Subs Is A FREE 808 Bass Plugin By Notonik
You can pick up 30 phat bass sounds for free with the new Subs by Notonik V2 plugin.  The plugin is available on the Notonik website, with a name and email required to get the download link. Notonik states that Subs elevates your tracks with sounds ranging from “thumping 808s to the smoothest of bass [...]
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‘Music – It’s About Purpose, Stupid! ‘ (How ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ put Socially Driven Music back on the map)[EXCLUSIVE] The music industry needs to focus on the meaning behind music, tying the art back to purpose. That’s the central thesis behind this thought-provoking piece by Stephen Love, former. Continue reading
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Former CD Baby CEO Tracy Maddux exits exec role at Downtown HoldingsTracy Maddux is stepping down from his role as Chief Commercial Officer at Downtown Holdings, effective immediately. Downtown acquired CD Baby where Maddux served as CEO in May of 2019.. Continue reading
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“We should start putting music out on Tuesdays again and not on Fridays”: Tyler, the Creator discusses the changes he’d make to the music industryArtists should be releasing music on Tuesdays rather than Fridays, according to Tyler, the Creator in a new interview.

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“I think we should put music out again on Tuesdays instead of Fridays,” he says to journalist Nardwuar, going on to explain his reasoning. “I know people think because of the weekend they can listen and stuff, and streams go up… I think it’s a lot of passive listening at parties, or [when] people get the time to go to the gym, so they’re not really listening.”
In contrast, the rapper – real name Tyler Okonma – suggests that if artists release music during the week, people will listen more actively during the commute to work or school, for example: “You really have that hour or thirty minutes to really ‘dive in’ and really listen because you know once that’s over you’ve got to get to work.”
He also suggests that it might be better if albums aren’t released at midnight. “To work on an album for so long, and put so much energy into it, for it to be released at midnight just seems so disrespectful,” he says, particularly in the US where people on one coast are already asleep while people on the other coast are getting ready to go to sleep.
Elsewhere in the interview, he discusses his love for music, and how much he enjoys discussing it. He criticises interviews with artists in which music perhaps takes a backseat to other topics of discussion, and says that there should be more content on musicians and how they make their music.
“We’re at a point where a musician [can be] talking in detail about music and people are like ‘Why does he keep doing that?’,” he says. “But if I was on here gossiping people would feed into it. We need to get back to talking about music.”
You can watch the full interview here:

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“You know what your problem is?”: André 3000 recalls Prince phone call that changed his mindset on performingAndré 3000 has recalled the time he received a stern phone call from Prince following OutKast’s set at Coachella festival in 2014.
The hip-hop duo had reunited for the festival and a following tour, but being back on stage after 15-20 years away presented some challenges that lead to him becoming mentally “checked out” mid-set.

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Speaking to GQ, he remembers the performance, “You know, there’s new technology like ear buds and shit. I’d never used ear buds in my life! We were always just in front of the monitors or listening to the speakers, so if you were watching the Coachella show, I got people in my ear talking and shit. It’s like, ‘What the hell is going on?’”
He adds, “Halfway through the show, I was already checked out… so I was just trying to get through it. Yeah, the show happens and it was a bomb night. It was horrible, in my eyes.”
Prince, along with Paul McCartney, watched the Coachella set side-stage: “The very next morning I get a call from Prince. I don’t know him like that, I don’t know how he got my number — I do not know,” he remembers. “And the first thing he says is, ‘You know what your problem is? You don’t realise how big y’all are.’ Then he was like, ‘You gotta remind people who you are.’ And from that point on, I was like, ‘Okay.’”

André 3000 released his debut album, New Blue Sun, last Friday (17 November). The record is instrumental, and captures the multi-hyphenate on flute. Elsewhere when speaking to GQ, he addressed why he chose to feature no rapping on the album: “I’ve worked with some of the newest, freshest, youngest, and old-school producers. I get beats all the time. I try to write all the time,” he says.
“Even now people think, Oh, man, he’s just sitting on raps, or he’s just holding these raps hostage. I ain’t got no raps like that. It actually feels…sometimes it feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don’t have anything to talk about in that way.”
You can stream New Blue Sun below:

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Behringer launches the UB-Xa, a recreation of the Oberheim OB-X, after six years of development Behringer has finally launched its UB-Xa synthesiser, a reproduction of the 1981 Oberheim OB-X, after six years of development.
The product launch has been newly announced today (20 November). It has 16 voices of “true polyphony,” with two VCOs per voice, plus dual pole or four pole VCFs.

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The original Oberheim OB-X can be heard on classic records from the likes of Depeche Mode, Tangerine Dream, Prince, and more. According to a video uploaded by Behringer, its “authentic” recreation of the synth cost an eye-watering $3.5 million to develop over the last six years.
“More than just a recreation of a classic synthesiser, we’ve made sure that the UB-Xa has all the bells, whistles and characteristics that came with the original,” says Behringer. “But it’s also filled to the brim with modern features such as velocity and after-touch, 512 user programme memories and comprehensive MIDI implementation.”
The UB-Xa includes all of the original factory patches. Its VCOs and VCFs are heavily based on the original 3340 and 3320 chip designs, and it hosts the ability to split its keyboard so you can layer two different sounds with a bi-timbral mode.
It also has a Vintage Mode which is loaded with eight presets and can provide the character of component interaction and ageing found in classic synths, using real time onboard circuit manipulation. There are two LFOs with seven waveforms each, plus assignable preset recall buttons so you can access your favourite settings in a flash.
Check it out in the video below:

Delays for the production of the synth were of course worsened by chip shortages and the global pandemic. The first demo of the UB-Xa was shown back in 2022. The brand had previously said it was hoping to price the synth below the $1,500 mark, but official pricing details do not yet appear available at the time of writing.
Find out more and view full specifications over at Behringer.
The post Behringer launches the UB-Xa, a recreation of the Oberheim OB-X, after six years of development  appeared first on MusicTech.

Abletunes Retrotape Retrotape is a plugin designed to replicate the characteristics of vintage cassette tapes and decks. It accurately emulates the behavior of tape and cassette decks, adding saturation, distortion,... Read More

Glastonbury 2024 tickets took only an hour to sell outTickets for next year’s Glastonbury Festival sold out in less than an hour, with all tickets bought by 10am yesterday morning (19 November).
Announcing the news on X – formerly Twitter – festival organisers said: “Our thanks to everyone who bought one and we’re sorry to those of you who missed out, on a morning when demand greatly exceeded supply.”

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Tickets for Glastonbury 2024 have now Sold Out. Our thanks to everyone who bought one and we're sorry to those of you who missed out, on a morning when demand greatly exceeded supply.
There will be a resale of any cancelled or returned tickets in spring 2024.
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) November 19, 2023

If you missed out, though, there will be a resale for cancelled and returned tickets in the spring.
Emily Eavis, co-organiser of the festival, has hinted that a huge American name could be among the headliners next year, and Madonna is one of the names mooted.
And, after the festival was criticised this year for a set of all-male headliners, she said that there may be two female headliners on the Pyramid Stage next year.
In an Instagram post, Eavis thanked everybody who tried to get a ticket. She said, “We’re blown away that so many people want to come (we all still remember the years when they didn’t!) and I’m sorry that many of you missed out.
“Demand far exceeds supply and with many millions of devices trying at once, it means the system can only work at a certain speed. But we don’t take any of your support for granted. And there will, as always, be a resale of any cancelled tickets in the spring, so please don’t give up hope if you did miss out today.”

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A post shared by Emily Eavis (@emily_eavis)

Glastonbury’s 2024 line-up is set to be announced early next year. In 2023, Arctic Monkeys, Elton John, Lizzo and Guns N’ Roses topped the bill, with other big names including Lil Nas X, Wizkid, Fatboy Slim, and Fred again..
And alongside Madonna, the favourites to headline the Pyramid Stage in 2024 include Taylor Swift, who was set to headline the festival in 2020 before it was cancelled due to the pandemic, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, and Coldplay.
Stay up to date with all the news via the official Glastonbury 2024 website.
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Polyend unveil Play+ groovebox Play+ retains the same external design as its predecessor, but with an upgraded processor that enables stereo sample playback, multitimbral polyphonic synthesis and more.

BPB Dirty VHS Is A FREE VHS Tape Plugin For Windows And Mac
Bedroom Producers Blog proudly presents BPB Dirty VHS, a freeware VHS tape simulation effect in VST3 and AU plugin formats for Windows and macOS. My favorite way to make something sound analog and lo-fi is to record it to a VHS tape and then re-sample it into the DAW. The technique has been used by [...]
View post: BPB Dirty VHS Is A FREE VHS Tape Plugin For Windows And Mac

We Are Giant launches promising music community platform with $8M fundingWe Are Giant has launched a platform with $8 million in funding led by Sterling Partners designed to foster artist and fan communities and enable collaboration, discovery, and monetization. During. Continue reading
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Korg MS-20 creator Fumio Mieda: “The majority of electronic instruments are forgotten after 10 or 20 years but those that are remade have a good and clear reason for doing so”MS-20 creator and longtime Korg engineer Fumio Mieda believes that old instruments are remade because they possess “something that modern instruments can’t do”.

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Speaking about his creations over the years in a new interview with Attack Magazine, Mieda weighs in on the idea of remaking older instruments, as in the case of the MS-20 Mini, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
“The majority of electronic instruments are forgotten after 10 or 20 years but those that are remade have a good and clear reason for doing so,” Mieda says. “It’s because they are still valid today. Or rather, it’s because they have something that modern instruments can’t do. It’s not because of the abundance of specifications but because of something important.
He adds that “Remaking things can make you realise the value that you’d forgotten.”
The engineer, who’s known for both his synthesisers and effects, also says that he has no preference for one over the other as he views effects pedals and synths as “the same thing” in his mind: “Synths just happen to be an extension of effects.”
When the interviewer pointed out the how the famed Flat Beat instrumental by French musician Mr. Oizo was made using a MS-20, Mieda replies: “If the MS-20 has inspired the creator of this video in any way, it is my greatest pleasure as the designer of the MS-20.”
“The sound is simple but amazing. It’s obvious but this reconfirmed to me that it’s all about how you use an instrument.”

As for the future, Mieda might have passed the age of retirement at 83 years old, but the synthmaker says he’s determined to “continue developing instruments” as long as he’s able to.
“I have many unfinished tasks and even now they’re increasing, so if possible, I’d like to continue developing instruments as long as I have the strength and energy to do so, no matter what my position is.”
The post Korg MS-20 creator Fumio Mieda: “The majority of electronic instruments are forgotten after 10 or 20 years but those that are remade have a good and clear reason for doing so” appeared first on MusicTech.

Slate Digital and Solid State Logic join forces to offer access to BOTH of their subscriptions for the price of oneAudio plugin brands Slate Digital and Solid State Logic have teamed up to offer a limited-time-only deal to celebrate Black Friday. As part of a dual package, users can access both of their subscription plans for the price of just one.
As part of the deal, customers will be able to keep a dual ‘Complete Access’ package worth over $12k indefinitely, with a continuously renewed subscription and “ever growing” tools.

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Complete Access offers over 60 processing and creative instrument plugins from both Slate Digital and Solid State Logic, including the latest VIRTU assisted mastering platform.
It also offers thousands of royalty free audio samples and exclusive boutique packs with presets. Subscribers will also gain access to hundreds of professional tutorials from leading producers and educators.
John Bastianelli, CEO of Slate Digital, says, “We have been running this amazing dual offer with our current loyal subscriber family and they are loving it, so we are really excited to make the ‘complete access’ package available to everyone.
“Slate Digital has always talked big when it comes to Black Friday offers, but now with our partners at Solid State Logic and the release of Heatwave and the Strongroom London ML-1 mic expansion pack, I think we just raised the bar with deals available to new and current customers.”
Nigel Beaumont, Managing Director of Solid State Logic, adds, “Being part of the same pro audio family, then bringing these astonishing processing and creative tools from the All Access Pass to our SSL subscribers for no additional cost was a no brainer.”
He continues, “With strong plugin releases coming from both brands in the coming weeks and months, ‘complete access’ subscribers will get even more value from this amazing deal.”
The Complete Access package is available from today (20 November) for new subscribers and runs until Midnight PST on 28 November for $14.99 per month.
Find out more at Solid State Logic or Slate Digital.
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Under-18s in Essex, UK given free access to music production classesYoung people living in Essex aged 10-18 have been given access to free, weekly music production classes called “Count Me In.” The lessons are taking place across Basildon, Brentwood and Harlow youth centres.
The classes are taught by DJ Shy Cookie, and focus on how to use decks, create tracks and make money from them, as well as other vital music industry inside knowledge.

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The course is funded by the Essex Year of Numbers programme, which is a countywide campaign focused on improving numeracy for children under the age of 18. It was launched back in September 2023, and as part of this programme, Count Me In will focus on how maths is utilised within music production.
DJ Shy Cookie works as a tutor with the Essex Music Service, and his work within the UK Garage scene goes back over two decades. He served as a producer for DJ Luck and MC Neat for over 15 years, and continues to produce his own House and Garage music for his label, Audio Intuition.
His is also currently working as a producer with “The House & Garage Orchestra”, which is a collective playing re-workings of old classics alongside a live orchestra.
“Working as a tutor as part of the Essex Music Service is a real privilege. The service helps young people discover and finesse their musical talents and it is amazing to play a part in that process,” says DJ Shy Cookie (via Mixmag).
“It is brilliant that the Essex Year of Numbers is offering sessions like this for free. If you’re dreaming of becoming a master DJ, come and join us, you never know where it might lead.”
Councillor Tony Ball also adds, “Our Count Me In sessions are a great opportunity for young people interested in the music industry to learn the art of DJ-ing and production free of charge, in a fun and supportive environment.”
Find out more, including running times and locations, over at the Essex Music Hub.
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Head of Audio at Stability AI quits because it’s “exploitative” for developers to use creative work without consentEd Newton-Rex, the Head of Audio at Stability AI, has resigned due to a disagreement with the tech firm over what constitutes “fair use” of copyrighted works.

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In a new statement, Newton-Rex notes that he doesn’t agree “with the company’s opinion that training generative AI models on copyrighted works.”
The former executive told the BBC that he thought it was “exploitative” for developers to use creative work without consent – a stance he says many AI firms, including Stability AI, would beg to differ.
“I wasn’t able to change the prevailing opinion on fair use at the company,” says Newton-Rex.
He refers to a statement issued by Stability when the US Copyright Office recently invited public comments on generative AI and copyright, which says: We believe that AI development is an acceptable, transformative, and socially-beneficial use of existing content that is protected by fair use.”
For context, the term ‘fair use’ implies that training an AI model on copyrighted works doesn’t infringe the copyright in those works, which means no permission is needed and no payment will be made.
“This is a position that is fairly standard across many of the large generative AI companies, and other big tech companies building these models  –  it’s far from a view that is unique to Stability. But it’s a position I disagree with,” says Ed, who’s a classical composer himself.
Newton-Rex told BBC that he “wouldn’t jump” at the chance to offer his own music to AI developers for free.
“I wouldn’t think ‘Yes, I’ll definitely give my compositions to a system like this’. I don’t think I’d consent,” he said, adding that many creators produce their works “often for literally no money, in the hope that one day that copyright will be worth something.”
“To be clear, I’m a supporter of generative AI. It will have many benefits  –  that’s why I’ve worked on it for 13 years. But I can only support generative AI that doesn’t exploit creators by training models  –  which may replace them –  on their work without permission.”
Read Newton-Rex’s statement in full below.

I’ve resigned from my role leading the Audio team at Stability AI, because I don’t agree with the company’s opinion that training generative AI models on copyrighted works is ‘fair use’.
First off, I want to say that there are lots of people at Stability who are deeply…
— Ed Newton-Rex (@ednewtonrex) November 15, 2023

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