Technology

Introducing BeatportSYNC - free-to-download DJ application

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: beatsync dj technology native instruments traktor

Beatport, the recognized leader in electronic music downloads, today announced the launch of Beatport SYNC, a free music playback application based on Native Instruments’ Traktor DJ technology.

With Beatport SYNC, users are able to play, manage, and mix music.

Play.

Beatport SYNC’s two playback decks have pitch control and users are able to play tracks from their music library plus previews from Beatport’s music store.

There are a host of Traktor-inherited features in Beatport SYNC including automatic crossfader, tempo detection and beatmatch syncing.

Users are also able to listen to a few select dance music radio stations in Beatport SYNC.

Manage.

This application is based on Native Instruments’ powerful track management system which includes advanced meta-data editing functionality and an intuitive track browser. The application supports many digital music formats including MP3, MP4, AAC, WMA, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG, and Audio CDs.

Mix.

Users can mix track previews from Beatport’s music catalog of 360,000 tracks with a track from their current library. This cutting-edge feature means users are able to check whether a track will mix well with another song in their music collection before purchase.

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Ableton Live 7 sneak preview - in Russian!

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

Last week we posted up a sneak preview of Ableton Live 7, and now Russian blogger Maxim DJ has reposted the entire article with a complete Russian translation!

So if you’ve got any Russian friends who are Ableton Live users, forward away.

[Thanks CreateDigitalMusic]

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Even six-year-olds can use Ableton

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

Here’s a video of a six-year-old kid demonstrating how easy it is to use Ableton.

How will the Ableton-based DJs will feel about it? 

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Kerri Chandler DJs with reel-to-reel tape at Southport Weekender

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: kerri chandler reel-to-reel southport weekender

Kerri Chandlerhttp://www.beatportal.com/images/site/misc/wiki_box_a.gif shocked thousands of clubbers at Britain’s annual Southport Weekender last weekend when he played his entire set off three reel-to-reel tape recorders.

He rocked it, as you can see from this video clip.

And you thought vinyl was old-fashioned.

Check out the clips below!

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• Check out Kerri Chandler

Final Scratch? Serato? Yeah that was invented by me, RZA

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: digital vinyl system dvs final scratch rza serato traktor wu tang clan

Check out this video with Wu Tang Clan’s RZA, who makes a rather bold claim to have invented the world’s first digital vinyl system (DVS) in this video from http://www.kotorimag.com.

His story starts in 1997 in Switzerland, and involves some nerd, an Atari computer, $2m and a thing called a ‘Replicator’.

Is he talking out of his ass, or is he in fact the godfather behind all our digital DJing platforms?

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Ableton Live 7 - sneak preview

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: ableton live ableton live 7 dj technology

Since its announcement last month, Ableton Live 7 has become the most hotly anticipated new piece of kit this season.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with it throughout its development, so here’s a look at just a few of the goodies in store for DJs and producers.

Fasten your seatbelts. There’s some amazing stuff under the hood of this wünder-DAW.

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Xlr8r reveals top US electronic music schools

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: dj technology xlr8r

If you’re thinking that school sucks, and want to pursue your dreams of becoming a successful music producer be sure to check out this article on Xlr8r.com, which highlights all the best music production colleges in the land.

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Andrew Weatherall: ‘MP3s are old fashioned’

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: andrew weatherall dj technology mp3s

In an interview with French blog GetTheCurse.com British producer and DJ Andrew Weatherallhttp://www.beatportal.com/images/site/misc/wiki_box_a.gif mouthed off about the loss of sound quality in electronic music due to MP3s taking over from vinyl and CDs.

“Everyone has switched to MP3 but MP3 is not that good.

“It’s actually more old-fashioned than vinyl. But because it’s the next stop in new technology, it’s this thing we all must have, even if it’s actually more of a step back, because it’s a loss in terms of quality.

“Which, in a way, means you don’t need quality anymore.

“Listening to an MP3 is actually like watching TV in 1958. It’s this new technology, all fresh and exciting, but it’s actually a step back.”

http://www.getthecurse.com

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• Check out Andrew Weatherall on Beatport

Oscillators: Mixing and Blending

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

Once you understand the harmonic characteristics of the basic oscillator waveforms, the real fun begins. By tuning and mixing various waves, you can create entirely new sounds from scratch.

This week, we’ll cover the essentials of how to tune and mix oscillators.

Note: If you want to follow along at home, fire up your demo version of Reason, create a Subtractor synth and make sure oscillator two is turned on (the orange box next to “Osc 2” should glow).

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• Get Cosmic Belt's 'Do It (Original Mix)' on Beatport

Oscillators: Essential Waveforms

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

Now that you have a handle on the signal flow of subtractive synthesizers, it’s time to dig into the specifics of the oscillator module.

To begin, let’s take a look at the most common waveforms you’ll find in an analog-style synth.

Each has its own distinct sound, so it’s important to understand their individual strengths.

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Some call it Analog: How subtractive synthesizers work

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: analog guide to synthesis oscillators subtractive synthesizers synthesis synthesizer

The term ‘subtractive synthesis’ refers to the sound generation method used by many modern software synths, as well as all analog synthesizers – new or old.

The fundamental principle consists of taking a sound source, called an ‘oscillator’, then feeding that signal into a filter.

The filter then subtracts frequency content from the oscillator signal, allowing it to be made brighter, duller, squeakier, and so on.

After the filter, the overall volume of the resulting sound can be adjusted to create percussive sounds, long swells, and so forth.

If this sounds too complex to grasp, fear not.

The secret to understanding subtractive synthesis lies in comparing it to other, more familiar, concepts from the DJ world. 

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Part 2: Introduction to Synthesizer Programming

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

Last week, I kick started my ‘Guide To Synthesis’ blog by taking a look at the different types of synthesis: sampling, subtractive and FM (frequency modulation) and discussed the pros and cons of each.

Now in part two, we’ll continue by looking at the remaining types of synthesis, physical modeling and exotica, before jumping into the longest running debate in the electronic music world - hardware synths versus software synths.

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Introduction to Synthesizer Programming

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

To kick off our first series on music production techniques, we’ll begin by going deep into synthesizers. Sure, we all know that synths are musical instruments that form the essence of all club music (a broad statement, but that’s a fact).

But did you know that there are upwards of five distinct types of synthesis technology that serve as the basis for most software and hardware synths?

When producers talk of a “synthesizer” they are generally referring to analog synthesizers like Moogs, Prophets and classic Roland gear, but that’s only one type of synthesis.

In the pantheon of synthesis techniques, there are quite a few methods for creating new sounds that can be played via keyboards, drum pads, even MIDI-fied wind instruments and guitars.

So, to get everyone warmed up, here’s a round-up of the most common sound generation tools available today.

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Pete Tong ‘I love Ableton’

• Written by: Zack Rico
• Filed under: Music News: bbc radio 1 dj gossip

Britain’s Pete Tonghttp://www.beatportal.com/images/site/misc/wiki_box_a.gif has revealed that he’s fallen in love with software program Ableton Live, which he now uses for all his DJ sets.

The BBC Radio 1 DJ spoke out for a forthcoming interview for Beatportal.

“I’ve always been very much an early adapter of new technology,” he told Beatportal’s Terry Church.

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• Check out Pete Tong on Beatport