Autor: Producer Gang
Once again, Waves has announced that it will be giving away a free plugin to kick off 2026 – Curves Resolve. The thing both plugins have in common is that they were Black Friday freebies, which is something we’re used to from Waves. Now, in a slight departure from the typical routine, Waves is offering us a January freebie to kick off 2026. I’m not sure if this is the start of a new trend for Waves, or just a one-off; either way, the announcement of Curves Resolve is a nice little surprise for the new year. Like previous Waves…
New Year, new jams! Instead of the usual unrealistic resolutions, let’s focus on fun, achievable goals for 2026. If you’re a music enthusiast or an aspiring creative, here are five New Year’s resolutions you can actually keep, and enjoy keeping. Release Your Unreleased Tracks Stop hoarding those beats! So many producers and musicians have hard drives full of ‘almost finished’ songs. This year, resolve to let them see the light of day. You might be your own worst critic, but remember that you never know which song will be your big hit until you put it out for listeners to…
Image Image Credit Craig Barritt/Contributor via Getty Images Image Alt Cardi B and Teyana Taylor at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York City Image Size landscape-medium Key Takeaways: Teyana Taylor will appear on “Saturday Night Live” for the first time on Jan. 24, with Geese as the night’s musical guest. Cardi B returns to the “SNL” stage on Jan. 31, continuing her AM I THE DRAMA? album rollout. The January 2026 lineup also includes Finn Wolfhard and A$AP Rocky. “Saturday Night Live” is finally returning from its winter break next Saturday (Jan. 17) with “Stranger Things” star Finn…
Image Image Credit John Shearer / Contributor via Getty Images, Kaitlyn Morris / Contributor via Getty Images, Prince Williams / Contributor via Getty Images, and Joseph Okpako / Contributor via Getty Images Image Alt Bruno Mars performs during the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Victoria Monet performs during 2024 Essence Festival of Culture, Leon Thomas performs during ONE Musicfest 2025, and Raye performs during Day 4 of Glastonbury Festival 2025 Image Size landscape-medium Key Takeaways: Bruno Mars is set to return to the stage in April 2026 with “The Romantic Tour,” marking a major comeback. Victoria Monét, Leon Thomas and RAYE…
Image Image Credit Johnny Nunez / Contributor via Getty Images Image Alt Jim Jones and Cam’ron attend the Def Jam Pre-Grammy Celebration at the Garage on Jan. 26, 2018 in New York City Image Size landscape-medium Key Takeaways: The Dipset co-founders exchanged petty jabs on Instagram, reigniting their long-running feud. The back-and-forth included jokes about heat bills, rent and past Dipset drama. 50 Cent’s earlier comments about podcast “squatters” helped fuel the tension. Despite the fresh start to a new year, it looks like Cam’ron and Jim Jones will not be ending their ongoing feud anytime soon. The former Dipset…
Image Image Credit Alexander Tamargo / Stringer via Getty Images Image Alt Kehlani performs during iHeartRadio Y100’s Jingle Ball 2025 Presented By Capital One Image Size landscape-medium Key Takeaways: Kehlani’s next project marks a major shift in sound and will “probably” include her most features yet. Confirmed collaborations include Usher and Brandy, with other potential contributions from Ne-Yo, Tank and Jermaine Dupri. The album, executive produced by Khris Riddick-Tynes, is expected to drop this spring. As if anticipation wasn’t already sky-high for Kehlani’s next album, the Oakland singer shared that the project will feature more collaborations than she’s “probably ever…
GrabTracks is a fairly new ARA sampler plugin for macOS and Windows that offers a tactile, intuitive way to manipulate audio in your DAW. The plugin usually costs $29, but you can download it for free using the promo code “GRABTRACKSPROMO100.” The promotion could end at any time, so grab it while it’s free. ARA (Audio Random Access) is a plugin extension developed by Celemony in conjunction with PreSonus. ARA adds a musical information channel to existing formats (AU, VST, etc.), enabling DAWs and plugins to share pitch, rhythm, and tempo information more efficiently. ARA-enabled plugins have direct access to…
Developer ZAK Sound has released Echowaves, a free stereo delay for macOS, Windows, and Linux. One of the things I like most about ZAK Sound is that we never quite know what’s coming next. This time, ZAK Sound is giving us a one-knob stereo delay plugin, Echowaves. In addition to the main Mix knob, Echowaves features a Random button and Sync function. The Random button generates new delay settings that you can dial in using the Mix knob. Meanwhile, the Sync function synchronizes the delay with the BPM in your DAW. As with any one-knob plugin, there’s a trade-off between…
New year, new goals, new routines… but one thing hasn’t changed: the way we deliver events for our students. At pointblank, events aren’t just add-ons; they’re part of the experience. They’re fun, engaging, and rooted in the music industry, created to support your learning in a real-world, community-led environment. We’re more than academia. Everything we run is designed with students in mind, giving you opportunities to connect, develop, and grow outside the classroom, while still keeping things enjoyable. Here’s what’s coming up in January. Fresher’s Week We’re starting the new term on a high note. Whether you just joined or…
Every Producer Has a Center of Gravity Every music producer touches the same tools. But not every producer thinks the same way. Some producers hear performance first. Some hear sound. Some hear emotion. Some hear systems. Some hear people. Your strongest instincts reveal your producer type — the role you naturally play when making music. Once you know it, everything gets easier. Quick Summary 👉 Music producers tend to lean toward one core type: Musician, Audio Engineer, Songwriter, Beatmaker, Director, or Coach. Knowing your type helps you focus your strengths and fix your blind spots. Ethos, Pathos, and…