DXi brings FM to your phone
Yamaha’s interpretation of Frequency Modulation synthesis needs no introduction. It’s a sound splattered across many ’80s synth classics, and recreated by various soft synths.
DXi brings FM to your phone, but it’s closer to the DX27 than the legendary DX7. There are four operators rather than six and polyphony is reduced from 16 to three, from what we can tell. DXi also offers a neat 16-step sequencer and an effective XY performance pad, to mix operators and patterns in real time.
Sound editing is primitive. You can flick between eight algorithms and edit a four-stage amplitude envelope for each operator, but you can’t listen to frequency and feedback changes as you make them – you need to press Audition again for these to be heard.
While DXi does sound good, and you can recreate many classic sounds, it lacks versatility for the experimentalists, and completeness for the purists, sort of defeating the point of it being a synth and not a ROMpler.
Ableton are getting generous
Ableton today announced a way to get hold of a good chunk of new sounds in the form of their new Ableton Partner Instruments. These are new, sample based instruments created by some of the top sound creation producers and available as integrated, custom instruments covering a wide variety of instruments and soundscapes.
To get a taste of these, you can download a massive Partner Instrument Compilation of 4.4GB.
This includes everything from acoustic pianos and electronic drums to exotic instruments and cinematic soundscapes; 58 Instrument Racks, 16 Drum Racks, 5 Live Sets and 80 Live Clips.
Download it here:
http://www.ableton.com/partner-instrument-compilation
Live Packs – 10 free Packs by Minus
The Live Sets were made exclusively for Ableton by ten artists from the Minus roster. Each Set comes with a companion Lesson that reveals insights into the artist’s musical vision and offers valuable production tips. Includes material from: Click Box, Hobo, Heartthrob & Troy Pierce, Magda, Marc Houle, Fabrizio Maurizi, Barem, Ambivalent, JPLS and Gaiser. This Live Pack requires Live 8.1.3 or higher.
Learn more here:
http://www.ableton.com/minus
DP Control – a new iOS app that lest you control MOTU’s Digital Performer
MOTU has introduced DP Control – a new iOS app that lest you control MOTU’s Digital Performer audio workstation software over a WiFi network using your iPhone, iPad or third-generation iPod Touch.
DP Control is designed to give you access to the most important transport and mixer functions for tracking, simple mixing, and live performance. DP Control can easily be used with only one hand by pressing buttons and swiping to new pages with your thumb. DP Control works in both portrait and landscape orientations.
DP Control is a free download via the App Store.
What app would you like to see a dedicated iOS app for?
DP Control Features:
- Real two-way communication — everything that you update in DP updates in DP Control, and vice versa.
- Editable time counter with selectable format (including real-time, SMPTE time, samples, and marker names).
- Main transport control and many other transport-related Control Panel functions (click, countoff, memory-cycle, etc.)
- Page-controlled, scrollable mixer with animated, recordable pan knobs and volume sliders, plus level meters and peak indicators.
- Solo, Mute, Record-enable, Play automation, Record automation and automation mode settings for each track.
- Track list for your DP project, complete with collapsable nested track folders and dynamically linked track organization that matches your currently open DP project on your Mac.
- Infinite undo, with a view that shows you the names of the next and previous tasks in your DP document undo history.
- Marker creation and naming.
- New Take, Previous Take, and Next Take functions that operate on all of the record-enabled tracks at once (essential for tracking drums).
- Take selection, by name, for individual tracks. Also New Take, Delete Take, and Rename Take for the current take on any individual track.
- Save function for saving changes made to the DP document.
Requirements:
- Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and third-generation iPod Touch
- Not compatible with first or second generation iPod Touch
- Requires Digital Performer 7.2 or later running on a Mac on the same WiFi network as DP Control
Dewanatron, stirred not shaken
This is a quick demo video of the new Dewanatron Triple Slice Eurorack synth module, an interesting new option for modular synth owners.
The Triple Slice is a stable 1v/octave waveform generator that creates complex waveforms through “slicing” of sine waves.
In the video, the Triple Slice is being modulated with the Kilpatrick K4815 Pattern Generator.
Here’s what Big City Music has to say about the demo:
We start out with the SINE VOLUME on the Triple Slice all the way down, then push it up full.
We are controlling the amount of STIR in the Triple Slice with the beautifully illuminated mod wheel on the Analogue Systems rs600 Performance Wheels module, which controls the amount of LFO. We start the video with no STIR, then add a little at slow and medium speed. The Triple Slice sounds beautiful straight, but really comes alive with a bit of STIR added
Tour dates for Front 242
Here is the latest list of confirmed dates for this year for Front 242:
- 03 sep Fri Stekene – Crammerock – Belgium
- 04 Sep Sat Bergwerk Festival (80km Zurich) – Switzerland
- 16 Oct La Laiterie – Strasbourg – France (buy tickets)
- 05 Nov Madrid – Sala Heineken – Spain
- 06 Nov Barcelona – Sala Bikini – Spain
- 13 Nov Rock’Heure Festival – Silenrieux (Philippeville) – Belgium
- 20 Nov Bratislava – Club MM – Slovakia
- 26 Nov Valencia – Sala Mirror – Spain
- 27 Nov Burgos – Sala Heineken – Spain
- 7 Dec – Rome – Black Out Club – Italy
The band’s most recent output is the April 2010 DVD release “Moments in Budapest”. The DVD holds a 81 minute live show plus some extra’s including interviews and a photo gallery. This PAL format DVD is initially released as a strictly limited edition including 1 exclusive “FRONT 242” metal pin, 1 embroidered “Helicopter 242” military patch, 1 printed card and 1 Alfa Matrix “sounds from the matrix” label compilation.
In the grooves with Daft Punk
Check out the new Tron: Legacy trailer that was released last week to coincide with the movie’s appearance at Comic-Con
Producing Glow Sticks
You can’t be a ravetard without a Glow Stick. Here’s how they are made. This video also points out that these things are chemicals so when you’re on five hits of ecstacy and your stick breaks do not drink the liquid! Who knew yellow would be so much brighter?
“10mL Diethyl Phthalate (solvent), 3mg of fluorescent dye, 50mg TCPO, 100mg sodium acetate, 3mL 30% hydrogen peroxide” – NurdRage
WOK has announced the release of its new vintage multi-effect plug-in
WOK has announced the release of its new vintage multi-effect plug-in, CromFX.
CromFX features 4 chorus variations (modelled after vintage circuits), 3 phaser types, and the choice between 2 delays, of which one is simulating a tape delay. Two of the phasers and two of the delays are synced to host tempo. The main focus lies on the reproduction of the sonic instabilities of the old hardware.
Price: EUR 19.00
Visit: WOK
Updated drum sequencer for Native Instruments Reaktor
Peter Dines has updated ParamDrum, a drum sequencer for Native Instruments Reaktor.
The impossible has happened: a ParamDrum update.
It’s got a brilliant skin courtesy of Jonathan Style, a new sound set based on samples from a very popular hardware synth (can you name it?), and at the moment only four new snaps. I could delay release and make more presets, but I want to get this out as soon as possible considering what a wait it’s been since the last update.
ParamDrum for Reaktor is available to purchase for $12.50 USD. The update is free for existing users. Note: this new skinned version only works in Reaktor 5.5 beta.
More information: Peter Dines / ParamDrum
Nice demo of the FunkBox drum machine for iPad
Demo of the FunkBox Drum Machine iOS app from Synthetic Bits. FunkBox emulates the look and feel of a vintage drum machine, using classic beatbox sounds including the TR-808, TR-909 and Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2. It works on the iPhone, iPod Touch and now the iPad. FunkBox is a universal app, so you only need to buy it once and you can use it on any of those devices. This demo is of the iPad version, especially designed for the iPad to be fun and super easy to use. Available now in the Apple app store
DATAMASKIN
