Yamaha’s new Montage M synth packs in 400 notes of polyphonyYamaha has unveiled the Montage M, a virtual analogue synth and workstation set to follow up 2016’s Montage and be reminiscent of the brand’s 1977-launched CS-80.

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Aimed at professionals, the Yamaha Montage M most notably includes the brand’s new AN-X engine. This creates warm analogue-style synth sounds, providing three oscillators with five waveforms (Saw 1, Saw 2, Triangle, Square, and Sine), a noise generator, two filters with ten types, and a cool ageing feature to simulate vintage sounds.
This engine is featured alongside an improved AWM2 engine, built for playing realistic sounds such as piano or strings accurately. Yamaha’s FM-X engine is also built-in, which apparently “rekindles the Yamaha legacy of expressive and dynamic FM Synthesis”. Altogether, you’re offered up to 400-note polyphony. This is a vast upgrade from the original Montage’s 256 notes.

It comes in the form of three models: the 61-key Montage M6, the 76-key Montage M7 and the 88-key M8x.
The Montage M8x is presumably aimed at professional pianists, as it’s the only model in the series use GEX Action, a technology that allows for Polyphonic Aftertouch – the same found in Yamaha’s revered CS-80 and DX1 synths. This allows for individual modulation of held notes with pressure. It also offers key repetition behaviour you’d find in grand pianos.
With USB audio and MIDI connectivity, the Montage M also features 9.97GB of preset WaveROM, 16 libraries, 3.8GB of user flash memory, and a VCM rotary speaker emulation.
The Montage M is available for pre-order now. The M6 costs $3,500/£3,219, the M7 costs $4,000/£3,629 and the M8x costs $4,500/£4.049.
MusicTech is not yet aware of a set shipping date, but you can head to Yamaha to find out more and pre-order yours.
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Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor Is FREE Until October 31st!
Universal Audio offersthe Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor as a FREE download until October 31st! It’s been a rare period for Universal Audio plugins! First, we had the big flash sale at Plugin Boutique, and now UAD is going one better, with the only thing better than a big sale is giving stuff for FREE! Universal [...]
View post: Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor Is FREE Until October 31st!

Early Indian electronic music found on tapes in a university cupboard released in a compilationA compilation showcasing India’s history of electronic music through the 1960s and ’70s has been released by the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
The tapes were recovered from a cupboard at the university in 2017, and released on 29 September as NID Tapes: Electronic Music from India 1969-1972.

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In 1969, over 20,000 people came to the university to hear the groundbreaking Moog synthesiser, which was shipped from the US alongside a dual ring modulator, a bode frequency shifter, and tape machines.
The late American composer David Tudor conducted workshops on them, and musician Paul Purgas, who found the lost tapes, was there himself. Once he found the tapes, he reassembled and digitised 19 tracks across 27 tape reels.
He described it as a “victory for good record keeping”, via The New York Times, as he took details from handwritten notes and brought together music made from both the Moog and homemade equipment too.
In the compilation, there are field records, tape collages, soundtracks and other recordings. Purgas describes them as taking on a “dreamlike” quality, showcasing a “perfect, utopian moment of India post-independence”. Among the composers featured are Atul Desai, Jinraj Joshipura, I.S. Mathur, Gita Sarabhai and S.C. Shama.
Meanwhile, it’s set to be accompanied by a book from Purgas, entitled Subcontinental Synthesis: Electronic Music at the National Institute of Design, India 1969–1972. It’s set for release on 7 November, and features essays and handwritten texts from the same period.
You can view the tracklist below:
1. S.C. Sharma – After the War
2. Atul Desai – Compositions
3. S.C. Sharma – Dance Music I
4. Gita Sarabhai – Gitaben’s Composition
5. David Tudor – Tape Feedback with Moog
6. Jinraj Joshipura – Space Liner 2001 I
7. S.C. Sharma – Electronic Sounds Created on Moog
8. S.C. Sharma – Dance Music II
9. I.S. Mathur – My Birds
10. I.S. Mathur – Moogsical Forms
11. Gita Sarabhai – Gitaben’s Composition II
12. I.S. Mathur – Once I Played a Tanpura
13. S.C. Sharma – Electronic Sounds Created on Moog II
14. Atul Desai – Recordings for Osaka Expo 70
15. S.C. Sharma – Wind & Bubbles
16. S.C. Sharma – Dance Music III
17. Jinraj Joshipura – Space Liner 2001 II
18. I.S. Mathur – Shadows of the Show
19. I.S. Mathur – Soundtrack of Shadow Play
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Yamaha unveil Montage M synthesizer range The latest generation of Yamaha's flagship synthesizer range is powered by a new AN-X engine that recreates a range of classic analogue sounds, boasts up to 400 note of polyphony and provides a wealth of modulation options.

Public Enemy ‘It Takes A Nation’ 35th anniversary re-issue includes bonus tracksPublic Enemy are set to reissue their 1988 sophomore album, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. The record celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.
The reissue is also being launched in honour of the 50th anniversary of the hip-hop genre, and it lands on 10 November.

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The release can be purchased as either a two or four LP set, with the latter set containing bonus tracks from the deluxe CD including instrumental and acapella mixes. It also includes linear notes from founding members Chuck D and Flavor Flav.
“Thanks to Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Whodini, we knew that hip-hop albums could explode on cassettes,” says Chuck D in a statement (via NME).
“At about the same time, [The Bomb Squad producer] Hank Shocklee was the manager of a record store, and he would point out how rock bands like Iron Maiden, The Rolling Stones, and even Bruce Springsteen were getting the most out of the album concept.
“So, we took that and went further with It Takes a Nation, approaching it like a rock band. It ended up becoming a part of rap’s evolution from a singles-driven genre into the dawn of rap’s album age.”
Back in June, Hank Shocklee explained how he used sampling techniques in Public Enemy. “Everything that we wanted to do had to be made from records. So, that taught us a certain understanding of textures,” he said in an interview with Reverb.com. “We never looked at records as something to jack. We looked at it for what kind of a texture that we can extract from it.”
He later added, “In other words, it’s creating our own instrument out of the sound, as opposed to having the sound become the instrument.”
You can pre-order the 35th-anniversary edition of It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back now on either black or translucent red vinyl via store.udiscovermusic.com.
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Does culture become a commodity, or do commodities become culture?“A hobby is now a side-hustle. A little dance has to become a viral trend. What is original today will be mainstream tomorrow, and old the day after that.” by. Continue reading
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Inside DistroKid’s Acquisition of Bandzoogle and What’s NextDistroKid’s recent acquisition of Bandzoogle surprised many in the industry and concerned the 60,000 musicians who use the website builder and e-commerce platform. Stacey Bedford, formerly the CEO of Bandzoogle. Continue reading
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Introducing the Blue Marble Synthesizer: A Space-Bound Musical EndeavorThe music industry is set to witness a novel venture with the announcement of the Blue Marble Synthesizer, a project that marries music and space technology. This unique initiative aims. Continue reading
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Five modern, innovative EQ techniques and how to use themEqualization is one of the pillars of mixing along with volume and dynamics. While there have been some advancements in EQ technology over the years, for the most part, it hasn’t changed all that much. Boost here, cut there – what more is there to do?

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But EQ plugins have benefitted just as much in recent years from technological advancements as the likes of AI-driven limiter plugins. Modern EQ plugins can react dynamically, split the band into transient and tonal information, automatically suppress resonance, and much more. Traditional EQs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon but sometimes you need an EQ that’s a little more focused to get a specific job done.
Here are five modern EQ techniques to try in your next production.
Dynamic EQ
When balancing a kick drum and bassline, most producers reach for sidechain compression. There’s nothing wrong with that but the effect can sometimes be heavy-handed. For more natural results, try dynamic EQ, which uses the sidechain signal to remove clashing frequencies only when necessary.
Dynamic EQ is available in a number of plugins, including Tokyo Dawn Records’ excellent free TDR Nova.
Add an instance of TDR Nova to the track you want to affect, in this case, the bassline. Next, set the sidechain to the kick track. Using the frequency response of the kick track as a reference (load up an EQ on the kick if you haven’t already), set a node to a corresponding frequency area in TDR Nova.
Now comes the dynamic part: start turning the Threshold knob down until you see the EQ cut begin to bounce in time with the kick. Use the Q knob to fine-tune the width of the cut and decrease the release time for a faster reset. Now the kick has more power and punch.

Transient-specific EQ
Another fantastic modern EQ plugin is Split EQ by Eventide. This is ingenious: it separates the signal into transient and tonal portions, removing the need for additional dynamics processors like transient shapers. There are all sorts of applications for this, including highlighting percussive elements.
After dropping Split EQ onto a track, set the node where you want to boost or cut. You should then see two colors, green (transient information) and blue (the tonal portion). By pulling up on the transient signal, you can increase snap and impact without affecting the body of the sound. Try lowering the tonal section for a more pronounced effect. Lastly, raise the transient output slider to adjust the global transient volume.

Spectral processing EQ
EQ that suppresses resonances and artefacts is another emerging technology. Oeksound’s Soothe2 does it, as does Baby Audio’s Smooth Operator. Known technically as spectral processing, Smooth Operator uses a combination of equalization, compression and resonance suppression to actively eliminate wayward frequencies.
The vocal sample in this clip has lots of energy but it’s also pretty raw and resonant. Spectral processing can come to the rescue.
By adding nodes and reducing where appropriate, you can attenuate harsh ringing resonances. Use the Focus slider to set the intensity of the spectral algorithm – somewhere between 70 and 90 per cent usually gives the smoothest results. As this only affects the quality of the signal, not the actual frequencies, you may want to use this in tandem with a standard EQ.

Smart EQ
AI has been barging its way into a variety of audio plugins and EQ is no exception. There are a number of equalizers with AI mixing assistants, one such being smart:EQ 3 from Sonible. Like Smooth Operator, smart:EQ 3 also corrects spectral imbalances but does it entirely automatically. You’re then free to make adjustments as you see fit.
After loading an instance of smart:EQ 3 onto a channel, prime the AI by telling it what kind of material it’s listening to. For example, this audio track contains synthesizer chords so the appropriate choice would be ‘synth’.
Next, click the Listen button to start the AI process. The plugin will generate its result. By pulling up or down on the thumb button, you can adjust the amount of the effect. The results are now brighter and livelier than before without being harsh or unpleasant.

Match EQ
Match EQ – where you apply the EQ curve of one piece of audio to another – isn’t actually that novel. However, the way that EQuivoate by Newfangled Audio achieves this is certainly unique.
EQuivocate is based on how the human ear hears, with fixed frequency bands. Because it’s based on the Mel Scale, one with 26 pitches at equal distances from one another, the EQ graph is represented by this number of unique bands. By using the Mel scale, Newfangle claims that EQuivocate sounds more natural than other EQ plugins. When you engage the Match function, you’re transferring not just the EQ curve but also the Mel scale of the original audio onto the new one.
Place a copy of EQuivoate onto the stereo bus of your song, load up a reference track (and mute it), and then point it to EQuivoate using the sidechain function. Click the Match EQ button and let EQuivoate listen to the reference, and then apply the resulting EQ curve. You’re free to then adjust the overall degree of matching as well as individual bands.

 
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Breaking writer’s block: A producer’s guide to sparking inspiration
Ask any artist what their least favorite part of their creative process is, and you may very well find an overarching pattern: the challenge of dealing with writer’s block. Many music producers dread those two words – or rather, what they entail.  As a producer myself, I can speak from experience and empathize. I have gone […]
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15 Rock Covers That Surpassed (or Met the Challenge of) the OriginalWho doesn't enjoy a good old-fashioned, well-constructed list? Especially, when it pertains to rock n' roll music. Greg Prato's latest book, 50 Rocks Lists + Surprise Lists, manages to focus equally on the expected and the unexpected.

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Mensla FMD FMD is a distortion plugin that adds rich FM harmonics with a single knob. Combined with a soft clipper, you can quickly transform any signal. Sound demo - https://youtu.be/V06n4smBGJ8?si=EJmaDhjUElstNgNg... Read More

Moog CEO “reached out to Uli Behringer” to try and sell company, Behringer claimsBehringer has claimed that the CEO of Moog reached out to Uli Behringer and sell the company to him.

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In a video by Benn Jordan, the producer explores Moog’s acquisition by InMusic earlier this year and also looks at recent claims made by Behringer that a number of publications and influencers no longer support the company for reasons including not paying for ads and not providing free products for reviews.
“One of the reasons I haven’t featured any Behringer products on this channel,” Jordan says, “Is because the company has sued people for criticising the company.”
In a Facebook post today (9 October) Behringer said, “Usually we ignore such inflammatory videos. However, we have decided to respond this time,” before going on to give their side of the story.

Usually we just ignore such inflammatory videos. However, we have decided to respond this time, as it provides a perfect…
Posted by Behringer on Monday, October 9, 2023

The post explains that, while Moog CEO Mike Adams offered to sell Moog to Behringer, the company declined due to differences in business models.

It continues, “Blaming us for Moog’s struggles is as reasonable as blaming Yamaha for the bankruptcy of Sequential, Oberheim, ARP and Moog in the 1980s when the DX7 and other digital synths were introduced to the market,” before wishing Moog “all the best” and saying that the brand has a “great future”.

Jordan then responded on Twitter, accusing Behringer of lying  “multiple times” on its Facebook page.
I spoke to a LOT of people and heard absolutely nothing of this.
Given that @Behringer has outright lied on their Facebook page multiple times (as recently as a few weeks ago with Loopop , influencers, “not for profit”, etc).
Can you DM me or possibly corroborate this @MoogMike? pic.twitter.com/fKbLhfPudc
— Benn Jordan (@bennjordan) October 9, 2023
Behringer has since shared “proof of correspondence” on its Facebook group, revealing an image of an email exchange between Uli Behringer and Mike Adams.
Image: Facebook
Meanwhile, Behringer reportedly has over 50 synths in development as of 2023, with seemingly no plans to slow down.
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