The Girl and the Robot
The Girl and the Robot, a new electro-pop duo featuring Deadbeat of Second Unit and Plastique of Welle:Erdball, will release their debut EP, Whole/Flowers, February 5 on the Trisol label. The EP features bonus remixes from Die Perlen and Javelynn Fate, the current project of former Ashbury Heights vocalist Yasmine Uhlin. To hear previews from Whole/Flowers, visit The Girl and the Robot’s MySpace page.
Nice picture by the way, need say no more, can´t wait to see them (her) live 
Interesting post on the sequencer battle
Found an interesting post/article called the Sequencer wars, where the author had used Google trends over the past years to analyze which sequencers are gaining or loosing in market share. The result is shown in the graph below.
And the result shows that Ableton continues to grow as the most popular system going forward.
Losers:
Cubase started from a high in early 2004 and has seemingly experienced a steady decline ever since apart from a few short-lived spikes; most notably in late 2004 when the news graph shows that Steinberg announced an update to Cubase SX 3.0.1
(I initially thought this result was quite odd so I performed other searches based around the [Cubase ] search-word to see if there was a correlation… and there is! The search trends for Cubase SX and VST pretty much match the same downward trend as above.)
Cakewalk shows an even more dramatic fall. It starts from a higher spike than Cubase at the start of 2004, but ends lower than it did in the last quarter of 2006!
(Still a bit sceptical, I ran another for Cakewalk SONAR Although there’s been a more volatile ride, ithe graph shows a similar start and end-point as above.)
Winners:
Ableton on average, has experienced a steady rise in search volume all through the timeline, reflecting its new-kid-on-the-block rise into the mind-share of electronic musicians.
Flatlining:
Pro Tools does end at a slightly lower point than when the resultset began, but the trend-line itself is pretty much even when you look at the spikes it has seen. However, 2006 shows a fairly strong downward trend that is seemingly breaking-away from the rest of the line!
Read the full article here and some of the “conclusions” >>
Thanks to The Whippingpost for sharing
Who needs a HW MIDI?
Simple but neat when you are on the road and works well with most software synths I have tried it on. Of course as with all virtual MIDIs you will miss out on the fact that it is not pressure sensitive, but often you can come quite far anyhow.
So, sometime it’s nice to not have to plug in a keyboard to play around with a softsynth, especially when you’re writing one. So here’s a little app you can use instead. It shows a little keyboard on screen, and you can use the computer keyboard to play MIDI notes. ‘z’ through ‘,’ is the octave starting a middle C (note 60). The keys on the row above are flats, and the octave below is on the row starting with ‘q’ (and the digit row is that octave’s flats).
* MidiKeys is now a universal binary.
* Minimum system is now 10.5.
* Changed ownership to Immo Software.
* New configurable hot key to toggle global hot keys.
* Support for automatic software updates using the Sparkle framework.
* New option to show the key caps on the on-screen keyboard.
* The MIDI channel field has been changed to a pop-up menu.
* The disclosure button to show the destination and listen menus is now a normal button instead of being a repurposed toolbar toggle button.
* Pressed key highlights are drawn with a slight gradient.
* New Global Hot Keys menu item.
* New preferences to control the visibility of overlay notifications.
* It is now possible to have no modifier key for global hot keys, so you only have to press the key corresponding to the note.
* Key maps were extended to use more keys on the keyboard.
* Non-English localisations have been disabled for this release due to the number of UI changes.
* Added a preference to make the keyboard window transparent to mouse clicks when MidiKeys is in the background.
* Made the keyboard window minimizable.
* Reorganized the preferences window with several tabs.
* Added preferences to control software updates.
Well this is more like it – more from NAMM
Mungo Enterprises announced their new toy today.
- 8 notes of polyphony
- Standalone hardware
- 4 Oscillators per note
- 4 Filters per note
- Hardwood enclosure and lid
- Anything-to-anything patching
- Programmable normalling
- Real 3.5mm patch cables
- Unlimited routes
- Stored in memory
Bass, continuously variable portamento time + stereo filters one with overdriven feedback.
Pad, stereo sawtooth symmetry modulation + detuning by scaling
Cheese, 6 operator DX-7 type “FM” synthesis
So what has happened at NAMM this year…
…so far not much that makes (at least) me impressed, here are a few samples collected. But I encourage you to respond if I have missed out on anything of importance.
Arturia introduced a series of three hybrid synthesizers
Roland announces the VP-7 Vocal Processor
The Human Voice section provides rich and expressive choral backing by just playing the keyboard — no singing required.
Roland introduces the VR-700
Features:
- Roland’s acclaimed Virtual Tone Wheel and COSM technology provide authentic organ sound
- Dedicated harmonic bars, rotary-speaker simulation, and amp models, including Active Amp Enhancer
- 76-key waterfall keyboards offers smooth glissandos, fast action, and provides enough keys for splits
- Dual-manual simulation with Split function plus pedalboard capability (optional Roland PK-25A, PK-7A)
- Essential ensemble sounds (with tone remain function) onboard, including 88-key multi-sampled pianos, EP, strings, brass, synth pads, and more
- Full polyphony in the organ section, 128-voice polyphony for the ensemble section
- WAV/AIFF/MP3/SMF playback function for backing tracks
- Built-in rhythm patterns for practice and play-along performance
- Store user and system settings onboard and to USB memory sticks
- Versatile I/O, including professional XLR outputs
At Winter NAMM 2010, Peavey Electronics and Muse Research and Development have introduced the new, portable, flexible MuseBox Musical Instrument and Effects Box. The MuseBox uses virtual instruments and effects technology in a brand-new way, so players of all types can easily take cutting-edge software-based synths, sounds and effects to rehearsals, gigs, to the practice room, or to the studio
More free synths and effects at Stereoklang, including DroneMaker
Sonic Entropy has introduced Zombie Killah 2, a free synthesizer instrument plug-in for Windows that they describe as “THE ultimate badass synth”.
“Most recommended for use for lead parts, especially in Drum’n’Bass, Breakbeat, Dubstep, Jungle music.”
Zombie Killah 2 Features:
- 2 detuned oscillators.
- 1 sub bass oscillator
- Easy and quick modulators:
- One-Knob Adjustable Frequency Modulation.
- One-Knob Amplitude Modulation.
- Double-Knob Pulse Width Modulation.
- Vibrato and Tremolo.
- 3-way filtering.
- Host-synced BPM LFO Speeds.
- All parameters automatable, but an assignable MIDI CC for LFO Speed is available if needed.
- Chorus effect for stereo widening.
- 10 Factory Presets to get you started.
Zombie Killah 2 is a free VSTi plugin for Windows. Mac users will have to find their own “ultimate badass synth.”
SoundMagic Spectral is a free suite of 23 Audio Unit plug-ins that implement real-time spectral processing of sound.
Included in SoundMagic Spectral are the following effects:
Spectral Averaging, Spectral Bin Shift, Spectral Blurring, Spectral DroneMaker, Spectral Emergence, Spectral Filterbank, Spectral Freezing, Spectral Gate and Hold, Spectral Gliding Filters, Spectral Granulation, Spectral Harmonizer, Spectral Partial Glide, Spectral Pitch Shift, Spectral Pulsing, Spectral Shimmer, Spectral Shuffle, Spectral Stretch, Spectral Tracing, Chorus, Comb Filter Bank, Grain Streamer, Idee Fixer, Mr Filterbank
Requirements:
Mac OS X 10.4 and a G4, G5 processor or Intel Mac.
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The Knife's opera on Darwin soon as an album release
Swedish electro-pop duo The Knife have announced plans to release a studio version of the opera Tomorrow, in a Year, in collaboration with bands Mt. Sims and Planningtorock, on March 1. Tomorrow, In A Year, commissioned by performance group Hotel Pro Forma, is based on the work of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.
“At first it was very difficult, as we really didn’t know anything about opera. We’d never been to one,” says Olof Dreijer of The Knife. “But after some studying, and just getting used to opera’s essence of pretentious and dramatic gestures, I found that there is a lot to learn and play with. In fact, our ignorance gave us a positive respectless approach to making opera.”
The Knife had originally composed the music on their own for the opera itself, but decided to pull in Mt. Sims and Planningtorock to capture the huge width of the Darwin and evolution theme. The opera has performances slated until February 1 in Stockholm, Sweden. Subscribers to The Knife’s mailing list will receive a free download of the track “Colouring of Pigeons” from the upcoming album.
Joe Barresi’s Evil Drums SDX® Expansion Pack for Superior Drummer® 2.0
Joe Barresi’s Evil Drums SDX® Expansion Pack for Superior Drummer® 2.0
Platinum Samples is proud to announce the release of Joe Barresi’s Evil Drums SDXTM Expansion Pack for Toontrack Music’s Superior Drummer® 2.0 software – after all, it only seems fitting to release Evil Drums for the flagship product from the company that gave us Drumkit From Hell. Joe Barresi is one of the busiest producer/engineers working today with an impressive list of credits including albums by Tool, Wolfmother, Queens Of The Stone Age, Weezer, Clutch, Pennywise, Turbonegro, Bad Religion, and many more.
Featuring 6 full drum kits, 6 kick drums and 6 snares the Evil Drums Expansion Pack is unlike any other expansion pack available. Recorded to analog tape at two legendary rock studios using compression and EQ, Joe Barresi has captured a diverse ensemble of drum sounds with unprecedented detail and full bleed to create a unique and exquisitely evil expansion pack. Evil Drums also includes MIDI grooves performed by Pat Wilson (Weezer, The Special Goodness).
Platinum Samples is the first third party company to release Expansion Packs for Toontrack Music’s best selling Superior Drummer® 2.0 software. The expansion pack requires that Superior Drummer® 2.0 be installed and is both Mac OS X and Windows compatible. Superior Drummer® 2.0 supports Digidesign’s RTAS format, as well as VSTi and Audio Units technologies.
Please visit the www.platinumsamples.com web site for additional information.
Audio issues at Victoria's secret
This article dives into the issues when cameras and audio equipment needs to play well together, Not just beautiful ladies I guess
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8P8XpMoQaE
With hostess Heidi Klum leading a glittering parade of supermodels down the runway inside New York’s Lexington Avenue Armory, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show certainly revealed a sumptuous feast for the eyes. The mid-November videotaping for CBS was also a party for the ears, with a pulsating soundtrack mixed by renowned DJ Jeremy Healy and live performances by the Black Eyed Peas all potently reproduced by a camera-friendly phalanx of 128 Meyer Sound loudspeakers.
For sound designer Erich Bechtel of ADI:Audible Difference Inc., now in his tenth year working the annual spectacle, the assignment was clear-cut. “The production company wanted the system to steer clear of all camera sightlines and yet still sound good and loud,” says Bechtel.
It was a task more easily stated than accomplished. To stay out of camera shots, minimum array trim height was set at 47 feet. Subwoofers could not be hung due to weight restrictions, and the deep-thrust V-shaped stage split the audience into opposing sections. Finally, the armory’s vast size (about 180 by 190 feet) with high ceilings generated distressingly long reverberation times.
New VST iMoog for free
Sound Blocker has introduced iMoog, a free software synthesizer for Kontakt 4 based on sounds of the Moog Minimoog Voyager.
Mike at Sound Blocker notes:
I sampled some Moog Voyager sounds and made a free Kontakt instrument. All samples are made with analog outboard gear like API A2D, 5500, 2500, SMC 2b or Hammer EQ.
For now you can download two demo packs: “Big Boy” and “I saw U”.
More sound packs will come soon – Hope you like it. Have fun …
Cheers Ola
DATAMASKIN
