Read the full story @ KVR Audio
Muse Research and Development of Menlo Park, California and Infinite Response of Austin, Texas have announced that their respective products, the RECEPTOR 2+ series of hardware-plug-in players, and th [Read More]
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Muse Research and Infinite Response unveil New Tight Integration of RECEPTOR 2+ and VAX-77
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012
Social Recording: SoundCloud Adds iOS, Web Record Buttons, More Social Integration
Thursday, December 2nd, 2010SoundCloud for iPhone from SoundCloud on Vimeo.
While it’s easy to focus on one platform or another, a profound trend in 2010 has been toward sharing media in the cloud. The basic concept is as old as the Internet, but from applications like Instamatic for photographers to syncing storage to tote around documents on iPads, this has been a year in which the server-shared media seemed to become a bigger part of our lives.
Sound could be next. Aptly-named service SoundCloud has added a big, red “record” button both to an updated iPhone app and the Web browser-based dropbox. That means you can tote an iPhone or iPod touch with the SoundCloud app, and record and upload, say, a field recording or rehearsal set all in one go. Or someone could leave a voice greeting or record a quick demo for you right on your site.
The service didn’t have to do anything to make this possible; it’s just a clever interface around recording, using native iOS features on mobile and Flash in the browser. (To me, actually, seeing HTML5-based support would be even bigger news, but a lot of HTML5 goodness requires waiting.) When you hit record, you use the same recording function that was always there; the app just takes care of the upload so there isn’t an extra step. SoundCloud confirms to CDM that there’s no change to the underlying APIs. For developers, there’s really nothing stopping you from building SoundCloud “recording” into any mobile or Web-connected tool.
The main questions for developers and users is, when is this the right choice? I had to explain to SoundCloud why I preferred Dropbox connectivity in mobile apps to SoundCloud – for me, the hierarchy and file system integration in Dropbox trumps the sharing features in SoundCloud for certain apps. I might want to record a bunch of samples to manipulate later in Dropbox; I don’t really need to share with anyone. Conversely, though, if sharing is your main goal, SoundCloud is easier. I expect we’ll see more of this kind of differentiation – and head-scratching about the best workflow – in the future. (Cue someone in comments mentioning free, old-fashioned, no-subscription-required tools like rsync.)
For the same reason, it’s worth noting that there’s more to the recent iPhone app and API SoundCloud updates than just recording. Apps will in the near future will be able to more easily connect to services like Facebook and Twitter. Those tools have been the “glue” that have made things like the faux-Polaroid and Holga apps for iPhone become so viral. It’ll be interesting to see if sound can make the same impression.
Then again, I think it’s worth noting that the biggest news this week came out of plain text you could copy and paste. The Google Translate beatbox, defying any rational explanation, became perhaps the biggest sound and music meme I’ve seen all year. And maybe that proves the point: the familiar copy-and-paste means of spreading it was something anyone could understand. There’s a lesson there, certainly.
In the meantime, SoundCloud is looking a lot more useful. Now, it’s just a matter of finding the most productive way to use it – and, oh yeah, finding some sounds.
The SoundCloud iPhone/iPod touch app is free on Apple’s App Store.
Capture And Share Your Sounds [SoundCloud Blog]
Max Fuel, a Bundle of Max for Live Devices, Debuts
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
For those of you just joining us, Max for Live is an interactive environment that incorporates the full Max/MSP/Jitter inside Ableton Live, with the addition of hooks that allow it to integrate with and control Live, and to make Max creations look like Live devices. Individual artists have begun using Max for Live, and we’ve seen some free downloads, but less of its use as a development platform. The problem is, your target audience must own both a full version of Ableton Live 8.1x or later, as well as the paid Max for Live add-on.
Max Fuel from Ableton soundhouse Puremagnetik nonetheless reaches out to just those people with a US$38 bundle of instruments. While they’re Max for Live devices, they’re not editable. (This demonstrates that it is possible to lock down patches made in Max for Live. An earlier draft of this story got this exactly wrong.)
Unfortunately, that means in a way, you get the worst of both worlds – you have to buy the development environment, but then you can’t use it to see what’s happening inside the patch. For projects like this, it seems some sort of “player” for Max for Live is badly needed. It could still be a nice pack of stuff for existing M4L users, though.
Here’s what’s included – two instruments:
- Bump – A mono synth with a generous, easily controlled feedback section
- Stick – A drum instrument based around classic FM synthesis, ready for use in Drum Racks
…five audio effects:
Drop – A multiband device where each band receives a percentage chance of being heard
Jumble – An audio processor with the same delay/feedback portion as Bump
Marx – A rebranded Spectral Mixer, setting different volumes and interactions for the signal’s quiet, mid and loud portions
Veer – A flexible pitch shifter with a dry/wet control for the output.
Yell – A rich multiband distortion
…and three control devices:
- el Effo – A versatile low frequency oscillator/step sequencer
- Multiplexd – A single knob that proportionately controls up to 4 plug-in parameters, simplifying automation or MIDI control of multiple parameters
- Side Chainer – A robust converter of any audio signal into a modulation signal
Even with built-in side-chaining for some devices, it’s especially nice to see the side chainer, and of course an LFO/step sequencer is something Live users have wanted for a long, long time.
You need Ableton Live 8.1.4 and Max for Live; standalone Max/MSP won’t work with these bundles.
This is “Max Fuel, The First,” so obviously more bundles are planned.
http://www.puremagnetik.com/maxfuel/
So, I’m curious – does this model appeal to you? Does it make you more likely to purchase Max for Live?
In other paid patch news, the wonderful Paramdrum for Reaktor from Peter Dines has just gotten a big update with a nice, new skinned interface; read more on Pete’s Noisepages blog:
Skinned Paramdrum Now Available for Reaktor 5.15 (non beta)
ParamDrum Update: now with Jonathan Style skin, new sample maps!
…and, of course, even Reaktor remains an option for Ableton Live, albeit without the Live-controlling powers or other integration.
Let us know what you think of these offerings in comments.
Read more:
Max Fuel, a Bundle of Max for Live Devices, Debuts
The art of presets: Soundsdivine
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Don’t kill me: I love presets. I’ve always thought a bunch of well-designed presets can really bring a good product (synth, fx device, etc.) to a higher level.
Making presets is a mix of art, science and craftsmanship. We’ve already covered this topic once, talking with Howard Scarr (sound-designer for Access, Roland, NI, U-he, etc.).
Now we’d like to introduce the work of a younger presets wizard, Simon Ball alias Soundsdivine. He’s been quite active last year, creating sounds for many popular soft synthesizers, like DCAM, Imposcar, Minimonsta, etc.
Lately he released two new soundbanks, for Ace (one of our 2009 awards’ winner) and XILS 3 (by the way, this one is really worth checking out, we’ll cover it later). We’ve asked Simon to talk about his work (thanks for your suggestions, Chad ).
When you started playing synths, were you attracted by the wow-factor of the factory presets or…?
When I started playing synths, I was just in awe of the potential they offered. As is the case with many synths, my first synth (a Korg 01W/Pro) contained a mixture of inspiring and bland presets and everything else in between. But the factory presets were only a jumping off point for exploring the possibilities.
When did the idea for Soundsdivine come out?
When the recession hit Ireland, landscaping contracts dried up very quickly. With no work, I sat down at the computer and started programming presets for Gforcesoftware’s Minimonsta, then PSPAudioware’s PSP84 & Nitro plugins. At the time I didn’t think about it being a viable business, I just went with it. Soundsdivine really grew from that 3 months of programming presets.
What’s the typical workflow when you start working on a new soundbank? What’s the process to arrive at some of those unusual textures? Do you start out with a goal in mind?
Generally I don’t have a specific idea for a soundbank, I sit down with whatever synth I’m attracted to at the time, and start exploring what it is capable of. Almost all of the sounds develop from there. I try not to plan what Im doing and just go with the flow of creative energy as it happens. The search for those unusual textures is the main driving force behind many of the presets.
Your presets for XILS 3 are very musical and creative. Would you like to give our readers a few tips about this powerful and highly peculiar software synth?
1. Use the sequencer for small pitch / pwm / filter variations
2. Max the resonance and assign an oscillator to filter , experiment with the oscillator tuning
3. Use oscillator 3 square wave to pitch modulate oscillators 1+2 . Experiment with square wave level
4. Assign Ring modulator to Filter / Res then experiment with different Ring modulator combinations , then modulate the individual components of the ring modulator
5. Use noise at barely audible levels , everywhere
6. Use very short unsynced delay times with high feedback then modulate the delay lines with LFOs / Oscillators / looped Envelopes to get a range of comb filtering effects
7. Experiment with different tunings , use 3 oscillators but only assign Keyboard – Pitch with 2 oscillators
8. Experiment!
Looking at your catalog, it seems additive and sample-based synthesis are not your thing. Can you see yourself working on stuff like, for example, Alchemy or Absynth in the near future?
Alchemy, yes. Absynth , not in its current incarnation. I find the workflow awkward, and the sound less than inspiring.
I know it’s your job, but I guess you (like most of us) don’t like using the mouse to program a software synth. Is there a hardware controller you recommend? And do you think touch-based devices (like the iPad) will finally give software synths the “interaction environment” they need?
I’ve become so accustomed to the mouse I haven’t considered any touch based devices but I’m sure that will change in the future . I use an Akai MPK 25 but not as a hardware controller , just simply as a keyboard , its the best piece of hardware I’ve bought in years .
I think as the integration between softsynths and touch based devices deepens , softsynths will benefit hugely from the immediacy that physical interaction offers .
Last but not least, what kind of music do you listen to? And do you “compose” while sculpting your presets?
Everything except heavy metal and country. I’m loving Boozoo Bajou & Pascal Barbare at the moment. I don’t compose while making presets. It’s more productive for me to focus solely on making sounds.
Go here to read the rest:
The art of presets: Soundsdivine
Touch: What’s Next for Lemur? Video Shows Tighter Ableton Live Integration
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010A frequently asked question around these parts is, what’s next for JazzMutant’s Lemur? The dedicated multi-touch hardware showed that touch could be a powerful means of interacting with music and visuals, years before “iPhone” and “iPad” became household words. But now, make no mistake about it, new, cheap hardware is moving in on the Lemur’s turf.
I’m in regular touch with JazzMutant, so I can assure you, when they’re ready to talk, we’ll have some information. Right now, they aren’t sharing anything publicly. But I can tell you they’re in active development mode, and that many artists continue to use the devices in performance. One advantage of this being standalone hardware is that it does promise a certain amount of longevity. Glitch Mob have worked out an amazing performance with a set of Lemurs, all plugged into one machine running Ableton Live – hope to talk to them about that, so let us know if you have questions.
What I can share is this video by Dusty Kid, which shows tighter integration and clip launching capabilities with Ableton Live. Our friend Michael Chenetz of the awesome max4live.info is all over this one. Clip launching on Live isn’t new, but the integration here is more seamless and usable than what we’ve seen in the past. I’ll let you Live gurus analyze this video to work out what’s going on, as that’s the extent of what I can say.
It’s an unofficial video, not one from JazzMutant, but it’s a decent teaser. For the record, on the Mutants’ own site, they describe “the secret project Jazzmutant have been working on… the next level of integration with Ableton Live.”
I know many readers here now have their eyes on the iPad, because it’s at a price more people can easily afford. But it’ll nonetheless be interesting to watch these different rivals. There’s no reason, for instance, a Lemur programmer can’t learn from what iPhone developers are doing, and visa versa. And I suspect the Lemur and iPad/iPhone alone won’t be the only candidates.
From reader Clockwise Carter, here’s a (different) Live clip launcher, for more ideas for how this software-hardware combination could work.
Continued here:
Touch: What’s Next for Lemur? Video Shows Tighter Ableton Live Integration
Here Come the Fixes: Live 8.1.1 Begins Squashing Bugs
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
Minor releases and bugfixes don’t generally make CDM news, but this is a special occasion. Ableton founder and CEO Gerhard Behles got everyone’s attention this week by making the rare public announcement that Ableton’s development team was temporarily halting work on new features to focus on fixing bugs. That has prompted some seriously impassioned discussion, on the Ableton forum but also here on CDM. Look past some of the hyperbola and name-calling, and you’ll see some insightful comments on both sides. In fact, the whole affair reveals a lot about how music software customers view bugs, updates, support, release cycles, and pricing – developers, take note. Naturally, some of the disagreement comes from whether or not users are experiencing bugs: those that aren’t, as always, are happier. But there’s some common ground, too.
Also sobering: read further into comments, and you’ll see who really loses out in credibility, even more than a developer – music tech journalists (so, um, yes, folks like me). Not to apologize for myself or my colleagues, but one challenge has long been that it’s difficult for one user to find reliability issues. As the comment thread itself demonstrates, some people are blissfully happy whilst others are in absolute agony; look through the specifics of the changelog, and you’ll see why. One person, based on their behavior in the software, could see dramatic, regular crashes, while another sees nothing at all. Now, CDM has an advantage there – we can operate 24/7/365, we don’t have a weeks-long delay waiting for print, and we have a complete feedback loop with you. If you’re finding issues, I want to hear about them.
New release: Late yesterday, the 8.1.1 release moved from beta to final release, meaning you can go grab it now from the latest releases download section. Synthtopia has posted the full changelog.
Some highlights:
- Fixes various problems with the integration of Novation’s Launchpad
- Fixes a number of somewhat specific but showstopper crashes, like “Loading a Max device would crash if Pluggo was already active. I count fifteen instances of the word “crash,” which is a serious issue.
- Begins to address some reliability/performance issues with Drum Racks; specifically, “Having a Live set with particular Drum Racks could increase the CPU usage of the main thread, which would result in very slow graphical updates.” Because of our fondness for Drum Racks, both Dave Dri and I have run into performance problems that would lead us not to use this feature onstage.
I think it’s difficult to make a sweeping statement about something as relative as the reliability of the software. What you can say is that Ableton themselves have acknowledged this set of releases isn’t up to their own expectations, they’re committed to working on improving the situation in exclusion of other factors, and bug fixes are now coming in a steady stream.
In fact, “beatsme” in comments counts up the fixes since the Live 8 release on April 2 of this year, marking 42 improvements (0.16/day) and some 261 bug fixes (nearly one per day). You can read into that whatever you like, but the bottom line is, those issues are now fixed.
8.1.1 is apparently not the release to which Gerhard was referring when he talked about halting forward development; we expect fixes to continue to appear over the coming weeks.
Of course, all of Ableton’s DAW competitors release similar point updates, so any question about the relative reliability of Live should also be asked of other software, as well.
I do have one concern, too: with so many fixes relating to the integration of Ableton’s Launchpad and APC40, why not focus controller features on tools that will work with any hardware? And why not allow users to customize scripts? Many in the Ableton forum are capable of devising their own solutions and providing their own support for those solutions. I don’t think that’s unreasonable to ask, because many applications have focused hardware controller support on generic solutions in this way. I don’t believe there’s a “right answer” to that question – Ableton has made a decision they think makes sense, and that allows them to devote resources to supporting certain hardware units above and beyond what they previously had basic MIDI controllers. But I would still like to see controller support in Live in general mature beyond where it is today.
About those new features… Many readers have asked whether the emphasis on bug fixes will have any bearing on announcements at the NAMM conference in January. I haven’t heard any indication of that; Ableton is planning a party with Serato, and I still expect we’ll see an Ableton-Serato announcement on Thursday, January 14. I’ll be meeting with Ableton at the show to talk about that and any other news.
Other releases: We’ll keep an eye out for other releases, and will check in with Ableton for a big picture of the situation in a couple of months after some of the development dust settles.
Your mileage may vary: Please, if you’re testing new Live versions, let us know your experience. Be specific. And be sure to follow up with whether a thread tracking this bug is open on the Ableton forums.
See the original post:
Here Come the Fixes: Live 8.1.1 Begins Squashing Bugs