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Audacity recently received a new plugin suite powered by Intel’s OpenVINO AI toolkit. Intel-powered OpenVINO processors are designed to “offer capabilities that were previously unavailable or just really difficult to achieve”

This free and open-source software offers stem separation, transcription, and generating new music from a text prompt or an existing audio track.

First up, we have Music Generation and Music Style remix, both of which use the Stable Diffusion AI model – specifically in its Riffusion guise – to create either new music from a prompt, or existing music.

Music Separation does what it says: breaks a song up into either vocal or instrumental parts, or into vocal, drums, bass and a combined ‘anything else’ part.

Stem Separation is a feature that is becoming more and more commonplace; not only does it form the basis of a number of desktop and browser-based applications, but it’s also being included in an increasing number of DAWs and other music production packages.

In addition, Audacity gets Noise Suppression, which is designed to remove background noise from an audio file, and Whisper Transcription, a tool for transcribing spoken word audio or vocal recordings.

“We decided to add AI features to Audacity so that we could offer capabilities that were previously unavailable or just really difficult to achieve,” says Audacity Product Manager Martin Keary in a video posted by Intel Business. He also confirms that “the plugins run locally on your PC rather than from a server, addressing privacy concerns.”

According to Keary, there could be more to come, too: “This is just a first step,” he says. “We hope to continue partnering with Intel to develop all kinds of new AI tools in the future to help take Audacity to a level no one’s ever seen before.”

The AI plugins are currently only available to Windows users, but we’re hoping that they’ll be coming to Mac and Linux, as well. Find out more – including how to download and install them – on the Audacity blog.

The Bob Moog Foundation – an independent non-profit, dedicated to preserving the legacy of synth pioneer Bob Moog – has announced its Winter fundraising event, a raffle for a vintage Moog Source synthesizer.

The Moog Source featured in the raffle is serial number 3948 and was built in Buffalo, New York in the early 1980s. The instrument has an estimated value of $3,500. It’s also signed by Bob Moog himself – which makes it is priceless to collectors.

The instrument was donated to the Bob Moog Foundation by musician, composer, and sound designer Erik Norlander, who co-designed the legendary Alesis Andromeda analog synthesizer and more recently the IK Multimedia UNO Synth.

Norlander’s Moog Source was used on the Dukes of the Orient Freakshow album and was also the synth sampled for IK Multimedia Syntronik 2 “Sorcerer” virtual instrument.

Erik Norlander sharing the story of his Moog Source:

Erik Norlander has been a long-time supporter of the Bob Moog Foundation and currently serves on the Board of Advisors.

The Moog Source features rich sound quality and a technical lineage rooted in the legendary Minimoog, widely regarded as the most iconic, archetypal analog synthesizer of all time. The Source was manufactured from 1981 through 1985, and was the first Moog synthesizer to offer patch memory storage in 16 preset locations. It also features a cassette tape jack, which transfers patches to and from an external tape.

The Source is lauded for its sequencers, sample and hold, arpeggiator, presets, and unique data wheel. The synthesizer features a mylar touch control panel, single-knob functionality, and the trademark Moog sound.

The raffle is open now and ends on February 26, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (ET) or when all 5,000 tickets are sold. The raffle is open internationally. Tickets are available for $20 each, 6 for $100, 14 for $200, or 40 for $500. :

As an added bonus for this raffle, entrants will get a 2024 Bob Moog – His Life and Work 90th Birthday Commemorative Calendar with the purchase of a bundle of 6, 14, or 40 tickets. This offer is valid until the limited quantity of calendars runs out.

The winner will be announced on Friday, March 1, 2024.

About the Bob Moog Foundation

The Bob Moog Foundation is an independent non-profit organization.

Funds raised from the raffle will be used to expand the Bob Moog Foundation’s hallmark education project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, which has inspired over 30,000 elementary school students through the science of sound. The raffle will also help support the Bob Moog Foundation Archives and the Moogseum, an immersive, experiential facility located in Asheville, North Carolina, which brings Bob Moog’s pioneering legacy and the science of sound and synthesis alive for people of all ages. The Moogseum opened in May 2019 and has since welcomed over 35,000 visitors from all over the world.

Native Instruments has introduced Electric Keys, featuring a pair of new electric piano virtual instruments.

Electric Keys includes emulations of two classic electric pianos. Here’s what they have to say about them:

• Electric Keys – Phoenix captures the sound of a true icon – one of the world’s most influential and recognised electric pianos. With a vast spectrum of sounds, from melodious, bell-like textures to rich, warming harmonies and even distorted, barking tones, Phoenix delivers diverse retro timbres.
• Electric Keys – Diamond immortalizes a very rare, original electric piano from 1967. Beyond its sparkling exterior lie real felt piano hammers, producing a unique and mellow tone similar to a vibraphone.

Features:

• A versatile pair of electric piano emulations
• Pure, authentic tones ranging from warm and mellow to bright and barking
• Customize your sound with a classic array of controls, preamps, and creative effects

Electric Keys Phoenix and Diamond are individually priced $99 each, while the Tines Duo bundle of both is $149.Find out more on Native Instruments website.