Slate Digital and Solid State Logic join forces to offer access to BOTH of their subscriptions for the price of oneAudio plugin brands Slate Digital and Solid State Logic have teamed up to offer a limited-time-only deal to celebrate Black Friday. As part of a dual package, users can access both of their subscription plans for the price of just one.
As part of the deal, customers will be able to keep a dual ‘Complete Access’ package worth over $12k indefinitely, with a continuously renewed subscription and “ever growing” tools.

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Complete Access offers over 60 processing and creative instrument plugins from both Slate Digital and Solid State Logic, including the latest VIRTU assisted mastering platform.
It also offers thousands of royalty free audio samples and exclusive boutique packs with presets. Subscribers will also gain access to hundreds of professional tutorials from leading producers and educators.
John Bastianelli, CEO of Slate Digital, says, “We have been running this amazing dual offer with our current loyal subscriber family and they are loving it, so we are really excited to make the ‘complete access’ package available to everyone.
“Slate Digital has always talked big when it comes to Black Friday offers, but now with our partners at Solid State Logic and the release of Heatwave and the Strongroom London ML-1 mic expansion pack, I think we just raised the bar with deals available to new and current customers.”
Nigel Beaumont, Managing Director of Solid State Logic, adds, “Being part of the same pro audio family, then bringing these astonishing processing and creative tools from the All Access Pass to our SSL subscribers for no additional cost was a no brainer.”
He continues, “With strong plugin releases coming from both brands in the coming weeks and months, ‘complete access’ subscribers will get even more value from this amazing deal.”
The Complete Access package is available from today (20 November) for new subscribers and runs until Midnight PST on 28 November for $14.99 per month.
Find out more at Solid State Logic or Slate Digital.
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Under-18s in Essex, UK given free access to music production classesYoung people living in Essex aged 10-18 have been given access to free, weekly music production classes called “Count Me In.” The lessons are taking place across Basildon, Brentwood and Harlow youth centres.
The classes are taught by DJ Shy Cookie, and focus on how to use decks, create tracks and make money from them, as well as other vital music industry inside knowledge.

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The course is funded by the Essex Year of Numbers programme, which is a countywide campaign focused on improving numeracy for children under the age of 18. It was launched back in September 2023, and as part of this programme, Count Me In will focus on how maths is utilised within music production.
DJ Shy Cookie works as a tutor with the Essex Music Service, and his work within the UK Garage scene goes back over two decades. He served as a producer for DJ Luck and MC Neat for over 15 years, and continues to produce his own House and Garage music for his label, Audio Intuition.
His is also currently working as a producer with “The House & Garage Orchestra”, which is a collective playing re-workings of old classics alongside a live orchestra.
“Working as a tutor as part of the Essex Music Service is a real privilege. The service helps young people discover and finesse their musical talents and it is amazing to play a part in that process,” says DJ Shy Cookie (via Mixmag).
“It is brilliant that the Essex Year of Numbers is offering sessions like this for free. If you’re dreaming of becoming a master DJ, come and join us, you never know where it might lead.”
Councillor Tony Ball also adds, “Our Count Me In sessions are a great opportunity for young people interested in the music industry to learn the art of DJ-ing and production free of charge, in a fun and supportive environment.”
Find out more, including running times and locations, over at the Essex Music Hub.
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Head of Audio at Stability AI quits because it’s “exploitative” for developers to use creative work without consentEd Newton-Rex, the Head of Audio at Stability AI, has resigned due to a disagreement with the tech firm over what constitutes “fair use” of copyrighted works.

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In a new statement, Newton-Rex notes that he doesn’t agree “with the company’s opinion that training generative AI models on copyrighted works.”
The former executive told the BBC that he thought it was “exploitative” for developers to use creative work without consent – a stance he says many AI firms, including Stability AI, would beg to differ.
“I wasn’t able to change the prevailing opinion on fair use at the company,” says Newton-Rex.
He refers to a statement issued by Stability when the US Copyright Office recently invited public comments on generative AI and copyright, which says: We believe that AI development is an acceptable, transformative, and socially-beneficial use of existing content that is protected by fair use.”
For context, the term ‘fair use’ implies that training an AI model on copyrighted works doesn’t infringe the copyright in those works, which means no permission is needed and no payment will be made.
“This is a position that is fairly standard across many of the large generative AI companies, and other big tech companies building these models  –  it’s far from a view that is unique to Stability. But it’s a position I disagree with,” says Ed, who’s a classical composer himself.
Newton-Rex told BBC that he “wouldn’t jump” at the chance to offer his own music to AI developers for free.
“I wouldn’t think ‘Yes, I’ll definitely give my compositions to a system like this’. I don’t think I’d consent,” he said, adding that many creators produce their works “often for literally no money, in the hope that one day that copyright will be worth something.”
“To be clear, I’m a supporter of generative AI. It will have many benefits  –  that’s why I’ve worked on it for 13 years. But I can only support generative AI that doesn’t exploit creators by training models  –  which may replace them –  on their work without permission.”
Read Newton-Rex’s statement in full below.

I’ve resigned from my role leading the Audio team at Stability AI, because I don’t agree with the company’s opinion that training generative AI models on copyrighted works is ‘fair use’.
First off, I want to say that there are lots of people at Stability who are deeply…
— Ed Newton-Rex (@ednewtonrex) November 15, 2023

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“Sometimes it feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don’t have anything to talk about in that way”: Why André 3000 isn’t rapping in his latest album, New Blue SunOutKast star André 3000 has opened up about why he decided not to rap in his latest album, New Blue Sun.

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Faced with the question of ‘why a woodwind album’, all André 3000 had to say was: [via GQ magazine]: “Why anything?”
“Why did we record these albums before in my career? It is just kind of: Those are the things that came,” says the rapper, who claims he’s more than aware of the expectations that accompany his first album in 17 years.
André 3000 even acknowledges the fact with the first song on his record, cheekily titled I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time.
“I’ve worked with some of the newest, freshest, youngest, and old-school producers. I get beats all the time. I try to write all the time,” he says.
“Even now people think, Oh, man, he’s just sitting on raps, or he’s just holding these raps hostage. I ain’t got no raps like that. It actually feels…sometimes it feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don’t have anything to talk about in that way.”
“I’m 48 years old,” the musician continues. “And not to say that age is a thing that dictates what you rap about, but in a way it does. And things that happen in my life, like, what are you talking about? ‘I got to go get a colonoscopy.’ What are you rapping about? ‘My eyesight is going bad.’ You can find cool ways to say it, but….”
Released last Friday, 17 November, New Blue Sun is made up of eight tracks, featuring a variety of woodwind instruments, including contrabass flute, Mayan flutes, bamboo flutes as well as other digital wind instruments.
Listen to the album below.

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Infinity Vol 1 sample library by Pinkertone Pinkertone's first sample library comes packed with a collection of hybrid cinematic sounds aimed at composers, sound designers and audio enthusiasts.

AIAIAI Unit-4 Wireless+ studio monitors prove they are unparalleled£350 each, aiaiai.audio
Danish audio specialist AIAIAI impressed us with its TMA-2 wireless studio headphones back in 2022 and has now ventured into new territory with the Unit-4 speakers, which it claims are the world’s first hi-res wireless studio monitors. If you’re wondering what sets them apart from other high-end wireless speakers to justify that label, it’s their ability to wirelessly stream uncompressed audio, bypassing the data compression used by Bluetooth. But that’s not all that makes them appealing for producers, both mobile and studio-based – there’s more.
How big are the AIAIAI Unit-4 speakers?
The speakers are relatively small and lightweight at just 200 x 340 x 340mm and 2.5kg per speaker. They sport detachable metal grilles for protection and a user-adjustable LED light ring around each cone that provides various kinds of visual feedback regarding battery levels and power status.
A front-facing pair of AIAIAI Unit-4 wireless monitor speakers
The speakers are identical but each can be set to act as the left or right channel, or they can work in mono mode. They’re also designed to work in the upright position or in wedge monitor orientation on their sides, and have buttons on the top surface for power and volume.
AIAIAI’s idea here is to give you the option of going completely wire-free if you choose. And to that end, each speaker contains a 77 Wh battery with a charge time of two hours that offers around 20 hours of playback. Each speaker comes with its own separate power supply so you can charge both at the same time or run them off the mains if you need to. It’s a shame there’s no USB-C charging option, but this is likely due to the variety of chargers out there and the fact that many would charge the speakers more slowly than you’d like.
How do you connect the AIAIAI Unit-4?
To get started, download the dedicated app and place the speakers into pairing mode with your smartphone or tablet, whereupon it detects them and you can perform any available firmware updates.
Regular Bluetooth 5.2 streaming is supported, though in this mode you will be subject to the same compression and latency as with other Bluetooth speakers. Still, it does mean anyone can hook up to them if needed, like at a party for example. Each speaker has a 3.5mm and a 6.3mm balanced TRS input so they can be used in wired mode as well.
Back detail of an AIAIAI Unit-4 wireless monitor speaker
The real magic happens when you connect AIAIAI’s X02 transmitter that comes with the speakers. This is a USB-C wireless dongle that can communicate with the speakers using a much higher bandwidth connection, streaming uncompressed 44.1kHz, 16-bit audio up to an impressive 12 metres.
Pairing is simple, once again. Switch the speakers into W+ Link mode and the dongle, plugged into your iPad or computer, connects to them. The X02 appears as an audio device to which you can route sound with a latency of just 16ms, compared to a rough average of 150 ms with Bluetooth audio devices. Tested with an iPad Pro, the dongle works effectively, which is promising for anyone DJ’ing or performing from a USB-C-equipped iPad.
Configuring the sound of the AIAIAI Unit-4
The fact that the speakers can work entirely without wires means they can be placed however you like, but in order to maintain a conventional stereo soundstage you’ll want to stick to direct or slightly inward-facing placements.
The developers have tuned the speakers for use on a desk or close to a wall, and there are EQ presets you can apply from the app to compensate for particular kinds of placement, as well as freely setting the EQ yourself. Some of these reduce bass to cope with wall reflections (the speakers are rear ported), while others reduce the low-mid range to deal with desk reflections.
App for AIAIAI Unit-4 wireless monitor speakers
These tweaks really do make a difference and so are worth paying attention to. Placed in an open area, the speakers may seem to lack a little bass since they are by default set up to cope with placement nearer to a wall – however this is easily compensated for using the software EQ.
They can also be placed on their side to work in wedge monitor orientation which, again, might require a slight EQ change to suit your tastes. The tweeter waveguide has been optimised for a relatively wide sweet spot and this does indeed make them less directional than you might expect from such compact speakers.
A pair of AIAIAI Unit-4 wireless monitor speakers
Inside each Unit-4 is a 4-inch woofer and a 1-inch silk dome tweeter with a frequency response of 50Hz to 20kHz and these are powered by dual 30W amps that have a maximum SPL of 105dB. There’s plenty of volume available and even when pushed hard, the speakers don’t exhibit distortion. Low end – with a reminder about the placement caveat above – is solid and accurate, without ever appearing boomy.
In general listening, the speakers are pleasingly neutral which is, of course, what you want from reference monitors – to trust that what you’re hearing isn’t being coloured so you can more accurately mix or master. The lows, mids and highs are well balanced, the speakers offering a coherent soundstage.
Grill side of an AIAIA Unit-4 wireless monitor speaker
Portable playback
The other key thing here is the super-low latency you get with the X02 adapter, which means that time-critical monitoring like recording or DJ’ing works just as well as with a wired connection – which is also one of your options.
But the wireless option means not having to carry an audio interface to achieve latency-free, CD-quality speaker monitoring and that’s really valuable for people working on the move or creating sounds in the box.
AIAIAI Unit-4 wireless monitor speakers in use
The battery is a useful addition here too, offering the chance to work anywhere for a respectable length of time without having to lug extra gear around. Unusually, the speaker design allows you to swap out pretty much any component, should they need replacing in future.
As hi-res wireless studio speakers, these are without parallel at the moment. IK Multimedia’s iLoud MTMs cost slightly more and have better physical connectivity, while the same brand’s iLoud Micro Monitors are more affordable. But neither have uncompressed streaming or a battery, so are more tied to your desktop and are ultimately a different proposition.
Are AIAIAI’s Unit-4 speakers worth buying?
AIAIAI Unit-4 wireless monitor speakers in use
The Unit-4 is a seriously capable studio monitor when used in regular wired mode and a fun party speaker over Bluetooth. But the premium you’re paying is for that third element – the uncompressed wireless mode that lets you monitor, mix or master without a separate interface to connect the speakers.
If that’s not vital to your workflow there are other options, but as things stand right now, these are the only studio speakers offering that choice – and they offer it superbly.

Key features

Drivers: 4-inch woofer; 1-inch tweeter
Battery power with 20 hours of playback
W+ Link ultra low latency, CD quality wireless streaming
Bluetooth 5.2
3.5mm and 6.3mm physical inputs
User-definable software EQ
Rear bass port
X02 wireless transmitter over USB-C
30W bi-amped
2 PSUs supplied
Most components user-replaceable

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Who is Mira Murati, OpenAI’s interim CEO?OpenAI’s new interim CEO is considered a "product person" who supports regulatory oversight of artificial intelligence.

OpenAI’s board is no match for investors’ wrathOn Friday, the board of OpenAI, the AI startup behind ChatGPT and other viral AI-powered hits, did something unexpected but seemingly well within its right: removed the company’s CEO, Sam Altman. But judging by how the situation’s unfolded, it seems that OpenAI’s investors and partners — and many of its employees — were more comfortable […]
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OpenAI fires CEO Sam Altman, Airbnb acquires GamePlanner.AI, and Epic battles Google over antitrustHowdy, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s newsletter that recaps the major tech industry happenings over the past week (or so). Microsoft’s Ignite conference, where the tech giant pitched its vision of a “copilot”-powered future, flooded the channels midweek. But there was plenty of note besides. In this edition of WiR, we […]
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Ableton announces Live 12 release for early 2024
Ableton’s Live 12 software is coming sometime early next year, according to a company announcement this past week, with a public beta expected to be available for users soon. The latest version of the software focuses heavily on MIDI tools and abilities, as well as an updated and more intuitive program layout. Key features The […]
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