Interview with Client – Hot uniforms transformed into black widows
Gothenburg, Sweden, is hosting the Electronic Summer festival featuring acts like Covenant, Aesthetic Perfection, as well as the popular UK act Client, that has been part of the electro/synth pop scene since 2002. We remember watching their very first live performance back then, although at the time there were three client’s on stage now they are apparently two (at least in this line up). Since the days when they were signed up with Andy Fletcher’s label there has been several clients passing by in the line up, with one remaining anchor client. Stereoklang caught up with Client for a quick chat right before they were due on stage.
Client put a lot of attention to their outfits on stage, like vintage female army outfits, and we discussed the importance of this.
“Client is and always have been future pop art band”, and they let us know that the music always come first, but that their style is of course a key ingredient and that they have now chosen a new look called black widows to provide a bit of a Sopranos and mystique on stage, and a spice of New York. “We dress as what feels relevant at the time, and we want to show authority”.
Read the whole interview here >>
Do you want a golden MiniBrute?
Arturia has announced a video contest to celebrate its 15th anniversary this year, with a first prize of a gold version of the MiniBrute SE.
Here’s what they have to say about the contest:
Join the celebration and send us your best video describing your relation with Arturia products. Be crazy, be funny, be romantic or wild, but be CREATIVE!!!
The best movie will be shown during the 15th Anniversary Event, on October 3rd in Grenoble, France.
Prizes:
The winner will receive an exclusive and unique Gold version of the MiniBrute SE!!!
From 2nd to 5th, the prize is a regular MiniBrute!!
From 6th to 15th, the prize is a BeatStep!
VA RAXS – new vintage-looking rack, designed for mastering and remastering
Synthblitz Audio has released VA RAXS, a vintage-looking rack, designed for mastering and remastering of sound materials.
The virtual rack consists of 4 effects and the sounds pass through them in the following order:
- A preamplifier with gain control, enhanced features for sub and high, combined with a mid-side processor that can divide the incoming signal.
- A crossover module 6dB / Octave, with a ‘transient perfect’ filter that passes both amplitude and phase unchanged across the range of interest. It has separate tone controls -/+12dB, and other features like two types of noise reduction, de-esser, dc bias, and more.
- A compressor to handle small compression ratios, useful for mastering, but also able to work with large compression ratios. The compressor has “knee” control, “Make-Up” gain and a high precision vu-meter to reading the dB reduction.
- A limiter designed to get a good sound quality, and fast enough to allow a good RMS output.
When set correctly, VA RAXS is designed to provide high quality sound at low cost. It can also be used for remastering old recordings of audio cassettes and other sound material. It also includes a 23-page manual.
Price: € 39.
Ambient Chillout Soundscape featuring the Alesis Andromeda A6
Playing live ambient chillout / electronica soundscape / space music on Alesis A6 Andromeda analogue synth.
Created using 2 oscillators, step sequencer pattern, filter and envelope adjustments, delay, phaser, LFOs on the Alesis A6 Andromeda synthesizer.
Check out the new SparkPunk Sequencer!
The SparkPunk Sequencer is a musical control voltage sequencer designed to control the SparkPunk Sound Kit. With the pair, you can create ten-step musical motifs, but there are hidden opportunities in the sequencer: it can be modified and connected to external hardware in clever and interesting ways. The SparkPunk Sequencer cycles among ten steps, reading the slider and switch for each, producing corresponding analog voltages on the output pins. It offers hands-on control, with its array of knobs, sliders, and switches while seamlessly integrating with the SparkPunk Sound Generator for your creative musical enjoyment.
SparkPunk Sequencer Kit: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12707
SparkPunk Sound Kit: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11177
Sparkfun has published a Theory and Applications Guide for the Sequencer Kit that explains how the sequencer works and also details several useful mods. Mods include adjustable sequence length, CV out for standard analog gear, synchronizing sequencers and more.
Note: The Sparkfun Sequencer is a solderable kit with lots of parts.
The Sparkfun Sequencer Kit is available for US $59.95.
Synth Explorer – Jupiter-6: samples that pay tribute to legendary synths and drum machines
Loopmasters has launched Synth Explorer – Jupiter-6, the first title in a new series of royalty free loops and one shot samples that pay tribute to legendary synthesizers and drum machines.
First up for the Synth Explorer collection is the classic Roland Jupiter 6. First introduced to the world in 1983 the Jupiter 6 was one of the first analogue synthesisers to adopt MIDI and is considered to be a solid 12 oscillator analogue workhorse with a distinctive but fully capable palette of sounds ranging from Ambient Drones, Smooth Pads, Analog Leads to Techy Blips and Noises.
Synth Explorer – Jupiter 6 has been produced using a mint condition Roland Jupiter 6 owned by one careful, well known producer, recorded live through a TL Audio C-1 dual valve compressor and a Neve 8801 channel strip to capture the pure sonic delight of this vintage synth beauty.
This edition of Vintage Explorer sees a wealth of Loop and one shot samples aimed towards the soulful spectrums of electronic music production with a slight angle towards Italo Disco, Funk, Nu Disco and Deep House as well as more experimental down tempo genres.
Synth Explorer Jupiter-6 features
- 356 MB content, 24-bit quality.
- Includes 41 arp loops, 24 music loops, 25 bass loops, 16 bass multi samples, 37 sfx hits, 41 chord hits, 34 synth stabs.
- 90 REX2 files.
- 114 soft sampler patches for Kontakt, HALion, EXS24, NN-XT and sfz formats.
The sample pack is available for purchase for £14.95 GBP.
Chang Erhu – deep sampled erhu instrument for Kontakt
Embertone has launched Chang Erhu, a deep sampled erhu instrument for Native Instruments Kontakt.
The erhu is a two-stringed, bowed musical instrument. It may also be called a “southern fiddle”, and sometimes known in the Western world as the “Chinese violin” or a “Chinese two-stringed fiddle”. It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. A very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock, jazz, etc.
Our Erhu can create profoundly expressive and beautiful music, and it’s also sooooo much fun to play. Its flexibility and out-of-the-box sound is undeniable! …and we don’t think there’s a virtual erhu out there to match it!
Chang Erhu features
- True legato programming with 2x true round robin.
- Bow Change, Slurs, Portamentos.
- Custom Kontakt scripting by Andreas Lemke.
- Control over vibrato speed and intensity.
- 3200+ recorded samples.
- 1.6 GB installed.
- Sample resolution: 44.1Khz/16-bit stereo/mono (recorded 96KHz/24-bit).
Chang Erhu is available for purchase for $80 USD (16-bit) / $85 (24-bit & 16-bit). Requires full version of Kontakt 4/5.
Teaser from Native: Komplete shares a glimpse of the future
Something new is happening in the world of Komplete. Watch the video for a glimpse of the future.
Pro-Q 2 – new version of Fab Filters’ equalizer effect plug
FabFilter has released Pro-Q 2, an updated version of its equalizer effect plug-in for Windows and Mac.
Here are all the details:
Completely redesigned EQ engine
For Pro-Q 2, FabFilter has completely redesigned the internal filter engine from the ground up — not only improving the existing Zero Latency and Linear Phase processing modes, but also introducing a unique Natural Phase mode. Besides perfectly matching the magnitude response of analog EQ’ing, Natural Phase also closely matches the analog phase response, without introducing noticeable pre-ring or a long latency. Last but not least, FabFilter Pro-Q 2 is more than twice as CPU-efficient as its predecessor.
Universal filter slope support
Very steep filter slopes of up to 96 dB/octave are now available, and, uniquely, FabFilter Pro-Q 2 lets users change the slope of any filter type — not just the usual Low/High Cut filters. This makes it possible to create super-narrow bell filters, very steep or gently sloping shelves, and more. In addition to the existing Bell, Low/High Shelf, Low/High Cut, and Notch filters, Pro-Q 2 also features new Band-Pass and Tilt Shelf filter types.
More interface innovations
Furthermore, FabFilter Pro-Q 2 is boosted by an abundance of user interface innovations. Spectrum Grab enables users to directly adjust peaks in the real-time spectrum analyzer display. Pro-Q 2 offers flexible interface resizing, in addition to a Full Screen mode that makes it easier than ever to do ultra-precise adjustments. EQ Match lets users match the spectrum of another track in just a few seconds. All this power is neatly integrated into a gorgeous, uncluttered interface that lets users focus freely on music and workflow.
Original and trailblazing
Of course, Pro-Q 2 features everything that was great about the original Pro-Q — up to 24 EQ bands, innovative interface with unsurpassed workflow and multi-band selection, per-channel EQ’ing in L/R or M/S mode, real-time spectrum analyzer, intelligent solo mode, double-click text entry, stereo/mono plug-ins, Pro Tools hardware surface support — as well as all the trailblazing FabFilter bells and whistles that users have come to expect and love — perfectly fine-tuned knobs and controllers, GPU-powered graphics acceleration, interactive MIDI Learn, undo/redo and A/B switch, Smart Parameter Interpolation for smooth parameter transitions, an extensive help file with interactive help hints, sample-accurate automation, advanced optimization, and more.
New in Pro-Q 2
- Different interface sizes and additional Full Screen mode.
- Operates in zero latency mode, linear phase mode with adjustable latency or the unique Natural Phase mode.
- Spectrum Grab: just grab and adjust a peak in the real-time spectrum analyzer right away!.
- Filter shapes: Bell, Notch, High/Low Shelf, High/Low Cut, Band Pass, Tilt Shelf.
- Universal filter slope support for all filter types, up to 96 dB/oct.
- EQ Match feature to automatically match the spectrum of another track via the side-chain input.
- Phase Invert option to change polarity.
- Highly improved CPU optimization: Pro-Q 2 uses less memory and is more than twice as efficient as its predecessor!.
- Optional Gain-Q interaction.
- Auto Gain and Gain Scale.
- Built-in spectrum analyzer with Pre-EQ, Post-EQ and SC modes, adjustable range, speed, resolution, tilt and freeze.
- Optional piano roll display to quantize EQ frequencies to musical notes.
- Large output level meter with peak level readout.
FabFilter Pro-Q 2 for Windows and Mac (VST/AU/RTAS/AAX/AudioSuite) is available for purchase for 149 EUR/$199 USD/£124 GBP. Bundles with FabFilter Pro-Q 2 and other FabFilter plug-ins are also available. Existing FabFilter customers can purchase or upgrade to Pro-Q 2 with a discount from their online user accounts.
IBM – Making Music with Tennis Data
Learn how IBM partnered with musician James Murphy to make music out of US Open tennis match data. Learn more at http://bit.ly/1quJJxa
DATAMASKIN
