Splice

…Or not-the-best time, if you’re someone who gets overwhelmed by the countless social media posts, notifications, and emails with all-caps subject lines. This year, we decided we wanted to put together a tight and curated list once again for those who want to block out the noise and know about the deals that are among the best of the best.

After countless requests to integrate Splice into the DAW, we have some news—Splice is now integrated into Studio One Pro 7. For the first time ever, Studio One users can access Splice’s industry-leading catalog of royalty-free sounds and creative tools directly inside their DAW. This is a huge step towards our goal of getting Splice as close as possible to your creative workflows, and we’re so excited to see Splice seamlessly integrated into the DAW for the first time.

Illustration: Jordan Moss Have you ever wanted to learn how to make beats? If so, there’s no better time to get started than now. The recent proliferation of free and low-cost DAWs, sounds, and educational resources has drastically lowered the barriers to entry for music production, making creating original and high-quality beats both more affordable and approachable than ever before.

The history of sample-based music is intertwined with a 1969 funk instrumental track by the name of “Amen Brother.” The seemingly innocuous B-side by The Winstons gave birth to the most important drum break in history: the amen break. You’ve likely heard the name before, you’ve definitely heard the sample before, hell you may have even heard its history before. It’s the story of how a 6-second drum loop became the most sampled piece of music in history. So what’s so appealing about the amen break?

Illustration: Leo Peng Much like everywhere else, AI has become one of the go-to topics among music producers in 2023. Warnings of an endless stream of automated music have been followed by nightmare scenarios of artist deep fakes and fraudulent uploads, all framed around a fear of the machine taking over our jobs, our art, and our lives.

Steinberg Cubase Pro 12 A powerful DAW for any genre or skill level, packed with intuitive arrangement and recording workflows, a vast collection of VST instruments and effects, and compositional tools for turning that creative spark into reality.

Billegal Sounds is the result of a YouTube-tutorial-fostered-community by Mr. Bill

Yeah, you read that right. It's time to get your hands and ears absolutely filthy with a sound pack by none other than Mr. Oizo! Best known for his 1... more

Successor to the fan-favorite I Heart NY, offering hard-hitting and simple parallel compression for today's productions. Optimized for impact and clarity without losing the crispy character of its analog influences.

Uniiqu3's sounds will send you and your fans straight to the dance floor. A pioneer in the Jersey Club movement, she has solidified herself as one of the most electrifying producers in the game. From throwing some of Jersey’s hottest DIY events, like her signature event #135theParty, to now spreading the genre across the globe from Australia to South America leaving her impact wherever she goes.