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SOS’s Paul White got this demo of the new Yamaha S70 XS synthesizer at LIMS 2009:

Just in from Yamaha are the S70XS and S90XS performance keyboards. They both run on the same operating system, the only difference being the size of the key beds: the S70XS has 76 keys, while the S90XS has 88.

Both models have weighted, hammer-action keys so, even on the smaller model, users get the feel of a real piano.

On-board controls have been simplified by Yamaha so that only the most commonly used features are available to the user from the button-driven interface. This, the manufacturers say, provdies a less cluttered menu system that lets users access the most important parameters quickly and easily while on stage.

See this previous post for details on the Yamaha S70 XS and S90XS keyboard synthesizers.

Time Patrol is a super-stylish music video, somewhere halfway between Ridley Scott and Dave Lynch.

Music by Kode9 & The Spaceape, directed by Jasmin Jodry.

Ultra-cool, eh?

via Warren Ellis

Simian Mobile Disco’s video for the retronica Audacity of Huge. Read more…

Image: spuddleyspudd

I’ve got no idea what’s going on in this photo, but it’s electronic and it looks sort of awesome.

If you’ve got an idea of what’s going on here, leave a comment!.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

We’ve been looking for a good way for Synthtopia readers to share their music with other readers. If you’re an electronic musician or a label, we want to help people find out about you and your music. If you’re an electronic music fan, we want to help you find out about a lot of great electronic music.

We’ve published multiple posts highlighting the music of Synthtopia readers in the past - but now SoundCloud has added a new “Group” feature that should make this even easier. Read more…

Music sharing site SoundCloud reports that Richie Hawtin is now using a SoundCloud DropBox to receive DJ promos for himself and artist demos for his label Minus.

“If you’re a DJ, label or journalist, make things easy for yourself and the people sending you tracks… start using your DropBox today,” adds SoundCloud’s David Trattnig.

Are you using SoundCloud or another music sharing site?

Image: Caesar Sebastian

This video captures Michael Masnick’s Learning From What’s Working: Success Stories From The Music Commerce Frontier.

Masnick is the founder of TechDirt - a technology blog that has been a vocal critic of the music industry’s approach to technology, especially DRM and its opposition to P2P file sharing.

You can safely skip the first 2 1/2 minutes - but the rest is must-view material for musicians.

Masnick relies way too much on the example of Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and other musicians that were established by the traditional music industry.

More interesting are Masnick’s examples of the creative and bizarre ways musicians are connecting with fan.

Give it a view and leave a comment with your thoughts!

Audio gear maker Samson has released a new digital audio recorder, the Zoom R16. The recorder offers 16-track playback and simultaneous recording of up to eight tracks, using Secure Digital (SD) memory.

Samson representatives are promoting the Zoom R16 as “three production tools in one device“:

• a multi-track recorder
• an audio interface and
• a control surface.

The R16 runs on six AA batteries. Recording onto SD memory allows for up to 32 GBs of audio files, and lightens the weight of the recorder. The R16 connects to the user’s computer via USB, and comes bundled with Cubase LE audio software.

The Zoom R16 retails for $399, making it a cheap all-in-one multitrack recording solution, especially for location work. Read more…

lasvegasweekly caught up with Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland of The Crystal Method as they made a tour stop in their hometown.

This is the closest you’ll probably ever get to a free Moog Minimoog synthesizer - a downloadable design for a papercraft Minimoog.

Like a real Minimoog, the back folds up for access to the controls. Unlike a real Minimoog, it’s scaled for Barbie.

Download the PDF here.

Detailed instructions at Instructables.