Music

There are a number of new effects and instruments in Cubase 15, plus a new pattern sequencer and a revamped Expression Maps system for creating natural-sounding performances. Stem separation for extracting drums or basslines is already available in other DAWs, but it will still be a welcome addition. One of the more interesting features is the beta release of Omnivocal, a powerful vocal synthesizer that appears to be built around the tech behind Hatsune Miku.

There’s a new trailer for director Antoine Fuqua’s Michael (Jackson) biopic starring Jackson’s nephew Jafaar in the titular role.

The company’s new All-in-One artist subscription gives creators 100 percent of their distribution royalties, regardless of whether that money is coming from TikTok, Spotify, or Apple Music. The plan also includes a fee-free support button so fans can contribute directly to their favorite artists, on-demand vinyl pressing, and support for merch stores.

Open one of the the Rainy, Sunny, or Snowy Day themed playlists for the Animal Crossing: New Horizons soundtrack on the Nintendo Music app and you’ll now find a new “Play hourly tracks” button. Pressing it will automatically play the hourly track that correlates to your current time of day.

The company partnered with Laced Records for the release which is available for preorder as an 8LP boxed set featuring 130 tracks for $180, or a more affordable double-LP set with 34 tracks for $40. They’re expected to ship in June 2026 and will be one of Nintendo’s first major vinyl soundtrack releases outside Japan.

Browsing through the auction is like a trip through a museum. There are iconic drum machines like the Roland TR-606, legendary synths like the Synthi A (mislabeled as an AKS), and rare vocoders, including the Sennheiser VSM-201. There are also pieces of high-end studio equipment, suits, lots of flutes, and... a dentist’s chair? You can place bids online now, but Julien’s will run the auction live on November 19th, starting at 11AM ET.

Older songs will now drop off the Hot 100 faster once they fall below a certain threshold. NPR notes that 10 songs are getting the boot due to the new rules, including Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which came out in 2023.

To say that Omnisphere is a big deal would be an understatement. It’s been used on tracks by Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk, and even Hans Zimmer has put it to work in his scores.

A six-part documentary and Final Show concert film showcasing Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour are coming to Disney Plus on December 12th, featuring guest appearances from Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, and Florence Welch. The recent Disney price hikes might be a small price to pay for Swifties who missed out on the tour itself.

Judge Jeannette A. Vargas dismissed Drake’s defamation claim against Kendrick Lamar for “Not Like Us,” a song that “contains lyrics explicitly accusing Drake of being a pedophile, set to a catchy beat and propulsive bassline,” she writes in her opinion. Not only does no one think of rap beefs as being strictly truth-telling, Drake explicitly asked Lamar to do it in “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Vargas notes. I recommend reading the whole thing — Vargas clearly had a good time writing it, especially that footnote about Millie Bobby Brown.

Terrestrial radio might seem like a relic of a bygone era, but it’s actually enjoying a bit of a resurgence with the younger generations. Driven by a combination of analog nostalgia and algorithm fatigue, Gen Z is flocking to college radio stations to find new music and build community.

All proceeds go directly to the artist. Bandcamp started skipping its cut on the first Friday of the month in 2020, and it’s turned into something of a tradition.

The birthday is on Sunday, October 5th, but “the original licenses for the core soundtrack are expiring,” a Harmonix employee said in the Rock Band Discord. DLC songs will also be delisted when they are 10 years old. Anything you own will remain in your library.

TE’s EP-133 KO II sampler already has one spinoff in the EP-1320 Medieval, now a Reddit post shows what appears to be a reggae version called the Riddim Supertone, which might be the EP-2350 teased last month. Also pictured is a Ting FX microphone and a two-channel mixer.

Last year, the Archive lost an appeal in its ebook lending case, and now it has settled the lawsuit over its Great 78 Project: