FM249 Sample Special with Oli Bell

Great video of Oli Bell, aka the Groove Criminals, featured on the Future Music #249 disc. This issue is on the newstand now if you live in Europe/UK, expect it in a month or two in the USA. Dig it:

Nucleus SoundLab - Celluloid Beats Reason Refill!

Nucleus SoundLab released a brand new refill for Reason 6 today called Celluloid Beats! This refill is part of a newly launched series designed by Jeremy Janzen dubbed Modular Grooves. Now I had the pleasure of working on this project and I'll tell you I've been wanting to spill the beans about this one for months! First off what sets Celluloid Beats apart from other Nucleus SoundLab refills is that, one, it's loop based; and two, these loops have been sampled with a new proprietary sampling technique, called Wide BPM, developed by Jeremy Janzen specifically for the Modular Grooves series. Jeremy goes into more detail about this method in the Demo Video posted below, definitely check it out:





If you watched the above video you no doubt noticed the incredible sound of the loops in Celluloid Beats. These loops were developed using a process Jeremy Janzen describes as an "additive vocoding techique to emphasize long, smooth decay stages." The decay of which is controllable with Rotary 4 on the front of each combinator. Speaking of the combinator, inside is of course a Dr OctoRex Loop Player loaded with that patches specific loop into the eight banks. Why the same loop? Well that's where this gets really cool - slot 1 is the pristine loop, while the loops in the seven other slots have been "remixed" with not only the parameters in Dr OctoRex itself, but with individual slices being sent to different Reason devices for everything from subtle filtering and echoes to stuttering madness! Rotary 1 on the combi controls which loop is playing during each bar. But here's a little trick I learned while developing patches for Celluloid Beats - if you open up the combinator and switch the "Trig Next Loop" (to the right of the Mod Wheel on Dr. OctoRex) from the "Bar" setting to "1/16" and quickly turn Rotary 1 it's instant glitch nirvana! In addition to designing sounds on this project I also wrote the demo mp3, check it out:





The mp3 is made up of six different segments each using a unique combinator from Celluloid Beats with an additional sound source from another Nucleus SoundLab ReFill. Here's the rundown:

00:00 - 00:24 - Bourne Auto combi from Celluloid Beats with Added Harmony combi from the ChordWaves ReFill

00:25 - 00:56 - Ease combi from Celluloid Beats with Spheriboc combi from Pantheon III

00:57 - 01:23 - Mark Two combi with Interstellar Gate combi from Viral Outbreak ReFill

01:24 - 01:45 - Mirrored combi from Celluloid Beats with Picking Daises combi from Pantheon III

01:46 - 02:16 - Dead of Night combi from Celluloid Beats with Bluetube combi from Nanosequences

02:17 - 02:54 - New Paradigm combi from Celluloid Beats with Supertouch Bass combi from Pantheon III




Now that you have an idea of what Celluloid Beats is all about, here's the rundown of what's included with the refill:

- 40 24-bit 44khz REX2 loops form the base of Celluloid Beats
- 280 loop remixes using all 8 loop slots on Dr. OctoRex
- Each patch built exclusively for Reason 6
- All REX2 loops included outside the ReFill, for use in other samplers
- Detailed PDF documentation on the creation and operation of the ReFill

You can purchase Celluloid Beats today for $29 USD from Nucleus-SoundLab.com!

Bluewater VST Introducing REAKTOR's SKANNER

Brent Kallmer from Bluewater VST is back with another Reaktor tutorial, this time on SKANNER! Native Instruments introduced SKANNER, with little fan fare, as a free holiday present last month and with this intro tutorial Bluewater VST hopes to bring SKANNER some of the attention it deserves. The SKANNER ensemble was designed by Stephan Schmitt, the "Father" of Reaktor and is capable of creating some amazing sounds, courtesy of the powerful "Morphological Synthesis". Brent Kallmer introduces SKANNER below with a close up on using the amazing Preset Morpher:

MOTU Microbook II

No mention of this on the MOTU website as of yet, but Sweetwater listed the Microbook II on their website today for a Spring 2012 release at $249. Here's the downlow:

MOTU's MicroBook II audio interface packs tons of great sound and functionality into a petite-yet-rugged cast metal case. The bus-powered MicroBook II builds upon the features of its popular predecessor with hands-on volume control, negligible latency, six simultaneous outputs, an XLR mic input, and 96kHz recording and playback support. Perfect for for live recording, laptop-based DJing, or laying down tracks in your home studio, the MicroBook II has the mojo to become the hub of your audio rig. If you're in the market for a compact audio interface, check out the MOTU MicroBook II.

MOTU MicroBook II USB Audio Interface at a Glance:

- An ideal "on-the-go" audio interface
- Engineered for sound quality
- The features you need

An ideal "on-the-go" audio interface

With its compact size, you can pop the MOTU MicroBook II into a backpack on your way to the club or studio. It's the ideal interface if you're always on the go - and proof that the "smart devices" in our lives are indeed getting smaller, more feature-laden, and better-sounding!


Engineered for sound quality

MOTU has been at it for a while, now - since 1980, in fact - and knows what they're doing when it comes to pro audio. With support for 96kHz recording and playback, the sound quality of the MicroBook II rivals that of audio interfaces costing a whole lot more. That's amazing value.

The features you need

In the design of the MicroBook II, MOTU took their popular Microbook and re-engineered it based on what pros were asking for: adding hands-on volume control, an XLR mic input, and six simultaneous outputs - and just about eliminating latency altogether. You also get a jack for your guitar, a stereo line-level analog input, CueMix FX no-latency mixing, and so much more. The sound, featureset, and form factor of the MicroBook II make an unbeatable combination.

MOTU MicroBook II USB Audio Interface Features:

- 6 x 8 physical input/output channels
- 8-bus digital mixer for routing and mixing live inputs with computer tracks
- XLR pre-amp input, precision digital trim, 48V phantom power, 20dB pad
- Hi-Z guitar input with precision digital trim
- Stereo line-level analog input (balanced 1/4" TRS or stereo mini)
- CueMix FX no-latency mixing and monitoring with EQ and dynamics processing
- 7-band parametric EQ and compression
- Test tone and white/pink noise generator
- Support for 96kHz recording and playback
- Includes AudioDesk DAW software, USB cable, and mic cable adapter

Telefon Tel Aviv - The Birds

New Telefon Tel Aviv vinyl! Sadly not completely new material, but still TTA:

"Telefon Tel Aviv have mastered the art of balancing the bitter-sweet romance and occasionally excessive melancholy of so many 80s electro-pop pearls, dusting off their retro sleeves and presenting them in the form of lavish melodic epics. The new EP features the intoxicatingly beautiful album opener “The Birds” in its original version and in two remixes that could hardly be more contrasting: BPC label boss Ellen Allien spontaneously blows away the sombre fog clouds of the original with a crisp house beat and vibrant acid sequences.
Ghostly International co-founder and self-confessed Brian Eno fan Matthew Dear has already revealed his distinct fondness for sinister soundscapes on his own album Black City and his remixes for The Chemical Brothers, The XX and The Drums. His version of “The Birds” occupies ambiguous stylistic territory, combining amiable singer-songwriter elements with electronica of considerable atmospheric density. With the track “The Sky Is Black” TTA deliver a song that BPC aficionados have already encountered on the BPitch Werkschau compilation. Getting its first EP release here, The Sky Is Black follows on seamlessly from The Birds with its lavish use of fabulous hooks and atmospherics. None other than Cocteau Twins co-founder Robin Guthrie makes an appearance here as co-author, gitarist and soul mate – the perfect soundtrack, and not just for bleak winter days and frosty nights..."

Released by: BPitch Control
Release/catalogue number: BPC247
Release date: Mar 5, 2012

ProducerTech Impulse Review

Rob Jones of ProducerTech reviews the Novation Impulse controller keyboard:

Roger Linn Demonstrates the Dave Smith Tempest

Another NAMM video just uploaded by DV247TV showing Roger Linn jamming on the Tempest Analog Drum Machine, dig it:

Propellerhead Alt Drums ReFills - Ryan Greene Drum LIbrary

New from Propellerhead - Ryan Greene Alt Drums ReFills:

High energy punk and rock needs hard hitting drums. Treat your tracks with this great collection of sampled drums by industry leading record producer Ryan Greene. Nine carefully recorded drum kits played by five outstanding drummers with three different microphone settings, all masterfully engineered and put together by a legendary punk rock producer. Now you can have it all. Alt Drums includes combinators with custom reverb, compressor, and distortion patches designed to keep your drums sounding huge and powerful no matter how many layers of guitars you pile on top of them and MIDI files of live-played beats in a variety of hard-hitting genres for you to load up into your song and go.

Listen to the three different kits @ propellerheads.se and in the mean time check out the promo:

Mr.Ned Rush MaxVlog X = M4L Breakcore Patch

I'm always stoked when Mr.Ned Rush posts a new video! Here's a Max 4 Live Breackcore Patch he's working on:


"Another thing i'm working on i'll probably never finish. For mashing up loops using midi keyboard. Work in progressssssss." -Mr.Ned Rush

Sonicstate take a closer look @ Nektar P4

Sonicstate.com uploaded this video today from last weekend's NAMM in which Nektar's Tim Chandler goes into more detail about the Nektar P4 keyboard controller:

How to use REX-Files in Reason

Another great tutorial by Peak Eleven on using Rex files in Reason:


"Video tutorial on how to use rex files in Propellerheads Reason OctoRex Device. The Rex File format is used for loops that are independent of the tempo. That means that you can load a loop and then choose the tempo in your song. You can also control each slice of the loop, and even play the slices from your keyboard and make your own beat from it. In this video I show a south style hip hop beat and a dirty dubstep beat from rex loops."
-peakeleven

Propellerhead Balance Prototype

Propellerhead posted some great pics of their Balance audio interface to Facebook today:

"One of the earliest prototypes, before any fancy paint jobs!"

"The first Balance circuit board!"

"Pretty, aren't they?"

A link to this video showing the testing of Balance in various stages was also posted:

Minitaur Samples Namm 2012

A few short samples of Minitaur being put to the test at the Moog booth at Namm 2012:

Korg Mini Kaoss Pad 2 Preview

One of the other new things showcased at NAMM this year that has me excited is the Korg Mini Kaoss Pad 2! One of the most useful aspects of the new miniKaosspad is the onboard mp3 player. Let's say you're at a gig and your computer crashes, with the touch of a button on the miniKP2 the crowd wouldn't even notice. I used to own the second incarnation of the Kaoss Pad and loved it, looks like I've found a replacement:

Instant Dub Drumkit

Mark H posted this dub drum video to vimeo yesterday. In it he's using Logic and a midi drum kit to play dub! He assigned velocity levels to the drum pads for different effects and mutes... check it:


"I've just upgraded from Garageband to Logic and it is amazing what can be done with it. Here I've pimped my MIDI drum kit to trigger mute, echo sends etc depending on the pad I hit and how hard I hit it to give a live dub effect. Logic's "environment" window lets me program all sorts of random tweakery to respond to MIDI events." -mark h

Etta James R.I.P.

Singer Etta James passed away yesterday in Riverside, California from leukemia, just five days shy of her 74th birthday. James is perhaps most famous for the hit song "At Last" and was signed to Chess Records subsidiary Argo for the release of her debut album, At Last!. Generally referred to as a R&B singer, James' music defied category as she could easily go from a gospel song into a sultry jazz standard live - which she regularly did when opening for The Rolling Stones in the late 1970s. Etta James suffered from drug addiction for the majority of her adult life, and spent many years in and out of rehab centers. In 1974, when Etta and her husband Artis Mills where found in possession of heroin her husband ended up taking responsibility for the drug and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Etta James' is survived by her husband, Artis Mills (whom she was married to for 42 years); two sons, Donto and Sametto James; and four grandchildren. Though her life had its share of troubles, James said she wanted her music to transcend sorrow rather than reflect it.

''A lot of people think the blues is depressing,'' Etta James said in 1992, ''but that's not the blues I'm singing. When I'm singing blues, I'm singing life."


Video courtesy of SassyGirrrl420
Information for this article, in addition to a portion of the text courtesy of Wikipedia and The New York Times.

The Theory II - Arcanum

This new ReFill from 3rd Floor Sound - The Theory II - Arcanum looks awesome:

The Theory II - Arcanum continues where The Theory left off, by including every possible pentatonic, hexatonic, and heptatonic(5, 6, and 7 note) scale, and all the chords that match them. All told there are 189 scales on each root note, for a total of 2,268 scales. When broken up into modes that’s 1254 on each note, or 15,048 scales. It’s likely there are scales in this refill that no one’s ever written songs in.

7 Scale Map files containing every possible scale mapped across the entire keyboard.

286 total Reason 6 song files or 572 reason 5 and record 1.5 song files, 286 for each program.

18 scale map Cross Reference files showing which scales fit into others, allowing you to broaden the range of chords you can use.

Available today for $34.95 @ www.3rdfloorsound.com/arcanum

Akai MAX49 ProAudioStar First Look NAMM 2012

One of the products that I'm most impressed by at this years NAMM is the new Akai MAX49 keyboard controller. With an improved keybed over the MPK series, robust MPC style pads and 8 "groundbreaking" LED touch faders this looks like a fantastic controller! I might just have to pick one up. Here's a first look at the controller from ProAudioStar:

MiniBrute!

You have probably no doubt by now heard of the new Arturia MiniBrute that has making a splash today at NAMM. An all analog monophonic synthesizer that Sweetwater has listed for pre-sale at the low price of $499 USD! This synth really looks like a game changer to me and I expect it to be the modern day replacement to the microKorg that you saw every hip indie band use in the early 00s. Just in case you've been in the dark here's the downlow:

Introducing:


Guided Tour:

Atonal Oscillations with the Moog Voyager and MF-102

Chris Stack, one time marketing manager at Moog and the man behind experimentalsynth.com, playing around with some of his fine kit - in this case a Moog Voyager and Moogerfooger MF-102 Ring Mod. In the video Chris uses the Ring Mod as an extra atonal oscillator!

Akai MPC Fly

First came the MPC Renaissance, then the MPC Studio and now today Akai unleashes the MPC Fly - the first MPC for the iPAD!

MPC Fly Hardware:

- The first MPC designed specifically for iPad 2
- Fitted compartment for iPad 2 provides fully integrated portable MPC solution
- 16 backlit genuine MPC pads with MPC Note Repeat & MPC Swing
- Works seamlessly with the MPC App: sequence & sample editing, effects, EQ and more
- Create beats on the go and transfer to a Mac or PC for further mastering
- Double-hinged case sits upright, lies flat or closes for transport
- Compatible with virtually any Core MIDI app
- Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Charges iPad when plugged into wall power

MPC FLY iPad App:

- Sequence four tracks simultaneously: four-track mixer built in
- Built in sound library of samples and drum kits
- Record and overdub sequences and create and edit your own Programs
- 16-Levels mode: play one sample at 16 levels of attack, velocity, length, and tuning
- Note variation slider allows you to manipulate attack, velocity, length, and tuning as you play
- Built-in effects: delay, bit crusher, master compressor/limiter
- Time correct: 1/8 note – 1/32T with variable Swing setting
- Note Repeat: 1/8 note – 1/32T timing
- Sample using internal mic or line-in and trim and categorize samples
- Sample from your iPod library with turntable interface
- Share on SoundCloud, Facebook or twitter
- Supports WIST, Wireless Sync Start protocol from Korg
- Supports AudioPaste


"MPC Fly merges unmatched Akai Professional technology with the power of your iPad 2, embodying legendary capabilities that have made the MPC an industry standard like real MPC pads, MPC Note Repeat and MPC Swing. Its multifunctional, double-hinged design gives you the flexibility to produce tracks anywhere, while also acting as a protective case between sessions and giving you total access to your iPad 2 for normal uses. MPC Fly transforms your iPad 2 into a professional beat-making powerhouse." -Akai

A Day With Nick Zammuto

Here's a great video from the "A Day With" series via nakedmusicians.com featuring Nick Zammuto of The Books fame:



Listen to the new Zammuto ep - Idiom Wind, coming out on vinyl on January 30th on Make Mine Records! Dig it:

Zammuto - Idiom Wind EP - Make Mine, London UK by zammuto

Geddy Lee on the Taurus Bass Pedals Part 2

Part 2 of the "Geddy Lee on the Taurus Bass Pedals" videos was uploaded this afternoon to MoogMusic.com:

Geddy Lee on the Moog Taurus Pedals, Pt. 2 from Moog Music on Vimeo.

Akai Pro MAX49: Overview

Really love the look of the touch faders on this new Akai Pro MAX49:


"MAX49 from Akai Professional places revolutionary MIDI and CV control at your fingertips. With an intuitive layout and included AkaiConnect automatic-mapping software, MAX49 offers an instant, fully immersive experience with your favorite music software and virtually all VST plugins. From its 49 semi-weighted keys and 12 real MPC pads, to its groundbreaking LED touch faders and vintage CV & Gate outputs, MAX49 combines cutting-edge Akai Pro technology with classic capability to give you an unprecedented music-making experience." -Akai

A Look at the Minitaur

Here's Marc Doty from the Bob Moog Foundation taking a closer look at the new Miniatur Analog Bass Synthesizer from Moog:


"Marc Doty, Archive and Education Specialist for the Bob Moog Foundation, gets hands on with Moog's new synthesizer Minitaur and gives a run down of its features." -Moog

OP-1 as Control Surface for Reason!

Caught this video of Teenage Engineering using the OP-1 as a control surface for Reason on Koshdukai's Music(al) Reason(ing) Blog, which has a ton more info on using the OP-1 with Reason - if you're lucky enough to own both ;-). Check out the functions:


"Teenage Engineering OP-1 meets Propellerheads Reason in a very short demo of the OP-1 / Reason control surface functionality.
Working with Reason 6.0.2, OP-1 OS #12234 and newer." -Teenage Engineering

pNORTNAOMI - DYNASTY Multibank

pNORTNAOMI has designed a sick new soundbank for Twisted Tools Vortex and Rolodecks Reaktor ensembles! The bank features feedback loops, drones and sounds sourced from foley recordings and is available for free at Twisted Tools.com for registered owners of Vortex and/or Rolodecks. Listen:


"A 69 sample collection of fx hits, Feedback loops and soundscape drones. All samples were created from foley recording, Hardware and software generators and processors. Available as a free download for registered Vortex and Rolodecks users at the Twisted Tools website." -pNORTNAOMI

The Singing House!

Found this video on one of my favorite blogs... Dangerous Minds. The video features Quintron's newest creation - The Singing House. Quintron is of course famous for the incredible Drum Buddy drum machine and his work with Miss Pussy Cat. Dig it:


video courtesy of spellcasterlodge

Reason triggering Quicktime Movie in max/jitter

Peff never ceases to amaze me with his Reason chops. Here he is using audio as a control voltage to trigger the playback of a Quicktime Movie clip:


"Using an audio as control voltage configuration, Reason triggers the playback of a quicktime movie. I needed to mix to a film scene and developed this patch as a workaround of relying on a rewire host application that supports video.

Using Reason CV as audio, this configuration only acts as a video sample playback system, so the video playback is only triggered by Reason and not synchronized to the transport. A gate impulse on a Reason audio track is routed to max/msp and initiates a jump to a particular frame." -Peff

Soundcells Salad Bar v.6

Soundcells has updated their Salad Bar Ever Growing ReFill to version 6! Salad Bar showcases patches from Soundcells many refills as well as patches from Soundcells future releases, so it serves as a great introduction to Soundcells vast library.

Salad Bar v6 Contents:

• 297 combinator patches in 8 different folders: Atmospheres & Textures, Bass, Keys, Leads, Miscellaneous, Pads, Rhythmic, SaladBar_exclusive (currently 95 'Salad Bar Only' ones).

• 279 well balanced patches for Thor, Malstroem, Subtractor, NNXT and ReDrum and also 60 rex loops.

• The modules folder contains the basic synth and NNXT patches which were used for the combinator sounds.

• 8 tracks in RNS format - inspiring with high 'tutorialesque' value.

Pick up Salad Bar ReFill v.6 for 9.90 € today!

Sing with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr!

Below is a great amalgation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous speeches put to a beat by leveledunderground. Today would be Dr. King's 83rd birthday; and with the current climate of elections, civil unrest, income disparity and terrorism I think it is important to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's legacy of non violent resistance to tyranny and oppression as taught to him by Bayard Rustin (shown in the picture at the .18 mark standing to the right behind Dr. King), who himself learned of civil disobedience thru his work in India with Gandhi's Satyagraha movement for Indian independence. As Paul David Hewson once said, "For Dr. Martin Luther King sing:"

rude_NHS - Hook At Head Time

My man rude_NHS, aka Mr.Ned Rush, has a new 3 song ep available on bandcamp entitled Hook At Head Time! I'm particularly digging the second track "Naked in the Sink". Check out the tracks before you buy:

Reakttor ensemble Neuron in FL

Here's a video by bankjet featuring the Reaktor ensemble NeuronDrum, check it:

Meet the MPC Studio!

First came the MPC Renaissance, now Akai is unveiling the slim-lined MPC Studio:


"MPC Studio offers the most streamlined MPC experience yet. At under one-inch thin, with low-profile controls and a brushed aluminum body, it's made to move. MPC Studio merges real MPC pads, iconic workflow, and the same MPC Software used by MPC Renaissance to give you a fully integrated portable production solution. Welcome to production anywhere. The world is now your studio." -Akai

Rheyne - 1/11/12 - Live Jam #33

Another great live youtube jam from Rheyne:


"Playing with the new NodeBeat update, along with an Oxygen 25 controlling NI's Massive, an Akai MPD26 controlling NI's Kontakt, an Akai LPD8 controlling effects and looper / transport functions, a DSI MoPho, Moog Prodigy, and Fender Rhodes. A Novation Launchpad and Akai ACP20 are connected to Ableton Live. All audio is being run through a PreSonus 1818VSL connected to a Macbook Pro. All effects except the MXR Wylde Overdrive on the Rhodes is from Ableton Live. Audio is from the mixer, fed directly into a Zoom Q3HD video recorder." -Rheyne

Domino's Filter Processes Audio From Reaktor

Pretty nice sounding filter on the 250,00 € priced eowave Domino:


"Using the audio input to route a drum beat from a Reaktor Ensemble Krypt, through the Domino's 24 db/octave filter. Domino's LFO is tempo sync'd to Reaktor's MIDI clock, and is modulating the filter cutoff." -eowave

UPDATE: Here's what Domino's analog oscillator sounds like thru the filter:

How to make a funky auto-wah bass effect in Reason

Another great article on Reason Sound Design by Propellerhead's European product specialist Matias Häggström Gerdt, complete with download link of Reason song file! Dig it:


"Propellerhead Software's product specialist Mattias Häggström Gerdt shows you how to make a Bootsy Collins-style funky auto-wah effect for electric bass (but you can use it on anything, really!)." -Propellerhead

Reason Mobile

Costa Papaspyrou for a University assignment designed his take on what a Reason Mobile app would be like, dig it:



Poster:

Line 6 Mobile Keys

Line 6 Mobile Keys announced this morning as the "World's first tri-platform" keyboard midi controller will work with your iOS device as well as Mac and PC. In either a 25 or 49 key model with full sized velocity sensitive keys with Pitch Bend, Mod Wheel, Volume and Pan knobs as well as octave -/+ and shift buttons. Check it:

Nord Drums?

Nord have a new website Norddrum.com with the cryptic message "the drums of the future come from the past. Only 9 days to go." Which leaves one to believe Nord will be announcing a new drum related product at NAMM. Nord of course are famous for their keyboards, which model classic keys from electric pianos to organs and synths - I'd love to see a Nord drum machine that models older machines in the same fashion! However another ad on their site shows a couple of drum sticks, so perhaps it's a drum brain for electric kits? Or as EvanBrass so eloquently put it on Gearslutz:

"Yeah, I've seen these, they are basically an updated version of these:"

Intro to Reaktor

It's great to start seeing Reaktor tutorials on youtube! If there's any program that needs further instructions Reaktor is it... Here's an intro video on building in Reaktor via Timbremerchant:


"Basic Intro to building a very simple synth in NI Reaktor"
-Timbremerchant

Tycho performing "A Walk" on KCRW

Back to electronic music with Tycho:


"Graphic designer Scott Hansen, also known as Tycho, found his musical identity in creating transcendental soundscapes, the sonic equivalent of the images he favors in his visual art work. He joins guest host Chris Douridas on Morning Becomes Eclectic. Watch / Listen to the full session here: http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb120109tycho"
-KCRW

Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar!

Johnny Marr, legendary guitarist from The Smiths, now has his own signature guitar model, and no it's not a Rickenbacker:

Fender is very proud to introduce the Johnny Marr signature Jaguar® guitar. Marr is best known, of course, as the strikingly dynamic and influential anti-hero guitarist-arranger-all-around-musical-wunderkind behind Manchester quartet the Smiths, which virtually redefined and ruled U.K. pop throughout the 1980s. A master of melody, layering and texture, Marr has always brought his own instantly identifiable ringing, jangling genius to the proceedings, as he has done in post-Smiths stints with The The, Electronic, the Pretenders and Johnny Marr and the Healers, and right up to the present with Modest Mouse, the Cribs and innumerable guest appearances.

Specialized features include custom-wound Bare Knuckle® Johnny Marr single-coil neck and bridge pickups; custom-shaped maple neck based on Marr’s 1965 Jaguar, with vintage-style truss rod, lacquer finish and Marr’s signature on the front of the headstock; four-position blade-style pickup switch mounted to the lower-horn chrome plate (bridge, bridge and neck in parallel, neck, bridge and neck in series); two upper-horn slide switches (universal bright and pickup switch position four bright); Jaguar bridge with Mustang® saddles, nylon bridge post inserts for improved stability, chrome cover and vintage-style floating tremolo tailpiece.

Accessories include a custom case with blue crushed velvet interior, strap, cable and flatwound strings. Available in Olympic White and Metallic KO (a distinctive orange tint derived from the heavily faded Candy Apple Red finish of one of Marr’s favorite ’60s-era Fender models).

Geddy Lee on the Moog Taurus Pedals, Pt. 1

Like many teenagers during the 80s I was introduced to the sound of synthesizers by Rush's classic Tom Sawyer intro, which I later found out was a Oberheim OB-X - but at the time all the pictures in Rolling Stone showed him playing this organ looking foot pedal contraption with a giant MOOG logo on the back. Here's Geddy talking about the Taurus, that same strange pedal synth:


"Moog visited Geddy Lee in his Toronto studio to get his take on the Taurus pedals, old and new. This is the first of a 3-part series relaying touching stories and musical innovations from the start of Rush's reigning fame to now. In this installment, Geddy talks about his first introduction to the Taurus sound and what he would like to see next from Moog...Minitaur."
-Moog

MLR in Reaktor!

David Howe is recreating Brian Crabtree's MLR for monome in Reaktor:


"The original MLR was written in Max/Msp by Brian Crabtree, inventor of the Monome. I have rebuilt his program in another language, Reaktor for many reasons: to best understand how a program works, bottom up; because I would like to see the program have more functionality, and I am more fond/capable of/with Reaktor over Max/Msp; and because Reaktor adds certain features that Max/Msp does not allow for. For one, the ability to use any program created in Reaktor as a VST, automatically in your favorite DAW.

After I am complete advancing the program the way I would like to in Reaktor, I will code it in C as a standalone program." -david howe

Connecting Lemur to Reaktor (OSC)

How to use Reaktor with the new Lemur iOS app:


"Connecting Lemur to Reaktor:

- Create the ad-hoc network.
- Launch Lemur.
- Launch the editor and load the template.
- Load the Reaktor Ensemble.
- Find out your computer's IP or host-name and add it as an OSC target.
- Go to the OSC Settings in Reaktor and type in your Lemur's IP, set the port to 8000.
- Activate OSC in Reaktor.
- Go to your Lemur and change the OSC Target port to 10000 (Reaktor's default)"

-Liine

CHLLNGR - "Change"

Fantastic music video for CHLLNGR's "Change" by Chad Turner and Ryan Todd, which I ran across on The Fox is Black. You can download the track for free @ soundcloud.com/CHLLNGR! Dig it:

FXpansion Tremor - Synthetic Drum Machine

FXpansion released a video this afternoon for a new synthetic drum machine based on the DCAM modeling circuits, called Tremor. Looks fantastic:


"FXpansion is proud to present Tremor: a software drum machine with powerful synthesis, effects, modulation and step-sequencing. DCAM circuit-modelled sound generation is fused with new ideas to produce original sounds with the punch and extreme sound pressure of old-school analogue. Tremor's dance drums, funky beatscapes, abstract machines and undiscovered sonic terrain are suited to all kinds of electronic, urban and experimental music." -FXpansion

Moog MINITAUR!

Another pre-NAMM leak, this one from Moog via proaudiostar.com of the forthcoming MINITAUR:

The MINITAUR is a compact table-top monophonic MIDI-and-CV-controllable analog bass synthesizer module with a 100% analog audio signal path, based on the design of the Taurus 3 bass synthesizer.


The front panel features a knob-per-function design, for maximum real-time tweakability. There are no internally stored presets, but presets can be created and managed via MIDI. The MINITAUR has several new features added to the classic Taurus synth engine, including an external audio input, that expand the basic synthesis and sound design capability of the instrument. Minitaur fits right into the computer based music production rig or is easily controlled via MIDI controller.

Features:

- 100% analog audio signal path based on Taurus I and Taurus III synthesizers.
- 2 Taurus VCOs with variable Glide amount
- Sawtooth (original Taurus) or Square waveform selection for both VCOs
- External Audio Input
- Headphone out
- 2 Mixer VCAs for setting the level of the VCOs
- 1 VCF Moog/Taurus-style Ladder Filter w/ VC Resonance
- 1 VCA
- Two Minimoog-style ADSR Envelope generators with the Decay and Release segments controlled by the Decay knob plus a Release On/Off switch
- 1 MIDI-syncable triangle wave LFO for modulating VCF/VCOs
- DIN MIDI In and MIDI over USB out

Of course the best part about MINITAUR has to be the price $599 USD!

UPDATE:

Introducing:

Minitaur Quick Demo from Moog Music on Vimeo.

Quick Demo:

MPC Renaissance!

Akai is releasing a slew of new products in 2012, promising to "change the game all over again." The first of which is the MPC Renaissance. A badass music production controller that fuses "Akai Professional’s legendary MPC layout and workflow with the power of your computer... The new flagship is a fully integrated hardware/software system: MPC Renaissance allows you to create using classic hardware controls and an integrated pop-up display, while it’s exclusive MPC Software empowers you with unprecedented, expandable production capabilities on your Mac or PC." The "vintage" mode looks particularly enticing on Renaissance, with it's ability to "change output sound character to MPC3000, MPC60 and more!" In the next two weeks Akai will be releasing info on their other two new products, the first is called MPC Studio, a slimline version of Renaissnace, which will be unveiled a week from today. The other product is dubbed MPC Fly and is a music production controller for the iPad! MPC Fly will be showcased on the first day of NAMM. Check out MPC Renaissance:

Cliff Martinez on Carson Daly

Caught this interview the other night on Carson Daly of composer Cliff Martinez. Martinez composes music for films, such as Steven Soderbergh's Contagion, but got his start drumming in such bands as The Weirdos, Captain Beefheart, The Dickies, and of course The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. You can download most of his film music @ cliff-martinez.com. Dig the Bass Steel Drums in the video at 2:13:


video courtesy of FancyTorque

New Version of Graincube coming for Lemur iOS!

Antonio Blanca of Twisted Tools fame uploaded this lovely photo an hour ago to twitter featuring the soon to be released 'lemurcube" for iPad:

Pulveriser Tricks @ Reason 101!

Robert Anselmi over @ Reason101.net has posted a great new article on using Reason 6's Pulveriser creatively called "Pounding the Pulveriser (Part 2)." I particularly dig this video portion of article where he describes using Thor to to trigger the envelope follower in a Pulveriser: