Buddha machine explosion on iPad
If you think one Buddha machine is enough you can stop reaing now 
If you enjoyed our Buddha Machine for iPhone, then you will LOVE this iPad version!!! Mix the music of SIX Buddha Machines to create your own evolving ambient symphony!
If you are new to the Buddha Machine, it is a palm-sized plastic box that plays ethereal music loops composed by the Beijing-based duo of Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian, aka FM3.
The physical device has been described as “Beautifully useless” (New York Times) “Mesmerizing” (Pop Matters) “Addictive, hypnotic” (Santa Fe Reporter) and “Defiantly rough” (Wall Street Journal)
Since its introduction in 2005, the Buddha Machine has won global praise for its novel approach to music enjoyment and has been used in hundreds of recording and performance projects from a wide range of artists.
Featuring hypnotic music designed to create a calming presence in today’s fast paced world, the machine’s colorful charm provides an experience that is hard to define. Essentially, It’s a box with a life; a tool for living, and to many, a friend.”
Note the following brings up both the iPhone and iPad versions of the Buddha Machine.
The 3rd generation Buddha Machine
FM3 is now taking orders for Chan Fang – the third generation of their Buddha Machine:
Chan Fang, which translates as “Zen Room,” sees FM3 swap drones and tones from their first two Buddha releases for unadulterated classical loops.
All tracks were composed and performed on the Qin, a seven-string zither revered as the grand-daddy of Chinese instruments. Deep sonorous tuning and complex harmonic overtones give the Qin a contemplative and soothing voice.
Turn on Chan Fang and soundtrack your life. Tweak the pitch to match your mood. Pair it with another Buddha Machine for a pocket orchestra to enlighten your morning commute, long bath, thinking, reading, relaxing, romancing…
Our UK distributor, Cargo, is now taking orders. USA orders will begin soon. Chan Fang will be shipping early December 2010.
Details at the FM3 site.
Demo of the USB-Octomod – voltage control
Here’s a demo, via Greg Surges, of the USB-Octomod – a USB device which allows generation of computer-controlled analog synthesizer control voltages in the range of approximately +/- 5V.
The USB-Octomod is Using a small open-source and cross-platform host application, the user is able to control the 8 output channels of the Octomod through a simple OSC interface. The OSC interface allows composers, musicians, etc. to control the Octomod from their software environment of choice. PCBs, DIY Kits, and Fully Assembled Boards available at Surges’ site.
MotionCOMMAND is here
MotionCOMMAND™ multi-touchscreen products are the future that is here today. Music Computing is the first company to bring this revolutionary technology to the world as complete fit for purpose products that are finally affordable.
Mac® and PC compatible: MotionCOMMAND models are cross-platform compatible making them extremely versatile. Native to each OS (operating system) are basic multi-touch commands that MotionCOMMAND will automatically work with. Additional multi-touch functionality is provided by each software application running within the OS. These can vary from application to application and from a single touch to many.
MotionCOMMAND LCD is available in a 32″ as well as 42″ diagonal screen size, but custom version can be created up to 200″. Each size screen can be equipped with either two (2) or six (6) simultaneous touches. Each MotionCOMMAND comes ready to use with a crystal clear LCD TV and can be mounted in many different ways via its standard VESA mounting holes. To use, simply plug in the USB video and power cables, install the driver software, and you’re set to go. Priced from $1,299, MotionCOMMAND brings mutli-touch technologies to the masses.
Native Instruments are at it again with the legend of George Duke
Native Instruments today introduced GEORGE DUKE SOUL TREASURES, a new software instrument that makes the charismatic keyboard work of soul legend George Duke available for any music production. Based on advanced KONTAKT sampling technology, the instrument provides over 500 exclusive licks that can be easily tweaked and re-arranged to suit any musical context, providing an inspirational resource of royalty-free melodic elements for Hip Hop, R&B, Soul, Funk, Disco, House and similar genres.
GEORGE DUKE SOUL TREASURES captures the unique musical style of a living legend of the American jazz and soul scene, whose distinctive funky and soulful licks have been sampled relentlessly in recent and contemporary urban and dance music. Together with his sound engineer Erik Zobler, George Duke has recorded over 500 original keyboard phrases on his personal grand piano, electric piano, Wurlitzer and clavinet models exclusively for his signature software instrument.
GEORGE DUKE SOUL TREASURES can be used both with the free KONTAKT PLAYER and in the full-featured KONTAKT 4 software sampler. Due to the advanced slicing and time-stretching functions in KONTAKT, all loops automatically sync to the song tempo of the sequencer, and can be modulated, re-pitched, and even completely re-arranged in real-time via an intuitive keyboard trigger scheme.
For creative sound mangling, various multi-effect chains can be activated through the keyboard on the fly, with a flexible filter section and a studio-grade convolution reverb offering further sound shaping options. Every lick in GEORGE DUKE SOUL TREASURES is also available in an additional “Tubes & Tape” version that was processed through a sophisticated analog recording chain at George Duke’s studio, resulting in an even grittier authentic vintage sound.
GEORGE DUKE SOUL TREASURES is available for purchase in the NI Online Shop on DVD and as a download for $119.
New device originaly created for the Plastikaman Live tour
Liine has released a free Max For Live device, Kapture, that was originally created for Richie Hawtin’s Plastikman Live tour.
The sounds and sonic signatures in Plastikman Live are heavily reliant on complex configurations of sends, returns and feedback loops, as well as combinations of instrument and effect parameters. Liine’s challenge was to build a system to manage this huge number of parameters in a live scenario.
Kapture is the solution that they came up with. Similar to a preset management system for the whole of Ableton Live, it lets you “Kapture” the state of your set.
More info on Kapture:
We’re now very glad to be able to release it to the public and to see how other people use it in performances and in the studio. Kapture is not a polished mainstream product but something developed for a very specific show. However, we think that it’s something that many people will find very useful if they are willing to get their hands a little dirty and tweak it to fit their setup.
We aim to continue releasing bits and pieces like this from the Liine Laboratory, more rough and ready experimental/custom devices and works in progress, alongside the polished, premium products such as Griid.
Kapture requires Ableton Live 8 and Max For Live.
Free Live Pack for Ableton
Ableton has released a free Live Pack, the Partner Instrument Compilation:
Ableton’s favorite sound designers have developed a rich collection of instruments custom-made for Ableton Live: the Partner Instruments. Now, we’re giving away the Partner Instrument Compilation — a free 3.7 GB Live Pack that provides a selection of content taken from the Partner Instruments. It includes everything from acoustic pianos and electronic drums to exotic instruments and cinematic soundscapes.
The Partner Instrument Compilation has recently been updated with the following changes:
- a sneak peek of sounds from an upcoming Partner Instrument: Soniccouture Novachord
- sounds from AAS Journeys
- sounds from Sonica Japanese Taiko Percussion
The Partner Instrument Compilation includes:
- 73 Instrument Racks
- 17 Drum Racks
- 6 Live Sets
- 85 Live Clips
Download at the Ableton site.
Preview of the SONiVOX PULSE production instrument
SONiVOX Previews PULSE – Advanced Production Instrument
Innovative design coupled with an expansive feature set delivers an unrestricted music production workflow.
SONiVOX, Boston MA, based award-winning music software company today offered a pre-release preview complete with Video examples of their upcoming release, PULSE – Advanced Production Instrument.
PULSE combines the feature set highlights of today’s popular hardware music production units, along with the power and multidimensional capabilities afforded by the software paradigm. In doing so, PULSE is able to offer music producers expanded features & functionality as well as an unrestricted workflow, eliminating multiple menus, button clicks, memory limitations, and more.
PULSE – Advanced Production Instrument Features:
• Next-generation music production software for MAC and PC, combining MPC style editing and workflow.
• Imports most MPC file formats including MPC 60/II, MPC 3000, MPC 2000, MPC 2000XL, MPC 1000, MPC 2500, MPC 500, MPC 5000, as well as AIFF, WAV, Broadcast WAV, ACID & MP3 files.
• 8 User-assignable stereo outputs and 8 User-assignable effects busses, complete with tempo sync stereo delay, EQ, and reverb effects
• Onboard real-time sampling
• 64 user assignable pads with Infinite sample layering and multiple playback modes
• Per pad editing of LFO, volume, pitch, envelope, panning, and filter with ten user selectable filter types.
• User-assignable auto pitch map, velocity override (full), choke and one shot modes
• User adjustable input-quantize
• Over 400 premium instruments and drum kits
• Midi learn & save functionality, PULSE is instantly compatible with any MIDI keyboard or pad controller
• Pad-specific variable resolution note repeat
• Advanced multi-mode pattern and step sequencer which optionally locks to your DAW/host
• Works as a MAC or PC Standalone application or as a VST, AU, & RTAS plugin.
• And much more…
PULSE – Advanced Production Instrument is slated for a release date of November 1st 2010 with a MSRP of $199.99 and an estimated street price of $149.99. Select retailers will be offering PULSE at a special introductory price of $99.99 throughout the holiday season.
For video demos and purchasing information please visit www.sonivoxmi.com
Strange musical instruments
Speaking of strange musical instruments comes Nick Demopoulos’s Snomid.
The Smomid is a unique instrument, created by Demopoulos. Its name is an acronym for “String Modeling Midi Device.
In this video, Demopoulos is experimenting with the idea of using the Smomid to control drumbeats:
I didn’t utilize all the functions I have, but some of them include reversing the directions of all the drum samples, different rhythms for different drums, scrambling up a drumbeat and having certain drums play random rhythms.
See Demopoulos’s site for more info.
Time to start vocoding
SONiVOX has announced the immediate worldwide availability of the first instrument from their new NEMESYNTH Audio Research Group, Vocalizer – Vocal Production Synthesizer.
Vocalizer is described as a completely new concept in modern music production that couples a new technology synthesis engine with an open input based architecture. Vocalizer is one part effect plugin and one part virtual instrument. Vocalists, non-vocalists, & producers feed Vocalizer any audio source, and it re-pitches, effects, and re-synthesizes the original source into a whole new sound.
Primarily designed for vocal use, vocalists will enjoy the vast options afforded by Vocalizer to add previously unattainable dimensions to their voice. Inversely, non-vocalists will enjoy the opportunity to use their voices in musical ways that they previously thought impossible.
Vocalizer also works well with other types of inputs. Drum & percussion tracks fed through Vocalizer result in complex synth lines that perfectly sync to the original dry drum & percussion parts. Other input sounds afford a powerful and flexible new approach to sound design. Vocalizer users can take any sound and use it as a shaping tool to be Vocalized.
The Vocalizer marks the first release from SONiVOX’s NEMESYNTH Audio Research Group. Spearheaded by noted audio guru and scientist Jim Van Buskirk, pioneer inventor of the virtual instrument, modern computer driven sampling, and real-time low-latency convolution, SONiVOX’s NEMESYNTH Audio Research Group’s sole purpose is to discover, research, & develop revolutionary new enabling technologies for musicians everywhere.
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