Masters at work
MOTU has announced it is now shipping the MasterWorks Collection, an advanced audio plug-in bundle for Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, and other Mac OS X hosts that support RTAS, Audio Units, and VST3 audio plug-ins.
“MOTU has received many requests from Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, and Live users who wanted to get their hands on Digital Performer’s MasterWorks plug-ins,” said Jim Cooper, MOTU Director of Marketing. “Now they finally can.”
The bundle includes three masterfully crafted audio processors suitable for even the most critical and demanding mixing situations. Originally developed exclusively for Digital Performer, the MasterWorks series plug-ins have developed a reputation for their incredibly authentic analog hardware modeling, 32- and 64-bit internal floating point processing, and highly CPU-efficient performance. All three plug-ins support mono, stereo and surround channel configurations (with supporting host software), and users can share MasterWorks plug-in presets among different hosts.
MasterWorks Collection features
- MasterWorks EQ – modeled British analog EQ
Inspired by legendary British console EQs, the MasterWorks EQ™ delivers the look, feel and sound of the most sought-after classic analog equalizers. - MasterWorks Leveler – vintage automatic gain control
The MasterWorks Leveler™ is an accurate model of the legendary Teletronix™ LA-2A optical leveling amplifier, known for its unique and highly sought-after Automatic Gain Control (AGC) characteristics. - ProVerb – stunningly realistic acoustic spaces
From soaring cathedrals to primordial forests, ProVerb™ is a CPU-efficient convolution reverb that delivers the sound of stunningly realistic acoustic spaces to any track or mix.
The MasterWorks Collection is now available to purchase for Mac OS X (version 10.5 or 10.6), priced at $295 USD.
More information: MOTU / MasterWorks Collection
The iPad Orchestra and the Seline
“Sweet Dream” performed live for audience on 20.08.2010 by “The iPad Orchestra” on 4 iPads running app Seline HD by Amidio
The iPad Orchestra was founded in 2010 to demonstrate the latest achievements in digital mobile music.
We strongly believe that some day people will be able to play any music instrument from mobile devices, such as an iPad.
Oden and Thor gets reverb company in Valhalla
Valhalla DSP has announced ValhallaShimmer, a algorithmic reverberation plug-in designed to produce big sounds, from concert halls, to the Taj Mahal, to the halls of Valhalla.
ValhallaShimmer is a reverberator, tuned for emulating large spaces and big ambiances. Lots of modulation on tap. Minimal yet powerful controls, to allow the user to tune the attack, sustain, decay and color of the reverberation, with the results ranging from chorusing and short rooms to concert halls, to cathedrals, to near-infinite reverbs.
It also features the ability to pitch shift the reverb feedback, to obtain the “shimmer” sound heard on the Eno / Lanois productions for U2 and others, as well as a variety of beautiful harmonic washes.
I plan on releasing the OSX versions of the plugin (VST/AU/RTAS) in the next week or two, with the Windows version to follow shortly thereafter. Price will be announced when the demo is released and the plugin is offered for sale.
The guy behind Valhalla is Sean Costello also known for some prominent work with NI Reaktor and Csound.
More information: Valhalla DSP Blog
Perhaps the first free refill for Reason 5
Josh Mobley wrote in to let us know that his ReFill Hybrid Aggression is now available as a free download, to help celebrate the release of Reason 5.
These are rex files that were originally created during the scoring sessions for the television show “Wanted” on TNT Networks. They make full use of the new Dr. Octa Rex in both Reason 5 and Record 1.5
It was originally sold through bandmateloops.com. Here is the original descrpition:
Hybrid Aggression is an epic and dramatic blend of positively skull crushing, hand-crafted beats full of distorted electro-attitude. Tension works on a subtle level throughout, but never at the expense of the groove. Hybrid Aggression utilizes cutting-edge production techniques in one very inspiring electro-oriented theme. This collection is equally suitable for rock, hip-hop or dance applications, though the possibilities are endless. (Produced by: Josh Mobley in conjunction with BandmateLoops.com).
Hybrid Aggression is available to download from Josh’s Facebook page.
More information: Josh Mobley / Hybrid Aggression
Modern version of electronic music pioneer Raymond Scott’s Circle Machine
Synthesist Dave Brown has created a fantastic modern version of electronic music pioneer Raymond Scott’s Circle Machine.
The original Circle Machine, created by Scott in the 1950’s, was a pioneering electromechanical music sequencer.
Brown’s take on the machine isn’t intended to be a historically accurate recreation, but a working modern version of the Circle Machine:
I built this Circle Machine fun since I thought it would be visually interesting. I didn’t intend for this to be a precision sequencer nor a faithful recreation of the Raymond Scott Circle Machine. There are slight issues with absolute repeatability due to ambient room lighting and the CdS sensor settling time. Obvious modifications could include using a higher torque stepper motor or a DC motor and changing the sensor to a photo transistor. However I am pleased with the results as it works well to generate interesting sequences and is fun to watch.
Read more here and watch the video >>
Here’s what Scott had to say about his early step sequencer:
This device is what I’ve named The Circle Machine.
The intensity of each light in this circle is individually adjustable. At the tip of the arm there is a photo cell. This cell is a part of an electronic sound generating system, so adjusted that the more light the cell ’sees’ the higher the pitch of the sound produced. The cell also moves around in a circle at adjustable speeds. One of the controls, above the circle of lights, changes the pitch center of the complete cycle when required. As you will notice, there are many variable functions possible.
Vince Clarke & Martin Gore are working on a techno-ish track called Zaat.
Vince Clarke & Martin Gore are working on a techno-ish track called Zaat.
No word on how soon you’ll be able to here this reunion of early Depeche Mode members. Clarke’s keeping busy working on a children’s record for Rounder Records, the latest Erasure album and a possible collaboration with Amanda effin’ Palmer.
Clarke wrote most of the songs for the band’s 1981 debut “Speak & Spell”, before departing to form the synthpop duo Yazoo with Alison Moyet and later, the duo Erasure with Andy Bell.
During the touring and promotion for “Speak & Spell”, Clarke began privately to voice his discomfort at the direction the band were taking. In November 1981 Clarke publicly announced that he was leaving Depeche Mode. When asked about his departure from Depeche Mode in the VH1 Behind the Music television series he added: “We were pretty young and very lucky, and things had happened very quickly for us and I don’t think we were really mature to handle the situation”.
Initial talk of Clarke continuing to write material for the group ultimately amounted to nothing (Clarke offered the remaining members of Depeche Mode the track “Only You”, but they declined. It went on to become a UK top ten hit for Yazoo).Gore, who had written “Tora! Tora! Tora!” and the instrumental “Big Muff” for Speak & Spell, was forced to become the band’s new songwriter.
Nintendo goes KORG M1
Having made their own DS-10 instrument, Korg and DS developer AQ Interactive yesterday presented something new for the handheld Nintendo. This time, they’re revisiting one of the all-time greatest hits of digital synthesis, the Korg M1 workstation
‘KORG M01’ is a palm-sized Music Workstation for
Nintendo DS! You can make a wide variety of music with 8 tracks sequencer and more than 300 sounds including the legendary Korg’s M1 sounds. Anyone can generate musical notes, chords, and drums by Touch control screen without music knowledge..
Features are (subject to change / error):
- 300 original M1 PCM Sounds
- 8x multi timbral
- 8 track 16 step sequencer 1 sequence max 64 pattern, max polyphonic sound 12
- master reverb, delay effect
- track overview, sound browser, sequence edit, mixer, keyboard. Simple and functional display
- notes/chords,/drum input mode by touch control
- data exchange by wireless transmit
- drag & drop transpose
- sustained notes
Release Date is set to 31st 12. 2010 over at amazon.co.jp.
Vogue MK2 free standalone synth for Mac
16tone have just released a new version (1.2) of the Vogue MK2 free standalone synth for Mac. With this release they have added a Stereo Delay module with Cross and Reverse functions.
Pricing and Availability:
Free download here >>
The increasing popularity of software synthesizers and software samplers over the past decade generated a growing interest for standardized microtuning systems based on human-readable text files containing the device microtuning data (later on referred as Tuning Interchange Documents, or TIDocs, in this document). Besides those file formats based on MIDI Tuning Standard sysex messages that can be embedded in standard binary MIDI files (.mid), some noticeable TIDoc-based solutions were also adopted to add microtonal support for commercial software synthesizers that have involved, among others, the Scala format (.scl) proposed by Manuel Op de Coul, and the AnaMark format (.tun) proposed by Mark Henning. This article focuses on the syntax requirements of the Microtuner TIDoc format (.mtx), the native file format of Max Magic Microtuner, a microtonal software developed in 2003 as a companion application for Max/MSP.
How to use a Moog to control a modular synthesizer
YouTube user Paul Durso demonstrates how to use a Moog Minimoog Voyager to control a massive modular synthesizer.
While the video may leave most viewers with a bad case of synth envy, it does make clear the benefits of the Voyager’s VX-351 Voyager CV Expander module.
Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfAZbKa_Xx4
Nanoloop for iPhone
If you where observant looking at the video on the previous post you saw “nanoloop” on the T-shirt on the guy using the Gameboy. Now, nanoloop is not only for Gameboy but also for iPhone. It’s a really nice little Tracker like sequencers with it’s build in FM-synth and sampler. As the sound quality from the iPhone is really good nanoloop benefits from that to, compared to the Gameboy sound card. But I guess you could argue that the lack of sound quality is a feature. Anyway once you learned your way around you can quickly come up with some grooves/patterns. And the sequence those patterns into a song just like you do in any Tracker.
Get it in iTunes AppStore
DATAMASKIN
