Tracks like a zombie, but kicks like a mule – my first taste of yellow.
As Metasonix own video makes hilariously clear, you're never going to play Switched on Bach with the R54. Feed the Supermodule with the appropriate combination of CVs, however, and you can coax deep drums, watery plops, rubber basslines and tortured-animal sounds from this unruly, tube-based VCF/ VCO.
What can a new digital synth be in 2011? How will it work and sound? And given access to so many excellent tools, how can it stand apart?
In place of a press release and some marketing-speak, developer Christopher Penrose (Leisuresonic, Cosmovox) sent us an extended essay explaining his thinking behind his imminent SynthTronica synth for the iPad. Aside from getting into the nitty-gritty technical details, it cuts to the crux of the issue: how to make something personal and new that nonetheless can work for other people, and how that idea can be tailored to a tablet.
SynthTronica for iPad is now available, iTunes link.
More free samples at Waveformless’ Free Sample Friday:
Today's free sample is a single sample of a Tibetan singing bowl. The singing bowl is essentially an inverted bell that is used by Buddhists to accompany meditation or chanting. It can be played either by rolling the padded mallet along the inside rim, or by striking it. The sample I'm providing is of a single strike. It's an extremely long sample that reveals just how this instrument got the name "singing bowl". The note of the strike is an E. 24-bit, 44.1k WAV sample. [6.07 MB]
A little something different this Friday… instead of free samples, today we have 50 free patches for Native Instruments Absynth submitted by reader Alan Stuart. You can download them directly from his website. Thanks, Alan!
# Dustland – Real-time Live performance by Diego Stocco.
"Dustland" is a cinematic sounding improv that I recorded with the Fence Bass. This instrument has a rough and edgy sound since it's all made of metal, so I imagined a piece that could work in a modern Western film, I'm a fan of the genre.
Everything is created in real time, no pre-existing loops, additional tracks or post-efx involved. I built a chain of processors in Live that I control with a pedal board, all rhythmic parts and ambiences are derived from whatever sound/noise comes from the Fence Bass. I hope you'll like it!
This animated short by Theodore Ushev is like a whirlwind tour of Russian constructivist art and is filled with visual references to artists of the era, including Vertov, Stenberg, Rodchenko, Lissitsky and Popova.
# Beep-it! – Michael Una's Beep-it! device, an optical theremin.
It outputs a square wave whose pitch is controlled by the amount of light striking a photoresistor. You control the pitch by casting shadows over the light sensor, or by pointing it towards/away from a light source. Flashing lights induce an interesting oscillating effect. A single momentary button turns Beep-it on or off.
There is an 1/4″ output jack for connecting to audio equipment like amplifiers, guitar pedals, recording, etc.
I’ve been a bit “heads down” working on all sorts of fun music projects over the last month and half and of course learning lots of new things along the way. As I work away, I always take a moment to shoot photos.
Short: MIDI-controlled 8-bit digital synthesizer and audio sampler
Long: Device generates several different sounds based on incoming MIDI Note On/Off, Pitch Wheel and Control Change messages. Default waveforms are Sine and Square. An audio sampling function is available to record custom waveform samples that can then be played-back similarly to Sine and Square waveforms (think Impulse Tracker or Scream Tracker or any other tracker from 1997). Audio input is switchable between on-board microphone and external 4-conductor headset jack.
Free sample pack by dubstep forum user Project EX:
A small collection of kicks, recorded and collected by me. No processing on the kicks, just normalized. Will try to make some more samples at some point. Will get it on the sample swap when it's back up.
Analogfactory has announced the release of Paranormal Experience, a collection of 100 sound for Native Instruments Absynth 5.
Deep sounding pads, unusual spectrums, distorted and blood freezing sounds. This is the perfect environment for your next track if you want to give him a touch of darkness and fear.
Paranormal Experience is designed for Native Instruments Absynth 5 and contains 100 sound patches (saved in .ksd KORE Sound) which are divided in 3 categories to give you a fast and quick access for cinematic ambiences like horror, dark, fear and supernatural. Listen to our demo and feel how it abducts you into the deepness of fear!
Paranormal Experience is available to purchase for the introductory price of $8.99 USD (regular $10.99 USD).
Patchpool has announced the release of Best of absynthsounds.com, a collection of sounds for Native Instruments Absynth 5.
This Sound Bank is the first “best of”-collection of sounds Simon programmed for Absynth 5 and published on his website absynthsounds.com since Decembre 2009.
Best of absynthsounds.com features
Includes a wide range of ambient Soundscapes, Pads, Drones and more experimental sounds.
Many of the patches are sample based and make use of the new features introduced in Absynth 5 which are the Cloudfilter, Aetherizer, Super Comb and Filter Feedback.
Most patches have many if not all available Macros assigned. More detailed info about each patch, the licence agreement and installation instructions in the pdf.
Contains 903 MB of wav samples recorded and produced at 48Khz/24 Bit.
Best of absynthsounds.com for Absynth 5 is available to purchase for 14.95 EUR.
Mark Mosher of Modulate This! has released Sounds From a Distant Outpost, a free Ableton Live Pack.
Sounds From a Distant Outpost is more than a sample sound library. Over 30 hours in the making, it is a set of 12 deep and expressive instrument racks that will transport you to a dark and distant outpost. From here you will be able to explore the sounds, machines, and creatures of this world. These instruments will help spark your imagination and I hope inspire you to create your own soundtrack for this world. Of course, the instruments will also help add an interesting “edge” to any sound or music project.
The source audio is made up of some of my field recordings as well as original synthesized and re-synthesis harmonic content. The concept for the instruments was based on a back-story I created as the project progressed. Fueled by the story and setting, I translated these these source samples into Ableton Live racks and meticulously programmed them to create playable dynamic instruments which are placed under your command via macro parameters, velocity, after touch, and modulation wheel mappings. I’ve also provided the original source samples for the project so those who don’t have Ableton Live will be able to use these samples as oscillator sources in synths like Absynth, Alchemy, ElectraX and Blofeld.
Sounds From a Distant Outpost is available as a free download for Ableton Live 8 and Suite 8 (Intro not supported), and a pack of samples for use in your sampler of choice is available as well.
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