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Articles by Garling Wu
VocAlign 7: Syncing vocals has never been easier
Ad feature with Synchro Arts Nothing is more essential to a song than the vocals. Whatever the genre or style, a top-notch vocal production can mean the difference between an award-winning earworm and a high-fidelity flop. So, when it’s time to double track some vocals, stack up harmonies, or tighten the background vocals, a generation of producers have turned to one hyper-specialised plugin: VocAlign.
Guilt-Free AI: These 6 AI music tools actually pay the artists behind them
AI should be exciting. In a shockingly short amount of time, this tech has spawned new tools, techniques, sounds, and workflows. But despite all the creative potential this opens up, some of the world’s biggest AI companies have managed to turn what could be a positive into a queasy negative. With an amoral ‘sucks to be you’ ethos and dubious legal justifications, the sum of all human-made music has been inhaled by the algorithms and belched back at us.
Vibe coding has come for music plugins – are we witnessing a revolution?
“AI works so well that now our internal sound designers can build products in two days that would have taken our entire dev team a whole year. It’s unbelievable.” Casey Kolb, CEO of Lunacy Audio, had no plans to use AI in the company’s forthcoming plugin release. But while most of the music industry has been focused on deepfakes and full song generators, in the last six months something arguably even more impactful is happening in the world of music software.
Neutone and Roland want you to design your own AI model — and play it live
“If we could create tools and instruments that lead to the emergence of a new music genre, that would be incredible. We want to empower artists to be able to have the tools to do that.” This is the dream of Neutone’s co-founder, Andrew Fyfe. As a musician himself, he’s taken an unlikely path from touring in a Glasgow band to engineering ‘neural sampling’ in Tokyo.
Neutone and Roland want you to design your own AI model — and play it live
“If we could create tools and instruments that lead to the emergence of a new music genre, that would be incredible. We want to empower artists to be able to have the tools to do that.” This is the dream of Neutone’s co-founder, Andrew Fyfe. As a musician himself, he’s taken an unlikely path from touring in a Glasgow band to engineering ‘neural sampling’ in Tokyo.
ACE Studio 2 review: Next-gen AI features, stone age workflows
With an AI-centric workflow, this DAW aspires to be your all-in-one solution for generative audio. But does it inspire creative results? When you purchase through affiliate links on MusicTech.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn more ACE Studio 2.0 interface.
Thephonoloop Outlines review: Much more than a paint-by-numbers granulator
When you purchase through affiliate links on MusicTech.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn more Featured Deal Enhance your music with Free Samples from BandLab Sounds View With twin granular engines and a dynamite sound library, this workflow-focused instrument is my new favourite When you purchase through affiliate links on MusicTech.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn more Thephonoloop Outlines.
Listen to the Australian Art Music playlist: June 2026 – Home and Away
Welcome to the Australian Art Music playlist! A monthly playlist of classical, jazz, experimental and electronic music focused on contemporary Australian composers, musicians and sound artists. Musicians need support to keep creating the music you love. So, moving forward I’ll be hosting the playlist on Bandcamp and BuyMusic.Club where you can listen to and buy digital or physical copies of your favourites each month.
Imagine Plugins is changing who gets to make plugins
How much would you pay to have your own signature plugin? One that you’ve built yourself, loads flawlessly in a DAW, and has the look and quality of any other plugin in your library. Traditional plugin development would price that in the ballpark of tens of thousands of dollars – but what if you could pay just $1,000 instead? That’s the pitch from Imagine Plugins.
Imagine Plugins is changing who gets to make plugins
How much would you pay to have your own signature plugin? One that you’ve built yourself, loads flawlessly in a DAW, and has the look and quality of any other plugin in your library. Traditional plugin development would price that in the ballpark of tens of thousands of dollars – but what if you could pay just $1,000 instead? That’s the pitch from Imagine Plugins, which launched in May 2026.
I broke up with Spotify - it was hard work with a huge payoff
I’ve been ready to leave Spotify for years, but like a bad relationship, I limped onto my subscription for far too long before finally calling it quits. For me, the signal to finally abandon ship came with the recent wave of artists pulling their music off the platform in a boycott of founder Daniel Ek’s odious investments in AI weaponry. I took the leap. I broke up with the troubled platform.
Why Sequential’s Fourm has a whole new mode of expression
“It’s not a toy; it’s a serious, pro-level instrument, just in a smaller form factor. No pun intended.” That’s Sequential product designer Carson Day assuring me that the brand’s latest synthesizer, Fourm, is ready for the big time.
Daniel Ek just stepped down as CEO of Spotify - now what?
After nearly two decades running the world’s largest music streaming platform, Daniel Ek is stepping down as CEO of Spotify and into Executive Chairman. The move comes at a time when Ek has increasingly become a pimple on the face of Spotify, with his flippant comments about the music industry and morally questionable investments provoking an artist backlash that now seems to be snowballing into an avalanche.
Fake artists, real opportunities: Hoaxes and scams are holding back the potential of AI music
It started with a rising country band that hit 576,000 monthly listeners on Spotify for their debut album. The four handsome cowboys had an air of nostalgia about them, and a perfect collection of star-quality names too; Gabe Farrow, Lennie West, Milo Rains, and Orion “Rio” Del Mar. The only thing stopping their meteoric rise was a lack of physical existence — none of these guys were real. By now, we all know the story of Velvet Sundown, a band that was revealed to be a complete AI fiction.
FL Studio 2025, as reviewed by a Logic Pro user
For almost as long as I’ve been alive, FL Studio has been a mainstay of music production, but as a Logic Pro user, I’ve always thought of ‘Fruity Loops’ as the scrappy cousin of the DAW family. With the arrival of the 2025 update, now seems like the perfect time to switch over and check out what’s on offer. With headphones on and coffee in hand, I dive in to find out why this venerable DAW has stood the test of time.
How Drops by Colossal makes it easier than ever for producers to earn from their beats
Ad feature with Colossal Drops is a slick new tool by Colossal that promises to help producers get their beats directly into the hands of artists. By folding in licensing, payments and file transfer into a single shareable web link, they’ve managed to simplify selling your beats into a process that is “frictionless, beautiful and optimised to boost sales”, says founder Paul Anthony. To test this, I jumped onto the Drops platform to see how long it would take to get started.
What does the DEI rollback mean for the music technology industry?
“Don’t Give Up On Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”. That’s the proud and defiant message Spotify posted on its HR blog in 2023. Two years later, the term ‘DEI’ has soured. Spooked by the Trump administration’s ‘war on wokeness’, many leading companies are deleting policies aimed at creating a fairer workplace. So, should we in the music industry be worried about similar rollbacks?
“At $99, this endearing plugin could easily become a firm favourite”: Wavea Flite review
$99 for Creator version / free player version available, wavea.co Upon opening Wavea’s Flite plugin in your DAW, you will lay eyes on a pink and purple amorphous arm, the backdrop to Flite’s beautiful and minimalist plugin design. But is there more here than eye candy? The answer comes quickly; beneath the slick exterior, Flite is a powerful hybrid multi-sampler and synth with a lot to give.
How to blend synths and a string orchestra with Ólafur Arnalds and Spitfire Audio’s Cells
Ad feature with Spitfire Audio Working alongside its frequent collaborator — the Emmy- and Grammy-nominated Icelandic composer and producer, Ólafur Arnalds — Spitfire Audio has produced a library that expertly straddles synthesis and string orchestra to produce evocative hybrids. The sounds are undeniably gorgeous, but it’s Cells’s ability to generate musical variation that will do wonders for your workflow.
The Handy Guide to Stable Diffusion Prompts Original
Split prompts into categories like subject, lighting, art style, artist, and community. Use negative prompts to refine images: add words like "ugly" to avoid certain elements. Adjust keyword weighting in your prompt by adding brackets to emphasize words. Stable Diffusion can take AI image generation to the next level with plenty of detailed settings to explore, but this also means that getting good results isn't exactly intuitive.
The Handy Guide to Stable Diffusion Prompts
Stable Diffusion can take AI image generation to the next level with plenty of detailed settings to explore, but this also means that getting good …
How I Built My Own Massive Sound Library for Free
The BBC Sound Library offers 33,000 sound samples from a wide range of categories for non-commercial use. Freesound.org provides over 650,000 diverse sound samples under Creative Commons licenses, many free to use. BandLab offers a vast collection of royalty-free music samples, curated into packs for easy access. Over the years, my sound library has grown to huge proportions, and it includes everything from sound effects to music samples and everything in between.
Stable Diffusion Can Be Overwhelming: This Text-to-Image AI Is Much More Approachable
Easy Diffusion simplifies the installation process for Stable Diffusion. It's recommended that you install Easy Diffusion on Windows. The user-friendly interface of Easy Diffusion allows for detailed image creation with modifiers. Downloading Stable Diffusion can seem beyond your skill set if you're not familiar with the world of coding. To solve this problem, Easy Diffusion was created to reduce the process to a few easy clicks. What Is Easy Diffusion? It's all in the name.
Why I Still Love MacBooks After More Than a Decade of Use
MacBooks have a timeless aluminum unibody design and an iconic look, making them stand out from the rest of the competition. Apple's silicon chips have greatly improved the performance of MacBooks, especially for creative tasks like video editing or music production. MacBooks are ideal for powering creative work, offering software like GarageBand to help users explore hobbies and transition to pro-level work.
5 Ways Anyone Can Digitally Create Songs Without Musical Skills
Creating a song with no musical skills is possible using free samples and tools like Audacity. Make beats on your phone with user-friendly apps or try GarageBand on a computer. Beginner-friendly DAWs and AI music generators offer entry points to creating music effortlessly. While everyone listens to music, some go on to be musicians and composers, while many are left dreaming about whether they could do it too.
I Asked ChatGPT to Create an Image of Me From Memory: Here's What It Made
ChatGPT uses its memory to form an image of your personality, but assumptions and biases can lead to inaccuracies. ChatGPT's memory feature stores information from past interactions, shaping its perception of you. To see how ChatGPT views you, enable the memory function and ask for a portrait, bearing in mind its limitations. If you're curious how ChatGPT "sees" you, ask it to create an image of you based on its memory—the results are certainly worth a laugh.
I Asked ChatGPT to Create an Image of Me From Memory: Here's What It Made
4 hours ago The grants will go toward hiring AI fellows at outlets like The Seattle Times and The Minnesota Star Tribune, focused on using the tech for analysis, engagement, and more. Microsoft and OpenAI announced they’re offering a select group of media outlets up to $10 million ($2.5 million in cash plus …
I Covered My MacBook in Stickers and I Don't Regret It
Contrary to popular belief, I don't think there's a problem with adding stickers to your MacBook. If you're not looking to resell your MacBook for more than parts, then covering your MacBook in stickers is the best way to express who you are. I Don't Plan to Resell My MacBook Over the last decade, I've owned several MacBooks. The first was a MacBook Air that I kept in pristine condition. But the next two MacBooks I owned were covered in stickers.
How to make generative beats using Logic Pro’s Scripter plugin
Logic Pro’s Scripter plugin is often overlooked and unexplored. But generative music pioneers like Brian Eno have used this powerful tool to make evolving soundscapes and unconventional melodies. READ MORE: How to create an authentic vintage drum reverb for synthwave and chillwave music styles In a nutshell, it allows anyone with coding knowledge to write custom MIDI plugins and test them out in real-time, right there inside Logic Pro.
How I Boost the Audio Volume of Music and Videos Without Distorting It
Boost audio using free software like Audacity or DaVinci Resolve. Use Audacity to adjust gain levels for audio files, and DaVinci Resolve for videos. Make sure to adjust the gain carefully to avoid distorting audio above 0 dB. There are plenty of ways to boost the audio of music or videos, but this technique gives you full control and avoids sharing data with third-parties. This skill is easy to learn and can be applied to whatever audio or video editing software you normally use.
AI Music Doesn’t Sound as Good as You Think: Here’s Why
AI music falls short of human music quality despite impressive advancements in generation technology. AI music lacks the high-fidelity and warm sound of human-produced music due to white noise. AI music has not produced a hit song and struggles with legal issues due to sampling copyrighted music without permission. AI music has come far in recent years, but it still pales in comparison to the music humans make.
AI Art Doesn't Look as Good as You Think: Here's Why
AI art often has strange aberrations when closely examined, lacking logic and definition. The generic nature of AI art limits its creativity, rarely breaking new ground. Most AI art remains on screens, not dominating over human-made art, and lawsuits over copyrights are prevalent. A deeper look at AI-generated art reveals there are plenty of reasons why it's just not as brilliant as you first imagined. From lack of details to weird errors, the internet is filling up with tons of bad AI art.
AI Art Doesn't Look as Good as You Think: Here's Why
Computer Science 6 hours ago I tried ChatGPT's new o1-preview model, but here's why you shouldn't switch to it yet Android Authority - Calvin Wankhede • 6h Not everyone will appreciate or need OpenAI's latest model, at least right now. With competition from Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude AI models heating up, OpenAI has found itself in the midst of an identity crisis.
How Custom Colors Made My Google Calendar Look Amazing
Google Calendar’s default colors might feel a bit basic, but with a quick customization hack, you can make your schedule look sleek, vibrant, and fun to use. Redesigning My Google Calendar Let’s be honest—the color options that come with Google Calendar are pretty basic. Sure, you get a few choices, but they’re far from the fully customizable color-coding system you might want for real organization.
7 Unusual Places Where I Find Amazing Mobile Wallpapers
Wallpaper apps and websites are tiring to trawl through, which is why I find the most original, creative, and stunning wallpapers by visiting more unusual spots. No barriers to downloading nor sign-ups are required here—just incredible images worth saving to your phone. The iPhone Photography Awards have been running since 2007, the same year Apple launched the original iPhone. You will find an incredible archive of photographs in the winners' gallery.
7 Unusual Places Where I Find Amazing Mobile Wallpapers
Apple Experts Agree: These 3 Useless Apps Are Slowing Your Phone Down There are a number of different apps that will contribute to a slower phone, and deciding which you can spare is a personal decision that won’t be …
I Used AI to Bring Old Black-and-White Family Photos to Life
Palette.fm offers great colorizing options, with pricing starting at $49 for 75 photos. MyHeritage provides high-quality colorized images, but the full subscription is pricey at $184. Hotpot is a trustworthy option for colorizing photos, offering free limited downloads and 1000 credits for $12. These websites use AI to help you convert old black-and-white photos into color and the results are amazing. The key is to find one that balances quality with price for the size of your project.
I Used AI to Bring Old Black-and-White Family Photos to Life
I Used AI to Bring Old Black-and-White Family Photos to Life These websites use AI to help you convert old black-and-white photos into color and the results are amazing. The key is to find one that balances …
You Can Do Time-Lapse Photography With Your Phone: Try This
Use a tripod or objects to stabilize your phone for time-lapse shots, and set it at recommended intervals. Adjust settings like brightness and time-lapse speed depending on the scenario you're shooting. Edit time-lapse footage using mobile apps to improve quality, condense time-lapse length, and fix common issues. Built into your phone's camera is a time-lapse shooting mode that allows you to capture impressive time-lapse clips like the ones you might have seen online.
How to transform one instrument’s sound into another with AI–powered plugins
When you purchase through affiliate links on MusicTech.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn more Synplant 2 and Neutone Morpho have some untapped potential that you can use to get creative with your music When you purchase through affiliate links on MusicTech.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn more You’ve probably never thought about the possibility of transforming your drum beat into a sitar part — we wouldn’t blame you.
The 7 Best Obsidian Plugins for Mobile
These are the must-have plugins you should download for the mobile version of Obsidian. Besides tweaking the interface and making Obsidian run more efficiently, they'll give you a richer set of note-taking tools. 1 PodNotes The PodNotes plugin is fantastic if you want to do research by listening to a podcast, or if you generally prefer to learn through listening. As its name suggests, the plugin makes it easy to take notes while you listen to a podcast.
Why ChatGPT’s Speech to Text Is the Best I’ve Ever Used
ChatGPT’s speech-to-text is superior to Google’s, eliminating the need to say punctuation out loud. WhisperAI neural network powers ChatGPT for flawless transcription, despite a lack of integration with keyboard apps. Use ChatGPT effortlessly on Android, iPhone, macOS, and soon on Windows for efficient note-taking and transcription. You have to speak it to believe it; ChatGPT’s fantastic speech-to-text function, that is.
I Quit Instagram but Still Use It for Messages: You Can Too
Instagram Use a third-party app to hide distracting parts of Instagram while keeping messaging features. Delete the official Instagram app before downloading Distraction Free Instagram. Turn Instagram into a messaging app by disabling feeds, stories, and reels with DF Instagram. Distraction Free Instagram is a third-party app that hides the distracting parts of Instagram while keeping Instagram messages. It's one of the few good ways you can quit the platform while remaining connected.
Anyone Can Now Remix a Song With AI, but Should You?
Use AI to aid music production, not replace creativity. Stem separation can speed up remixing with tools like Vocal Remover. AI in music tools like Logic Pro's Drummer can assist in remixing tracks, filling gaps for session musicians or analog drum machines. AI mastering levels the playing field for music producers on a budget by offering affordable services that add shine and polish to tracks.
Anyone Can Now Remix a Song With AI, but Should You?
Elon Musk Says Google Co-Founder And One Of His 'Best Friends' Larry Page Thought Eventually We Will All 'Upload Our Minds To The Computer' In an interview on Monday, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk spoke about his now strained relationship with former Google CEO Larry Page and their …
I Tested 5 Time-Lapse Apps: Here Are the Results
These time-lapse apps have been tested to see if they are fit for purpose. I've weeded out poor-quality apps, of which there are many! What remains are the essential time-lapse apps that you need to look for, the rest you can comfortably pass on. 1 Velocity Lapse My first impression of Velocity Lapse is that it was made by and for people dedicated to the genre. With a bit of digging, it looks like that is true and updates have been steadily coming over time by way of one developer.
5 Free Alternatives to Midjourney
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5 Free Alternatives to Midjourney
Microsoft Designer: Powered by DALL-E 3, limited daily boosts for quick image generation. DreamStudio: Comparable to Midjourney, advanced settings, refine your image with the Negative Prompt tool. DiffusionBee: Privacy-focused, run it offline with no limit on image creation. ImageFX: Easy to use, undisclosed daily limit. Dream by WOMBO: Mobile app and web version, whimsical, ideal for creating wallpapers. If Midjourney's price tag doesn't appeal to you, delve into our lineup of free alternatives.
Is Midjourney Free to Use? No, but It's Still Worth It
Midjourney's control allows for fantastic designs, from aspect ratio adjustments to high-resolution upscaling. A basic subscription at $10 is recommended for ample GPU time; various monthly and annual plans are also available. Free trials are sometimes available upon new model launches; follow announcements on X for updates.
Is Midjourney Free to Use? No, but It's Still Worth It
Generative AI 4 hours ago 12 Best Generative AI Tools That Will Change How You Work Forever nichepursuits.com - Ahmed Lodhi • 4h Looking for the best generative AI tools? You're not alone.
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