Checking out the loop recycler Next L3vel for REAKTOR
L3 is a loop recycler from the brilliant mind of James Walker-Hall, the man behind some of the very finest REAKTOR ensembles. At its most basic, L3 takes a drum loop (or any loop, really) and chops it up, allowing you to reimagine the loop in your own way by repeating a specific slice or transposing a beat from beginning to end.
OMD speaks on the making of Night Café (Track by Track)
Andy and Paul explain the origins of the track Night Café. This video is available as part of the bonus DVD in the CD Deluxe version of English Electric.
Night Café is out now and is available in the following formats
CD: http://smarturl.it/NightCafeCD
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NightCafeiTunes
English Electric is out now and is available digitally, as a CD, as a deluxe CD/DVD set and as a heavyweight vinyl with CD.
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/EE-iTunes
CD: http://smarturl.it/EE-CD
CD Deluxe: http://smarturl.it/EE-CDX
LP: http://smarturl.it/EE-LP
NI Maschine + MS Surface Pro demo
Here’s a nice video putting the newly released MS Surface to the test, video details below:
Preface: There are about 6 Reaktor vst’s going, 2 Massive vst’s, and samples for beats. I am using the stock sound driver for the surface. Audio is being recorded by sampling the master output (in Maschine). As someone has mentioned, I threw pretty much everything at it to cause it to fail, and it survived for quite some time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I thought it would be cool to use the MS Surface Pro as an interface
for Maschine. I was able to make some fun beats with it and use it
fairly well, but it would freak out every so often. I thought I had it
under control when I was making this piece… but it ends abruptly when
the CPU just gives out. The audio cut out just fine apparently, but you
can see at the very end the software and hardware just give up. Welp,
that’s why I like hardware grooveboxes, they don’t just give up on me
when I’m writing stuff (of course, the Surface Pro isn’t THAT great of
a piece of hardware either, but I did expect it to manage this song). Oh, and maschine, it’s sound library, and all of the VSTs are on a 64gb class 10 micro SD card.
Yes, the levels seem to be off, I just wanted to experiment with
Maschine and the Surface Pro… It was a failed attempt I think.
Time machine: MOOG MULTIMOOG Analog Synthesizer 1978
Playing the Multimoog with reverb effects from a Lexicon MPX-500 and delay effects from a Roland DEP-5.
The Multimoog is a highly versatile analog monophonic synthesizer. It is basically an extended version of the Micromoog, which came out 3 years before. It features a ribbon controller and a touch sensitive keyboard. It has many interesting modulation routings and has a powerful, analog sound.
The Multimoog has 2 VCOs and a suboscillator. The filter can be modulated by the oscillator B in different ways. It has oscillator sync, noise generator, sample & hold, mixable oscillator waveforms, pulse width modulation, the 24 dB Moog filter and two envelopes. It has all interfacing you would expect from a good monophonic synth: CV / Gate IN and OUT, EXTERNAL SIGNAL IN, VCF IN. You can even play a Moog modular system from the Micromoog keyboard.
Electrospective launches Spotify’s first dedicated electronic music app
Electrospective, the multi-platform celebration of electronic music from 1958 to the present day, has added another string to its bow – the Electrospective Spotify app.
From the press release below:
Pop, classic rock, jazz, metal, and classical music are all already catered for amongst Spotify’s apps – Electrospective fills the gap for fans of everything from synth pop, ambient, breakbeat and dance to experimental and industrial.
The app’s home page offers event driven playlists, such as the set list from The Human League’s recent Kew Gardens shows, artist curated playlists from the likes of Mute records founder Daniel Miller and artist focused playlists such as the Daft Punk collaborators playlist.
Want to look back through the ages of electronic music? Head to The Electrospective tab and navigate your way through the complete retrospective of 550+ albums. Too much music for you to take in? You can of course scale it back by selecting different decades and sorting by artist or specific sub-genre.
The real power of the app lies in its Playlist Generate function. Turn the style to your preferred setting (underground to pop, or anything in between), select the tempo, choose from a selection of sub-genres and a time span from the past 50 years. One click on generate and the app creates a bespoke playlist for your to listen to there and then, or save for later.
The app is the latest offering from the Electrospective project which was launched last Summer to bring together the extraordinary wealth of electronic music from the catalogues of Virgin, Parlophone, EMI and Mute. It chronicles the key works of visionaries like Kraftwerk and Brian Eno as well as the ground breaking success of Depeche Mode and The Human League, the explosion of electronic dance music in the late 80s and the rise of global stars like Daft Punk and The Chemical Brothers. The project is now being curated by the team at Universal Music Catalogue, with electronic gems from across Universal Music’s labels due to join the already stellar line up.
Electrospective kicked off last year with a 2-CD compilation, offering the listener a snap shot of the collection. Merchandise including iconic logo T-shirts and limited vinyl LPs were available to purchase from the Electrospective online store.
A broader chronological selection was chosen for the Electrospective website which has a timeline highlighting key moments such as the invention of the Korg, Moog and Nord synthesizers, release of Propellerhead production software and the launch of online DJ store Beatport.
Artist interaction has been central to Electrospective, both on an offline. Visionaries, tastemakers and influencers Daniel Miller (The Normal and founder of Mute), Andy McCluskey (Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark), Martyn Ware (The Human League/Heaven 17), Mark Jones (Wall Of Sound/Back to The Phuture), Matthew Herbert and Bill Brewster (DJ and Co-author of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life) came together at Abbey Road last July to talk about the influence and importance of electronic music.
Other current DJs and producers such as David Guetta, Eric Prydz, Richie Hawtin and Paul Oakenfold have supported Electrospective by giving interviews and taking part in webcast events.
Open the Electrospective Spotify app
Hard rockers Die Krupps are back with a new album
“The Machinists of Joy” is the first all-new album of the millennium for the german electro pioneers Die Krupps so Audioglobe informs us. The new 11-track album will be released on October 25 2013 in 4 formats: normal digipak CD, limited 2CD digipak, a fan box and as a limited LP/CD combo.
The limited edition 2CD will contain an exclusive bonus CD of which the final tracklist is not known yet but it will for sure include the tracks “Nazis on Speed” and the digital-only single “Industrie-Mädchen”. According to the band several tracks will refer to the origins of Engler and Dörper who have both had been active in the Düsseldorf Punk scene long before the first Krupps release “Stahlwerksynfonie” (1980). Included will be also a collaboration with Punk-Pioneers Metal Urbain from France (“Panik”), and one track with ex-Kraftwerker Wolfgang Flür.
Tracklist:
- Ein Blick zurück im Zorn
- Schmutzfabrik
- Risikofaktor
- Robo Sapien
- The Machinist of Joy
- Essenbeck
- Im falschen Land
- Part of the Machine
- Eiskalter Engel
- Nocebo
- Im Schatten der Ringe
Crystall Ball teaser
Designed to create and control sound, light and video, Crystall Ball gives all your computer-aided creative work a new dimension. More than a controller, it is an intuitive, interactive and infinitely customisable tool.
In a studio or live, let your senses speak and give free rein to your stage performance!
Small Footage of Yeahr7ght playing the Crystall Ball
More infos: http://www.crystall-ball.com
Music: Yeahr7ght – http://soundcloud.com/yeahr7ght
Film making: Charlie Mars
Japanese artist Olive Oil meets Maschine
Don’t forget to turn your captions on. Japanese beat mastermind Olive Oil chops, arranges, and mixes his tracks entirely in MASCHINE.
Video details below:
http://www.native-instruments.com/mas…
He and his brother, visual artist Popy Oil, are part of Oilworks – an independent artist collective manufacturing and distributing records, clothes, paintings, and more from their shop in Fukuoka. To celebrate this new MASCHINE video, we’re giving away a custom MASCHINE hand-painted by Popy Oil. Visit MASCHINE on Facebook tomorrow and enter to win.
Moon Modular 591 Quad Matrix Switch
John L Rice is back with a new modular exploration, details below:
I highly recommend adding the Moon Modular 591 manual switch (or similar and/or DIY switch) to your system, especially when using the 554 Octal Clock Divider!
Notes:
1) The 591 I have I purchased secondhand recently for less than half price of a new one, since it had been damaged and only partially repaired, so switch #3 doesn’t work correctly and switch #2 is a little intermittent.
2) The video didn’t compile correctly so the last 30 seconds were cut off, sorry about that! It was my second attempt and didn’t want to try again since it ties up my computer for hours each time! :-/ Something is wrong with either Sony Movie Studio 12, certain plugins, Windows 8, other running applications, the PC hardware and/or a combination of everything. 
Demo of the KORG KR mini
Introducing chain function and pattern generation of Korg “KR mini”.
“KR mini” is a rhythm box of simple design that eliminates any complex function.
Product description from KORG below:
The KR mini – an easy, simple and compact rhythm machine with a built-in speaker and optional battery power for play-anywhere convenience. It’s a great companion for practicing and performing with guitar, bass, keyboards, winds, or any type of instrument!
Key Features:
- Easy-to-use design; just select a rhythm pattern and press the play button
- Chain function lets you arrange your favorite rhythm patterns and fill-ins to create complete songs
- Optional foot switches gives you hands-free control over fill-in/start/stop
- Tap the 16 pads for finger drumming or recording your own rhythms
- Built-in speaker with 2W output for jamming anywhere without the need for an additional monitor
- Headphone/speaker jack for quiet practice or connection to a mixer or monitoring system
- Two-way power; use the optional AC adaptor or batteries (AA alkaline batteries x 3)
Many musicians wish that they could enjoy casually performing while being backed up by real rhythm patterns rather than just a metronome. Korg has responded to these wishes with the KR Mini rhythm machine. It features a simple design that eliminates all complex functions, looks that overflow with nostalgia and analog-like controls. Playing a rhythm pattern is easy as making selection and pressing play. A total of 60 diverse rhythm patterns and 120 fills are ready to accompany you. Easy, simple and compact, the KR mini can play its role anywhere.
DATAMASKIN
