Green Day Pop Up at the EchoplexPhotos by Greg Schneider

Since the release of their third album, Dookie, in 1994, Green Day have arguably been the most popular punk band on the planet. So if you didn't catch them during the 924 Gilman Street days, the opportunities to see Green Day in venues that aren't enormous have been extremely rare.

As a result, it's been tough for many to view Green Day as a punk band at all, so much as an arena rock outfit. A really fucking good one, armed with a ton of rapid-fire, catchy tunes. But a festival-headlining arena rock outfit all the same. So this Hella Tiny Tour of smaller venues, which already saw them play the House of Blues in Anaheim in March, is priceless because we get to see Green Day in an environment where, to be completely honest, they thrive. It's like they're still in the Kerplunk era, fighting for their lives. The youthful energy is there in mountains -- snotty, joyful and very punk!

These guys connect with their crowd like few others. Peers such as the Offspring are full of on-stage banter, but Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool make it their business to make every single person in the Echoplex feel like they're a bonafide part of the show. Green Day does that even when they're playing an enormodome, as they will this summer when they play the SoFi Stadium with the Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and the Linda Lindas. But it hits so much more intensely in a relatively intimate room.

All of these shows -- the Hella Tiny ones and the big gigs that will follow -- are a three-part celebration. Dookie is 30 years old, the American Idiot album is 20 years old, and they have a new album too -- Saviors was released in January.

So at the Echoplex we got both Dookie and American Idiot played in their entirety, plus a handful from Saviors. Each and every song sounded glorious in this environment. Dookie classics including (but not limited to) "Longview" and "Basket Case" allow us to imagine for a moment that we're catching this superb band in the moments before they explode onto the global stages.

The likes of "American Idiot" and "Jesus of Suburbia" prove that, even when the band had achieved insane levels of success, they were at their peak when it came to socially conscious, intelligent and politically aware songwriting.

And the new songs, particularly "The American Dream is Killing Me," are clear evidence that this timeless, apparently ageless band are still filled with fire, energy, and tunes.

"We can't wait to see you this summer," Armstrong says as the band leaves the stage. Ditto, fellas.

Let the Solder Scroll Take Care of Your Feed Needs[Victor]’s nifty tool the Solder Scroll is a handheld device that lets one feed solder out simply by turning something a little like a scroll wheel. It looks like an intuitive and comfortable design that can adapt to a wide variety of solder thicknesses, and is entirely 3D printed.
One part we particularly like is the feed system. One rolls a wheel which feeds solder out using a mechanism a lot like extrusion gears in many 3D printer hot ends. Both wheels have ridged surfaces that grip and feed the solder; their gears mesh with one another so that moving one moves both in unison.
Solder feed tools like this have seen all kinds of interesting designs, because while the problem is the same for everyone, there are all kinds of different ways to go about addressing it. We love this one, and we have seen many other takes that range from a powered, glove-mounted unit to an extremely simple tool with no moving parts. We’ve even seen a method of hacking a mechanical pencil into a new role as a solder feeder.

Strap in. Blackstone is ready to bid $1.5 billion for Hipgnosis Songs Fund.To paraphrase Pink Floyd, Will the sun (Concord Chorus) be eclipsed by the moon (Blackstone)?
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Getting It Done: Last Week in D.I.Y. & Indie MusicLast week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers out there covered how to book better gigs, release new music, use TikTok as a tool, and much more.....
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REWIND: The new music industry’s week in reviewIt was a busy week by any definition, and the music industry was no exception. The DoJ eyed Live Nation and Ticketmaster, new National Recordings Registry inductees were announced, songwriters fought for expression in China, and more.....
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Steinberg release VST Live Pro 2 With the launch of VST Live Pro 2, Steiberg's live performance software gains a new Flex Loops system, DMX and MIDI plug-ins, enhanced automation features and more. 

CesiumAstro claims former exec spilled trade secrets to upstart competitor AnySignalCesiumAstro alleges in a newly filed lawsuit that a former executive disclosed trade secrets and confidential information about sensitive tech, investors, and customers to a competing startup. Austin-based Cesium develops active phased array and software-defined radio systems for spacecraft, missiles, and drones. While phased array antenna systems have been used on satellites for decades, Cesium […]
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Roboticizing An Etch-a-SketchThe Etch-a-Sketch was a popular toy, but a polarizing one. You were either one of those kids that had the knack, or one of the kids that didn’t. [Micah] was pretty firmly in the latter group, so decided to roboticize the Etch-a-Sketch so a computer could draw for him instead.
The build uses a pair of stepper motors attached to the Etch-a-Sketch’s knobs via 3D-printed adapters. It took [Micah] a few revisions to get the right design and the right motors for the job, but it all came together. A Raspberry Pi is charged with driving the motors to draw the desired picture.
Beyond the mechanics, [Micah] also does a great job of explaining the challenges around drawing and the drive software. Namely, the Etch-a-Sketch has a major limitation in that there’s no way to move the stylus without drawing a line. He accounts for this in his code for converting and drawing images.
The robot draws slowly but surely. The final result is incredibly impressive, and far exceeds what most of us could achieve on by hand. We’ve seen some similar builds in the past, too. Video after the break.

Crystal Radio Kit from the 1970sIf you read the December 1970 issue of Mechanix Illustrated, you’d be treated to [Len Buckwalter]’s crystal radio build. He called out Modern Radio Labs as the supplier for parts. That company, run by [Elmer Osterhoudt], got so many inquiries that he produced a kit, the #74 crystal set. [Michael Simpson] found an unopened kit on eBay and — after a bidding war, took possession of the kit. The kit looked totally untouched. The crystal detector was still in the box, and there were period-appropriate newspaper wrappings.
The kit itself isn’t that remarkable, but it is a classic. An oatmeal box serves as a coil form. There’s a capacitor, a crystal detector, and headphones. The original cost of the parts was $7, but we imagine the eBay auction exceeded that by a large amount.
If the name [Len Buckwalter] sounds familiar, he was quite prolific in magazines like Electronics Illustrated and also wrote several books about transistors. [Michael] also shows off his innovative coil winder made from plastic cups and a coat hanger.
We’d love to find some old kits like this, although, from one way of thinking, it is almost a shame to build them after all these years. With an added audio amplifier and fiddling with the cat whisker, it sounded just fine.
If you don’t like oatmeal, you could fire up the 3D printer. While the basic circuit is simple, you can make it more complex if you like.

Recording The Abbey Road Orchestra - Chapter Two We join Spitfire Audio and engineer Simon Rhodes at Abbey Road Studios for a behind-the-scenes look at the recording sessions for their most detailed sample library project to date. 

From the NMPA’s criticism of Spotify’s bundling plans to Concord’s bid for Hipgnosis assets… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days…
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Now Available: beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO X Limited Edition HeadphonesToday, beyerdynamic - the preferred audio brand for live music and studio professionals globally - announced that its DT 770 PRO X Limited Edition headphones are now available for purchase. Originally debuted at NAMM 2024, the DT 770 PRO X blends the reference-setting features of the DT 770 PRO with the dynamic STELLAR.45 driver system's flexibility and a detachable cable. Redefining studio gear for a new era, the DT 770 PRO X is now available in limited quantities at beyerdynamic’s e-shop, Guitar Center and Sweetwater for $199.

In today’s fluid landscape of music creation, having the flexibility to work with a variety of applications is paramount. The DT 770 PRO X Limited Edition features the convenience of a detachable Mini-XLR cable so you can move freely while you create. A recess in the headband padding also protects against the pressure-sensitive fontanelle, allowing you to wear the headphones for hours on end. With premium sound quality, replaceable parts, low impedance and high-wearing comfort, the DT 770 PRO X Limited Edition is tailor-made for studio professionals, artists, filmmakers, producers and more.

As beyerdynamic reaches its 100th anniversary, it was important for the design of the DT 770 PRO X Limited Edition headphones to pay tribute to this accomplishment. On the side of the headband, a limited-edition anniversary emblem is hot stamped in silver and features the beyerdynamic logo.

The DT 770 PRO X Limited Edition comes with ultra-soft gray velour earpads, a 3m Mini-XLR to 3.5mm jack cable, a 3.5mm to 6.3mm jack adapter, a drawstring bag and an anniversary booklet with visual assets and information about beyerdynamic’s storied history.

Availability & Pricing 

The DT 770 PRO X Limited Edition studio headphones are now available for purchase in limited quantities at beyerdynamic’s e-shop, Guitar Center and Sweetwater for $199.

Stories In Sound at Abbey Road Studios Taking place at Abbey Road Studios, Stories In Sound is a new immersive experience that combines rich storytelling with live music.

Imogen Heap uses her AI voice model, ai.mogen, to create a remix for the first timeRevered British musical polymath Imogen Heap has released the first remix using her AI voice model, ai.mogen — and we think we can just about hear the AI-generated vocals in the mix.
Collaborating with Slovakian alt-pop singer Karin Ann (NME’s recent cover star) on her track false gold, Heap uses ai.mogen to generate her signature vocal sound heard in the remix. To clarify, Heap produced the remix on her own, but her vocals are made by an AI model that she developed with her team.
This remix is the first-ever recording of Heap’s AI voice companion, with a press release suggesting that we’re set to hear much more from ai.mogen. The track also marks Heap’s return to the music scene “after a decade-long hiatus from the spotlight,” continues the statement.

We’re pretty sure we can hear the AI model harmonise with Karin Ann in the choruses, but it’s most notable at the bridge of the song — you’ll hear the haunting, eerie drones that are reminiscent of Heap’s vocals. Check out the song at the 1:58 timestamp in the video below to hear for yourself.
The statement from Heap’s team adds that Heap is “embark[ing] on her new ventures into AI technologies and savvy music collaborations” and that she remains “dedicated to leaving a lasting impact on the way consumers engage with music.”
Such an attitude is not novel from Heap, who has repeatedly been at the forefront of emerging technologies in music. She’s perhaps recognised most with her performances using Mi.Mu gloves, which enable her to manipulate the music using hand gestures via MIDI/OSC. You can check out her NPR Tiny Desk performance for a taste.
More recently, however, the artist ventured into the Web3 space with an audiovisual NFT made in collaboration with Endlesss, the Web3 music-making platform.
Karin Ann’s album Through The Telescope and false gold (Imogen Heap remix) are available now. 
 
 
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Saturday is Record Store Day 2024: What to expectThis Saturday, April 20th, is Record Store Day 2024,​ both in the U.S. and internationally.  This gathering of music lovers takes place in hundreds of independent record stores, in celebration of recorded music with special releases, in-store performances, and much more.....
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