Resonant Filter!

What is Recycle?

2012-02-01T02:53:00.002-06:00

Propellerhead's Recycle has been updated to version 2.2! This update includes a new GUI, key commands, an on-line Help system and workflow enhancements. I was lucky enough to beta test this new 64 bit compatible application for the last few months and I have to say the new key commands alone make the upgrade worth while. And if you don't already own Recycle, check out this video to get an idea of it's awesome power for Reason users:

FM249 Sample Special with Oli Bell

2012-01-31T10:36:00.002-06:00

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!

2012-01-30T11:02:00.012-06:00

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

2012-01-29T00:29:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-28T01:08:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-27T20:38:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-27T09:29:00.002-06:00

Rob Jones of ProducerTech reviews the Novation Impulse controller keyboard:

Roger Linn Demonstrates the Dave Smith Tempest

2012-01-26T01:25:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-25T08:27:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-24T03:13:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-23T18:19:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-23T09:57:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-23T09:38:00.005-06:00

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

2012-01-22T20:29:00.001-06:00

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

Korg Mini Kaoss Pad 2 Preview

2012-01-22T05:35:00.005-06:00

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

2012-01-22T04:41:00.002-06:00

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.

2012-01-21T14:24:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-21T13:40:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-21T13:16:00.004-06:00

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!

2012-01-19T19:40:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-19T01:52:00.004-06:00

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

2012-01-19T00:36:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-18T18:56:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-18T18:14:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-18T12:15:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-17T00:13:00.002-06:00

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!

2012-01-16T19:45:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-16T19:34:00.003-06:00

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!

2012-01-16T17:46:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-16T14:40:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-16T14:13:00.005-06:00

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!

2012-01-15T16:45:00.005-06:00

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

2012-01-15T07:12:00.004-06:00

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:

Hook At Head Time by rude_NHS

Reakttor ensemble Neuron in FL

2012-01-15T01:56:00.001-06:00

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

Meet the MPC Studio!

2012-01-12T11:12:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-11T22:52:00.001-06:00

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

2012-01-11T20:51:00.004-06:00

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

2012-01-11T14:33:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-10T13:49:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-10T11:27:00.003-06:00

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?

2012-01-09T21:51:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-09T21:28:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-09T21:25:00.000-06:00

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!

2012-01-07T23:59:00.006-06:00

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

2012-01-07T15:45:00.004-06:00

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!

2012-01-06T21:32:00.002-06:00

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)

2012-01-06T20:55:00.000-06:00

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"

2012-01-06T19:21:00.003-06:00

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

2012-01-05T15:46:00.002-06:00

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!

2012-01-05T08:23:00.005-06:00

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!

2012-01-05T08:00:00.004-06:00

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

2012-01-04T11:26:00.004-06:00

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!

2012-01-03T11:12:00.005-06:00

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!

2012-01-03T02:29:00.004-06:00

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:

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T11:54:00.015-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope this past year has been a good one for you and yours... Since this is the time of year where people reflect, I thought I'd make a list of tops for me this year:

1. Reason 6 - The Props bring it all together in one straight forward package of music making software.

2. Reaktor Razor Ensemble - Finally someone creates an additive synthesizer that's easy to navigate. While Razor can certainly do the Wob Wob sounds used in it's ad, I really love it for leads and sub basses. Nice one Native Instruments and Errorsmith!

3. Robot Koch's The Other Side - This album has been the soundtrack to my Fall and Winter. Buy it now!

4. Nucleus SoundLab Pantheon III - Yes I worked on this refill, and while I'm proud of my own sound design on P3 what keeps me coming back to it is the quality of work by everyone involved in the project. And if you haven't picked this up yet, you have until January 7th, 2012 to qualify for the 30% discount ;-).

5. Moog Slim Phatty - While the Slim Phatty was released at the end of 2010 I didn't get my paws on one until the local big box store had a model on display this year. Lovely analog oscillators and a smooth Moog Low Pass Filter - what's not to love? Seeing as I have $800 set aside for one, expect this on my 2012 list as well ;-).

6. Novation Impulse 49 Key Model - Leave it to Novation to create a 49 key midi controller that finally breaks the $399 (USD) barrier while still retaining quality keys. Don't get me wrong, I won't be trading my SL MKii in for one any time soon (the faders on the SL are much much better), but for those in need of a new controller on the cheap it's a no brainer!

7. Tom Pritchard Sound Design - Mr. Tom Pritchard has long been one of my sound design heroes. His patches have a playability that I think a lot of other designers miss and his 2011 foray into commercial sound design with the Tom Pritchard Sound Design moniker couldn't please me more. Read my review of FatBank for more information.

8. Apparat's Devil's Walk - Two years in the making, Apparat's Devil's Walk album melds electronica with rock and pop into a polished lp perfect for long winter strolls in the snow. With the help of Joshua Eustis (of Telafon Tel Aviv) and friend Fredo Noguerira, it's no wonder this album is so fantastic.

9. Sonic Couture's Broken Wurli - The Wurlizter 200a has long been my favorite electric piano and Sonic Couture's Broken Wurli for Kontakt (and Kontakt Player) captures the magic of that sound for those of us without the space for one. This library was recorded with a 200a borrowed from Neil Davidge, producer for Massive Attack, who describes the piano as having "a dodgy distorting speaker that sounds great.”

10. Miles Davis Live In Europe 1967 - The first in a series of bootleg releases from Sony, Live in Europe 1967 captures the second legendary Miles Davis Quartet in fine form on 2 CDs and a DVD. A sort of missing link between Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew, Live in Europe is a must have for jazz afficionados!

Special Mentions: 2011 has been a great year to be a Reason user, with a slew of new refills at Rackflip.com (I'm currently eyeing Floe and Missing Pieces OctoPulse Thor) as well as a new refill from legendary Reason user Ed Bauman with EditEd's 88mph Vol.1, plus a number of great new refills from Harald Karla at Soundcells, the only tough part has been deciding where and what to spend your hard earned money on!

Have a wonderful 2012!

Silverbird Live Reaktor Ensemble how to use breakbeat

2011-12-31T11:00:00.001-06:00

"Hi, this is a video to show some features and the workflow of the Reaktor Ensemble: "Silverbird Live" from a.goc and j.kanzler
This example is with a breakbeat
A great reaktor groovebox......
Best regards." -moresound4u

QuNeo 3D Multi-touch Pad Controller

2011-12-30T13:43:00.012-06:00

QuNeo is a 3D Multi-touch Pad Controller being developed by Keith McMillen, who has constructed instruments and controllers for the likes of Bob Weir, Laurie Anderson, John Paul Jones and the Kronos Quartet! QuNeo is open source and currently has a kickstarter campaign running with over $100,000 pledged (with an initial $15,000 goal.) Here's the info from kickstarter:

QuNeo is a different species of pad controller for electronic musicians, DJs, VJs and DIY hackers. While it covers all of the functionality of other pad controllers, QuNeo adds the power of touch recognition in other dimensions.

Features:

Tactile Pads, Sliders, Rotary Sensors and Switches

Each of the 27 pads, sliders and rotary sensors are pressure, velocity, and location sensitive. Even the 17 switches respond to how hard you press.

LED Light Feedback

A remarkable lumination scheme combines variably diffusive elastomers with 251 multi-color LEDs providing visual feedback that is immediately responsive and delightfully informative. Man and machine are coupled through light, feel and sound.

Trigger Pads

16 square pads provide 127 levels of Velocity response. And X-Y location. And continuous pressure. For each pad. Times sixteen.

Rotary Sensors

2 rotary sensors allow you to scrub, trigger, stretch, pinch and play phrases and sound files, manipulate continuous controllers and more . Each rotary sensor measures angle, pressure and distance from the center.

Multi-touch Sliders

9 touch sensitive sliders can be mapped to fader and effects controls. LEDs within each slider act as VU meters or remind you where you were. Multi-touch lets you select a length between two fingers to set stereo locations or filter resonances. Tapping a slider can mute or toggle any track or function.

Switches

The switches are located in smart groupings to select samples, fader banks, and transport controls. Each of the switches can scan up and down through files at speeds variable with your touch. Great for quickly locating that perfect fill or telling your looper you really meant it.

The Size of an iPad.

QuNeo is the size of an iPad and can fit in iPad accessories such as mic clips, stands and more.

Class Compliant and Open Source Development Kit

QuNeo works with USB, MIDI or OSC and will communicate with your favorite music software environments right out of the box. More advanced users and programmers can use the development kit and API to create their own code to respond to QuNeo's sensor data. Hack away to control your world in ways never before possible!

Only 10 days left to pledge $200 USD (or more) for your own 1st edition QuNeo @ kickstarter. This is your chance to rock a QuNeo before they're available to the general public!

Koadij / Beats & Poles

2011-12-29T17:36:00.005-06:00

"Hank walks into a pole dancing studio and all hell breaks loose."

Directed by David Dutton - duttonfilms.com/
Music by Henry Dutton
Lighting by Fernando Camarena
The Dancer - BAD ABY - omgitsbadaby.com/

Jam Session 6 "Better":

Jam Session 6 "Better" from David Dutton on Vimeo.

GRID Reaktor Ensemble

2011-12-29T14:25:00.005-06:00

GRID is a new Sound Sequencer Reaktor ensemble from Icebreaker Audio available for £20 ($30/€24 approx.)

GRID is designed to be a sound sequencer, it is neither a drum machine nor a sequenced synthesizer, but some kind of hybrid of the two. GRID was designed to have no tabs and a single set of controls for the sound source. The central part of GRID is the 8×8 matrix sequencer. This is where the patterns are created using 8 steps along the x axis and 8 voices along the y axis. Voices are like partials of an additive synthesizer, or like notes in a scale. They can be either depending on how you with to use GRID. Each voice can have its own pattern length, allowing for interesting polyrhythms.

Key Features:

- 8 voice sound sequencer controlled from an animated 8×8 grid
- 42 presets with 4 patterns per preset (a total of 168 patterns)
- Per voice pattern length
- Analog and digital sound generation modes
- 2 modulation step sequencers and an LFO
- Filter and delay effects built in
- “Glitch” controls to add chaos and noise
- Automatic tempo-synchronization when used in a host
- Preconfigured TouchOSC templates for iPad and iPhone

Buy GRID today @ www.icebreaker-audio.com/products/grid/

GRID Audio Demos by Icebreaker Audio

Bernard Childcare Trust ReFill!

2011-12-28T22:30:00.009-06:00

James Bernard has long been one of my musical heroes - for both his formidable music and work with Propellerhead. If you're a Reason user chances are you know his wife Nicole passed away earlier this year after a 2 1/2 year battle with Leukemia, leaving behind 4 young children. The Bernard Childcare Trust ReFill is a collaborative effort between six refill producers with the goal of passing all proceeds on to the Bernard family to help with their care.

The contributors:

Nicholas: DrDist/Odarmonix,
Ed: Bauman Productions,
Marco: Koshdukai’s Music(al) Reason(Ing)
Rob: Reason101.net,
Robb: Reason Patch-A-Day,
3rd Floor Sound: 3rdfloorsound.com
with special e-commerce help from Theo (New Atlantis Audio): www.rackflip.com

Contents:

- 47 Combinators
- 54 Thors
- 6 Kongs
- 108 Samples
- 41 NN19s
- 9 NNXTs
- 16 Malstroms
- 13 Subtractors
- 15 Effects
- 4 Rex loops

Purchase the Bernard Childcare Trust ReFill today for $20.73!

DEMO Bernard Childcare Trust refill by 3rdFloor

Addendum: If the Holidays left you short on cash you can also donate to the trust fund set up for the Bernard children by buying James Bernard's Guidance single with Olivia Broadfield, available thru jamesbernard.bandcamp.com for $1.99!

Soundcells Nordic Red!

2011-12-28T14:59:00.006-06:00

Soundcells released this amazing new FREE refill for Christmas called Nordic Red, but having been visiting my sister in Oregon I just got around to downloading it today. Here's the lowdown, Nordic Red is based on samples from the legendary Nord Modular G2X Synthesizer. The G2X's modular environment made it great for creating self-playing patches, called "Noodles", which is what Nordic Red is based upon. These patches are great to use as soundbeds for starting tracks or creating ambient washes of sonic delight. Some of my favorite of the twenty included combinators are Fragments, Machine, Nightlife 2 and War Neuroses. In addition to the NNXT and combi patches is a folder containing the raw sample material, making it easy for anyone to use the material in any sampler of their choosing - I'm planning on loading some of these into a few of my favorite Reaktor granular synths later today ;-). Info on how to get your copy of Nordic Red for FREE can be found at www.soundcells.de

DER OTO

2011-12-28T12:39:00.003-06:00

As you probably know, OTO updated the Biscuit recently from being an amazing 8bit distortion and effects device to also include a digital monosynth and 16 track sequencer with a firmware update available for free to existing owners. Here's one of the first videos I've seen of the new functions by duncanperson:

"Demo featuring the new OTO machines Biscuit update: DER OTO, and a bit of reverb and delay from the space echo. A really nice sounding digital synthesizer with the analogue filter on the back end! All sequencing done within the biscuit itself. This video also shows the new vinyl overlay for DER OTO - go buy one to support this amazing FREE update from oto machines." -duncanperson

Jonsi - Gathering Stories

2011-12-26T12:25:00.004-06:00

New animated video from Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi for the track "Gathering Stories", from the film "We Bought a Zoo". The video was designed by Crush Creative who describe the project with: "a lot of sleepless nights and overtime went into creating this magical video,which features a huge menagerie of animals and our hero going on a epic journey across ice and desert." Check it:

trying_skanner

2011-12-26T04:15:00.002-06:00

If you own Reaktor, make sure to download Native Instruments' Skanner, a FREE Reaktor ensemble NI made for the Holidays. Here's SoftSynthPortal running thru some of Skanner's sounds:

CRB DIAMOND 725 - Vintage Rhythm Box 1973

2011-12-26T04:11:00.001-06:00

Here's another vintage rhythm machine video by AnalogAudio1, this time featuring the rare Italian CRB Diamond 725 from 1973! Dig the kick and snare on this bad boy:

Sonic State Tempest Analog Drum Machine Review!

2011-12-25T14:16:00.003-06:00

Watching Nick Batt review the new Tempest Analog Drum Machine is almost as good as getting one for Christmas:

"A review of the latest partnership between two of the most well respected synth designers around. This is a 6 voice analog drum machinesynthesizer." -Sonic State

Reason Wizardry October Issue in Full!

2011-12-24T22:13:00.003-06:00

As a Christmas gift for the holidays this year, Nucleus SoundLab has posted the entire October issue of Reason Wizardry to Youtube! This issue is on Reason 6's new Alligator effect - from the basics to creating your own gating patterns. And speaking of Nucleus SoundLab - all products are currently 30% off until January 7th! If you haven't picked up the Pantheon III ReFIll yet, now is the perfect time!

Chick Corea on Analog Synths Live

2011-12-24T10:06:00.003-06:00

Jazz legend Chick Corea talks about using Moog synths on the Return to Forever reunion tour:

"Chick Corea took a moment from his 2011 tour with Return to Forever IV to talk about the role of various analog synthesizers in his on-stage sound."
-Moog

Olivia Broadfield Remix Competition!

2011-12-24T00:36:00.003-06:00

Remix Olivia Broadfield's Reason 6 demo song "Say" for a chance to win $1000 in prizes - including Balance! Though, I think I'd rather the prize was a date with Olivia ;-). Check it:

"In conjunction with TUAW.com, Propellerhead and Soundcloud, UK singer-songwriter Olivia Broadfield is giving remixers the opportunity to walk off with over $1000 worth of prizes, including a Balance interface, Reason 6 music production software and Pro membership to Soundcloud. All you have to do to is put your own twist on Olivia's song Say, to enter just email olivia@propellerheads.se
Good luck!" -Olivia Broadfield

October 2011 Reason Wizardry Video in Full!

2011-12-23T01:09:00.003-06:00

As a present from Nucleus SoundLab for the Holidays, here's the October 2011 issue of Reason Wizardry:

Native Instruments Skanner

2011-12-21T12:07:00.004-06:00

Native Instruments has released a brand new Reaktor ensemble for the holidays called Skanner and the best part is it's FREE! Skanner is a sample based synthesizer designed by Stephan Schmitt, the father of Reaktor and designer behind some of Reaktor's greatest ensembles (like Spark and Prism.) Native Instruments describes the synthesis method on NI.com as:

SKANNER ingeniously mixes sampler and synthesizer. The two oscillators ‘scan’ a sample; at low frequencies you get the ‘scratch’ sound of the sample being read back and forth, while at higher frequencies the dominant force is the oscillators being shaped by the sample waveform. The resulting sounds are raw, dirty and highly unpredictable – from simple sine waves to walls of noise.

Sounds fantastic! Go to Native-Instruments.com today to download Skanner for Reaktor 5.6.2.

Reaktor Effect: Drev's Phase Phucker

2011-12-20T17:14:00.005-06:00

Jess Hewitt of Drev expounding on his latest magical Reaktor ensemble the Phase Phucker, dig it:

micronaut - Experiment 10

2011-12-18T18:08:00.003-06:00

Chris Randall, purveyor of the Analog Industries blog and 1/2 of Audio Damage uploaded this new improv today:

"Short improvisation. Yamaha CP80B, DSI TETR4, Korg Monotribe, Eventide Space and TimeFactor, Doepfer modular, Roland RE-201. Sequenced from Naught Panther Phaedra running on an iPad." -Cranda11

REASON 6 + TENORI-ON = Awesome!

2011-12-18T18:02:00.001-06:00

VJFranzK experimenting with Tenori-ON and Reason6:

"Super Versatile SoftSynth controlled by Unique Sequencer! There are amazing possibilities here - this should get you started. To do this, you will, of course, need a USB to MIDI adaptor - there are many brands available." -VJFranzK

WURLITZER SWINGIN' RHYTHM

2011-12-18T18:00:00.000-06:00

Vintage Rhythm Box BOX 1975:

"The WURLITZER SWINGIN' RHYTHM is a rare small analogue rhyhtm box with 5 rhythms. The rhythms are mixable. TEMPO and VOLUME controls.

It also has 5 drum pads (actually drum buttons). The drum sounds are: BASSDRUM, BRUSH, SNARE ROLL, BLOCK, and CYMBAL. The drums sound interesting and somewhat "dirty". I don't know exactly if it sounded cleaner as new - maybe the aging process of the components lead to its typical sound :-)" -AnalogAudio1

RE-201 Space Echo & DRM1

2011-12-17T09:46:00.001-06:00

"short progressive video with the Roland RE-201 space echo and the Vermona DRM1 mk3. Analogue beauties. Second high hat channel on the DRM recorded clean and not sent through the space echo. Recorded and sequenced in Ableton Live. All effects processing done by the RE-201."
-duncanperson

Caribou On Stage with Ableton

2011-12-17T02:47:00.006-06:00

These videos were linked in the Ableton newsletter that hit my inbox yesterday. They feature the touring Caribou band and their use of Ableton Live on stage. Really dig the second "Behind the Scenes" video... on a related note, I'd been wondering what John Schmersal had been up to lately, good to see he's touring with Caribou:

On Stage:

Behind the Scenes:

And just in case you don't know who John Schmersal is, put some Enon in your pipe and smoke it:

M83-Midnight City live on Carson Daly

2011-12-16T10:14:00.000-06:00

via M83

Four Tet - Moma

2011-12-16T09:49:00.005-06:00

Here's a new Four Tet track, called "Moma", from the forthcoming compilation record We Are The Works in Progress, coming out January 10th on Asa Wa Kuru Records. The album is being curated by Japanese musician Kazu Makino (of Blonde Redhead fame) and is being made to help support victims of the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011; with proceeds going to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund and Architecture for Humanity. Looks like it's going to be a dazzling lp from the tracklisting:

1. Moma - Four Tet
2. No Face - Karin Dreijer Andersson
3. G Song - Terry Riley
4. Nightcrawler - Nosaj Thing
5. Berceuse - John Roberts
6. Penny Sparkle - Blonde Redhead
7. Bird On A Wire - Pantha Du Prince
8. In Here The World Begins - Broadcast
9. Drip - Liars/Blonde Redhead
10. Curve - Deerhunter
11. Stalagmite - Stalactite
12. Castles In The Grave - John Maus
13. Bamboo House - David Sylvain/Ryuichi Sakamoto
14. Song Seven - Interpol

Four Tet - Moma by Four Tet

Propellerhead Artist Interview: Surkin

2011-12-16T08:44:00.005-06:00

I'm always stoked when Propellerhead releases a new artist interview! Being unfamiliar with the countless of sub-genres in electronic music, I have discovered many talented artists thru this series; and this time around is no exception with the interview of Frenchman Benoit Heitz aka Surkin:

"When a young Benoit Heitz saw a friend's computer running Reason he had an epiphany: "His computer isn't better than my parent's computer. That means I could be making music." He started out not knowing the first thing about drums or music in general. Three years later he was touring the world as an international DJ. Surkin had us over to check out his wild yet danceable cut-up sample work." -Propellerhead

Stillicide

2011-12-15T11:40:00.004-06:00

Saw the below video on the ace art & design blog The Fox is Black. The video, titled "Stillicide", features the animation of Eric Ko a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, and the music of Alex Cook aka Attics/ADCo. Dig it:

"RISD fall 2011 intermediate animation final project." -Eric Ko

Audio Damage Kombinat Dva Overview...

2011-12-14T13:13:00.004-06:00

the one and only swiss army knife of audio destruction:

"This is a short look at the highlights of Kombinat Dva, our multi-band distortion plug-in. Kombinat Dva is available only in the Audio Damage store." -Audio Damage

How to make a punchy house bass in Reason

2011-12-14T11:09:00.002-06:00

"Propellerhead Software's product specialist Mattias Häggström Gerdt shows you how to make a punchy house bass combinator in Reason based on the patch "Harsh House Bass" from the Reason Factory Soundbank."
-Propellerhead

Harry Coade Novation Impulse Routine

2011-12-13T10:07:00.005-06:00

Harry Coade getting down on the new Novation Impulse midi controller. Speaking of Impulse, I checked one out at the local big box music store the other day and was quite impressed with it - only thing chintzy are the faders... but let's face it, Novation had to cut the corner somewhere to make these so damn cheap. Check the Champion Sound:

"Performance by London artist Harry Coade putting the Novation Impulse controller keyboard through it's paces. The movie was shot in East London and is a Dub-influenced Big Beat routine with Ableton Live in the background." -Novation

Tempest - Live demo tutorial of features and sounds

2011-12-13T02:20:00.001-06:00

I've seen quite a number of videos on youtube showcasing the DSI Tempest's drums, but ttaralli's demo is one of the first to present the thick analog bass and lead sounds the Tempest can create:

"I've had the Tempest for a few days and decided to share some of the things the Tempest can do live. All of the sounds in this video are from the Tempest. Nothing has been mixed (sorry I just threw this together on a whim). There are no external Effects or synths used. This is quickly turning into on of the best pieces of gear I've ever owned and the OS is still in Beta. OS 1.1.2

FX used
Roll
Delay
LP Filter knobs
LP Filter on the touch pad
ADSR to shorten the main synth sound
Reverse"

-ttaralli

Reason 6 - Creating Linear Drum Loops

2011-12-13T01:04:00.001-06:00

Here's a new video from The Loop Loft on"Creating Linear Drum Loops". Speaking of The Loop Loft, they currently have a Holiday Sale on their loops - 35% off with the code "holidaysale". Check it:

Drev's Delaystable Reaktor Effects Ensemble

2011-12-12T09:13:00.002-06:00

Jess from Drev uploaded this playlist this morning explaining the Drev's Delaystable Ensemble available in the Reaktor User Library, where it's described as:

A MIDI triggered stutter effect using a "trap-delay." Rather than simply buffer audio, this effect traps the audio in a continuous delay feedback loop. Depending on the delay used and interpolation, the sound can be mangled or destroyed to create new tones.

Check it:

"This is a video explaining my Reaktor effect Delaystable." -Drev

Lemur iPad app - step sequencer with Reason 6 granular patch

2011-12-12T01:50:00.000-06:00

"adapted the stepSeq_4 module from the JazzMutant team to create a multi value step sequencer that triggers a granular combinator patch in Reason 6. This is definitely a way to obtain more musical results from the Lemur - Reason combination, but it lacks transport synchronization.

The granular patch is a derivation of one posted years ago on the propellerhead website." -Peff

Bluewater VST - Lazerbass Boot Camp

2011-12-12T01:43:00.005-06:00

Brent Kallmer is back with another in depth look at a Reaktor ensemble - this time Lazerbass, with Lazerbass Boot Camp! Dig the downtempo example around the 1:36 mark:

"Bluewater VST's "Lazerbass Boot Camp" finally demystifies one of the most devastating VST synths available today. Visit lazerbassbootcamp.com/ to learn more..." -Bluewater VST

Neo-Soul Keys™ for Reason 6

2011-12-10T21:29:00.003-06:00

Damn, this Neo-Soul Keys ReFill sounds fantastic! Dig the low bark:

Via GospelMusicians

Sonic LAB Review: Korg Monotron DUO and DELAY

2011-12-10T05:57:00.000-06:00

"Just in time for Christmas, Korg bring on two new Monotrons - are you tempted?" -Sonic State

Tracks Interact 1: Ableton Live Sidechain compression

2011-12-10T05:04:00.001-06:00

Berklee's Loudon Sterns looks at sidechain compression in the video below, particularly concerning track interaction. Don't have Ableton? Many of these tips can be done with Reason 6's sidechain input! Dig it:

"In this series, Berkleemusic.com facilitator Loudon Stearns covers five ways tracks can interact with audio effects using Ableton Live. The first installment, Sidechain Compression, shows how a compressor can be used to create an interaction between a synth and an acoustic bass part. The Post FX and Post mixer routing points are examined as well as compressor specifics.

You can study with Loudon Stearns at Berkleemusic.com in the Advanced Production with Ableton Live, and Composing and Producing Electronic Music courses." -Loudon Sterns

Peak Sound's Reaktor Tutorial 05 - Making a Wind Chime

2011-12-10T04:15:00.002-06:00

Peak Sound (aka Peter) is back with another Reaktor tutorial, this time on "Making a Wind Chime". Speaking of Reaktor, don't forget to download the newest NI Reaktor 5.6.2 update, available now in the updates section @ Native Instruments.com!

"Here's a video showing off some modules we haven't seen yet in an effort to build a wind chime-esque instrument." -Peak Sound

Lemur iPad app - first attempt at controlling Reason 6

2011-12-10T01:11:00.001-06:00

Peff putting the new Lemur iOS app thru it's paces with Reason 6:

"Always coveted a Jazzmutant Lemur, but could never justify the cost. So I couldn't pass up the opportunity to work with the iOS app adaptation by liine! This is my first attempt experimenting with the multiball control and physics model to trigger MIDI notes and generate interesting modulation patterns of Malstrom and Echo devices." -Peff

twistedtools.com | Make massive layered sounds with TRANSFORM

2011-12-09T03:09:00.000-06:00

"This video demonstrates how to use Transform to make massive layered sound effects like the ones heard in the original Transform trailer.

TRANSFORM is an extensive collection of field recordings, sound effects and designed sounds developed by sound designer Jean-Edouard Miclot (a.k.a. JEDSOUND). Bundled with sample mappings for many popular formats, TRANSFORM's painstakingly recorded and processed sounds will find their home in the arsenals of sound designers, editors and music producers alike." -Twisted Tools

New Jackson 'The Night Mail'

2011-12-08T08:41:00.002-06:00

Check out this video for the Dublin act New Jackson's "The Night Mail" directed by Irish animator and illustrator Fergal Brennan:

"Video for New Jackson's The Night Mail EP, released this month on Pogo Recordings.
You can buy the vinyl here: juno.co.uk/products/441929-01.htm
soundcloud.com/newjackson
soundcloud.com/pogorecordings
bodytonicmusic.com

This was animated using a DSLR, several Polaroid cameras, and a ton of photocopies.

Directed by Fergal Brennan

Animation Assistance by
Leigh Arthur
Helena Egri
Renate Henschke
Richard O'Shea

Special thanks to
Cliona, Davey, Jeannie, Mark, Richard, Renate, Scott, Sean & Yvette,
& the lady from the photocopy shop

More info at:
mynameisfergal.com
renatehenschke.com
richardoshea.com"

-Fergal Brennan

mimumachine [reaktor.ens] - a snapshot jam #1

2011-12-08T04:36:00.003-06:00

Fantastic looking Reaktor ensemble:

"the mimumachine is an native instreument's reaktor ensemble sequencing 7 sample-slots for pure idm/mnml-glitch-madness. this is a quick jam / tour thru a few snapshots with the use of the morphing-feature and demonstrating just a few of the core-features whilest editing some sounds and sequences in realtime. this .ens is based on deadbeats. virtual circuit bent was done by mimu.eu 's ovenbroed & einmeier."
-maria ovenbröd

Maxing Your CPU in Ableton with Kill Paris

2011-12-08T01:02:00.002-06:00

Kill Paris, the man behind the great Sound Design Sundays videos is back with a video on using the Freeze Function in Ableton to Max out your CPU for crazy results:

"Using the freeze function in Ableton Live to push your CPU beyond the max. In this tutorial, I demonstrate this by layering multiple instances of Massive." -Kill Paris

Lemur for the iPad!

2011-12-07T23:49:00.005-06:00

The news every iPad owning musician wanted confirmed - Lemur for iOS! At $49.99 it ain't cheap, but still an iPad + the app is probably less than a second hand Jazz Mutant Lemur, plus you can play Words With Friends on an iPad between flights:

"Lemur is a professional iOS controller app that doesn't cut any corners. It lets you control anything, any way you want. Lemur can control DJ software, DAWs, VJ software, visual synthesis software, stage lighting and more. Any software or hardware that can be controlled by MIDI or OSC can be controlled by Lemur.

Major stadium-touring acts such as Bjork, Deadmau5 and Daft Punk use Lemur on stage. The original hardware version was introduced to the public in 2004 and Lemur software now benefits from nearly 10 years of development. These are just two of the reasons Lemur is the name cited when talking about multitouch control.

Find out more on liine.net"

-LineTV

Eowave Domino

2011-12-07T23:42:00.003-06:00

Here's a video of the Eowave Domino synthesizer posted on Vimeo by combat_silence. Dig the filter: