2024 Business Card Challenge: POV Fidget Keeps Your Info In Their HandsSo what if we’re halfway through 2024? People who needed to fidget all along still need something to do with their hands. So why not hand them a solution with your information on it?
Not only will this spin nicely, the spinning action will use magnets to energize PCB coils and light up LEDs for some persistence of vision action. Designing the PCB was easier than you might imagine thanks to KiMotor, a KiCad plugin to automate the design of parametric PCB motors.
Mechanical testing went pretty well with the bearings and magnets that [mulcmu] had on hand, along with a scrap PCB as the sacrifice. Although a bit difficult to hold, it spins okay with just the bearing and the shaft. Once the boards arrived, it was time to test the electrical side. So far, things are not looking good — [mulcmu] is only getting a few tens of mV out of the rectifier — but they aren’t giving up hope yet. We can’t wait to see this one in action!
Hurry! This is the last weekend to enter the 2024 Business Card Challenge! Technically you have until Tuesday, July 2nd, but you know what we mean. Show us what you’ve got!

Why Angus1 is no longer playing by the rules of the music industry“When I go into the studio, my little ritual is to hit record on the mic and just sing or say whatever comes into my head, for too long — like, to the point where I’m bored of it and I’m thinking ‘Okay… This is ridiculous.’ Then I’ll push beyond that discomfort for maybe 15 minutes.”
Angus1 doesn’t have the most orthodox approach to music-making. His dull experiences of playing the bassoon at school — an instrument he calls “limiting” and “ridiculous” — led him to shun the traditional conventions of music and make his own way. It’s actually fitting for him, then, to record his vocals in this anguishing manner.

READ MORE: How Nahre Sol brought beatmaking into her classically-trained world: “I began to understand the appeal of sampling”

“I could just be saying the same word over and over again, but it’s that, like, popping the hood on my brain that I want to achieve,” he explains. “The whole reason I do that is so the judgmental part of me doesn’t stamp out ideas before they’ve been born. I’m like, ‘Well, you’ve said stupid shit already, you’ve embarrassed yourself, you can’t go any lower than that now with whatever you write.”
Angus1, real name Guy Tarento, is speaking to us from his hometown of Sydney, Australia, which he says is a city of “homogeneity — experimentation isn’t really valued.” His vocal recording approach might sound a little woo-woo, but the 32-year-old is a down-to-earth realist with a suitably dry sense of humour. After our chat, he’s heading to the pub for a cold one with some friends.
Open For Business EP by Angus1
His latest EP, Open For Business, was self-released in April in a similar environment: a listening party that hosted around 70 pals , beer for everyone, and a conversation about each of the four tracks after they played. Guy admits it was a weird experience — “ordinarily, you’d only open up in that way to one or two friends” — but found that being open about the project was helpful to gauge honest responses.
The brash opening of the intro track, also titled Open For Business, is reminiscent of the crunching and gritty distorted bass sounds of Justice — we ask how he created such an erratic synth patch. It turns out it’s actually an old “cringy vocal recording” that he slowed down, pitched, reversed, and “distorted to fuck.”

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A post shared by Angus1 (@angus1_)

Guy flits through different styles on the EP, seemingly effortlessly. In Run, lush, enveloped synth stabs complement a chopped-up Desi vocal loop over breakbeats; The Path takes a more emotive angle, with Fred Again-esque vocal stutters, woozy pads and UK Garage beats; The Hunt, for which Armand Van Helden’s You Don’t Know Me was a mix reference, is a four-to-the-floor indie dance banger; and Over The Hill features French-style sample chopping and Toro Y Moi-style vocal production.
“I appreciate a lot of different types of music,” he says, “and rather than letting them be their own discrete thing, I will childishly, try to smush them into one [track]…I just want to go weirder and wilder and continue exploring.”
His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by key tastemakers . He’s released tracks on prestigious alternative labels Kitsuné Musique in 2020 and Future Classic in 2020 — the latter of which we both jape as a rite of passage for Australian artists. Does Guy consider these high-profile cosigns validations as an artist?
He sighs; “They are…I’m learning to wrangle my own ego and expectations as I go along. It’s really nice getting a nod, and it helps in some ways. But ultimately, the only relationship that exists is with the listener and me. If the music starts to bleed into too many other areas — one of which is to make me feel good about myself and get a tip of the hat from the right people — the music isn’t as much at the forefront. But, yeah, I’m not an overly confident artist, so when you do get those little wins, it’s great to celebrate them.”
Angus1 in the studio.
Guy assures us that it’s not such an easy path to those wins — as an artist, there’s often a lot of rejection and uncertainty before these triumphs come by. Besides, as an independent artist without a team, he isn’t so bothered by the influence of labels and tastemakers. In fact, one of the reasons he ended up producing his own music and releasing a debut single in 2019 was thanks to a bad experience with a label.
It went like this: While DJing in his late teens and early twenties from 2010 onwards — before he knew how to properly use a DAW — Guy started dabbling in writing tracks with a producer friend. One they wrote ended up on the friend’s EP, who “had a bit of a buzz going,” Guy says. Though he was involved in making one of the songs, the label seemingly had little interest in paying him his dues.

“The label just tried their best to get me out of the way, both in credits and contractually [because] I wasn’t anyone. I was just some young guy,” he explains. “I get it from a marketing perspective, but they went about it the wrong way. It could have been way more respectful. They were trying to get me to sign a licencing agreement only for the instrumental but, I’m like, ‘You’re not releasing the instrumental, therefore there will be no royalties from the instrumental.’”
Guy dismissed the agreement as “dog shit” and decided that he wasn’t going to let that happen again. His end goal was always to have a career in music. The best way to achieve that, in his mind, was to teach himself how to produce, make his own music, and not rely on other people who apparently knew the music industry better than he did.
Angus1 in the studio.
That put several items on his to-do list. Firstly, he parted ways with DJing as an outlet for creativity. He gradually came to find it uninspiring and says that, in Sydney, “subcultures aren’t really valued, so our club scene isn’t particularly interesting; someone will be upset about [me saying that], but I lost myself along the way while DJing in terms of thinking I had to play trash to please people.”
Second on the list was to learn to use a DAW, properly. Although Guy tinkered with GarageBand to procrastinate from his short-lived career as a bassoonist, he needed more expertise. Fortunately, he had music theory knowledge but turned to YouTube to learn how to use Ableton Live. “That world has exploded,” Guy says, thankful that there are tutorials for “literally everything.”
He also needed a studio space and managed to figure that one out pretty quickly, too. He reached out to Jack Prest, a mix engineer and studio owner, who he later enlisted to help as a mix engineer on Open For Business, and whose studio he began sharing. Despite being independent, Jack has become an invaluable collaborator for bringing “a creative, human approach to mixing,” Guy says.
“Jack and I have a really good relationship, and I usually will let him know early on, like, ‘With this one, go wild with it; With this one, the mix is basically there. Just give it a nudge; I want the hi-hats to fizz like a coke, not a ginger beer.’ We can talk about music in an abstract way, because sometimes it’s hard to put it into words, so we’ve got a bit of a language going.”
There’s another big item on his task list, though: getting the live act down. Guy wants to tour his music but is still figuring out the logistics, and politely asks if we have any advice on the matter. In his mind, the Angus1 project could be a band, but the vast palette of sounds and arrangements means it could get complicated.
In his productions, Guy often samples his own recordings, building a collage of sounds in a way, he says, like The Avalanches or Daft Punk might bring multiple records together in one song. He chops and processes snippets from old recording sessions and builds textures out of them — triggering those in a live setting is essential.
Angus1 in the studio.
We land on a solution of bringing Angus1 to stage as a two-piece — a collaborator will join him onstage with another laptop running Ableton Live and other hardware, all connected via Ableton Link.
“That’s the thing, it’s about giving me freedom to sing. Like, am I Thundercat? An incredible bass player who can just rip while I’m singing as well? No,” he laughs.
But the Angus1 project needs vocals — it’s vital for Guy to convey his emotions in this way. From those self-embarrassing moments in recording sessions to turning his vocals into basslines, and, crucially using lyricism to understand himself better. “Often, I will come to an understanding of what I’m thinking or feeling after I have written a song. Some ideas come out of it. It’s like, I think that’s on your mind and now you’ve blurted it out, and you’ve gotta now you have to deal with it.”
Guy has more to do, more to discover. But he’s certainly not looking in the rearview mirror with Angus1. Funnily enough, the label who offered him the “dog shit” contract later reached out to him after he started the Angus1 project, not knowing who he was. They offered to work with him again and Guy’s answer was, naturally, ”no”. With a tight-knit listenership, a plethora of interesting ideas and only himself to rely on, we imagine Guy is sipping his beer in triumph.
 
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Reviving a Free 1990s Millport CNC Vertical MillWhen faced with the offer of free machining equipment, there is no realistic way to say ‘no’. This is how [Anthony Kouttron]’s brother [Thomas] got to pick up a large 1990s-era CNC machine as a new companion for his growing collection of such equipment. The trickiest part of the move to the new location was getting the machine to fit through the barn doors, requiring some impromptu disassembly of the Z-axis assembly, which required the use of an engine crane and some fine adjustments with the reinstallation. With that [Thomas] and [Anthony] got to gawk at their new prize in its new home.
This Millport vertical mill is effectively a Taiwanese clone of the Bridgeport vertical mill design, though using an imported servo control system from Anilam. The most exciting part about a CNC machine like this is usually the electronics, especially for a well-used machine. Fortunately the AT-style PC and expansion cards looked to be in decent condition, and the mill’s CRT-based controller popped up the AMI BIOS screen before booting into the Anilam S1100 CNC software on top of MS-DOS, all running off a 1 MB Flash card.
Which is not to say that there weren’t some issues to be fixed. The Dallas DS12887 real-time clock/NVRAM module on the mainboard was of course dead. After replacing it, the BIOS finally remembered the right boot and input settings, so that the CNC machine’s own controls could be used instead of an external keyboard. This just left figuring out the Anilam controls, or so they thought, as a range of new errors popped up about X-lag and the Distribution Board. This had [Anthony] do a deep-dive into the electronics cabinets to clean metal chips and repair broken parts and floating pins. After this and a replacement Anilam Encoder this Millport vertical mill was finally ready to be put back into service.

From the majors’ AI lawsuit to Believe’s big acquisition plans… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days…
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Tame Impala has founded a musical instrument company — but it’s super mysteriousIt looks like Kevin Parker, the brain behind Tame Impala, has started up an electronic instruments company with some pals. It’s called Telepathic Instruments and, in true Tame Impala fashion, it isn’t revealing an awful lot of info right now.
The brand’s website and Instagram page appeared yesterday (27 June) with the bio “An electronic instruments company founded by @tameimpala and friends.” The Instagram handle is also featured in the Tame Impala bio, assuring us that it’s legit. At the time of writing, the page has two cryptic and pixelated videos.

READ MORE: How Nahre Sol brought beatmaking into her classically-trained world: “I began to understand the appeal of sampling”

The first one is a warping, pixelated clip of a logo, perhaps, comprising the piano keys of A, A#, B and C. In the background, you can hear a synth pad and vocal clip being bitcrushed into oblivion. The second post is a monochrome, low-bit moving image of a person seemingly looking out to sea, with no sound.

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Oh, the website? Yeah. Equally as obscure. But you can at least sign up to the company’s updates.
When you open the website for Telepathic Instruments, you’re greeted by the question: “Are you listening?”
There’s a similar audio loop to the one heard on Instagram, and another iteration of the pixelated logo. You can enter your email for updates and read the message: “We’ll be in touch soon. You’ll know it when you hear it.”
Our guess is that it’s a synth company and that Parker is getting ready to launch some bespoke, esoteric instruments that make some pretty gnarly sounds. It would be pretty on-brand, to be fair. The neo-psychedelic artist has a penchant for synths and experimental sounds, revealing in an interview last year that he has “a rack of keyboards close to where I sit and whatever is on that rack gets used.”
His favourite? “The Sequential Pro One, to this day, is still one of my favourite synths… It had this sound that I just fell in love with. It sounded like crying in outer space.” But, he adds: “If I have to think too much about what synth I have to use for a part I’m recording, then the inspiration is gone.”
There might be scant information about this new endeavour, but it’s got the Tame Impala fans talking. Among a swathe of comments reading “LET’S GO!” are others like, “Is Kevin Parker Back?”, “We got a possible snippet out here,” and, of course, “So bloody excited mate the shrimp it’s literally jumping off the barb.”
All we can do now is wait.
In other Tame Impala news, Parker announced in May this year that he sold his complete song catalogue to Sony Music Publishing. “The idea of passing on ownership of my songs is one that I don’t think about very lightly, at all,” he said.
“I don’t think my songs could be in any safer hands than Sony’s, and I’m excited for the future and happy I can keep working with them on whatever the future brings.”
Read more music tech news.
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beatBread makes it easier for Musicians to compare funding sources, negotiate better termsMusic funding paltform beatBread has launched the beatBread Funding Network along with deal comparison tools to offer more choices for artists and labels seeking funding. The new plaform provides side-by-side. Continue reading
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How to Book more Gigs using GigSaladGigSalad provides a full-service platform for self-booking gigs, including getting leads, sending quotes, and collecting payments, Mark Steiner, the co-founder and CEO of GigSalad, joins Michael Brandcold and Jay Gilbert. Continue reading
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“This song is just incredible”: The Beatles song Billie Eilish wishes she’d writtenEver heard a song on the radio and thought, ‘If only I had written that masterpiece’? Well it might comfort you to know that even your chart-topping, Grammy-winning songwriting idols aren’t immune to those moments.

READ MORE: “I’m just a puppet when it comes to comping her vocal”: FINNEAS taught Billie Eilish how to comp vocals so she could record alone in new album Hit Me Hard and Soft

In a new interview with BBC Radio 1, Billie Eilish – whose new album Hit Me Hard and Soft arrived last month – takes us through her personal list of “songs that saved me”.
Among those that made the cut were Avril Lavigne’s Complicated – which Eilish says was “always playing in the car when I was a little girl”, Spooky Black’s Take The Blame So I Don’t Have To, Runaway by Aurora, Sexy Boy‘s Air and Sufjan Stevens’ Fourth of July.
The singer-songwriter also names the Beatles’ track Julia, from The White Album, as the song she wishes she’d written.
“The Beatles are my biggest inspiration and the main thing that was in my ears when I was a child and for my youth” Eilish explains. “And this song is just incredible.”

Also in the chat, Eilish looks back on the making of the track Lunch on her latest record. Prompted on the song’s origins, the musician admits that “It’s hard to even remember.”
“I think it started with the little beat. It’s kind of fun to think about the making of a song – you can’t even remember; it kind of, just, ‘happened.’”
She adds that one of the first steps was her brother and producer FINNEAS taking out the electric guitar and “doing a bunch of crazy stuff” on it.
“He went so hard on it. He killed it with the guitar,” says Eilish. “I remember going home one time and he just sent me that little ending part where it’s like [sings] ‘feels like she might be the one’, and then I just remember being like ‘you did this without me?!’ But I feel like he felt like he had to – he was like, ‘no, no, no – I got to compete with your fun lyrics’. mean, he also wrote the lyrics with me but, yeah, he came in strong on the production.”

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Are we taking Music Industry Monopolies seriously enough?With the DoJ’s antitrust action against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the week’s Hypebot Flashback Friday resurfaces a post by Will Meyer from the now-defunct non-profit Cash Music that dives into. Continue reading
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Joakim Johansson promoted to President, Nordics at Universal Music Central EuropeUMG credits Johansson with Universal Music Sweden's reclamation of its position as market leader in the country
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Jay-Z and Nas’s first-ever collaboration set to hit streaming servicesTired of scouring the internet for that obscure Jay-Z and Nas collaboration track you swear you used to listen to back when Napster was still a thing?
Lucky for you, the song (some may know by the name Analyze This) is finally getting an official release on Shaquille O’Neal’s third studio album You Can’t Stop The Reign, which hits streaming services today.

READ MORE: “Enough’s enough”: deadmau5 threatens to pull music from Spotify following Daniel Ek “cost of creating content” comments

To refresh your memory, the original studio version of the track, titled No Love Lost, was released in 1996 off You Can’t Stop The Reign, though it featured Jay-Z and Lord Tariq alongside Shaq instead of the Brooklyn rapper and Nas.
Now, the previously unreleased version of the song, which also marks Jay-Z and Nas’ first-ever collaboration, will finally make its way to DSPs. The pair are known for engaging in one of the most iconic beefs in hip-hop history, though they seem to have buried the hatchet in 2005 during JAY-Z’s ‘I Declare War’ tour.

Shaq’s third album ‘You Can’t Stop The Reign’ FINALLY comes to DSPs this Friday, June 28th…
And for the first time ever, the previously unreleased original version of “No Love Lost” featuring both Nas & Jay-Z will be included (their first-ever collab) pic.twitter.com/hPncEqP7uR
— Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) June 26, 2024

Back in 2022, Shaq spoke about trying to release the song and why it was eventually scrapped, saying: “People didn’t clear it, but I didn’t take it personal.”
He told Drink Champs, “Me being in the studio with Nas, I’m happy. I get to call my boy and say, ‘Come over, Nas here.’ I get to call my boy and say, ‘Jay in here.’ I get to call my boys and say, ‘Yo, Biggie at the house, he ’bout to jump in the seat.’ That’s what it’s all about.”
Last week, Shaq opened up about the time Ice Cube stopped him from releasing a Dr. Dre-produced song named That’s Gangsta. He said that Cube pulled the brakes on the release because he thought the former NBA star was “more than just gangsta”.

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Will RIAA’s lawsuit against Udio and Suno really be the win we’re hoping for?AI and music had their first David and Goliath moment this week when RIAA issued a dramatic and scathing lawsuit against generative AI music platforms Suno and Udio.
In the lawsuit, the RIAA claims Suno and Udio are perpetuating copyright infringement “at an almost unimaginable scale”, alleging that both platforms are trained unlawfully on the catalogues of Universal, Warner and Sony. So blatant was this infringement, according to the RIAA, that the lawsuit outlines multiple cases when the notes, melodies and structure are almost identical to existing works, including music from the likes of Green Day, ABBA and Mariah Carey.
READ MORE: Splice CEO’s message for AI sceptics? “Trust the artists”
The 34-page lawsuit has been widely celebrated within the music industry and the broader field of creative arts. Why? Because wholesale ‘scraping’ of data by AI companies without permission or remuneration is a genuine threat — not just to the majors but to working independent artists, all of whom could be undermined if their catalogues are used to fuel models that churn out derivatives at speed and scale.
Uncontrolled and unregulated generative AI poses an existential threat to the music industry as we know it; that might sound hyperbolic but it’s not. These lawsuits could set the tone for how music and AI co-exist going forward and Suno and Udio — whose investors curiously include artists such as 3LAU, Common and will.i.am — will either be sued into oblivion or forced to clean up their act.
A familiar situation
But will the strong-arming become a grudging handshake? It’s not a stretch to assume that licensing deals — and a bit of equity thrown in — are a possible outcome of this lawsuit. Elsewhere in AI, The New York Times’s case against Sam Altman’s OpenAI is likely to conclude the same way – in fact, OpenAI has already signed similar deals with the FT and with News Corp. Few want to air their dirty laundry in court, including the plaintiff, and the stern language used in RIAA’s lawsuit feels more about obtaining leverage in negotiations than expecting Suno and Udio to fork up the roughly $1.5 trillion and $1.36 trillion it would cost them, respectively, to pay the damages due.
So how might they work? A blanket license for carte blanche access to train models on the back catalogues of some of the greatest artists of all time? Another micro-penny payment system if your artist’s name is mentioned in a prompt? A huge annual fee pocketed by the label and thrown on the pile, never to trickle down to the artists whose work makes up their vaults? These aren’t just whimsical hypotheticals — decisions made now could radically alter the upcoming decades of music industry economics.
Streaming has gutted the middle class of artists, shifting rewards to those who own catalogues at scale — micro-pennies mean little to those with three albums, but can mean a lot to labels with 30,000. AI, too, relies on scale: the more quality data you hoard, the more valuable your asset for licensees. Once again, this leaves independent artists sidelined with little voice or influence over the emerging tech that can define their future. And if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.
The long-term effect of decisions made at the dawn of streaming isn’t just affecting independent musicians, though; it’s coming back round to the majors themselves. As Billboard’s Elias Leight pointed out last year: “It’s common to hear grumbles about young acts who have hundreds of millions of plays of a single but can’t fill a small room for a live performance.” By opening the floodgates, streaming removed the bridge between artist and listener, and music’s value (as a commodity, at least) has plummeted to next to zero. Those decisions were made against the backdrop of piracy’s genuine threat — and here we are again.
Getting money upfront and a slice of the pie will likely be appealing, but the mistakes of the streaming era must be at the forefront if and when these licensing negotiations begin.
Move fast, break things, get paid
The tech industry has a long and tedious reputation as a disruptor, a badge it wears with honour. In an interview with MusicTech, Grammy-nominated producer, composer and developer BT said: “Our large label music partners told us a story about a CEO that came to see them [and] they [were] clearly in violation of training on IP-protected works just to speed-run a product to market. They asked how they trained and he said, ‘We would rather ask for forgiveness than permission’… This kind of thinking and irresponsibility could destroy music.”
The ‘move fast and break things’ narrative might feel irresponsible, yet it’s exactly the approach that led Suno to raise $125m to date. In fact, one investor audaciously claims that if deals with the labels were in place, they “probably wouldn’t have invested in it. I think that they needed to make this product without the constraints.” Viewing fundamental IP rights as constraints gives you a sneak peek into a worryingly common mindset in tech, but the music industry keeps falling for the Shiny New Thing.
If companies who steal, blitzscale and ask for forgiveness later are constantly rewarded, where’s the incentive to do things the right way from the start? ‘Ethical AI’ has become its own buzzword, with innovative companies rightly pushing for transparency in training data, traditional rights attribution and new technical solutions to allow AI and music to scale together fairly. But as Tatiana Cirisano wrote in MIDIA last month, if “one music-tech startup seeks permission, it risks losing the race to another startup that asks for forgiveness.”
UMG, Sony and Warner have all issued their AI guidelines and creeds, from the Human Artistry Campaign, to government lobbying, opt-out letters and AI for Music initiatives. If labels enter negotiations with AI companies who infringe on an “almost unimaginable scale”, they could risk undermining their own necessary, crucial guidelines as AI finds its feet, and trust, among creatives and artists.
Maybe it won’t happen. Maybe the major labels will seek to make an example of Suno and Udio, the case will make it to court and a novelty-sized cheque will be handed over to the RIAA. If not, and a settlement is reached with licensing terms attached, getting it wrong risks causing significant damage to an already faltering industry. The mistakes of the streaming era are still in the rearview mirror — let’s hope the majors look back before they look forward.
Read more about AI in music technology. 
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IK Multimedia release Joe Satriani TONEX expansion The latest TONEX expansion kits users out with 59 new Tone Models based on a range of Joe Satriani's most prized amps. 

Best plugins for music producers in all genres, styles and workflowsIn the ever-evolving world of music production, the right plugins can transform a simple track into a sonic masterpiece.

READ MORE: ‘What does a compressor do in music?’:A beginner’s guide to compression

A plugin is a piece of third-party software that extends the capabilities of your digital audio workstation (DAW), giving you access to new sounds, effects, and utilities. Simply drop one into a channel and away you go.
Imagine having an entire orchestra at your fingertips, or the ability to sculpt your signal with the sounds of iconic hardware. From virtual instruments that emulate the warmth of analogue synths to cutting-edge effects that push the boundaries of sound design, the best plugins offer unparalleled creativity.
What’s more, these plugins don’t just replicate classic gear; they often surpass it, offering greater features and flexibility than their real-world counterparts – and at a fraction of the price too.
Today, there are countless free and paid plugins available, so much so that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. With that in mind, we’ve put together this list of the best plugins across different categories to get you inspired.
Best plugins at a glance:

Our top pick: XLN Audio Life
Compressor/limiter plugin: UA 1176
Software synth: Arturia Pigments
Reverb: FabFilter Pro-R 2
Equaliser: Sonible SmartEQ
Vocal plugin: iZotope Nectar 4
Channel strip plugin: SSL 4K e
Mastering plugin: iZotope Ozone 11
Utility plugin: Soothe2
MIDI effect: Scaler 2
Best stem separation: Gaudio Studio

Our Top Pick: XLN Audio Life
XLN Audio Life Main Edit page
Our vote for must-have plugin goes to Life from XLN Audio, a self-proclaimed ‘happy accident machine’ that’s sure to get you out of a creative rut by turning non-musical sounds into unique percussion.
Essentially, it’s a sampler – but one that completely transforms whatever you throw at it. The accompanying Life Field Recorder mobile app lets you collect source material out in the wild and sync it with the plugin or desktop app, but you can drop in any audio and video file, too.
Then the magic happens. Life cleverly slices and dices your samples into playable kits, and automatically generates percussive loops which make fantastic starting points for new projects. Built-in sequencers, filters, and time-based effects let you further tease out exciting new sounds and ideas. The best part? The whole process takes mere minutes, so you can keep exploring until you find something you like.
[products ids=”3HDtLE631bil1vfFTupXth”]
Read our XLN Audio Life review.
Compressor: UA 1176

The UREI 1176 is one of the most iconic hardware compressors, with its appealing sonic signature heard on countless tracks over the years.
There have been many attempts to reimagine its sound in the software realm, but the most faithful is from Universal Audio – little surprise considering UA founder Bill Putnam is the man behind the original 1176’s design.
The secret lies in the unit’s fixed ratio buttons that control gain reduction, with 4:1 and 8:1 for compression and 12:1 and 20:1 for limiting. You can disengage all of them to pass the signal through the circuitry, colouring the sound without any compression, or engage all at once for the classic 1176 ‘all-button’ sound.
With simple and intuitive controls, this compressor is a fantastic addition to your arsenal whether you’re a production newbie or a seasoned engineer.
[products ids=”OuJMWzJZjrZtBDpANOzLX”]
Read our UA 1176 review.
Software Synth: Arturia Pigments
Arturia Pigments 5 main GUI. Image: Arturia
A versatile, well-rounded soft synth is an irreplaceable part of any producer’s toolkit. To this end, we’re big fans of Arturia Pigments.
The instrument is built around two Engines, each of which can be set to one of four oscillator modes: a three-oscillator Analogue setup for classic sounds; a robust Wavetable mode; Sampler with different playback options including a creative granular mode; and Harmonic mode for easy access to additive synthesis.
With 11 filter types based on classic circuits plus a range of modulators and LFOs, it’s easy to morph your base sound into something new. Throw in 18 high-quality effects, a fantastic arpeggiator and sequencer, plus highly flexible routing options, and you’ve got an incredibly diverse palette of sounds at your disposal.
[products ids=”4eFUtojByOJy6Xb1CpmLh4″]
Read our Arturia Pigments review.
Reverb Plugin: FabFilter Pro-R 2
FabFilter Pro-R 2 main GUI
Although most modern DAWs tout perfectly capable native reverb plugins, sometimes they just don’t cut it – after all, finding the perfect space that sits well in the mix can be challenging.
That’s not the case with FabFilter Pro-R 2. Its incredibly high-quality algorithms model everything from smaller rooms to expansive cathedrals, as well as the sounds of classic digital reverbs and plates.
Simple dials let you shift the sound from subtle and realistic to chaotic and warped, while tempo-synced ducking and autogate can create rhythmic effects, making this reverb great for more creative sound design as well as more traditional mixing techniques. You can also import your own IRs for even wider options.
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Read our FabFilter Pro-R 2 review.
EQ Plugin: Sonible Smart:EQ
Sonible smart:EQ 4 main GUI
Equalisers are indispensable when it comes to the mixing process, letting you carve out space for the most important elements of your arrangement. It takes a well-trained ear to truly harness the power of an EQ – but Sonible SmartEQ takes out some of the legwork thanks to its intelligent equalisation powered by AI.
SmartEQ’s feature list is long, making this plugin perfect for all your EQ-ing needs. There are 24 flexible bands, global or per-band mid/side processing, auto gain compensation, and the option to switch between minimal or linear phase operation. The real star of the show is the smart profiling based on the type of audio you’re processing, which can be used to dynamically match your audio to custom EQ curves.
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Read our Sonible SmartEQ review.
Vocal Plugin: iZotope Nectar 4
iZotope Nectar 4 Backer module plugin
Sitting vocals in a mix is rarely an easy task – and while you could use standard means like compression and EQ to get the job done, why not give a specifically designed vocal plugin like iZotope Nectar 4 a go?
There’s a Swiss army knife of utilities included – auto-levelling, de-essing, gating, and breath control to name a few – and the handy Vocal Unmask tool can dynamically move other channels out the way based on a sidechained signal. You can even match your vocal to a reference using iZotope’s Audiolens analysis tool.
But what’s really exciting about Nectar 4 is the way it can totally transform your vocals. From layering up to eight harmonies on top with the Voices module, to creating background singers based on one of eight personas using Backer, chart-ready vocal production is within easy grasp.
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Read our iZotope Nectar 4 review.
Channel Strip Plugin: SSL 4K E
Solid State Logic 4K E
The renowned 4000E console has been recreated in the software world many a time, but it’s no surprise the very best plugin version comes from the name behind the original hardware – Solid State Logic.
The SSL 4K E channel strip meticulously recreates the workflow of the beloved console, starting with a Jensen T-115K-E transformer mic preamp for tastefully saturating your signal. From there, it’s into an EQ that includes all three variants seen on 4000E desks – Brown, Orange, and Black – with each imparting its own unique sound. Then, you can apply iconic SSL compression or finesse things with the gate and expander, before hitting the fader for a final dose of analogue-style saturation.
The desk of choice for names like Trevor Horn, Steve Lillywhite, and the Lord-Alge brothers, this is a surefire way to impart some vintage character into your mix.
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Read our SSL 4K E review.
Mastering Plugin: iZotope Ozone 11
iZotope Ozone 11 Mastering Assistant
Ozone – iZotope’s mastering software suite – truly is a jack of all trades that’s perfect for putting the finishing touches to your project. A vast choice of modules means you’ve got all the tools required to get your track release-ready.
Tonal balancing features include standard, dynamic, vintage, and match EQs, tape emulation, and a multi-band exciter – all of which can be operated in stereo, L/R, and mid/side. On the dynamics side, your options include vintage compression and limiting, transient shaping, and the powerful Maximizer module for eking out additional loudness.
Of course, what makes Ozone 11 really stand out is how easy it is to use. A jam-packed library of mastering presets helps speed up the process, while sophisticated AI-powered workflows let you get closer to your reference tracks.
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Read our iZotope Ozone 11 review.
Utility Plugin: Soothe2
Oeksound Soothe 2
Oeksound made waves with its original Soothe plugin back in 2016, earning a reputation as an essential utility for many mixers and producers. Its successor, Soothe2, carries on the legacy with a number of improvements.
What exactly does Soothe2 do? Described by Oeksound as a ‘dynamic resonance suppressor’, it’s a tool for taming unpleasant resonant frequencies in a signal. With Soothe2, you can easily remove harshness, reduce sibilance, and clean up muddiness in your recordings, eliminating the need for manual EQ notching and tedious automation.
Flexible controls make it easy for beginners and advanced users alike to dial in the perfect amount of processing quickly and intuitively. From subtle tone shaping of the master channel to heavy-handed transformation of a dodgy recording, Soothe2 is a highly versatile plugin that can seriously improve your mixdowns.
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Read our Soothe2 review.
MIDI Effect: Scaler 2

Described as a ‘music theory workstation’, Scaler 2 from Plugin Boutique is the perfect songwriting and arrangement aid. Simply drop it into a channel and it intelligently detects the key of your music based on incoming audio or MIDI. From there, you’ll get chord suggestions to help you build out your progression – or you can make use of preset phrases, melodies, and basslines created by real musicians.
If you’re stuck using the same bog-standard chords, Scaler 2 is a fantastic way to break out and discover new avenues of harmony and melody. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, there are even modulation suggestions to help you change key. Plus, the collection of very usable built-in sounds – from delicate felt pianos to lush synth pads – makes Scaler 2 a powerful inspiration machine.
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Read our Scaler 2 review.
Best Stem Separation: Gaudio Studio
Gaudio Studio. Image: MusicTech
It’s an exciting time to be a music producer. Each day that goes by sees new and innovative AI-powered tools hit the market, revolutionising the way we create. Stem splitting is one example – and while there are myriad options up to the task, not all are created equal.
Stem separation is useful for a wide range of applications, like creating a capellas and instrumentals, finding new material to sample, or simply taking a deeper look into the constituent parts of your favourite tracks.
But which software is best? Our vote goes to Gaudio Studio. Powered by Gaudio Lab’s proprietary GSEP (Gaudio source SEParation) model, it lets you precisely extract vocals, bass, drums, electric guitar, piano, and other instruments from any source material with minimal artefacts. While it’s no longer free, Gaudio Studio’s pricing is reasonably affordable and you’ll get a free trial to see how it sounds.
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Read our Gaudio Studio review.
Check out more buyer’s guides on MusicTech.
The post Best plugins for music producers in all genres, styles and workflows appeared first on MusicTech.

Exec Profile With Nina Navarro of Muso.AISenior Vice President ofPartnerships & Communications, Muso.AI

Years with Company: 3

Address: Los Angeles, CA

Web: muso.ai

Email: nina@muso.ai

Clients: Music creators, labels, publishers, studios and distributors

BACKGROUND

Making sure creative people receive credit for their contributions to musical works has become increasingly difficult. Helping solve this problem is Muso.AI. The slick platform is making it easier for anyone to track, correct and share their discographies, not just for artists but also those behind the scenes.

Birth of an Entrepreneur

Ten years ago, I moved to L.A. to study fashion design. One year into fashion school, I realized everyone was drinking Red Bull. And I was like, what’s going on? This is going to kill everyone. So at 18 years old, I raised money to launch a healthy energy drink. This is where the entrepreneurial Nina began.

Being Fwrd

Then, I worked with Randy Jackson as his marketing director for a company that didn’t happen due to COVID. From the connections I made working with Randy, I started my own marketing agency, [FWRD Media.] I was working with international clients from the U.S., Mexico, all the way to China.

Having Something to Market

A couple years later, I was introduced to Jay [Baumgardner] through a friend. Jay’s a great guy, so we kept in touch. In 2017, he was telling me this idea of launching a company that would solve the issue with credits. And I was like, “Reach out to me when you have a product.”

In 2018, he reaches out. “It’s going to be a beautiful app.” And I’m like, “Jay, if it’s not on shelves, it’s not going to do any good to spend money on marketing.” I didn’t want to take advantage of him. Fast forward to 2021. Jay and Kyran [de Keijzer,] his other cofounder, called me and said, “All right, now we’re ready.” 

Viral Marketing

I did a grassroots campaign; I didn’t do any ads. Basically, the idea was to do something that would become viral. All our users get a tile they can share from our app. It basically gives you a snapshot of their careers. I started sharing their tiles on our social media and they started reposting. Big artists and producers started sharing their stats on Instagram. 

Joining the Fold

That’s when Jay said, “Would you join us as head of marketing?” Besides all the engineers who developed the platform, I was the first hire. I joined as head of marketing in February ’22. After that, I transitioned into a completely different role. Now, I’m more in the [role of forming] partnerships. 

Automatic Discographies

In a short time, Muso has become the industry’s go-to platform for credits and analytics. If you have credits anywhere, our platform has already done the work. If someone like Mike Dean downloads the platform and searches his name, he would already find a profile that’s populated with his information. All he has to do is claim it. 

We give anything from streaming numbers to social views to how many times a track has been Shazamed. For the first time ever, someone like Vinnie Colaiuta can download the app and see all his credits. 

Switching Tactics

Initially, the plan was to capture credits at the moment of creation. We realized that you can’t say, “Hey, everyone. Start using Muso to capture credits.” That’s never going to work. That’s when we switched to the model of putting all their data in one place and making them claim it. 

Correcting Errors

When they claim their profiles, they’re able to look through their catalogs and say, “Hey, I have a producer credit that isn’t here. Let me add it.” So if Mike Dean sees he doesn’t have a credit, he can submit it and it will go through a verification funnel. There’s a little bit of AI that will flag if something looks incorrect. We may say, “We need more details. Submit more paperwork so we can verify this as a legitimate claim.” To date, we’ve modified over three million post-distribution credits.

Analytics

We give everyone the same data. They can see how many streams they have across their entire catalog. They can filter by time periods, so they can see streaming numbers over the past seven days, month, year or lifetime. You can also see credits by role, so you can see which album has been streamed the most. 

In regards to socials, you can see on TikTok and YouTube Shorts how many videos have been created with the song that you worked on. And we show you the videos. If we look at the song “Cuff It” by Beyoncé, you can see that Kevin Hart posted a video that has 20 million views with the song. So it’s a lot of discovery. 

Hidden Revenue

Recently, we heard from deadmau5. His manager reached out and said, “Using your data, we were able to see that an older song was getting a lot of streams. We traced it back to something viral on TikTok.” So they were able to collect money that they weren’t collecting on. 

Even Jay had a song he worked on with Evanescence as a producer. He was able to see that “Bring Me to Life” has this amount of streams and then there’s a spike, then it goes down, then a massive spike. He recovered a check of like $100,000. 

Using Artificial Intelligence

The third founder is Aaron Kaufman. We tried to go with Muso.com and it was taken. But Muso.AI was available. Aaron said, “I think A.I.’s going to be huge in the next couple years. And I have some ideas of how we can incorporate it.” That’s how we ended up with Muso.AI. 

Amazon Meets LinkedIn

Something that’s next is working with retailers. We’re going to allow someone to say, “These are the synthesizers I use.” If someone finds a credit on a song, they can go to the person’s profile and see that he’s sponsored by X company.

Then, they can purchase directly. 

Also, A&Rs are using our platform. By end of this year, we want everyone to be able to communicate. So if you want to reach out to someone, that’s going to be available. For all the business profiles, we’re going to start listing who works [there]. It’s going to be like a LinkedIn on steroids, where you can also purchase.

The Hispanic Connection

Coming from a Mexican background, my first language is Spanish. We’ve onboarded so many companies in Latin America. It’s exciting for me, because I pushed hard to make our platform available in Spanish. I was like, “I can be part of this. I’ll make sure it’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Creators First

Muso is completely self-funded. We haven’t gotten any outside money. And we saw all these companies were boasting about all these deals and doing so much press. I said, “We’re going to go the other way. We’re going to make sure we get all the people at the bottom on board. They’re going to create the buzz for us that’s going to be heard at the top.” This is exactly what’s happening.The post Exec Profile With Nina Navarro of Muso.AI first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.