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

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'"

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 »

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

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 »

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 :)"

SONICWARE Introduces the LIVEN Texture Lab | Granular Synthesizer/Effector

video upload by SONICWARE

"LIVEN Texture Lab | Granular Synthesizer/Effector
- Sample, slice, transform and reconstruct audio to synthesize completely new sounds
- Granular synthesizer with granular effects processor mode
- Shimmer reverb for fantastical and majestic sounding spaces
- 128-step sequencer with parameter locking
- World-famous sound designers have provided presets as results of their experiments

The presets are
01 FL.BK (Flashback) : Yasutake(elfin)
02 DRMR (Dreamer) : Limbic Bits
03 FEAR (Fear) : Chris Lody
04 US.HP (Use Headphones!) : Takashi Matsuura
05 CHOR (nostalgic space choir) : Dr. Endo"

CLICK FOR MORE »

Quick guide for LIVEN Lofi-12 v2.0

video upload by ChrisLody

"LIVEN Lofi-12 v2.0:
https://sonicware.jp/pages/liven-lofi12

● Chopping
Two new voice modes called ‘Drum’ and ‘Chop’ auto-slice samples easily with the newly developed Downbeat Divider*. Sliced sections of a sample are then spread across the keyboard making finger drumming possible.

● Resampling
Patterns and tracks can be resampled by internally recording the audio output into a new sample. Real-time resampling of your keyboard playing is also possible.

● Remix Effect
A beat repeater effect ‘R.MIX’, added to the master effect options, makes glitchy real-time performances possible.

The new features are designed to work well with each other so you can easily create drum tracks with auto-slicing and record lively performances that are not constrained by the grid of the internal step sequencer. You can also resample samples and tracks for infinite effects processing and even build your own beats and kits ready to be sliced up in the Drum and Chop modes.

The new features in version 2.0 will further expand your creativity!

-------------

*…Downbeat Divider is an auto-slicing function that divides the entire sample into equal portions of equal length by setting the length of one beat. Set the length by the [VOICE] ADJ. It can be set from 0 to 255 for a maximum of 1 second. The default is 0.5 seconds at 167.

PLEASE NOTE: The new Drum sounds I describe were revised shortly after the video was finished so are available as individual samples rather than a bank. Therefore the upload procedure is not the same as shown at the start of the video. Sonicware has provided an update guide for the firmware and new sounds so please refer to that for guidance."

Sampled Kitchen Appliance Ambient Jam - Liven Lofi-12

video upload by ChrisLody

"Just for a bit of fun I thought it would be interesting to see what a jam made of non instrument samples would sound, so here is a jam just made from nothing but kitchen appliances. All sounds were recorded on a Korg SOS recorder then tuned within the Sonicware Liven Lofi-12 by playing them out loud into a tuner on my phone and tweaking the pitch.

I sampled my microwave which is used for the opening drone sound. I think there must have been some electromagnetic interference which caused the weird little rhythmic pulse that runs through it. Nice little happy accident.

The beeps from the washing machine and air fryer is kind of cheating but the result is very pleasing, especially the pitched down air fryer which take on bell like tones.

I'm especially happy with the pitched up dishwasher. The hum of its motor is particularly deep so I was expecting to use it for bass but it made a really nice melodic sound instead.

By the way the 'Typical 1990s Kitchen' image comes from a book of royalty free images. My wife has been buying them recently so they will likely pop up a lot more from now on :)"

How To Use the Sonicware Liven Lofi-12 Sampler - Full Tutorial

video upload by ChrisLody

"0:00 Intro

0:44 What is a Groove-box sampler?

2:00 Lofi-12 Layout

3:33 Getting Started
Powering up
Playing patterns
Shift & Func
Muting the speaker
Headphone gain
Shift lock
Loading patterns with PTN
Pattern and Global BPM
Page buttons
Pattern chaining
Knob latch

10:01 Tracks & Patterns
Pattern and track contents
Selecting tracks
Muting tracks
Clearing track

CLICK FOR MORE »

Liven Lofi-12 as a Synth - Free Oscillator Banks

video upload by ChrisLody

"Just a quickie this time. The Lofi-12 is quite a useful mini synth with oscillator shapes loaded into it's slots so you can download 2 banks here in the Sysex Files/Sonicware/ Liven Lofi-12 folder: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l6c592egul...

Don' worry if you accidently overwrite any of the factory sound as they can be restored from the download section on Sonicware's website in the Lofi-12 tab: https://sonicware.jp/pages/downloads"

Liven Lofi 12 - Old School Breakbeat Slicing & Stretching

video upload by ChrisLody

0:00 Answering your questions
3:10 Cutting breakbeats into separate hits
7:18 Sample start position automation

"Here's a nice nerdy one about the new Sonicware Liven Lofi-12 sampler. This will seem very familiar to anyone that's watched my Volca Sample video on the same subject because it uses the same method but it's less complex to setup on the Lofi-12

It's equip with a decent set of tools that we can use to create some interesting effects like old school beat slicing, stretching and pitch shifting

Here is the BPM calculator I mentioned:
https://toolstud.io/music/bpm.php
1 bar of 75bpm audio is 3.2 seconds
3.2 seconds / 4 seconds max recording time = 0.8
10000 maximum slice points * 0.8 = 8000
So the end of a 75bpm drum loop is at 8000 in the sample edit mode

128 values / 16 steps = 8
So to spread a sample across 16 steps program the Start setting onto the steps like this:
0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72, 80, 88, 96, 104, 112, 120"

SONICWARE Introduces the LIVEN Lofi-12

video upload by SONICWARE

SONICWARE Liven Lofi-12 - How to Make Lofi Music

video upload by ChrisLody

"So here it is, the new SONICWARE Liven Lofi-12 sampler, and it's pretty damn good.

The Lofi-12 allows 12khz and 24khz sampling frequencies with 128 sample slots. The samples are either 2 or 4 seconds long depending on the chosen frequency. Audio can be recorded directly into the internal memory via the Line In socket, after which sampled sounds are immediately playable across the keys chromatically. Sample playback is not interpolated (not smoothed out) so they have a gritty quality rather than being dulled by the low sampling rate.

A lot of features have been brought over from the Liven XFM including it's sequencer, voice modes, parameter locks etc, but this time the maximum polyphony is 10 rather than 6. Plus each track has it's own effects section that can be modulated by the parameter locks and the reverbs found in the Liven 8Bits Warps are here in a dedicated master reverb section with the addition of Tape and Vinyl effects.

There is a deep editing overlay like the XFM which enables samples to be trimmed, looped and reversed. It's possible to record in instruments and waveform and then loop sections to make the sound loop cleanly, a slight cross-fade is used to accomplish this.

The same Sound Locking function found on the XFM is present too so it's possible to modulate the sample selection in each track, so having a track play a kick and then a snare is entirely possible.

All in all it's a very well rounded little affordable sampler that can record directly into it's memories and can be used like a groove box. Pretty awesome I think.

Sampled drum break source: Future Music Magazine issue 135 cover CD

Free (and very good) audio recording app used: https://www.dolby.com/en-gb/apps/dolb..."

Update:

Liven LOFI 12 by Sonicware — instant lofi vibes!

video upload by BoBeats

00:00 What is the LIVEN LOFI 12? + Sound Demo
04:46 Beat from scratch + Going over features
12:00 Sequencer Performance Functions
16:15 Sample Locking: Making a drum beat with ONE track
17:33 How to Quickly Sample
21:28 Should you buy it?



● Retro sampling engine with 12bit Sampler mode

● Easily play samples chromatically across the keyboard

● Powerful 4-track sequencer with parameter and sound locking

● Laid-back knob for creating drunk beats

● 11 types of Effects each track and 8 types of Master Effect

The LIVEN Lofi-12 has a 16bit - 12kHz/24kHz sampling engine with the 12bit Sampler mode that will turn any sound into a pleasing lo-fi sound.

Like the many legendary samplers that were released in the late 80s, this is a genuine low-bit and low sampling frequency sound that cannot be obtained authentically with bit crusher effects and other modern sound degrading tools.

Up to 4 seconds mono sampling per sample slot (2 seconds mono sampling at the 24kHz mode). Start and end point trimming, pitch adjustment, reverse playback, sustain loop, filtering and LFO modulation are all possible."

Additional details at https://sonicware.jp/pages/liven-lofi12

SONICWARE Liven XFM Generative Melody Trick Tutorial

video upload by ChrisLody

"Here is another quickie for the Sonicware Liven XFM that i've been meaning to record for a while. Using a couple of different features we can get the XFM to create generative melodies based on chords we've entered both on the internal synth engine and on external gear."

SONICWARE Liven XFM Shifting Ambient Textures Tutorial

video upload by ChrisLody

"Just a quickie this one while I get into the swing of making regular tutorials again, in fact it took me much longer to decide what to record today than it did to actually record it. This video shows how you can make shifting ambient textures on a Soniware Liven XFM using it's X-LFO feature with an attempt at showing how the Color setting affects morphing."

ChrisLody Liven posts