Gimbal Space takes on legacy suppliers with fast-paced component supply chainAmerica’s space industry seems mature, but the supply chain that provides all the parts and components for rockets, satellites, and other spacecraft is considerably less so. Gimbal Space is aiming to change that, starting with components in the crucial subsystem that enables a spacecraft to orient itself in space — but delivered cheaper and a whole […]
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You Can 3D Print Yourself Some Simple Magnetic SwitchesPermanent magnets aren’t typically switchable. They’re always doing their magnet thing. However, if you align them with a bunch of other magnets in just the right way, you can create a permanent magnet that you can effectively switch on and off. [Andrew Klein] has done just that with his 3D-printed magnetic switch design.
The concept is simple enough. The design consists of a 3D-printed housing in two parts, top and bottom. When set into one orientation, the housing holds two arrays of magnets in opposite orientations. This effectively cancels out their magnetic fields and allows you to move the assembly around as if it’s pretty much not magnetic at all. However, rotate the device to its alternative orientation, and the magnets poles are aligned. This effectively combines their magnetic fields and makes the assembly act as one big large magnet.
These devices are useful if you want to create magnetic clamps or fixtures that can be attached and detached at will from ferrous surfaces. Being able to effectively “switch the magnet off” is much easier than trying to wrench a powerful magnet from a metal plate, after all.
You can do something similar with electromagnetic techniques, too! Video after the break.

A Cheap DIY PLC Based on the Atmega328PIf you’re running a big factory, you’ve probably got a massively expensive contract with a major programmable logic controller (PLC) manufacturer. One shudders to think about the cost of the service subscription on that one. If you’re working on a smaller scale, though, you might consider a DIY PLC like this one from [Mr Innovative.]
PLCs are rarely cutting-edge; instead, they’re about reliability and compliance with common industry standards. To that end, this design features the ATmega328P. Few other microcontrollers are as well understood or trusted as that one. The device is compatible with RS232 and RS485 and will run off 24 VDC, both of which you would find in a typical industrial environment. It offers 24 V digital inputs and outputs, as well as analog inputs and outputs from 0 to 10 V. [Mr Innovative] demonstrates it by hooking up a DWIN human-machine interface (HMI) for, well… human interaction, and a variable frequency drive to run a motor.
If you want to run a basic industrial-lite system but can’t afford the real industrial price tag, you might enjoy tinkering around at this level first. It could be a great way to get a simple project up and running without breaking the bank. Video after the break.

Primary Wave acquires publishing and other rights to entire catalog of ‘Feels So Good’ composer Chuck MangioneMangione's five-plus decade career in music yielded more than 30 albums and two Grammy wins
Source

NetEase Cloud Music profit soars as revenue from streaming subscriptions jumps 25.5% YoYChina's second-largest music streaming company more than doubled its net profit year on year
Source

Explorations Vol.2 from Arturia Arturia have announced the launch of Explorations Vol.2, a collection of three new sound banks designed for their Analog Lab and Pigments software instruments. 

How Bandsintown has revolutionized live music discovery: Fabrice Sergent on the Adventures In Venueland podcastIt's not hyperbole that Bandsintown has revolutionized live music discovery and marketing. Bandsintown co-founder and managing partner Fabrice Sergent joins the Adventures In Venueland podcast to discuss the state of live music marketing and how the platform serves fans, artists, and venues.
The post How Bandsintown has revolutionized live music discovery: Fabrice Sergent on the Adventures In Venueland podcast appeared first on Hypebot.

DJ Snake and Beyonce among the artists warning US election candidates to stop using their musicEvery time there’s a US election, it seems at least one artist will decry the use of their music by one of the campaigning parties. The current presidential race has been no different and now, DJ Snake has been the latest person to voice his disapproval.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is currently in full swing and the second night saw rapper Lil Jon perform his 2013 smash hit collaboration with DJ Snake, Turn Down For What.

READ MORE: “I didn’t know anything about how the gear worked – I learned it all from reading magazines”: Rick Beato on becoming a producer at 37

The performance was part of the state roll call – Lil Jon was representing his native state of Georgia, while other songs chosen by their respective states include Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The USA for New Jersey and Kansas’ Carry On Wayward Son for… well, Kansas.
Nonetheless, DJ Snake wasn’t pleased about his song being used at the DNC. On X/Twitter, he wrote: “I did not and do not allow the use of my music to be played at a political event of any kind.”

I did not and do not allow the use of my music to be played at a political event of any kind. https://t.co/whYGssqrjJ
— DJ SNAKE (@djsnake) August 21, 2024

DJ Snake isn’t the only person to express his discomfort with his music being used in political campaigns. Usually, it’s the Republican campaign that attracts the most ire from artists, particularly those who don’t want their work to be associated with Donald Trump.
Beyoncé has reportedly sent the Trump campaign a cease-and-desist for its unauthorised use of her song Freedom in a social media video. She did, however, approve the use of the track by Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Celine Dion’s team rebuked the former President for using My Heart Will Go On without authorisation at a rally, which Dion “does not endorse”.
Meanwhile, earlier this year after The Smiths’ Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want was played at a similar event, Johnny Marr said: “Consider this shit shut down right now.”
The family of Isaac Hayes have also threatened a lawsuit for copyright infringement to stop Trump using Hold On, I’m Coming at rallies, claiming he has done so 134 times despite them asking him repeatedly to stop.
The post DJ Snake and Beyonce among the artists warning US election candidates to stop using their music appeared first on MusicTech.

Are Apple’s fourth-gen AirPods on the way? Here’s what we know so farApple’s iPhone 16 event is due to take place this September, and it’s widely believed the tech giant will announce the fourth generation of its non-Pro AirPods.
As per Engadget, the fourth generation could seemingly offer both an entry-level model and a more advanced “mid-tier” version, both of which could potentially replace AirPods 2 and AirPods 3.

READ MORE: “Apple leaked it so I can say it”: Flying Lotus confirms he made two of Apple’s iPhone ringtones

The second-gen AirPods were launched in 2019, with the third landing back in 2021. The AirPods Pro – the higher-end edition of the in-ear headphones – are also still on the market, but these are only in their second generation. It is not currently believed that these will be receiving any upgrades at this event.
It is suggested that both editions of the AirPods 4 will have a USB-C case. Interestingly, it has also been alleged that the cheaper version may not offer wireless charging, but that it’s slightly more advanced sibling potentially will. This more advanced version is also speculated to support active noise cancellation like the Pro model.
And while it’s not believed the in-ear Pros will see any changes, it’s also not clear if we will hear any news on its over-ear AirPod Max headphones either. It has been four years since these were launched, so it may well be about time for a refresh.
Of course, all of these predictions right now remain to be just that, and we won’t know for sure what Apple will announce officially until the big day itself. Currently, the iPhone 16 launch event is estimated to occur on 10 September due to previous patterns of its launch dates.
MusicTech will bring you more updates as we get them. In the meantime, you can view the current range of AirPods over at Apple.
The post Are Apple’s fourth-gen AirPods on the way? Here’s what we know so far appeared first on MusicTech.

Breath Control for Musicians: Find Your FlowUnlock the secret to mastering breath control for musicians and elevate your musical performance with Ray LeVier's groundbreaking techniques. Download a free snippet from his book Drumming in Flow and discover how to breathe your way to success both on and off the stage.
The post Breath Control for Musicians: Find Your Flow appeared first on Hypebot.

Noise Engineering introduce Dystorpia Dystorpia is Noise Engineering's first foray into guitar pedals and is said to offer an entirely unique approach to digital distortion and drive.

Top Streaming Statistics of 2024: Music, Video, Gaming & MoreBobby Owsinski covers the top streaming statistics of 2024 across multiple industries, from gaming to music to video and more...
The post Top Streaming Statistics of 2024: Music, Video, Gaming & More appeared first on Hypebot.

“I didn’t know anything about how the gear worked – I learned it all from reading magazines”: Rick Beato on becoming a producer at 37In an age where headlines are dominated by the youngest prodigies and award-winning musicians who seem to spring fully formed from the ether, it’s easy to forget that success doesn’t always come early.
Enter Rick Beato, the multi-talented music producer and YouTube host who says he only started producing at the age of 37, having never had prior experience before.

READ MORE: Shure’s new SM4 Home Recording Microphone captures “professional-quality recordings regardless of setup, environment, or experience”

“At age 35 I started my first band, at age 36 we got signed and at age 37 we got dropped. That’s the year that I started producing,” says Beato in a new video titled ‘I only have myself to blame’.
The producer cites himself as an example of a late bloomer who’s able to not only catch up but also thrive in an industry that often values youth over experience, saying “the idea that you have to do things when you’re young is not true”.
“I didn’t know anything about how any of this gear worked… I learned it all from reading magazines at a Barnes & Noble and asking questions to people that knew more than I did,” Beato explains.
He notes that his first platinum record as a producer came when he was 41, and that he earned his first number one song as a writer in 2013 at the age of 51 – hardly the age one would associate with a burgeoning career in the music industry.
“I’ve rethought my one premise of ‘you need to do things before you’re 30 because that’s when you’re able to really learn’ because when I was 54 I started on YouTube and YouTube didn’t even start till 2006 but people didn’t even have music YouTube channels till about 2010 or so,” he says.
“The thing that I’m doing now didn’t even exist!”
“So the idea that you have to do things when you’re young is not true,” Beato continues. “I could start this channel again now at 62 from scratch and I still think I would be successful at it.”
While it’d be “more difficult because it takes a lot of energy and I’m glad I did it when I was 54”, says the producer, “it can be done and you could do it too if you’re willing to work hard enough.”

Rick Beato currently boasts 4.4 million subscribers on YouTube. Head to his channel now to subscribe.
The post “I didn’t know anything about how the gear worked – I learned it all from reading magazines”: Rick Beato on becoming a producer at 37 appeared first on MusicTech.

“Apple leaked it so I can say it”: Flying Lotus confirms he made two of Apple’s iPhone ringtonesGrammy-winning producer, DJ and rapper Flying Lotus confirms he is the mastermind behind a pair of Apple’s iPhone ringtones.
The Never Catch Me hitmaker – real name Steven Ellison – revealed that he composed Daybreak and Chalet, two tracks that have been available since the 2019 launch of iOS 13.

READ MORE: Download over 100,000 free loops, sample packs, breaks, one-shots and synth sounds for all genres

The revelation arrives in the latest episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz, a podcast series about “the world’s most recognisable and interesting sounds”.
“Apple leaked it so I can say it,” Flying Lotus wrote on X, quoting a post promoting the episode. “I wrote some ringtones that have been in your iPhone since iOS13. ‘Daybreak’ + ‘Chalet.’”

Apple leaked it so I can say it. I wrote some ringtones that have been in ur iPhone since ios13. ‘Daybreak’ +‘Chalet’ https://t.co/HHReqvxUgf
— FLYLO (@flyinglotus) August 21, 2024

During the podcast, FlyLo shares how the ringtone-making gig came about and the mixed feelings he harboured initially, saying: “At first, I didn’t know how to feel. I was like, ‘What? They want me to be a ringtone maker now? What is that all about?’”
“The one thing that was in my benefit was that I actually had made ringtones for myself before,” he continues. “So, I kind of feel like I knew what was pleasing to hear as a loop, over and over and over and over and over again. Something that alerts you, but isn’t abrasive. Something that’s musical, but isn’t cheesy. Just finding that balance where it’s a bit ambient, but also something that cuts through.”
Of the two tracks he created, FlyLo describes Chalet as having “some kind of longing in the sound”: “I wouldn’t say it’s a sad thing, but there is some kind of memory, like you’re listening to an old cassette.”
“It’s nice to have these tones that I can associate with people who give me this warm feeling. If my girl calls me, and I hear the ‘Chalet’ ringtone, it’s like, ‘Awww,’” he adds. “There’s something really nice about it.”

The post “Apple leaked it so I can say it”: Flying Lotus confirms he made two of Apple’s iPhone ringtones appeared first on MusicTech.

Audient ORIA — the best audio interface for spatial audio production?£2,520
£599 optional factory-/retro-fit AoIP card (available Autumn 2024)
audient.com

ORIA is Audient’s new immersive audio interface and monitor controller, engineered with Dolby Atmos firmly in mind. Priced lower than its nearest competitor, Avid’s $5,000 MTRX Studio, ORIA prioritises ease of use, with multichannel Sonarworks SoundID integration, simple setup, and intuitive software control to appeal to both creative- and technically-minded users.

READ MORE: Audient’s ORIA is the Atmos interface that engineers have been waiting for

What inputs and outputs does ORIA have?
ORIA has 16 analogue line outputs, covering speaker arrays of up to 9.1.6, all handily labelled so you don’t need to manually configure them. In addition to the 16 analogue outputs, ORIA also has 16 AES outputs for speakers with digital inputs, carrying identical signals to the analogue ones. Using Profiles in the software you can easily switch between, say, an Atmos array plugged into analogue outs and a set of stereo monitors connected to the Left and Right AES outputs.
There are also two pairs of analogue stereo outs which mirror the Left and Right signals from the surround array, so you can check mixes on different sets of stereo monitors. Dual headphone amps carry separate mixes that can be set up using mixer software, similar to Audient’s EVO and iD ranges.
ORIA. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
To keep ORIA as versatile as possible, there’s a variety of input options. Firstly, two digitally-controlled versions of their console preamps are located around the front, set up for microphones, line ins or instruments. Secondly, two banks of ADAT ins allow users to expand the number of inputs by adding mic preamps for recording, or even to pass on 16 channels from an external interface to use ORIA purely as a monitor controller. While ADAT carries up to eight channels per port, the channel count reduces to four once you exceed 48 kHz, so users need to bear this in mind. If you need to feed in 16 channels at higher sample rates, an optional, factory-fit network port will soon be available to add Dante compatibility.
Additional, independently-addressable outputs are harder to come by, unfortunately. We can’t help but wish for ADAT outs as well as ins. Most Atmos workflows will stay in the box and use plugins to provide the likes of reverb, compression and EQ, but this isn’t true for everyone. And when working in stereo, many will have a favourite analogue outboard chain they’d like to incorporate when mixing or mastering. Hardware inserts aren’t really possible in an immersive mixing context with ORIA, and for a stereo session would require some frustrating head-scratching and re-patching. The Avid spatial interface does have the edge here, with 16 channels of ADAT in/out and Dante out of the gate.
ORIA rear panel
What is ORIA like to use?
Once speakers are plugged in, setup can begin. If you’ve already taken measurements of your studio for acoustic purposes, ORIA’s system panel allows you to manually configure channel EQ, time alignment and a high-pass crossover frequency for bass management. However, the Sonarworks integration means that you don’t have to go through all this pain. Audient includes a calibrated measurement microphone in the box to get you started, plus a 60-day trial of the software (you’ll need to invest in the €499 multichannel version to keep using it beyond this point). Just plug the microphone into a preamp on the interface, follow the simple instructions and within an hour you’ll have a calibration profile covering all the speakers in your room that can be loaded straight into ORIA’s DSP memory.
If you’ve experienced the striking difference a speaker calibration system makes to stereo setups, then you’re in for a far bigger ‘wow’ moment with an immersive array.
We audition a number of Atmos mixes on high-end speakers. With Sonarworks off, everything is phasey and muddled, with individual speakers seeming to poke out of the mix at points. With Sonarworks on, it’s infinitely better. High frequencies are less hard-edged, there’s no muddled midrange, and bass sounds are punchy yet tightly controlled; the multitude of speakers start to work as a single entity. Once loaded in, the Sonarworks calibration profile is translated into per-speaker EQ and time alignment settings that can be viewed within ORIA’s software panel.
An intuitive software interface allows users to match what they’re hearing with on-screen graphics representing the speaker array, rather than a more traditional (and potentially overwhelming) mixer form. Muting and soloing speakers are done with simple mouse clicks and modifier keys, including a Group function for soloing sections of the speaker array such as Front, Sides and Heights.
We wish there was an option to include bass management when soloing channels or groups. Currently, you have to solo a channel or Group and then manually add the sub to the solo, which is fiddly. Otherwise, some of what you’re hearing in solo will be high-passed, and so doesn’t give a full impression of that speaker or Group’s contribution to the mix. Perhaps this could be addressed in a future update.
ORIA software panel
Minor issues aside, Audient has made otherwise impenetrable concepts accessible with its smart graphical interface. During testing, we get lost in a world of stunning playback quality from the onboard converters on a perfectly calibrated large array, frequently using Groups to deconstruct mixes we’re listening to to gain an insight into the production approach – Atmos nay-sayers ought to try this at some point!
By setting up different Profiles, we’re also able to switch to a stereo speaker set and different Sonarworks profiles. Frustratingly, there’s no trim function per profile to calibrate levels when switching between surround and stereo sets (this could be tricky on speakers that don’t have variable input gain).
ORIA really looks slick installed in a rack, with its black case, backlit buttons and clear metering on its display, plus a small set of hardware controls to supplement the software experience. It’s a boon to have digital, recallable gain for each preamp but also an input mute function at the press of a button (this cannot be achieved in the software). Lovely.
ORIA. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Meters toggle between the various output and input banks, with the most common view being the surround outputs. This is far clearer than interfaces that attempt to display all ins and outs simultaneously in minuscule detail.
To the right of the meters, there are further buttons for monitor controls. Volume reverts the control wheel’s function to master output volume and there’s a handy Profile button to toggle between configuration profiles you’ve set up. A programmable Function button (like those found on EVO and iD interfaces) accesses controls like dim, talkback and Return to Reference, which restores the master output to a pre-set reference monitoring level.
Finally, a Downmix button interacts with Dolby’s Atmos Renderer, if it’s being used, to switch between different down-mixed speaker configurations. A neat touch, but it would be far more useful to have an extra function button instead that could be programmed to follow this behaviour; a single function button is limiting on such a complex interface (the iD44 has three, plus three further monitor control buttons, after all). What’s more, many DAWs have an integrated, free-of-charge Atmos renderer, or many are forced to explore third-party renderer/panners such as Dolby Atmos Composer because their DAW of choice doesn’t support 3D object track-widths.

Who should buy Audient’s ORIA?
ORIA has an impressive combination of features for its relatively modest price point. Its shortcomings are few, but integrating analogue outboard gear could be a challenge, if that’s your thing.
For studios with an in-the-box mixing workflow, small post-production outfits and creative composers wanting to get started with immersive mixing, ORIA offers an intuitive, impeccable-sounding and highly capable entry point. It’s pretty much a ‘must-buy’ if you’re in one of these camps.
Key features

USB-C audio interface and monitor controller for immersive audio
Multichannel Sonarworks integration
D/A converter dynamic range: 126.5 dB
16 analogue surround speaker outputs
16 digital AES surround speaker outputs
2 pairs of analogue stereo outputs
2 independent headphone outputs
2 mic/line/instrument preamps
2 ADAT in ports
Wordclock in/out
Hardware monitor controls
Optional AoIP card for 16 Dante input channels
Sonarworks calibrated measurement microphone included in box
iPad remote control app coming soon

The post Audient ORIA — the best audio interface for spatial audio production? appeared first on MusicTech.