can be used as a ‘fix’ at the cost of extra power usage, it makes what should have been a drop-in replacement a troubled chip at best. At this point there have still been no definite statements from Raspberry Pi regarding a new (B0) stepping, leaving RP MCU users with the choice between the less flashy RP2040 and the buggy RP2350 for the foreseeable future.
Header: Thomas Amberg, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Fixing an Elgato HD60 S HDMI Capture DeviceThere’s a special kind of satisfaction found in the act of repairing a previously broken device, which is why YouTube is full of repair channels and guides on how to do it yourself. Inspired by this, [Doug Brown] decided to give it a shot himself, with an Elgato HD60 S HDMI capture device as the patient. As per the eBay listing, the device did not show up as a USB device when connected to a computer — a quick probing of the innards revealed that not only were the board voltages being dragged down, but some of the components on the PCB were getting suspiciously hot.
One of the broken switching regulators on the Elgato HD60 S capture device PCB. (Credit: Doug Brown)
On a thermal camera the hot components in question turned out to part of the voltage regulator circuits, one a switching regulator (marked fiVJVE, for Fitipower FP6373A) and another a voltage inverter marked PFNI (Ti TPS60403DBV).
Since both took 5 V, the suspicion was an over-voltage event on the USB side. After replacing the FP6373A and TPS60403 with newly purchased ones, the voltage rails were indeed healthy, and the Elgato sprung to life and could be used for HDMI capture and pass-through. However, the device’s onboard LEDs stubbornly refused to follow the boot-up pattern or show any other color patterns. Was this just a busted Innotech IT1504 LED driver IC?
Swapping it with a pin-compatible Macroblock MB15040 didn’t improve the situation, and the LEDs worked fine when externally controlling the MB15040 on its SPI bus, as well as with the original IT1504. Asking Elgato whether there was a known issue with these status LEDs didn’t lead to anything, so [Doug] decided to tackle the presumed source of the problem: the Nuvoton M031LD2AE MCU that’s supposed to drive the LED driver IC. The PCB helpfully provides a 4-pin JST connector on the board for the MCU’s SWD interface, but Elgato did protect the flash contents, so a straight dump wasn’t going to work.
The binary firmware is however helpfully available from Elgato, with the MCU already running the latest version. This is the point where [Doug] loaded the firmware into Ghidra to begin to understand what exactly this firmware was supposed to be doing. Putting on a fresh MCU with the correct firmware definitely worked, but debugging was hard as the new MCU also enabled protections, so in Ghidra the offending code for this was identified and neutralized, finally allowing for on-chip debugging and leading down another rabbit hole only to find an SPI flash chip at the end.
Ultimately it turned out that all the hardware was working fine. The problem ended up being that the LED patterns stored on the SPI EEPROM had become corrupted, which caused the Nuvoton MCU to skip over them. The same issue was confirmed on a second HD60 S, which makes it seem that this is a common issue with these Elgato capture devices. As a next step [Doug] hopes to figure out a way to more easily fix this issue, as even the streamlined process is still quite convoluted. Whether it is an issue with Elgato’s software or firmware (updater) is unknown at this point, but at least there seems to be a fix for now, even if Elgato support seems to just tell owners to ‘ignore it if capturing works’.
There’s nothing quite as inspirational as reading about a successful repair. If you need another shot of endorphins, check out the work [BuyItFixIt] put into a video baby monitor to bring it back online.

SynthFest UK 2024 Update Over 60 manufacturers are already confirmed to be exhibiting at this year's show with more still to be announced, and there will be a series of free seminars and product demo workshops running throughout the day.

From Global Music Rights’ $3.3bn valuation to the Miley Cyrus copyright lawsuit… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
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Humble Bundle offers IK Multimedia SampleTank 4 for $1
You can pay just $1 to get IK Multimedia’s SampleTank 4 ($199.99) at Humble Bundle until October 9th, 2024. SampleTank 4 has been around for a few years but remains a favorite for many musicians. The sound and groove workstation features an impressive 100GB sound library with 6000 instrument presets. Thanks to Humble and IK Multimedia, [...]
View post: Humble Bundle offers IK Multimedia SampleTank 4 for $1

STL Tones reveal Tonality: Wes Borland The latest addition to STL Tones' Tonality range contains a selection of amps, cabinets effects from the personal collection of Limp Bizkit's Wes Borland.

Musictop Instruments releases FREE Creatools Keys instrument for Windows
Musictop Instruments releases Creatools: Keys, a FREE and open-source synth plugin for Windows. Creatools: Keys is a free and open-source rompler synth plugin built on the HISE framework. This virtual instrument features a wide range of sampled sounds you can edit, layer, and modulate in various ways. Creatools: Keys has a collection of built-in effects, [...]
View post: Musictop Instruments releases FREE Creatools Keys instrument for Windows

Music Tectonics music tech startup competition finalists namedThe Music Tectonics Conference Swimming With Narwhals music tech startup competition has named its 2024 finalists.
The post Music Tectonics music tech startup competition finalists named appeared first on Hypebot.

QUICK HITS: Mellomanic + $6M •  Cargo Indie Distro launches • Audoo adds Advisors • Believe names Managing DirectorSuperfan platform Mellomanic (formerly We Are Giant) has announced the closing of a $6 million funding round, bringing the total capital raised to $13.8 million dollars.
The post QUICK HITS: Mellomanic + $6M •  Cargo Indie Distro launches • Audoo adds Advisors • Believe names Managing Director appeared first on Hypebot.

Musicians: Don’t Give Up! Success May Be Right Around the CornerSuccess as a musician can be illusive and it's natural to get discouraged. But our message is simple: musicians, don't give up! Keep trying, because success may be right around the corner.
The post Musicians: Don’t Give Up! Success May Be Right Around the Corner appeared first on Hypebot.

UVI’s World Suite 3 offers “unmatched” global instrument libraryBack in 2021, UVI‘s World Suite 2 gave producers an impressively comprehensive sound library with software instruments from India, South America and, well, all around the world, basically. And now it’s time for another trip around the globe; World Suite 3 is here.
We gave World Suite 2 a perfect 10/10, but World Suite 3 arrives to give its predecessor a run for its money. The sound library comes with 46 new instruments, offering sounds from Native America all the way back to ancient Greece. And that’s on top of the 369 instruments World Suite 2 already had to offer.

READ MORE: Our favourite plugins, effects and VST instruments released this week

Every instrument has been meticulously recorded to sound as authentic as possible. It’s a library that UVI argues is “unmatched”, and it’s been compiled and recorded with the utmost care and attention to detail.
Each instrument is kitted out with its own unique controls. The intricate, instrument-specific controls allow users to tweak sounds to a detailed level, all the while not compromising the raw texture of the instrument.
UVI has also loaded World Suite 3 with over 1,900 presets, as well as over 80,000 samples, loops and phrases, providing you with an unimaginably vast library ripe and ready for experimentation.

World Suite 3 also offers a smoother user experience with a shiny new user interface. While its predecessor boasted a nifty search function, allowing you to peruse by Region and Instrument Type, World Suite 3 also offers a reimagined way to discover new sounds.
The World Traveller and Voice Traveller exploration functions encourage users to step out of their comfort zone. The functions make it easier than ever to find bold new sounds, a colourful interface tempting you to experiment. Whether it be toying with some South American Bossa Drums, or maybe trying out the African Juju Bass, UVI has made experimentation simple, quick and easy.

Voice Traveller works in a similar fashion, unifying sounds by region and voice types, making it simpler to explore and experiment with different vocal traditions from across the globe.
World Suite 3 offers native 64-bit stand-alone operation with Falcon or UVI’s Workstation. It also provides support for all your favourite DAWs.
World Suite 3 is available now, with a special introductory price of $199 / 199€. After 30th September, it will hike up to $299 / 299€. For more information, head to UVI.
The post UVI’s World Suite 3 offers “unmatched” global instrument library appeared first on MusicTech.

France’s recorded music market generated $450m in H1, as paid subscription revenues grow 11.3% YoYSixteen of the top 20 albums in France in H1 2024 were domestically produced
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MIDI Innovation Awards Show 2024 As this year’s MIDI Innovation Awards draw to a close, The MIDI Association will be hosting a streamed event on their YouTube channel to showcase the finalists and select the winners.

Why Justin Jay quit releasing tracks and started tutoring other music producersMaking music is supposed to be fun.
It sounds obvious, but many artists get lost in the Sisyphusian struggle of making whatever genre is popular at the time to reach a certain goal. They may push a boulder up a hill and reach that goal, only to realise there’s a newer, bigger goal — and the boulder comes tumbling down again.

READ MORE: NERO talks production, plugins and modern dubstep: “There’s always a Depeche Mode influence in what we do”

Justin Jay, the seasoned producer, DJ, label boss, and educator, chooses not to follow this pattern.
“You can do whatever you want. You can speed up the BPM. You can change the drum beats. You can sample other things and just explore,” Jay says. “People can often be trapped by really arbitrary ideas in their own heads, and once they realize that you’re actually free to do whatever you want you can have so much fun.”
A few years ago, Jay was so lost in the Sisyphusian cycle that it eviscerated his mental health. He found himself planted in front of his laptop, letting the blue light erode his corneas as he grinded away until sunrise — making music for money, not music he loved.
When he realised continuing that way wasn’t sustainable, he quit touring and moved back in with his parents to separate himself from the music industry. In that phase, he became self-aware that he wanted to be an artist who creates whatever he wants; that’s what he did on his third album, You Are The One.
Image: Press
Across the 12 tracks on the record, Jay’s uncaged attitude shines through. From the soulful house of the opener, I’ll Always Love You, to the seething UK garage-tinged Walk Away, then to the classic trance sound of You’re Fake, this album keeps the listener guessing from start to finish.
But it always sounds like Justin Jay, thanks to the intense energy he put into the songwriting for this particular record. Songwriting is now his baseline for manipulating different sounds and genres.
“For so much music, it’s not about doing something new with the sounds. It’s actually about using the exact sounds that we’re used to to create an illusion or create a feel that is nostalgic or whatever. I think it’s super fun, because then it becomes more about the songwriting, which is my favorite part,” Jay says.
In fact, that was one thing he was struggling with when he took his hiatus from music. He was scared of the vulnerability of sharing his songwriting and the authentic elements of that like lyrics. Now he is facing that fear head-on:
“We make music to express ourselves. The more we can do that honestly, the better,” Jay says.

When he returned to music, he started writing songs with new band, Fantastic Voyage (also the name of his record label). The band featured some of his close friends and fellow musicians. Together they released tracks such as What Do You Want and Can’t Complain, and they performed at various major US festivals including Bonnaroo and Dirtybird Campout.
Then the pandemic made touring impossible. The band dissolved and in those two years without gigs, most of Jay’s bandmates moved on from music to other careers.
Jay was back to making music by himself. Except he now had the confidence to write songs that reflected his authentic feelings, and he was facing isolation along with all the other complicated experiences that came with the pandemic. This is the phase when he wrote most of the songs on You Are The One.
In listening to the underlying composition beneath the electronics, the album sounds quite a bit like a breakup record. On the acoustic-guitar-driven Reflections, he sings: “I got some things to improve on. I got some things to admit/If I keep lying to you. How will you ever forgive?”
Then on the folk acoustic album closer, On My Own (Ft. Austin), Austin sings: “I must be changing because I can’t wait to move on.”

But despite this sombre messaging, he didn’t write this music to get over a breakup. He wrote it to depict what it’s like to be in a situation of unrequited love.
“I look at this album as this self-help exploration which comes with some challenges. But ultimately can be really positive,” Jay says. “There’s a lot in a situation like that that you cannot control. It’s really important to shift focus onto what you can control, which is yourself.”
He shifted his focus towards cultivating inner strength and independence. Since then, his production pallet started expanding exponentially and it hasn’t slowed down.
In the first part of 2024, he travelled around the US making music with different dubstep and bass artists such as Chef Boyarbeatz and Bauuer. They gave him a crash course in different sound design techniques, leading to Jay’s debut bass EP on Zeds Dead’s label, Deadbeats, titled Wait For The Drop.
Image: Press
Jay also ventured into the far reaches of techno when he travelled to Berlin to work with an underground artist named Freeman 713.
“I’ve never made music with anyone who is so particular about techno,” Jay says. “He makes tracks that don’t have breakdowns, that are the most elite, hypnotic techno. That could not have been a more different experience from anything I’ve done all year.”
While he respects and enjoys that each subgenre is different, all this experimentation helped him to understand where these different genres overlap. That’s what allows him to link them so fluidly within his productions and DJ sets.
“The difference can be, ‘What are the drums?’ Then you change the drums. Now it’s a different subgenre..” Jay says. “It’s all much more similar than one might think.”
In fact, one of the challenges of You Are The One stemmed from the similarities. After diving deep into making so many different subgenres (an experience he equates to the grad school of music production), he had to contain himself to ensure the album felt like a cohesive body of work as opposed to a hodgepodge of all his musical interests.
Image: Press
“The aspiration during COVID was to push the absolute limits of chaos and eclecticism; making it as varied as possible. It took a couple of years for me to figure out that this album doesn’t need to be everything. It can be more focused,” Jay says.
His songwriting was key to making the album more focused, but so were his production methods. For example, a sample pack he heavily relied on to make You Are The One was the JungleJungle Sample Pack, a completely free collection of sounds from jungle tracks produced between 1989 and 1999.
According to Jay, this sample pack is part of the DNA of all electronic music. Labels such as Shall Not Fade and Lobster Theremin have the samples all over their catalogues, he adds.
“It’s funny because it is all just illegal samples of other people’s songs, but just really short snips,” Jay says. “The key for making something nostalgic can sometimes just be using something old.”
Image: Press
Jay also applied this approach to his synths as well. He frequently used Rave Generator 2, which is similar to JungleJungle but lets you chromatically play samples from old rave tracks.
“Justice, on their most recent album [Hyperdrama], has a song called Generator. They used all the Rave Generator sounds,” Jay says before going on to revel in the rumour that Justice made their legendary debut album on Garageband. “It’s so sick that you can hear a masterpiece like Cross by Justice and be like, ‘Wait this was made on a piece of software that literally, everyone has access to for free on their computer’.”
This is the exact approach Jay passes on to his students. He has been teaching Ableton courses since 2019, many of which are free, and all anyone needs to join the class is a computer that can run a free trial of Ableton.
When Jay makes music, he uses his laptop and a pair of Bose earbuds. One time when he was on a call with a student, Jay said the word “balls” into his earbud mic. That sample became the track Ballz which John Summit played to a sold-out crowd at BMO stadium in Los Angeles.
Jay’s put out numerous collaborations with his students. The title track from his Deadbeats EP was produced with one of his students, Bayer & Waits. He also released a hard groove single called Back to the Groove with student coldsweat.
Image: Press
“I don’t know why every producer doesn’t teach. I’ve experienced the most amount of technical growth in the past years since I’ve started teaching,” Jay says. But improving his own skills is only a bonus he gets from teaching. “I was just in Vienna, Austria and I didn’t remember the absurd percentage of famous classical composers that are all from this one city. Part of the reason is each great composer taught the next great composer. They all taught each other.”
While Jay is too humble to compare himself to the Viennese masters like Hadyn, Mozart, and Beethoven, the principle is the same. He is teaching a new generation of music producers to make music based on one idea: having fun.
The post Why Justin Jay quit releasing tracks and started tutoring other music producers appeared first on MusicTech.