“We went into the darkness looking for something”: Pharrell recalls studio sessions with Daft PunkIn a new interview, Pharrell reveals how studio sessions with Daft Punk opened his eyes to the magic that comes from doing things “over and over and over and over again”.

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Speaking on episode six of Daft Punk’s Memory Tapes documentary series, the musician shares some of his takeaways from working with the legendary duo on their final album, Random Access Memories.
“I’ve always been like ‘okay I’m gonna go in there and once it feels good to me that’s it.’ But it’s really not, that’s just the beginning,” says Pharrell, who co-wrote and featured on the tracks Get Lucky and Lose Yourself to Dance.

“I’ve never went in there to perfect it and he continued to push me. So it might have been written, but he’s like ‘Okay now record it again. Okay cool. Now record it again. Okay cool take this again. Okay cool stack this again. Okay do it again, do it again, do it again.’”
“It was like over and over and over and over again which is the right way to do it, right? You get all the knots out and for me that’s what I learned in working with the robots,” he says.
“Now I understand the value of just taking the time to iron it out – that it could be perfection. That’s the difference between a human and a robot.”
Describing his songwriting process with Daft Punk as “all feeling”, Pharrell says: “We went into the darkness looking for something.”
“Working with them is just very magical because I feel like we all see music the same way. We saw music as just like, gift that was given to us to connect with people and set people free and liberate people.”

Also in the chat, Pharrell recalls how the band surprised him by using his recorded vocals on the final versions of Get Lucky and Lose Yourself To Dance.
“I didn’t know who was gonna end up singing it. I left the studio thinking, ‘Okay, can’t wait to see who sings and what it sounds like,” he said. “I didn’t hear it for a year, so I forgot what the song sounded like – both of them.”
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Eplex7 DSP DnB Microsynths and wobs sample pack Vol.1 Eplex7 DSP DnB Microsynths and wobs sample pack Vol.1 - is a collection of more than 100 micro synthesizers, percussion, micro bass, hits, wobs, for electronic music genres... Read More

Hypebot is giving away 10 Free Badges to Music Tectonics Conference!Hypebot has partnered with the Music Tectonics Conference being held this October 24-26 in Santa Monica, CA, to give away ten free badges to the event. Each badge is currently valued at. Continue reading
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GForce Oberheim OB-X is the world’s first official OB-X plugin emulationGForce, a brand known for its development of classic synth plugin emulations, has launched its official virtual take on the iconic Oberheim OB-X analogue synth, which was originally launched in 1979.

READ MORE: GForce Software’s Minimonsta 2 is a Minimoog-style plugin that’s a “whole new level beyond emulation”

Unlike other emulation such as the Arturia OB-Xa V and UVI UVX80, this is an official software emulation, as evident through the use of the Oberheim logo and, of course, the brand’s name.
While GForce has worked with Oberheim to launch synths based on the OB-X, such as the Oberheim OB-E and the Oberheim SEM, in the past, this its first entirely OB-X-focussed synth.

The new OB-X plugin version faithfully retains features from the original hardware-based OB-X. These features include authentic emulation of the OB-X’s vintage sound. As with the original, there are also monophonic, polyphonic, legato, and unison trigger modes, as well as programmable Aftertouch, but with expanded Velocity controls.
While it maintains many of the same features as its hardware original, the new OB-X plugin version enhances the classic hardware-based OB-X with modern features. It introduces a scalable user interface for flexibility, a powerful preset browser for efficient sound organisation, and over 400 production-ready presets.
GForce also includes the brand’s X-Modifier technology for extensive sound modulation and programmable macros for easy manipulation, expanding its creative capabilities.
The Oberheim OB-X, introduced in 1979, holds profound significance in the history of synthesisers and electronic music. As one of the pioneering polyphonic analog synthesisers, it played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of the late 1970s and early 1980s music. Its lush, warm, and rich analogue tones became iconic, with musicians and producers, such as everyone from Queen and Herbie Hancock, famously making use of it in their music.
This is the third Oberheim synth to be remade by GForce. MusicTech reviewed the OB-E V2 in 2022, marking it as “an update with OG credentials” and “a must-have synth for computer music-makers”.
GForce’s Oberheim OB-X is currently available for an intro price of $59.99/£59.99, set to go up to its full price of $99.99/£99.99 thereafter.
Check it out at GForce Software.
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Universal Audio’s updated LA-2A Tube Compressor plugin is free – but not for longUniversal Audio is giving away a new version of its popular LA-2A Tube Compressor plugin, which is an emulation of the classic Teletronix LA-2A Levelling Amplifier, for free.

READ MORE: 10 of the best mastering compressor plugins and software processors

The offer is running until 31 October and simply requires you to create a Universal Audio account. Or, of course, if you already have one, you can install the plugin emulation right away.

Both Universal Audio’s hardware and software versions of the Teletronix hardware effects unit were originally launched in the early noughties. Both replicate the original, produced by Teletronix Engineering Company from 1965 until 1969.
It provides gentle, programme-dependent optical compression, imparting a smooth and musical character to audio signals. Offering authentic emulation of classic hardware LA-2A compressors, the plugin includes three historic models: the LA-2A Silver, LA-2A Gray, and the original LA-2, each with unique sonic characteristics.
Versatile and renowned for transparency, the LA-2A adds warmth without altering audio integrity. It also offers user-friendly controls and presets from renowned engineers for easy setup.
This plugin version of the LA-2A Tube Compressor is part of UA’s LA-2A Classic Leveler Plugin Collection. The emulations in this series have become renowned tools for professional mixers worldwide, with the producer for Mac Miller and Madonna, Ariel Borujow, heralding the LA-2A Tube Compressor as his “go-to compressor for lead vocals and acoustic guitars”.
Universal Audio, aside from boasting a catalogue of widely-used studio gear, has a wealth of other software versions of classic effects units. In March 2023, it launched the Capitol Mastering Compressor plugin, which gives you the “rich” tone of the handbuilt tube mastering compressor, the CM5511, used by Capitol Studios.
UA is not the only brand in the business of thrusting classic oppressors into the digital age. Softube, in February 2023, announced the launch of Icons: The Compressor Collection, which includes three plugins that channel the “authentic character” of the original models of the 60s and 70s. This collection features the OPTO Compressor, based on the Teletronix LA-2A, the FET Compressor Mk II, inspired by the Urei LA-4), and the VCA Compressor, which is based on the API 2500+.
To claim your free copy of the Universal Audio LA-2A Tube Compressor plugin, head to Universal Audio.
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3 Most Important Social Media Trends of 2023In a recent study by Social Media Today reveals three notable social media trends that give music marketers insight into the future. by Bobby Owsinski from Music 3.0 One of. Continue reading
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GForce launch Oberheim OB-X emulation GForce's latest soft synth painstakingly recreates an original Oberheim OB-X, and kits it out with some powerful modern functionality. 

IEBA Awards celebrate the live entertainment industry’s bestIEBA, a trade group for the live entertainment industry, held its 53rd Annual Conference this week in Nashville. Hosted by Jo Dee Messina, it’s Honors and Awards Ceremony recognized 17. Continue reading
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“I thought somebody else was gonna sing and they were like ‘Nah, you’”: Pharrell on working with Daft Punk on Random Access MemoriesPharrell has looked back on the “lucky” experience of working with Daft Punk on their 2013 album, Random Access Memories.

READ MORE: “It was the most fun I’ve ever had in the studio”: Tobtok teams up with farfetch’d for a friend-centred EP

In the latest instalment of the robots’ Memory Tapes documentary series, the producer and songwriter admits he didn’t expect his recorded vocals to end up on the final versions of Get Lucky and Lose Yourself To Dance.
“When they brought me in to write on the album, I thought I was just writing for someone else. So in my mind [I thought] ‘Oh okay I’m writing this for someone. Okay I think this is kind of Michael-esque,’” Pharrell says. “I didn’t know who was gonna end up singing it. I left the studio thinking, ‘Okay, can’t wait to see who sings and what it sounds like.’”
“I didn’t hear it for a year, so I forgot what the song sounded like – both of them.”

The episode then reveals archival footage of Pharrell hearing the completed versions of Get Lucky and Lose Yourself to Dance for the first time, with the musician recalling: “It was weird to write something in this crazy hour and then not have access to it.”
“I don’t remember writing anything because we were just like in the zone,” he says.
Watch the full episode below.

Daft Punk’s Memory Tapes series celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the group’s final album and its collaborators. A 10th-anniversary edition of Random Access Memories is also now out, featuring 35 minutes of new material including fresh tracks, early demos as well as outtakes and skits.
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Silen Audio launches Infinite Flow synth channeling “analogue imperfection”LA-based audio house Silen Audio has launched Infinite Flow, a soft synth which channels the imperfections of classic analogue synths for the modern age.
The brand argues that soft synths can often be tinny or mechanical in sound, an issue which it hopes to tackle by offering a range of effects such as Flutter, which give a wobbly, cassette style sound.

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“Silen Audio proudly introduces Infinite Flow, a ground-breaking software synthesiser that blends the iconic depth and warmth of vintage synthesisers with the dynamic pulse and grit of contemporary sound,” says the brand in a statement on social media.
“Infinite Flow is not just another synth; it’s an innovative sound-crafting tool designed for musicians seeking analogue imperfection in a digital age.”
The synth takes inspiration from vintage poly synths used in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Although details on its exact specifications are limited, Infinite Flow has eight voices, seven oscillators, and five effects. It also offers an “extensive” preset bank and deep modulability, including inherent per-voice modulation, and unique, per-voice detuning.
Check out the videos below for a clearer idea of how it works in use:

Silen Audio is a full-service audio house founded by composer Adam Fligsten. The company has worked on a variety of AAA and indie projects across video games, movies, commercials, trailers, TV series, documentaries, and more. Infinite Flow is its first synth available to consumers.
Infinite Flow is available now for $179.99, or you can “rent to own” for $9.99 per month, for 18 months. A free trial is also available. Find out more over at Silen Audio.
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Silen Audio release Infinite Flow soft synth Silen Audio's new analogue-inspired software synthesizer promises to provide users with infinite music creation, expression and sound exploration possibilities.

Songtradr hints at Bandcamp layoffs after recent acquisitionSongtradr has released a statement addressing the potential layoffs that may follow its acquisition of music marketplace Bandcamp.

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In response to a press release from Bandcamp’s union, Bandcamp United, the statement clarifies that Songtradr “does not own or control Bandcamp yet”, and that the acquisition will be finalised in the coming weeks.
As for current workers at the company, Songtradr states: “Not all Bandcamp employees will receive offers from Songtradr. Based on its current financials, Bandcamp requires some adjustments to ensure a sustainable and healthy company that can serve its community of artists and fans long into the future.”
“Those that don’t receive offers within the next few weeks will receive severance from Epic as part of their layoffs as communicated on September 28th.”
“We will work towards a fair and equitable outcome for the global members of the Bandcamp team. Songtradr is planning to keep all the existing Bandcamp services that fans and artists love, including Bandcamp Fridays, Bandcamp Daily and its artist-first revenue share.”
Songytradr’s acquisition of Bandcamp comes less than 18 months after Epic Games – the video game giant behind Fortnite – bought the company for an undisclosed sum.
In March, a number of Bandcamp staff, under the name of Bandcamp United, unionised in a push for fairer wages and greater transparency from its leadership.
Workers described the move as “critical to our ability to do our best work and make good on the promise and mission of Bandcamp to provide fair economic conditions, direct support, and transparency for ourselves and all of our users”.
Bandcamp’s CEO Ethan Diamond later responded, saying, “following the NLRB’s process and timeline. Bandcamp will respect the election outcome and if a union forms, we will negotiate in good faith.”

We are calling on @songtradr to meet our demands so that we can continue to do our work and preserve Bandcamp’s mission:
* Employment offers for ALL workers* Voluntary severance offers* Immediate union recognition & continuation of bargaining
https://t.co/JetUB1PN1d pic.twitter.com/9wWw2o6VPc
— Bandcamp United (@bandcampunited) October 4, 2023

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“It was the most fun I’ve ever had in the studio”: Tobtok teams up with farfetch’d for a friend-centred EPAlthough it’s a small affair with friends, Swedish producers, Tobtok and duo farfetch’d are equally nervous as they are excited to launch their new EP, My Friends at Reason Studios HQ in Stockholm.

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When MusicTech is buzzed up to the office in the Hornstull area of Stockholm, where the party is set to take place, the three are carrying crates of beer down a corridor, helping to set up lighting and making last-minute additions to the growing list of attendees.

“We did the whole EP in Reason,” Tobtok, who’s used the software since 2009, tells us as we sit down on office chairs. “So, that’s the… reason… why we’re doing it here!” Another reason, Tobtok tells us, is because of the software’s colourful, visual interface. This is far more inspiring than Ableton Live’s grey, parameter-focused design, and adds a “feeling of satisfaction”.
They started the My Friends EP in FL Studio, however, Jerry from farfetch’d tells us, then took it to Toby’s – Tobtok – studio to finish it. They were inspired by the sound they achieved with their first collaboration, Seen, which led to the decision to push and make more music in a more liberal way.
Its opening track, I Like When You, is a jungle-inspired rave number that started out at a faster tempo, eventually being slowed down. This style is new territory for both Tobtok and farfetch’d, as they’ve mostly dabbled in French house flavours previously. They tell us how they started with an irregular kickdrum pattern usually used in jungle tracks, then “painted around” the pattern with breaks, samples and synths. They couldn’t help but slap a 4×4 kickdrum pattern on it, though, to bring things back to their roots
Jerry embraces Tobtok with Johnny in the foreground
An important part of the My Friends EP was to make music without any commercial pressure, they say. “We’ve been producing for so long and are so damaged by arrangements and sounds and ‘you need to do this’. But I think we felt a spark that we hadn’t felt in years,” says Jerry.
“We decided that we were not going to follow any rules. Throughout the years, we have been trying to make things commercially radio-friendly. And those records have a certain formula. We were both in a position where we felt like we’d lost a spark. So, we wanted to just go in the studio and have fun and not worry about something being a commercial success or anything.
“That’s how we started,” says Tobtok. “When I started, I was just a kid having fun in Reason, you know, in front of my computer. The way I made music back then was by just having fun. I didn’t even think about formulas or anything like that. This was about going back to the feelings we had when we made music when we were 18. It was the most fun I’ve ever had in the studio.”
Evidently, this was a special collaborative moment for the duo and Tobtok, as they rediscovered a sense of freedom away from commercial demands. It also sparked a heartwarming appreciation of friendship. As we talk, friends and fans are drifting into the office, quickly greeted by either a hug or a sincere handshake from the trio, before being shown towards the dancefloor.

We all step out of the desk space, walk through the office and on to the dancefloor, where the launch party is taking place. It’s not a dancefloor usually, of course, with a kitchen in one corner, sofas pushed to the sides and a stage set up in the corner. As a disco ball spins, the producer’s friends hop on the decks to warm up and Tobtok and farfetch’d get to work serving drinks. Even Reason’s CEO, Niklas Agevik, is decanting bags of crisps into bowls and asking what people want to drink.
For Tobtok and farfetch’d, who step up for a fun back-to-back DJ set to the encouraging cheers of their friends, the My Friends EP was perhaps a pivotal moment for all three. No more constraints in the studio; just find that feeling of fun again with friends.
The My Friends EP by Tobtok and farfetch’d is out now via Perfect Havoc. Buy it at Beatport. You can also read our interview with Reason’s CEO, Niklas Agevik, at MusicTech.
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1010music announce nanobox | tangerine The nanobox | tangerine draws its inspiration from the early days of sampling, and aims to offer interesting new ways of generating sounds in desktop or portable rigs.

Silen Audio Infinite Flow THE TIMELESS SOUND OF CLASSIC SYNTHESIZERS. Infinite Flow uses models of vintage polyphonic synthesizers to unlock subtle warmth and depth for your synthesizer sounds. ... Read More