MIDI Innovation Awards Live Stream Event The MIDI Innovation Awards live stream will showcase the entries of all 15 finalists as well as announcing the five winners chosen by the jury.

Yamaha launches FGDP-50 and FGDP-30 finger drumming pads which “prioritise ergonomic comfort”Yamaha has launched two new finger drumming pads as part of its new FGDP series – the FGDP-50 and -30.
These two products are said to prioritise comfort when playing, and are branded as “all-in-one instruments” that you can play anywhere.

READ MORE: Behringer reveals intriguing new Yamaha DX7-style prototype

The pads of the FGDPs are arranged in an ergonomic layout, and both models have a built-in speaker, tone generator, and rechargeable lithium-ion battery, with a lightweight body. You can use them as standalone instruments, or as MIDI controllers as both come with a USB port.
Pad hardness and sensitivity allows users to express variations in dynamics and use a variety of drumming techniques like flams and rolls. You can even emulate a cymbal choke – where a drummer would physically grab a cymbal to mute its sound – by pushing down on the pads.
Sounds from Yamaha’s DTX electronic drums series have been re-tuned for the range, and they also include a wide range of newly created electro sounds. Check out more in the video below:

The FGDP-30 includes 1,212 Voices and 39 preset kits, and the higher-spec FGDP-50 includes 1,500 Voices and 48 preset kits. This version also includes eight additional RGB pads, a Session Creator tool which enables you to drum along to backtracks of various music genres, and a Note Repeat function to repeat notes at set tempos and intervals.
Yamaha says of the new range on its website, “Lately, finger drumming performances have been garnering more and more attention at clubs, live concerts, and on social media. These performances use MIDI controllers and multifunction music production equipment requiring high levels of expertise, and while such an overcomplicated approach is possible, it leaves many performers wishing there were a dedicated device optimised for finger drumming.
“Getting the equipment needed, along with the complexity of setting it all up, has been a steep barrier to entry, sometimes preventing beginners from even taking the first steps toward getting started,” it explains. “The new FGDP-50 and FGDP-30 were born from a desire to make it easier for more people to enjoy finger drumming.”
The FGDP-50 and FGDP-30 are priced at £335 and £200 respectively. To view full specifications for both models, visit Yamaha.
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Kits.AI’s Instrument Converter transforms your voice into instrumentsKits.AI, an AI-powered platform built by Arpeggi Labs that lets you turn voices into other voices, has introduced a new feature, the Kits.AI Instrument Converter, that does the same for instruments.

READ MORE: Deadmau5-backed Pixelynx launches BeatKOR AI music collection in partnership with Beatport

The website previously only let you convert audio into a royalty-free selection of singers, such as Vance, a soul singer, or Ramona, a pop singer. Now, you can import any audio, and turn it into another instrument, much like the Vochlea Dubler 2 microphone.

For example, you could turn guitar notes into the sound of a cello or you could upload a simple hum and transform it into a gnarly dubstep-style synth. According to Arpeggi Labs, a wide range of instruments are available to use.
The instruments you can convert into include drums, guitar, bass, cello, saxophone, a ‘growling bass’ and many more.
It’s fair to say, Kits.AI is not the only brand leveraging AI technology to help musicians transform audio. In May 2023, AI advocate and singer Grimes launched Elf.tech, a platform that lets fans turn their own voice into hers. Over 15,000 people signed up to the platform in two days.
Before the launch, and in response to a negative response to fake AI-generated Drake and The Weeknd songs, Grimes took to Twitter to write, “I’ll split 50 [per cent] royalties on any successful AI-generated song that uses my voice.
“Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings,” she wrote. “I think it’s cool to be fused w a machine and I like the idea of open-sourcing all art and killing copyright”.
In August, a software called TextToSample was launched which, much like ChatGPT, that lets you input a series of commands, say ‘trap drum fill’, and have it created in seconds. In the same month, we saw the launch of Myvox, an AI vocal and music distribution platform that allows artists to create and distribute songs with AI-cloned vocals from licensed artists.
AI technology is also being implemented in the DJing world. A new platform, DJ.Studio 2.0, was recently launched. Boasting itself as a “DAW for DJs”, it utilises AI technology to create high quality mixes quickly, and lets you tweak and export them instantly to Mixcloud or YouTube.
If you’re interested in turning your audio into an instrument using Kits.AI’s latest Instrument Converter tool, create an account and get going at app.kits.ai.
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Vicious Antelope Jupiter Pads - GX-80 Jupiter Pads is a collection of 100 emotional pads with heavy 80's character and sonic texture for Cherry Audio GX-80 Vsti. Here you can listen to some influences from Vangelis, Enigma,... Read More

Watch: Chris Rock and Diplo talk DJing while escaping Burning ManFootage has emerged of comedian, actor and filmmaker Chris Rock talking about quitting DJing while escaping Burning Man festival with producer/DJ Diplo.

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The clip shows Rock and others, including a face paint-clad Diplo, in the back of a fan’s pickup truck. They’re escaping the Nevada festival, which this year was overcome with torrential rain, turning the desert-based site into a quagmire.
“[If there was a] time when DJs would have actually made money, I would have never told a joke,” says the comedian, who DJed in Brooklyn during the founding days of hip hop. “I was like, This is fucking dead end,” he jokes. “Turntables, backspinning, whatever…”
On being fans of the founders of hip-hop, Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa, Rock says: “Me and my friends used to follow [Grandmaster] Flash around wherever the fuck he played – all of that shit, crates and records. I know them all. If you read the books, I used to hang around and shit.”
Diplo is quick to add his own story of meeting Grandmaster Flash. “Flash, when I play with him, he gives you a list of 400 songs you can’t play. Like, Smells Like Teen Spirit’s on the list. He’s like ‘These are all the songs I play. Don’t play any of these.’”

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A post shared by I Still Love H.E.R. (@istillloveher.de)

The 35th edition of Burning Man took place in Pershing County, Nevada’s Black Rock Desert and ran from 27 August to 4 September 2023. The iconic, self-sufficient event drew approximately 73,000 attendees.
While Burning Man regulars are no strangers to adverse weather such as dust storms, on 1 September, a rare nine hours of rain hit the site. This carried on in the days after, causing many to become stranded. It also meant that the festival’s famous ceremony, which involves the burning of a huge figure of a man, was scrapped.
According to an X post by Diplo, he and Chris Rock walked for five miles “in the mud” until a fan saw the pair and picked them up.

just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with chris rock and a fan picked us up pic.twitter.com/0uxSXLHgY6
— diplo (@diplo) September 2, 2023

Follow Diplo on X.
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MUSIC BUSINESS NEWS: CMA nominees, Ticket scams soar, Spotify CFO offers insights & more
THURSDAY 9.7.23 • Music Business News Updated Continuously Under The MORE NEWS TAB Above

The post MUSIC BUSINESS NEWS: CMA nominees, Ticket scams soar, Spotify CFO offers insights & more appeared first on Hypebot.

“They weren’t on the same page anymore anyway”: Todd Edwards on Daft Punk’s splitTodd Edwards has said that he “wasn’t shocked” when Daft Punk called it quits in 2021, citing creative differences between members Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo.
READ MORE: It’s true: Daft Punk’s Homework and Discovery were both recorded in a bedroom
In the latest edition of Daft Punk’s Memory Tapes, Edwards reveals his experiences working on the Random Access Memories track, Fragments Of Time. The documentary series celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the French duo’s final album and its collaborators.
“When they broke up, they were already going in different directions musically” explains the UK Garage legend and friend of Daft Punk. “Guy-Man seems to be drawn more to the hip-hop realm. And Thomas was, you know, also a director.
“It kind of felt like they weren’t on the same page anymore, anyway, so I wasn’t shocked.”

“I think that the fact that it was so devastating to people shows that there needs to be more Daft Punks out there,” continues Edwards, hopeful.
He advises artists and producers coming up today to take more risks with their music and be bold.
“You can’t just look to one musical Messiah to take care of all your musical needs. You’ve got to be the creative force behind it. If anything, it should inspire people to be more creative and take chances and stop doing the same thing; playing it safe all the time.”
Elsewhere in the mini-doc, Edwards explains what it was like to work in the studio with the revered duo, how his collaboration led to sparking a nine-year relationship with his now-partner, and how he took a two-year hiatus from music and worked in the customer service sector.
In the previous episode of Memory Tapes, legendary French touch producer DJ Falcon describes his experience in making the track Contact with Bangalter.
“I remember looking at Thomas, we looked at each other and we just said nothing,” he says, after the pair’s sound design in the track broke the studio’s sound system.
“We just had a little smile on our face. We left the studio without saying anything like the whole thing was natural.”
Learn more at daftpunk.com
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Play records wirelessly with Victrola’s new Hi-Res Carbon and Onyx turntablesTurntable manufacturer Victrola has launched two new turntables, Hi-Res Carbon and Hi-Res Onyx, that are designed to deliver high-quality audio from wireless sources.

READ MORE: Apple patent documents show proposed MacBook with attachable turntable

Offering support for Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth connectivity, Bluetooth 5.4, and Bluetooth LE, the sleek-looking turntables give you a “crystal-clear wireless vinyl listening experience,” the brand says.
There’s also a switchable preamp on both turntables, so you can play from a wireless connection, but also connect the turntable up to wired speakers and component-based systems via its gold-plated RCA outputs.
Hi-Res Carbon is the more high-end version of the two, sporting a premium two-toned black and silver body with a metal front plate. There’s a vibration-dampening, carbon-fibre tonearm that takes the weight off the record, enhancing the sound quality. An Ortofon 2M Red moving magnetic cartridge also helps deliver quality sonic.
The Hi-Res Onyx, donning an all-black, more modern look, has slightly more affordable components. The tonearm is aluminium, providing a sturdy yet lightweight component and there’s an Audio-Technica AT-VM95E premium cartridge, for distortion-free playback.
Victrola Hi Res Onyx
You’ll also find an auto-stop sensor on both models to prevent stylus wear and custom-designed, removable headshells. These mount the cartridge, allowing for precise alignment, adjustment, and connection to the tonearm’s wiring. The headshell is crucial for accurate tracking and sound quality.
“As music lovers ourselves, we understand the importance of delivering the most authentic and immersive audio experience possible. That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce our new Hi-Res Carbon and Onyx turntables with aptX Adaptive Bluetooth technology, offering unparalleled audio quality for both wired and wireless listening,” said Scott Hagen, CEO of Victrola. “With so many higher-end audio brands creating incredible wireless headphones and powered speakers we felt it was time to introduce a turntable suitable for these products.”
There’s been a flurry of turntables released recently, including Pro-Ject’s T2 W, which, as with Victrola’s new release, offers wireless connectivity. House Of Marley also recently launched a sustainable Bamboo-made turntable, the Stir It Up Lux.
Hi-Res Carbon costs $599 while the hi-Res Onyx will set you back $399. Find out more information at victrola.com. 
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Soonth Blocks FREE Modular Synth Plugin Gets A New GUI
Soonth Blocks, the FREE modular synth plugin, is back with a redesigned UI. Soonth released Blocks around two years ago, and when we initially covered it, the plugin seemed like a lot of fun. On a more serious note, it also seemed like a good way for modular newcomers to build some foundations. I’ll do [...]
View post: Soonth Blocks FREE Modular Synth Plugin Gets A New GUI

BandLab adds free music distribution, members keep 100% of royaltiesBandLab has added free digital music distribution for its paying members alongside a growing list of music creation and marketing tools. BandLab touts 60 million registered users for its free. Continue reading
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6 Questions with indie rocker Noah VonneKnown for her powerful voice and an original sound that blends rock, soul, blues, and pop, Noah Vonne‘s next national headlining tour is set for this Fall with Universal’s psychedelic rock. Continue reading
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HEDD Audio’s HEDDphone TWO promise “stunning definition” and “speaker-like” soundBerlin-based HEDD Audio has unveiled its HEDDphone TWO studio headphones, three years after its coveted HEDDphone ONE.
READ MORE: Best headphones 2023: 10 of the best all-purpose wired headphones under $500
HEDDphone TWO is set to vastly improve on the HEDDphone ONE listening experience with new advances in its Air Motion Transformer technology. HEDD says that there have been several design breakthroughs in the three and a half years of development.
HEDDPhone TWO. Image: HEDD
The brand says that the headphones produce a “speaker-like” quality in their defined sound, thanks to a Kapton diaphragm that’s three times larger than typical dynamic, planar and electrostatic drivers. The HEDDphone TWOs are touted to astound music professionals and everyday headphone enthusiasts alike, with an “evenly-balanced soundstage with stunning definition.” They’re also primed for long listening periods with “very little fatigue” on the ears, says the company.
Comfort has also been a priority this time around. The new carbon fibre design has resulted in the HEDDphone TWO being 25 per cent lighter than the ONE, which is a relief for the necks of all the music enthusiasts hoping to tune in to tracks for prolonged periods of time.
HEDDPhone TWO. Image: HEDD
The headphones are also set to have a unique, patent-pending new headband. The ‘HEDDband’ is designed to provide a custom fit for every listener. The flexible band and strap are versatile and can be adjusted to the individual’s head shape.
In a press release, HEDD says of the HEDDphone TWO: “Building on the success of its predecessor among Award-winning producers and engineers such as Tchad Blake, Hildur Guðnadóttir, or DJ Jazzy Jeff, this headphone is crafted with a discerning eye on the needs of mastering engineers, mix engineers, and producers whilst also aiming at the broader spectrum of consumer headphone enthusiasts.”
Priced at 1999€ (incl. VAT), HEDDphone TWO is set for release in late September for North America, and from mid to late October for the rest of the world. And HEDD is so confident in the durability of the headphones they’re even promising a five-year warranty with the pre-order.
Find the full spec list and pre-order at hedd.audio.
 
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Native Instruments release Music Production Suite 6 The latest version of Music Production Suite is now available, and includes new versions of Ozone, Nectar and Guitar Rig.

Acon Digital Remix Acon Digital Remix is the first plug-in capable of separating instrument groups in a mix – so called stems – in real-time with an acceptable latency. Remix uses cutting edge technology... Read More

“I feel I was thrown under the bus” Eddy Grant on the time he accused Gorillaz of plagiarising ‘Time Warp’Singer-songwriter Eddy Grant has reflected on the time he accused Gorillaz of plagiarising his song Time Warp and the way the experience left him feeling “thrown under the bus”.

READ MORE: Best new mixing plugins, effects and VST instruments out this week

Back in 2010, the Equals member accused Gorillaz of making a “blatant rip-off” of his 1981 track with their single Stylo, stating, “My song sits almost note to note with their release.”
Grant says that “Time Warp is a very popular song and has been a staple of the DJ scene for many years” and that he feels “total disrespect from Gorillaz and their management company, especially as they are an established act.”
Discussing the accusations in a new interview with NME, Grant says: “I mean, everybody knows where that song came from. It’s just that there comes a time where you say, ‘Enough. Why am I going to go on fighting this case? Over what? Leave it alone’. They know the truth.”
“Even Damon’s strongest fans would know how ubiquitous Time Warp has been and still is. It’s a one-off – when you hear it, you know what it is.”
He continues: “I mean, [American singer ]Jaheim slowed [Time Warp] right down so that I would never be able to notice it, and I noticed, and he gave me credit for the song [Like a DJ]. It’s a sickness in the business. If you like it enough and want to do it, then do it and give the guy the credit.”
Asked if he’d ever spoken to Damon Albarn about the issue, Grant replies: “It’s a strange one because Damon’s manager used to be part of the management team for The Equals and we were with the same music publisher, but I feel I was thrown under the bus because Damon was selling a lot more records than I was.”
Check out the songs below.

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