NAMM: Softstep NAMM 2010 Demo

YouTube via kirk95. Also see this post for more info.
"SoftStep
The Last Footswitch You'll Ever Need
SoftStep is a leap forward in the portability and functionality of footpedal controllers. Weighing in at just over a pound and fitting into many laptop cases, SoftStep has limitless flexibility compared to standard footswitches. Ten square sensor keys go beyond the simple on and off commands by supporting multiple transducers per key, providing five degrees of control freedom. Now each key can be used to manipulate effects, computer programs, and multimedia. SoftStep also has a four-direction navigation pedal, an alphanumeric LED display, and backlit keys. SoftStep connects to your computer through USB and contains Expansion and Expression ports. With the MIDI expansion module, SoftStep can be used without a computer. Whether used with an effects rack or popular software programs, this innovative device frees musicians from heavy footswitch pedals while expanding their control."

NAMM: Teenage Engineering OP-1 synth Demo V1

YouTube via kirk95

Teenage Engineering OP-1 synth Demo V2


Teenage Engineering OP-1 synth Demo V3


Teenage Engineering OP-1 synth Demo V4

Pico Demo 2

YouTube via kirk95
"This time it's all the Pico...no Ableton Live"

Jazz Jamming with Pico

"Here's my very first Pico track...."

Mark Mosher Cubes Presentation

YouTube via kirk95. Percussa Audio Cubes. Via the Percussa blog.
"Ableton Denver Meetup"

Mark Mosher Cubes Presentation part2

Make Your Ears Bleed

YouTube via zamisers7k
"Done all on Yamaha RS7000 one obvious small sample with a bit of resampling. Using some dubstep techniques, industrial and just messed up stuff. Enjoy!"

iMatik - Album Made Entirely with Instruments on The iPhone

Tom Freeman wrote in to let me know of his new release iMatik which was created using nothing but an iPhone. The following is the press release followed by a detailed list of the apps he used.

"Music producer Freematik creates an album completely using an iPhone

An entire album has finally been created using only an iPhone! From the mind of Freematik, a Bay Area local rap & hip-hop producer who has produced many projects in a "traditional" music studio, this first of it's kind concept album breaks new creative ground in modern music production.

Tom Freeman, the producer and artist known as Freematik, had this to say about the album:

"iMatik is a fresh DJ mixtape full of phat beats, DJ scratching, live synths and all types of crazy sounds, made using only an iPhone. Everything was made using apps available from the iTunes app store, such as Beatmaker, iDrum, Flare, Jasuto, etc. The parts were programmed over the course of a few months, in places including hotels, motels, the beach, bars, and anywhere else you would bring a phone. While this initially started just as a way to have fun and do some music "on the road", it transformed into an awesome psychedelic hip hop and electronic music experience. Not my normal type of project but I really love it, maybe more than anything I've ever done. Plus it was crazy fun to make."

Check out the album at: www.freematik.com

About Freematik
Freematik is a music producer who works mainly with underground rap artists in the Bay Area. His production skills can be heard on a number of mixtapes, as well as in bars and clubs around the Bay Area. He produces his own albums as well, which are available at www.freematik.com."

The following are notes for three tracks if you want to hear how each app fit in the mix. You can find the download links to each on http://freematik.com/.

"3. Now You Know: Good example of an Intua Beatmaker MPC-style beat, with DJ scratches supplied by Flare, and low synth provided by miniSynth. I also used the "toy" app iSkream on this track for the "Now You Know" vocal sample, which is my girlfriend talking into the iPhone. That app lets you play back samples in real time, and mangle them with a variety of effects.

10. e: This beat was made with iZotope iDrum Club Edition, with synth sounds from NLogFree. There is a vocal sample that is stretched out at the end, and that was done with Sound Warp, which lets you drag the sample playback by moving your finger on the phone's screen.

12. Is This Your Special Bush: This track is a great example of Flare, the best DJ scratching app for iPhone. I overdubbed a bunch of DJ scratching effects over a beat I made in Beatmaker, and it really to me sounds like a "DJ" album ala DJ Shadow, except done on just an iPhone."

I asked Tom how he recorded and mastered the tracks:
"Since the iPhone can't do multiple apps at the same time, and what I wanted to do definitely involved playing one app over another, I ended up tracking everything through a Universal Audio 2108 Stereo Pre, by way of a mini-dual 1/4" cable. Everything was tracked into my Mac Pro running Cubase 5. I used a Summit DCL 200 Stereo Compressor on the mix buss, and used a huge amount of Universal Audio plugins, including the new Manley Massive Passive on individual tracks and in mastering.

My thought about it is if I was doing an "all-saxophone" album, for example, I wouldn't stop at not using a DAW to multi-track, mix, etc. so I think the same applies to an "all iPhone" album. But if running multiple apps was possible I would have kept it all in the phone, just because it sounds fun to try."

Note multi-tasking is coming to the iPhone.

Apps used in iMatik:
Intua Beatmaker []
A-Sync Games Flare[]
iZotope iDrum Club Edition []
iZotope iDrum Hip-Hop Edition []
iZotope iDrum Video Game Edition []
iZotope iDrum Beatboxing Edition []
iZotope iDrum Wu-Tang RZA Edition []
Jasuto & Jasuto Pro []
miniSynth []
NLogFree []
iSkream []
Thereminator []
Argon []

Ugol Ratmanova

via VTOL

"http://urnanocast.rpod.ru/145183.html

A collaboration live performance by Ugol Ratmanova duo and Dmitri Morozov aka ::VTOL:: on 3 DSI Evolver synthesizers only. @ Ruby Attack Fest, Palitra Club, 13 Feb, 2010"

The audio player is right below Аудио in the link above. If the embedded player does not work, try the 69.8 Мб / 32:10 / MP4, 302 kbps link to the right of the description.

PAiA demo

YouTube via theglyph
"This is the 9710 VCA, 9720 VCO and the 9730 VCF of the PAiA 9700 synth under limited KLEE sequencer control. All sound come from the three modules. It's sometimes ugly but is has it's charms:)"

Sherman Rodec Restyler

two pics via Zn'shñ

Silver Thread by Carbon111

pic via Carbon111' blog where you'll find a new track titled Silver Thread featuring the Ensoniq Fizmo, Waldorf Q, Korg Oasys and Digidesign's Boom softsynth.