I’m pretty sure this list will get me in trouble. The sounds and examples below aren’t necessarily bad – in fact, quite the opposite. These sounds and techniques are amazing, that’s why EVERYONE is ALWAYS using them. – But that’s the problem. These sounds get used SO much that they become tired and in some cases obnoxious when you hear them.
24/04/2013
The Killer Launchpad and the Amazing Talent Playing it
Created by Novation, the Launchpad is described as a ‘music controller’. It works with Ableton software to trigger sounds and loops and tweak the sounds or add effects to them. The goal is to allow the musician to create or customize music in real time. Instead of simply letting a sequence play, or mixing – an electronic musician or DJ can make music live. Below are some of the amazing things being done with the Launchpad:
M4sonic – Virus
Willy Saul – Mashup (Complextro)
Launchpad x4
Square Bizness Megamix (Complextro House Part 2)
27/02/2013
3D, Out of the Theater On to the Stage
3D is cool and all. I’ve seen some pretty cool 3D effects in movies – from environmentalist super smurfs to crazy snowflakes on the North Pole. And while I’m not terribly overwhelmed by the idea of 3D, a live show where objects are floating around in the concert hall, theater, stadium, etc could be kinda cool. Primus is toying with such an idea. It is a concept that was hatched by Michael Jackson… way back when, and now armed with improved technology Primus is having a go at it.
Check out the Fuse TV story on it:
http://www.fuse.tv/videos/2013/02/fuse-news-inside-new-primus-3d-tour
19/02/2013
The Magical Theremin
This post is an ode to the STILL magical Theremin!
Radio Head – hummin’ the words:
Gnarls Barkley – like muted trumpet / vocals / kazoo – brilliant:
Wes Coas!!
A cover of Ben:
…And some culture:
…And some more culture:
12/02/2013
Wires and Virtual Wires
I woke up this morning and scanned through the FB feed and came across the link below shared by DJ Dab and the always amazing CEvin Key. It is a clip of a film about modular synthesis. While I personally am the polar opposite of the musicians in the video (my studio is 100% virtual) I’ve had a few synths in the past and definitely share their awe for the technology.
After watching this video I’ve decided I need to start filling my ‘studio’ with modular synths. The idea of being able to ‘build’ your own synth, not being frustrated that the amazing VST synth you are working with is lacking key components you need, rather constructing for yourself that amazing VST synth is really cool.
With that, my hunt begins…
Check out the video here.
29/01/2013
Neutrient’s Reggae Electrolounge on Amazon
A collection of Reggae-leaning Neutrient tunes has been collected and is available on Amazon! Get your favorite Neutrient tunes:
28/01/2013
The Chiptune Invasion
I am currently working on creating music and FX that have the 8 bit sound to it and because of this, I have become aware of how pervasive 8bit/chiptune elements are in the music I encounter. Below are just some random tracks that are examples of this. Some songs have just a sprinkling of it others are thoroughly infused with it:
Addergebroed – Don’t Panic VIP
[Device] – Mushroom Kingdom
KRAAVE – Poppa Was a Sith Lord
Random chiptune mix
11/01/2013
Where Music and Fashion Come Together
I just bumped into an interesting article about underground artists who are also fashion trendsetters. Each artist is reviewed in detail and most of the artists’ pages feature a video of their music as well as photos of the artist.
Check out the article in full here.
04/01/2013
Strange, Unique and Beautiful Instruments
The Array mbira, 5 octave model:
The Glass Harmonica:
The Saw:
The Hang Drum:
The Fujara:
The Bamboo Sax:
The Glass Harp:
02/01/2013
What is the Best Free Wav Editor Out There?
I typically use Audacity for all my wav editing needs (which actually aren’t many… basically trimming wavs or layering wavs to export as a single sound as in drums etc), but its lack of real time effects previewing makes experimenting with effects arduous. So periodically I look around to see what is out there in the free audio editor world. At this point I keep coming back to Audacity. Below is a great post that lists 25 free editors and I haven’t tried most of them yet, I will have to do so and will post reviews of what I find.
What editor do you use for work with wavs or mp3s?
Read the entire article here:
25 Free Digital Audio Editors You Should Know
