Hit’n’Mix’s AI DAW, RipX: Forget everything you thought you knew about unmixing musicRipX DAW £99
RipX DAW Pro £198
hitnmix.com
Once in a while, a product arrives that changes the scope of what is possible when working with audio. And though these tools often seem to appear from nowhere, they are, in reality, almost always the result of years of development. So it is with Hit’n’Mix’s RipX DAW, which has hit its stride in parallel with the current frenzy of interest in AI, even though in many cases machine learning is just as important a part of the technology behind how these things operate.

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What is RipX DAW?
It’s a DAW but doesn’t look or feel like what you might conventionally call one – such as Logic Pro, Cubase or Live.
With RipX, there’s no attempt to emulate a mixing console or a suite of outboard effects; the focus instead is on manipulating sound in completely new ways. You’d need to break the bank to get the same results with other software. And truthfully, there is stuff here that just wasn’t possible before, at all. You’ll find an exhaustive list of features on the website but instead of listing them in this review, we’re getting under the skin of what this software is and what it can do for you.
RipX DAW harmonic edit
How to use RipX DAW
You can load any audio file into the DAW and it will be converted into the proprietary Rip format, with the option to extract different types of sound like vocals, drums, bass and so on. Or, you can simply separate out the stems and quickly move them to a folder — ideal for remixers.
The speed of file analysis depends on your machine. On a 16-inch 2019 Intel MacBook Pro, 8-core 2.3GHz i9 with 16GB RAM, it’s about twice the duration of the track but Hit’n’Mix tells us the neural engines on M-powered Apple computers greatly speed things up, as will more powerful graphics cards on Windows machines.
RipX DAW also makes heavy demands of these components in general use, so a powerful machine will help immensely.
Audio is ripped into its constituent parts, a sort of mixture of a MIDI or Melodyne-like display, only across multiple layers and representing the whole duration of the track. On first use, it’s a little disorienting because it is a genuinely new way to look at and work with sound, though it quickly becomes familiar. The science behind what’s happening is very complex and, honestly, it’s not necessary to really understand how it works, rather that it just does.
RipX DAW ripping
The layers are named based on their contents and it’s possible to rename them, duplicate, delete or add new ones — everything is very fluid once it’s in the Rip format.
RipX’s audio separation is incredibly accurate. As a producer, your first instinct might be to feed it some classic tracks — this is exactly what we did. We mixed stereo tracks by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Underworld. The results are seriously impressive, with the software isolating each element with uncanny precision. Occasionally, minor ghosting can be heard but only when a source is soloed, and this isn’t audible when played with other sounds. But it’s incredible to be able to hear just the rhythm tracks of some absolute classic, to punch the bass and vocals in and out.
As Hit’n’Mix notes, beyond just being a thrill this has serious practical uses. You can create backing tracks where no original stems exist. You can learn to play a part in isolation, replace or remove tracks from mixed stereo files, or see a keyboard-based representation of chords and notes for any element of a track.
It’s possible to export stems as audio or as MIDI, strip a loop down to its constituent parts to sample a beat where no soloed section exists or take sounds to use as the basis for building virtual instruments. You can record directly into new layers using new sounds, or from a MIDI device.
RipX DAW export
And we’re not even into the granular editing capabilities yet.
Select any note or group of notes on any layer and you have complete control over their pitch, timing, effects, mix and more. RipX’s tools let you perform all sorts of actions, like creating harmonies or quantising pitch.
The Pro version of the software has more sound design and repair tools like the ability to isolate voices from noisy backgrounds, edit background sounds independently, clone audio attributes between notes, clean and repair tracks quickly and so on.
The developers also told us about the increasing use of AI-generated music and RipX DAW’s capabilities for editing and enhancing it. There’s a link from the main screen to some online music generators should you wish to explore this more. Essentially, it’s similar to what you would do with a more conventional music track in terms of deconstructing it, though presumably without any of the possible attendant copyright issues.
RipX DAW stems
Should you get RipX DAW?
RipX DAW is a remarkable piece of software. With a 21-day free trial and a purchase price of just £98, it’s ludicrously accessible — especially considering this stuff has been the holy grail for remixers and sound designers for years. Although we have seen others make moves recently in the area of stem separation, notably FL Studio and Serato, the tools on offer here are on a different level.
Granted, it’s a whole new paradigm and does require a little learning instead of being directly integrated into your familiar existing DAW, but then it’s also much more powerful. It will be useful for all sorts of people — for pulling a song apart to hear how parts were played, to remix and enhance music you finished years ago and have no source stems for. For mashups and remixes, or to repair sources that are beyond help by more conventional methods. Need to remix a stereo track in surround or quickly grab an acapella? No problem either.
It’s possible that you won’t delve into its considerable depths unless you’re doing some really forensic stuff but they are there nonetheless. The sheer magic of rendering mixed audio this flexibly opens up entirely new worlds of possibility and truthfully, despite its somewhat clinical feel, the software is fun to use.
Whether you work entirely inside it or import and export material between here and a more familiar DAW and suite of plugins, RipX DAW is an invaluable addition to any music or post-production setup.
RipX DAW layers
Key features

macOS or PC standalone application
AI and machine learning-powered audio analysis and separation
Rip format provides per-note access
Audio cleanup and repair tools in Pro version
Edit pitch, tempo and more
Create harmonies
Layer-based system
Import and export in multiple formats
Extract audio parts to MIDI
Harmonic Editor

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Hit’n’Mix announce RipX DAW for Apple Vision Pro Hit’n’Mix have revealed plans for a version of RipX DAW that will be compatible with Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset.

Play it again, SpirioSeated at the grand piano in MIT’s Killian Hall last fall, first-year student Jacqueline Wang played through the lively opening of Mozart’s “Sonata in B-flat major, K.333.” When she’d finished, Mi-Eun Kim, pianist and lecturer in MIT’s Music and Theater Arts Section (MTA), asked her to move to the rear of the hall. Kim tapped at an iPad. Suddenly, the sonata she'd just played poured forth again from the piano — its keys dipping and rising just as they had with Wang’s fingers on them, the resonance of its strings filling the room. Wang stood among a row of empty seats with a slightly bemused expression, taking in a repeat of her own performance.

“That was a little strange,” Wang admitted when the playback concluded, then added thoughtfully: “It sounds different from what I imagine I’m playing.”

This unusual lesson took place during a nearly three-week residency at MIT of the Steinway Spirio | r, a piano embedded with technology for live performance capture and playback. “The residency offered students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors the opportunity to engage with this new technology through a series of workshops that focused on such topics as the historical analysis of piano design, an examination of the hardware and software used by the Spirio | r, and step-by-step guidance of how to use the features,” explains Keeril Makan, head of MIT Music and Theater Arts and associate dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.
Wang was one of several residency participants to have the out-of-body experience of hearing herself play from a different vantage point, while watching the data of her performance scroll across a screen: color-coded rectangles indicating the velocity and duration of each note, an undulating line charting her use of the damper pedal. Wang was even able to edit her own performance, as she discovered when Kim suggested her rhythmic use of the pedal might be superfluous. Using the iPad interface to erase the pedaling entirely, they listened to the playback again, the notes gaining new clarity.

“See? We don’t need it,” Kim confirmed with a smile.

“When MIT’s new music building (W18) opens in spring 2025, we hope it will include this type of advanced technology. It would add value not just to Wang’s cohort of 19 piano students in the Emerson/Harris Program, which provides a total of 71 scholars and fellows with support for conservatory-level instruction in classical, jazz, and world music. But could also offer educational opportunities to a much wider swath of the MIT community,” says Makan. “Music is the fifth-most popular minor at MIT; 1,700 students enroll in music and theater arts classes each semester, and the Institute is brimming with vocalists, composers, instrumentalists, and music history students.”

According to Kim, the Spirio enables insights beyond what musicians could learn from a conventional recording; hearing playback directly from the instrument reveals sonic dimensions an MP3 can’t capture. “Speaker systems sort of crunch everything down — the highs and the lows, they all kind of sound the same. But piano solo music is very dynamic. It’s supposed to be experienced in a room,” she says.

During the Spirio | r residency, students found they could review their playing at half speed, adjust the volume of certain notes to emphasize a melody, transpose a piece to another key, or layer their performance — prerecording one hand, for example, then accompanying it live with the other.

“It helps the student be part of the learning and the teaching process,” Kim says. “If there’s a gap between what they imagined and what they hear and then they come to me and say, ‘How do I fix this?’ they’re definitely more engaged. It’s an honest representation of their playing, and the students who are humbled by it will become better pianists.”

For Wang, reflecting on her lesson with Kim, the session introduced an element she’d never experienced since beginning her piano studies at age 5. “The visual display of how long each key was played and with what velocity gave me a more precise demonstration of the ideas of voicing and evenness,” Wang says. “Playing the piano is usually dependent solely on the ears, but this combines with the auditory experience a visual experience and statistics, which helped me get a more holistic view of my playing.”

As a first-year undergraduate considering a Course 6 major (electrical engineering and computer science, or EECS), Wang was also fascinated to watch Patrick Elisha, a representative from Steinway dealer M. Steinert & Sons, disassemble the piano action to point out the optical sensors that measure the velocity of each hammer strike at 1,020 levels of sensitivity, sampled 800 times per second.

“I was amazed by the precision of the laser sensors and inductors,” says Wang. “I have just begun to take introductory-level courses in EECS and am just coming across these concepts, and this certainly made me more excited to learn more about these electrical devices and their applications. I was also intrigued that the electrical system was added onto the piano without interfering with the mechanical structure, so that when we play the Spirio, our experience with the touch and finger control was just like that of playing a usual Steinway.”

Another Emerson/Harris scholar, Víctor Quintas-Martínez, a PhD candidate in economics who resumed his lapsed piano studies during the Covid-19 pandemic, visited Killian Hall during the residency to rehearse a Fauré piano quartet with a cellist, violist, and violinist. “We did a run of certain passages and recorded the piano part. Then I listened to the strings play with the recording from the back of the hall. That gave me an idea of what I needed to adjust in terms of volume, texture, pedal, etc., to achieve a better balance. Normally, when you’re playing, because you’re sitting behind the strings and close to the piano, your perception of balance may be somewhat distorted,” he notes.

Kim cites another campus demographic ripe for exploring these types of instruments like the Spirio | r and its software: future participants in MIT’s relatively new Music Technology Master's Program, along with others across the Institute whose work intersects with the wealth of data the instrument captures. Among them is Praneeth Namburi, a research scientist at the MIT.nano Immersion Lab. Typically, Namburi focuses his neuroscience expertise on the biomechanics of dancing and expert movement. For two days during the MTA/Spirio residency, he used the sensors at the Immersion Lab, along with those of the Spirio, to analyze how pianists use their bodies.

“We used motion capture that can help us contrast the motion paths of experts such as Mi-Eun from those of students, potentially aiding in music education,” Namburi recounts, “force plates that can give scientific insights into how movement timing is organized, and ultrasound to visualize the forearm tissues during playing, which can potentially help us understand musicianship-related injuries.”

“The encounter between MTA and MIT.nano was something unique to MIT,” Kim believes. “Not only is this super useful for the music world, but it’s also very exciting for movement researchers, because playing piano is one of the most complex activities that humans do with our hands.”

In Kim’s view, that quintessentially human complexity is complemented by these kinds of technical possibilities. “Some people might think oh, it's going to replace the pianist,” she says. “But in the end it is a tool. It doesn’t replace all of the things that go into learning music. I think it's going to be an invaluable third partner: the student, the teacher, and the Spirio — or the musician, the researcher, and the Spirio. It's going to play an integral role in a lot of musical endeavors.”

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Silo Music Hosts Women In Sync Mixer To Celebrate Placements In Film/TVSilo Music recently held a “Women In Sync Winter Mixer” to bring women of the sync community together and kick off 2024, celebrating their success in film, television, advertising and video game music placement.

(left to right): Liddy Clark (Silo) and Hannah Oldfield (Position Music)

The evening was hosted by Liddy Clark of SILO Music and Hannah Oldfield of Position Music and attended by industry notables from Netflix, NBC Universal, Paramount, Format, Sony, Warner Chappell, Captitol, Motown and Decca Music Group (amongst others). 

In speaking about the evening, Liddy Clark comments: "We created this event to provide a collaborative environment for other ladies in the music sync industry. It started with 10 people in my apartment living room last year, and as more people heard about it, we've grown to over 60 people attending the SILO Music office! It's a fantastic way to get to know other women in the space and foster new connections and friendships." 

(left to right) Danica Bates (Paramount), Kristina Iwankiw (The Elements Music), Tori Gonzales (NBC)

Believe praises TikTok, says platform offers ‘valuable monetization for our artists and labels’Denis Ladegaillerie, founder and CEO of Believe, makes statement in reaction to UMG and ByteDance's public falling-out
Source

UK government confirms it has no intention to adopt ‘equitable remuneration’ payout model for on-demand music streamingThe UK's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published the findings from its research on the potential economic impact of introducing a so-called 'Equitable Remuneration' model (ER) for artists from streaming in the country
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The world’s first spatial and 3D AI DAW is coming to Apple Vision ProImmersive audio DAW developer Hit’n’Mix has announced the forthcoming release of an Apple Vision Pro-dedicated version of its RipX spatial audio DAW and, to be frank, it looks bloody awesome.

READ MORE: Moog’s Apple Vision Pro Animoog Galaxy softsynth is a “multidimensional sonic, visual and spatial experience”

The innovative Vision Pro app, created especially for the recently launched augmented reality headset, gives you a 3D DAW that you can operate with hand gestures, removing the need for a mouse or keyboard.
In RipX DAW, distance plays a crucial role in creating an immersive music-making experience. Instruments are presented in a fully editable note format – no waveforms –, distinguished by their spatial placement, allowing users to interact with different elements based on their distance. According to Hit’n’Mix, you can walk around and interact with the melody while it plays through you, just like it’s really there.

Martin DAW, Hit’n’Mix CEO and the creator of RipX DAW, says in a press release: “One of our aims in recent years has been to not only create an AI DAW that simplifies and de-clutters the music-making experience but to also innovate within the fledgling virtual music-making space.
“So, whilst we are delighted that RipX DAW is gaining recognition as the best and only AI DAW of its kind, we are excited to announce that soon, with Apple Vision Pro, RipX DAW will also offer a completely new, interactive, compositional experience, giving users much more freedom to view and create music in their chosen surroundings – all utilising our unique, note-based Rip audio format.”
Credit: Hit’n’Mix
The DAW will also offer integrated MIDI and audio functionality, advanced stem/instrument separation capabilities, direct customisation from AI Music Generators, and intuitive note-based editing with color-coded visuals.
You can also import background images to enhance the creative environment of the DAW, making it a more immersive, exciting music-making experience.
RipX DAW for Vision Pro has no confirmed launch date yet. Find out more at Hit’n’Mix.
The post The world’s first spatial and 3D AI DAW is coming to Apple Vision Pro appeared first on MusicTech.

More than 100 Focusrite RedNet units were used at the Super BowlThe Super Bowl Halftime Show has become arguably the biggest live entertainment moment of the calendar year. And for a big show, you need a big rig.
A big rig was exactly what was powering Usher’s spectacular halftime show, run by California audio-visual equipment hire service ATK Audiotek at Super Bowl LVIII, held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on 11 February. The show saw an attendance of 70,000 and was watched by a whopping 123 million people. No pressure, then.

READ MORE: Yes, Alicia Keys’ Super Bowl performance was fixed afterwards – but why do we care?

The vast audio rig was shared recently by Focusrite, who interviewed ATK Audiotek’s Kirk Powell, Engineer-in-Charge at the Super Bowl.
In the revealing chat, he emphasises the significance of the Focusrite RedNet setup, stating, “This is our ninth year using Focusrite RedNet with our Dante Audio-over IP network at the Super Bowl. This year we are employing over 100 RedNet units, which is the largest Focusrite setup used on a Super Bowl to date.”
The extensive RedNet infrastructure, featuring components such as RedNet D16R MkII, RedNet A16R MkII, RedNet D64R, RedNet MP8R, and RedNet AM2 units, ensured fluid connectivity across a range of interfaces and made for effective clock management during the event.
Speaking to Focusrite, Powell highlights the challenges of designing and installing the audio system, particularly regarding rigging and cable management due to the unique ceiling structure of Allegiant Stadium. He explains, “Flying the P.A. Allegiant Stadium’s ceiling structure is cable-based, just like SoFi Stadium, which restricts options for placing clusters and similar components due to weight restrictions and rigging points.”
Despite these challenges, Powell notes, “The system worked out really well. Also, with renowned mixers Dave Natale and Alex Guessard handling FOH duties, the audio for the performances sounded great.”
Read more news via MusicTech.
The post More than 100 Focusrite RedNet units were used at the Super Bowl appeared first on MusicTech.

Apple facing €500m fine over App Store practices limiting competitionApple is staring down the barrel of a €500m fine from the EU over the restriction of users’ access to competing streaming services via its App Store, according to the Financial Times.
When Apple recently announced it would be charging developers a 27% fee hike for signups from customers who came from the App Store, Spotify quickly expressed its concerns, calling the move “outrageous”.

READ MORE: The Apple Vision Pro could be game-changing for music makers – with a host of futuristic DJ and production apps already available

Per Mixmag, in 2023, the European Commission issued Apple a Statement of Objections – citing “anti-trust” concerns – after it discovered Apple had prevented app developers from informing users about other music streaming subscription options at lower prices outside the app.
The statement declared that failure by Apple to comply would result in a fine of up to 10 per cent of Apple’s worldwide turnover.
Spotify also filed a complaint with the EU in 2019 detailing concerns surrounding Apple’s practices, claiming that the Cupertino tech giant and its 30% fee on purchases within the App Store was limiting competition and consumer choice.
According to The Guardian, Apple says its fees are justified due to the “hundreds of millions” of potential customers it gives Spotify access to. Countering the argument, Spotify says that because Apple’s own streaming service, Apple Music, doesn’t face the same fees, it gives it an unfair advantage and makes the fees customers see “anti-competitive”.
The fine – if issued – will be the first Apple has received from the European Commission, but it has seen itself fall foul of regulations before. In 2020, the company received a €1.1 billion fine from France – later revised to €370m – for anti-competitive agreements with two wholesalers.
Approached by The Verge for a statement, an Apple representative said the company would not be “commenting on speculation” surrounding the fine, and referred it to previous comments made by another Apple spokesperson, who said the case has “no merit”.
MusicTech has reached out to both Apple and the European Commission for comment.
The post Apple facing €500m fine over App Store practices limiting competition appeared first on MusicTech.

Groover has legitimized ‘pay to play’ promo for independent musiciansAlways be skeptical of any opportunity that’s remotely “pay to play.” Shouldn’t a playlist curator, radio programmer, or music journalist review, choose to play, or reject music without getting paid. Continue reading
The post Groover has legitimized ‘pay to play’ promo for independent musicians appeared first on Hypebot.

7 ways to promote music on TikTok in 2024It’s no secret that TikTok has completely revolutionised the music industry. Despite its current battle with UNG, from viral dance challenges to breakout stars like Lil Nas X and Raye, TikTok has become the number-one music discovery platform...
The post 7 ways to promote music on TikTok in 2024 appeared first on Hypebot.

Preserving and monetizing your musical history and legacyBrad Mindich from Definitive Authentic talks about how musicians can preserve, document, and archive the past and turn it into potential new revenue streams...
The post Preserving and monetizing your musical history and legacy appeared first on Hypebot.

Tilr Debuts FREE Time1 And Gate1 Plugins For Windows
Tilr launched the Time1 delay and Gate1 gate and volume control plugins, free Windows releases available via GitHub repositories.  The developer describes Time1 as an open-source delay modulator similar to plugins like Gross Beat or TimeShaper, while Gate1 is an envelope generator for gate and volume control. Both plugins are VST3 releases only, and the [...]
View post: Tilr Debuts FREE Time1 And Gate1 Plugins For Windows