GEAR + TECH
Pioneer’s DDJ-FLX6 Controller Boasts Impressive New Mixing and Scratching Functions
There is a reason why Pioneer DJ‘s equipment is industry standard. For the past 25 years, the renowned audio company has issued the most top-shelf products for DJs, including their iconic CDJs and DJM mixers, which can be found at just about every club worth its salt worldwide. In September, Pioneer DJ unveiled the coveted CDJ-3000, and now, they’re back with a brand new DJ controller designed with user-friendliness in mind. The Pioneer DDJ-FLX6 is the latest controller to be released from the fabled brand, crafted for those using rekordbox or Serato DJ Pro software. It’s also specifically made for those taking a more performance-based approach when DJing, with a slew of features that suit DJs of all styles. So what’s new? For starters, the Merge FX featur...
deadmau5 Joins Innovative Livestreaming Platform StreamVoodoo as Equity Partner
The partnership sets out to revolutionize the remote live entertainment experience. LiveHD video streaming platform StreamVoodoo has announced new equity partner Joel Zimmerman—better known in the EDM community as —deadmau5, as the company’s “Supreme Overlord,” joining the executive team alongside CEO Sam Feuer, CTO Dr. Richard Smrt, and COO Marcelo Moyano. The mission at StreamVoodoo is to power streaming for a new generation of content consumers, and to connect multiple HD video feeds with studio-quality sound in real-time with nearly zero latency from anywhere in the world. With his performances being some of the most dynamic and technologically integrated in the industry, deadmau5 has been at the forefront of music and tech for quite some time and has been a maj...
Learn About the Revolutionary Moog Modular Synthesizer in New Virtual Moogseum Tour
All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Moogseum, which was forced to shutter due to the impact of COVID-19. After its debut in 1964, the Moog modular synthesizer single-handedly revolutionized music production as we know it. However, despite its ubiquitous presence in the electronic music zeitgeist, its usage remains somewhat of a lost art in today’s dance music landscape. The Moogseum, located in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, was developed and launched in 2019 to educate music fans about the history of the seminal synth created by Robert Moog. It features an array of exhibits dedicated to Moog’s pioneering work, including a one-of-a-kind visualization dome that invites attendees to see how electricity translates into sound. Despite its initial success, howe...
TrueFire Studios to Offer World-Class EDM Production Tutorials After FaderPro Acquisition
The guitar lesson giant has entered the dance music space and will offer exclusive production courses with Mark Knight, UMEK, and more via FaderPro. TrueFire Studios, the leader in online guitar lessons, has acquired EDM’s top production tutorial database, FaderPro. The acquisition, announced today exclusively via EDM.com, makes TrueFire Studios the undisputed top destination for all things music education. TrueFire Studios has been offering lessons since 1991 and, with more than 600 prestigious educators and over one million users to date, has emerged as the preeminent service for musical education for guitarists. With such an illustrious reputation, it was naturally time for the company to expand. TrueFire Studios now grants users access to production lessons an...
Kill The Noise Used an AI Tool to Rework His Song “Salvation”: Listen to a Preview
The prescient producer sees value in AI-assisted music production. As artificial intelligence continues to play a major role in the music industry and tools become more accessible to artists, many prescient producers have harnessed its power to create and manipulate music. Kill The Noise, a polymath when it comes to the technical side of music production and synthesis, recently decided to plug one of his tracks into OpenAI‘s groundbreaking music tool, Jukebox. Jukebox is a neural network that uses machine learning to generate musical elements, including vocals, as raw audio to use in compositions. The program astonishingly went on to spit out new vox for Kill The Noise’s May 2019 single “Salvation,” a pulsating, Mija-assisted electronic tune tha...
Major Lazer is Performing a Groundbreaking Concert in Social VR for Oculus’ “Venues”
Major Lazer is on a mission to shatter the boundaries of music and VR. Thanks to the impact of COVID-19, the live music industry has mutated into a Frankenstein-like monster of drive-in shows, Black Mirror-esque bubble concerts, and quasi-legal raves. Since live music literally has nowhere to go, it has invaded the livestreaming and immersive tech fields, which have emerged as fortuitous bolt-holes as concert venues across the globe navigate the convoluted process of reopening. Ergo, artists and event promoters have been forced to adapt to a digital lifestyle in order to reach fans during a time when they are simply unable to connect via live music. Barnstorming, Latin Grammy Award-nominated dance music trio Major Lazer is the latest act to do so by testing the white-hot waters of th...
TrueFire to Offer World-Class EDM Production Tutorials After FaderPro Acquisition
The guitar lesson giant has entered the dance music space and will offer exclusive production courses with Mark Knight, UMEK, and more via FaderPro. TrueFire, the leader in online guitar lessons, has acquired EDM’s top production tutorial database, FaderPro. The acquisition, announced today exclusively via EDM.com, makes TrueFire the undisputed top destination for all things music education. TrueFire has been offering lessons since 1991 and, with more than 600 prestigious educators and over one million users to date, has emerged as the preeminent service for musical education for guitarists. With such an illustrious reputation, it was naturally time for the company to expand. TrueFire now grants users access to production lessons and tutorials by artists from electronic mus...
This New Device Beams Music Straight Into Your Head With No Physical Connection
A disruptive new listening device is anticipated to hit the market in 2021. A prototype device that could shape the future of listening to music has launched, and stunningly, it requires no physical connection. The Noveto Systems SoundBeamer has the ability to create a personalized sound bubble by broadcasting music directly into the listener’s head. That means no one around the user can hear the sounds beaming from the device. Understandably, the experience often leaves users in disbelief because, according to feedback from early demos, the sound feels as though it is occupying a complete 360° space. During a recent demo held by Product Manager Ayana Wallwater, one tester was playing a war game using the device, and all the while she was completely unable to hear th...
You Could Own Aphex Twin’s Yamaha CS-5 Analog Monosynth
The Yamaha—with the “Selected Ambient Works Volume II” liner notes etched by Aphex Twin—is up for auction on eBay. An incredible piece of Aphex Twin memorabilia is up for auction via eBay. Aphex Twin’s Yamaha CS-5 analog monosynth—the very same used in the production of his iconic Selected Ambient Works Volume II album—was purchased by an eBay user in 2006 at a Vemia auction in the United Kingdom. That user, telestatt, is now offering up what he refers to as “the ultimate holy grail of Aphex Twin memorabilia,” a one-of-a-kind synthesizer that has the Selected Ambient Works Volume II liner notes etched into the bottom of it. Those etchings were photographed and used for the album’s artwork. View the 4 images of this gallery on the original ...
Ableton 11 is Coming—With a Slew of Amazing New Features
Ableton’s latest incarnation looks to be the quintessential digital audio workstation. Ableton is perhaps the digital audio workstation (DAW) most preferred by producers around the globe. Its functionality and user-friendly features make it a top-of-the-line choice for those just entering the music production game and veteran producers alike. Now, Ableton seeks to set the bar even higher with its newest version. Ableton Live 11 will boast a slew of useful and innovative new features in addition to its already expansive breadth of utility. Among them is a feature that organizes individual takes of recordings into separate tracks, and allows the user to select the best sections of those takes, and splice them together to create a perfect recording. This feature will prove to be in...
Check Out the Custom Xbox Series X/S Consoles Gifted to Steve Aoki and Zedd
The gaming community is celebrating the release of the Xbox Series X/S today, November 10th. To market the release of the hotly anticipated fourth generation Xbox consoles, Microsoft decided to tap into the electronic music pool. Developers have gifted Steve Aoki and Zedd their own custom consoles, sending each one in a beautiful, specially packaged box. As part of the partnership, each artist is also hosting a giveaway. Zedd is giving away one signed controller and a six-month Ultimate Xbox Game Pass while Aoki is offering up the chance to win a signed controller to those who make a $5 donation to his Aoki Foundation. Aoki and Zedd are avid gamers, frequently streaming their endeavors on Twitch. Zedd is a diehard Valorant player and also recently took part in the Muscular Dystro...
These New Bionic Gloves Help Impaired Pianists Regain Mobility to Play
In Brazil, acclaimed pianist João Carlos Martins has regained his ability to play the piano, thanks to newly designed bionic gloves that have renewed his hand’s mobility. Created by Ubiratan Bizzaro, the gloves, dubbed the Bionic Extender Gloves, were made by a 3D printer, using rods to help pianists who have lost the use of their hands or fingers continually play the instrument. “To be able to use all ten fingers again more than 20 years later is a miracle for me at the age of 80,” Martins said. According to a recent study by the UK’s Youth Music and Take it away Consortium, disabled musicians face many barriers to music making and performing, including access to gear with specially designed accommodations. In fact, 63% of the music retailers who participated i...
