XFM Analog Waveform Pack - 50 Free Waveform Presets

video upload by ChrisLody

Download the free waveform pack from here:
https://www.sonicware.co.jp/DL/LIVEN_...

"I've been using the XFM in this Virtual Analog mode for quite a while but I've only recently thought of a good way of using a naming system that will fit into the X.X.X.X format available on the Livens that shows a decent amount of information about what the presets contain. It's a bit harder to read than I was originally hoping but it does contain all relevant information to show how all the analog style oscillators are setup across the different operators."

0:00 Intro
0:16 XFM as a virtual analog synth

Preset name code:
1:12 Envelopes types
3:17 Waveforms

4:27 Filtering
5:15 Acid example
5:42 Pulse example
6:49 Pad example
8:08 Sync waveforms
8:55 How to import presets
10:08 Outro

Super Lazy Sci Fi Soundtrack 3 - SmplTrek Liven MEGA Korg Volca Keys NTS1

video upload by ChrisLody

https://chrislody.bandcamp.com
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SymetriC...

"The Synth Tray 2 saga continues. It's now grown a little to include a battery bank to power the NTS-1 that you can see tucked under the cables behind the SmlpTrek. This has 2 outputs so it's also able to power my handmade midi thru box now I've made a cable for it, you can see it at the top right. I've also added a Little Bear MC5 mixer which is sat behind the ELZ_1 play. This is really just a temporary fix because I plan to replace it with a Bastl Bestie when I can justify dropping £200 on one.

So a bit about how this is all setup. The SmplTrek is controlling all the midi in this setup with multiple midi tracks set to different channels. The midi out goes to the midi thru splitter box which then connects into the Liven MEGA and Korg Volca Keys. The SmplTrek is also playing the deep pad from the beginning which was sampled out of the ELZ_1 play into it, and the drum loop. When I'm using this in a sofa session I mix the external gear on the Little Bear MC5 and monitor all the audio through the SmplTrek and usually add a little of my send effect to the output, but this time when I recorded it for this video I connected all the separate instrument outputs to my audio interface instead to give me a greater level of control over the final mix.

The Korg Volca connects through the NTS1 in this jam and I'm using the Hammond Eggs Music - Haze reverb. It contains a high pass filter so it's great for making top end pad/string type sounds. I checked this list of available plugins for the NTS1 recently and found loads of new stuff I didn't know about. Mine is absolutely full now :)

I'm using the ELZ_1 play to play the Liven MEGA here and using the LFO set to a speed of zero as a upward pitch bend. The current firmware of the ELZ_1 play has no 'local control off' function which makes it hard to use as a controller and sound module while composing in a setup like this as playing external midi channels also triggers the internal sound engine. I've suggested adding 'local control off' as an option, so fingers crossed for that one.

The MiniDisc player isn't really part of the setup I've been using, but it was nice to see it fit neatly with everything else :) I was planning to record the output down a global track on the SmplTrek, but they're mono so the ambience lost something when I did that, so I resorted to just playing it live and looping the track. The ambient recording is of my home town of Boston, Lincolnshire, UK.

The NTS1 is being used as an insert effect here (the Volca Keys is passing straight through) but once I buy a Bastl Bestie there is a way to use that in a send/return configuration which will be very useful from such a smaller mixer."

Protolody - Song-a-day 2024 - SmplTrek Liven MEGA ELZ_1 play Volca Keys NTS1

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text, video manuals etc. This video wasn't paid for directly but as a result of my work with Sonicware it is marked as Paid Promotion

So just recently I've been a down about my musical output to be honest, mostly the quality of my jams that I've been putting up on YouTube. This came to a head last weekend when I got talking to someone about my 2014 album, listened to some of it and had the realisation that the contents of that album is better than my work now. I imagined I'd grown as an artist but that was not the case. The main culprit was that I was actually making decent arrangement back then, taking my time to build something over at least a few day. Here's the album in question: https://chrislody.bandcamp.com/album/...

Due to my recent workload I've been favouring making jams, recording them and uploading them immediately. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot that can be learned from this approach, but carry on too long and it's like eating a bag a crisps everyday for your main meal, not satisfying.

A lot of the album above was created on the Nintendo DS and PSP using Nitrotracker, Korg Ds10 and Beaterator. These are nice little closed systems and have the benefit of running on something you can sit with on the sofa and really dig in to get the most from the software and finesse your work. I don't really want to return to using those though as I've just about rinsed them and they're not easy to integrate with other gear as they have no midi capability.

So my thoughts turned to something I kind of made as a joke video but actually turned out to be really useful, the Synth Tray. My original one of these was made from a bit of scrap ply so it wasn't very big and I want to cram on my gear so now I've made a new one, 'Synth Tray 2 - Dawless Evolved'"

240127 - Jamuary2024 - Kawai K4 Multi Mode Demo

video upload by ChrisLody

"Time for a bit of cheeeeese! Is this new age music? Something like that.

This is something I've been meaning to try for a while, the multi-timbral mode on my fairly recent accusation, the Kawai K4.

I really wanted to make a Sonicware free jam because I've been using their a hell of a lot across the channel recently, but the SmplTrek just seemed like the perfect fit for sequencing the K4. It's multi mode can be set up with 8 different channels for instruments plus one for drums and the SmplTrek has 10 slots which can all be loaded with midi tracks for sequencing. The K4 has an effects section which allows different send amounts per instrument in multi mode so all the audio is coming from the K4 here, nothing is being produced or effected by the SmplTrek.

All I'm using on the K4 are presets but even they are nice, it has a very nice tone for a synth that came out in 1989!

I'm using an overlay on the SmplTrek kindly sent to me by https://cremacaffe.shop/"

Liven MEGA SYNTHESIS - Tutorial Part 2 - FM Edit Deep Dive

video upload by ChrisLody

Part 1 here

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text and videos like this. Any other shorter videos on my channel containing Sonicware products are not paid content.

As promised, here is part 2 of the tutorial for the Sonicware Liven MEGA Synthesis, this time covering everything you need to know about using the FM Eit mode with a bit of FM theory thrown in to get you going.

CLICK FOR MORE »

ELZ_1 play - Synth Engine & Looper Showcase

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text and videos like this. Any other shorter videos on my channel containing Sonicware products are not paid content.

So the ELZ_1 play is now shipping to its backers and will also go on general sale. Please see the following link for more information about that: https://sonicware.jp/products/pre-ord...

The black keys edition is shown here but is also available with white keys."

240114 - Jamuary2024 - PSG Tracks Only Liven MEGA Synthesis

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text, video manuals etc. This video wasn't paid for directly but as a result of my work with Sonicware it is marked as Paid Promotion

So someone asked me in the comments (@ArtFluids) If I could make a demo track on the Liven MEGA Synthesis using just the PSG tracks, so here it is. Using the Liven MEGA like this makes it sound quite a lot like the 8 Bit Warps, but I'm only using a very small part of it's feature set. I've restricted myself to not playing notes with the square below an A2 like the original hardware, but it can actually play lower than that. Also no FX at all.

The Liven MEGA Synthesis seeks to recreate the audio capabilities of the SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis. So the Sega Mega Drive was built upon the hardware in Sega's previous console, the Master System / Sega Mark III. The sound capabilities of that machine were 4 channels of audio consisting of 3 square wave channels and 1 noise/pulse (under quite specific restrictions). So the Mega Drive / Genesis contained that sound chip too and was mostly used during music to add layers of square waves to the sound or noisy percussion, it was rarely used up front.

The MEGA Synthesis emulates that chip and users can program it from 2 dedicated tracks. So you're a little restricted in the fact that a track can only play one sound at once, though using automation you can change the sound on the fly. Using automation, Track 5 is playing drums and a pulse bass (on even steps only but somehow that still sounds fine 🤷‍♂️) while Track 4 plays everything else which must use the same envelope, modulation settings etc at any one moment. So it's more restrictive in some ways than original hardware, but also it's less restrictive in other ways like allowing 4 voices of noise, square or pulse to play at the same time. So like most of the features on the MEGA, it captures the overall sound without being overly concerned about super specific technical restrictions."

Liven MEGA SYNTHESIS - Tutorial Part 1 - Pattern Editing Deep Dive

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text and videos like this. Any other shorter videos on my channel containing Sonicware products are not paid content.

More about the Sonicware Liven MEGA Synthesis:
Sonicware's Website: https://sonicware.jp/pages/liven-mega...
Trailer & Yuzo Koshiro's Patterns: [posted here]
My quick overview video: [2nd video here]

So as promised here is my Sonicware Liven MEGA Synthesis deep dive video. This video will look at pattern editing including everything that's available to make your own music. The next video will focus on the FM sound editing overlay so will cover how to make your own sounds

Sonicware and I have both noted how many customers have bought the Liven MEGA Synthesis who have never bought an instrument before, so I've done my best to make this video as beginner friendly as possible which is why this video is quite long. If you're more experienced please use the chapter markers so skip through to relevant sections.

CLICK FOR MORE »

240107 - Jamuary2024 - Liven MEGA Synthesis Jam

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text, video manuals etc. This video wasn't paid for directly but as a result of my work with Sonicware it is marked as Paid Promotion

7 days into Jamuary 2024 and I've only managed 2, not really what I'd planned! But at least now the reveal of the Liven MEGA Synthesis is out of the way I can upload some jams using it. Plus this isn't an official Sonicware video, so I can mention the fact that it's designed to emulate the experience of making music on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis hardware unlike in my last video, hopefully to the surprise of almost nobody 😄

I didn't create any fresh patches for this jam, it's all just presets and there's plenty to choose from (including my work of course).

From this video you should be able to hear that the general lo-fi vibe of the YM2612 has been replicated nicely. Part of that is due to a design flaw in it's 9 bit DAC which distorted the sound at quite volumes, often called the Ladder Effect. You can turn that on and off per track on the MEGA.

Apart from the delay on the lead sound I'm not using any effects here, the distorted guitar lead sound is created using just FM synthesis. On the original Mega Drive/Genesis adding delay would have had to be done by duplicating notes onto another channel of the chip using up polyphony, but the MEGA has an effects section so this is a regular guitar pedal like delay effect."

Sonicware LIVEN MEGA Synthesis User Demos

video upload by Limbic Bits

Two demos - audio only demo from Limbic Bits above, and an overview from ChrisLody below. See the announcement post here (directly below if you are coming off the main page)

Sonicware Liven TextureLab Sound Demo (no talking)

0:00 Stage 5-1
1:10 Club
1:47 Soil
3:00 Void
4:23 Cammy's Impro
5:08 Ambient
6:13 Sea
7:35 PADS
11:58 BASS / LEAD
14:37 Mallets / Bells
17:03 EFX / Drones / Percussion
18:58 Some Drum Samples

Liven MEGA SYNTHESIS - Retro Game Music Production Machine

video upload by ChrisLody

240102 - Jamuary2024 - ELZ_1 play + Volca Modular - Rusty MF Jam

video upload by ChrisLody

Texture Lab in the Effects Processor Mode with an Electric Guitar

video upload by SONICWARE

"Daniel Rose demonstrates an electric guitar connected to LIVEN Texture Lab.
The Texture Lab is a Granular synthesizer and effector with a majestic Shimmer Reverb. https://sonicware.jp/pages/liven-text...

Check out his instruction video:"

How to Use the Sonicware Texture Lab as a Live Granular Effects Processor

video upload by SONICWARE

"Timestamps / Table of Contents:

Section 1: basic principles

Part 1: the non-granular side of the blend
1:35 - intro
1:57 - first synth sound and default effects mode sound
2:32 - notes on blend, reverb, and filter
5:56 - tip #1

Part 2: the granular side of the blend
6:44 - intro
7:51 - notes on playback direction (❗important❗)

CLICK FOR MORE »

Sonicware ELZ_1 play - Zstrings Patches

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text, video manuals etc. This video wasn't paid for directly but as a result of my work with Sonicware it is marked as Paid Promotion

It's a short one this! So it's been a while since my last ELZ_1 play patch video and the Zstrings engine in now a lot more developed so I've made some patches for that too. A couple of viewers from before were interested in hearing what it sounds like and I'm glad to oblige :)

Zstrings is a physical modelling synth engine for making plucked/stuck string sounds and I think it's rather nice. It really comes alive when it's combined with the ELZ_1 play's other features like it's 4 part unison, arpeggiator, effects section etc so I've made liberal use of those here.

The next job for me is to practice using the looper so I can show how it works!"

Sonicware ELZ_1 play - My New Patches Demo

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text, video manuals etc. This video wasn't paid for directly but as a result of my work with Sonicware it is marked as Paid Promotion

I recently completed some new patches as part of the work I'm doing on the Sonicware ELZ_1 play so I thought it would be nice to demo them here as I've been asked quite a lot about it since it was first announced.

This is still prototype hardware though don't expect any radical changes at this point just refinements. Also this is unfinished firmware too so I'm not sure how many features will be added before release compared to what's shown here, but there are some nice additions like the unison setting that make playing around with the old synth engines fun too. The Super Osc is a one of the new engines so you'll see that throughout the video."

https://ja.sonicware.jp/

1989 Kawai K4 - Digital Resonant Filter (DCF) Test

video upload by ChrisLody

"I recently bought this vintage Kawai K4 imported from the USA because I'd heard good things about it. I was most intrigued though by the fact that it's a polyphonic synth with digital resonant filters (as in written purely in code rather than controlling any analog filtering) which makes it one of the first on the market to offer this alongside the Yamaha SY77 and Emu EMAX II which I've been informed all launched in 1989. The Roland D50 had something that sounded very filter like with it's 'TVF' back in 1987, but this was only available on square and saw waves and was more of a mimic of a filter. So I'm told anyway, I never used any of the other gear I just mentioned 😄

S considering that it was this early in the game I was very interested to hear what it sounded like but couldn't find any other filter demos on YouTube, so here's mine. I was planning something more involved showing how to edit a patch etc, but I got carried away playing and ran out of time. Maybe in another video.

All the examples shown use the brightest saw I could find (the waveforms are sampled) in a single slot with a single filter. If setup correctly a single patch can have 2 filters either in parallel or serial modes but I haven't experimented with that yet."

SmplTrek version 3.0 is now available!

video upload by SONICWARE

New features of version 3.0
- Added Performance mode that allows you to play on the home screen
- Loop playback of a project
- Mono mode and legato mode are added to the INST track
- Add transpose to INST / MIDI tracks
- Auto-step recording function added to INST / DRUM / MIDI tracks
- Clip copy to another track
- Improvements to the track EQ
- Metronome on/off while editing a clip
and numerous improvements and bug fixes have been made, including the return of the scene switching function using MIDI Program Change.

Sonicware SmplTrek v3.0 Quick Guide

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text and video manuals like this. Any other shorter videos on my channel containing Sonicware products are not paid content.

If you'd like to know more about the Smpltrek then please visit the Sonicware website: https://sonicware.jp/
SmplTrek update guide: https://www.sonicware.co.jp/DL/SmplTr...
SmplTrek v3.0 firmware: https://sonicware.jp/pages/downloads

0:00 Teaser bit
0:16 Intro
1:14 Performance mode
4:17 Project looping
5:45 Mono and legato instrument modes
6:54 Clip copy improvements
7:35 Transpose feature
8:55 Auto step sequencing
9:40 Easy metronome access
10:10 Select clips using midi
10:25 Outro

- Added Performance mode that allows you to play on the home screen

Press func + left selection button (under the screen) to play INST / DRUM / LOOP track.
Track selection is made with the up/down keys on the D-pad, and the following controls are also available using knobs A to D.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Stylophone Beat, East Beast, Kawai K1m Jam

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Dubreq (they make Stylophones) on an hourly rate producing video content. This video wasn't paid for directly but as a result of my work with Dubreq it is marked as Paid Promotion

Right time for a weird jam! I've been ridiculously busy recently with my day job and music related work so can barely justify taking time off to make this (this is product endorsement which is about as close as I can get to time off at the moment 😅), but I risk my channel turning into wall to wall Sonicware news (more of that to come) so I'm trying to find time for a bit of silliness like this!

Dubreq sent me the Stylophone Beat a few weeks back and I've been having some fun with it. For such an inexpensive machine it has surprisingly features. It can play 4 different kits, 4 different bass sound, 4x 32 step patterns, has some realtime playback effects like a filter sweep and pattern length (think stutter mode), patterns can be copied, elements muted etc, the stock sounds are well chosen, really quite good. There are limitations of course, the volume of each sound is fixed, there's no sync capability (although technically the LED flashes at 1ppq so it could be hacked) and the memory is wiped when it's powered down so make sure you record you work. One saving grace in that regard is that it goes into standby quite quickly so this Beat was left on all night with my rhythm programmed in so was still there the next day for me to continue work on. One small caveat is that the drum sequencer supports 16th note resolution but it seems the bass sequencer doesn't, you'll get 8th note recordings. It does support glide though as you may be able to tell from what I've made here. So all in all a fun little machine!

I also bought a Cre8audio East Beast recently and haven't had the chance to use it, so here it is used in the laziest way imaginable with the Stylophone Gen X-1 as a delay effect. It's a very capable little semi modular but I'm not using those features here. I also bought a Kawai K1 which used to belong to former Sonicware staff member Evan Sirchuk, so here's that too playing one of it's presets. That's a really bright sounding bit of kit and I wasn't sure what to use it for at first but it fits in nicely here. I don't even think I've used that Korg NanoKEY2 for anything yet either and I've had that for years!

Anyway, I don't know how I ended making such an odd sounding jam 😁"

Introducing the LIVEN 8bit warps v3.0 Update and the All Black Limited Edition!

video upload by SONICWARE

"We have just released version 3.0 firmware of the LIVEN 8bit warps! 👉 https://sonicware.jp/pages/downloads?...
"And the special All Black Limited Edition has been released! 👉 https://sonicware.jp/pages/liven8bitw...

LIVEN 8bit warps v3.0
・8-bit waveform memory synth engine for creating a wide variety of sounds from Chiptune to Ambient
- Four distinct 8-bit waveform memory synth engines (Includes waveform editing with waveform capture function)
・Unique sound creation with aliasing noise on/off, detune and sweep functions
・128-step sequencer with parameter locking
・4-track looper for recording internal audio and external audio from the line input
・10 effects and 6 reverbs (switchable to the Cassette tape simulator)"

Sonicware Liven 8Bit Warps v3.0 Quick Start Guide

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text and video manuals like this. Any other shorter videos on my channel containing Sonicware products are not paid content.

A new version 3.0 firmware has been released for the Liven 8Bit Warps that adds some new feature, a pack of new drum sounds and generally tidy's things up a bit. You can download it from this page on the Sonicware website under the 8Bit Warps tab: https://sonicware.jp/pages/downloads

0:00 Teaser bit
0:16 Intro
1:00 How to update and add drum sounds
1:57 Demo of new drum sounds
2:26 6 New FX types
5:20 Copy duplicate
6:27 Sound locking
8:50 Using sound locking to make drum patterns
10:13 Pattern chain looping
11:06 Outro
11:16 Super secret mini jam!"

Limited Edition SONICWARE LIVEN Lofi-6

LIVEN Lofi-6 (Official PV)video upload by

See this previous post for additional details and demos of the standard edition Lofi-6.


LIVEN Lofi-6 Sound Demo video upload by SONICWARE

"LIVEN Lofi-6, a limited edition of 500 units in collaboration with Perfect Circuit.
https://sonicware.jp/pages/liven-lofi6
https://www.perfectcircuit.com/sonicw...

0:00 01 : DIXI (Dixieland by Takahiro Sato)
0:15 02 : AIME (Chabada by Christian Laffitte)
0:28 03 : JIVE (Jive by Chris Lody)
0:46 04 : FONO (Fonogram by Christian Laffitte)
0:58 05 : SEA (ASMR-ish 'By the sea' by Takahiro Sato)
1:10 06 : LATE (Late One Day by Chris Lody)
1:31 07 : NOVA (La Vie Est Belle by Christian Laffitte)
1:44 08 : HEY (Hey by Dr. Endo)
2:05 09 : BAYA (Baya playa by Christian Laffitte)
2:17 10 : LIFT (Lift Music by Chris Lody)
2:28 11 : LAGO (Lago by Christian Laffitte)
2:44 12 : EASY (Easy by Chris Lody)
3:05 13 : DRAW (Draw the Picture with Your Sound by Yasutake(elfin))
3:20 14 : D.NOC (Dobranoc by Yasutake(elfin))
3:46 15 : COSY (Cosy by Yasutake(elfin))
4:00 16 : BK.HL (Might Be Blackhole by Yasutake(elfin))"

Sonicware Liven Lofi-6 Quick Start Guide - How to Make Retro Lofi Music

video upload by ChrisLody

How To Use Texture Lab Granular Synth For Experimental Noise

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text, video manuals etc. This video wasn't paid for directly but as a result of my work with Sonicware it is marked as Paid Promotion

For more information about the Texture Lab see this video: [posted here]

Here's how to use the Liven Texture Lab for extreme experimental noise. This is very similar to a 'no input mixer technique' feedback technique but in this case the feedback loop is affected by granular synthesis so the results are extremely wild! Like all feedback techniques the results can be extreme and incredibly difficult to control, great fun :)"