Check out "my" new synth…
…maybe it needs some software updates before I can use it or run it as a MIDI with my Powerbook, hehe.
Well whatever the case it is an awesome piece of equipement dated somewhere around 1850 and was apparently used by the Swedish king (Karl XVth) and it can be found at Bäckaskog’s Castle in the southern parts of Sweden, where I spent an annual event with my feelow colleagues at TAT.
Cheers
Choosing the right MIDI keyboard
Summary: Essential things to think about before buying a MIDI controller keyboard, Personal Keyboard or Digital Piano
- Number of keys?
- 49 key controllers are excellent for entering music and basic or intermediate keyboard learning. They don’t require a lot of space and are quite inexpensive. They will certainly take you up to Grade 3 standard without any problem
- Larger keyboards are essential if you plan on learning advanced piano techniques or are used to playing on a full size keyboard
- For composing and sequencing, maybe the number of keys are not so important as the availability of a range of controllers such as knobs and sliders to get more hands-on control of the software control panels
- Controller or keyboard or piano?
- A controller doesn’t create any sound on it’s own – it uses the sounds in your computer or sound module. The advantages of controllers are their price and the fact that you can upgrade the sound card without having to buy a new keyboard
- A personal keyboard doesn’t require a computer or sound module to create sound. Some will also include speakers. Keyboards are generally more expensive than controllers, but they can be used as an instrument on their own.
- If you really want to play the piano, and have it available without turning on the computer, then a digital piano is also a great option. They all come equipped with MIDI ports to connect up to your PC. The only disadvantage might be the physical set up you can achieve as digital pianos are larger than keyboards, which may make it tricky to site them right next to your computer workstation.
- Touch sensitive or weighted action?
- Touch sensitive keyboards will play louder or softer according to the velocity of your playing (how hard you play)
- Weighted action keyboards imitate the action of a real piano – these keyboards are usually heavier and more expensive. Choose a weighted action keyboard if you want to be as close to real piano action as possible
Key take aways:
The wide range of available keyboard controllers pretty much ensures you’ll be able to find one that meets your needs. You just need to take a little time to ask the following questions, which will help define what you want or need:
What’s your application?
• If live performance is your focus, you’ll want to consider sturdiness and reliability (many controllers are almost entirely made of plastic), along with your preferred action and key count.
• For a club DJ, who often must work in cramped quarters, a compact unit will work best. Remember, the controller still needs plenty of knobs and sliders to control your software parameters!
• If you do a lot of recording in bed (or on a plane, in a car, etc.) portability counts. Also consider whether your controller can run on bus power (usually USB), which can be convenient – you won’t need another power adapter.
How many keys?
Limited space on your desktop or in your live rig? You need a compact controller, with 25 or 37 keys. If you want a piano-style experience go for an 88-key controller. Other options include 61 keys (that’s five octaves) and 76 keys.
What type of action?
Action should be appropriate to your application. If you need piano-style realism, get a weighted action. Semi-weighted keyboards appeal to many players, offering a nice balance between resistance and springiness. Synth-action keyboards are often perceived as easier to play for non-keyboardists, and can also be more economical.
How many/what type of knobs, sliders, and buttons?
What will you control? Synths? Effects? Software? Do you prefer sliders, knobs, or both?
What computer and sound module connectivity do you need?
Do you need USB connection to a computer? Almost all of today’s controllers have a USB MIDI connector. Many include a 5-pin MIDI connector as well, so you can connect an external sound module to your controller.
Do you need a built-in audio interface?
If you want an all-in-one MIDI and audio solution, then select one of the controllers that include an audio interface.
Keyboard Action Types
A vital quality of any keyboard controller is the keyboard action – the manner in which the key responds to playing. You, the player, need to feel comfortable using the controller, whether live on stage or in your songwriting or recording studio. Don’t underestimate the impact of having a less-than-ideal keyboard on your creativity and productivity! The type of action you prefer is usually determined mostly by what you are accustomed to, and also by the particular style of music that you play, which may call for one type of action over another. You can choose from three basic keyboard action types:
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Weighted Hammer Action Many controllers have 88-note keyboards that replicate the mechanical action of a conventional piano keyboard. This is difficult to do because a controller has no strings or hammers. Manufacturers use different methods of applying weights and springs to mimic a piano’s action. Others add a hammer action to more closely replicate a true piano “feel.” For example, the CME UF8 employs a weighted piano-action keyboard with four different velocity curves so you can choose the most comfortable feel. If your primary instrument is piano, or if you compose a lot of piano-oriented music, the realism of a weighted hammer-action keyboard might be ideal for you. |
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Semi-weighted Action Similar to a weighted action, but with less key resistance and a slightly springier release, semi-weighted actions are popular with some players. If you don’t need realistic piano response but don’t care for spring-loaded synth actions (see below), try a semi-weighted keyboard. The M-Audio Axiom 61 is a controller with a semi-weighted action and MIDI trigger pads, rotary encoders, and sliders. |
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Synth Action A synth-action keyboard, on the other hand, feels more like an electronic organ. The spring-loaded keys are light and capable of being moved very quickly. They also tend to return to their resting position much more quickly. This can be an important advantage when trying to play very fast parts such as lead lines or fast arpeggios. Many keyboard controllers, such as the economical Korg K49 come with synth-action keys. Synth-action keys are perfect for musicians who aren’t pianists by nature, such as guitarists wanting to add MIDI functionality to their setup. |
Toontrack has announced the release of Superior Drummer 2.0.
Superior Drummer® 2.0 has been re-developed for optimized use with e-drums with more effective use of sample layers and much improved loading times. It will include custom MIDI played by Nir Z accessed through the all new customized MIDI engine and arranger EZplayer® pro, it will feature stand alone capacity through Toontrack solo. From premium UK based software developer Sonalksis Superior Drummer® 2.0 has been fitted with, 5-band EQ, high and low pass filter, compressor, gate and transient designer filters.
The new interface is reminiscent of EZdrummer® with its simple handling and lay out but gives its user layer upon layer of in depth features to create the ultimate drum track.
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All new construction windows with features such as: • ADSR • X-pads – Load instruments from any Toontrack® library to add positions or to double instruments on the position of your choice. • The ability to read and combine all dfh Superior and EZdrummer® sound librarie |
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All new internal mixer featuring bussing capabilities and with built in FX delivered by Sonalksis such as: • 5 Band EQ • Highpass and Lowpass filter • Gate • Compressor • Transient |
Korg introduces its NanoSeries of MIDI Controllers :-)
Korg has introduced the new nanoSeries line of MIDI control surfaces, designed for mobile music-making.
The lineup includes three products: nanoKEY, nanoPAD and nanoKONTROL:
- nanoKEY is a 25-note, velocity-sensitive model. It will ship with a download code for the full version of Korg’s M1Le – a cutdown version of the synth that forms part of the Legacy Collection Digital Edition bundle.
- The nanoPAD looks set to appeal to laptop DJs – an X/Y pad is also included – though the roll and flam functions suggest that it’ll also be useful for drum programming. Toontrack’s EZDrummer Lite will be freely available to owners of this one.
- The nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches and a transport section. A discount code for Ableton Live will come in the box.
All the nanoSeries controllers are bus-powered and connect over USB.
No word on pricing yet – but these look like fun and my guess is that they’ll be priced cheap enough to be bite-sized.
Controlling Ableton with your iPhone
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDtdxVJXn-E]
How to control Ableton Live with your iPhone
- Jailbreak your iPhone with ZiPhone (download for Windows and Mac)
- Download Masayuki Akamatsu’s akaRemote (download .zip here) and upload it to your applications folder with Fugu (Alternatively, use the Installer app that comes with ZiPhone, and find akaRemote under the “Network” category)
- Install i3L Midi Bridge software for Mac OS X (download .dmg here) This will allow you to intercept the controller data being sent from the iPhone
- Open akaRemote on your iPhone, and go to the configuration page. Double tap the series of numbers after “Host Address”. Change this to the ip address of the computer that will receive the MIDI data. On most home wireless networks, it will be something like 192.168.0.X, or 192.168.2.X on other routers. I don’t know if this will work without a wireless network router.
Free trial of Transfuser for Pro Tools
Digidesign has introduce the Transfuser™ Preview — a free three-month prerelease version of Transfuser, a brand new, upcoming RTAS® virtual instrument plug-in for Pro Tools® from the Digidesign Advanced Instrument Research (A.I.R.) group.
Transfuser includes a heap of loops and phrases to get you started. You can use multiple drum and effects modules, slice and tag loops live, convert loops into MIDI patterns and replace sounds as you go. You can also drag and drop Pro Tools regions and audio files from your browser.
Transfuser is an innovative, real-time loop, phrase, and groove creation workstation that allows you to quickly and easily create, manipulate, and perform loop- and rhythm-based music on the fly. Ideal for electronic, hip-hop, and dance music production, remixing, and anyone working with loops, Transfuser comes packed with a variety of loops and phrases to get you started creating right away. It also offers a great way to quickly and easily modify your existing loop libraries to breathe new life into your creations.
Features
- Easily develop and tweak grooves on the fly within Pro Tools
- Offers unique tools for working with audio files, including:
- Real-time slicing and tagging of loops
- Automatic conversion of loops into
MIDI patterns/drum kits - Sound replacement in existing loops on the fly
- Musically intelligent randomization of loops for instantly crafting variations on a whim
- Offers a wide range of real-time effects for electronic, hip-hop, and dance music creation
- Includes a variety of loops and phrases, and breathes new life into existing loop libraries
- Supports full drag and drop of Pro Tools regions and audio files from your computer browser
- Powerful live performance-oriented features allow for both creative arranging and performing of grooves
For those of you who have tried it – feel free to leave a review – THANKS 
microKorg ♥ Analog Factory 2.0
New version 2.0 !
Nice review of Ableton Live 7 in MacMusic
It’s hard to believe, but Live 7 is already there. The miracle software from Berlin-based Company Ableton, both a tracker and a sequencer at the same time, is constantly evolving: we were just beginning to control Live 6 and its numerous new features when its follower arrived, of course filled with improvements and surprises. Throughout this article we’ll try to see, apart from describing the new functions, if Live 7 fills the gaps left by the previous version, what it brings and what it removes from our music, on stage and in the studio.
Version 7 Renews the Core of Live
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Enhanced Audio EngineLive 7’s enhanced audio engine improves fidelity with precision 64-bit summing at all mix points throughout the program, POW-r dithering, optimized sample-rate conversion and other advances. |
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SidechainingFully integrated side-chaining capability is available for the new Compressor as well as Gate and Auto Filter. |  |
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Device High-Quality ModesOperator, Dynamic Tube and Saturator now feature optional High-Quality modes for anti-aliased processing, reducing typical “digital” artifacts. |
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EQ Eight—New and ImprovedEQ Eight sports an improved user interface and a new 64-bit mode for increased accuracy and fidelity. | |
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Introducing SpectrumThe new Spectrum device is an analyzer that provides real-time visual feedback for any audio signals within Live (and it looks really cool!). | |
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Improved MIDI TimingThe MIDI engine has been reworked, and we were able to significantly reduce timing error (jitter) of recorded MIDI. |
C-Thru Music Axis
Midi – thinking outside the box
Most likely the perfect complement for electronic musicians who wants to experiement a lot.
The keyboard of the Axis is a honeycomb-like grid of hexagonal buttons. The MIDI note numbers these buttons produce are not individually programmable: The layout is fixed. Since it’s not an ideal layout for all purposes, the lack of programmability may limit the unit’s appeal. The range of the keyboard is 64 notes — a bit more than a standard five-octave keyboard. There’s a global transpose parameter, but no dedicated octave shift buttons.
There are 192 key buttons in total, which means that three different buttons can play each note. This gives you lots of ways to finger any given chord or pattern. It also allows the Axis to have an isometric layout, which is a fancy way of saying that you can play in all 12 keys using identical fingerings. The buttons are about the size of an average fingertip, with beveled edges. The beveling makes it a bit easier to avoid playing wrong notes than on the white keys of a standard keyboard, because you get a bit of tactile feedback when your fingers drift out of position. The buttons sense velocity, but not aftertouch. The key dip is shallow: about two millimeters, as opposed to the ten millimeters that typical piano-type keys travel downwards.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgpvNqQNBgo]
DATAMASKIN
