Thermal Monocular Brings the Heat at 10X[Project 326] is following up on his thermal microscope with a thermal telescope or, more precisely, a thermal monocular. In fact, many of the components and lenses in this project are the same as those in the microscope, so you could cannibalize that project for this one, if you wanted.
During the microscope project, [Project 326] noted that first-surface mirrors reflect IR as well as visible light. The plan was to make a Newtonian telescope for IR instead of light. While the resulting telescope worked with visible light, the diffraction limit prevented it from working for its intended purpose.

Shifting to a Keplerian telescope design was more productive. One of the microscope lenses got a new purpose, and he sourced new objective lenses that were relatively inexpensive.
The lens sets allow for 5X and 10X magnification. The lenses do reduce the sensitivity, but the telescope did work quite well. If you consider that the lenses are made to focus cutting lasers and not meant for use in imaging devices, it seems like an excellent result.
Missed the thermal microscope? Better catch up! Do you need a thermal camera? Ask a duck.

Tone Empire EDYNpre analog-style saturation plugin is FREE until May 20
Tone Empire has released EDYNpre, a tube saturation plugin based on the classic Electrodyne 1204 console, and it’s completely free to download until May 20th. EDYNpre brings the character of a vintage mixing console to your DAW, offering a bold, punchy sound with plenty of analog vibe. Based on the image on Tone Empire’s website, [...]
View post: Tone Empire EDYNpre analog-style saturation plugin is FREE until May 20

Music publishers file amended lawsuit against AI firm Anthropic, which they say ‘bolsters the case’ over company’s ‘unauthorized use of song lyrics’Music publishers have refiled their legal complaint against Anthropic, and the AI company has once again moved to have the case dismissed
Source

Sonixinema releases Emotive Brass, the latest addition to the FREE Origins Series
Emotive Brass is the latest addition to the free Origins Series from Sonixinema. Sonixinema’s Origins Series has been nothing short of exceptional so far; the free series, including Delicate Strings and Whispering Woodwinds, is a must for anyone interested in media scoring. Brass is often a tricky section for developers because it’s a very unforgiving [...]
View post: Sonixinema releases Emotive Brass, the latest addition to the FREE Origins Series

SSL launch Meter Pro plug-in SSL have announced the launch of  a new all-in-one metering plug-in, and an update to their SSL 360 software that brings some new features and functions to the UF1, UF8 and UC1 control surfaces.

How To Upgrade A Spotify Artist ProfileYour Spotify artist profile is more than just a page, it's a powerful tool to convert casual listeners into loyal fans and boost your income. Learn how to upgrade a Spotify Artist profile to increase streams, sell more merch, and fill more seats at your shows.
The post How To Upgrade A Spotify Artist Profile appeared first on Hypebot.

We called Despacio the “world’s greatest sound system” – here’s what to expect at Portola 2025Despacio – the mighty sound system created by James Murphy, Soulwax, and audio expert John Klett – is coming to Portola music festival this September.
The sound system is not like any other out there, and MusicTech went as far to call it the “world’s greatest” when we got to take a look inside the system itself back in 2019, prior to its appearance at Meltdown Festival.

READ MORE: “I need to build the room I want to play in”: Floating Points has created his very own sound system that he’ll use at this summer’s festivals – here’s why

So, having awarded it such a grand title, it only makes sense that we refresh your mind on what you can expect from the system that Klett has called an “emotional transmission machine”.
What is Despacio?
Despacio is a high-end sound system created by James Murphy of the band LCD Soundsystem along with Soulwax’s David and Stephen Dewaele (aka 2manydjs), and designed with the expert input of audio engineer John Klett. The sound system made its debut in 2014 at the Manchester International Festival (MIF), but due to busy schedules and organisational factors, it doesn’t make an appearance all too commonly at events.
Despacio gets its name from the Spanish word for ‘slow’. The tracks played through it are often slowed down, with the intent of creating an antidote to hyper dance music and DJ sets where all the anticipation lies within waiting for drops. The three DJs behind it remain hidden away during use, “playing some of the wildest sounds out there, on strictly vinyl only”.
How does Despacio work?
Despacio is propelled by seven McIntosh-powered speaker stacks. McIntosh amplifiers made up part of the famous ‘Wall Of Sound’ The Grateful Dead created.
The concept for the stacks was based around forward-facing speakers with their acoustic centres aligned to the same vertical plane. Each stack has a five-way system with 21-inch drivers doing low bass, 15-inch drivers powering upper bass and 12-inch drivers doing low-midrange, as well as a large bi-radial horn behind upper midrange. They also each have 10KW available (10,000 Watts) per stack, but for the majority of an event, only 200 and 1,000 Watts per stack tend to be used.

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What to expect from Despacio at Portola 2025
Those heading to Portola will be in for a treat. In the words of McIntosh Laboratory president Charlie Randall, “you have to not only hear it, but experience it”: “When you get in the middle of those seven speaker stacks and James, David and Stephen start playing music at the slow speed, it’s truly amazing. It’s something each concert goer will probably remember for the rest of their life,” he told MusicTech back in 2019.
Klett also told us that Despacio “is supposed to move you”. He said, “You are not a scientific-measurement instrument… so tuning up is technical up to a point, then we just dial it in until we are all smiling.”
Head over to the Portola website to view its full lineup and find out more. You can read the full feature on Despacio right here on MusicTech.
The post We called Despacio the “world’s greatest sound system” – here’s what to expect at Portola 2025 appeared first on MusicTech.

BABY Audio Comeback Kid Delay Plugin Now $9.99 at Plugin Boutique
Plugin Boutique is currently offering Comeback Kid by BABY Audio for just $9.99—a massive drop from its regular $69 price tag. If you’ve been holding out for a top-tier delay plugin, this is your cue. BABY Audio is one of my favorite developers. They have a lineup of easy-to-use but epic-sounding plugins like I Heart [...]
View post: BABY Audio Comeback Kid Delay Plugin Now $9.99 at Plugin Boutique

Live Music Hotel Takeovers go global with HOTEL EDC ThailandLive music hotel takeovers to create a festival experience minus the porta potties is not a new thing in Las Vegas. But now the most popular of them all - Electronic Daisy Carnival’s (EDC) immersive hotel experience is going global with a Thailand edition.
The post Live Music Hotel Takeovers go global with HOTEL EDC Thailand appeared first on Hypebot.

Momo Behringer UB-Xa Editor VST and StandaloneHere are my MIDI Editor for the Behringer UB-Xa Synth. The UB-Xa Editor gives you direct access from the DAW to the UB-Xa parameters, allowing you to integrate it into the DAW project. In the PlugIn VST version you can record the controller movements and so the sound change can be saved. Editor Features: - Complex sound changes can be made easily and quickly. - Change UB-Xa Sounds directly from Editor. - All controllers can be automated. - X-Y modulation of all parameters - You can random the Controllers of the UB-Xa - You can use your UB-Xa as a sound module in the DAW! - You can create your own sound bank and use the sounds in other projects. Included are 50 new sounds. - Also compatible with UB-Xa Desktop - Compatible with firmware V2. The Editor are available for: - PC: As VST2 and Standalone for 32-bit and VST2, VST3 and Standalone for 64-bit Windows. - MAC: As VST2, VST3, AU and Standalone, compatible with MAC Intel and Silicon. Price: 6,90€ / $ 7 (Contains all versions). Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKS5eLUTvZw Read More

“Next time don’t bring a wet sponge to a tech fight”: deadmau5 and James Hype are feuding – here’s what’s going onThe great pre-recorded DJ set debate has risen once again, and this time, it’s among artists James Hype and deadmau5.
The beef between the two was ignited as Hype shared a promotional video to his Instagram page for his new live show, SYNC. Within it, he references old comments from 2021 made by deadmau5 where he claimed DJs were often required to play pre-recorded sets at large scale events and festivals.

READ MORE: The best rotary mixers to buy in 2025: 15 best mixers for DJs

The video in which deadmau5 made these comments resurfaced in 2023, prompting him to respond and refute the debate, and re-iterate that he does not consider himself to be a DJ: “The fuck do I care. I’m an engineer first, producer second, performer third. Pre-recorded, on the fly, DJs, live PAs… who cares, everyone does shit their own way,” he said. “So maybe just try to have a good time?”
In Hype’s new SYNC promo, he says, “deadmau5 said that you had to pre-record your set if you wanted to sync it to visuals, I think this proves him wrong,” before triggering the deadmau5 logo to flash up around him in response to the sounds he plays. “This is my new live show, SYNC, and it really is live,” he concludes, before another, much larger image flashes up of deadmau5.

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Anyone familiar with deadmau5 will know he’s not one to keep quiet, and he’s already responded both in the comments under Hype’s video, and via two of his own posts. In the comments, he writes, “Good shit! Now do it without MIDI and resolume. Hint: UDP socket / port 50000.”
He also adds, “If you’re going to map the top of that table, make it a projection with perspective with a height variable so you can adjust it at venues for the folks above deck height. Looks like shit if it’s just flat mapped like that.”
In his own posts, deadmau5 has shown himself using a CDJ to trigger the words “It’s not that hard” to appear on a desktop screen, and in another has mapped the CDJ to control the Elden Ring video game.
Though DJ and producer Louie Gonzo has weighed in under his post stating, “but you were the one that said u hadda [sic] pre record a set to sync visuals”, deadmau5 has responded claiming he never made the comments, and that things have been taken out of context. He says, “Didn’t say that. Much of the out of context brain rot you rely on as education may have put that in your head though.”

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“Next time don’t bring a wet sponge to a tech fight. I can’t even imagine what it’s like renting a stage / film crew / video tech / audio tech to film a deadmau5 burn only to get ruined by a response made with an iPhone, 100 lines of cpp and MS paint. Feel better soon,” he later responds to Hype once again. At the time of writing, he has not yet responded to deadmau5.
Both James Hype and deadmau5 are playing shows this spring and summer. You can get tickets to see them via their respective websites.
The post “Next time don’t bring a wet sponge to a tech fight”: deadmau5 and James Hype are feuding – here’s what’s going on appeared first on MusicTech.

SUPERBOOTH 2025: Tiptop Audio Tiptop Audio have been working on a whole host of new modules for their polyphonic Eurorack system, as well as some additions to their growing collection of Buchla 200 Series recreations.

pointblank Music School releases two FREE courses for Logic Pro and Ableton Live
pointblank Music School has created two new courses for budding music producers using either Ableton Live or Logic Pro. Each pointblank Music School course consists of over 30 video tutorials crafted with help from music industry experts that you can watch at your own pace. Feeling lost in the vast complexity of a DAW is [...]
View post: pointblank Music School releases two FREE courses for Logic Pro and Ableton Live

“A lot of artists need to understand that it’s part of music production”: Myd on overcoming the fear of a blank DAWFrench producer Myd wants you to know that even the best musicians are intimidated by a blank DAW.
The artist, real name Quentin Lepoutre, recently wrapped up a week-long Twitch livestream from his LED-drenched studio in France, where he cooked meals, did yoga, slept, hosted DJ sets, and – importantly – made music in front of a live audience.
While the stream was partly born out of necessity (he’d lost two key tracks and needed to finish them before a label deadline), it became a real-time experiment in balancing creativity with well-being.

READ MORE: Kel P: “I love producing Afrobeat so much. I guess it was unique enough that when the world heard it, they loved it too”

For starters, the marathon session helped Lepoutre break down the “fantasy” he once had that spending more time in front of your DAW makes you more productive. The artist now swears by a routine of four to six hours of studio time each day (not night) and says he doesn’t put any pressure on himself while he’s inside.
“I discovered little by little that it’s not the solution; it’s about having your brain in good condition, taking care of your health, and seeing people getting inspired,” Myd tells MusicTech. “It’s as important as what you will do when you are in front of your computer or in front of your synths or drum machines.”
Still, opening a blank DAW project remains “frightening”, even for a seasoned producer like Myd. The solution? Get into a routine of being in the studio and constantly flexing your creative muscles, he says.
Crediting the elusive Gesaffelstein for this realisation, Myd – who used to be labelmates with the French techno artist – explains, “One day [Gesaffelstein] told me, ‘I’m starting my new album’ – I don’t remember which one, maybe his second album – and I was like, ‘Oh, that must be so cool’. And he said, ‘No, that’s not cool. That’s frightening as fuck.’”
“And he was already big [at this point] and had a thing going, so I’ve never forgotten that,” says Myd. “It made me realise that it’s part of [being creative]. And a lot of artists, especially young ones, need to understand that it’s just part of music production.”
Myd’s new album All that Glitters Is Not Gold arrives in less than a month. Check out his latest single below.

The post “A lot of artists need to understand that it’s part of music production”: Myd on overcoming the fear of a blank DAW appeared first on MusicTech.

How Allan Hall went from hobbyist to Hans Zimmer’s favourite synth makerAllan J. Hall had no intention of building synthesizers for a living when he first created the MiniMod. It was a DIY project purely for himself. He’d played guitar and dabbled in keyboards for years as a hobby, but it wasn’t a career. Then, he sold the company he owned and, suddenly, Hall says, “I didn’t really need to do much and I had a lot of spare time.” Free from the responsibility of running a 25,000 square-foot factory building decorative fireplaces (and a few million dollars richer), he threw himself into his hobby, and specifically spent a lot of time on the technology side. Hall built some guitar pedals, tackled a few DIY synth projects, and even spent time as a technician fixing up synthesizers and other music gear.

READ MORE: Myd locked himself in the studio for 168 hours and livestreamed every minute — but did it really help him finish an album?

Hall had plenty of vintage instruments and had built out a sizable 5U system, but when he ventured into the smaller form factor of Eurorack, he was disappointed. “I just thought, they sound terrible, why on Earth don’t they sound like the 5U stuff? Why don’t they sound like the vintage Moog stuff?” he says. This led to his fascination with vintage synth circuits; he needed to understand what made them sound different from his Eurorack system.
He set his sights on the Minimoog Model D, which he refers to (repeatedly) as the “Stradivarius of monosynths.” And what he discovered was, it’s not what vintage synths do well, it’s “what they don’t do well that makes them sound so damn good.” Eventually, he’d cobbled together essentially a Model D in Eurorack form. This wasn’t the “one trick pony” of a real-deal Moog, though. Hall embraced the open architecture of modular synthesis, breaking the Minimoog down into its constituent parts that could be freely assembled, patched and rearranged as desired — the first MiniMod system. “So if you wanted to try five VCOs with or try it with an Oberheim filter,” you’d be able to do that, according to Hall.
Soldering prototype MiniMod modules. Image: AJH
All of this was simply something to occupy himself, something he was doing for fun, having more or less retired at 42 years old. But a few friends heard the system and asked if he’d build one for them. And as the requests piled up, Hall began exploring the possibility of turning his creation into an actual commercial product and, 18 months later, AJH Synth debuted the MiniMod at Frankfurt Musikmesse in 2015.
Ten years later, AJH Synth has grown from a hobby to one of the most respected manufacturers in the Eurorack space. Part of that is down to the quality of the modules. AJH’s oscillators and filters do capture the warmth and edge of the vintage gear it’s modelled after, but adapted for use in the expansive universe of Eurorack with tons more inputs, outputs and controls than the Model D.
The other factor is that Allan claims his decisions for what modules to make are “never ever driven by the market.” The company doesn’t waste time chasing fads. Instead, Allan’s own whims decide what to make next. “The thing I did then, and I’m still doing now, is I’m building myself the ultimate modular system,” he says, so he just goes where his interests and desires for his own system lead him. This has led to some slightly wacky devices like the Lunar Module, which is designed to recreate the sound of Apollo-era space-to-ground communications.
That sincerity is obvious when you talk to Hall, and it’s likely part of what has endeared him to the synth scene. His passion and knowledge are obvious. But he also recognises the lucky position he finds himself in. “I’d just do this stuff for fun, and people are kind enough to buy this stuff,” he says.
Hans Zimmer and Allan Hall. Image: AJH
This authenticity and dedication to quality are likely part of what caught the attention of Hans Zimmer. Hans had been using an AJH system for some time, including on his many scores for Christopher Nolan, like The Dark Knight. He’d gotten in touch with Allan just to compliment him on the quality of his work. Still, when Hans decided to recreate the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, it was something of a surprise to Hall when he was tapped to create “the ultimate modular system” for it.
It’s a daunting and admittedly sort of vague design brief, but ultimately, Hans and Allan landed on a system based loosely on the EMS VC3 layout with a stereo signal path — a necessity when scoring film. The two batted around a few ideas for what shape the synth would eventually take. But Allan chose the VC3 because of its importance to Hans. The EMS VC3 was the first synth that Hans Zimmer ever owned, but being a struggling musician in London, he was eventually forced to sell it, something he told Allan he always regretted. But don’t worry, the story does have a happy ending. Hans eventually tracked down his VC3 and bought it back.
Allan would tell you, unequivocally, that creating that system (two of them in fact) for Hans Zimmer and being part of an effort to resurrect the BBC Radiophonic Workshop is the highlight of his career at AJH. But that doesn’t mean he’s ready to say he’s peaked and move on. Ten years after the introduction of the MiniMod, when asked what’s next for AJH, Allan Hall simply responds, “The next 10 years.”
The post How Allan Hall went from hobbyist to Hans Zimmer’s favourite synth maker appeared first on MusicTech.