GEAR + TECH
Watch Diplo Make a Beat Using His Tesla
From self-driving to generating wet fart noises in “fart mode,” Teslas really can do it all. They can even be used to produce music. Diplo shared a video today in which he makes a beat from scratch—with his Tesla. Using nothing but his car’s dashboard, he recreated the beat of “New Love,” his new Silk City single with Mark Ronson and Ellie Goulding. What is this sorcery, you ask? It looks like Diplo used a program called TRAX, a digital audio workstation (DAW) offered by Tesla in one of the company’s recent vehicular software updates. The in-car music studio had been available to owners in late 2019, but it has now been enhanced with expanded capabilities. While TRAX is much more limited than industry-standard DAWs like Ableton a...
The layering system: how to layer clothing for the outdoors
Now that spring is finally on the horizon, we’ve updated our guide to the layering system and how best to adapt your clothing to suit any outdoor condition Springtime is almost upon us and with it come the capricious weather conditions that define the season. Mark Twain once said, “In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” Here in the UK, spring weather so often described as “mixed” or “unpredictable” essentially includes anything from perfect hillwalking conditions with blue skies, sunshine and a cooling breeze to treacherous conditions laden with mud, stormy skies and gale-force winds. As I prepare for my first expeditions of the year, I’ll be using the following layering system, a tried-and-tested method fo...
Check Out Kygo’s New Noise-Cancelling A11/800 Headphones
“They’re brilliant for blocking out any unwanted distractions while I’m traveling on tour.” Chart-topping dance music star Kygo has released a new line of over-ear headphones. Combining his passion for sound quality and all things music, the famed producer has teamed up with some of the industry’s top engineers to build the X by Kygo line. The A11/800 over-ear headphones are a noise-cancelling delight. Working in conjunction with the Kygo Sound app, the headphones have the ability to equalize and let the user control how much ambient noise is blocked. A clever “awareness mode” cancels ambient noise at 50% while amplifying voices, so there’s no need to worry about removing the headphones when listening to somebody speak. As ...
Roland’s Verselab MV-1 Allows Producers to Create Complete Songs Without a Laptop
Roland‘s latest offering is a game-changer for music production, a powerful instrument encompassing a groove box, vocal processor, and sampler in one device. Best of all, it enables music producers to create an entire song in under ten minutes—no laptop required. The architects of the iconic TR-808 drum machine have another cutting edge product on their hands, a standalone music studio that conveniently aims to do it all. The instrument arrives with 3,000 sounds preloaded, but an endless supply remains at producers’ fingertips via Roland Cloud. Melody writing is made easy with key quantization and variety is oftentimes a button push away, allowing producers to easily add arpeggiation, pitch bend, and much more. The device’s song mode keeps organization easy, al...
COVID-19 Conspiracy Theorists Spread “5G Chip” Image—But it’s Really a Diagram of a Guitar Pedal’s Electrical Circuit
If you’re looking for safety during the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously stuffing the heaviest, djentiest guitar chugs directly into your bloodstream, you’re in luck. Apparently, the new COVID-19 vaccine has a Boss Metal Zone guitar pedal inside it, ensuring that everyone who receives the vaccination will not only be protected against the virus, but also instantly become metal as f**k. In truth, recent reports indicate that some coronavirus conspiracy theorists believe the vaccine injection was created merely as a vessel to implant a “5G chip” into the unsuspecting populace’s bodies and track their every movement. As we all know, any image on the Internet, especially top secret governati documents that say “confidential” in bold&nb...
Here’s a Free Pack of 80’s-Inspired Synthwave Drum Samples
It’s no secret that synthwave has erupted in popularity in recent years. The genre has escaped the handcuffs of its confines in sci-fi soundtracks and video games, breaking into the mainstream with a synth-laden vengeance. To lend a hand to the growing number of electronic music producers taking on synthwave, BVKER has released an expansive sound pack of retro-inspired drum machine samples. The bundle is a goldmine for beatmakers looking for drums to level up their vaporwave jams and create that nostalgic 80s feel. It contains over 100 samples, including punchy kicks, reverbed snares, and toms to craft those classic fills. All of the samples in BVKER’s new “Aesthetic” pack are 24-bit, 44.1kHz and—most importantly—royalty-free so produce...
Stranger Things Composer Michael Stein Launches Music Production Tool Service
Music producers and fans of the dreamy, atmospheric synth work of the popular series Stranger Things will be delighted to learn that the mind behind its award-winning music, Michael Stein, has compiled his sounds into a new production service for the Ableton and Logic Pro digital workstations. The Protovault is a collaborative effort between Stein and producer Protovolt that was custom-designed from the musicians’ stunning vintage synths for use in music production. Three different series of The Protovault will be rotated on a monthly basis, with each collection only available for 30 days. Instead of genres of music, the series is centered around cinematic themes, the first of which focuses on classic action films of the 1980s. 25 multi-sampled instrume...
Here is a Sassy AI Bot That Roasts Your Taste in Music
You may think you know the best new tracks and artists, but you don’t, according to a new artificial intelligence bot that roasts your taste in music. The program, developed by digital publication The Pudding, is essentially the de facto nemesis of Spotify’s “Wrapped” programming. Once you log in, the sassy AI bot crawls your Spotify listening habits and goes on to trash them in an absolutely hysterical manner. Apparently I listen to plenty of EDM—and Louis The Child—something that the bot found cringey. The bot then invited me to play a classic game of “fuck, marry, kill,” coaxing me into a siren song that eventually led to my picks being shredded. It eventually went in for the kill with this jab, which called my taste in music “nice-guys-fi...
EDM Gift Ideas for the Last Minute Holiday Shopper
Christmas is right around the corner, and if you’re still in need of a gift idea for the raver in your friend circle or family, you’re in luck. Whether they’re a shuffler, an aspiring artist, or just casual dance music listeners, here are our last minute picks if you need a great gift in record time. Animal Spirit Hood – $23 Avicii Invector Game – $15 Customizable LED Glasses – $69 Numark DJ Controller – $119 LED Flashing Gloves – $12 LED Face Mask – $29 JBL Portable, Waterproof Speaker – $99 Folding Rave Hand Fan – $22 Electro Threads Graphic Hoodie – $75 LED High Top Shoes – $35 What gifts are you buying the dance music fan in your life? Let us know on social media.
Spotify “Spoken Words Analyzer” Patent Approved, Will Use AI to Analyze Song Lyrics
Spotify has successfully patented a “Spoken Word Analyzer” feature, which will allow the platform to make determinations about a song’s lyrical content through the power of AI. The streaming giant filed the patent, which was ultimately approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office this week, in late August 2020. The patent describes a feature that would automatically assign a set of tags to songs based on their lyrics. The utility of such a feature will allow Spotify to categorize songs based on their explicitness, mood, and even qualities such as danceability and energy levels, among other criteria. Tracks have historically had their tags assigned based on user input, but the system Spotify proposes would seek to standardize and auto...
Visual Artist for Skrillex, Zedd Sells Digital Art Collection for $777,777
Beeple, one of the most prolific visual graphics artists in dance music, has sold a collection of digital artworks for an astounding $777,777 via auction. If you don’t know Beeple by name, there’s still a good chance you’ve seen his work at a dance music show. The designer has worked with the upper echelon of music producers including Skrillex, Zedd, deadmau5, and many more to develop mind-bending visuals and artwork. Over the weekend, numerous artwork auctions from the designer were hosted via Nifty Gateway, a budding marketplace for digital assets. With the advent of blockchain technology, true ownership of digital assets (referred to as “nifties” on the platform) is now a possibility. Participants bid on a variety of singular prints from Beeple, many ...
Here’s How to Upload Custom Spotify Playlist Covers from Your Phone
Those who pride themselves on their playlist-making abilities now have one more tool in their arsenal. You can now accompany the hand-picked Spotify selections chosen by your masterful ear with a custom playlist cover to help tie the experience together. While this feature has been available on desktop for quite some time, it hadn’t been included in the mobile version of the app, for some head-scratching reason. Luckily, the process to upload a custom playlist cover from your mobile device is incredibly simple and as easy as changing the wallpaper on your phone. Kapwing Check out the step-by-step instructions below to add some visual flair to your playlists on Spotify. How to Upload Custom Spotify playlist covers on your phone Open the playlist you would like to add a custom cover to...
