Native Instruments MR1 Valve Data The latest addition to Native Instruments' extensive collection of software instruments has arrived, offering a fun and easy-to-use drum machine that’s been designed using a collection of modular and valve gear.

$250M Ondo Catalyst fund signals ‘arms race’ for RWA tokenizationOndo Finance and Pantera Capital are launching a $250 million fund to fuel tokenized real-world asset projects.

TechCrunch All Stage brings back early launch prices for a limited timeTicket rates have officially rolled back with savings of up to $425, as TechCrunch All Stage becomes startup central July 15 in Boston.

A Miniature Ostwald Reactor to Make Nitric Acid
Modern fertilizer manufacturing uses the Haber-Bosch and Ostwald processes to fix aerial nitrogen as ammonia, then oxidize the ammonia to nitric acid. Having already created a Haber-Bosch reactor for ammonia production, [Markus Bindhammer] took the obvious next step and created an Ostwald reactor to make nitric acid.
[Markus]’s first step was to build a sturdy frame for his apparatus, since most inexpensive lab stands are light and tip over easily – not a good trait in the best of times, but particularly undesirable when working with nitrogen dioxide and nitric acid. Instead, [Markus] built a frame out of aluminium extrusion, T-nuts, threaded rods, pipe clamps, and a few cut pieces of aluminium.
Once the frame was built, [Markus] mounted a section of quartz glass tubing above a gas burner intended for camping, and connected the output of the quartz tube to a gas washing bottle. The high-temperature resistant quartz tube held a mixture of alumina and platinum wool (as we’ve seen him use before), which acted as a catalyst for the oxidation of ammonia. The input to the tube was connected to a container of ammonia solution, and the output of the gas washing bottle fed into a solution of universal pH indicator. A vacuum ejector pulled a mixture of air and ammonia vapors through the whole system, and a copper wool flashback arrestor kept that mixture from having explosive side reactions.
After [Markus] started up the ejector and lit the burner, it still took a few hours of experimentation to get the conditions right. The issue seems to be that even with catalysis, ammonia won’t oxidize to nitrogen oxides at too low a temperature, and nitrogen oxides break down to nitrogen and oxygen at too high a temperature. Eventually, though, he managed to get the flow rate right and was rewarded with the tell-tale brown fumes of nitrogen dioxide in the gas washing bottle. The universal indicator also turned red, further confirming that he had made nitric acid.
Thanks to the platinum catalyst, this reactor does have the advantage of not relying on high voltages to make nitric acid. Of course, you’ll still need get ammonia somehow.

Dystopian Waves Wah Pedal M4L DeviceUltimate Wah Pedal for M4L. Bring the iconic sound of classic and modern wah pedals into your DAW with a powerful, fully customizable Max for Live device. Designed for guitarists, producers, and sound designers, this wah effect gives you precise control and creative modulation like never before. Features: 10 Distinct Wah Types: From vintage to modern and experimental sweeps. Sweep Range Control: Set Sweep Min and Sweep Max frequencies anywhere from 50 Hz to 10 kHz for tailor-made filter motion. Adjustable Q Factor: Dial in subtle or extreme resonances for everything from smooth vowel-like sweeps to sharp, aggressive cuts. 4 Modulation Modes: Manual: classic foot-controlled wah, drag your mouse on the virtual pedal to sweep the filter. ADSR: shape wah movement with an envelope triggered by your audio. LFO: auto-wah with 4 selectable waveforms and adjustable rate. LFO Curve: draw your own modulation curve for complex, rhythmic sweeps. Pedal Visualization: Watch and control the wah sweep in real time with an interactive pedal graphic. 4 Pre Filter Distortion Types: From subtle analog warmth to aggressive fuzz, with Drive and Shape controls to sculpt your perfect tone. Intuitive UI: Zoomable sections for fine-tuning, interactive knob behaviors (hover to zoom, double-click to reset), and seamless workflow integration. Perfect for: • Guitars, synths, drums, or any audio source. • Adding movement, character, and expression to your tracks. • Sound design for cinematic, electronic, or experimental music. Whether you're after subtle tonal shifts or wild, expressive sweeps, this M4L wah pedal gives you the power, flexibility, and sonic quality you need to bring your music to life. Video demo coming soon... Read More

MBW’s Music Business UK Awards to return to London this November, supported by YouTubeAs with previous years, the MBUK Awards will recognize the brightest and best of the UK and international music business.
Source

AIR Channel Strip plug-in currently free Designed for producers seeking a clean, professional sound, the all-in-one plug-in is said to be a great general-purpose tool that excels on everything from individual instruments to buses and full mixes. 

Applied Acoustic Systems Lounge Lizard EP-5 Review
Applied Acoustic Systems recently released Lounge Lizard EP-5, the latest version of their flagship modeled electric piano collection. At BPB, we’ve covered many virtual electric pianos, including some lovely free options, such as Sonokinetic’s EMP Mark II for Kontakt Player. I’m fairly new to Lounge Lizard, but I approached it with some lofty expectations because [...]
View post: Applied Acoustic Systems Lounge Lizard EP-5 Review

Tone2 has updated BiFilter to version 2.5, and it’s now freeware (Windows-only)
Developer Tone2 has updated its Windows-only plugin BiFilter to version 2.5, making it now freeware. BPB covered BiFilter way back in 2012, when Computer Music Magazine featured it as a giveaway for readers. Back then, if you didn’t pick up BiFilter through the giveaway, it would cost you around $39.99. Now, in version 2.5, BiFilter [...]
View post: Tone2 has updated BiFilter to version 2.5, and it’s now freeware (Windows-only)

MIDiA Global Music Forecast: Recorded Revenue RecalibratesThe global music industry is entering a new era of change and uncertainty. Explore an overview of the MIDiA Global Music Forecast, an in-depth 83-page report, built on detailed data and expert analysis that forecasts where the music business is headed next.
The post MIDiA Global Music Forecast: Recorded Revenue Recalibrates appeared first on Hypebot.

Beats+Bytes 2025 Halftime Report: Music & Culture In ChaosThe Nue Agency's mid-year culture report is out now. The Beats+Bytes 2025 Halftime Report looks at how everything from politics to culture is changing how smart marketers market including key recorded and live music takeaways.
The post Beats+Bytes 2025 Halftime Report: Music & Culture In Chaos appeared first on Hypebot.

M. Shadows: Spotify is run by “career people”: “I’m sure they love music, but they don’t give a damn about bringing up new artists” Unlike traditional record label structures, which see the scouting and development of talent as a long-term endeavour, today’s music executives are less concerned with bringing up new artists and more interested in those who already have “heat”, according to Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows.
He says an increasing number of music industry professionals are “career people” who “see music as a career” and as a numbers game.

READ MORE: “We’re taking power away from corporate networks, and saying, ‘No, we’re gonna reward our fans, not you’”: M. Shadows on Avenged Sevenfold’s new Fortnite-style Season Pass

In a new interview with Ryan J Downey of FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression), Shadows – real name Matt Sanders – explains that while once upon a time there were “old-school” record labels with A&R professionals interested in nurturing new artists, the industry has become “so numbers-driven”.
“As soon as you have these companies that go from private companies to public companies, and there’s shareholder meetings and things need to hit bottom lines and there’s money involved, you start getting ‘career’ people involved, because they see music as a career,” he explains.
“The same way you could go work at Facebook, Instagram or Warner Bros. – it doesn’t make a difference to you… You got out of college and you’re getting a career job. It doesn’t mean you’re a music lover.”
He goes on: “Same with Spotify… you go in there and these are career people. I’m sure they love music, but they don’t give a damn about bringing up a new artist or song structure, chords or all the things that artists love to do. They love to see if it’s got heat or not. And then they throw gasoline on the heat. Which is fine, but it really convolutes what the whole thing should be.
“It should be an expression, and you should be hoping for expressions from really creative people that make you think in a different way. And that’s what music and art [have] always done for me.”
But he says while music should chiefly be about making an impact on listeners through art, numeric figures for success remain at the forefront of many people’s minds.
“The longer you stay in this industry, the more you see that people are more concerned with the other thing: ‘What are my numbers? Is this gonna work?’ And then it’s all, like, well what’s working, let’s all do it.
“And you see that with the social media platforms, you see it with the labels, you see it with the way people write songs, songs are getting shorter. ‘Everyone’s songs are getting shorter, That’s a coincidence!’ No, it’s because people have shorter attention spans so they’re all trying to fit within a box. To me that’s not art. It’s chasing. It’s commerce.”

Last year, M. Shadows made clear his scepticism of modern-day record labels in a digital landscape where artists have more control than ever before.
“When Avenged Sevenfold were on Warner Bros., they were trying to figure out how to create a viral TikTok moment,” he recalled. “What? I’m a fucking 42-year-old man, I’m not trying to figure out how to do a viral TikTok moment. I’m sorry. You’re going to take 24 cents on our dollar and that’s all you can do, come up with a fucking fake viral TikTok moment?”
Avenged Sevenfold have a series of live dates planned in North and South America for the remainder of the year.
Visit avengedsevenfold.com/tour for more info.
The post M. Shadows: Spotify is run by “career people”: “I’m sure they love music, but they don’t give a damn about bringing up new artists”  appeared first on MusicTech.

Live Music News: UK Ticket Probe • Bonnaroo • Ticketplus • More
Get the latest Live Music News under the Live Industry News tab above.

The post Live Music News: UK Ticket Probe • Bonnaroo • Ticketplus • More appeared first on Hypebot.

What is trap music? Definition, artists, and characteristics
Explore the artists, subgenres, and characteristics that define trap music and learn how to make your own beats in the genre.

Steinberg’s new SpectraLayers 12 has “a strong focus on the needs of the post-production industry”Steinberg has launched SpectraLayers 12, the latest edition of its audio editing software, which introduces new and enhanced tools for unmixing and voice processing.
The upgrade follows on from SpectraLayers 11, which launched in June 2024 and delivered new, AI-driven features. The software – ideal for post-production use, restoration, sound design, or mastering – has also been improved with workflow enhancements, including the ability to operate on multiple layers simultaneously with all SpectraLayers tools and processes.

READ MORE: BandLab Licensing now lets creators opt in to training AI models

SpectraLayers’ unmixing updates are particularly handy for post-production work across mixed content such as film soundtracks, trailers, and radio broadcasts. There are now two new unmixing modules – Unmix Soundtrack and Unmix Instrument – which bring “even more precision and flexibility to the unmixing process”, according to Steinberg.
The Unmix Soundtrack module separates audio into dialogue, effects, and music layers to assist with dialogue cleanup, music replacement, and effects enhancement, whereas the Unmix Instrument module isolates and extracts user-identified instruments by analysing them, and then unmixing and fine-tuning.
Alongside these modules, the Unmix Song, Unmix Drums, and Unmix Noisy Speech processes have all been “significantly improved”. Unmix Song now delivers better vocal separation, and updated algorithms of the Unmix Drums process mean it can extract six kit elements: kick, snare, toms, hi-hats, ride, and crash cymbals.
As for voice processing, a new Voice Enhance module uses generative AI to process and reconstruct poor-quality voice recordings “while preserving the speaker’s unique identity”. A DePlosive module also automatically eliminates plosives in speech recordings.
Find out more in the video below:

“Since we first introduced unmixing algorithms in SpectraLayers, there hasn’t been any other application that could match its quality. Now, with version 12, the clarity of the separated stems is exceptional… You could almost believe that they were never part of a mix,” comments Marketing Manager at Pro Audio, Luis Dongo.
“This version also has a strong focus on the needs of the post-production industry, with innovative features like soundtrack unmixing and speech enhancement. Existing voice processing algorithms are constantly being refined and updated, while workflow and productivity improvements requested by our loyal users haven’t been forgotten.”
SpectraLayers 12 is available now. The Pro version is priced at $349.99, while a cheaper Elements version retails for $89.99. Find out more via Steinberg.
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