TikTok faces a ban in the US, Tesla profits drop and healthcare data leaksWelcome, folks, to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering this week’s noteworthy happenings in tech. TikTok’s fate in the U.S. looks uncertain after President Joe Biden signed a bill that included a deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to divest itself of TikTok within nine months or face a ban on distributing it […]
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Expert Advice: The Sound of A.I. in HollywoodActors and writers reached their agreement with A.I. What about sound designers?

After some long and painful fights, the issue of A.I.—at least for actors and writers—has been resolved. For the rest of us in Hollywood, however, the unpacking of A.I. has only just begun. Navigating the future of the sound design industry will depend on engineers and editors understanding how to maximize the capability and productivity of A.I. tools. 

While filmmaking and production were shut down for most of the year by the long and painful strike, the industry of Hollywood has continued to churn. Though the “Barbenheimer” craze over the summer cushioned the economic blow for some studios, the last six months have seen major Hollywood studios bend over backward to improve profitability. 

Studios direct-to-consumer offerings—streamers—have borne the brunt of these efforts; in this grand experimentation, everything from storytelling structure to pricing models have been on the table. Streamers have merged, shifted, and cut entire projects in an attempt to impress investors with their bottom line. 

It’s a reasonable concern, then, that having failed with the actors and writers, other, less powerful and more technical groups—such as sound engineering—may be on the line for A.I. replacement and the presumed associated cost savings. And it’s not necessarily a wild leap: it’s inevitable that A.I. will, as with other industries, dramatically shift what the workflow for sound engineers will look like.

Sound engineers looking to forge their future not only during these tumultuous times in Hollywood, but also in the “civilian” sector, need to be smart about how they deploy A.I. There are already tools available that can help us speed up our processes and projects. Two good examples:

• Sound cataloging and library management: Finding a specific sound in a sound library can be an incredibly time intensive process. I know that my own library is made up of over two terabytes of various sounds, and digging through it to find a specific one can take hours. There are A.I. tools on the market that can not only uncover a sound, but also generate timestamps inside each audio clip.

• Audio description mixing: Mixing for audio description can be a rote process. Clients have specifications they want met, and save for a bit of artistry, the process is fairly straightforward. A program’s audio needs to drop at a certain point before the narratives begin, and resume shortly after it ends. A.I. can automate the process, doing an effective first draft of the work, creating time for the engineer to check and fix any mixing issues after the first rendering. 

As in other industries, these tools offer methods of speeding up delivery and service, and will eventually become the standard practice. As cost savings continue to be a major priority for studios, expect to see A.I. technologies implemented to a greater and greater extent. 

But will sound engineers face an existential crisis as a result of A.I.? 

Yes—and no. 

As the more basic tasks of sound design— such as sound effects cataloging and audio description mixing—are outsourced to A.I. tools, other novice positions, like interns and PA roles, will likely dry up. If companies can find cost savings by using technology, they will, and the impact will likely be fewer roles for individuals just getting started and learning the business. 

At the same time, sound design—like many other post-production positions—is both an art and a science. The best among us have the technical skills needed to create a cohesive soundscape, while also having the artful ear that can create a character out of the audio. Part of being a sound designer is having the ability to translate a director’s vision into a rich and immersive sound experience. 

In an industry that runs on connections and creativity, removing the position of sound engineer likely won’t happen, especially at the highest levels. Certainly, the lower tier and newer streaming services—those who are just creating content for content’s sake—may turn to some emerging A.I. tools to churn out fast, good enough sound designs that simply gets the job done. As TikTok and TikTok-like mini productions grow in popularity, rapid turnaround will be prioritized over quality. 

But there will continue to be a happy medium for sound design and engineering. Work in this industry long enough, and you know that relationships are everything. Directors are on the lookout for partners who have the emotional sensibility and creativity to translate their vision, add to it, and produce something even better. 

The Oscar-winning directors of the world aren’t likely to give up that relationship soon, attached as they are to the individuals who help to drive the creative process alongside them. Similarly, independent artists and filmmakers, who are driven by creativity and passion, aren’t likely to pursue ease over art. 

Soft skills will still win the day for sound designers, but smart studios can, and will, start bracing themselves for an A.I.-driven future.

This 360 treadmill could make Disney’s metaverse a physical playgroundYouTuber and Ultimate star MKBHD tested the device using a game controller, his legs, and the Force.

3D Printed Adapter Helps You Eat Chicken Nuggets On The HighwaySo often, we see 3D printers used to create some nifty little tool for a tricky little job. Maybe it’s to lock cams together for a timing belt change, or to work as a jig for soldering some complex device. However, some hacks are even simpler than that. [maker_guy] realized that eating nuggets in the car could be easier than ever with a little printed adapter.
The print is simple. It’s a round caddy for the nugget sauces given out by Chick-fil-A restaurants. Why round? Because it lets the nugget sauce sit neatly in your car’s cupholder at an accessible height. Put the sauce tub in the adapter, peel it open, and you can dip to your heart’s content.
So simple, yet a game changer all the same.
No more delicately balancing Zesty Buffalo by the gearstick while you try and chow down. Nor will your seat covers be tainted with Honey Mustard!
“Not a hack!” you scream. “It’s frivolous nonsense!” To that I say, are you a nugget eater or not? I myself partake, and I can absolutely see the value in this. You see, us journalists work hard. We’re often stuck eating substandard food in our cars on the way from one thing to another, like so many others in busy professions. If a smart little 3D-printed adapter can make mealtime easier and save some mess, I’m calling that a win.
You should never be afraid to use your creativity to make tools to improve your life. Parts are on Thingiverse if you need to print your own. Mod it to suit McDonald’s product if you need. Heck, print in black and it’d look like a stock part of the car!
You don’t have to like this simple adapter, but you can’t deny its utility! Share your own nifty little adapter ideas in the comments.

Welcome Back, VoyagerIn what is probably the longest-distance tech support operation in history, the Voyager mission team succeeded in hacking their way around some defective memory and convincing their space probe to send sensor data back to earth again. And for the record, Voyager is a 46-year old system at a distance of now 24 billion kilometers, 22.5 light-hours, from the earth.
While the time delay that distance implies must have made for quite a tense couple days of waiting between sending the patch and finding out if it worked, the age of the computers onboard probably actually helped, in a strange way. Because the code is old-school machine language, one absolutely has to know all the memory addresses where each subroutine starts and ends. You don’t call a function like do_something(); but rather by loading an address in memory and jumping to it.
This means that the ground crew, in principle, knows where every instruction lives. If they also knew where all of the busted memory cells were, it would be a “simple” programming exercise to jump around the bad bits, and re-write all of the subroutine calls accordingly if larger chunks had to be moved. By “simple”, I of course mean “incredibly high stakes, and you’d better make sure you’ve got it right the first time.”
In a way, it’s a fantastic testament to simpler systems that they were able to patch their code around the memory holes. Think about trying to do this with a modern operating system that uses address space layout randomization, for instance. Of course, the purpose there is to make hacking directly on the memory harder, and that’s the opposite of what you’d want in a space probe.
Nonetheless, it’s a testament to careful work and clever software hacking that they managed to get Voyager back online. May she send for another 46 years!

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“Major label reach on your terms”: ReverbNation and Warner Music partnership aims to empower emerging artistsReverbNation, the artist opportunities platform of BandLab Technologies, has teamed up with Warner Chappel Music (WCM), the global music publishing arm of Warner Music Group. The new ReverbNation Publishing venture lets rising artists, producers and songwriters apply for major label-grade music publishing services.
Under the partnership, WCM will be responsible for providing the music rights to all artists who sign up for the newly-created ReverbNation Publishing Administration program. ReverbNation and WCM will also collaborate to seek and sign promising new talent in the ReverbNation community.
What is ReverbNation Publishing?
Producers and songwriters who are signed to WCM and ReverbNation will be equipped with WCM’s full suite of offerings. This means they’ll have the opportunity to work with Warner’s A&R, Sync and Creative services teams. With this access, artists can “capitalise on new avenues for their songs and careers,” a press release reads.
On the ReverbNation Publishing webpage, the brand says that the partnership offers “major label reach on your terms.”
“Publishing is difficult without a partner,” it continues, outlining a streamlined process to help ensure your songwriter royalties are collected: Tell ReverbNation Publishing about your track, let ReverbNation and WCM find and collect the royalties you’re owed, and you get paid.
What does the partnership mean?
“Songwriters and artists are now being discovered through a multitude of different digital platforms, in what I call the ‘New Songwriter Economy,’ says Guy Moot, the co-chair and CEO of WCM.
“Joining forces with BandLab Technologies allows us to tap into the incredible creator community that they’ve built and help support and amplify the voices of promising, up-and-coming talent. Meng [Ru Kuok, CEO and co-founder of BandLab Technologies], is an exceptional entrepreneur with a vision for the future of music that aligns well with ours, and we’re looking forward to a long and successful partnership together.”
Meng Ru Kuok adds: “By joining forces with Warner Chappell Music, we’ll open new doors for the ReverbNation community, creating even more opportunities for artistic growth. This partnership not only unlocks additional potential avenues for artistic development and innovation, it also bridges the gap between emerging talents and established industry platforms, allowing a new generation of artists to find their voice and place in a continuously adapting and expanding landscape.”
Learn more about Reverbnation Publishing at publishing.reverbnation.com
Editor’s note: BandLab Technologies and MusicTech are both part of Caldecott Music Group. 
The post “Major label reach on your terms”: ReverbNation and Warner Music partnership aims to empower emerging artists appeared first on MusicTech.

Last Week in DIY & Indie Music: TikTok • Bandcamp • Playlist pitches • Threads • MoreThis week, our news, tips, and advice for independent and DIY artists covered TikTok, playlist pitching, Bandcamp updates, how to optimize your email marketing, what's changed with the Latin Grammys, and more.....
The post Last Week in DIY & Indie Music: TikTok • Bandcamp • Playlist pitches • Threads • More appeared first on Hypebot.

New Music Industry Week In Review: Spotify news • TikTok ultimatum • MoreIt was a busy week by any definition, and the music industry was no exception. There was the news from Spotofy, the TikTok ultimatum, copyright regulations run amok, Mark Mulligan. Continue reading
The post New Music Industry Week In Review: Spotify news • TikTok ultimatum • More appeared first on Hypebot.

RandRobin Is A FREE Round-Robin Plugin For Windows
Fanan Team released RandRobin, a free round-robin plugin for Windows. Sample libraries and virtual instruments come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very dynamic, and the more advanced ones even have round robins (meaning there are multiple recordings/variations of every hit/note) to achieve that realistic sound closer to the real deal. But let’s say [...]
View post: RandRobin Is A FREE Round-Robin Plugin For Windows

Acustica introduce Sand 4 Ultra Sand 4 Ultra comes loaded with compressor, EQ and channel strip plug-ins based on the company’s Hyper technology and new Aria engine. 

Country Artist Alli Walker And Manager Brad Turcotte Join Vector ManagementNashville’s Alli Walker, a rising country artist, has taken another significant step in her career as her manager, Brad Turcotte, signs with Vector Management. 

"Signing with Vector Management is an incredible milestone for my career,” shares Alli. “I'm thrilled to join their esteemed roster and work alongside Brad and the entire team. This partnership marks an exciting new chapter, and I'm looking forward to what lies ahead.” 

"We are excited to have Brad and Alli  join our Vector family,” says Jason Murray, President of Vector Management.  “We are looking forward to doing some great things together!” Brad Turcotte adds “Joining forces with Vector is the fifth gear that Alli needs, and the team that Ken and Jason have assembled are second to none.”

(L-R): Vector Management’s Brad Turcotte, Alli Walker, Jason Murray (President, Vector Management)Photo credit: Vector Management

In conjunction with this exciting announcement, Alli’s latest single, “Creek,” is available today via RECORDS Nashville. Fans can watch the visualizer, directed by Justin Key, HERE. Co-written by Alli along with April Rose Gabrielli, Jacob Kulick, and Gigi Rich, and produced by David Fanning, “Creek” captures the essence of Walker’s dynamic rock/country style, offering listeners an infectious anthem about embracing the country lifestyle, perfect for the summer season.

Alli is currently working on new music and gearing up for more tour dates. For additional information visit www.alliwalker.com 

‘Lost’ Yuga Labs restructures again, with layoffs, new executiveThe creator of the Bored Ape Yacht Club has been struggling with a changing market and still plans to focus on its Otherside metaverse project.

Photo-sharing community EyeEm will license users’ photos to train AI if they don’t delete themEyeEm, the Berlin-based photo-sharing community that exited last year to Spanish company Freepik after going bankrupt, is now licensing its users’ photos to train AI models. Earlier this month, the company informed users via email that it was adding a new clause to its Terms & Conditions that would grant it the rights to upload […]
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Build Your Own Class-E Musical Tesla CoilWe’ve all seen a million videos online with singing Tesla coils doing their thang. [Zach Armstrong] wasn’t content to just watch, though. He went out and built one himself! Even better, he’s built a guide for the rest of us, too!
His guide concerns the construction of a Class-E solid state Tesla coil. These are “underrated” in his opinion, as they’re simple, cheap, and incredibly efficient. Some say up to 95% efficient, in fact! It’s not something most Tesla coil fans are concerned with, but it’s nice to save the environment while making fun happy sparks, after all.
[Zach]’s guide doesn’t just slap down a schematic and call it good. He explains the theory behind it, and the unique features too. He uses an adjustable Schmitt trigger oscillator for the build, and he’s naturally given it an audio modulation capability because that’s a good laugh, too.
If you’ve ever wanted to convince you’re friends you’re incredibly smart and science-y, you can’t go wrong with a singing Tesla coil. This beats out Jacob’s ladder and most other plasma experiments for sheer mad scientist cred.
Have fun out there! Video after the break.

2024 Home Sweet Home Automation: Spray Bottle Turret Silences BarkingAh, dogs. They sure like to bark, don’t they? [rrustvold]’s dog likes to bark at the door when a package arrives. Or when someone walks by the house, or whenever the mood strikes, really. To solve the barking issue, at least near the front door, [rrustvold] built a spray bottle turret to teach the dog through classical conditioning.
As you can see from the image, it’s all about pulling the trigger on a standard spray bottle at the right time. This machine only sprays when two conditions are met: it hears noise (like barking) and detects motion (like overzealous tail wagging). It also has heat-seeking abilities thanks to a Raspberry Pi thermal camera.
To do the actual spraying, there’s a DC motor mounted behind the bottle which turns a pulley that’s mounted to its shaft. Around the pulley is a string that wraps around the spray bottle’s trigger. To complete the build, everything is mounted on a lazy Susan so there’s nowhere for Fido to hide-o.
If you’ve a dog whose bite is worse than its bark, consider building a custom dog door to keep it out of the cat box.
The 2024 Home Sweet Home Automation contest has officially wrapped — we’re counting the votes now, so stay tuned for an announcement about the winners shortly.