Get Toots silly sound FX collection by BOOM Library for FREE
As we find ourselves on the eve of Halloween, it is worth remembering there is wisdom in not taking oneself too seriously – a point you can underscore by downloading the new Toots silly sound fx collection by BOOM Library for free. The pack contains 387 royalty-free sounds in 63 high-quality 96kHz/24-bit WAV files. If [...]
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“There’ll be some swings and misses across the industry”: Universal Audio CEO is bullish on his firm’s new LUNA AI features – but says AI in music is broadly “overhyped”Look across the industry, and it feels like most, if not all, music technology companies – from hardware purveyors to plugin developers – are looking to integrate some degree of AI with their products. 
It’s totally understandable; AI (artificial intelligence) remains one of the world’s top buzzwords in late 2025 – and looks like it will continue to do so for many years to come – so it’s no wonder brands are looking to cash in on the hype.
But does the pursuit of new AI features make sense in every case, and for every brand? Universal Audio CEO Bill Putnam Jr. says not necessarily.

READ MORE: Universal accused Udio of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement. That lawsuit’s just been settled – here’s what we know

His firm recently unveiled LUNA 2.0, the latest iteration of its own DAW, introducing a slew of AI-powered features, including Hands-Free Recording via a voice assistant (say, “Hey Luna, start recording” instead of clicking record), as well as Instrument Detection and labelling and more.
Bill Putnam sees AI and Universal Audio as a good match, but as he explains in a new interview with MusicTech, it doesn’t make sense for every brand venturing into the territory.
While AI is very much at the forefront of many people’s minds these days, Putnam isn’t blind to the widespread scepticism that also exists.
Bill Putnam Jr. Image: Universal Audio
“There are people who get it,” he says, reflecting on LUNA’s new voice assistant features, “but other people ask, ‘Why would I ever want to talk to a DAW?’
“If your workflow is just mixing and editing, you might never want to. But for some people, that’s not the case; there’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all… AI is clearly overhyped right now, and we’re starting to see the negative side.”
He goes on: “I’ve seen some reactions that say, ‘Well, you’re just feeding into the hype. This is just AI slop’ or whatever. [But UA] needs to go out there and be willing to be pioneers; we need to be willing to make mistakes. There are gonna be some swings and misses across the industry. And, hopefully, we don’t beat people up too much for that; we just learn a lesson and make something better.”
Putnam touches on the fact there’s nuance regarding AI in music production; it’s not either a song generator does everything for you or you do it all yourself. Certain tools may assist with the technical or workflow aspects of the process, freeing up your time and energy to focus on creating.
“It’s very hard to spend the time to get to the point where music is fun. And it should be,” Putnam says. “Making a tool that can automatically create a soundtrack and replace a music maker is not like Universal Audio.”
Read the full interview with Bill Putnam Jr. at MusicTech. Learn more about LUNA 2.0 at Universal Audio.
The post “There’ll be some swings and misses across the industry”: Universal Audio CEO is bullish on his firm’s new LUNA AI features – but says AI in music is broadly “overhyped” appeared first on MusicTech.

Martyn Bootyspoon on Dance Mania, ghettotech, and sound design
Martyn Bootyspoon discusses the sound of ghettotech, the enduring influence of Dance Mania, and more.

LA Hosts 3 Major Music Industry Conferences Next WeekNext week three major music industry conferences are coming to greater Los Angeles. Explore highlights of the Music Managers Forum-US LA Summit, Billboard Live and Music Tectonics. Plus read on to learn a common thread (other than AI...) running through them.
The post LA Hosts 3 Major Music Industry Conferences Next Week appeared first on Hypebot.

From TONTO to the McLeyvier: Rich Aucoin on recording 162 synths for his album, SyntheticEver heard of ‘choice paralysis’? Countless producers and engineers have spoken to MusicTech about the challenges of knowing which plugin or synthesizer to reach for when inspiration strikes — often, they talk of limiting their setup to avoid the phenomenon. But not Rich Aucoin. The Canadian artist went in the complete opposite direction, recording as many synths as he possibly could for his quadruple album, Synthetic. In total, he played and recorded 162 synthesizers at studios, including Calgary’s National Music Centre and the Vintage Synth Museum in Los Angeles.
His sessions saw him capturing sounds from synthesis history. In Calgary, he played the mythic TONTO synth, the room-sized modular synth built by the late Malcolm Cecil and famously used by Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. He also became the first artist to record the McLeyvier, a precursor to the beloved CMI Fairlight. Aucoin wasn’t alone in his endeavour, either; he collaborated with over a dozen other artists, who each performed parts on different synths and helped guide Aucoin’s vision.
Synthetic Season 4, the final volume of Aucoin’s quadruple album, takes listeners on a journey through 102 synthesizers and a staggering number of different genres and influences, from Air, Brian Eno and Justice to Parliament, Herbie Hancock and  Ennio Morricone. Here, he breaks down the five-year adventures in synth land.
Synthetic Season 4 by Rich Aucoin
Hey Rich! 162 synths across the Synthetic multi-albumMcLeyvier…Wow! How did this concept come about?
It started in 2008 when I visited the Cantos keyboard museum in Calgary. I was on my second national tour and recording my first LP with over 500 guest musicians (I like a goal/concept), and bookmarked the idea to come back and make an album. Years later, that museum turned into the National Music Centre, and they had an Artist In Residence program, which I applied for.
I’d just completed an album I wrote while cycling across America, and it had pretty full front-to-back lyrics, so I was ready to make some instrumental music with synthesizers.
I told NMC that I wanted to record every synth they had (which ended up happening for almost their entire collection, over the course of almost five years). I decided to make it primarily instrumental and to make it for both my current self and past 14-year-old self, who preferred [Air’s 1998] Moon Safari instrumentals to its lyrical tracks.
I knew it always had to be a quadruple album because of the volume of the three hours of different kinds of tracks I wanted to make over the project.
Vintage Synth Museum space. Image: Press
This album took you from the home of TONTO, to the Vintage Synth Museum in LA and into studios with many friends and collaborators. Did you expect such a journey for this album?
I knew I’d have to return to Calgary to NMC a few times, but my sister’s family lives there, so it was also a good excuse to see them more.
Originally, I intended to make four albums in two years while playing around 60-80 shows per year, but that all came to a halt in 2020. It got more reasonably spaced out, and a few more visits to NMC happened than would have if the original two-year plan had been completed.
Initially, I had 200 responses to my request for folks to join me on the albums, thanks to Moog reposting it, but I kept hitting deadlines and not having enough time to include folks in the album series until the final season. I regret not being more comfortable showing the rough works in progress to get people involved sooner.
TONTO. Image: Allison Seto
Talk to us about TONTO! This historic synth is a legend in the synth world.
TONTO! Maybe the most awe-inspiring synth out there. Mothersbaugh (Devo) once said, “It’s like being inside an eyeball” — it’s a spaceship. It was definitely overwhelming, but lots of praise goes to its engineer and one of the engineers of this album, Jason Tawkin, who helped wield the beast into some amazing tones.
I knew I wanted TONTO to be the first track on the record, and so for it, and the other historic one-of-a-kind synths, I didn’t make any demo first; I just experimented with it for roughly five hours of tracking before cutting it down to what’s on the record. I went back later in the recording process and recorded a short Wendy Carlos Switched On-inspired Bach EP on TONTO, too, which we released this year on Bach’s birthday.
ElectroComp NMC. Image: Press
What was the most surprising piece of sound design you discovered while experimenting with these synths?
I really liked the squelches and speaker-ripping tones of the EML Electrocomp Series and the Steiner-Parker Synthacon; I ended up using those synths on both the techno track ElectroComp and Synthacon, but also flew them into Chroma on the new record. I could really just go round in circles with this question and just list so many sounds I was excited by.
Each song had a much longer version with other sounds and experiments. I kept each record to one vinyl length too, so all the six- to eight-minute start lengths got cut down sometimes to a two-minute track in the end. Lots on the cutting room floor.
McLeyvier. Image: Press
This is the first time the McLeyvier has been recorded on an album. Can you tell us about this synth and how you became the first to place it onto an album?
The McLeyvier is a synth that sits in the basement of the National Music Centre and was a precursor to the Fairlight CMI (of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill fame). The McLeyvier synth was just a little ahead of its time, and therefore only a handful of them were made.
One thing that’s unique about the McLeyvier is its warm chords made from real analogue VCOs instead of the latter CMI’s digitally generated sound waves. Just like the CMI, you use a DOS command system to bring up patches and make modifications. It was tucked in a corner, but maybe it’ll be up in the museum or in its studio one day by TONTO and get more use and love.
I thought, ‘What better synth to build one of the tracks that most inspired this project, with some 40 extra synths on that track too, all taking turns with synth lines and warm pads?’ The beat is also made from the Wurlitzer Sideman, the first drum machine.
Using all this gear is one thing, but making it all sound cohesive is arguably the real challenge. How much editing and back-and-forth went into each track?
I thought of this series of more experiments/works during this period, rather than it having a shape or flow of any sort of narrative. I did originally think it might feel like a party; building, climaxing and then subsiding, but I kept wanting to make more energetic music as I went along.
SE4 is anything but the dying down of a party until its final track. So hopefully there’s a nice flow to it all.
I haven’t yet listened to it all as a whole; the only time I suspect I’ll do that for a while is at the listening party on 30 October on a local hi-fi listening room system called Rooms Coffee in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Image: Jason Tawkin
How do you intend for listeners to experience Synthetic?
I don’t think many folks will listen to all three hours of it back to back. I knew that a quadruple album would be a bonkers idea in the year 2025; it feels like there’s so much stuff coming out or being unearthed and rediscovered right now that I don’t feel like many folks’ palettes are wanting/needing a 3-hour-long album, so I just hope folks enjoy whatever pieces of it that they do hear. It’s quite eclectic, so hopefully there’s something for the royal you on it.
Tell us a bit about your own studio.
I like to work with Ableton Live in my bedroom with a couple of keyboards. I have a Moog Subsequent37, a Rhodes 54 and a Korg Triton LE full-size with some other keyboards around, like a Korg M1, Realistic MG1 and some small ones.
I like to demo and edit here and then go to places like the Vintage Synth Museum in LA (truly an amazing place to work when you’re ready to tackle a shopping list of sounds) and just get inspired by the synths there. When I turned on the Crumar Spirit, it was already arpeggiating with that triplet feel that I used on the track and then had that excellent fuzz tone that makes it sound like an electric bass on Spirit Pt. II. That’s all, just the Spirit with no distortion added; just driven.
After so many edits and so many layers, it really felt like a nice way to end the album was to just play one synth for the final track, Anemoia; I played the CS70m at VSM, and what you hear at the end of the album is just the first take of listening to the synth and its chords. I didn’t want to crowd it up by adding anything else.
Ondes Martenot. Image: Press
You’ve used everything from 1928’s Ondes Martenot to modern gear – what’s the biggest misconception about vintage versus modern synthesis, in your eyes?
I’m not sure I can speak as an expert on big misconceptions, but I can say that I tried to pair the oldest gear with some of the newest-sounding production. Ondes Martenot is from 1928 but is on a track more akin to Bicep. The E-Mu Modular System is from the early 70s but has some quite modern sounding turns on the pair of tracks named after it in SE4.
Who gave you the biggest lesson in your career? Can you tell us about how it impacted you?
Maybe my older brother, who’s produced around 50 albums over the years and encouraged me to experiment with recording and use the whole recording studio as an instrument.
My producing partner Gordon Huntley (of Leaving Laurel and roommate) was shocked a couple of times at VSM when I was like, ‘Let’s just loop this part and play everything over it; we’ll sort it out later!’ But, yeah, my brother encouraged that when I’d show him different experiments, and he was always sharing interesting music like Squarepusher or Amon Tobin. He definitely gave me Moon Safari, which started all of this.
Read more Studio Files interviews
The post From TONTO to the McLeyvier: Rich Aucoin on recording 162 synths for his album, Synthetic appeared first on MusicTech.

GForce launch MAP Based on modular systems from the likes of Serge Tcherepnin, Random*Source and Buchla USA, MAP is described as a sound design playground for artists who see synthesis not as programming, but as exploration.

Universal accused Udio of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement. That lawsuit’s just been settled – here’s what we knowUniversal Music Group has settled its widely publicised lawsuit against Udio, which last year accused the AI music generation platform of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement.
So what exactly has led to the two battling companies reaching an amicable settlement?
Well, it was speculated back in June that major labels, including UMG, were in talks with Udio – as well as Suno, another platform UMG sued in 2024 over alleged copyright infringement – to discuss potential licensing deals that would bring in fees and also include a small equity stake in the companies.

READ MORE: Grimes sings from an AI’s perspective in new song Artificial Angel: “This is what it feels like to be hunted by something smarter than you”

Now, UMG and Udio have not only settled their differences, but announced plans to collaborate on a new music creation, consumption and streaming experience. Here’s what we know:
In a new statement shared publicly by UMG, it announced that both itself and Udio have laid out “industry-first strategic agreements”. The company says that in addition to the “compensatory legal settlement”, new licence agreements for recorded music and publishing will “provide further revenue opportunities for UMG artists and songwriters.”
“The new platform, which will be launched in 2026, will be powered by new cutting-edge generative AI technology that will be trained on authorised and licensed music,” reads the statement. “The new subscription service will transform the user engagement experience, creating a licensed and protected environment to customise, stream, and share music responsibly on the Udio platform.”
UMG is also the first company to enter into AI-related agreements with YouTube, TikTok, Meta, KDDI, KLAY Vision, BandLab, Soundlabs and Pro-Rata, among others. It also shares that Udio’s existing product will remain available to users during the transition period with “creations controlled within a walled garden and the service amended in multiple ways”.

Andrew Sanchez, Co-Founder & CEO of Udio, comments: “We couldn’t be more thrilled about this collaboration and the opportunity to work alongside UMG to redefine how AI empowers artists and fans.
“This moment brings to life everything we’ve been building toward – uniting AI and the music industry in a way that truly champions artists. Together, we’re building the technological and business landscape that will fundamentally expand what’s possible in music creation and engagement.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of UMG, adds: “These new agreements with Udio demonstrate our commitment to do what’s right by our artists and songwriters, whether that means embracing new technologies, developing new business models, diversifying revenue streams or beyond.  We look forward to working with Andrew who shares our belief that together, we can foster a healthy commercial AI ecosystem in which artists, songwriters, music companies and technology companies can all flourish and create incredible experiences for fans.”
Find out more about Udio, and read the full statement from Universal Music Group.
The post Universal accused Udio of “unimaginable scales” of copyright infringement. That lawsuit’s just been settled – here’s what we know appeared first on MusicTech.

New SoundCloud All-in-One Artist Subscription: More Control, 100% EarningsThe new SoundCloud All-in-One Artist Subscription offers musicians and creators more control of streaming, fan funding, merch, vinyl and more with fewer hands in their pocket.
The post New SoundCloud All-in-One Artist Subscription: More Control, 100% Earnings appeared first on Hypebot.

Bitwig Studio 6, as reviewed by a Logic Pro user: “Heaven for sound design”Studio Essentials £79 / €99 / $99
Studio Producer £169 / €199 / $199
Studio £339 / €399 / $399
bitwig.com
Bit-what? Bit-who? As a long-time Logic Pro user, I’m ashamed to say that Bitwig has generally flown under my radar. However, with the announcement of Bitwig 6, word of mouth surrounding this idiosyncratic DAW has turned to shouts about streamlined workflows, innovative automation paradigms and a modulation-heavy approach to production.
My interest has been piqued – but can this Berlin-based upstart tempt me away from my dependable mainstay?

READ MORE: Why Universal Audio’s CEO wants you to talk to your DAW

Having occasionally dabbled with Ableton Live, Bitwig’s dual workspaces of the Clip Launcher and the Arrangement timeline don’t come as a complete surprise, but what is different here is the speed at which I actually find a use for Bitwig’s Clip Launcher.
Somehow, the synergy between the two sides of Bitwig feels much more relevant for songwriting and production. Sketching out a structure in the Clip Launcher, dragging multiple clips onto the Arrangement timeline for further development, taking larger musical sections back over to the Clip Launcher to consolidate them as a Scene – all of this clicks in a way that Ableton Live never quite does for me. And while I really don’t perform live with a DAW, Bitwig actually makes me want to.
Bitwig Studio 6 Audio Editor. Image: Press
Bitwig 6 has all the essentials
As you might expect, Bitwig handles MIDI extremely well. In fact, it offers a few quality of life features that I wish Logic Pro had – such as probabilistic randomisation, logical operators for generative music, and super-easy access to MIDI transformation functions like legato, transposition, or pattern reversal. By comparison, Logic buries much of this in submenus.
I often make tunes on the go, using just a laptop and no external devices, and for this style of production, Bitwig truly excels. For example, Step Recording, new in Bitwig Studio 6, lets you step through a melody as you might on a hardware sequencer, using your arrow keys to input rests. Inputting notes using the QWERTY keyboard is usually a necessary evil, but Bitwig’s global scale quantise, coupled with the capacity to automate or even modulate which key you’re quantising to, turns this into a genuinely fun way to jam out a melody.
Given Bitwig’s unabashed emphasis on electronic music, I was worried it might skimp on the recording and editing side. However, version 6 has everything you need to manage an audio-driven project – including solid options for both manual and automated editing, overdub recording for comping takes, and audio stretching functions both for timing correction and creative sound design.
So far, so strong. My first real surprise comes with Bitwig’s modulators.
Bitwig Studio 6 Preset Modulation Curves. Image: Press
Centre-stage sound design with Bitwig 6
If you’re not familiar, Bitwig takes the basic concept of modulation that you might find on a synthesizer — say, an LFO modulating pitch — and expands it out to the entire DAW.
There are dozens of modulators to choose from, including envelope followers, MIDI key tracking, and sample and hold, plus countless possible destinations these can be routed to across the entire DAW. Swiftly, a project starts to feel like one giant meta-synthesizer, and while there are plenty of high-level options for modulation, you can also get right down to the granular level with per-voice MIDI modulation for hyper-specific sound design.
The Modulators are muy bueno, but it’s actually Bitwig 6’s refreshed approach to automation that makes me blow air out of my nostrils (the closest I come to joy). The new system of ‘clip-based’ automation effectively turns your automation curves into presets that can be shuttled from track to track, parameter to parameter, or even project to project. In Logic Pro, copying one lane of automation to another is unwieldy at best, meanwhile, Bitwig 6 turns it into a playground.
The features go on and on. You can now define a random ‘spread’ for individual break-points to vary parameter values on each play through, quickly scale the minimum and maximum values for a section of automation, and even add logarithmic scaling to the start or the end of the clip – effectively fading out your automation curve. It’s an inspired approach that elevates automation from something functional to something deeply creative.
Last but not least, The Grid. Available in the full version of Bitwig Studio, this serves as a blank canvas upon which you can build your own custom effects. Anyone familiar with graphic audio programming environments like Max/MSP will feel right at home here, and each module comes with a well organised help section. For me, this really is the cherry on top, solidifying Bitwig as a heaven for sound design enthusiasts.
All of this is tied together by an incredibly fluid workflow. Notwithstanding the need to learn a few different keyboard shortcuts, I quickly find myself switching between the Arrange and Edit views, editing intuitively, and chaining together effects modules. A particularly nice surprise is Bitwig’s ability to open multiple sessions simultaneously, to swap between them in an instant, and to easily copy and paste between projects. You can’t do any of that when using Logic Pro’s ‘Project Alternatives’ function. Sure, it’s not a headline feature, but as someone who ends up frequently branching projects to try out different ideas, this is a godsend.
Bitwig Studio 6 Automation Spread. Image: Press
So what does Logic still have over Bitwig?
Bitwig’s key shortcoming will be felt by media composers — it does not natively support video files. You can get around this by using a third-party VST plugin to synchronise AV, but that’s hardly ideal. Bitwig’s stock instruments are another weak spot – the sample instruments sound more ‘introductory-level’ than pro, and while the Polysynth and FM-4 are solid, Logic Pro easily takes the lead with powerhouses like Sculpture and Alchemy.
Price is arguably another area where Logic Pro holds its own, charging an £199 entry fee with ongoing free updates. By comparison, the full version of Bitwig 6 Studio (the closest comparison, in terms of stock instruments, sounds, and effects), will cost you £339 and only offers free upgrades for 12 months. Of course, this price difference is less clear once you consider the need for Apple hardware to access Logic Pro.
However, considering its long-time dominance, and that it was recently voted as the best DAW in the world, you’d think I would be able to easily conjure up a few more ‘pros’ for Logic Pro – but actually Bitwig compares very, very well.
Logic is still the consummate all-rounder, and I can’t see myself ditching it entirely. At the same time, Bitwig feels like a much-needed breath of fresh air.
At every turn, Bitwig surfaces the kind of creative controls that Logic either buries in submenus or doesn’t bother to include. Its approach to automation is genuinely innovative, and the overall architecture is primed for experimentation and generative randomness – making it damn near effortless to set up musical systems that surprise and inspire.
Putting them side by side, Logic feels like a workhorse and Bitwig feels like a muse. Both have their place, but I know which one I’d rather have by my side when battling writer’s block.

Key features

DAW for for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Up to 154 stock instruments included
Extensive modulation system with up to 42 modulators
Supports multiple projects simultaneously and the ability to drag-and-drop between them
Native hardware integration with MIDI/CV compatibility
Unlimited track count
Full version features a sound-design environment for building
instruments, audio effects, and note effects

The post Bitwig Studio 6, as reviewed by a Logic Pro user: “Heaven for sound design” appeared first on MusicTech.

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko is a big fan of agentic codingSpeaking at TechCrunch Disrupt, Yakovenko said he's become increasingly comfortable taking a backseat in software development tasks.

Devo and the B-52's Light Up the Hollywood BowlAs bills go, the combination of new wave icons Devo and The B-52's is an inspired one. Sure, they're both from a similar era, but Devo's "devolution" science approach--their ability to deconstruct and reconstruct music--could be at odds with The B-52's love-heavy surf-disco pop-rock. And yet it works beautifully. Both groups are quirky enough, and have enough crossover of fanbases, that the whole night at the Hollywood Bowl was an absolute joy.

Both bands played for about an hour and, while it was billed as a co-headliner, Devo performed last. The B-52's set was a fucking ripper though. Opening with "Cosmic Thing," they blasted though classic such as "Give Me Back My Man," "Roam," and "Dance This Mess Around." Naturally, they closed with the combo-rally of "Love Shack," "Planet Claire" and "Rock Lobster."

The three classic members are all in the 70's now, but they still look and sound incredible. Fred Schneider might not be as energetic as he once was (who could blame him?) but he, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson are all note perfect. The B-52's are still the ultimate party band.

Devo were spectacular though. Again, they made full use of their hour with a set spilling over with classics and fan favorites.

"Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)" comes early, as do "That's Good" and "Girl U Want." "Whip It" predictably gets pretty much the entire venue dancing, before the punk snot of "Blockhead" and especially "Mongoloid."

"Gates of Steel" remains one of the greatest new wave anthems ever, and the encores of "Freedom of Choice" and "Beautiful World" sent everyone away happy.

Devo has always been a glorious contradiction--simultaneously joyful and accessible, yet challenging and super-intelligent. All these years later, that remains the case.

Earlier, Lene Lovich was the perfect opener for this gig. "New Toy" and "Lucky Number" sounded magnificent, with Lovich still blessed with her trademark warble. She was the cherry on this new wave cake.

Photo credit: Randall Michelson/Live Nation-Hewitt Silva

The post Devo and the B-52's Light Up the Hollywood Bowl first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Warner overhauls Italian frontline label structure with launch of Warner Records Italy & Atlantic Records ItalyEleonora Rubini elevated to Label Director, Warner Records Italy; Marco Masoli upped to Label Director, Atlantic Records Italy
Source

Home studio acoustic treatment: An in-depth DIY guide
Dive into DIY home studio acoustic treatment approaches that are viable within three different budgets: $0, $500, and $1,000.

Supercon 2025 Badge Gets Vintage Star Trek MakeoverThere are still a few days before the doors open on this year’s Hackaday Supercon in Pasadena, but for the most dedicated attendees, the badge hacking has already begun…even if they don’t have a badge yet.
By referencing the design files we’ve published for this year’s Communicator badge, [Thomas Flummer] was able to produce this gorgeous 3D printed case that should be immediately recognizable to fans of the original Star Trek TV series.
Metal hinge pin? Brass inserts? Scotty would be proud.
Although the layout of this year’s badge is about as far from the slim outline of the iconic flip-up Trek communicator as you can get, [Thomas] managed to perfectly capture its overall style. By using the “Fuzzy Skin” setting in the slicer, he was even able to replicate the leather-like texture seen on the original prop.
Between that and the “chrome” trim, the finished product really nails everything Jadzia Dax loved about classic 23rd century designs. It’s not hard to imagine this could be some companion device to the original communicator that we just never got to see on screen.
While there’s no denying that the print quality on the antenna lid is exceptional, we’d really like to see that part replaced with an actual piece of brass mesh at some point. Luckily, [Thomas] has connected it to the body of the communicator with a removable metal hinge pin, so it should be easy enough to swap it out.
Considering the incredible panel of Star Trek artists that have been assembled for the Supercon 2025 keynote, we imagine this won’t be the last bit of Trek-themed hacking that we see this weekend — which is fine by us.

Reason Studios introduces Osmium Distortion Matrix, a new device for the Reason RackFancy levelling up your Reason Rack? Well, Reason Studios’ latest distortion plugin might be the perfect thing for you. Pairing the range of multiband distortion with a modular core, the Osmium Distortion Matrix is a slick, malleable and exciting tool to spice up your studio time.
The Osmium Distortion Matrix offers nine freely routable effects slots to allow you a full, flexible range to carve out your sound and build chains. The plugin also comes with four distinct distortion modules, allowing you to toy with Saturation, Overdrive, Wavefolder and Bitcrush, with the addition of effects like dynamics, filters and EQ capabilities.

READ MORE: Hybrid music production in 2025: The good, the hard, and the recall

In terms of the plugin’s multiband distortion, there are three frequency bands to split your sound into and experiment with. The modulation matrix also features two LFOs, as well as a curve sequencer, envelope follower and precise CV control.
Credit: Reason Studios
Of course, the entire plugin has also been designed to slot perfectly into Reason Studio’s Rack. External effect loops also allow you to patch in any device across Reason Studio’s diverse library of over 200 plugins and tools, meaning you can slot anything right into Osmium’s signal chain. It’s essentially a plugin that feels like it could have always been part of the furniture, enhancing your Rack experience and then some.
As Reason puts it, the plugin is a “new device built on old principles”, offering a “precise, playful” creative experience, ripe for experimentation.
For those of you with a Reason+ subscription, you’re in luck; the brand new Osmium Distortion Matrix will now be included in a Reason+ subscription. If you’ve not got Reason+, Reason license owners will be able to get the plugin for an introductory price of $49.
For more information, head to Reason Studios.

The post Reason Studios introduces Osmium Distortion Matrix, a new device for the Reason Rack appeared first on MusicTech.