The MLC has distributed over $2bn to songwriters and publishers since 2021Nashville-headquartered organization just reached a significant milestone
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The Swarm is a super saw synth in a super small packageFresh synth startup Artium Instruments has launched its debut product, The Swarm.
Tiny but mighty, The Swarm is a handcrafted desktop synthesiser that promises to deliver studio-quality sound. With its 8-note polyphonic SuperSaw oscillator core, full-featured arpeggiator and 4 onboard effects, the synth offers a dynamic degree of control right out the box.

READ MORE: Meet the Vongon Replay, the polyphonic synth “designed to embody vintage character while utilising modernity and versatility of form”

The curated onboard effects are satisfyingly varied. A Freeze Effect records a miniscule sample of audio, before layering and smearing the sample to create an infinite, droning sound perfect to dub over. There’s also a Syncable Delay effect, Stereo Reverb and a 4-voice stereo chorus.
Alongside the native effects, The Swarm also has the ability to plug in and process external audio, seamlessly mixing the external input with the synthetic core.
The Swarm also has a Polyphonic Mode and an Arpeggiator Mode. The Polyphonic mode allows users play up to eight notes simultaneously, while the Arpeggiator Mode offers a monophonic arpeggiator.

The best part about The Swarm is that it’s incredibly hands on. Its knob-for-knob functionality allows users to effortlessly control effects, removing any complexity from the creative process. The knobs are also coloured to make controlling and navigating the synth as painless as possible.
Controlled by MIDI through a USB-C port, The Swarm is also quick and easy to set up. For those preferring DIN connections, a USB to DIN converter can easily be used.
Despite not yet being released, The Swarm has already caused quite the stir. The product has already far surpassed its Kickstarter goal of £6,342, with more backers sure to come forward.
The Swarm’s second batch is currently available for £301 on Kickstarter. The Early Bird batch will ship out in June, while the Second Batch is scheduled to ship in July.
For more info, head to Artium Instruments.
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Denon announces DHT-S218 full-range Dolby Atmos Sound BarDenon has announced its latest Dolby Atmos sound bar, the DHT-S218, and it looks like an exciting option for the price.

READ MORE: Audient’s ORIA is the Atmos interface that engineers have been waiting for

With a sleek, wall-mountable build and down-firing subwoofers built-in, as well as dual mid-range drivers, and tweeters, the DHT-S218 allows you to improve your sound without taking up too much space, making it ideal for smaller rooms. And, the Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio gives high-quality wireless sound and lower latency when paired with a smartphone.
It has an HDMI eARC with support for VRR, ALLM and 4K, as well as optical and analogue inputs. There are three levels of audio enhancement with the Dialogue Enhancer, so you can turn up the dialogue without increasing the overall volume. It’s just 60mm tall, so will fit under most smaller TVs without too much difficulty, and it’s designed for 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
Credit: Denon
There are four different sound modes – Movie, Night, Music, and Pure – to suit different occasions. Pure mode, for example, takes away all surround processing. With multi-pairing and multi-point functions, too, it’s easy to pair and connect to multiple devices, from smartphones to laptops and tablets. And, you can seamlessly switch between multiple Bluetooth devices without needing to manually disconnect and reconnect as required.
It follows previous models like 2022’s DHT-S517, which we thought was a reasonable price and would fit under most TVs, but we felt was slightly low on features. Meanwhile, earlier this year, Denon shared its PerL Pro earbuds, which while on the expensive side offer a great auditory experience.
Denon was founded in 1910, so over 110 years of experience has gone into the making of the DHT-S218.
You can buy the DHT-S218 for £249 now, or find out more information on at Denon.
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This is the world’s first electronic tablaBritish producer Kuljit Bhamra and his Keda Music team have worked together in an attempt to bring Indian drumming to the masses, introducing the Tabla Touch, the world’s first electronic tabla. Recorded by Bhamra himself, the instrument is fitted with four different sets of tabla sounds to explore an authentic range of tabla tones.

READ MORE: Aodyo Instruments’ Loom MPE MIDI controller is “built for immediate playability and expressiveness”

A plethora of traditional Indian instruments is also included on the Tabla Touch. Dholak, Gautam, Jhanj, Hang, Khol, Manjira, Mridangam, Pakhawaj, Tabla Tarang and Temple bell sounds are also built-in for users to experiment with.
Thanks to its electronic nature, the Tabla Touch allows for instant tuning, meaning users can transition between different keys fluidly. ‘Sound’ and ‘Setting’ options can be accessed through a selection screen, with knobs allowing users to then tweak and adjust the settings.
Three different versions of the Tabla Touch are available. Studio comes as the standard option, featuring the Tabla recordings as well as the Dholak and Mridangam.
A Solo version is also available for acoustic performances, and it allows the most portable Tabla playing experience. The built-in speaker eliminates the need for external amplification, and this light design allows it to be played in the traditional seated position.

Pro comes as the premium option, allowing the full range of 18 sounds, including the Dholak, Mridangam, Pakhawaj, Shree Kol and metal percussion in the form of Jhanj and Manjira sounds.
Keda Music’s work aims to shine a spotlight on India’s rich musical history. In their five years in action, the company have developed a universal Indian drum notation system.
During the Tabla Touch’s Mumbai launch show, Bhamra explained how the product isn’t an attempt to erase the need for raw tablas. “The electronic tabla is a way of celebrating the traditional tabla; it’s not a replacement, it is an option,” he explanis. “But, it is a beautiful option if you’re carrying 38kgs of tabla and you’re changing the ‘sur’ on every song.”
The Tabla Touch Pro is currently priced at £1,458. The more budget-friendly Studio and Solo versions are both available for £500.
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“Streaming has changed what artists feel like they should release”: James Blake further justifies his new streaming platform, VaultIt’s been a week or so since James Blake launched Vault, a direct artist-to-fan streaming platform for unreleased music. Artists upload unreleased music, and fans pay a monthly subscription fee as set by the artist.

READ MORE: Spotify tests video-based courses on music production, performance and more in the UK

And yesterday, Blake took to X, formerly Twitter, to further explain his thoughts on streaming. In reply to music critic and YouTuber Anthony Fantano, he wrote, “Streaming has changed what artists feel like they should release. It favours certain structures, certain genres, certain artistic decisions. I regularly see artists pick an inferior song to make the album because the one they love isn’t streaming-friendly. I’ve struggled with it myself.”

Streaming has changed what artists feel like they should release. It favours certain structures, certain genres, certain artistic decisions. I regularly see artists pick an inferior song to make the album because the one they love isn’t streaming friendly. I’ve struggled with it…
— James Blake (@jamesblake) March 26, 2024

Fantano was discussing quotes from rapper ScHoolboy Q, in which he said that streaming devalues the art of making complete albums, meaning that artists are more likely to aim to make one-off, standalone hit songs rather than coherent records.
Despite the platform still being in its infancy, Vault has already been dividing opinion. To Blake’s post, a fan said, “It’s great to see artists like yourself taking a stance in this and creating new solutions. I don’t know what will work in the future, but I feel this is a step in the right direction, hope more artists take it.”
Meanwhile, the Italian musician Kisnou also replied to Blake, saying, “James, I loved your first thoughts about the music industry and how it is not paying us enough, but I honestly think that Vault is just pushing on listeners. We need to put pressure on Spotify (and co.) to pay us fairly.”

James, I loved your first thoughts about the music industry and how it is not paying us enough, but I honestly think that Vault is just pushing on listeners. We need to put pressure on Spotify (& Co) to pay us fairly. 1 cent / stream should be the new law, not 0.003$
— KISNOU (@kisnouofficial) March 27, 2024

Fantano doesn’t seem convinced, either, sharing a YouTube video entitled, simply, ‘This Is Silly.’

Vault’s arrival came after Blake hinted that he’d “landed on a nice solution” to issues surrounding artists getting paid for their music earlier this month, something that he’s been quite vocal about of late.
And earlier this week, he said that record labels should be required to provide their artists with therapists as part of their duty of care, sharing a post from a fellow X user who argued that finding a therapist should be a priority before finding an agent or manager.
For more information, head to Vault.fm.
The post “Streaming has changed what artists feel like they should release”: James Blake further justifies his new streaming platform, Vault appeared first on MusicTech.

Folds: Kontakt instrument from Void & Vista Folds is a dual-layer Kontakt instrument that combines vocal samples, filters, modulation and effects to create a wide variety of evolving textural sounds. 

Tidal just made sharing music easier. Will Apple and Spotify follow?With the addition of universal links, Tidal just made a key avenue of music discovery - sharing music with friends - much easier.....
The post Tidal just made sharing music easier. Will Apple and Spotify follow? appeared first on Hypebot.

My Forever Studio: Chromeo’s subterranean synth-funk studioThe journey to studio foreverdom continues! Canadian funk duo Chromeo joins us for the inaugural episode of the sixth season of My Forever Studio, presented in partnership with Audient.
Dave1 and P-Thugg of Chromeo, AKA the Funklordz, create their fantasy Forever Studio following the strict rules of the show: they’re allowed one computer, one DAW, one audio interface, and just six other pieces of music gear. And, crucially, “NO BUNDLES”.
With the 2024 release of Chromeo’s sixth album, Adult Contemporary, the duo is fresh out of their real-life studio with an abundance of creativity. My Forever Studio hosts Chris Barker and Will Betts sit down with Chromeo in TYX Studios to learn about their real velvet-walled studio in LA, and discover which famous monument they’d manifest their Forever Studio beneath.

David ‘Dave 1’ Macklovitch and Patrick ‘P-Thugg’ Gemayel are celebrating two decades of funk on Adult Contemporary, with their distinctive blend of tongue-in-cheek lyrics, talkbox melodies, and punchy disco drums. Their hard work in the scene has liberated Chromeo, giving them confidence that their signature sound will keep dancefloors moving for years to come.
Adult Contemporary by Chromeo
As they told us in our cover feature interview, “The way we’ve crafted our DNA is the least restrictive thing. We restrict ourselves to our references and the tropes, but have so many infinite ways to use them, that there’s no restriction.
“I think we can pull off whatever we want, as long as it’s got groove. It’s gonna be our sonic palette, we’re gonna sing our themes, it’s gonna have our touch, we’re not worried about that.”
The My Forever Studio podcast sees artists, producers and engineers create their dream fantasy Forever Studio, wherever they want in the universe. However, there are strict rules in the Forever Studio. Our guests are permitted a limited number of items in their creative space, so they must choose carefully. There will be nostalgia. There will be anecdotes. There may be gags. But there will be no bundles!
 
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Get FREE LIMITER Plugin By Mastering The Mix — Only at BPB on April 1st!
Instead of making jokes on April 1st, we decided to do something more productive for our readers (thank you so much for supporting BPB!). Mastering The Mix kindly provided 25,000 FREE copies of the LIMITER (€58,95 value) plugin for Bedroom Producers Blog readers, and we will give them away on April Fools’ Day. To get [...]
View post: Get FREE LIMITER Plugin By Mastering The Mix — Only at BPB on April 1st!

SHE’S EVERYWHERE! Berklee adds online Taylor Swift Songwriting classTaylor Swift really is everywhere, including at the venerable Berklee College of Music, whose online school will begin teaching songwriters the secrets of Swift's songwriting success this spring.....
The post SHE’S EVERYWHERE! Berklee adds online Taylor Swift Songwriting class appeared first on Hypebot.

Social Media Likes and Shares mean much less than we thoughtEvery creator knows the importance of engagement on their content when it comes to boosting the algorithm, but likes and shares don't mean users are actually digesting the content.....
The post Social Media Likes and Shares mean much less than we thought appeared first on Hypebot.

Spitfire Audio Spring Sale Spitfire are currently offering up to 40% discounts on individual libraries as well as a range of exclusive bundle deals.

“They say, ‘Get it done by next week’ – I’m constantly given tasks like this”: TV composer Nathan Micay on tight turnarounds in the industryTV composer Nathan Micay has been discussing what it’s like working in the industry in a new episode of Scuba’s Not A Diving Podcast, and it’s an eye-opening listen.

READ MORE: NME and Bose partner for C24 mixtape – and if you’re a BandLab user, your music could be featured

The composer, who’s also an electronic music artist, has scored TV series including Industry on HBO and BBC, and the new Paramount+ drama Sexy Beast and discusses layering real orchestral recordings with recordings from Spitfire Audio and NI string emulation plugins on the podcast.
He was asked if he could add a full orchestra into Sexy Beast, but only had a week to do so. He says, “We had a very limited amount of time … I was working with string emulation – they’re like, ‘These sounds great. But you know, it would be great if we did it with a full orchestra.’
“I was like, ‘Sure, no problem. What’s the budget? And how long do we have?’ And they’ll be like, ‘Oh, we need it by you know, next week,’ and that’s just not going to happen. You’re constantly given tasks like this, where they’re like, ‘Here’s the budget, just get it done by next week.’
“What I would do is just record myself playing stringed instruments in layers to try and emulate an orchestra and then put that on top of string libraries. And then you get this sort of hybrid sound of real, separately recorded, strings that I’m doing on top of an orchestra. I got this idea because I listened to quite a lot of interviews with composers and during the pandemic, obviously, nobody was recording full COVID-infested, disgusting orchestras. So they were doing it person by person through Zoom, which is interesting, and it seems to have worked.”
He describes it as time-consuming and says that he had around 200 channels because you’re “constantly consolidating” files. “But you do it, and then at the end, the directors are happy and everyone’s happy.”

The post “They say, ‘Get it done by next week’ – I’m constantly given tasks like this”: TV composer Nathan Micay on tight turnarounds in the industry appeared first on MusicTech.

New FrontDAW 3 Saturation Plugin Includes FREE “Second-Hand” Mode
United Plugins is running an intro sale on the new FrontDAW 3 plugin, which is currently available for €15 (69% off the usual price of €49). Additionally, a feature-limited but 100% free mode is available for engineers on a budget.  Before we check out the new FrontDAW 3 saturation tool, let’s quickly examine the so-called [...]
View post: New FrontDAW 3 Saturation Plugin Includes FREE “Second-Hand” Mode

KRK uncover Rokit Generation Five The latest versions of the Rokits have arrived, with all three models equipped a new silk-dome tweeter and enhanced room correction facilities.