Preview of Monolake’s upcoming album
Electronic 80s with Howard Jones
Electronic pop singer/songwriter Howard Jones has today announced that he will host a new 4-part radio series entitled “Electronic 80s with Howard Jones” for the UK’s premiere 80s music radio station Absolute 80s. The hour-long show starts Sunday 4th March at 8pm, with subsequent shows airing on 11th March, 18th March and 25th March.
“Electronic 80s With Howard” Jones dovetails Howard’s highly anticipated April 2012 UK Tour, which begins at the O2 Academy Bristol on Wednesday 11th April. This marks the first time Howard will perform his first two studios albums “Human’s Lib” and “Dream Into Action”, back-to-back in their entirety on a nationwide tour. Both albums feature 80s pop hit singles, including “New Song”, “What Is Love?”, “No One Is To Blame”, “Hide and Seek”, “Look Mama”, “Everlasting Love”, “I’d Like To Get To Know You Well”, and “Things Can Only Get Better”.
Enjoy
MidiPads (MidiPadz) with Traktor Pro
MidiPads is the full version of MidiPadz Lite and it’s got several new features. It’s not just a drumpad controller, here its usage with Traktor Pro.
Learn about the user interface in the first part. For details in conjunction with Traktor skip to the last third.
Get MidiPads on the App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/midipads/id418216060?mt=8
Once connected, MidiPads sets itself apart with flexible control on each of those pads. Just tapping rectangles isn’t much fun on the iPad, of course – you lack tactile feedback and pressure sensitivity found on a physical pad. So, instead, MidiPads provides other modulation to exploit the touchable surface for continuous control. In fact, thinking of it as a “drum pad” is almost a bit unfair. New in this release:
- Presets, which you can share with other users – which could in turn make a nice little community of users here
- “Bouncing mode” for touch pads and sliders
- Send multiple messages with each axis and knob
- Individual up/down messages for each touch pad and slider, if you so wish
- Enhanced views, settings reset, and MIDI connection settings
- Resize pads and pad area (essential for either fat fingers or getting more controls!)
MidiPads (MidiPadz) with HALion Sonic
Pittsburgh Modular VILFO Introduction
Voltage Influenced Low Frequency Oscillator
The-Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Influenced LFO is unique in the modular world. It is a strange, triangle based LFO that lives in an 8hp euro panel. The module offers two outputs, a triangle wave, and a variable waveform that shifts from a triangle to something that is almost not completely a square wave. The VILFO also includes a unique voltage influence circuit. The influence works differently than standard control voltage inputs, it allows the incoming CV to mingle with the LFO waveforms in interesting ways, creating unique modulations and patterns.
A typical Voltage controlled oscillator works by using a CV input to directly control the oscillation frequency. The more voltage sent to the CV input, the higher the frequency of the ocsillator. The lower the voltage, the lower the frequency of the oscillator. Voltage Influence works by using the CV input to attenuate the frequency of the oscillator while at the same time injecting some of the voltage from ICV Input to the feedback loop of the oscillator. Results can vary from subtle to chaotic. Subtle results can be similar to tremolo, shuffle, or soft reset while more extreme settings produce glitchy, rhythmic, chaotic fluctuations in the frequency of the VILFO. At the most extreme the VILFO can be stopped using Voltage Influence.
New Shruti1 filterboard demo by ET (phone home)
Enjoy
The Fundamentals of Synthesizer Programming Pt. 3
Moog continues its highly appreciated series in synth programming, here’s part 3:
Moog Music Inc. is proud to present Dr. Joseph Akins’ five part series on the fundamentals of synthesizer programming. Dr. Akins is an associate professor at Middle Tennessee State University and strives to teach his students a complete understanding of synthesizers and computers as tools for modern music production. In this five part series Dr. Akins uses a Voyager to teach the process through which a synthesizer’s sound is generated and the techniques needed to program your own sounds and sonic experiments. In part three of this five part series Dr. Akins goes over signal modifiers and filters.
Space Echo Spring Reverb
Just a short video with the spring reverb from the Roland Space Echo series.
This particular reverb comes from the RE-301, but as far as I know, the RE-201, 301 and 501 has the same reverb.
I removed the spring reverb when I had to fix one of my units. I’ve placed it in the box again, don’t worry.
The sequence was programmed on a Korg Mono/Poly
I love the text on the reverb tank. “Manufactured by beautiful girls in Milton, Wis. under controlled atmosphere conditions.”
More background information on the topic:
The Roland RE-201, commonly known as the Space Echo, is an audio analog delay effects unit produced by the Roland Corporation.
A tape echo device records incoming audio to a loop of magnetic tape, then replays the audio over a series of several playback heads before it is erased again by new incoming audio. The tape used in the RE-201 is the standard 1/4″ tape of the open-reel variety, but made as one, continuous loop. In the Roland ‘RE’ range there are no reels of any kind, the tape is transported via a capstan drive. The tape loop is contained in a loose, constantly moving jumble in the tape chamber (also known as the tape tank) under a plastic panel which protects the tape and keeps it from getting tangled. The replacement tapes were known as Roland RT-1L replacement tape loops and sold by Roland.
There are several control dials on the device that alter such aspects as tape speed, repeat pattern (an 11-position rotary switch), one instrument and two microphone inputs, a single analog backlit VU meter for all three inputs, wet/dry mix for both echo and reverb, and intensity (number of repeats, in a sense; it actually reduces how much the erase/record head erases the tape), that can be adjusted to a user’s liking; and bass/treble controls to EQ the sound of the repeats (not the dry signal), as well as dry and effected “Echo” output jacks with a switch for output setting (-10, -20, -35db levels.)
Used as a delay/echo, the Roland RE-201 is said to produce an unpredictable delay that is warm and gritty sounding. It is also capable of producing a large variety of its own sound effects, even without an input signal (by turning the intensity control to maximum and allowing the unit to self-regenerate, or self-oscillate, while manipulating the tape speed and other controls).
Despite its age, the Roland RE-201 is widely sought after, and still used by many bands to this day, notably in the experimental work of Radiohead, and the rockabilly stylings of Brian Setzer, the latter using one recently to get the slapback sound sought after for rockabilly and such styles of music. The Roland RE-201 is also extensively used in modern electronic music
New collection of bass driven samples and electronica
Loopmasters has released Ital Tek – Bass Electronica, a collection of bass driven samples and electronica from Ital Tek, an influential and current producer from the bass and dubstep scenes.
From Punchy Dubstep Beats, Dub Tech Synths, Slow Breaks, Drum Machine Beats, Dissonant Bells, Distorted Sequences, Moody Strings, Live Beats, Dub Sirens Lazers and more – this is a fantastic and unique collection from a producer whom we consider to be on top of his game and creating an influential sound which transcends genres.Bass Electronica from Ital Tek weighs in at 955MB and includes 465 24Bit Samples, including 228 Loops between 80 – 140 Bpm, and 236 One Shot Sounds. Also included are no less than 120 ready to play patches for Reason NNXT, Halion, Kontakt, EXS and SFZ compatible soft samplers. Apple Loops, Reason Refill and Ableton Live versions are available to purchase separately.
Ital Tek – Bass Electronica is available to purchase for £29.95 GBP. The loops pack and single shot samples & sampler patches are also sold separately for £16.95 GBP each.
- 24Bit Qualty
- 955Mb
- 42 Bass Loops
- 90 Synth Loops
- 96 Drum Loops
- 6 Bass Hits
- 2 Multi Sampled Bass Instruments
- 100 Drum Hits
- 9 Mutli Sampled Synth Instruments
- 40 Fx Shots
- 11 Synth Hits
- 21 Pad Sounds
- 242 Rex2 Files
- 120 Soft Sampler Patches For Kontakt, Halion, Nnxt, Exs24 and SFZ Formats
Roland Alpha Juno-1 & Roland Juno-60
This is a ‘single patch’ comparison of the Juno-1 and Juno-60. This Juno-60 is visiting the studio for a few days to be repaired. This Juno-60 had a dead LFO-trig switch that now functions and a faulty volume pot that is also functioning normally now. Its a Happy Juno. Both the Juno-1 and Juno-60 are programmed to the exact same parameters and waveforms.
I wanted to record a short video to compare the two Junos while I had the opportunity as well.
This Juno-60 was a joy to have visit the studio and it is fully functioning and doing well now.
Major software update from Arturia – ARP, CS-80, Moog and Prophet
Arturia has announced the release of 5 free updates for their software: ARP 2600 V 2.5.1, CS-80 V 2.5.1, minimoog V 2.5.1, Moog Modular V 2.6.1, and Prophet V 2.5.1.
The new versions come with enhanced performances in Analog Laboratory, faster User Interface and better export of preset banks. Particular attention has been given to the Moog emulations. The minimoog V now sports multiple MIDI port input, new MIDI control for switches and a brand new toolbar. Moog Modular V features better window resizing in Pro Tools (Mac OS X).
All updates are free for registered owners.
All updates:
- Compatibility with Analog Laboratory (for full plug-in editing mode on Mac OS X).
- More responsive UI (Mac OS X).
- Preset bank export issue fixed (Windows).
CS-80 V 2.5.1:
- Compatibility of Logic projects using version 2.0.
Minimoog V 2.5.1 :
- Multiple MIDI port input.
- MIDI control for switches possible again.
- Toolbar look harmonization respective with other plug-ins.
- Renaming of 64-bit DLL (Windows).
Moog Modular V 2.6.1 :
- Better handling of window resizing on Pro Tools (Mac OS X).
- Renaming of 64-bit DLL (Windows).
More info at arturia.com/downloads/updates
DATAMASKIN
