Want proof that the world is going to end in 2012?

If that video isn’t enough, consider this: Auto-Tune has been named one of America’s Hottest Brands by AdAge.

Here are their reasons why:

Auto-Tune was, for a long time, a product that barely spoke its own name. Popular singers wanted fans to think they were getting the real deal, making Auto-Tune practically a secret. So Antares Audio Technology, the company behind it, just established and held brand position among the few people who cared — music-production professionals and hobbyists — with regular advertising in trade publications and online ads.”We were not the only pitch-correction software out there,” said Marco Alpert, VP-marketing at Antares. “We worked for 10 years to establish the Auto-Tune brand as synonymous with pitch correction. There had been a concerted effort to establish a brand position. So when the whole idea of this effect came out into the popular music world, immediately we’re who people come to.”

The result is record revenue for Antares this year, according to Mr. Alpert, and a lot of profit, too. “We’re having our best year in history,” he said.

So you can see and hear more of T-Pain and Auto-Tune until 2012.

The Sherman Filterbank is a powerful, real analogue, solid hardware instrument, with a unique sound. In this interview from Electronic Beat’s Slices, Herman Gillis talks about origin of the Sherman Filterbank and more.

Click here to view the embedded video.

via acodike

The Rocketboom Institute for Internet Studies examines the phenomenon of AutoTune, with help from special guest Professor “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Links:

http://www.weirdal.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/WeirdAlTV

http://www.antarestech.com/products/a…
Antares Auto Tune

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT_fnA…
T-Pain: Can’t Believe It

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/m…
NPR.org: Auto Tune in Action (audio)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5xsiK…
Cher: Believe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Pain
T-Pain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjTBH4…
T-Pain: Chopped and Skrewed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAXWpA…
T-Pain: Freeze

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/art…,9171,1877372,00.html
Auto-Tune:Why Pop Music Sounds Perfect

http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/…
Perfect Pitch

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st…
Tone Deaf Stars Thrive on Digital Correction Software

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st…
T-Pain Builds Power with Digital Prowess

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/…
The Arusha Accord

http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthrea…
Loftland Shhh Just Listen

http://www.206proof.com/forum/comment…
Auto-tune Killed Hip Hop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr-SZX…
Singing Kitties

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_4Axz…
Baby T-Pain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW6jW9…
Winston Churchill Backed by Band from Future

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyb4Z7…
AutoTuned

http://vimeo.com/3718294
Vimeo: Auto Tuning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRyj5…
Slap Chop Rap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E5JJh…
B.O.B Autotune

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXG…
Carl Sagan – A Glorious Dawn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBb4cj…
Auto-tune the News #2

http://www.cmt.com/videos/misc/401599…
Jay Zs Death of Auto Tune video

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/31/…
Unintended consequences: Jay-Zs Death of Auto-Tune boosts sales of the software

Jay-Z “D.O.A. + 99 Problems (Wallpaper. Remix)
via http://www.eeniemeenie.com
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/06…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7yfIS…
The Lonely Island: I’m On A Boat (ft. T-Pain)
—
Additional music by The Discoghosts
http://www.myspace.com/thediscoghosts

Download the free TC Electronic reverb plugin M30 for Windows & Mac before November 18th.

If you give it a try, leave a comment with your thoughts!

M30 is tested with these systems:

• Windows XP SP2
• Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard

Applications:

• Apple Logic Pro 9
• Apple GarageBand
• Steinberg Cubase 5
• Steinberg Cubase 4.5
• Cakewalk Sonar
• Ableton Live

The free VST effects include:

• Fuzz Muff
• Distortion
• Delay
• RMod
• GSynth
• Phasor
• Flanger
• Panner

If you’ve used EFM’s free VSTs, leave a comment with your thoughts on them!

Free Windows Music Software: Synthgeek has introduced a free glitch music plugin for Windows, sg-glitchgate.

Description:

SG-Glitchgate is basically a rhythmic gate, but not set up in the standard way. There are two periodic gates which can be used for anything from regular rhythmic chopping to random rhythmic manipulations and strange dropouts.

The gates are followed by a delay unit designed to enhance the glitchiness- it does not sync to tempo, and the delay time and gain can be randomized. There are 5 LFOs to add to the fun.

Several presets are included to give you an idea of how things work.

If you give SG-Glitchgate a try, leave a comment with your thoughts!

Electro-Harmonix Effectology, Vol.9 Terrifying Effect Pedals

This is the 9th episode of Electro-Harmonix’s Effectology Series, which demonstrates making a remarkable collection of sounds using just a regular guitar and EHX effect pedals.

In this episode, Bill Ruppert demonstrates how to frighten your family, friends and neighbors using just a guitar and Electro-Hamonix effect pedals.

EHX Pedals featured: Soul Preacher, Stereo Memory Man, MicroSynth, Cathedral, Tube EQ, Deluxe Memory Man, POG, POG2, Big Muff, Frequency Analyzer, HOG Signal Pad

Details on pedals and actual settings at the Electro- Harmonix Forum.

This is a quick demo of Deviever’s Truly Beautiful Disaster mangling drum loops.

via devieverfx

This Ableton Live tutorial demonstrates how to create a reverse vocal effect.

via PrimeLoops:

In this tutorial we show you how pull of a neat vocal technique used in the industry time and time again – and it sounds great! This can be used in many genres of music, maybe as a lead into the chorus, or in a breakdown, and is also used in movie soundtracks…nice!

Stay Creative.

Ableton Live 8: This video, via Bjorn Vayner, illustrates how you can create a reversed reverb sound in Ableton Live.

Lexicon has introduced a set of native reverb plugins for teh Mac & PC, the PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle.

The intro video, above, is a little over the top. They’ve got demo videos on YouTube that offer more specifics.

Details below.

Features at a Glance

PCM Reverb Plug-In 7 Algorithms

• 7 legendary Lexicon Reverbs
• Hundreds of brilliantly crafted studio presets
• Multi-platform compatibility (Windows XP, Vista, and 7; Mac OSX 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, PowerPC and Intel)
• Formats that work seamlessly in any VST, Audio Unit, or RTAS compatible DAW
• Graphical real-time display illustrating the frequency stages of each algorithm
• Visual EQ section for easy adjustment of both early and late reflections
• Presets can be stored in a DAW independent format which allows custom presets to be transferred between any DAWs.
• Full parameter control and automation
• Input and output meters for quick assessment of audio levels going to and from the reverb
• iLok authorized

PCM Reverb Plug-In Multiband Notch Filter

Each algorithm can be run in either mono, stereo, or a combination of the two. We’ve taken the time to add Input and Output Meters in addition to a graphical EQ section for easy adjustment of both early and late reflections. The most noticeable feature, however, is center screen in a multi-dimensional realtime display. There are three screens to choose from, all showing different frequency stages of the algorithm to help you shape your sound.

PCM Reverb Plug-In Frequency LoPass

The user interface displays nine of the most logical parameters for customization, it also enables you to transition deeper into the algorithm to edit the full matrix of parameters. Compare your custom preset to the original and save it off once you have the perfect sound. You’ll also have the ability to load that preset into a different DAW.

PCM Reverb Plug-In Impulse Lopass

The wealth of algorithms and presets will enable you to envelop your vocals and instruments with the musical ambiance of panoramically wonderful spaces. The PCM Native Reverb Bundle is a complete collection of the finest reverbs, now with all the flexibility of a multi-platform native software plug-in.

Antares Audio Technologies has introduced Harmony EFX, a tool for generating up to five part vocal harmonies from a single vocal line.

Harmony EFX is a streamlined version of Antares’ Harmony Engine Evo Vocal Modeling Harmony Generator.

Key Harmony EFX features:

• Ev Voice Processing Technology for fast, accurate pitch detection; smooth, artifact-free pitch shifting; and seamless, natural-sounding (if you want it to be) throat modeling
• Four high-quality, formant-corrected harmony voices with independent pan settings
• Antares Throat Modeling technology that lets you process each harmony voice through a physical model of the human vocal tract
• A variety of innovative Harmony Control modes, from fully automatic to individual control of every note:
• Fixed or Scale Intervals: Simply set the key and harmony voice intervals and let Harmony EFX do the rest
• Chord Degrees or Chord Name: Define your harmony chord-by-chord, complete with inversions and variable vocal ranges
• Chord by MIDI: Define your harmony in real time via a MIDI controller or pre-recorded MIDI track
• MIDI Omni: Directly “play” the four harmony voices as if they were voices of a synth or sampler
• MIDI Channel: Use four separate MIDI channels for absolute control over each note of your vocal arrangement
• Spread and Register controls that allow you to quickly and intuitively set the pitch range and harmony style of your vocal arrangement
• Humanize functions that provide selectable amounts of variation to each harmony voice for realistic, natural sounding results
• A Harmony Preset matrix that lets you create up to 12 complete harmony settings and instantaneously recall them in real time or via automation

Harmony EFX will be available for RTAS (Mac and PC), VST (Mac and PC), and Audio Units in mid-October. As an introductory special, from its release in mid October through the end of November, Harmony EFX can be purchased for $49.00.

Note: Harmony EFX authorization requires a spawn of hell iLok USB smart key (sold separately) and the ability to access ilok.com (from any computer).

Noise Soft has released Break Filter, an industrial / breakcore filter effect plug-in for Windows.

They describe it as a custom stereo “all band” filter effect, with noise-based distortion that can take your sound from natural gain to frequency and phase shifted chaos.

Break Filter is available now as a Windows VST for $29.

Features:

• Gain — Lowest setting is pure bypass and highest setting is extreme distortion, almost to the point of white noise. *The filter also works great even when the distortion GAIN knob is set to “0? or bypass.
• Pitch — Adjusts the affected pitch of the filter from low bassy drones to high pitched ringing.
• Resonance — Adjusts the resonance of the filter, from minimal effect to drone sound and everything between.
• Freq — The frequency control for the filter has custom coded extreme frequency shifting, capable of lo-fi filtering in the low knob settings, all the way to harsh industrial/punk effects.
• Left and Right — These are separate controls for left and right phase shifting. These control panning for the different layers of our complex resonant filter layers.

In the second Get To Know Your Gear video, the guys from Blorp Corp get to know the Roland RE-201 Space Echo analog delay unit.

• Melodyne assistant, which offers the Melodyne technology for the editing of vocals and monophonic instruments in a more affordable format, and
• Version 2 of the bundle edition Melodyne essential, which now runs directly as a plug-in in the Pro Tools environment and brings with it numerous improvements over the previous incarnation.

Melodyne essential 2 is scheduled to appear at the beginning of November. It will be available only as part of Digidesign’s Ignition Pack software bundle and cannot be acquired separately.

Celemony Software Melodyne assistant will bow in November and will cost $249 / €199. More information on Celemony Software Melodyne.

Details below.

Melodyne assistant is the most affordable entry into the world of Melodyne and ideal for the correction and optimization of monophonic and rhythmic audio material. The user can use Melodyne assistant to correct intonation or timing problems by hand, transposing notes, moving them forwards or backwards in time, deleting them, adjusting their amplitude and their formants, as well as copying them to new locations.

Melodyne assistant works as a plug-in directly in compatible hosts, allowing you to use Melodyne’s possibilities in a particularly convenient manner, and the user can conduct all editing in the context of the other tracks of his project. For the swift editing of a sample between times, Melodyne assistant can also be used as a stand-alone application.

Also new is Version 2 of Melodyne essential, which offers the basic Melodyne functions for the editing of monophonic or rhythmic audio material. It is intuitive and simple to operate as well as offering the same sound quality as the new Melodyne editions editor and assistant.

Version 2 now operates directly in Pro Tools as an RTAS plug-in. That makes it still easier to enjoy the rewarding editing possibilities Celemony affords. And not only that: in Melodyne essential 2 you will also find the tried-and-tested Melodyne macros for pitch and time correction.

This video demos using two Small Stone Phasers as a stereo phaser effect for synthesizers to get the classic phased synth sound of Jean Michel Jarre.

via Yorkshirelad69:

This mod requires 2 Small Stone Phasers pedals (EH4800).

The mod will make both pedals work together so that you can use both the left and the right outputs on your synth/keyboard rather than just having the phasing effect through just the left/right channel (listen carefully to the sound track).

The phases are synced together and the rate controlled from the master unit.

It’s a true stereo signal path and doesn’t simply split a mono signal into two.

This is ideal for Jean Michel Jarre fans as the Small Stone Phaser plays an important part in creating his classic Oxygene/Equinoxe pad sound.

Note1: Ignore the slightly odd effect at 0:19 that’s not the pedals that’s my sound processing!

Note2: The revision on the printed circuit board is EC-4800 Rev.L : this mod may not work on other revisions.

Celemony product designer Stefan Lindlahr introduces the beta test for Melodyne Editor and DNA (Direct Note Access).

DNA technology is designed to allow the editing of individual chord tones in audio recordings. This will let you do things like change a track from major to minor, edit one instrument out of a mix and, in general, edit notes in polyphonic recorded audio.

Lindlahr shows you how to download and install the beta version of Melodyne editor, how to load audio files and how they are organized on your hard disk.

More information on the Celemony Melodyne Editor beta program is available at the Celemony site.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 2: Basic operation of the new features

In this part, Stefan guides you through some of the new features that have been introduced with Melodyne editor, such as navigation and zooming techniques, playback options, monitoring, etc.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 3: Advanced operation: Editing and Note Assignment

The beta test for Melodyne editor and DNA (Direct Note Access) has started! In this third part, Stefan edits polyphonic recordings with the groundbreaking DNA technology. This includes Copy & Paste as well as the new Note Assignment mode. And a little bit of theory …

Native Instruments has introduced The Finger, a $79 keyboard-controlled performance effects processor developed with electronic music artist Tim Exile of Warp Records.

Based on Reaktor 5, The Finger is designed to be a musical tool for sound mangling and live remixing in the studio and on stage.

“I’ve always been into the idea of playing electronics like you play acoustic instruments.” says Tim Exile, designer of The Finger. “I used to sit at the back of class at school tapping out jungle breaks and edits. That’s when I fell in love with my fingers. I want to go on sound adventures by finger alone.”

You can download a free EP of music by Tim Exile, created with The Finger, via The Now Wave.

Native Instruments The Finger

The Finger draws upon more than 40 high-quality effects algorithms, including real-time samplers, transformers, filters, gaters, delays, reverbs, distortion, wave shapers, ring modulation and many others, complete with advanced tempo-sync functionality.

The performance capabilities of The Finger result from the unique control concept, with every key on a connected MIDI keyboard representing a different effect type and setting. By playing the keyboard, individual effect algorithms are activated and consecutively combined into custom chains of up to six effect units at a time, similar to a continuously changing array of interconnected stomp box units.

This concept makes it possible to play The Finger like an instrument.

The Finger utilizes the free KORE PLAYER to operate both as a standalone effects software and as a plug-in within any host sequencer, and can also be used within the full-featured KORE 2 system. With two parameters per effect being controlled by velocity and modulation wheel, the eight Macro Controls of the KORE interface provide further sound tweaking options. Owners of REAKTOR 5 can also access an advanced user interface to set additional parameters and set up individual custom effects.

In this video, djmagtv takes a look at the Vermona Cross Filter.

The Cross Filter is a desktop version of the Action Filter with some extra features. It’s designed for live musicians, DJs and remix producers, but is also suitable for studio use.

The Cross Filter can either work as notch- or bandpass-filter (24dB per octave). Each flank has its own controller for cut-off frequency and resonance, so you can easily vary the bandpass or notch range.
There’s an additional cutoff-controller that influences both flanks at the same time for sweeping the band through the whole frequency spectrum.

The Cross Filter is equipped with two trigger buttons and a fader for getting rhythmical effects. The buttons trigger the bypass function whereas the fader smoothly fades it in and out the effect. Inputs and outputs are available as RCA and 1/4-inch jacks.

The Vermona Cross Filter retails for $535.

More details are available at the Vermona site.

This official Ableton Live 8 video looks at Buffer Shuffler, a premium audio effect that comes with Max for Live.