August, 2006 archive

It was one year ago on August 21, 2005 that Bob Moog, pioneer of the music synthesizer, passed away.
Moog Music has asked the media world to honor the memory of Bob Moog with a special, 20-second Moment of Moog. During the Moog moment, Moog requests that radio stations play a short musical piece, recorded on [...]

GrooveboxMusic has released the first group of training videos in their new “Studio Series” collection. The Studio Series takes a completely different approach than their acclaimed software training videos and utilizes real video footage of actual engineers, producers and artists using the tools found in today’s recording studios.
The first group of videos focuses on Mic’ing [...]

Recording School Online has released Vocal Magic, a plug-in that combines the classic and modern in order to get a great vocal quickly. It is a blend of effects and production techniques designed to create a pristine sounding vocal tone.
According to RSO, Vocal Magic works with virtually all styles of music to create a classic [...]

E-MU Systems has started shipping the Xboard 61 USB/MIDI Controller for PC and Mac operating systems, featuring 61 full-size keys with aftertouch, 16 programmable real-time control knobs, 16 new patch select/program change buttons, Xboard Control editing software, and a full version of E-MU’s Proteus X Version 1.5 Desktop Sound Module with over 3GB of sounds, [...]

Music Unfolding has released SubRingFM, the 5th of the Twister Series, a new line of Audio Unit effects from Music Unfolding. SubRingFM is a ring modulator that also has two filters for shaping the sound. It also has a sub-octave generator, and the oscillator can be manipulated using FM.
The effect runs through a pre-filter to [...]

CEntrance has released their Ideal Driver for FireWire audio interfaces. According to CEntrance, the Windows audio software features one-third of the latency and higher stability than the typical drivers that are shipped with FireWire audio interfaces.
The CEntrance Ideal Driver’s unique technology bypasses the Windows audio engine to bring the recording latency down to previously unattainable [...]

Livid , the dudes behind the Tactic VJ controller and the insane RGB guitar, has introduced respond-r, an interactive video system that creates immersive multimedia experiences through responsive physical interaction and audience participation. Yes - its a sexy interactive reactive tough thing.
According to Livid, the respond-r transforms floors, walls and screens into an immersive media [...]

Moog Music has announced that the Little Phatty monophonic analog synthesizer is now shipping.
“We wanted to offer musicians a true analog synth with a simple, clean front panel, in a visually stunning package, at a reasonable price point,” said Mike Adams, President of Moog Music. “I feel we accomplished all four objectives.”
The Little Phatty boasts [...]

The Residents, a mysterious underground alternative group, have released several short-format videos that follow the adventures of a 9-year old boy named Timmy.
Here, Timmy tells a tragic tale:

Here, Timmy tells the story of a dead dog:

If you’re still not creeped out, here’s Timmy’s take on sex lessons:

Cycling ‘74, a San Francisco-based music software company, has released Max/MSP v. 4.6 and Jitter v. 1.6 which add Universal Binary support for Intel-based Macs.
Max, a graphical programming environment for music and media applications, allows its users to schedule events with millisecond accuracy, create complex mappings for incoming data, and run a large number of [...]

CME, makers of the BitStream 3X MIDI Controller, have announced a new promotion that qualifies the first 999 registered customers who purchase the BitStream 3X to receive a free, custom-fitted aluminum case.
The Bitstream 3X is designed for controlling Virtual Instrument, DAWs, and even other MIDI hardware. This compact desktop unit is the only 3 axis [...]

Sonic Studio has announced that their newest professional application, soundBlade, is now shipping. First shown at the 120th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society in Paris, the product has entered distribution channels worldwide.
soundBlade runs natively on the secure and user friendly Mac OS X, and relies on Core Audio for default I/O so hardware lock–in [...]

Crysonic has announced the release and availability of Spectraphy, the first Mastering grade look-ahead brickwall limiter of its type to utilize the principals of mechanical physics for audio processing.
The approach represents a paradigm shift in the way these types of DSP effects have been designed to date. The unique method employed easily allows the mastering [...]

Virtuasonic has released Synesthesia, a library of impulse responses, in the Mac-friendly AIFF format. This collection was previously available only in WAV format and contains over 1,000 experimental impulse responses designed to turn any convolution engine into a powerful multi-FX processor.
Synesthesia is particularly suitable for sound design and electronic music, but it can become a [...]

Soniccouture has introduced Abstrakt:Bass, a complete bass workstation for Kontakt 2.
Abstrakt:Bass is described as a virtual one-stop bass shop - electrics, upright, effects drones, dub basses, dry snappy synths, massive snarling filter sweeps, distorted groans and moans - all in one package. Every type of bass sound is covered in the Library, making it simple [...]