Vinyl box from Joy Division in December
A new Joy Division box set of 7″ vinyl discs is set to be released next month, named “+-” (plus minus). The set will feature ten discs, some of which have been released previously and some that have been created for this release. All of the tracks have been remastered by Stephen Morris and Metropolis Studios’ Frank Arkwright, while the box features new artwork from the band’s long-time visual collaborator Peter Saville.
Although Joy Division released two albums in two years, they recorded many other tracks throughout their career that were released on stand-alone singles, most notably “Transmission” and “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. “+-” brings these singles, and more, together in one place.
“+-” will be out on December 6 and is limited to just 5000 copies, with numbers one to 500 coming individually numbered and featuring a piece of art by Saville as well as two exclusive promotional CD’s “+” and “-“. There will also be a digital release via iTunes, while anyone buying the physical edition will be able to download MP3s of the tracks for free.
You can order your copy right here.
The Mouth from Native is here
Native Instruments has introduced The Mouth, a new Reaktor effect that can create melodies and sounds based on an audio signal:
Sing, beatbox or send a drum loop into it and The Mouth comes to life as a tweakable synthesizer, bass, vocoder or talkbox-like effect. A playful interface provides you with plenty of room to shape your results as you go.
NI’s The Mouth can be used stand-alone or as a plug-in. It retails for .
The Mouth for Reaktor and Reaktor Player is available to purchase for $79/69 EUR.
Preview below. See the NI site for more details.
Features:
- 118 synthesizer & multi effects.
- 4 generators: Input (with a choice of the raw input audio, or a ‘tuned’ version), Synth, Bass and Vocoder.
- Each generator comes with numerous different sounds easily selectable via a preset matrix in the interface.
- 5 faders in a simple mixer section, which also includes a master FX section for coloring the final mix.
- 8 Performance Control knobs alter both sound and amplitude envelopes at once, for easily shaping the character of the sound, and adding additional harmonies.
- ‘Beats Mode’ will process incoming drum patterns into interesting arpeggiated melodies.
Introducing DigiDrum Pro
Via myVST
Suicide Commando returns with ‘Death Cures All Pain’
Suicide Commando heads for the winter with “Death Cures All Pain”, the second single from the band’s latest long player “Implements of Hell”. The new maxi-CD sports three remixes of the title track (reworks by Aesthetic Perfection and SITD among them) and two other remixes of album tracks by the promising Norwegian act Kant Kino to name just one. Also expect a non-album B-side “Go Fuck Yourself” in two versions.
Tracks:
- 01 Death Cures All Pain (Suicide Edit)
02 Go Fuck Yourself (Bashing Hard Mix)
03 Death Cures All Pain (SITD remix)
04 Death Cures All Pain (Aesthetic Perfection remix)
05 The Perils Of Indifference (Stahlnebel vs Black Selket remix)
06 Go Fuck Yourself (Extended Bashing & Mocking)
07 God Is In The Rain (Advent Resilience remix)
08 Death Cures All Pain (Kant Kino remix)
BLIP1000 – free matrix step sequencer instrument for Windows
WOK has introduced Blip1000, a free matrix step sequencer instrument for Windows.
Blip1000 is inspired by matrix synths for the iPad and hardware like the Bliptronic 5000, which were derived from software like ToneMatrix, which was inspired by devices like the monome and the Tenori On and so forth
Here’s what the developer has to say about Blip1000:
Got a windows touchscreen computer and miss these cool apps like on the iPad?
Now you can generate MIDI sequences with a touch of your finger. Also great for controllers like Novations launchpad (together with Automap).
Blip1000 is a MIDI sequencer VST plugin. It plays mono- or polyphonic sequences depending on the selected notes and the enabled trigger buttons. Host sync with different speeds, swing, several play direction modes and MIDI controller learn – try it for free and start making music now!
Features:
- Clear and easy interface.
- Number of steps selectable (up to 8).
- Note per line selectable from 3 octaves with display.
- Several play modes (forward-backward, random etc.).
- Syncs to host – clock divider adjustable.
- Sequence transpose by MIDI input
- MIDI ouput channel selectable.
- Automatable in the DAW.
- Sequences can be saved as VST plugin presets.
- Random play.
- MIDI-ouput; any plugin or synthesizer can be used as sound source.
- Low on CPU.
Note: Blip1000 is nagware.
“Interview” with Brian Eno
Video from Wired magazine: Brian Eno Gets Quizzed on Milk Sea
Quirky sounds from the Lemur and Buchla
First tests hooking up Lemur to 225e and controlling various Buchla modules using CV
The StepPolyArp has been updated to support MIDI
Laurent Colson’s StepPolyArp (App Store link) – a MIDI step polyphonic arpeggiator – has been updated to support the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer.
This means you can use it with an iPad to sequence computer software, wirelessly, and your hardware synths, using a MIDI cable.
The arpeggiator does not play any sound itself, it transmits midi notes to a Mac or a PC to be used in combination with any sequencer, virtual instrument (VSTi, Audio Unit) or midi synthesizer.
StepPolyArp is available now for $11.99. See details below.
Features:
- 32 steps programmable matrix
- 11 configurable transposition lines
- Features copy and paste
- 8 octaves virtual keyboard
- Velocity, modulation, pan, volume, aftertouch and pitch bend step controller
- The apeggiator and keyboard fit the selected scale
- 6 arpeggiator modes
- 1 chord mode
- Unlimited number of saves
- Random patterns creation
- Presets manager
- Presets shared between computer and iPad using iTunes 9.1 or later
- 128 Undo/Redo levels
- Lockable keyboard (latch mode)
Supported midi connections:
- DSMidiWifi (free)
- Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer
Requirements:
- A computer running Mac OS X, Windows Vista or Windows 7
- DSMidiWifi server (free) installed on the computer for wireless midi connection
- A sequencer installed on the computer (Logic, GarageBand, Cubase, Ableton Live, Digital Performer, Reaper, ProTools, Sonar, Studio One, …)
- An iPad with iOS v3.2 or later
Listen to the new Brian Eno album on Grooveshark
Brian Eno’s Small Craft on a Milk Sea comes ashore in the US today on Warp Records, produced with collaborators Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams
You can hear the full album on Grooveshark:
A name like Eno’s tends to precede itself, but I quite honestly think, his fame aside, it’s a masterpiece. The collaboration of the three artists seems utterly clear and harmonious. Some of Eno’s own best ambient and experimental tendencies, from the artist who helped define those categories, float back to the surface here. But they’re partly reflected anew in these other artists. The ease with which the trio fuse their sounds is little wonder: these two gentlemen have been ongoing collaborators with Eno, working extensively on fine details of various productions and playing live with him onstage. They seem to achieved a creative mind meld.
The result is something that returns to that tradition, but finds continuity between the old and new, a common voice that can begin to escape the burden of time and trend. It is often unabashedly simple and, in the words of The Great Pumpkin, full of sincerity. It’s the original soundtrack score to something you haven’t imagined yet. And it’s just sonically wonderful, even in the lower-fidelity stream, warm and clear, evoking deep colors. It’s something you might like to bring along with you for the winter of 2010-11.
But, anyway, through the magic of the Internet, you don’t have to take anyone’s hollow words; you can give it a listen and disagree violently, immediately, if you like. Grooveshark above, and if that doesn’t work, SoundCloud players on Brian Eno’s official website.
For myself, I’m off to purchase it as a physical album, to listen repeatedly in its entirety, in defiance of what supposedly happens these days in music listening trends.
Release news via Flavorwire, who point to still more reading.
Free loudness maximizer effect plug-in
LoudMax is a free loudness maximizer effect plug-in for Mac & Windows.
LoudMax is described as a maximizer with a transparent sound, designed to retain the original character of the music as much as possible even at high compression levels.
New In LoudMax V1.09
- LoudMax VST Plugin ported to Mac OS X. Audio Unit version implemented using Symbiosis from NuEdge Development. Support for Intel Mac and Power PC.
- Winamp Plugin now supports 5.1 Surround. Built-in stereo overdrive protection to avoid distortions in a subsequent stereo downmix.
- Improved limiter algorithm. Transients will remain better.
- Improved release curve at high compression levels for an accurate sound and less artifacts.
Download from the LoudMax site.
DATAMASKIN
