Roger Linn Jams on Dave Smith Tempest
The Tempest from Dave Smith in full action at NAMM last week
DRONE IN EUROLAND!
MFB Osc02, Doepfer A-137-1 and Flight of harmony Sound of shadows are makeing a little drone. sequenced by a-160 clock divider.
No filters used in this patch!
PANDORA mini – pocket-sized multi-effect processor
Korg introduced PANDORA mini, a pocket-sized multi-effect processor,at NAMM last week
Features:
- Ultra-compact pocket-size multi-effect.
- Powered by “REMS” modeling technology.
- 200 preset programs (including song presets).
- 200 user programs locations for storing your own sounds.
- 158 types of amazing amps and effects.
- Use up to seven effects at once.
- 100 different rhythm patterns plus a built-in metronome; ideal for composing and practice..
- AUX input for jamming along to your favorite songs on CD, MP3, etc.; Ability to change the pitch of the Aux input by ± one octave.
- TAP button makes it easy to set the delay time or the tempo of the Rhythm.
- Four program memory buttons allow one-touch recall of your favorite programs.
- Auto-tuner with muting.
- Backlit LCD screen ensures good visibility, even in dim locations.
- Stylish body, available in either black or white.
- Sound editing software; edit sounds and manage programs from your computer (available for download from the Korg website).
- Two-way power: batteries or USB bus power.
Pricing and availability are to be announced – but we’ve seen these listed for preorder at $99.
Devine Gesture Variations for the “Stutter Edit” plug-in by iZotope
Going through a couple of my gesture variations for the Stutter Edit plug-in. Using only one instance for this example and processing a single drum loop with no other plug-ins. The gesture effects are triggered by a M-Audio Oxygen-8 MIDI keyboard while changing to different banks in real-time.
izotope.com/products/audio/stutteredit/
New flagship workstation from KORG – Pa3X
The Korg Pa Series has a new flagship: the Pa3X, the most realistic, powerful, and easy-to-use arranger workstation ever produced. For years, Korg’s Pa Series has been the most respected, envied, and successful line of interactive arranger workstations on the planet. Once again, Korg has raised the standard of excellence by offering new, richer, and more realistic sounds; creating amazing new features, and offering a fresh – yet elegant – design. Meet the Pa3X. Listen and Believe.
Pa3X features
- Enhanced RX (Real eXperience) sound engine offers improved realism and new vivid sound, including pianos borrowed from the acclaimed Korg SV-1 Stage Vintage Piano, plus Ambience Drums .
- Massive internal ROM – plus up to 256 MB of user PCM data (equivalent to 512 MB, when calculated as 16-bit linear data) –provides an extraordinarily powerful wave memory, delivering the best sound quality possible.
- Three assignable switches, a four-way joystick, and our unique ribbon strip ensure total control for the many available levels of sound articulation (DNC) .
- Choose either 61 keys or 76 semi–weighted keys; both with velocity and aftertouch.
- Elegantly designed and reliable aluminum cabinet.
- TouchView™ TFT display; 76-key model features a motorized tilting display.
- Professional graphic interface with new Search facility for quickly locating musical resources.
- PaAS High-fidelity, optional amplification/speaker bar with Korg’s own Easy Connect system (no support, cables, or additional power supply needed) .
- Self-refreshing PCM Data memory backup – supported by our own Intelligent Re-Charge system – ensures fast startup.
- Improved Style and Performance selection, Over 400 factory Styles; each with 4 variations and 4 Fill Ins + Break, plus 15 user banks for unlimited storage of your favorite customized or user created Styles and settings.
- Enhanced Guitar Mode 2 for even more realistic guitar parts.
- Chord Sequencer function records any chord progression on-the-fly.
- Up to 8 Stereo Effects at once, including flexible Master and Insert routing for Styles and songs. New Vintage Effects from the acclaimed SV-1 Stage Vintage Piano.
- New TC-Helicon ® Vocal Processor (VoiceLive2 derived) with dedicated professional effects.
- Adaptive Mic Setting provides a virtual sound engineer to automatically set the best EQ/Compressor/Gate settings for your voice.
- Professional Final Mastering tools from “Waves Audio” plugins “MaxxAudio ™ ” suite.
- New Double MP3/MIDI files player and recorder with Advanced Vocal Remover.
- Enhanced compatibility with Lyrics in graphical format (+G) for MIDI files and MP3 files.
- New Audio Chord Detection function that automatically extracts chords to send to the Vocal Processor from MP3 files.
- Enhanced sound compatibility for GM songs.
- Multi-language extended character set. Lyrics can be showed in their original languages (except the Oriental and the Arabic Languages, check for the available languages).
Visit: Korg
From KRONOS to piano
Definitely not up to par with the announcement of the KRONOS, but still…
Korg has announced the microPIANO, a compact digital piano.
Korg’s microPIANO digital piano is charming, conveniently sized, and designed like a grand piano – complete with an opening lid! Small in size, the microPIANO features our expressive 61-key Natural Touch mini-keyboard, carefully designed to provide true playability. The bold, smooth grand piano sound uses the same stereo samples as Korg’s flagship digital pianos, generating full-bodied tones with depth and character. This instrument provides pure piano enjoyment.
Stylish and compact, the microPIANO will enhance your living space simply by its presence. Select one of three pleasing lid colors and finishes: chic Black or vivid Red, both with a high-quality mirror finish; or a stylish White.
microPIANO features
- Evocative and sophisticated grand piano appearance – including opening lid!.
- “Natural Touch” mini keyboard is compact and responsive.
- Excellent playing feel, suitable for both beginners and for serious performers.
- Robust and authentic stereo-sampled grand piano sound.
- 61 rich and vibrant sounds in all – organs, electric pianos, accordion, and more; 25 “Short Phrase Sounds” play a musical phrase by simply pressing a key.
- Built-in speakers and battery power offer “play anywhere” performance.
- Three stylish lid color choices: Black, Red, or White.
- 40 Demo Songs – automatic playback adds entertainment value.
More information: Korg / microPIANO
Mesh are at it again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scG0t8PXn4g
In 2009 we saw the release of the latest Mesh album “A Perfect Solution”. The boys from Bristol showcased both their club and alternative influences, creating a masterpiece caught between accessible beauty and bitter melancholy.
Up next is “An Alternative Solution”, a remix album with several unusual characteristics.
“We didn’t want to have big bands as remixers, but just friends we know personally, and who we know like our music, and with whom we have a relationship. The status of the remixers was secondary, the important thing was that the mixes were good. A friend will do a better mix for you than someone who is just getting a little cash for it.” Mesh singer Mark Hockings.
All 11 tracks from “A Perfect Solution” get the remix treatment here, and the remix album retains the original’s track order as well. In spite of its unconventional approach, Mesh have assembled an illustrious lineup of remixers from friendships built up over the band’s 15 year history, including Iris, Portion Control, Zeromancer, Parallox, and Assemblage 23.
Look for “An Alternative Solution” in May 2011.
Via BVM
Phosphor – vintage digital additive synth
Audio Damage has released Phosphor, a virtual instrument modeled on the alphaSyntauri, a vintage digital additive synth.
The original alphaSyntauri required an Apple //e to operate, but we’ve gone ahead and eliminated the middle-man, and now you can have this classic digital synth in your DAW of choice.
Featuring two sixteen-partial additive oscillators, each with its own amp envelope, Phosphor’s topology closely follows the alphaSyntauri, while adding many modern features such as full velocity control, a much more extensive modulation routing system, tempo synced LFOs, a pair of delays, and two monophonic modes. The noise and oscillators are able to work in the original alphaSyntauri resolutions, and can also be run at modern sample rates. All this results in a much more sophisticated and capable synth than the original, without compromising the ability to recreate the classic sounds of the early days of digital synthesis.
Phosphor features
- Two complete oscillator/envelope sections modeled on the original topology of the alphaSyntauri.
- Each set of partials can run in “lo-fi” mode, emulating the original, or in a modern mode for alias-free sines.
- The noise can be either “lo-fi” digital shift-register noise, or modern white noise.
- Two complete delay sections with LP/HP filtering and cross-feedback.
- Two tempo-syncable LFOs with multiple modulation destinations.
- Full MIDI Learn.
Phosphor for Windows and Mac (VST/AU) is available to purchase for $59 USD.
More information: Audio Damage / Phosphor
Close up shots of the Fairlight CMI
Cool pictures of the Fairlight
The 2011 NAMM Show saw the introduction of the Fairlight CMI 30th Anniversary Edition – a new digital keyboard workstation, inspired by the classic Fairlight CMI.
In its initial form, the CMI-30A replicates the functionality of the original Series II and Series III CMIs. The user experience is quite different from that of a conventional PC and mouse and like the original is based on a light pen which interacts directly with a screen.
The iPod touch communicates with the Fairlight using MIDI. This means that you’ll should be able to use a variety of applications that run on iOS to control the Fairlight.
Orders are now being taken for the $20,000 production units. While this is out of our price range, it’s clear that an amazing amount of care and craft is going into the creation of the new Fairlight – and you can expect to see elements of it show up in other products. Vogel has already announced an iOS Fairlight, which will put much of the power of the original Fairlight onto an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.
Functional Specification
The original Fairlight CMIs were renowned not only for their superb sound quality, but also their elegant and intuitive software.
The CMI-30A combines the very best features of the Fairlight series IIX and the III, with significant new developments.
Sound quality is continuously variable using the unique “goodness” control which spans from Series I, II, or III quality to “best possible” 36-bit floating point.
The base 30A system offers 24 tracks and channels,which will be optionally expandable to 200 (details to be confirmed). Software upgrades will also be available to provide full post-production, mixing and recording functionality.
Software functionality is being finalised at the time of publication. Please refer to this site for updates as development continues towards the release version, but here is a general outline.
Waveform drawing and FFT sound generation will be available, with the ease of use of the earlier systems. There will also be the ever popular “Page D” display page, expanded to vary the viewpoint (such as rotation) of a 3D sample.
The Neon Judgement – Smack
The Neon Judgement remains one of the most legendary electronic bands in history. They for sure were one of the pioneers of the so-called dark electro and other EBM movement. Together with bands like Front 242, The Klinik, à Grumh, SA42 and A Split Second they still are the proud of many Belgian electro lovers. After a hiatus of several years The Neon Judgement struck back and mainly concentrated on live performances. It took them years to dare launching a new album. This album entitled “Smack” was a real nice surprise seeing the duo transposing their typical 80s sound into a more modern approach. Months later now appears this “Smack”-baby, which is an EP featuring 8 tracks. We here get 6 remixes and 2 original versions. The American artist DJ 3000 produced two remixes of “The Great Consumer” (originally released on the CD). Both remixes are quite well-crafted, but I have some preference for the groovy opener. Christopher Kah made an appreciable remix of “Leash” and Bodyspasm (Belgian project) together with Dirk Da Davo made a pretty cool and technoid version of “I Cut Loose”. Radical G is the big fish from this EP and it’s not really a surprise that this artist transposed “We Are confused” (originally released on the CD as well) into a terrific, minimal technoid cut reaching a total climax in the break of the song. The “3 D Re-Edit” of “Smack” was made by Dirk Da Davo. The mix is quite recognizable and logically the most close to the original version. The result is a kind of technoid-wave mixture. The two songs left are the ‘original versions’ from “Leash” and “The Great Consumer”, which bring us back to the real mood and style of the “Smack”-CD. This EP has been quite logically released on Dancedelic D(igital), home of Neon Electronics (dance side-project of Dirk Da Davo). “Smack”-EP brings The Neon Judgement transposed into technoid-orientated remixes. It’s an experience that might make the earliest fans a bit skeptical, but it also reveals the vision of a band facing the current trends.
Band: www.theneonjudgement.com / www.myspace.com/theneonjudgement
DATAMASKIN
