Andy Rocks Releases New Single, "Rock The Night Away"

Listen below: 

 

Steve Morse and ENGL Amplification Announce the New Steve Morse Signature 20-Watt Amp

ENGL Amplification, Germany’s leading manufacturer of tube electric guitar amplifiers since 1983, is
extremely proud to announce the launch of the Steve Morse Signature 20-Watt Amp, a compact yet
powerful amp designed to deliver the distinctive sound and versatility Morse is known for. This
collaboration marks the latest innovation in ENGL's lineup of premium guitar amplifiers, tailor-made
for one of rock's most influential guitarists.

 

A Legacy of Tone and Innovation
Steve Morse, celebrated for his work with Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs, and his own Steve Morse Band,
is a guitarist whose tone is instantly recognizable. Known for his technical prowess and versatile
playing style, Morse requires an amplifier that can match his dynamic range and deliver the rich,
expressive tones he demands. The Steve Morse Signature 20-Watt Amp embodies these qualities,
providing the perfect combination of power, tone, and portability.

Key Features of the Steve Morse Signature 20-Watt Amp:

• Two Versatile Channels: The amp offers both clean and overdrive channels, each designed

to provide a wide range of tones. From pristine cleans to crunchy overdrive and soaring leads, this amp can handle it all.

• Compact and Portable: Weighing in at just under 20pounds, the 20-watt amp is highly portable, making it ideal for gigging musicians who need a powerful, reliable amplifier in a compact package.

• Signature Steve Morse Styling: The amp features a custom design inspired by Steve Morse's

• signature aesthetics, complete with unique graphics and a distinctive blue LED glow.IR Loader via USB: Easily load custom impulse responses over USB for versatile cabinet

• emulations.Noise Gate: Integrated noise gate to minimize unwanted noise and feedback.

• MIDI Compatibility: Full MIDI functionality for seamless integration with other gear.

• Delay and Reverb Effects: High-quality built-in effects for enhanced tonal flexibility.

• Power Soak: Adjustable output power for versatile volume control, from stage to bedroom

levels.

A Word from Steve Morse:
"I'm incredibly excited about this new signature amp," says Steve Morse. "ENGL has done a fantastic
job capturing the essence of my tone in a portable, versatile amp. It’s perfect for everything from
rehearsals to recording to live shows. I think players are going to love it."

The Steve Morse Signature 20-Watt Amp is available now at select music retailers and online stores
worldwide.

Loco Disco Celebrates 3 Years

 

Loco Disco, the Orange County, California, underground dance movement lead by Rob Moskavi celebrated their 3rd year at the Yost Theater in downtown Santa Ana on May 10th, 2024. 

Colin James and Lightleak opened the night as they warmed the crowd. 

Community leaders such as Jessica of Phantasyflows showcased their flow arts. She is co-host of OC Day Flow, a monthly gathering of flow artists in Orange County. 

Rob and the legendary Nonfiction, former longtime resident of the local house music nights for Focus, graced the decks B2B. The crowd went wild and pulsating music filled the theater. 

Up next to close the night was none other than Offaiah who brought everyone's hands in the air and their feet kept moving.

Watch our recap video below: 

OC Parks Final Concert This Thursday Featuring "Jimmy Buffet" and "Kamaki Keawe"

OC Parks in Orange County, California will be hosting their final free concert for the community this Thursday, August 22nd at Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach. This fantastic summer concert series will close with a grand finally featuring performers, "Jimmy Buffet" and "Kamaki Keawe" on a beautiful sea-side stage by the beach. The event will begin at 5pm but early arrival is suggested. You can find more information at OCparks.com. 

Featured below: 

The FABBA Show at Bluff Park and Ozomatli at Mile Square Park. 

The FABBA Show

Ozomatli

Ozomatli

Universal Audio Releases the UAFX ANTI 1992 High Gain Amp

 

Universal Audio has released the UAFX ANTI 1992 High Gain Amp to allow musicians to obtain the same tones that define modern metal.

Get the sound of the 120‑watt tube behemoth that gave rise to aggressive guitar tones, combined with perfectly‑miked cabinets to unleash bone‑crushing riffs, searing leads, and crystalline cleans. 

Get the savage guitar tones of In Flames, Machine Head, Slipknot and countless Scandinavian metal bands at your feet*
 

Hear album‑ready sound with built‑in noise gate, TS‑style overdrive, and preamp boost.

Explore six classic mic/speaker pairings used on decades of iconic metal and hard rock records.

Play presets designed by Tetrarch, Jeff Loomis, and The Black Dahlia Murder in the UAFX app.

D'Angelico Guitars Releases The Deluxe Bobby Weir 3

 

Surf City / Hunting Breach Street Fair: Huntington Henry, Leslie Dawn, and Mark Sinatra

Every Tuesday in the summer, Huntington Beach California hosts a street fair just across the street from the pier which is composed of delicious food, marvelous vendors, and live music. We spotted Huntington Henry, Leslie Dawn, and Mark Sinatra performing on the corner and they tell us what they've been up to. Watch the video below:

Off The Grid Campout Line-up

The lineup is here! This is an event you don't want to miss: 

The Aquabats Release "Let’s Go Live In A Cave!" Music Video Today

 Watch The Aquabats new music video below:

It's Make Music Day!

Today is Make Music Day! Created by the NAMM Foundation, Make Music Day is a worldwide event gathering people from everywhere to make and play music together and listen to remarkable sounds all day and into the night! You can see a schedule of events here and how to attend or be involved: 

https://makemusicday.org/

Complimentary Ivory 3 Presets And Tutorial From Geoffrey Gee

Geoffrey Gee made a remarkable tutorial for Ivory 3 from Synthogy a few months ago and now he is giving away the amazing presets he used for free!

If you don't own Ivory 3 yet, go here.

See Geoffrey Gee's tutorial below: 

Charlie Puth Has Released "Hero"

Listen below:

 

Pond Finishes Their Tour with 26fix

Pond, the Australian psychedelic rock band from Perth, Western Australia finished their tour at the Observatory in Southern California. 26fix began the night as an amazing opener. They shared their love for Pond and how grateful they were to be on tour with them. At one point, Matthew did an Australian accent for the crowd. Pond entered the stage and putting everything into this final performance. Crowd surfing was not absent as the fans roared with excitement. Front man Nick Allbrook, former touring member of Tame Impala, even did a very unique silent surf upon a break in their playlist. Pond has an expected release this year on June 21st called, "Stung!" to be released by Spinning Top making this their 10th album which you won't want to miss. One of their songs has already made an early release as a teaser. Watch the music video below:

iZotope announces RX 11 audio software

iZotope, a part of Native Instruments, announced RX 11, the latest version of Hollywood’s favorite toolkit for intelligent audio repair. Featuring a powerful standalone editor and a full suite of plugins, RX 11 solves unsolvable problems for audio post production, music, and content creation. Infused with state-of-the-art machine learning technology, RX 11 adds new tools and improves beloved modules to help you handle everything from common audio problems, to the trickiest of sonic rescues.

Dale Becker shares how he used RX 11 to master Billie Eilish’s new record, Hit Me Hard and Soft: 

 

What does iZotope RX do?

RX combines the power of visual-based spectral editing with purpose-built tools for fixing and polishing audio. With the RX Spectrogram, you can visually target specific issues like unwanted reverb, clicks, clipping, hum, and background noise with tailored repair modules. Plus, to get great results fast, the next generation of RX’s Repair Assistant intelligently recognizes and addresses specific problems, which can be adjusted with easy-to-use dials.

 

What’s new in iZotope RX 11?

RX 11 comes in three tiers—Elements, Standards, and Advanced. Each offers new features to help you deliver the highest-quality audio.

Loudness Optimize [Standard, Advanced]
Get the most out of your masters with the new Loudness Optimize module, an unprecedented approach for controlling the LUFS algorithm to maximize your music’s perceived loudness for streaming platforms. A smart Learn function analyzes every opportunity to optimize your song to sound its loudest and best.

Streaming Preview [Standard, Advanced]
The new Streaming Preview module lets you hear how different services like Spotify, Apple Music, etc, will adjust your music, so there are no surprises after release.

Music Rebalance [Standard, Advanced]
A new, cutting-edge neural network allows you to easily create instrumentals and vocal stems from a full mix, prep for a remix, or make changes when you don’t have access to the stems.

Repair Assistant Elements [Standard, Advanced]
The next generation of Repair Assistant includes upgraded machine learning for improved quality and speed, and additional controls for more flexibility.

Mid/Side mode [Standard, Advanced]
Visualize and manipulate the center and side components of your audio in the RX app, so you can apply processing from any module to the center and side components of audio, separately. This opens up greater flexibility for repair tasks, making it possible to address issues only present in the mid channel or just the sides individually.

Dialogue Contour [Advanced only]
The new Formant and Variation controls let you adjust the characterand expressivity of a voice, ensuring your dialogue edits are delivered seamlessly, no matter how many takes are stitched together.

Spectral Editor ARA [Standard, Advanced]
Use the spectrogram to find and fix issues without ever leaving your DAW. Spectral Editor now includes Gain, De-click, and De-hum processing, along with Spectral Repair. Currently available for Apple Logic Pro (in Rosetta mode) with additional host support coming in a free update this summer.

Audio Devices Refresh [Standard, Advanced]
Quickly refresh audio devices in Preferences, without restarting the RX app.

Native Instruments Releases Glaze 2 Vocal Instrument

Enhance your tracks with instant vocal riffs, talkbox vibes, and rich textures – perfect for pop, hip hop, and R&B productions

 

Berlin, May 2, 2024 – Native Instruments released Glaze 2, a next-gen pop and hip-hop vocal instrument that offers lush vocal harmonies, textures, and chord progressions at the touch of a key.

As the follow-up to one of NI’s most-loved instruments, Glaze 2 brings modern vocal heat straight to your studio. Now featuring even more voices and the slick sounds of the talkbox, Glaze 2 brings the flair you need to set your tracks apart with smooth vocal pads, and brilliant riffs, runs, and hooks.

Glaze 2 was crafted in collaboration with Curtis 'Sauce' Wilson and Rochad Holiday – engineers behind the sounds of Ne-Yo, Ariana Grande, Will Smith, and Dr Dre. The samples were recorded with a diverse range of live vocalists, providing a variety of inspiring options for everything from polished pop to edgy hip hop. 

With Glaze 2, you can play, twist, and tweak your way to unique vocal vibes that hit just right.

Glaze 2 at a glance

• Pop and hip hop vocal instrument featuring a new talkbox mode and special chord presets for gleaming textures and pads
• Unlock instant, complex harmonies with over 30 custom chord sets and background vocals mapped to keys
• 150 presets with an extensive range of vocal sounds and custom Kontakt effects macros

Pricing and Availability 

Glaze 2 is available from Native Instruments and select retailers.

pricing:
$49 / €49 / £29 / JPY 7300 / AUD 79 / CAD 69 / CHF 49 / CNY ¥349

 

"Digging" Panel Discussion by DMI

Dance Music Initiative hosted a panel discussion on the art of, "Digging" for music as a DJ. Watch the video below to find some great tips for finding music!

Zombie Hunger - Horror Doom Metal from Melbourne Australia

Zombie Hunger is inspired by classic horror films and literature, and all the greats of metal and doom, including Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Trouble and Reverend Bizarre. 

The ZOMBIE HUNGER disease began with founding members, Patient Zero and Coffin Queen, on FRIDAY the 13th, August 2021. Soon after, Graveborn, Wormfeast and Skineater were brought into the horde, but the low availability of brains during covid forced us to lay low and bide our time… But, once the streets and music venues were full again, we were finally unleashed! 

Since 2022 they have played many gigs across Melbourne, including two DOOM in JUNE festivals, and the upcoming SUNBURN FESTIVAL in Canberra. From the beginning we have made a name for ourselves for delivering entertaining, ghoulish, high energy performances.

Their debut album - ZOMBIE HUNGER - released on March 22nd, 2024. The album is available for purchase on Bandcamp, along with all the usual streaming places. A short-run cd release will be sold on Bandcamp, too, for our fellow physical media maniacs!

New Release by Machinekit

Southern California based techno-punk outfit Machinekit returns with their latest track, "ANTIPATHY,” out now. Working alongside Producer Joseph Nova, Machinekit recalibrates their aggressive electronic-punk sound with fucked-up mood swings and penetrative instrumentation. With the tempo lowered a few notches from the four-on-the-floor stomps or the driving noise-rock outbursts that the band often offers, the emphasis is on a chillingly tense electro groove that percolates through the delicate verses and explodes in the deafening choruses. The vocals croon, coax, swirl, and shout atop a head-nodding concoction of electronics, percussion (both computerized and analog), and a real earworm of a heavy main riff. Bass played by Miko Miko. The single includes three versions: an original raw demo; a remix from Engineer and Producer Matt Miller, and the final version with Joseph Nova. This three-part single is a representation of the evolution of the track from inception to final product.

ANTIPATHY was engineered and originally produced by John Rojas at MachineHouse Audio. However, for the single, Rojas co-wrote and mixed the track with Joseph Nova. The single and demo track were both mastered by Sam Berdah at The Wall Studio. The track was then remixed by Matt Miller and mastered by Justin Weis at Trakwork Studio.

Artwork by William and Jaydee Buege at Wire Mark Design. Photo by 6ri Ramriez.

Founded by frontman, multi-instrumentalist John Rojas (La Bella , Brainfreeze, Badmouth) and William Buege (Brainfreeze), MACHINEKIT started in 2018. After periodically hibernating and writing two EPs, drummer Ryan Janke (Fun Game) joined in 2019 and became an integral member that would eventually help write their 2nd LP, I AM JACK’S LONELY HEART CLUB BAND (2022). Within the year, the band would experience more tumultuous times and undergo another line up change. During these hard times, MK toured with SHUT EYE, where guitar player Alexander Gillen and Bassist Jeremey Trujeque played for them. Their immediate connection proved to be irrevocably strong that after tour they continued playing together and eventually joining the band. Now, MK is new all over again. The quintet is a different energy, a different style, and a different animal that will continue to bring an agglomeration of chaos. 

Acquire release: https://machinekit.bandcamp.com/album/antipathy

 

Jacob Collier partners with Native Instruments to create a free choir instrument for everyone

 

Berlin, February 29, 2024 – Native Instruments today announced the Jacob Collier Audience Choir instrument to celebrate the launch of Collier’s new album, Djesse. Vol 4. 

Known for his genre-bending musical style and mastery of technology, six-time GRAMMY winner Jacob Collier rose to worldwide fame for his innovative live performances, where he "Conducts his audience like a choir", bringing together thousands of unique voices to create a one-of-a-kind improvised moment. Collier has taken this experience a step further, by partnering with Native Instruments to turn the voices of his audience into a free software instrument. 

Now anyone can experience what only Collier himself has up to now: playing his audience choir like an instrument, and adding a chorus of real-life voices from across the globe to any song. This new Kontakt instrument features moments from 22 different live shows – perfectly captured by Shure microphones – and is featured throughout Jacob Collier’s new album, Djesse Vol. 4. 

Key features

• Add motion and blend between vowel types using the Vowel Morph Pad. Choose from pre-designed presets or record your own movements for evolving choir arrangements
• Introduce unique percussion to your tracks with stomps, claps, and snaps recorded from the audience at each venue
• Customize your sound with built-in effects and controls, including delay, reverb, timbre, and stereo width
• Use the chord generator for instant harmony, or effortlessly blend between pre-built triads using the Triad Blend.

Get the sound of a real choir, with controls for different articulations, harmonies, and spaces. Or, find a new texture for your music with a subtle background chorus. 

Cathedral Bells, Haunt Me, and midi Memory live in Pomona

The dimly lit venue buzzed with anticipation as music enthusiasts gathered at The Haven in Pomona. The air was thick with excitement, and the promise of an unforgettable night hung in the atmosphere. On December 8, 2023, three remarkable bands took the stage, weaving melodies that would resonate long after the final chord faded away.

First up was Midi Memory who kicked off the evening, also lead singer of Cathedral Bells, known for his fusion of electronic beats and nostalgic melodies. His live performance was a sensory journey—a symphony of synths, drum machines, and heartfelt lyrics. The crowd danced freely, lost in the hypnotic rhythms.

Next up was Haunt Me with their hauntingly beautiful soundscapes. Their dreamy vocals and ethereal guitar riffs transported the audience to distant realms. As the crowd swayed to their music, it was evident that Haunt Me had cast a spell upon us.

And then, the moment we’d been waiting for: Cathedral Bells took the stage. Their shoegaze-infused indie rock enveloped us like a warm embrace. Lead singer Matthew Messore’s voice soared, echoing through the room. The crowd swayed, eyes closed, lost in the reverberating chords.

The Haven, with its intimate setting, allowed fans to connect with the artists on a personal level. Conversations flowed, friendships formed, and memories etched into our hearts. The dimly lit space became a sanctuary—a haven for music lovers.

The live show at The Haven was more than just music; it was an experience. Haunt Me, Midi Memory, and Cathedral Bells wove a tapestry of emotions, leaving us with a sense of wonder. As we stepped out into the cool Pomona night, we carried their melodies with us, forever etched in our souls.

 

 

Did you attend the show? Share your thoughts in the comments below! And stay tuned for more music adventures.

NAMM 2024

 

The winter NAMM Show is now back on track beginning the show in January after a few scheduling adjustments the previous years due to COVID-19. This year also begins with a new CEO and President, John Mlynczak, after Joe Lamond retired from his 21 years of leadership and tickets to the show are now open to the public. It is now the only annual global music industry trade show after Musikmesse ceased to exist in 2019.

It began with the traditional morning NAMM U Breakfast Session with many more events to follow including the MusicCares Safe Harbor Morning Meeting that provides 12-step support meetings and fellowship. The Women of NAMM also had a meetup for first-time attendees. Clean energy was a big topic for stages, audio, video, and lighting systems. Discussions on marketing popped up throughout the event on how to go from connections to clients on Instagram and creating content that the TikTok algorithm favors. Workshops on mixing and mastering were discussed as well as many other fantastic events. 

Thursday night had a magical ending with Stevie Wonder, the official mayor of NAMM, making a special appearance with Take 6 at the Yamaha Grand Plaza stage. The adjacent hotels, Hilton and Marriott, also had live performances all day and late into the night some of which included Eden and Thomas Claxton and the Seventh Realm All-Star Band. 

 

 

 

 

Stevie Wonder performing

Thomas Claxton and the Seventh Realm All-Star Band

Thomas Claxton and the Seventh Realm All-Star Band

The band Eden performing

Stevie Wonder performing

Take 6

Dr Freeclouds Record Store Celebrates 29 Years

Dr Freeclouds, located in Huntington Beach, California, celebrated 29 years in business on December 10, 2023. After sailing through the turbulence of music sales over the years, and being forced to change locations, they now remain in the same city just a few blocks away with the sale of vinyl now on the rise and are proud to be the, "Last Record Store Standing est. 1994"! In this celebration the performers included: 

• Ron D Core
• Remo 
• Thee-O
  
• Reel-Tech
• Scott Whitaker
• DJ Krylon
• Binz
  

See our recap video of the 29th anniversary below.

Go here to see their 20 year anniversary with Ron D Core, Remo, DJ Nickel, Frankie Bones, DJ Dan, Marcel Videla, Mr. Koolaid, DPSM, and many more!

Don't miss their 30th coming up in 2024!

ArroyoFest

ArroyoFest was revived on October 29th, 2023 by organizer Wes Reutimann of Active San Gabriel Valley, after a 20 year hiatus. A historic stretch of the 110 freeway spanning 7 miles was closed along the Arroyo Seco Parkway allowing only pedestrians, bikers, skaters, scooters, and other people-powered transportation to explore the freeway without cars. As pedestrians ran and walked on one side of the freeway, the other was filled with bicyclists and one particular piano player, David Cutter. He was performing with a sign leaned next to his instrument: "Pasadena Piano Institute. A small school of piano teams for students." Also spotted was Nathan Bowers, a designer of microphones currently creating for Ohma World, specializing in creating custom modular ribbon microphones. 

As travelers continued down their car-free path, other live music, food trucks, activity hubs, and cultural exhibits could be seen. Musicians from the bands of 3peaceX and Kindred Spirits were some of the other performing acts. ~45000 attended, some of which participated in the runners marathon. 

It was quite the event for a short period of time as it began at 7am and closed at 11am in Los Angeles, California. 

 

Watch our video recap below:

DataMind Audio Has Relased The Combobulator AI Plugin

The Combobulator is a style-transfer AI audio plugin providing Real-Time Neural Audio Synthesis in your DAW, the ability to input any audio signal, the timbre is recreated with AI trained on artist-created datasets, is artist-Powered: trained on audio by the world’s top sound designers / music producers, ethically-Sourced AI: Artists are paid for every Artist Brain you purchase, modern Synthesis Workflow for exploring Latent Space in an Artist Brain, and sounds are 100% generated by neural networks, no samples included. Watch the video below:

Native Instruments Releases iZotope VEA

 

Berlin, January 17, 2024 – Native Instruments today announced iZotope VEA, a new AI-powered Voice Enhancement Assistant for podcasters and content creators. VEA features AI technology that listens first, then enhances audio so creators can feel more confident with their voice and deliver better sounding content. VEA increases clarity, sets more consistent levels, and reduces background noise on any voice recording.  “Many people don’t love the sound of their voice when listening back to a recording,” explains Todd Baker, VP Product at Native Instruments. “VEA quickly polishes your vocal sound so you can feel more confident as a host or narrator. VEA is also easy to use even if you haven’t worked with audio tools before, so you can spend more time focusing on what you want to say, not on how you sound.”  For people that are new to audio production, VEA features three simple controls that are intelligently set by iZotope’s AI technology. Those that are more familiar with editing vocal recordings will find a new way to finish productions quickly by consolidating their effects chains and saving on CPU.  Key features:  The Shape control ensures audio sounds professional and audience-ready, without having to worry about an EQ. Shape is tailored to each voice, and matches the sound of top creators or podcasts with the free iZotope Audiolens tool. The Boost control adds loudness and compression as it’s turned up. Easily boost the presence and power of voice recordings without spending time struggling with settings. Boost delivers a smooth and even sound to speech for a more engaging listening experience. The Clean control takes background noise out of the spotlight so every voice can shine. VEA learns the noise in the room automatically and preserves speech for light, transparent noise reduction.

VEA works as a plugin within major digital audio workstations (DAWs) and non-linear editors (NLEs). For a list of officially supported hosts, see the System Requirements at www.izotope.com/vea.

Pricing and availability 
Starting today, VEA is available from https://www.izotope.com and select retailers.

VEA pricing:
$29 / €29 / £29 / JPY 4200 / AUD 45 / CAD 39 / CHF 29 / CNY ¥199