An Easy Transparent Edge Lit DisplayDisplays are crucial to modern life; they are literally everywhere. But modern flat-panel LCDs and cheap 7-segment LED displays are, well, a bit boring. When we hackers want to display the progress of time, we want something more interesting, hence the plethora of projects using Nixie tubes and various incantations of edge-lit segmented units. Here is [upir] with their take on the simple edge-lit acrylic 7-segment design, with a great video explanation of all the steps involved.
Engraving the acrylic sheets by hand using 3D printed stencils
The idea behind this concept is not new. Older displays of this type used tiny tungsten filament bulbs and complex light paths to direct light to the front of the display. The modern version, however, uses edge-lit panels with a grid of small LEDs beneath each segment, which are concealed within a casing. This design relies on the principle of total internal reflection, created by the contrast in refractive indices of acrylic and air. Light entering the panel from below at an angle greater than 42 degrees from normal is entirely reflected inside the panel. Fortunately, tiny LEDs have a wide dispersion angle, so if they are positioned close enough to the edge, they can guide sufficient light into the panel. Once this setup is in place, the surface can be etched or engraved using a CNC machine or a laser cutter. A rough surface texture is vital for this process, as it disrupts some of the light paths, scattering and directing some of it sideways to the viewer. Finally, to create your display, design enough parallel-stacked sheets for each segment of the display—seven in this case, but you could add more, such as an eighth for a decimal point.
How you arrange your lighting is up to you, but [upir] uses an off-the-shelf ESP32-S3 addressable LED array. This design has a few shortcomings, but it is a great start—if a little overkill for a single digit! Using some straightforward Arduino code, one display row is set to white to guide light into a single-segment sheet. To form a complete digital, you illuminate the appropriate combination of sheets. To engrave the sheets, [upir] wanted to use a laser cutter but was put off by the cost. A CNC 3018 was considered, but the choice was bewildering, so they just went with a hand-engraving pick, using a couple of 3D printed stencils as a guide. A sheet holder and light masking arrangement were created in Fusion 360, which was extended into a box to enclose the LED array, which could then be 3D printed.
If you fancy an edge-lit clock (you know you do) check out this one. If wearables are more your thing, there’s also this one. Finally, etched acrylic isn’t anywhere near as good as glass, so if you’ve got a vinyl cutter to hand, this simple method is an option.

Moog is reportedly discontinuing the Moog One polyphonic analogue synthThe Moog One polyphonic analogue synthesizer has reportedly been discontinued, according to Belgian music instrument retailer Turnlab.
Introduced in 2018, the Moog One was the brand’s first analogue polysynth in over three decades. Its release marked a significant milestone, combining Moog’s heritage designs with powerful architecture and highly advanced features. With over 200 knobs and switches on its front panel, the synth has been described as a “dynamic conduit for the expression of one’s own unique creative voice.” And it certainly looks the part.

READ MORE: Beetlecrab Tempera: “As soon as we placed our hand on the grid and played a chord, we knew immediately, ‘Okay, this is it’”

Turnlab announced the news via Instagram, writing: “Moog One is now Discontinued (EOL) Still want one of these beauties? We still have a very limited stock!”.
The retailer has also responded to users in the comment section, confirming that both the eight and sixteen-voice models will be discontinued. Neither Moog nor inMusic (which acquired Moog in 2023) has released an official statement on the discontinuation at the time of writing.

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Among the Moog One’s most celebrated users are Flying Lotus, Flume, Skrillex, Arca, Suzanne Ciani, Jean-Michel Jarre, Jamiroquai’s Matt Johnson, and Lisa Bella Donna. Screenwriter and comedian Duncan Trussell has also appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast to express his love for the Moog One and other Moog products. “It would be fucking cool if you started playing the Moog One,” Trussell said to Rogan.

MusicTech has reached out to Moog for comment, with a response pending.
Although the Moog One may no longer be available, Moog is still looking to future projects. Last month, the American synth maker debuted the Spectravox, a semi-modular analogue synth that specialises in spectral processing.
Moog said that the Spectravox is more than just a synthesizer, and is “an exploration and expansion of the traditional vocoder and filter bank topology, engineered to inspire and transform the landscape of modern music production”.

 
Earlier this year, Moog announced it is moving out of its famous home on Broadway Street in Asheville, North Carolina, where it has resided since 2011. The move came shortly after the brand’s acquisition by inMusic, which also owns Akai, Alesis, M-Audio, Numark, and others, and it was reported that most of its synths would be manufactured in Taiwan moving forward.
Read more music technology news.
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Virgin Music Group, Island sign agreement with Carín León’s Socios Music to release new materialThe first release under the new partnership has already resulted in León’s best first-week album debut to date
Source

“Human-created works must be respected”: 50 major music tech brands sign Principles for Music Creation with AIOver fifty global music technology companies and associations have penned their support for Roland and UMG’s Principles for Music Creation with AI. Per the principles, the participating companies advocate for the responsible use of AI in music creation, to “protect the essence of music — its human spirit”.
BandLab Technologies, Splice, Beatport, Focusrite, Output, LANDR, Waves, Eventide, Native Instruments, NAMM, Sequential, Oberheim and more have united in a bid to protect the rights of musicians as the industry sees an acceleration of generative AI tech.
The guidelines were established to encourage key figures in the music technology space to be mindful of the potential risks of AI. In a statement, AIformusic says that it’s crucial to responsibly manage the impact of machine learning tools and adhere to the Principles to ensure that the music industry is protecting the integrity of artists. Still, it adds, it acknowledges that AI can be an empowering tool for musicians and creators when applied with caution.
The statement continues to say that the alignment of music industry leaders “cannot be understated and plays an invaluable role in shaping a responsible future for AI in music creation.”
AIformusic also says it “strongly encourages” further organisations and brands around the globe to endorse the principles, as the
The seven Principles for Music Creation with AI are as follows:

“We believe music is central to humanity.”
“We believe humanity and music are inseparable.”
“We believe that technology has long supported human artistic expression, and applied sustainably, AI will amplify human creativity.”
“We believe that human-created works must be respected and protected.”
“We believe that transparency is essential to responsible and trustworthy AI.”
“We believe the perspectives of music artists, songwriters, and other creators must be sought after and respected.”
“We are proud to help bring music to life.”

BandLab Technologies CEO and co-founder Meng Ru Kuok says of the principles, “We are at a pivotal moment in the evolution of music creation. As leaders, it is our responsibility to thoughtfully ensure that AI supports artists and respects their creative integrity. As we develop new tools, we must remember that technology is at its best when it enhances, not overshadows, human creativity.”
Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava adds, “AI brings new opportunities to our industry and many musicians are being inspired by these tools. But this is a critical time to support responsibility around new technology and respect for the rights of creators everywhere. This is about the human at the center.”
“As with all technologies, the Focusrite Group desires to see AI become another toolset to further the creativity of artists vs. a threat to our industry,” said Focusrite PLC CEO Tim Carroll. “We are proud to support AI For Music and to do our part to help ensure this technology is used in a responsible manner.”
Earlier today, the RIAA announced that it had filed a lawsuit against AI music generation platforms Udio and Suno, with the plaintiffs including Sony Entertainment Music, Warner Records, and Universal Music Group. The lawsuit seeks damages of up to $150,00 for each piece of infringed work, and to stop the two AI companies from training on the label’s copyrighted songs.
Read more music technology news. 
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“A lot of time was spent trying to make it perfect”: The Chemical Brothers on ‘Surrender’ 25 years laterThe Chemical Brothers have looked back on their experience making their landmark album Surrender, 25 years on from its release.

READ MORE: The Chemical Brothers live review: Trailblazing electronic duo’s rave spectacle lights up London’s O2 Arena

Tom Rowlands, one half of the electronic music duo, spoke to DJ Mag about the quarter-century milestone of their third album, which arrived as dance music was exploding around the turn of the millennium.
“I sometimes think that the record you make is the reaction to the last one,” Rowlands says. “We’d really chased after something with ‘Dig Your Own Hole’, and we’d kind of got that. ‘Surrender’ was going to open things up to be a more collaborative work. When we started, we were driven by the excitement of coming off the last album and feeling we could do anything, really.”
Rowlands also identifies that the record “has a sheen to it” and was the product of the duo becoming “obsessed” with making what they considered to be the perfect version of an album.

“A lot of time was spent trying to make it perfect. Whereas other music we’ve made, we spent a lot of time making it imperfect. This was us trying to make something that just felt right, as soon as you heard it.”
He continues: “It was a time when we were trying to squeeze in everything we liked about music, everything we wanted to say with our music, trying to get all these elements of our band in one record that didn’t feel disjointed or bolted together.”
“All our records are influenced by our first connection with acid house, and everything within that – the sort of intoxicating feeling that we had when we first found dance music,” he continues. “Obviously we were going out a lot and we were playing live a lot, and I suppose we were playing bigger stages. It’s almost like a sort of feedback loop for us: when we’re DJing or when we’re playing live, some of the music gets really influenced by where we imagine playing it.”
Featuring huge singles including Hey Boy Hey Girl, Let Forever Be, Music:Response and Out Of Control, Surrender sold over 2.3 million copies worldwide in the 25 years since its release.
Read more music technology news. 
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Build Your Own Core Rope Memory Module?[Luizão] wanted to create some hardware to honour the memory of the technology used to put man on the moon and chose the literal core of the project, that of the hardware used to store the software that provided the guidance. We’re talking about the magnetic core rope memory used in the Colossus and Luminary guidance computers. [Luizão] didn’t go totally all out and make a direct copy but instead produced a scaled-down but supersized demo board with just eight cores, each with twelve addressable lines, producing a memory with 96 bits.
The components chosen are all big honking through-hole parts, reminiscent of those available at the time, nicely laid out in an educational context. You could easily show someone how to re-code the memory with only a screwdriver to hand; no microscope is required for this memory. The board was designed in EasyEDA, and is about as simple as possible. Being an AC system, this operates in a continuous wave fashion rather than a pulsed operation mode, as a practical memory would. A clock input drives a large buffer transistor, which pushes current through one of the address wires via a 12-way rotary switch. The cores then act as transformers. If the address wire passes through the core, the signal is passed to the secondary coil, which feeds a simple rectifying amplifier and lights the corresponding LED. Eight such circuits operate in parallel, one per bit. Extending this would be easy.

Obviously, we’ve covered the Apollo program a fair bit. Here’s a fun tale about recovering the guidance software from the real hardware. Like always, the various space programs create new technologies that we mere mortals get to use, such as an auto-dialling telephone.
(video in Brazilian Portuguese)

New Spotify subscription tiers unintentionally confirm Music’s ValueAfter raising the price of Premium US subscriptions twice in the last year, Spotify has added new plans with and without audiobooks.....
The post New Spotify subscription tiers unintentionally confirm Music’s Value appeared first on Hypebot.

Record labels sue AI music generators Suno and Udio alleging “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringementUniversal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Records Inc have filed lawsuits today (24 June) against AI music platforms, Suno and Udio. The record labels have alleged copyright infringement of recorded music at “an almost unimaginable scale.”
Suno and Udio have become infamous in recent months for their music-generation capabilities. You can create entire songs using a single-word prompt if you so choose. However, suspicions have arisen about how these models can reproduce sounds and styles so accurately.
READ MORE: What does Suno AI mean for music producers and the music industry?
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is now leading lawsuits, reports Billboard, with Sony, Universal and Warner among the plaintiffs. The lawsuits, filed in the US courts, allege that Suno and Udio have unlawfully trained their generative AI models on the label’s recordings. The RIAA claims that this is “mass infringement of copyrighted sound recordings copied and exploited without permission by two multi-million-dollar music generation services.”
The plaintiffs are seeking damages of up to $150,00 for each piece of infringed work, according to Wired. The lawsuit is also seeking to stop the two AI companies from training on the label’s copyrighted songs.
RIAA adds that Suno and Udio’s generative music could “saturate the market with machine-generated content that will directly compete with, cheapen and ultimately drown out the genuine sound recordings on which [the services were] built.
“AI companies, like all other enterprises, must abide by the laws that protect human creativity and ingenuity,” continues the RIAA per MBW. “There is nothing that exempts AI technology from copyright law or that excuses AI companies from playing by the rules.”
Neither Suno or Udio have publicly stated how they trained their music platforms. However, the lawsuit alleges that the two companies are “attempting to hide the full scope of their infringement.”
As reported by Billboard, RIAA CEO and chairman Mitch Glazier says of the lawsuits, “The music community has embraced AI and we are already partnering and collaborating with responsible developers to build sustainable AI tools centred on human creativity that put artists and songwriters in charge. But we can only succeed if developers are willing to work together with us. Unlicensed services like Suno and Udio that claim it’s ‘fair’ to copy an artist’s life’s work and exploit it for their own profit without consent or pay set back the promise of genuinely innovative AI for us all.”
RIAA Chief Legal Officer Ken Doroshow adds, “These are straightforward cases of copyright infringement involving unlicensed copying of sound recordings on a massive scale. Suno and Udio are attempting to hide the full scope of their infringement rather than putting their services on a sound and lawful footing. These lawsuits are necessary to reinforce the most basic rules of the road for the responsible, ethical, and lawful development of generative AI systems and to bring Suno’s and Udio’s blatant infringement to an end.”
This is a developing story. 
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Grants are available for Musicians and Artists: How to ApplyFunds are limited, but some grants are available for indie artists and musicians. Keep reading to see how you can get your share.....
The post Grants are available for Musicians and Artists: How to Apply appeared first on Hypebot.

Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ Dolby Atmos mix released for 40th anniversaryPrince’s seminal album Purple Rain has been given the Dolby Atmos treatment for its 40th anniversary.

READ MORE: Denon announces DHT-S218 full-range Dolby Atmos Sound Bar 

The new immersive audio mix has been made available by NPG Records and Paisley Park Enterprises, and is available for streaming now ahead of the anniversary tomorrow (25th June).
The Atmos version has been mixed from the original master tapes by longtime Prince collaborator Chris James, with a Blu-ray version set to be released later in the year.
The 1984 album, recorded by Prince with his live band The Revolution, arrived weeks ahead of the hit film of the same name. The record sat at the top of the US charts for 24 weeks, sold over 25 million copies worldwide and picked up awards at the Grammys, BRITS and Oscars. As well as spawning the iconic title track, it also features the legendary singles When Doves Cry and I Would Die 4 U. 
In addition, a newly restored 4K version of the Purple Rain film is also receiving a release, with a limited cinema run set to start on July 3.

In further celebration of the record’s landmark anniversary at the iconic Paisley Park Studios in Minnesota, Prince fans congregated for Celebration 2024 to catch live performances by The Revolution, The New Power Generation, Morris Day and others.
Earlier this year, reports emerged that Prince‘s music is set to be used in a new jukebox musical film. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film has supposedly been in the works for Universal Pictures since 2018 and has some big names on board – Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is set to produce, whilst Bryan Edward Hill, who has worked on Titans and Ash vs. Evil Dead, will be penning the script.
There has not yet been any mention of casting, the plot or any potential release date.
Prince died in 2016 at the age of 57 after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl in Paisley Park, his 65,000-square-foot estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Read more music technology news.
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Google’s AI can now create an “unlimited number” of soundtracks for videoGoogle’s AI research lab, DeepMind, has shared an update on the development of its video-to-audio (V2A) technology, a process that makes synchronised audiovisual generation possible.
According to Google’s AI page, V2A “combines video pixels with natural language text prompts to generate rich soundscapes for the on-screen action.” DeepMind says the technology can “understand raw pixels”, allowing for the real-time generation of video soundtracks.
READ MORE: EU AI Act explained: What does it mean for music producers and artists?
Additionally, the feature uses text prompts to generate rich audio soundtracks. Together, Google’s V2A technology supports the creation of dramatic scores, “realistic sound effects or dialogue that matches the characters and tone of a video.”
Google’s new AI feature means “enhanced creative control” meaning V2A technology can create an “unlimited number” of soundtracks.
While the tech company’s update on AI sounds creatively promising, there is still some progress to be made until the tool is rolled out to the general public.
The development of V2A is “improving”, however, it will be some time before the update will be widely available: “Still, there are a number of other limitations we’re trying to address and further research is underway,” the blog post reads.
The statement continues: “Since the quality of the audio output is dependent on the quality of the video input, artefacts or distortions in the video, which are outside the model’s training distribution, can lead to a noticeable drop in audio quality.”
Watch example clips of Google’s new V2A tool in action below.

In related news, Google recently came under fire from Sony Music, after the label raised suspicions that Google — along with OpenAI, Microsoft and over 700 other tech firms — have made “unauthorised uses” of Sony’s music catalogue to train AI. The public letter was titled ‘Declaration of AI Training Opt-Out’, and reads:
“We support artists and songwriters taking the lead in embracing new technologies in support of their art. Evolutions in technology have frequently shifted the course of creative industries. AI will likely continue that long-standing trend.
“However, that innovation must ensure that songwriters’ and recording artists’ rights, including copyrights, are respected. For that reason, SMG’s affiliates, Sony Music Publishing (SMP) and Sony Music Entertainment (SME), on behalf of themselves and their wholly owned or controlled affiliates, are making this affirmative, public declaration confirming that, except as specifically and explicitly authorized by either SME or SMP, as the case may be, each of them expressly prohibits and opts out of any text or data mining, web scraping or similar reproductions, extractions or uses.”
Learn more music technology news.
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Charli XCX: ‘Auto-Tune makes you lazy — but I drink, I smoke and I use Auto-Tune, those are my three things’Electro pop singer-songwriter Charli XCX has spoken about her love for Auto-Tune, noting how it’s become indispensable to her recording process over the years.

READ MORE: Shaq reveals why Ice Cube stopped him from releasing a Dr. Dre-produced track named That’s Gangsta

The use of Auto-Tune has long been stigmatised in music, ever since Cher, T-Pain and Kanye brought it into the limelight, with claims that it’s used to disguise bad vocal performances. But, even for many talented singers like Charli XCX, it’s useful for creating intriguing vocal parts. Still, she says, it can come with a price.
“[Like in my] early work, I can—I could sing in tune, but now I think I’ve gotten so lazy because I sing with Auto-Tune all the time,” says Charli XCX on the Tape Notes Podcast, joined by producers A.G Cook and George Daniel. “Like I never [go], ‘I’m not singing with autotune.’ Unless I’m doing karaoke, which I actively don’t do, for this reason. I’m pretty out [of pitch] because my ear is so used to leaning in.”
“That’s why I only do rap at karaoke,” she adds. “Because people are like, ‘oh, isn’t she a singer?’ And I’m like, ‘Well yeah, but have you heard of Auto-Tune?’”
The musician, who earlier this month released her sixth studio album BRAT, also admits that her reliance on autotune for writing music, “cutting vocals” and “singing live” has made her “lazy” when it comes to hitting the right pitch.
“You really, really get lazy because you can relax into a note rather than being super on,” she says. “And I mean, there are some amazingly technical singers who do sing with Auto-Tune who are still pitch-perfect, but that’s not me. Like, I drink and I smoke and I use autotune, those three things.”

That said, Charli also acknowledges that there are times when raw, imperfect vocals are needed, citing some of the ‘gang vocals’ on BRAT as an example.
“I immediately knew that I wanted it to feel pitchy — I think that was the charm.” In the same way the kick was hard because it’s “kind of crappy”, she says, “it’s the same way with the vocals.”
“Sometimes actually, it can be really hard when it’s a little bit janky and out of tune. It’s like some of those great gang vocal moments in hip-hop, like Gucci Mane’s Lemonade. That sounds so good because of the way that gang vocal sounds. And I think this is similar.”
“For BRAT, I think that’s really important… to have this human mistake element happening in the tracks. Because that very much goes with the ethos of the record as well.”
Charli XCX’s BRAT was released earlier this month and has received positive praise from critics. NME rated it four stars and said that Charli is “pushing the limits of her own sonic world.” YouTube reviewer Anthony Fantano awarded it a rare 10/10, saying that “it proves Charli is a generational pop artist.”
Read more music technology news. 
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Soundtheory announce Kraftur Soundtheory's second release is a multi-band saturation plug-in capable of avoiding the artifacts that come with more traditional approaches to soft clipping.

12 best stem separation software for vocals, rankedStem separation has long been a fascination in the audio world, the end goal being able to split a mixed track into separate parts without any noticeable glitches or audio artefacts. A few years ago, it felt like the stuff of science fiction, but more powerful computers and access to machine learning datasets have turned it into a reality that’s only getting better.

READ MORE: The best DAWs for music producers in all genres, styles and workflows

Which is the best stem separation software?
To find out which stem separation software is best on vocals, we’re using the track Restless Mind by Steven Beddall.
In all cases, the highest-quality configurations were chosen on the software. These examples should give you a rough idea of the stemming quality, but the results can vary from track to track. It’s possible that one algorithm may perform slightly better than another when fed a certain audio, but the results could be reversed with a different track.
Here’s what to listen for when comparing the results:

Do any other instruments leak into the vocal stem at any point?
Are there any timbral changes? Does the algorithm get confused with other instruments and take some information away?
Are natural reverb tails included?
How does it handle backing vocals?
Are there any additional artefacts like metallic whistles, glitches, hiss or phasing issues?

After carefully analysing the acapellas, and cross-referencing with a few other examples, we found the results from Gaudio Studio to be the cleanest overall — a surprise, given that it’s one of the cheapest.
Gaudio Studio provided an effective reduction of noise and instrument spill, a clean capture of backing vocals and reverbs, and the most consistent high-end frequency content.
If you’re willing to put the time into experimenting with the various models, then you can probably get similar results with the free Ultimate Vocal Remover 5. After that, Moises, Lalal.ai, AudioStrip and Logic Pro were all very impressive, with each offering variations on the amount of reverb and backing vocals captured.

Best stem separation software, ranked

Gaudio Studio
Ultimate Vocal Remover 5
Moises
AudioStrip
Logic Pro
Lalal.ai
Hit’n’Mix RipX
Akai MPC Stems
FL Studio
Serato Sample
iZotope RX11
Acon Digital REMIX

What do you think? Have a listen to the files and see which you think sounds best. Each option has different pros and cons including processing speed, price and workflow, so the final decision isn’t necessarily black and white. Different tracks could result in a different leaderboard. Whichever one you go for, we can all agree at least that the technology is mind-blowing — and it’s only going to get better.
Note that you should always respect the copyright of any original material you use these tools on. Also, some of these tools will process the audio using their own servers, so an internet connection is required and the waiting times can vary.
Stem separation software available in 2024
iZotope – RX11
iZotope RX11. Image: MusicTech
Music Rebalance is a feature inside of RX11 that uses a tweaked version of Spleeter to split stereo audio into Vocals, Percussion, Bass and Other stems. You can then change the volume of each to rebalance a track, or solo an element and bounce it to a new audio file. You also get controls for each stem to edit the strength of the separation and three different quality settings.
It comes as part of RX11 Advanced, but you can get it cheaper inside of RX11 Standard, and both go on sale regularly. Music Rebalance has had an update for RX11 and features upgraded machine learning based on modern neural networks.
Price: £389 RX10 Standard, £1,149 RX10 Advanced
VST3, AU, AAX, AAX Audiosuite Plug-in
Separation options: Vocals, Percussion, Bass, Other
Library/Algorithm: Spleeter algorithms implemented in iZotope’s own code
[products ids=”4PfP5kzaOHCiAHGOnI5IKf”]
Acon Digital – Remix
Acon Digital REMIX. Image: MusicTech
Remix is the only option here that processes audio in real-time in your DAW. It runs as a plug-in (or inside of Acon Digital’s Acoustica Suite) and features a low-latency algorithm from HANCE.
You can split your audio into Vocals, Piano, Bass, Drums, and Other stems and then balance the volume or solo each. You also get sensitivity controls to fine-tune each stem, plus the ability to route the output of each channel to its own track.
It may not have the competitive quality as some of the offline options, but it might prove useful for quickly rebalancing stem volumes within your DAW.
Price: £39.90 (also comes bundled with Acoustica Standard Edition for £49.90)
VST, VST3, AU, AAX plug-in
Separation options: Vocals, Piano, Bass, Drums, Other
Library/Algorithm: HANCE Realtime Stem Separation
[products ids=”35L1YdV0zj4SNhR7iQYvjT”]
Hit’n’ Mix – RipX DAW
Hit’n’Mix RipX DAW. Image: MusicTech
RipX DAW and RipX DAW Pro are based on the unique Rip Audio format, which deconstructs audio down to its individual elements and treats audio and MIDI as one. You can split audio into stems for voice, drums + percussion, bass, other sounds + instruments, and guitar + piano. The beauty of RipX is that you can further refine the detection to get the best results, and even edit the harmonic and unpitched elements separately.
Other features include Melodyne-style note editing, the ability to change and randomise the key or generate new harmonies, adding effects to individual notes, replacing any note with a different sampled instrument, advanced repair and cleanup, and more.
Price: £99 RipX DAW, £198 RipX DAW Pro
Standalone
Separation options: Voice, drums & percussion, bass, other sounds & instruments, and guitar and piano
Library/Algorithm: Ripper Engine + Modified Demucs
[products ids=”5rZcis5Lt4B0USFvT3xhDY”]
Omnisale – Lalal.ai
Lalal.ai. Image: MusicTech
Lalal comes as both a web-based and desktop/mobile app stem separator. You can try several files for free, or choose from a range of one-off fees that get you a set number of processing minutes. This is a great alternative to monthly payment plans if you think you’ll only occasionally want to use the service.
The latest version is based on a state-of-the-art, in-house developed neural network called Orion, which uses direct synthesis to recreate stems with exceptional quality. Currently, you can extract Vocals, Backing Tracks, Drums, Piano, Synthesizer, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Strings, and Wind, making Lalal one of the most versatile options in the list.
Price: £18 for 90 minutes, £70 for 500 minutes (other options also available)
Web-based, plus desktop iOS and Android apps
Stems: Vocal and instrumental, Voice and Noise, Drums, Bass, Piano, Synthesizer, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Strings, Wind
Library/Algorithm: Orion/Phoenix
www.lalal.ai
Serato – Serato Sample
Serato Sample. Image: MusicTech
Serato Sample is a refined sampler with a lightning-fast workflow. It features Serato’s renowned Pitch ’n Time algorithm for stretching audio, and the recent V2 update added built-in stem separation.
You simply load an audio file, and Serato Sample will automatically work out the bpm and key, and will then sync it to your host tempo. You then get access to four buttons for vocal, bass, drums, and music/other parts. These can then be switched on and off at will whilst you trigger samples in the normal manner.
The separation isn’t the best, but being able to import audio into a plug-in, and then instantly get to work chopping and composing is a bonus for workflow.
Price: $149 (or $9.99 pm subscription
VST, VST3, AU plug-in
Stems: Vocal, Drums, Bass, Other
Library/Algorithm: Serato’s proprietary machine-learning algorithm
[products ids=”7IRpldrXCwCZhZBVO8kj9b”]
Image-Line – FL Studio 21.2
Image-Line FL Studio 21.2. Image: MusicTech
Image-Line added built-in stem separation in a recent update to FL Studio. Alongside the extensive production features of the program, you can now right-click on a piece of audio and select Extract Stems from Sample. You then get a dialogue box where you can select from Vocals, Drums, Bass and Other Instruments, and it gives an estimate of how long the processing will take.
FL Studio was the first DAW to include this feature and the fact it’s all built-in is a massive workflow boon. Logic Pro has recently followed suit, and hopefully, it won’t be long until Ableton Live and other DAWs jump onboard with their versions.
Price: £164 Producer Edition, £245 Signature Bundle, £409 All Plugins Edition
Standalone DAW
Stems: Vocals, Drums, Bass, Instruments
Library/Algorithm: Customised Demucs
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Gaudio Studio
Gaudio Studio. Image: MusicTech
Up until recently, Gaudio Studio was a completely free online splitter that used the Gaudio Source SEParation (GSEP) model to separate audio into Vocal, Drums, Bass, Electric Guitar, Piano, and Other Instruments. The website and services have recently refreshed, so you can now purchase bundles of minutes for a very reasonable price.
You can also try out 20 minutes of audio for free with an MP3 format output, or if you upgrade then you get the option of a fast-track service and WAV files.
As mentioned above, this is the most convincing option for separating vocal stems.
Price: $7 for 50 minutes, $16 for 200 Minutes, $50 for 1000 minutes
Online
Stems: Vocal, Drums, Bass, Electric Guitar, Piano, and Other Instruments
Library/Algorithm: GSEP (Gaudio source SEParation)
https://studio.gaudiolab.io
Moises.AI
Moises. Image: MusicTech
Moises comes as a slick web application, plus a desktop and mobile app. The pro version lets you separate audio into vocals (with separate backing vocals), drums (including individual elements), bass, guitar, background vocals, piano, and strings, making this a versatile option. It also has the ability to separate multimedia tracks into dialogue, soundtrack and effects.
If you want to enhance your workflow, then there’s also a Stems plug-in available as part of the Pro Plan, with Voice Studio and Mastering plug-ins coming soon.
The free Starter plan will get you 5 audio separations per month, with the other plans offering unlimited separations, higher quality and a host of bonus features. Moises also updates its algorithms fairly regularly.
Price: Free, £4.99pm Musician Plan, £24.99pm Producer plan (discounts for paying annually)
Online, Desktop app, mobile app
Stems: Vocals, backing vocals, drums (with separates), bass, guitar, background vocals, piano, and strings
Library/Algorithm: Moises AI Proprietary Stem Separation Model
www.moises.ai
AudioStrip
AudioStrip. Image: MusicTech
AudioStrip is a high-quality online option that uses the results of both the MDX-Net and Demucs libraries. The company also notes on its website that the algorithms will be updated as and when new methods come out.
When you upload a file, you can choose from three different algorithms, and then separate out to vocals, instrumental, bass, drums, other, piano and guitar.
You can choose from a basic free option that includes 3 isolations, 3 masters, and 3 transcripts per month, with a slower isolation speed, limited file size and MP3 output format. Or alternatively, the Premium option gives you unlimited uploads, faster isolation, larger files, WAV, FLAC and MP3 formats and batch uploads.
Price: Free / £7.99pm Premium
Online
Stems: Vocals, Instrumental, Bass, Drums, Other, Piano and Guitar
Library/Algorithm: DemucsV4, VB-Splitz V3, VB-Splitz V4
https://audiostrip.co.uk
Apple Logic Pro 11
Apple Logic Pro 11. Image: MusicTech
One of the front-running new features in Logic’s latest update is its built-in stem separation. You can right-click on any audio region and then choose whether to separate it into Vocals, Drums, Bass and Other instruments. It’s a feature that uses the grunt of the Apple Silicon chips, so it’s only available for more recent computers. However, the offshoot is that it’s incredibly fast to process.
As Apple is always incredibly tight-lipped about what goes on behind the scenes, it’s unlikely we’ll ever find out exactly what models and libraries they’ve been using. Suffice to say that the quality isn’t the best in show, but it is still impressive.
Price: $199 (Stem separation requires Apple Silicon chips)
Standalone DAW
Stems: Vocals, Drums, Bass, Instruments
Library/Algorithm: Unknown
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Akai MPC Stems
Akai MPC Stems. Image: MusicTech
Akai MPC Stems can be purchased for £9.99 as an add on for the MPC 2 software. This is a feature-packed DAW that runs on your desktop, but it can also be used in Controller Mode to seamlessly sync to the full MPC hardware lineup. The ability to use MPC Stems without the need for a computer will be coming to certain hardware units at some point in the future.
Whether you’re using the interface on the software or the screen on the hardware, you simply select the audio, hit the Stems button and then select which of the vocals, bass, drums and other stems you’d like to create.
Price: £9.99 for MPC Stems, plus £199.99 for MPC2 software (comes free with hardware)
Standalone
Stems: Vocals, Bass, Drums, Other
Library/Algorithm: zplane STEMS PRO
www.akaipro.com
Ultimate Vocal Remover 5
Ultimate Vocal Remover 5. Image: MusicTech
If you want to delve deep into using a range of different models, then you might want to check out the free Ultimate Vocal Remover 5. With this standalone program, you can choose from a wide range of free algorithms, with more downloadable as they become available. You can even use an Ensemble mode to run your audio through two models to get improved results.
The only downside, is that it’s not very user friendly, and the processing can take quite a long time with certain settings. It’s also a little overwhelming as it’s not obvious which settings will yield the best results, although you can check mvsep.com for separation quality leaderboards of results from other users.
Price: Free
Standalone
Stems: Vocals, Bass, Drums, Other
Library/Algorithm: Multiple Demucs, MDX-Net and VR Architecture models
www.ultimatevocalremover.com
The post 12 best stem separation software for vocals, ranked appeared first on MusicTech.

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