Playing 8bit on the SunVox
SunVox is a small, fast and powerful music sequencer with modular synthesizers. It is a tool for those people who want to compose music anywhere. SunVox available for desktop PC (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X), pocket computers (Windows Mobile, PalmOS, iPhone/iPad) and netbooks.
| Key features |
- Modular interface.
- Highly optimized synth algorithms.
- Flexible architecture: SunVox can working on variuos devices. For example: PDA with slow CPU – 16bit sound (fixed point arithmetic); or big PC with powerfull CPU: 32bit sound (floating point arithmetic).
- Built-in synthesizers:
- FM synthesizer;
- Generator (saw,triangle,square,noise waveforms);
- Kicker;
- Sampler (supported formats: WAV, XI, AIFF);
- SpectraVoice (FFT-based synthesizer for analog-like pads);
- DC Blocking Filter;
- Delay;
- Distortion;
- Echo;
- EQ;
- Filter (Low-pass, High-pass, Band-pass, Notch);
- Flanger;
- LFO;
- Loop;
- Reverb (with DC Blocking Filter);
- Vocal Filter;
- Vibrato.
- Supported systems: Windows, Linux (x86/x86_64), Mac OS X, PalmOS, WindowsCE (Windows Mobile), iPhone/iPad.
- Export to WAV.
Great new 1950s album from Steelberry Clones
Listen and download the new album from Steelberry Clones
Chopping up and being brutal on those old classic 50’s songs this is a new take on electrofying
So if you enjoy synthpop, bit tunes, 8bit, and electro you will love these up tempo songs
Not since Silicon Teens in the mid 80’s any serious attempts has been made to electrify the old classics. Telex made a Rock around the clock version as well, but the 1950’s library is far larger than that. The foundations of rock music are in rock and roll, which originated in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, and quickly spread to much of the rest of the world. Its immediate origins lay in a mixing together of various popular musical genres of the time, including rhythm and blues, gospel music, and country and western. In 1951, Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey Alan Freed began playing rhythm and blues music for a multi-racial audience, and is credited with first using the phrase “rock and roll” to describe the music.
There is much debate as to what should be considered the first rock and roll record. One leading contender is “Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats, recorded by Sam Phillips for Sun Records in 1951. Four years later, Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” (1955) became the first rock and roll song to top Billboard magazine’s main sales and airplay charts, and opened the door worldwide for this new wave of popular culture.
Datapop 3.0 Austin
If you weren’t able to make it for the Datapop 3.0 festival in Austin, March 16-17, here’s some video clips of the action:
Datapop 3.0 – Je Deviens DJ en 3 Jours from BLT / IDM on Vimeo.
Pixel mania
Article : http://nightwall.com/la-video-du-jour-linvasion-des-pixels-geek-tetris-pacman-467
Pixels by patrick Jean – Invasion pixels : geek tetris pacman and spider invasion !
Patrick Jean is DIVISION’s latest signature.
This is Patrick Jean’s new project feat. Naïve New Beaters “L.A. trumpets”.
The video’s been produced at OneMoreProd and Patrick’s represented for commercial projects by DIVISION.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qASf5DEN_c4&feature=player_embedded
Pixel is the video of the day. The new creation of Patrick John was an immediate success on the web. And it is deserved, since it is very successful: Imagine a rebellion by a few pixels in our all-digital world, and here we are at the heart of the games we had imagined: a portion of Tetris with buildings, stations Pacman eats subways, Space Invaders and Donkey Kong invade us balance his barrel in the street!
Shuriken has released BitTest
Shuriken has released BitTest, a free bitcrusher VST effect plug-in for Mac OS X. It converts your data to 8 bits, then you can turn the bits off (the top row) or invert them (the bottom row) individually. That is you can individually flip and invert the bits.
And that is all this little baby does, but she does it well.
Download OS X: BitTest.vst.zip
Download Windows: Shuriken will make a windows version when he get an incentive!
SID and chip lovers – look this way
Reason Refill review
Last week I published a post on the new release from Soundcells. It was the bitBumber Reason Refill, a new SID, bit, chip, you name it, refill that I was intrigued to try out myself.
After listening in on hundreds of different refills for Reason it is quite seldom that I find something that feels totally new and fresh, but I am inclined to change my mind on this one. Sure other refills have been published in this space before but rarely with this amount of breadth. There are not just the traditional CMB files and NNXT files that you have become accustomed to but also a several new live performance CMBs that allows you to actually be very creative on stage. I really enjoyed bringing these up during some live jamming in the studio, and to spice things up there are a several really nice Dr.Rex loops also included – and not just endless variations of the same loop in different pitches and sounds but actually quite a nice mixture of experimental, bass and pure chip sounds – I like 
Several of the files has been nicely upgraded from the original using arpeggiators and effects, that either can be activated with automation or set to play as CMB loops. That deep bass sounds paired with either smooth SID strings or whacky FX type sounds.
Soundcells has also added a nice SID/bit section dedicated to Thor, where I must say that they have been able to squeeze quite a lot of those orginal sounds of that synth, but with a twist.
I would recommend this Refill to any composer who wants to get a kick start in making bit tunes or simply spice up a trance, electro song with some of those nostalgic sounds of old computer games. Remeber though that the refill is more on the playfull side of bit music than for any of hard core SID fanatics with the pure objective of recreating everything as faithfull as possible- but I would recommend you to either purchase, download or build your own SID workstation, that are plenty available out there.
Plogue chipsounds authentically emulates more than eight vintage 8bit-era sound chips
Plogue has released version 1.0.0.3 of Chipsounds, a virtual chipsound synthesizer plug-in which turns your host into a classic video game console, vintage 8bit home computer and even an 80’s arcade.
Plogue chipsounds authentically emulates more than eight vintage 8bit-era sound chips (on top of their variants), down to their smallest idiosyncrasies.
Changes in Chipsounds v1.0.0.3
- New presets (around 300 total).
- VST/AU parameters (only on first slots).
- MIDI Out in VSTi mode (AU later).
- Small skin installed but turned off by default (need to choose GUI_small in AriaSetup.xml).
- Transpose setting for each slot.
- MOS TED chip added (not worth a huge mention).
- Various bug fixes.
Chipsounds is available to purchase for PC and Mac (VST/AU/RTAS), priced at 65 EUR excl. VAT. A demo version of Chipsounds is now also available to download (Silence after a 15 minute session; No Save).
More information: Plogue / Chipsounds
The new Apple "banjo" synth
8BitWeapon has announced a new Apple II Digital Music Synthesizer:
The DMS is the only wavetable synthesizer for the Apple //e, IIc, and IIc+ computers that is suitable for performance use.
It supports up to 8 voices, which can be selected from the 10 on disk, and played (monophonically) from the Apple II keyboard. It can be used to “record” a performance for later playback as well. Also, the DMS doesn’t require a monitor! Just turn on your Apple II and when the drive light goes off. Then hit the space bar you’re ready to play live!
Sounds on disk are: Acoustic Piano, Vibraphone, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Bass, Trumpet, Clarinet, square wave, sawtooth wave, sine wave, and (for Bud Melvin)… Banjo!
Requirements: A2.DMS requires an Apple //e, IIc, IIc+, or IIgs computer with 80-column capability, at least one 5.25” floppy disk drive. Monitor is optional.
8bit Xmas
If you like chiptunes or old video games, you won’t want to miss Rush Coil’s 8-Bit Christmas, an album of holiday music inspired by the golden age of video game music.
You can stream the entire album online. Don’t miss the 8-bit Deck The Halls.
There’s no plan for a CD release, but Rush Coil says “I will be offering a digital download of high quality music files soon with some bonus material, commentary, as well as additional music.”
Merry Xmas in advance
Thanks to S for the post
Retro Musical Droid Arrives… from the Future
If HAL 9000 mated with R2-D2 and their electronic offspring was tutored by Kraftwerk it would probably end up something like the Bliptronic 5000 LED Synthesizer.
At once a minimalist musical plaything and a hardcore old-skool synthesizer, the Bliptronic defies categorization as it belts out 8-Bit style style tunes from its grid of glowing buttons.
You’ll notice sound similar to a retro Casiotone with an interface not unlike a simplified Yamaha TENORI-ON… if that makes any sense. Either way, once you start touching the keys of the Bliptronic you’ll be hooked by it’s simple pattern-based approach to music.
Product Features
- Unusual retro synthesizer is played with a grid of glowing buttons
- Create looping patterns and change them dynamically while playing
- Chain multiple units together and create more complex melodies
- One octave range. 8 notes can be played simultaneously
- 8 different old-skool synth sounding instruments to choose from
- Sounds created using FM waveform synthesis
- Set the BPM (beats per minute) from 60 to 180 in 20 BPM increments
- Built in speaker with headphone jack and line-out jack
- Front panel is constructed from brushed aluminum
- Includes, manual and 2 link cables for connecting additional Bliptronic units
- Requires 4 x AA batteries (not included)
DATAMASKIN
