Music

The latest news and reviews of music.

Latest

Gamechanger Audio introduces an optical spring reverb pedal
Gamechanger may have only released two guitar pedals so far, but the company has shown that it can live up to its lofty name. Its Plasma Pedal, for one, stands out in an ocean of distortion effects, thanks to both a staticky, lo-fi timbre and its astounding visual presentation -- xenon plasma shoots around a vacuum tube as you play. The Light Pedal, the company's latest creation, rethinks the traditional engineering behind spring reverb effects, replacing the electromechanical components with optical sensors. The result is a vintage-sounding echo that sits somewhere between the snappy guitar sounds of the '60s and the atmospheric squeals heard in classic rock tracks from the '70s.
Akai's MPC One is a (reasonably) affordable music production machine
It's been a few years since Akai's iconic MPC line has seen a significant new entry. But at NAMM 2020 the company is not only introducing a new model, but specifically going for the entry level... or at least what qualifies as entry level for an MPC. The MPC One in a $699 standalone production studio that basically takes all the essential parts of the series and skips the luxuries.
Blipblox gives its kid synthesizer a grown-up makeover
Blipblox made something of a name for itself creating a synthesizer for kids. But the brightly-coloured, big-buttoned device -- with a surprisingly robust digital synth engine under its hood -- has proven such a success with adults that the company has made a grown up version: Blipblox After Dark.
Spotify's latest curated playlist is tailored to your pet
Spotify has been keen on adding new playlist options for its massive user base for a while now. Whether it's Discover Weekly, Release Radar, Your Daily Drive or others, the service is constantly introducing new ways to keep you listening -- even when you don't have anything specific in mind. From time to time, the company takes a more experimental approach to its algorithmic playlist building, creating a collection based on quiz answers, like it did with Soundtrack Your Ride for roadtrips. Now Spotify is giving you a tool that makes a playlist customized to the real star of your life: your pet.
Pro audio giant Solid State Logic makes a play for bedroom producers
Solid State Logic is a big name in the pro audio space, but it's entering a new category by serving a very different customer: the bedroom producer with a tight budget. Its first dedicated audio interfaces, the USB-based SSL 2 and 2+, aim to translate the company's technology and retro styling to personal recording scenarios where it's often down to just you and your devices. They both include two "class-leading" mic preamps with 24-bit/192kHz conversion, balanced monitor outputs, a simple monitor mix control and a "Legacy 4K" mode that adds the analog sound of the company's 4000-series consoles to your inputs. There's not much more than you likely need, but what's there may be above-board.
Steam makes it easier to find and download game soundtracks
Steam's approach to game soundtracks has been broken, to put it mildly. It's been treated as downloadable content for its associated game, forcing you to buy the game in question -- and you could forget about having an easy way to manage your collection. Valve is thankfully fixing that experience. It's introducing a "soundtrack" app type that lets you buy soundtracks whether or not you own the core game, manage them in your Steam library and place them in a central music folder instead of scattering them across multiple game directories. Developers can even sell soundtracks when the game isn't available on Steam. In theory, a creator with an Epic Games Store exclusive could still peddle the soundtrack.
Numark's DJ2GO2 Touch is made for aspiring DJs
Numark's controllers are ubiquitous in the world of professional DJing, and the company is hoping to get more amateurs in on the action with its DJ2GO2 Touch. The device easily fits in a backpack alongside a laptop, but it still packs cueing, looping, sampling and scratching functions. The Touch is an upgrade from 2017's DJ2GO2, with the biggest update being its capacitive jog wheels. These are the same type of touch sensitive wheels that are found on most professional DJ units, but in a much smaller package.
Making music with BeatBox, a Labo-like drum machine kit
When I first heard about the BeatBox, I was skeptical. A build-it-yourself drum machine made from cardboard? Wouldn't that disintegrate within half an hour? Finger-tapping isn't as violent as, say, regular drumming with wooden sticks, but when you're in the zone you still tend to hit the buttons with melodic oomph. (At least, that's what I tend to do.) After a few seconds with the crowdfunded instrument, though, those fears evaporated. I'm no musical expert, but it's clear the BeatBox has been thoughtfully designed and can take a chunk of performative punishment.
Korg's Wavestate resurrects a classic '90s synth for the modern age
There are countless different styles of synthesis, but one of the more rare and distinctive is vector synthesis, in which different sound sources are dynamically blended to give a sense of movement. One of the most iconic vector synthesizers is the Korg Wavestation. Its unique sound was all over the place in the early 90s, from Genesis, to Depeche Mode to the X-Files. It was particularly well regarded for its pad sounds. But, it was also a very short lived family of instruments, being introduced in 1990 and discontinued in 1994. There have been a few other vector synths (including the Korg OASYS) in the years since, but none have resonated with musicians quite like the Wavestation. Korg is ready to give it a go again with a spiritual successor called the Wavestate.
Behringer's latest synth clone is based on the Octave Cat from the 70s
Behringer hasn't been shy about its plans to clone some of the most iconic synthesizers ever made. In November alone, the company debuted the Poly D based on the Minimoog Model D, the Wasp Deluxe based on EDP Wasp and the TD-3 based on the Roland TB-303. Not wanting to let the calendar flip before it could tease its next revival, Behringer showed off the CAT synth earlier this week -- a Eurorack-compatible instrument based on the Octave Cat that debuted in 1976. The original was used by acts like Chemical Brothers, Devo and many more.
Streaming now accounts for 80 percent of the US music market
Streaming has completely reshaped the face of the music industry over the last decade, with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music proving to be overwhelmingly popular with music fans. The Recording Industry Association of America has revealed some stats that underline the mammoth sea change. The organization says streaming accounts for 80 percent of the US music market, compared with seven percent in 2010. Streaming subscriptions rose from about 1.5 million to around 61 million between 2010 and the first half of 2019, according to the RIAA.
Tesla puts a music-making app in your EV
Never mind kicking back with some TV shows while you're waiting in your EV -- if Tesla has its way, you'll be creative during your downtime. YouTuber Oliver Ryan and others have discovered that Tesla's recently released holiday update includes a Trax app for creating your own tunes. It's not sophisticated, as you might imagine (it makes GarageBand look like a professional tool), but it does let you produce multi-track, keyboard-based compositions that include familiar instruments like Roland's TR-808 drum machine.
Tesla's Holiday Update improves Camp Mode and driving visualization
Today, Tesla began pushing its "holiday update" to its vehicle fleet. The changes include one present for EV owners who appreciate the great outdoors (though not enough to sleep on the ground): Camp Mode. The feature, reported by Electrek, allows Tesla's vehicles to maintain airflow, temperature and interior lighting. You can also play music and power devices, which could come in handy for tailgating too.
What we're listening to: Brass Against and 'Gastropod'
In the latest installment of our audio IRL, contributing writer Kris Holt introduces us to a brass band that's covering some big hits with their own spin. Database editor Ian Levenstein explains why you need to add a culinary-themed show to your regular podcast rotation.
Richie Hawtin wants you to explore his DJ sets through a mobile app
Have you ever wanted to know exactly what DJs are doing during sets besides cuing the next track? You now have a good opportunity to find out. Minimal techno pioneer Richie Hawtin (aka Plastikman, F.U.S.E. and other pseudonyms) has released a Closer app in beta for Android and iOS that goes well beyond the usual concert footage. You can switch between multiple camera angles and track audio layers to see exactly how Hawtin puts together a set using all his on-stage equipment. If you want to know how he put together a killer synth sequence, you can mute everything else and switch to a view to see Hawtin's fingers fly over the controls.
Orba is a tiny, fun and surprisingly expressive instrument
I am simultaneously deeply fascinated by and deeply skeptical of strange niche instruments. As fun as a classic Stylophone is, for instance, it's pretty tricky to make decent-sounding music with. Even quirky controllers like Roli Blocks have a hard time finding a foothold in my life. But I still can't resist their allure. So of course when I heard about Orba, the new instrument from Artiphon, I had to check it out.
YouTube’s personalized music playlists are available to all users
YouTube Music's new personalized playlists are now available to users worldwide. Today, YouTube introduced its Discover Mix, New Release Mix and Your Mix. The playlists will curate your favorite songs, new releases and unheard tracks by your favorite artists, plus others you might like.
Spotify recaps 10 years of pop music in ‘The Decade Wrapped’ podcast
Earlier this month, music fans took to social media to share their results from Spotify's Wrapped campaign. The streaming service created infographics that depicted each user's favorite artists, songs and genres, as well as data points like the countries where their most-listened-to bands were from. To keep the hype rolling, Spotify has just released a 10-episode podcast called The Decade Wrapped. Each entry covers one year of pop music between 2010 and 2019 and features commentary from critics, comedians and music journalists.
Recommended Reading: The science fiction of William Gibson
How William Gibson keeps his science fiction real Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker While a lot of sci-fi is obsessed with the distant future, one of the best authors of the genre takes a different approach. The New Yorker explains how William Gibson "has imagined the near future more convincingly than anyone else" to create his stories. That includes his concept of "cyberspace" that first appeared in his work in the early 1980s.
Roland's Alexa-powered keyboard is available for $500
It took nearly an entire year, but Roland's voice-savvy GO:PIANO keyboard is now available. Spend $500 (and enable a Roland skill) and you can use Alexa to choose sounds, turn on the metronome and control numerous other settings while you play -- you don't have to lift your fingers off the keys or wade through indecipherable menus. This also turns your keyboard into a full-fledged Alexa speaker, making it one of the few Amazon-powered devices that you can use to perform alongside the music you're listening to.

...