"8 Bit Weapon is Seth & Michelle (AKA ComputeHer). The group has performed their chip music across two continents with their arsenal of retro game consoles: Commodore 64 and 128, Apple II, couple Nintendo Gameboy classics, Nintendo N.E.S., Amiga 1200, Intellivision synthesizer, Atari 2600, Speak n Spell & Speak n Music, some hybrid lo-fi acoustic-electric drums, and an assortment of other vintage and toy synthesizers.
Inspired by classic videogame soundtracks and electronic music from the 70s and 80s, 8 Bit Weapon delivers a sound that is as unique as it is original. Clever melodies, nostalgic atmosphere, and energetic beats create a decidedly modern sound while maintaining a fun, lo-tech aesthetic.
YouTube via Apple | September 07, 2010 iPads on Ebay "Musical one moment, and medical the next, iPad is never just one thing. Go to apple.com/iPad to learn more about what makes iPad so revolutionary."
Odd that the video didn't include more music apps? On the news front, Apple is opening up iOS to 3rd Party developer tools as long as the apps themselves do not download any code. via MacRumors.com. Also see CDM for an in depth post on what this might mean for music apps.
"We are continually trying to make the App Store even better. We have listened to our developers and taken much of their feedback to heart. Based on their input, today we are making some important changes to our iOS Developer Program license in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year.
In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need."
Sunday, April 18, 2010
via Impostor
"Synthwood Pro One, an MS-20 controller, Novation Nocturn, Arturia Analog Factory Experience keyboard and some Apple equipment. I’ve since bought a beautiful Jupiter 4 which you can see in the attached photo. Its very much old meets new and will be more so when I get myself an iPad."
via 8 Bit Weapon "Introducing the Digital Music Synthesizer for Apple II personal computers! The DMS is the only wavetable synthesizer for the Apple //e, IIc, and IIc+ computers that is suitable for performance use. It supports up to 8 voices, which can be selected from the 10 on disk, and played (monophonically) from the Apple II keyboard. It can be used to “record” a performance for later playback as well. Also, the DMS doesn’t require a monitor! Just turn on your Apple II and when the drive light goes off. Then hit the space bar you’re ready to play live~!
Sounds on disk are: Acoustic Piano, Vibraphone, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Bass, Trumpet, Clarinet, square wave, sawtooth wave, sine wave, and (for Bud Melvin)... Banjo!
Requirements: A2.DMS requires an Apple //e, IIc, IIc+, or IIgs computer with 80-column capability, at least one 5.25” floppy disk drive. Monitor is optional."
Note the above video does not feature any synths. It is a concept video for a tablet UI. The hardware looks like the majority of artist renders for the upcoming Apple iPad/iSlate. If you haven't heard, tomorrow, Apple will announce their new tablet device. Rumor is it will essentially be an iTouch with a 10" screen, more power, memory and may have the ability to run multiple apps at the same time. [Update: it most likely will]
Why is this a new world in synthesis? In short this is a new hardware platform for synthesis. Yes it is an extension of the iTouch platform, but the obvious key difference and game changer in my opinion will be the size of the screen. For example, imagine controlling all of your synths running Numerology on the device in that video. Imagine interfacing with your modular with a UI optimized version of VOLTA or Expert Sleepers. Imagine running Way Out Ware's iSample, or how about an ARP2600 emulation with sliders. Imagine running Audio Damage's tattoo on one, etc. And don't forget the accelorometer. Processing power, additional memory, and potentially running multiple apps at once will only add to the advantage the slate will have over the iTouch.
Update via Kurts in the comments:
"Check out Tull's Broadsword and the Beast (analog heavne--Jupiter 8, vocoders, Chroma, etc) from 1982. Ian Anderson's solo record with Peter-John, "Fly By Night 1983 which was wriitten alot on that MC202--Ian had his own samples made for the Linn drum. And "Under Wraps" from 1984. Though maligned at the time by the classic rockers, these are really interesting records- and fearless."
Ian Anderson & Jethro Tull: Made in England (11/15/1983)
YouTube via JOANandTULL
Re-Uploaded on Jun 24, 2011 WilliZBlog
"Rock Classic Night at Circus Atlas, Munich on 15th November 1983 with Peter John Vettese - thanks to www.laufi.de"
THUMP "Thump is the ultimate pocket groove box for your iPhone or iPod Touch.
The 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.
Create huge basslines or warped synth sounds with the two powerful polyphonic synthesizers onboard. Modeled on the classics, these synths offer a wide palette of sounds with its subtractive synthesis engine.
Choose from 9 studio-quality different drumkits, create your own or share and download more. The sample-accurate sequencing engine ensures your beats are as tight as mathematically possible!
Mix up your sound with multi-state filters, echo, distortion and lo-fi effects. Perform your compositions live by switch between different patterns you've created and using the onboard mixer." Available on iTunes:
Comments are coming in as usual in this Beat Thang post. I know some of you will roll your eyes when you read the title of this put, but think about it for a sec.
When I first saw the virtual instrument version of Beat Thang, I wondered how ergonomic it might be with a mouse. It reminded me of why I prefer hardware. I then remembered Windows 7 with multi-touch support is just around the corner and there's rumor Apple will be coming out with a tablet by end of this year.
Think about it. With a tablet slate device we will be one step closer to software synths being actual dedicated harware synths. Except... they will be more customizable, you will be able to have multiple synths per hardware, and... battery power.
This isn't a new concept and tablets are available now, but they are not yet ubiquitous and multi-touch technology really is just beginning. It will be interesting to see what sort of impact tablets have on the hardware manufacturers. When I look at the Beat Kangz Beat Thang, and think of it on that screen, I think of a cool piece of dedicated hardware that I can play anywhere. Think of that in your backpack.
BTW, any photoshop artist out there, feel free to mock up the Beat Thang with a tablet.
YouTube via ratsouffle "A complete re-recording of the Apple corporate song (sans cheesy 80s lyrics). The keyboard featured is a Clavia Nord Lead 3. The original track appears heavily based on 'What a Feeling' from the musical Flashdance, with similar instrumentation, melody and singing style - Apple obviously wanted to reference or parody this.
Some parts of this song were tricky to figure out thanks to the numerous and slightly odd key changes (prevelent in much music of the time, it seems). Bassline is the leftmost video.
YouTube via autoflavour "Inspired by lack of adequate space at clubs and venues for electronic musicians, this rig requires only floor space and a single power outlet.
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)"
YouTube via purecanesugar "Widget and Hans stayed up til 2am hacking up some iPod sequencers at NYC Resistor. We are using pdPod on iPodLinux. You can hack your own iPods too, as part of the re-ware project, we are trying to make it easy: http://re-ware.org
YouTube via substanceg. Don't try that with a magnet. :) "Another thing I learnt at the Nicolas Collins workshop - pick-up microphone recording the internal sounds of the laptop. Just some compression and a little reverb on the signal..."
YouTube via Torley iPhone remote control of Ableton Live.
"I love it when a tool doesn't just look kewl, it's easy to get started with — and within minutes, you're being creative and productive! I was on the market for a XY pad MIDI controller, and looked at contenders like the Korg nanoPAD, whose sibling, the nanoKONTROL, has been a valuable addition to my home studio. But then I recalled options exist for the iPod Touch, which I have, and they seemed like such a novel way to add usefulness to an already-fun gadget that does so many multimedia things well.
Several searches later, I was on the iTunes App Store looking at iTouchMidi Pad by Silicon Studios, and reading the few-but-strong reviews, I bought it. It was mere moments afterward that I was firing up drum loops in Ableton Live, having a lot of fun mapping iTM Pad to various settings and mangling sounds. The logical conclusion, since clear demos of things like this can be hard to come by, was to make a video review:
The iTM Pad works with other DAW hosts and even tho I'm familiar with it now, there's a whole lot to explore. Amazing how such a simple toy can bring so much joy. It's worth noting since there are multiple buttons to control different sets of MIDI controllers, you can switch between them to add even more convenience. I often heart controlling in two dimensions over linear sliders or knobs because the possible combinations are multiplied manyfold! (Were it not for restrictive patents and such silliness, I wish there were more commercial 3D controllers; Roland's D-Beam is fun but I don't wanna buy a whole synth around it.)
I give high notes to iTM Pad and look forward to trying out the other apps in their line as my urges arise — of particular interest is iTM Tilt, which makes use of the accelerometer. If you're looking for iPhone/iPod Touch MIDI controllers, give these a go — you can try the iTM MidiLab demo showcase for free.
----
== OFFICIAL INFO ==
iTM Pad is one of the first additions to the iTM suite
A midi trackpad that you use to control all different parameters,
filters, effects, ..."
I played with Mac音ナナ [Mac-ne Nana] it's human voice synthesis library, recorded AIFF data of 104 pronunciation of the hiragana letter such as voiced sound, in a voice of familiar voice actor / Ikezawa Haruna."
YouTube via jafafah0ts. sent my way via peahix "Clip 5 of 6 clips from a 1987 Apple training Video for resellers. Parts 1-4 are titled "Training for the Laserwriter II Family of Printers." 1. Extending the Lead 2. The Print Controller 3. Imaging 4. Xerography
Part 5 on the tape is "An Introduction to the Apple MIDI Interface" which I have split into clips 5 and 6."
1987 Apple Computer Reseller Training Video - Apple MIDI Interface - Second Half
"Clip 6 of 6 clips from a 1987 Apple training Video for resellers. Parts 1-4 are titled "Training for the Laserwriter II Family of Printers." 1. Extending the Lead 2. The Print Controller 3. Imaging 4. Xerography
Part 5 on the tape is "An Introduction to the Apple MIDI Interface" which I have split into clips 5 and 6."
MOTU - Mark of the Unicorn
Update via Jafafa in the comments: "Thanks for linking to my videos. I just KNEW transcoding that old VHS tape was something others might find interesting!
If you're interested in other Apple (non-synth) stuff, be sure to check out the other clips from the video, old laserwriters, etc."
