The music of Geist
FXpansion Geist is the company’s new sampling instrument.
Instead of making a polished marketing video, FXpansion says “We decided to spend our time making some music, using only Geist and a few instruments we had lying around.
More things revealed about the OctaTrack DSP-1
As promised, Elektron have revealed more about their Octatrack DPS-1 8-track dynamic performance sampler:
The optical crossfader
Ruggedness and durability is paramount in a live setting and the smooth action 45mm crossfader meets these criteria with ease. Due to it being optical it is very resilient to both dust and humidity and with a life time rated to more than 5 million operations it is definitely going to stand the test of time. The crossfader in conjunction with the Scene functionality makes live improvisation with the Octatrack easy and rewarding.
Scenes
A Scene is a set of parameter values. All parameters that can be parameter locked can also be assigned to a Scene. At all times 16 Scenes are instantly available and ready to be assigned to the two Scene slots of the crossfader. The Scene assigned to slot A comes into full effect when the crossfader is at its leftmost position and the Scene assigned to slot B comes into full effect when the crossfader is at its rightmost position. For all other crossfader positions interpolation between the Scene parameters will occur. Scenes can be both muted and assigned in real time.
Scenes controlled by the crossfader make it possible to add sudden bursts of effects to a sound, make smooth transitions between tracks, pitch one loop up while another loop is being pitched down or to completely and utterly change the sound of a whole pattern. The choice is yours.
Two demo examples showcasing Scenes:
FXPansion continues to tease us about Geist
More information on our forthcoming virtual instrument, Geist, to be released on November 17th 2010. The price will be $249 / £157 / €189.
It appears to be some kind of groove machine or a simplified DAW. The emphasize appears to be on sampling, re-sampling, slicing and sequencing! Perhaps they are heading for the Reason market segment??
Creating individual, energetic stringlines
Here’s a sneak preview of Orchestral Strings submitted by Hendrik Schwarzer
www.orchestraltools.com
Orchestral String Runs is a string library especialy for creating individual, energetic stringlines. With the innovative new OSR – RUNSBUILDER, you are able to create your own runs, based on several figures and structures recorded with an huge orchestra in europe. The Runs-Builder is only one part of a bigger sample-library.
More info revealed on the OCTATRACK
The Octatrack DPS-1 is a 8 track dynamic performance sampler, introduced to us at the MusikMesse this year. The Octatrack is ideal for radical audio processing and performance oriented sampling. Every track features real-time pitch scaling & time stretch and the next generation Elektron step sequencer has been designed with maximum usability and efficiency in mind.
Flex machines offer the most extensive sound manipulation possibilities. A sample used within a Flex machine is loaded to the RAM memory of the Octatrack. From there it can be twisted, stretched, warbled and reassembled in multiple ways. Flex machines are unbeatable sound processors.
Static machines are the perfect tool for handling extremely large samples. Samples assigned to Static machines are streamed from the Compact Flash card, thus their size can be in the order of gigabytes. Of course you can time stretch and pitch scale them as needed.
Thru machines do not sample or play back sounds. Instead they let the Octatrack affect incoming audio with the dual FX blocks. Two powerful FX chains each consisting of up to four linked tracks, totalling eight effects per chain, can be formed.
Other machines – The Octatrack will feature special machines for recording audio from the four external inputs. These machines can be used as strange effect devices, intricate loopers or as simple audio recorders. They will allow for quick assembling of audio structures.
Boost your microSampler
Korg has released a free Bonus Sample Pack for the microSAMPLER.
Here’s what Korg has to say about it:
The Bonus Sample Pack provides a convenient shortcut for all microSAMPLER users by offering professionally recorded samples organized into fully-finished banks of sounds with sample-based musical patterns, all fully compatible with the microSAMPLER.
Find it on the Software section of Korg’s microSampler support page.
Contents:
- Korg Vintage Keyboards: Korg M1, CX-3 T1, Polysix, WAVESTATION, Trinity and more
- Korg Vintage Rhythm Machine: 70s & 80s Drum Machines – KPR77, KR-55, S3, DDD1
- Korg ES1/EM1: First generation of Korg Electribes – ES-1, EM-1
- Vintage Keyboards: famous keyboard sounds from the ’70s and ’80s.
- Electrohouse Construction
- Breaks D’nB Dubstep
- Drum and Bass
- Alt Rock
- Electronica
Each bank can also be customized by the player using the free Editor/Librarian software that is provided with each microSAMPLER. The microSAMPLER connects to Windows or Mac OS-based computers via USB.
Get Sampletank for free
Downloaded myself yesterday 
IK Multimedia has revived its free version of SampleTank for PC and Mac, removing the previous restrictions and adding a 500 MB sound bank. All you have to do is register at the IK Multimedia website. Here’s what they have to say about it:
No longer limited – Multiple instances that opens ALL SampleTank format sounds, import functionality, and the ability to create your own user presets.
• Over 500 MB samples for over 200 sounds included 16 part multitimbral with easy layerable/mixable parts
• 3 synth engines:
- – STRETCH™ (formant preserving pitch-shift/time-stretch)
– Polyphonic Pitch-Shift/Time-Stretch (PS/TS)
– Resampling
• The most powerful multi-effects section in a virtual instrument:
- – 5 insert effects per Part
– 5 Send effects
– Master effects
• 33 built-in DSP effects derived from award winning audio processors like T-RackS and AmpliTube
• Part and Master Loop Sync
• Can be expanded with: SampleTank 2.5 L and XL sounds and any “Powered by SampleTank” sound modules including Miroslav Philharmonik, Sonik Synth 2, SampleMoog, SampleTron
• Can be expanded with any Xpansion Tank 2 sounds
• Imports WAV, AIFF, SDII, AKAI S-1000/3000, SAMPLECELL
• Available both as a standalone application as well as a plug-in
• VST, RTAS, and AU on Mac OS X/Windows”
Performance of the Malaventura’s audiovisual sampler
The malaventura’s audiovisual sampler consist in a complex set up of software & hardware where throught a midi controller its possible to launch audiovisual material in the same manner like a music sampler launch audio clips. This peculiarity make possible to build, in live action, a collage of pieces made of images and sounds perfectly synchronized. These pieces are rearranged, manipulating its natural position on the original source to create new images and rhythms, recontexting the old footage in a new puzzle where the forgotten scenes from public domains movies comes alive again like an audiovisual frankenstein.
Performance of the Malaventura’s audiovisual sampler at the Circulo Cultural Juan XXIII. The live act was part of the program of the 1st Colective show of the Free Audiovisual held in Cordoba the past 25th of September.
(Filmed by M.C. Gutierrez)”
Nice multi-effect for creating Ambient textures
Audiobulb Records / Christopher Hipgrave unveils Ambient, a multi-effect standalone software module for creating Ambient textures. Sounds very cool!
Features:
- + Granular sampler with random pitch function
- + Amplitude envelope with a trigger speed control
- + Three pitch shift controls for adding extra layers
- + Tape delay
- + Multi-mode filter
- + Ambient reverb
Price: £9.99 GBP
“A unique ambient soundscape generator. AMBIENT is capable of producing a vast array of ambient textures, from the bizarre to the beautiful. AMBIENT processes any sound you care to load into it. The possibilities are endless.” A U D I O B U L B . R E C O R D S
Summer NAMM
The R24 digital multitrack recorder adds a sampler/drum machine, eight additional recording tracks and six channels of phantom power to the company’s R16. The R24 offers 24-track playback and 8-track simultaneous recording, an audio interface, a control surface and a drum pad sampler.
The R24’s new sampler function comprises 24 built-in voices that can be triggered using eight pads and three bank keys to assign sounds to each track and create loops. Also, the unit’s drum machine and its 400 rhythm patterns can be used to create original backing beats or output a metronome for tempo control. As a bonus feature, exclusive loops by Grammy Award–winner Peter Erskine are included.
The R24 records on SD memory cards and supports cards up to 32 GB for more than 100 track hours of recording. More than 100 built-in studio and mastering effects can be used to enhance recordings.
In addition, the R24’s USB audio interface allows users to record tracks to any Mac or PC and use the system’s control surface capabilities to manage the functions of most DAW software programs, most notably the included Cubase LE 5.
DATAMASKIN
