Technology

Tech News Roundup: December 5, 2008

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News:

As the Winter NAMM Show approaches, the tech industry slows down in preparation for the onslaught of new product announcements in January.

Add a few holidays to the mix and, well, the tech news pickins are getting a little slim.

Even so, there are a few choice morsels in this week’s roundup.

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Prime Loops: Dirty Electro Synth Loops

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News:

The latest addition to the Prime Loops catalogue focuses on electro synth textures.

Containing over 160 loops, Dirty Electro Synth Loops is a collection of “addictive, filthy nu-house licks, raw wobbly sub-bass grooves, jackin’, rude and disgustingly electroholic twisted leads, crystallised sexy electro-flavoured textures, and purified pulsating chord progressions.”

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Remix Hotel L.A. 2008

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: remix hotel

Presented by Avid, Remix Hotel wraps up its 2008 offerings in sunny Los Angeles from this Thursday, 4th December through Saturday the 6th for a full weekend of music production technology, master classes, panels, demos, artist performances and more.

Special to this occasion RHLA will add video production to the roster.

The extensive panelist lineup for this final 2008 includes Danja, Martin Atkins, Thes One, The Angel, Squeak E. Clean, Shortee, DJ Babu, J-Rocc, Carmen Rizzo and more.

Technology partners Ableton, IK Multimedia, Native Instruments, Serato, Roland, M-Audio and others will be offering participants the chance to catch up on the latest gear and get hands on experience with tips directly from the manufacturers.

General admission is free, but if you register for an all access pass you will receive a free copy of IK Multimedia Classic T-RackS 3 Equalizer, and a chance to win more gear from Vestax and IK.

Click through for the full schedule.

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iDrum: Ministry of Sound Anthems

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: apple

Our favorite iPhone app – iDrum – just got even more useful for EDM producers.

Back in August, we reviewed the original iDrum releases and were blown away by their functionality and intuitive features.

Their latest edition, the aptly titled iDrum: Ministry of Sound Anthems (iTunes link), includes an array of totally professional samples gathered from the MoS vaults.

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Production Master Class: Automation

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News:

After a brief US holiday break, our master classes are back in session.

In this lesson, a bevy of EDM’s top producers reveal their insights into the process of automating tracks.

By automating effects and synth parameters, producers keep things interesting by constantly changing sounds and textures as a track progresses to its peak.

Some artists discuss their approach using broad theoretical brushstrokes, while others go much deeper into the specifics of the various tools in their arsenal.

Either way, these insights are sure to help producers of all skill levels add intensity and drama to their mixes.

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Deadmau5 releases sample CD for producers

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News:

In a twist that might seem counterproductive to building a unique artist sound, Deadmau5 and his longtime studio partner Steve Duda have put together a CD-ROM packed full of 100% royalty-free samples for music producers to use in their own tracks.

Some would say it’s a charitable gesture, considering the burgeoning international profile of Deadmau5 and the influential releases of their BSOD project.

If you asked aspiring producers worldwide to name the top 5 producers they most want to sound like for instance, you can bet Deadmau5 would be in there.

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• Check out Deadmau5 on Beatport

New Noise Apps for iPhone

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: amidio apple apps

Since the release of the iPhone 2.0 operating system, Amidio Inc. has been hard at work putting the finishing touches on a pair of iPhone apps for EDM producers.

We covered the initial pre-announcement of Noise.io a while back, but it looks like the finished product (iTunes link) is a real gem.

Noise.io’s (pictured above) ESFM synthesis tools are a combination both FM and subtractive synthesis technology, kind of like a simpler version of Ableton’s Operator, with a sci-fi interface.

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Tech News Roundup: November 21, 2008

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: tech news roundup

Free plug-ins, a portable hardware widget to run them, and a valuable lesson on differentiating between Deadmau5’s music and your own are all rolled up into this week’s roundup.

It’s been an interesting week, to say the least.

More info after the jump.

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Tutorial: How to use modulation effects

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: guide to synthesis

With compression, gates, delay and reverb covered, we’ll now delve into the mysteries of modulation effects.

Flanging, chorusing, phasers, tremolo, and auto-panning are the most common types of modulation effects in modern synths and digital audio workstation software.

Since each of these effects has its own flavor, this tutorial will cover the specifics of what to use and when to use it.

For example, flangers are great for adding animation to percussion and sweeps, but can be problematic when used on bass.

Let’s find out why.

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Justice respond, ‘The USB cable fell out!’

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: justice

Yesterday we published a photo revealing Justice’s Gaspard Augé to be using a MIDI controller that wasn’t plugged in, and now they’ve responded to the allegations that the duo fake their live sets.

“I couldn’t remember the city but I think it was in Manchester,” he said.

“I didn’t notice at first, because as you can see I was looking at the computer to launch the next vocal hook and right after I realised that the blue screen went black, so there was no way possible it could work. So I plugged it back in, big deal! And the next thing you know is this picture.”

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Musinaut offer free MXP4 training in London

• Written by: Christen Reutens
• Filed under: Music News: musinaut mxp4

MP3 might be the preferred format of choice for digital music files currently, but since its launch in September over 5000 artists have downloaded the free next generation MXP4 Creator from Musinaut.

The French company hopes to change the way we consume digital music with its new MXP4 technology which offers better encoding quality than MP3, plus splits digital music files into layers and tracks, allowing users to create their own remixes on the fly.

They’re now also offering a free three-hour MXP4 training class in central London on 25th and 26th November with the aim of educating consumers about the benefits of the new technology.

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Justice faking their live sets?

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: justice

Poor old Justicehttp://www.beatportal.com/images/site/misc/wiki_box_a.gif are having a hard week. Last Thursday the duo admitted in an interview that their album [†] contained at least 400 uncleared samples, and now comes this photo which shows the pair faking it during a live set.

The MIDI controller on the left ain’t plugged in, but the tall fuzzy-haired one is pretending that it is - he’s got an intense concentrated look on his face whilst moving the faders and knobs. Busted!

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• Check out Justice on Beatport

Native Instruments releases True Strike Tension

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: native instruments

The latest Native Instruments’ Kore Soundpack, True Strike Tension, combines world percussion instruments from Africa, Japan, and the Middle East, then adds a cinematic element that focuses on suspense and mystery.

We think that’s an interesting combination with quite a bit of potential – and the demos on the NI website certainly support that.

Created in collaboration with notable sound design company ProjectSAM, the sounds in True Strike Tension make great use of the sound shaping and browsing features in Kore 2 and the free Kore Player.

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M-Audio updates Luna microphone

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: m-audio

Sampling fans and vocalists take note.

If you’re in the market for a top-notch studio microphone, M-Audio’s new Luna II cardioid condenser model is worth a closer look.

The award-winning original Luna is quite popular among producers thanks to its Class-A, solid-state electronics and a large, 1.1” ultra-thin, 3-micron, evaporated-gold diaphragm with brass capsule.

The Luna II microphone is expected to ship later this month, with an MSRP of $399.99 US.

Full details can be found here.

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