Sunday Synth Jam: This track was done using only the Novation Launchpad and Ableton Live 8. Plugins used were Native Instruments Massive, Discovery DSP and ABL2.

It would have been nice to get an inset of the screen on this.

via SuicideServer:

The idea to this video came after someone asked me here on Youtube if i need all of my machines to make music – so you guys are the judge now Cheers

Image: Tech Star

A nice shot of the new Novation Launchpad.

Tech Star calls the Launchpad “one of the best purchases I have made so far.”

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

If you’ve been intrigued by the Tenori On or the monome, but put off by their prices, you’ll want to check out the Novation Launchpad – which can be used like a monome controller.

The above video demos the Novation Launchpad with MLR.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This was made and sequenced in mlrV with a Novation Launchpad, through nonome.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video captures Matt DiFonzo testing out flin with nonome version 1.12b.

Resources:

• You can find Nonome at the monome site.
• There’s a Nonome / Launchpad / Apc40 / MLR Group at Vimeo.

Max4Live takes a look at the Novation Launchpad, a new $199 controller designed to “put Ableton Live at your fingertips.”

This demo, via FM, takes a look at using the new Novation Launchpad with Ableton Live 8.

This is a short demo of the Novation Launchpad and Nocturn from the AES convention.

You can use a combination of Launchpads Nocturns and other devices in one Live session.

Here’s what’s new:

• Logic 9.01 improvement.
• Revised RTAS wrapper to allow plug-in updates.
• Nocturn Keyboard enhancements.
• Updated DAW set-up guides improvements.

Download here.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed issue with keyboard settings with SL MkII and Nocturn Keyboard.
• Fixed display issue with dynamic port menu with SL MkII and Nocturn Keyboard.
• Fixed issue with quitting Automap while using Logic 9.01.
• Fixed issue with updating RTAS plug-ins with new wrapper system.
• Fixed issue with dual mono RTAS plug-ins on Pro Tools HD.
• Fixed problems with updating Automap template when memory protect is set to on.
• Fixed issue with encoder 2 and mod wheel clash with Nocturn Keyboard.
• Updated Novation Automap Control.remotemap for Reason/Record.
• Added iPhone HUI mapping as default.
• Added mappings for Pro Tools native plug-ins and Logic 9.01 native effects.

Jointly designed by Ableton and Novation, the Novation Launchpad is a new $199 controller designed to “put Ableton Live at your fingertips.”

The Launchpad is purpose built for triggering and manipulating clips in Ableton Live, with a multi-colour 64-button grid and dedicated scene launch buttons. Launchpad’s buttons can be used to sketch out beats with drum racks, and they can be assigned to other functions in Live using Ableton’s ‘Learn’ mode.

Launchpad ships with a dedicated ‘Launchpad edition’ of Ableton Live 8, but can control almost any other music software using Novation’s award-winning ‘Automap’ control software.

Launchpad Features:

• Launchpad features a multi-color, 64-button grid for launching clips plus eight dedicated scene-launch buttons. The buttons are lit by LEDs displaying clip status so you can see at a glance what’s loaded (orange), what’s playing (green), and what’s being recorded (red).
• 4 modes — It’s not just about launching clips: as well as the Session Mode, Launchpad offers Mixer Mode—a unique way to control Ableton Live’s mixer—and two fully-customizable User Modes.
• In Mixer Mode, the rows and columns of the grid become virtual faders, sliders and knobs controlling track volume, pan, sends, mute, solo, Clip Stop Buttons and record arm, depending on the function selected. Use the scene launch/mixer function buttons to select the function you want to control.
• The two fully-customizable User Modes transform the grid into a drum pad controller, DJ effect controller or anything else you can think of. The default state for User Mode 1 provides drum pad control for Live’s Drum Racks — great for sketching out beats. Using Live’s simple MIDI mapping, it’s easy to create custom control environments, whatever devices you’re using and however your Live Sets are configured.
• The User Modes make Launchpad the ideal hardware counterpart for Max for Live. Launchpad is flexible enough to deal with even the most detailed Max for Live devices and can handle generic parameters and controls with ease. Eleven LED states provide visual feedback that’s precise enough for complex devices. Launchpad users will soon be able to download a Max for Live step sequencer patch from Novation and more Max for Live patches are planned for the future.
• Communication goes both ways — Live and Launchpad are in a constant, two-way, hardware-software dialog. The back-lit grid buttons show what’s happening in Live and Live, in turn, shows which section of the Session View is currently under Launchpad control: a red border around the current clip group let’s you see where you are with a just a cursory glance at your screen.
• Navigating the Session View — Obviously, you’re not limited to controlling only 64 clips. The arrow buttons move the grid up, down, left and right one track or scene at a time. Hold down the ‘Session’ button in Session Mode, and you can use the arrow keys to jump eight tracks or rows at a time—very useful for navigating around large, complex Live Sets.
• More buttons? More Launchpads — Want more buttons? Launchpads are designed to work together, with up to six units at once. That’s more than 400 assignable buttons! Launchpads running on the same system can run in different modes, so you can control the Session View, mixer and custom setups all at once, with one Launchpad for each.

We’ve got detailed specs and demo videos below. Get the full details at the Novation site.

Check it out and leave a comment with your thoughts!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s a first look from DJ Tech Tools.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s another look, via Anarchy Rice, showing Novation’s new controller as well as controlling a bass synth using Automap running on an iPod!

Physical controls and Indicators

• 64 (8×8 grid) square multi-colour back-lit buttons
• 8 round multi-colour back-lit system buttons (assignable)
• 8 round multi-colour back-lit function buttons (not assignable)

Connectivity

• L-shaped USB 1.1 connector.

Minimum Operational Requirements

Macintosh

• OS: 10.4, or later recommended
• Computer: G4 or faster / Intel Mac
• Memory (RAM): 512 MB RAM / 1 GB recommended

Windows

• OS: Windows XP or Vista
• Computer: 1.5 GHz or faster
• Memory (RAM): 512 MB RAM / 1 GB recommended

Dimensions

• Unit: W = 240 mm / 9.45 “, H = 20 mm / 0.79 “, D = 240 mm / 9.45 “
• Box: W = 308 mm / 12.13 “, H = 90 mm / 20.98 “, D = 320 mm / 12.6 “

Weights

• unit weight: 717gms /unit
• boxed weight: 1kg/unit

The Novation Nocturn is based on the control surface of Novation’s popular Nocturn. With the addition of 25 and 49 note keyboards, Nocturn’s controller layout has been adapted to a full control solution for DAW users.

The Nocturn 25 will be $249 US MAP, and the The Nocturn 49 will be $299 US MAP. Both have a projected availability of October 2009.

Details below.

About The Novation Nocturn

The Nocturn Keyboard displays control information where you really need it: on your computer monitor. The Automap software graphically displays Nocturn Keyboard’s entire control surface, enabling you to assign parameters by simply clicking on them. The controllers themselves also tell you what’s happening: LED rings around the eight encoders show their current settings, while LEDs behind the 25 buttons show if they are on or off.

Nocturn Keyboard has been designed as a musical instrument as well as a control surface. The high-quality Fatar ‘Fast Touch’ keyboard mechanism, with velocity-sensitivity and aftertouch, allows for more expressive playing styles, suiting both stage and studio performance. There are separate pitch bend and modulation wheels, as well as eight velocity sensitive drum pads for sketching drum patterns and triggering samples.

Novation’s Automap control software is now even more powerful and easy to use. It acts as a software interface for the control surface, visually showing you what software parameter is assigned to each control, exactly as it is laid out on the unit. You can also name each control, turning the GUI into a giant screen where all information is instantly displayed and updated. Automap’s ‘learn’ function enables you to map parameters in your software plug-ins, straight to dials and buttons on the controller by simply clicking on a parameter, then touching the controller. There is no longer any need to sift through long lists of MIDI CC numbers. Automap also now has integrated HUI control, allowing instant hardware mixer control for all HUI compatible DAW’s, such as Logic and Pro Tools.

The Hidden – Mantas at Bali (Sea)

Image of mantas filmed near Bali, with a synth soundtrack, featuring Doepfer A-100 modular synth and Novation X-Station. Details below.

via beckhusen:

…and here’s my 1st pure Manta video.

Til today the basic video source material is more than 1 year stored in the GB spaces of my harddrives. Til now i used only sometimes a short clip to include it in my music videos as background atmosphere.

All video scenery which you see in this 10 min clip is filmed while a 1 hour dive at the Manta Point near Bali in 2008. I’ve also Manta records from one more 1 hour dive at the same spot. That i’ll use for further video in the next time. Hope to get the time before my upcoming holidays

The music is made with my A-100 Analog Modular System and Novation’s X-Station 25.

Novation has announced that Automap for the iPhone and iPod touch is now available (App Store link).

The video above offers an overview of using Novation Automap for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Combined with Novation’s Automap 3 software, the $2.99 Automap app provides two horizontal faders and eight buttons per page, displayed on a single iPhone or iPod touch screen. The number of pages, and thus controls, is unlimited.

Note: Automap for iPhone / iPod touch works in conjunction with Automap, which needs to be installed on your computer. You can upgrade the Automap software on your computer from Standard (which is free) to PRO, by downloading and purchasing from www.novationmusic.com.

Features:

• Turn your iPhone / iPod touch into a MIDI controller, with multiple faders and buttons easily assigned to parameters in any software that allows MIDI control, and even some that don’t.
• Instant, wireless, palm-sized control of all automatable VST, AU or Pro Tools format plug-ins in any DAW.
• See at a glance how every control on your iPhone / iPod touch is assigned, both on the iPhone / iPod touch itself, and across your computer screen.
• Make and delete assignments directly from your computer screen using “Click-Touch-Assign” facilities.
• Ideal for remote track arming and muting, transport and master level controls in a growing number of supported DAWs. (Control these elements in non-supported DAWs using separate dedicated Automap systems, or your own custom mappings.)
• Get to the right software fast. Control maps are automatically placed into categories depending on type (instrument, mixer etc.) for quick and easy browsing and selection with hardware or software.

Additional features in Automap PRO include:

• Place the shortcut power of your QWERTY keyboard in your iPhone / iPod touch. Automap 3 PRO can assign almost any computer keyboard shortcut, and combinations thereof.
• Use your iPhone / iPod touch alongside any other Automap compatible hardware controller, perfectly integrated for seamless control. DRAG AND DROP Make control re-assignment directly from your computer screen by simply dragging and dropping controls from within the Automap heads-up GUI.

In this demo video from LIMS 2009, Novation gives a demo of their new Automap for iPhone – CC control and learn, scene select and clip launch in Ableton Live and more.

via musicradartv

Novation has announced Novation Automap for iPhone and iPod touch, a new application that turns your device into a multi-touch MIDI controller.

Description:

The power behind Novation’s SL MkII, SL Compact and Nocturn MIDI controllers is now available for your iPhone / iPod touch, providing an instant and intelligent, wireless, palm-sized MIDI controller. Now you can use iPhone / iPod touch to control all of your music making software.

Whenever you want to control music software and the mouse is out of reach, Automap for iPhone / iPod touch delivers. And the possibilities are endless, give your artist remote control of reverb levels; a hand-held cross-fader for laptop DJ’ing; controlling multi-effects whilst tracking guitar; switching drum kits whilst you’re sat at your V-drums.

The Automap for iPhone / iPod touch app will be available to buy from the Apple app store in July. Combined with Novation’s free Automap 3 Standard software, or Automap 3 PRO, it provides two horizontal faders and eight buttons per page, displayed on a single iPhone / iPod touch screen. However, the number of pages and thus the number of controls is unlimited.

Automap lets you see at a glance how every control on your iPhone / iPod touch is assigned, both on the iPhone / iPod touch itself, and across your computer screen. Combining all this visual feedback with intelligent software browsing also helps you get to the right software fast! Control maps are automatically placed into categories depending on type (instrument, effects, mixer and so on) for quick and easy browsing and selection.

Although Automap automatically and intelligently maps to all major music making software, you will inevitably have your own unique way of working. Consequently, editing maps and re-assigning controls in Automap is extremely quick and easy. Simply click a parameter in learn mode, then touch a control on your iPhone / iPod touch to assign it. Double-clicking ‘learn’ allows you to ‘Click-Touch-Assign’ in quick succession.

Using your iPhone / iPod touch with Automap 3 PRO (available to buy from www.focusrite-estore.com) delivers some extremely powerful additional features.

Firstly, it harnesses the shortcut power of your QWERTY keyboard. It then allows you to assign almost any computer keyboard shortcut, and combinations thereof, to any of the controls on your iPhone / iPod touch. Editing maps is also improved, allowing you to simply drag parameters in the Automap Heads-up GUI from one control to another. Finally, with PRO you can use your iPhone / iPod touch alongside any other Automap compatible hardware controller and it’s all perfectly integrated for seamless control.

Details below.
Key features

• MIDI CONTROL IN YOUR PALM
  Now you can turn your iPhone / iPod touch into a MIDI controller, with multiple faders and buttons easily assigned to parameters in any software that allows MIDI control, and even some that don’t!
• AUTOMATIC PLUG-IN MAPPING
  Instant, wireless, palm-sized control of all automatable VST, AU or Pro Tools format plug-ins in any DAW.
• INSTANT VISUAL FEEDBACK
  See at a glance how every control on your iPhone / iPod touch is assigned, both on the iPhone / iPod touch itself, and across your computer screen
• LEARN AND CLEAR MODES
  Make and delete assignments directly from your computer screen using lightening-fast ‘Click-Touch-Assign’ facilities.
• AUTOMATIC MIXER CONTROL
  Ideal for remote track arming and muting, transport and master level controls in a growing number of supported DAWs. (Control these elements in non-supported DAWs using separate dedicated Automap systems, or your own custom mappings.)
• PLUG-IN AND MIXER MAP BROWSING FACILITY
• Get to the right software fast! Control maps are automatically placed into categories depending on type (instrument, mixer etc.) for quick and easy browsing and selection with hardware or software.

Features exclusive to PRO

• KEYSTROKE ASSIGNMENTS
  Place the shortcut power of your QWERTY keyboard in your iPhone / iPod touch. Automap 3 PRO can assign almost any computer keyboard shortcut, and combinations thereof.
• MULTIPLE DEVICE SUPPORT
  Use your iPhone / iPod touch alongside any other Automap compatible hardware controller, perfectly integrated for seamless control.
• DRAG AND DROP
• Make control re-assignments directly from your computer screen by simply dragging and dropping controls from within the Automap heads-up GUI.

Pelican Case MOD – Live Setup

This video demos a custom live electronic music rig designed to need minimal floor space and a single power outlet.

via autoflavour:

The setup consists of a modified pelican case that enables the rack mounting of equipment. This means I can be setup and ready to play in under 4 minutes. Hardware includes Virus Snow, Virus C, M-Audio Audiophile, Numark CM200USB 5 Channel Mixer, Novation SL25 Compact, iPod + TouchOSC.

The custom patch bay includes XLR Lamp XLR & RCA OUT, RCA IN to Channel 5 fader, RCA IN to input on Virus C, RCA IN to line in on m-audio.

I decided to use the M-Audio Audiophile as the primary sound device over the the inbuilt USB audio in the Numark CM200USB. The reasoning for this was purely down recording latency and routing configurations.

I do however have the CM200USB and the M-Audio set up as a aggregate device in OSX, enabling me to speak to both devices from Ableton.

The TouchOSC patch is a custom one built using the beta TouchOSC editor.

A quick explanation of the Audio routing page in the TouchOSC template.
This page was created only yesterday as a way to easily route audio to the Atomizer on the fly. I simply created 2 Sends channels and routed all Audio to SENDS ONLY in Ableton. Then assigned the individual SENDS dials to each button, effectively creating on off switched. This enables me to easily select the output I would like a track to take.

Not shown in this video, Controlling the Virus C.
Basically I have split the Novation into 2 zones. The first zone (1 Octave) controls the Atomizer via direct MIDI cable between the devices, where as the second zone (rest of the octaves) are routed to the USB cable which is then passed through Ableton to the Virus C via the M-Audio. To switch between keyboard control of either device, I simply shift octaves.

For those interested, the case weighs approx 16kg and due to the bolts in the sides, it is no longer water proof, however the rubber washers do protect it from most water (It is just not submersible anymore)

This is another very nice Ableton Live tutorial from Mark Mosher, this time looking at Ableton Live 8 + APC40 + Remote SL controllerism:

This video is a step-by-step tutorial describing Ableton Live 8’s new custom parameter mapping methodology. The video illustrates how to map select parameters from VST plug-ins into devices and then control these parameters via the Novation Remote SL and the new Akai APC40.

The video also discusses how to add and access more than 8 parameters. Lastly, the video covers use of instrument racks and macro controls to map parameters from multiple devices to an 8 knob group.

You can get more of Mark’s thoughts on Ableton Live by subscribing to MarkMosher on Twitter.

This is a mixed language demo video from Novation at MusikMesse 2009.

via musotalk

This is a demo of the Novation BassStation – a small monophonic analog synthesizer from 1994 that was available in both keyboard and rack-mount versions.

The keyboard version can be battery powered, which turns it into a great portable synth. Both versions are capable of classic analog sounds, especially for churning out synth bass.

If you’ve used the Novation BassStation, leave a comment with your thoughts.

Features:

• Full size, 25 note keyboard. (Keyboard version)
• Pitch bend and Modulation Wheels. (Keyboard version)
• 2 oscillators
• 12/24 dB/oct Low pass filter
• 2 envelopes generators
• Portamento and Auto-glide
• Patch memory

Resources:

• Novation has released a software synth version of the BassStation
• Novation BassStation at Algonet
• Video via supermarketsurvivor
• SOS review of the BassStation

This is a demo video for a free collection of synth patches for Novation XioSynth, RDyt’s Xiosynth Soundbank.

Download Link

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

via RDyt:

THE PATCHES ARE AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD! (Finally…)
So please feel free to download, comment etc.
I’d love to hear anything that becomes of them, so my email is Riley_Dyt@hotmail.co.uk.
Make the title something to do with xiosynth or it will probably get deleted…
So without further ado, heres the link:
http://www.box.net/shared/nvbfmwjcw8
————————

Hey all! I recently decided that I would program a bank or so of patches for the Novation Xiosynth. I figured youtube was probably the best place for a shoutout, so any xiosynth users that happen to stumble across this and think “cool, free sounds” then please comment, so I can be motivated to finish the bank by some hearty interest

No external processing, recorded directly into video files into Cyberlink PowerDirector Express and my new lenovo laptop.

This presets pack contains 893 presets for … yeah … Novation V-Station. It’s some kind of the tribute to the authors of those presets – some of the banks are not available anymore, some are forgotten. But, Of course, there are some new presets too. Readme files are attached to the most soundbanks so all credit goes to the authors

Some presets are in fxp / fxb format (you can load them to V-Station via DAW) while others are in mid format (use “import” button from V-Station “global” screen).

This is the first part with pretty classic soundbanks covering wide range of sounds. There are leads, pads, arps, basses, fx. There are dedicated banks too – for example there is bank dedicated to trance genre and hands-up.

This isn’t over – there will be next part for sure.

Ahh, almost forgot. I didn’t select the presets – it’s your job . Navigating through 1000 patches that don’t fit your style, your genre can be boring so it’s better to choose ie. 200 presets you like and create your own “best” soundbank. I know, it takes time but at the end you’ll hugely benefit from it.

Download here.

Here are some quick shots of the new controllers and DJ equipment that was shown at MusikMesse 2009 including the Otus Raw, Novation 25SL mk2, Rane SL3, Next Beat and a new Akai pad.

Read reviews and more information about these controllers at the DJTechTools site.

via eangolden