groovebox

This set of videos offers an introduction and tutorial for the Radikal Spectralis, a hybrid synthesis groovebox.

The Spectrali is made by Radikal Technologies.

iPhone music software: This is a video introduction to Thump (App Store link), a $3.99 “pocket groove box” for your iPhone or iPod Touch.

The highly intuitive interface allows you to dive in straight away to make music in seconds, then explore the wide array of options and settings to tweak your sound to perfection. Ideal as a musical sketch pad or a live performance tool.

More Thump tutorial videos are available at mrkbrz’ YouTube channel.

via mrkbrz

Owen O’Malley demonstrates beatmaking with Native Instruments Maschine.

via gearwire

Korg released the “mark II” version of its ELECTRIBE•S Rhythm Production Sampler at the 2004 NAMM Summer Session. Designed to provide the same immediacy and ease-of-use as the original model, the new ES-1mkII also features an enhanced soundset, an all-new Modulation Delay effect and a sleek, rugged, metal case design.

The ES-1mkII has 95 seconds of sampling time (mono), and can store up to 100 samples in memory. Sounds may be sampled through any of 11 effects, including a new Mod Delay. There is also a Master Delay control for adding tempo-synced digital delay to the overall sound.

A real-time resample function allows users to make new loops from complete phrases being played on the ES-1mkII, and to apply effects to previously recorded samples, all with no audio quality loss. A Time Slice feature allows the user to vary phrase tempos without affecting pitch, for creative remixing possibilities. Incoming audio can also be gated in time with a Pattern for rhythmic effects. Gated audio can then be run through the Master Delay for further processing.

Read more…

Soundbytes has announced the EST Sampling-Groovebox VSTi. EST is a mixture of hq-sampler and an advanced 12-row / 16-step-sequencer.

The EST-Loop-factory comes as a VSTi-plugin, supports (optionally) multi-out and works well with every VST-Host. EST will be released within the next week. Preorders are welcome for 49 EUR.

The heart of EST is a 12*multitimbral sampler. Each sampler can be controlled either by your host, midi-in or the internal step-sequencer. The step-sequencer contains 128 recallable patterns, which are clearly organized in banks, programs and variations. Each pattern contains complete sequences with triggers, notes and automation-data for the 12 samplers.

Sampler

• Imports WAV and AIF with all known sub formats
• Uses its own 32-bit-float format for setting up slots (a sample with
• extensions) and kits
• Quick access via tree-menus and customizable sample-directory’s
• One shot, forward, backward, ping pong
• Scalable root-key
• Multi-sample support by using multiple rows and key zones (from/to)
• Keytrack-option
• Sample-offset controllable
• Up to 128 voices polyphony
• Modes: Poly, Legato and Mono
• Scalable Unison, Voice-Limit and Detune
• Chord-mode (combinable with unison)
• Morph mode (channels are used as oscillators)
• Volume, pan and morph with inertia
• Pitchbend (global and single) with scalable range
• Fine-tune
• Glide-mode (works even in poly mode) with adjustable glide-time
• Amplitude envelope ADSR with velocity sense.
• Modulation envelope ADSR with velocity sense (can be modulated by LFO2)
• Two syncable LFO’s with sin, tri, pulse, saw, saw up/down and scalable phase
• Filters (lp, hp, bp, notch, eq, hs, ls) with overdrive
• Modulation of pitch, filter, morph and mod-adsr itself
• Almost all parameters can be automated by the step-sequencer
• Loop-recorder for reuse of sequences as samples or usage in other applications
• Basic functions for mono/stereo-conversion, channel swap, normalize, gain and reverse
• Menu option to edit and reload sample in your preferred sample-editor

GUI

• Well structured, lightweight user-interface with customizable color-schemes
• Visualization of used patterns
• Step-LED’s for visual feedback
• Integrated Help system
• Support for right mouse button, wheel
• Almost all functions are available without control/shift keys

Global settings and functions

• Preset browser
• Scope and level display (with clip and sync indicator)
• Gain slider
• Song info (opens linked web site or document)
• Sync mode (internal, host, manual)
• Key-select (auto-activation of rows regarding key-zone)
• Grid-size (piano-roll and drum-grid)
• Record velocity, delay-time and auto-step
• Audition (editing and sample-import, velocity and gate-time)

Synchronization

• Host synchronization for tempo, transport
• Inter process synchronization (mute, solo, play, record)
• Relative tempo from 1/32. to 32/1t
• Sample accurate timing
• 3 different Sync-modes (internal, host, manual)

Row Parameters

• Output-port (EST can use up to 12 outputs)
• Trigger channel (active, all and 1-16)
• Route-row (trigger other rows, make custom chords, trigger multi-samples)
• Relative transpose, velocity, gate-time and delay
• Swing affecting delay and velocity (scalable first step and interval)
• Humanization for velocity, delay and gate-time
• Step-divide, which allows to play a row in a different tempo (adjustable divide and length)

Live situation (midi-in targets)

• Bank, program and variation recall via midi-note
• Start/Stop, Start, Mute/Solo, Sync
• Row-mute
• Navigation and editing via controllers (every single step can be controlled)
• Midi-Learn function
• Midi-Thru
• Panic
• Transpose via midi-note (global and single-row)
• Free and Hold mode

Recording

• Step and Live recording
• Adjustable auto-step, velocity and delay
• Built-in Loop-Recorder, Wave-export
• Record loop to sample

Pattern editing

• Piano-roll and drum-grid
• Colors can assigned to rows
• All-rows-visible mode
• Easy pattern editing with left/right mouse buttons
• Cut, Copy and Paste for patterns, variations, rows and step-values
• Undo and snapshot
• Row rotate, reverse and random step shuffle
• Auto-trigger, inverse and trigger-random
• Note transpose, set to root/last note, note-random
• Chord-progressions
• Value increment, decrement, two value-random functions (absolute, relative)
• All functions can optionally affect all or selected steps
• Pattern lock (run one pattern and edit another)
• Mouse sweeping for quick value drawing
• Different random functions for notes, triggers and values
• Rotate, reverse, transpose etc.
• Data-has-changed indicator
• Import/Export functions for banks and single patterns.
• Tree-menus (quick access) for saved banks and patterns
• Quick step mute/unmute
• Magic function which produced sequences based on chords-progressions and random

Pattern structure

• 16 variations
• 12 trigger rows
• Default variation (optionally), which is automatically selected on pattern change
• Target-parameters of the 5 automation-rows

Variation structure

• Tempo (relative to host)
• Mode (free/hold)
• LFO and row-subdivide restart option (never, always, on variation or pattern change)
• First/Last step (pattern length)
• Step-row (every single step can be muted)
• Order-row (defines the actual play-order)
• Break-row (enables triggering other-patterns)
• Mute/Solo states of the trigger rows

Trigger-row structure

• 16 triggers (on/off) and a note-value and chord-descriptor
• -row
• Gate-row (note duration)
• Fill-row (re triggers notes automatically, different modes)
• Hits-row (used to create sub-patterns and chord-progressions)
• Delay-row
• 5 Automation rows

Automation parameters

• Offset, morph, morph-time, detune, pitch, fine-tune
• Gain, gain-time, pan, pan-time, hit-pan
• Cutoff, resonance, drive
• ADSR-settings of both envelopes
• Phase of both LFO’s
• Almost all track-parameters

Additional info is available at the SoundBytes site.