genoQs Machines has released Nemo, a new hardware MIDI sequencer.

Nemo builds on the tradition of real-time MIDI sequencing of GenoQs’ Octopus.

Features:

• 90+ Tactile switches and 9 endless encoders for interactive access
• 93 LEDs (tri-color) used to display both numeric and quantitative data
• 64 pages (i.e. “patterns”)
• 4 tracks per page, 16 steps each
• 4 concurrent pages, i.e. 16 concurrent tracks
• Page tracks freely chain-able to structures of up to 64 steps
• Per track velocity, pitch, length and start factors, MIDI channel and CC
• Individual clock multiplier/divisor per track
• Individual and editable runtime directions per track
• Polyphonic steps, of up to 7 notes (chords or multi-trigger)
• Track self modulation, via step events
• Cross modulation of tracks (via the Effector)
• MIDI note and CC recording and playback per track
• 32 MIDI channels via 2 dedicated MIDI ports

Nemo is available now for €1399.

Xoxox has released Friction, a new VST designed to synthesizer friction effects:

The friction algorithm is combined with a 2nd order mass-spring and two waveguide resonances for flexible emulative application.

Presets include squealing tires, squeaky hinges and axles, ww2 bombs, swingsets, etc.

The license is $15 (or $10 for current customers). The demo removes some parameters.

Preview friction below. Note: it’s pretty painful:

 

 Friction Effects [4:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

OT: Australian dance Diva Kylie Minogue became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) Thursday, receiving the award from heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles at a ceremony in London.

“It is an incredible honour for me to receive this award,” said Kylie. “It makes me feel both humble and proud to be recognized for doing a job that I love so much.”

Speaking after the ceremony to the waiting press Kylie admitted to feeling a little nervous but added “I was very excited and to have my family here was magical… I do feel very proud. I think my job, aside from making music, is about communication and this symbolizes my communication with my audience around the world.”

Of her medal, Kylie said: “I’ll admire it for a while, and then keep it safe in its box!”

I’m not sure why Kylie was singled out for honor by Prince Charles, but I’m guessing it’s because he’s a fan of this great Kylie/New Order mashup - Can’t Get Blue Monday Out Of My Head:

AudiOdyssey is a free experimental computer game designed to be accessible to both the visually impaired community and mainstream gamers.

AudiOdyssey was developed with four research goals:

• The visually-impaired and the sighted can enjoy the same level and quality of gameplay
• Navigate game’s menus with ease and efficiency approaching that of conventional user-interfaces (UIs)
• Create a fun and natural control scheme using the Wiimote
• An engaging game that relies more on high quality audio than visuals

Read more…

This is a Pixar promo - but it takes an interesting look at the sound design of Wall-E.

Andrew Stanton, Jim Morris, and Ben Burtt share their process for creating the sound of a sci-fi animated feature.

Bleep Labs has introduced the Thingamakit - a DIY project that lets you build your own anthropomorphic noise maker.

According to Bleep Labs, the Thingamakit features “all the sounds of Thingamagoop plus
triangle wave LEDacle with shape and speed control. Second photocell patchable to modulator and photocell rate. Square and Triangle wave output.

The satisfaction for making an noise monster with your own soldering iron!

Comes with:

• detailed instructions
• fully labeled components
• simply layed out circuit board with minimal hand wiring.
• 2 ready to blink LEDacles
• control panel and face stickers

Bleep Labs is also doing a fun marketing twist, creating a Thingamakit Flickr group.

Ueberschall has announced Trance ID 2, a new Elastik Soundbank sound library focusing on trance music.

Description:

Trance ID2 incorporates the latest trends in the genre such as Neo-, Electro-, and Tech-Trance, as well as elements from Progressive and Minimal.

The construction kits on Trance ID 2—powered by the Elastik Loop Player—offer cutting-edge drum loops, synth patterns, bass lines, chord progressions, atmospheres, air and rumble, percussion and fx-sounds which can be combined with each other.

BPM information and root key (key signatures) are embedded in all loop file names, simplifying selection and direct use.

Trance ID 2 was created by

• Mike Koglin - Grammy-nominated DJ and producer
• Marc Steinmeier - Time Unlimited label boss
• Mark Pledger - Anjunabeats superstar
• Darren Tate - famed for his many top40 hits under his DT8 Project, Jürgen Vries and Angelic guises.

Contents:

• 2 GB, 30 construction kits, 1000 loops and single sounds
• Elastik Soundbank for Mac/PC/AU/VST/RTAS
• Elastik Player included - no sampler require

Trance ID 2 retails for $119 USD / 99 Euro / 17.800 Yen / £69 GBP

Here’s something fun I saw highlighted at the Califaudio blog - the Theremug, a DIY project that turns your cup of coffee or tea into a theremin, of sorts.

Here’s Kyle McDonald’s explanation of the Theremug:
1 Prepare some tea
2 Expose the L/R leads on an 1/8″ cable
3 Immerse leads in tea
4 Plug cable into audio input
5 Start up max/pd/processing/etc. and average every 735 samples (882 if you’re in Europe/running on 50Hz)
6 Scale value and drive oscillator

(The tea should not be neglected, be sure to drink it once you’re done making noise.)

See the Max patch for a more in-depth explanation: flickr.com/photos/kylemcdonald/212649409

Here’s something for Sasha fans/trance fans: Sasha’s announced a new CD, Invol2ver, that promises to take a visit to the same territory he explored on the Involver CD.

The CD features twelve heavily worked-over tracks, including tunes from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, synth pop stars Ladytron, indie troubadour Ray La Montagne and Telefon Tel Aviv. Limited edition copies will include a second CD of Sasha remix exclusives.

Tracks:

01. Intro - Sasha
02. Telefon Tel Aviv - You Are the Worst Thing in the World
03. Rone - Flesh
04. Sasha - Untitled (with Ray LaMontagne vocal sample)
05. Sasha - Lowlife (with Adam Parker Vocal sample)
06. Sasha - Midnight (with Adam Parker vocal sample)
07. Apparat - Arcadia
08. Home Video - That You Might
09. Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch
10. M83 - Couleurs
11. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
12. Sasha - 3 Little Pigs
13. Engineers - Sometime I Realise

Sasha releases Involver2 on Global Underground on September 8th 2008.

Steinberg has announced price drops for Cubase & Wavelab:

We would like to inform you about an adjustment in the pricing structure for Cubase 4 and WaveLab 6. We have decided to lower the prices of both products* as of July 1st, 2008 to €599.00**. The pricing for several upgrades to Cubase 4 has also been reduced, so that the upgrade path from Cubase Studio 4 and Cubase SL versions to Cubase 4 is now only €199.00**. Upgrades to WaveLab 6 from WaveLab Studio 6 have also been lowered in price. Please visit the Steinberg Online-Shop for more information. We know that this comes unexpectedly for customers who have recently purchased Cubase 4 at the old recommended retail price. This is why we will be offering these customers a special rebate on a future purchase.

Is this the Logic Pro effect?

Details on the new pricing are available at the Steinberg site.

This is a rough cut of a new documentary, the Vinyl Revolution.

The video captures some wonderful characters that represent a disappearing world.

via Crate Kings

Scientist have found that people who took magic mushrooms in a study looked back at the experience, up to 14 month later, as one of the top five spiritual and meaningful experiences of their lives.

“It’s one thing to have a dramatic experience you say is impressive,” says neuroscientist Roland Griffiths of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who led the research. “It’s another thing to say you consider it as meaningful 14 months later. There’s something about the saliency of these experiences that’s stunning.”

Either there’s more to psychedelics than people thought, or John Hopkins just gets some impressive mushrooms.

For a lot of people, though, music is their drug of choice, especially trance music.

If you’re into psychedelic trance music and culture, check out the latest issue of Goagadar, a free psychedelic culture web magazine. It features interviews, music news, trance reviews and even an interview with Hawkwind’s Dave Brock.

via moleirinho in the forum

PKNTS has designed an interesting modular sound toy for kids:

AMK is a modular sound toy designed for preschool children. In combination with a computer, single sounds and sound sets can be transfered to sound blocks, called ‘Klangbausteine.’

Childrend can play independently with each module, or combine the sounds by plugging blocks together.

Only one sound per block, and age-based limited possibilies of sound modification, makes the toy easy to learn and understand.

These look pretty interesting, and look like they are ripe for bending. If you’ve had a chance to check these out, let me know what you think.

SimplyNoise is a site that offers nothing but noise; it’s a noise generator for the Web.

The only control is a slider that controls a low-pass filter.

According to the site, noise can help you block distractions, sleep and “find your zen”.