This new drum plugin features samples of drums heads and cymbals “virtually unobtainable” in the modern eraThe ’60s and ’70s are such lauded eras in music history, and now Iconic Instrument is providing access to beats and drum sounds from these celebrated periods. The new plugin Detroit Drums was recorded with “virtually unobtainable” 1960s drum heads and cymbals and was even tuned using techniques popular back then.
The plugin includes two primary kits: L-Model and S-Model, which are sold separately or as a bundle. Each drum and cymbal can be tuned individually, but Iconic Instruments specifically highlights the dampening control, describing it as “never-before-seen.” By combining the tuning and dampening, users with a nuanced ear for drums can curate the exact sound they want. From John Bonham’s castle-filling sound down to the tight, musical stylings of Ringo Starr (drummers who had their heyday in the 70s and 60s, respectively).

READ MORE: Is AI seriously in mics now?

When it’s time to process the drums, Iconic Instruments keeps the classic sound coming with a 1960’s-era mixing environment. A core element of this is the Tube Drive effects that can be added to the overhead mics, outside bass mic, the under snare mics, and also the mix bus to sprinkle that vintage warmth on everything.

For other effects, Iconic Instruments tapped its arsenal, integrating simpler versions of the Model 350 Tube Preamp, SP140 Plate Reverb, Model 660 X Exciting Compressor, ParametrEQ, and Transport Vintage Tape plugins. However, these will have to be purchased separately to get the full experience.
“I’m very proud of how great these drums and cymbals sound, but the unique Tuning and Dampening controls are a real achievement,” says Michael Vecchio, Founder, Iconic Instruments. “And the effects in the Mixing Console give you all the color options you want to have on hand. These are the drum sounds you’ve been chasing for years!”
Detroit Drums individual kits are going for $79 each. Both kits in one cost $129. The effects are also sold as individual packages. The complete bundle is $199, and the Tube and Tape bundle is $149. For more information, head to Iconic Instruments.
The post This new drum plugin features samples of drums heads and cymbals “virtually unobtainable” in the modern era appeared first on MusicTech.

Is AI seriously in mics now?Apparently, AI is in microphones now, too. Maono, a company which focuses on products for content creation, will soon launch a Kickstarter for the PD500W, “the world’s first AI-powered hybrid microphone”. Digging into the donation page for the upcoming product, the primary AI function seems to be focused on audio processing.
Maono mics are often used in podcasting. So, common speaking-related hiccups such as popping sounds and rapid volume fluctuation can be managed by machine-driven digital de-poppers and built-in limiters. Overall, a time-saver when it comes to editing. Spotify has over 5 million podcasts. Getting new episodes up as quickly and efficiently as possible is important in such a competitive market.

READ MORE: AIAIAI was known for its all-black product lineup – until now…

The AI functionality of the mic will be supported by upcoming AI tools in Maono software for translation and transcription, further streamlining back-end processes to get the recordings to listeners.
Credit: Maono
Beyond the AI element, the PD500W offers a wide range of recording options. It features USB-C, XLR, and 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, since much content creation happens on the go. The wireless option can also connect to USB-C devices like iPhones to make posting that on-the-ground interview at the latest World Cup match as quick as possible.
If no wireless device is available as a destination for mobile recordings, the PD500W has 32GB of internal storage to keep everything safe before getting back to the computer for editing (which will be much easier thanks to AI). In terms of the core functional details of the mic, its max SPL is 147dB, it has a 48kHz/24 bit sample rate, and a cardioid polar pattern.
Donations aren’t open yet, but when they are, Maono will offer five contribution options ranging from $319 to $689. For more information on the PD500W, head to Kickstarter. You can also learn more at maono.com.
Credit: Maono
The post Is AI seriously in mics now? appeared first on MusicTech.

Gaming groups urge Congress to ban prediction markets sports betting in CLARITY ActGambling industry groups want the US Senate to step in to clarify that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission does not have the authority to oversee prediction markets.

Chi-Hua Chien saw Facebook coming; now he says the real AI winners won’t be selling AIChi-Hua Chien has spent more than two decades as a venture capitalist, but he thinks like a cultural anthropologist.

Ringo Starr Twinkles With Friends at the GreekRingo Starr has been one of the biggest names in drumming world-wide for over 60 years. For the last 37 years Ringo has been touring with his All-Starr band, which has had some big alumni such as The Band’s Levon Helm and Rick Danko, The Eagle’s Joe Walsh, The E-Street Band’s Nils Lofgren and Clarence Clemons, Billy Preston, Dr. John, and drumming icon Jim Keltner.

To be a member, Ringo's requirement is at least three hits from their own band or as a solo act. The All Starr band returned to the Greek Theater in Los Angeles for the first time since 2024, as they played Yaamava Casino last year for the L.A. area show. Generally, the Greek shows are every other year but there have also been back-to-back years. This short West Coast run began May 28th at Pechanga Casino in Temecula, CA and concluded at the Greek on June 14.

The 16th incarnation of the All Starr band has included Toto’s Steve Lukather since 2012 (guitar/vocals), former David Lee Roth and ELO drummer Gregg Bissonette since 2008, Colin Hay of Men At Work on guitar and vocals (member in '03, '08 and since '18), Average White band bassist/vocalist Hamish Stuart (2006-08 and since '19), vocalist Warren Ham also a touring member of Toto (All Starr member since 2014). On keyboards is Buck Johnson from Aerosmith and the Hollywood Vampires, who originally was filling in for Edgar Winter starting in 2024. Lukather, Stuart, and Hay all played three songs from their bands.

The show began with Ringo on vocals for the first two songs starting with Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox” followed by solo hit “It Don’t Come Easy.” Starr stepped behind the drums for song three, which was Toto’s “Rosanna” led by Lukather. Starr double-drummed with Bissonette. Next Stuart was featured on Average White Band’s “Pick Up the Pieces.” Then it was Hay’s turn performing Men At Work’s “Down Under.” When the All Starr band members were featured, they would play three songs in a row (one each). Lukather plays bass on Average White Band’s “Cut the Cake” and a cover of the Isley Brother’s “Work to Do,” and Stuart plays guitar on those.

Each night during Average White Band’s “Cut the Cake,” the band minus Lukather, Bissonette and Johnson leave the stage and as a duo play bits of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” The Beatles “Come Together,” The Safaris “Wipe Out,” Rush’s "YYZ,” Led Zeppelin’s “Rock N’ Roll,” Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4,” Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Manic Depression," The Rolling Stone’s “Honky Tonk Woman,” Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” The Beatles “The End,” and finally Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher.” Last year Starr began performing “The No No Song” for the first time in many years. During Toto’s Africa, Lukather mentioned his fellow band co-founder David Paich being in the audience.

The closing songs were Starr’s “Photograph,” The Beatles’ cover of Johnny Russel’s “Act Naturally,”  and as always “Help From My Friends” with John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance.” At each show, there’s quite a bit of humor and before “Yellow Submarine,” Lukather and Ringo joked around, with Lukather playing the opening riff to The Beatles’ “Daytripper” and “Please Please Me.”

For the finale, Ringo always brings up a few friends including returning guests Jim Keltner and former Guns N’ Roses Velvet Revolver Drummer Matt Sorum, and Toto’s David Paich as well as Jackson Browne, Heartbreaker’s members Mike Campbell, and Benmont Tench and Allman Betts drummer Alex Orbison.

Ringo’s 86th birthday will be in just three weeks, on July 7.

Setlist:

Matchbox- Carl Perkins

It Don’t Come Easy

Rosanna- Toto

Pick Up The Pieces- Average White Band

Down Under- Men At Work

Boys- Shirelles (The Beatles Version)

I’m The Greatest- John Lennon

Yellow Submarine- The Beatles

Cut the Cake- Average White Band (Without Ringo)

Frankenstein-Edgar Winter Group (Without Ringo)

Octopus’s Garden-The Beatles

No No Song- Hoyt Axton

Overkill- Men At Work

Africa- Toto

Work To Do- Isley Brothers (Average White Band Version)

I Wanna Be Your Man- Beatles

Johnny B. Goode- Chuck Berry (Edgar Winter dedicated to his brother Johnny)

Who Can It Be Now?- Men At Work

Hold the Line- Toto

Photograph- Ringo Starr

Act Naturally- Buck Owens (Beatles Version)

With a Little Help From My Friends/ Give Peace A Chance- Beatles/John Lennon

The post Ringo Starr Twinkles With Friends at the Greek first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Get a free ambient synth pad for Splice INSTRUMENT
Download our free synth pad preset for Splice INSTRUMENT—grab these presets during the drop window and they’re yours to keep forever.

2026 Frikkin Lasers Contest: Steampunk, 360 O-Scope Does it with TubesAudiophiles all know everything sounds better fed through vacuum tubes, but did you know visualizers look better with them, too? That’s what we’re forced to conclude looking at the Tachyscope Laser, a 360-degree oscilloscope display that is [Daniel Ross]’s entry into the ongoing Frikkin Lasers contest.
The diagram makes it look easier than building it probably was.
The laser is a good old-fashioned helium–neon tube — something we see less and less of in this era of solid state lasers — and the wavelength gives the waveform display a retro charm. The actual display is unique in our experience, with the beam shining up through a hollow shaft to bounce off a galvanometer mirror on a spinning platform. Galvo sweeps the laser across a translucent target, which creates the waveform by persistence of vision as it spins at 100 RPM or so.
Does the fact that the audio signal feeds through a tube amp to drive the single galvanometer actually improve the visuals? Only in the sense that those tubes make the steampunk-style enclosure look really, really cool, as does the exposed laser tube. That all of the steampunk elements obviously have a point to them rather than just being a another “glue some gears on it” project is icing on the laser-flavored cake.
The contest runs until July 23rd, so there’s lots of time to get laserin’ — and remember that there are categories for DIY lasers and anything that isn’t a display, just in case you think this project puts the bar too high for a light show. We’ve actually featured one of [Daniel]’s tachyscope waveform visualizers before, but that one, madly enough, spun an actual CRT.

Bram Vocal SeparatorVocal separator DAW plugin (CLAP format, x86_64) for Linux, using an offline AI model that runs on your device, and it is light enough to not require a GPU. On my regular laptop it processes a second of audio in roughly one second. This plugin also has no DRM or activation, so if you get it once you will be able to use it forever, also without an internet connection. The plugin is powered by Demucs, a state-of-the-art music source separation model. You can load .mp3 and .wav audio files, and adjust the selection where you want to separate the vocals with the sliders in the GUI. You can play any note on the track to hear your selection. When you are happy with the selection, you can click "Isolate vocals" to separate the vocals. Now, you can play a note of the track to hear the result. You can use the isolated vocals by playing notes on the track with the plugin, or export the result to a .wav file and load it in your favorite sampler to use it in the rest of your song. You can see a demo video here: https://youtu.be/aHLQoB0BuBk Also, here are some results from using this plugin: (see audio files). If you are interested in a plugin that separates other stems as well (drums, bass, etc.), let me know at audio@btertoolen.eu. You can also email me there for any support or other questions / feedback. Read More

BMG/Concord merger approved by competition authorities in United States and Germany (report)Deal cleared in US, Reuters reports, after official approval in Germany
Source

Genelec introduce the 9402A System Management Device The latest expansion of Genelec’s UNIO monitoring ecosystem expands AoIP support with Dante and AES67 options, and offers system management for everything from stereo to 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos rigs. 

AIAIAI was known for its all-black product lineup – until now…AIAIAI has long been known for its sleek headphone design, and is synonymous with its stealthy all-black product lineup. But now, the Copenhagen-based brand is flipping that design philosophy on its head, launching its TMA-2 and Tracks lines in an all-new pristine white colourway.
The four models available in this fresh finish are the TMA-2 DJ Wireless, Tracks, TMA-2 Studio Wireless, and TMA-2 Move. The latter are AIAIAI’s modular Bluetooth headphones with a diaphragm constructed from bio-cellulose, literally bringing organic life into the technology.

READ MORE: Focal’s new flagship Diva Alta Utopia is an audiophile’s dream – and a tight budget’s nightmare

“As a company built around creators, we see this collection as a natural extension of our visual universe,” says Frederik Jørgensen, founder of AIAIAI. “By introducing a stark contrast to our iconic black identity, we are inviting our community to express their individuality through the pure, minimalist aesthetics they already trust.”
To celebrate the launch, AIAIAI has announced an “ambitious, multi-sensory two-year global alliance” with Icelandic music legend Björk. The four white headphone models will be available to attendees of her audiovisual touring exhibition, Echolalia.
Like many things Björk has done throughout her over three decades of artistry, Echolalia stretches the boundaries of different mediums. In terms of audio, attendees experience sounds that shift between “individual vocal micro-frequencies and collective choral dynamics”. Attendees are also treated to hearing music from Björk’s upcoming album (which will not be titled Echolalia).
“Working with an artist like Björk is incredibly rare. She’s so selective of who she collaborates with. She doesn’t simply create music or visuals – she builds entirely new worlds,” Jørgensen adds. “This partnership gave us the opportunity to place our precision technology inside a truly visionary artistic universe with her, where sound, emotion, and innovation exist as one human pulse.”
Echolalia premiered on May 31, 2026, at the National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík. Future editions will be held in London, Paris, Tokyo, New York, and Sydney.
The pristine white series is not yet available for purchase. Sign up for AIAIAI’s newsletter to be notified when they drop.
For more information on the headphones and Echolalia, head to AIAIAI.
The post AIAIAI was known for its all-black product lineup – until now… appeared first on MusicTech.

The Biggest UK Pro Audio Show In 20 Years! GearExpo UK is the biggest pro-audio show to hit the UK in years, offering an unmatched opportunity to get hands-on with the world’s top audio brands.

Schematic Sound makes Aurora waveform visualizer plugin FREE and open-source
Schematic Sound has made Aurora, its DJ-style waveform visualizer plugin, open-source and available as a free pay-what-you-want download. Aurora is a VST3/AU plugin that brings the frequency-colored waveform display you see in DJ software like Rekordbox, Traktor, and Serato into the DAW. I used DJ software quite a bit in the past (mostly at friends’ [...]
View post: Schematic Sound makes Aurora waveform visualizer plugin FREE and open-source

Portway DSP launches PINGPAN physics-driven auto-panner plugin (GIVEAWAY)
Portway DSP has released PINGPAN, a physics-driven auto-panner with a ping-pong delay, sweepable filter, and, believe it or not, a playable Pong-style game mode. We are taking a closer look at the plugin and giving away one free copy to one lucky BPB reader. PINGPAN is the debut plugin from Portway DSP, created by developer [...]
View post: Portway DSP launches PINGPAN physics-driven auto-panner plugin (GIVEAWAY)

Fadeouts – lazy songwriting or the perfect space for experimentation? Keith Urban weighs in: “That’s when all the cool stuff starts happening”The fadeout: a space for musical experimentation or just plain lazy?
They feature in some of the greatest tracks of all time – including the Eagles’ Hotel California, The Beatles’ Hey Jude, and Every Breath You Take by The Police – but some might argue that the fadeout is a way for musicians not to have to think of an outro.

READ MORE: Focal’s new flagship Diva Alta Utopia is an audiophile’s dream – and a tight budget’s nightmare

Indeed, repeating a track’s final chorus a few times as the volume slowly decreases means you don’t need to come up with a new chord progression or any major musical change in direction, but fadeouts can provide verdant ground for experimentation, and as the outro solo of Hotel California attests to, they sometimes play host to some of the greatest musical moments ever committed to tape.

And in a new interview with Billboard – in which he talks about Flow State, his new album of yacht rock covers – Australian-American country singer and guitarist Keith Urban waxes lyrical on his love of the fadeout.
“One of the areas I’ve always found that I like to go off script, if you will, is at the end of songs,” he says [via MusicRadar]. 
“People who grew up in that era where there were fades know all about turning the volume up because this amazing thing happened right at the very end of the fade – you could just hear the guitarist do something that was so cool, because typically the session players figure, ‘We’re out by now, they’re not going to use all this, we’re just now playing for playing’s sake.’ That’s when all the cool stuff starts happening.”
Urban explains how some of his biggest tracks saw his band members let loose creatively in a way they weren’t before, and that he was determined to share these sonic gems with the world.
“I’ve found so many times on my records, the reason why Stupid Boy and some of those [songs] had these long outros is what the band would do at those periods was really cool, and I didn’t want it to not be heard,” he says.

So let it be known that Keith Urban is a fan of the fadeout. But what do you think? Should artists seek to conclusively end their songs, or are fadeouts a great place for musical experimentation?
The post Fadeouts – lazy songwriting or the perfect space for experimentation? Keith Urban weighs in: “That’s when all the cool stuff starts happening” appeared first on MusicTech.