groove box

Remember Beat Kangz and their new beat box/workstation, The Beat Thang, introduced at the 2009 NAMM Show?

Their site appears to be dead:

Here’s the text that used to be on the home page:

THE BEAT THANG is a powerful, portable music production station. Loaded with functionality, flexibility and futuristic funkiness, THE BEAT THANG boasts a unique combination of features, quality and style that are unsurpassed by any product in the music technology universe. Its simple, user-friendly interface and extensive features bring the fun back to beat making. For more info please visit our Products page.

Beat Kangz Electronics (BKE) is a Nashville-based musical electronics company managed and operated by a diverse group of innovative, talented and passionate professionals.

BKE was founded by The Beat Kangz, a collective of award-winning artists, producers, promoters and DJs, who understand both the technology and the needs of the urban and dance music community.

Anyone know the fate of The Beat Kangz and The Beat Thang?

This is a test of Electribulator, Java software described as a “polyphonic & modifier transformator for the Korg Electribe EMX-1.

Features (translated from French):

• Enhancer and polyphonisator for Electribe EMX-1, 100% written in Java and using the MIDI protocol to achieve it. Using a keyboard or external sequencer Electribe to play the notes and get in the software then dispatched to the 5 channels of electribe.
• Also allows to add a complex system of envelope (VCAs), as well as several modules (VCOs) assigned to all the control available (in midi CC or NRPN) on electribe (filter cutoff, level, pan, resonance, …).
• System presets and settings to create in a click, sound of electribe inside a nice interface.
• Arpeggiator & MultiChords system.
• There is no need to touch the Electribe and u can now be on your MIDI keyboard and on your PC.
• It is also possible to operate the program (preset level and to test the sound in mono) with the wheels and the keyboard Electribe.
• Ability to save / load the sounds and modulators.

If you’ve used Electribulator, leave a comment with your thoughts! Read more…

Building Bangers on The Beat Thang: Basic Beatmaking Tutorial with Kang Boom Bap

Kang Boom Bap shows us how to build a bangin’ track on the Beat Thang.

Filmed in the suite at Winter NAMM 2009.

via BeatKangz

2009 NAMM Show: Native Instruments today announced Maschine, their next-generation music production workstation – a sort of Akai MPC/computer hybrid.

Maschine combines an advanced software sequencer and sampler with an integrated MPC-style performance controller. Maschine is designed to provide a tactile and immediate interface to computer-based music production setups.

I was skeptical about Maschine going into the announcement, but after seeing how effectively NI has married the MPC concept with computer-based production, Maschine looks like it should go on the short list for anyone looking for a production workstation.

With Maschine, all the main functions, including parameter automation, sample mapping and sound editing are immediately accessible through the controller and within the single-window user interface of the software. It can be used as both a self-contained standalone instrument and within any DAW or music sequencer.

Maschine takes advantage of all the benefits of computer integration, like total recall, superior processing power, memory and file handling and project transfer, while retaining the handling and tactile appeal of a hardware instrument.

Maschine will be available in March 2009 for a suggested retail price of $669 / 599 EUR. Street is expected to be about $599 US.

Check out the details below, along with a few photos from the introduction, and let me know what you think of Maschine! Read more…