Results for Audio Damage

Some interesting things I found recently:

# NAMM Oddities 2010

Barry is back with the NAMM Oddities of 2010:

My NAMM experience went really quite smoothly this year. I didn't have to deal with any injuries or camera failures.

The show was a little smaller than last year, which was most apparent in my favorite haunt, Hall E. There were some open areas where there weren't any booths set up at all. That being said, there was no shortage of invention and innovation at the show. Because of that, I think the great unsung heroes of the Oddities need their own motto: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor global economic collapse stays the mad genius from the swift creation of strange musical devices."

# Use the WiiMote as a musical instrument

Winko Erades van den Berg on making music using a computer and a Wiimote:

An article that appeared on the Create Digital Music website, about making music using the WiiMote and a computer, drew my attention. Several hints were given on the how to, but as always in doing new things the information was scattered everywhere and nowhere.

After reading many articles and watching many videos I found out how to realize a working setup for myself. In this article I’ll try to explain the steps needed to create a working setup for yourself.

# Mellodrama: The Mellotron Movie

Mellodrama, a documentary by Dianna Dilworth, explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Mellotron – the first musical keyboard to "sample" the sounds of other instruments – from its birth in a California garage in the 1950s, through its dominance on concert stages in the 1970s, through its almost religious cult of followers in the 2000s. From the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" to Black Sabbath to Kanye West, Mellodrama is a 50-year odyssey of musical invention, revolution, betrayal, and rediscovery.

Includes 8-page booklet with essay by Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues, Mellotron and Chamberlin production timelines, and more.

# Drum machine shootout

Plughugger has a comprehensive review of Audio Damage Tattoo, Audiorealism ADM and Sonic Charge Microtonic.

This review compares three software drum machines and how they stand against each other. Three audioguns, twenty one sonic bullets. Two swedes and one american. Drum roll, please…

While there are a whole bunch of drum synthesizers on the market and many of them are very competent – my selection ended up with Audio Damage Tattoo, Audiorealism ADM and Sonic Charge Microtonic. My primary criteria was that they should be available for both PC and Mac – and they should be able to create more than one type of overall sound. I chose not to include any of the drum machines from the polish developer D16, as each and every drum machine is locked to a specific model and besides – I don’t own licenses for any of them.
Waldorf Attack is a classic that I seriously considered to include, but decided against as it doesn’t contain a sequencer. Also, three products against each other is clear as a german sausage soup. But the Waldorf Attack is a fantastic drum synthesizer, especially for creating weird electronic percussion noises.

I love Microtonic (and the D16 drum machines), but I think it’s inevitable I’ll end up getting Tattoo at some point.

Audio Damage has released version 1.0.3 of Tattoo, a drum synth sequencer for Windows and Mac.

With twelve voices inspired by the famous X0X series of analog drum machines and an internal sequencer that is second to none, Tattoo makes an excellent addition to the arsenal for any electronic music producer.

Changes in Tattoo v1.0.3

• Flamming when changing patterns, fixed.
• The reset note for MIDI Note Sync mode wasn’t working correctly, now fixed.
• Digital distortion from the cymbal sound for some Logic users, fixed.
• General stability and CPU usage issues addressed.

Tattoo is available to purchase as an instrument plug-in for PC and Mac (VST/AU), priced at $79 USD.

More information: Audio Damage / Tattoo

Audio Damage has released Tattoo, a drum synthesizer sequencer plug-in for PC and Mac.

With twelve voices inspired by the famous X0X series of analog drum machines and an internal sequencer that is second to none, Tattoo makes an excellent addition to the arsenal for any electronic music producer.

Each of the twelve internal voices has been created using our proprietary D-Plane synthesis, and each has been extensively tested and tuned in order to have a broad palette. Every parameter of every voice has its own modulation sequencer, allowing for extensive motion within a pattern.

The grid sequencer in Tattoo is a whole world unto itself, with comprehensive randomization features and multiple sync modes, including a MIDI note sync to enable use with virtually any time signature, groove template, or host swing. The sequencer has MIDI out (VST only) to drive other sound sources, to double or replace Tattoo’s internal sounds.

In short, Tattoo is more than a simple drum synth; it is a complete rhythm programming environment.

Tattoo features

• 12 Drum Synths: Tattoo comes equipped with twelve different voices, utilizing our custom D-Plane synthesis, rather than the one general catch-all voice you find in most drum synth plug-ins.
• Sophisticated Step Sequencer: Tattoo’s internal sequencer comes correct, taking grid programming to the next level.
• Randomization For Days: There are multiple routes to randomizing your beats, from subtle ghost notes to full on haywire.
• Parameter Sequencing: Every synth parameter (and we mean every one) has its own sequencer, including randomization.
• Synchronized: Tattoo can run off its internal sequencer, from host sync, or via “note sync,” where the sequencer can be stepped with MIDI notes. In this way, Tattoo can run in any time signature you can come up with, or sync to any groove template in any host sequencer.
• MIDI Input: Tattoo’s MIDI implementation includes full MIDI learn for all parameters and MIDI pattern switching. You can also use MIDI note input in addition to or instead of Tattoo’s internal sequencer, and still have access to the randomization features and MOD sequencing.
• MIDI Output: Tattoo sends MIDI output of all its note events, including randomization, so you can use its step sequencer to drive any other drum synth or sampler (or any instrument, really) as long as your host allows MIDI routing from a plug-in instrument.
• Audio Outputs: Tattoo has six stereo outputs. The first buss has a modified version of the Kombinat “One Knob Compressor” to add a little (or a lot of) squish to things.

Tattoo is available as an instrument plug-in for PC and Mac (AU/VST) for $79 USD.

More information: Audio Damage / Tattoo

Audio Damage has announced Tattoo, a drum synth sequencer plug-in for PC and Mac.

Audio Damage’s first instrument, Tattoo, is a drum synthesizer where everything old is new again. Featuring 12 independent “voice-tuned” synthesizer topologies loosely based on the X0X series, and an incredibly sophisticated step/mod sequencer, Tattoo is at home in all forms of electronic music production.

Tattoo features

• 12 Drum Synths: Tattoo comes equipped with twelve different voices, instead of the one general catch-all voice you find in most drum synth plug-ins.
• Sophisticated Step Sequencer: Tattoo’s internal sequencer comes correct, taking grid programming to the next level.
• Randomization For Days: There are multiple routes to randomizing your beats, from subtle ghost notes to full on haywire.
• Parameter Sequencing: Every synth parameter (and we mean every one) has its own sequencer, including randomization.
• Synchronized: Tattoo can run off its internal sequencer, from host sync, or via “note sync,” where the sequencer can be stepped with MIDI notes. In this way, Tattoo can run in any time signature you can come up with, or sync to any groove template in any host sequencer.
• MIDI Input: Tattoo’s MIDI implementation includes full MIDI learn for all parameters and MIDI pattern switching. You can also use MIDI note input in addition to or instead of Tattoo’s internal sequencer, and still have access to the randomization features and MOD sequencing.
• MIDI Output: Tattoo sends MIDI output of all its note events, including randomization, so you can use its step sequencer to drive any other drum synth or sampler (or any instrument, really) as long as your host allows MIDI routing from a plug-in instrument.
• Audio Outputs: Tattoo has a stereo buss and 10 mono outputs. The stereo buss has a modified version of the Kombinat “One Knob Compressor” to add a little squish to things.

Tattoo will be available for PC and Mac (AU/VST) soon.

More information: Audio Damage / Tattoo

Some interesting things I found recently:

# Audio Damage Tattoo

Chris Randall shares the latest on Audio Damage’s forthcoming virtual drum synthesizer (check little demo audio clip here).

Audio Damage Tattoo (alpha)

Chris writes:

With the caveat that the UI isn't 100% finalized, here you go. Have a gander at Tattoo, our first instrument. Some salient points:

1. No samples. This is a drum synthesizer. Each voice is purpose-built, as well, rather than just having a general percussion synthesis voice.
2. Every synthesis control has a sequencer attached to it.
3. If you own Replicant, you can immediately see how the randomization/likelihood works for each channel/voice.
4. The sequencer also outputs MIDI (in the VST only, of course) so you can use the randomization features in other drum synths or external hardware.

So, there you have it. We haven't decided on a price, and I have no idea whatsoever as to when it will be done. We've got the synthesis all in place, but not "tuned," and the sequencer is about 80% complete, but the hardest parts haven't been done yet.

# Create Digital Music » The Speaking Piano, and Transforming Audio to MIDI

Austrian composer Peter Ablinger digitized a recording of a child speaking and then programmed a mechanical piano to replicate the sounds. The video above is in German, but Hack a Day has provided a translation:

I break down this phonography, meaning a recording of something the voice, in this case -, in individual pixels, one can say. And if I have the possibility of a rendering in a fairly high resolution (and that I only get with a mechanical piano), then I in fact restore some kind of continuity. Therefore, with a little practice, or help or subtitling, we actually can hear a human voice in a piano sound.

The content of the speech is taken from the Proclamation of the European Environmental Criminal Court at World Venice Forum 2009.

Audio Damage has released version 1.5.2 of the AudioUnit version of Ronin, a modular multi-effect plug-in for Windows and Mac.

Changes in Ronin v1.5.2 (AU)

• There was a problem in Logic 8 and 9 where the preset names weren’t displayed correctly, and the presets couldn’t be incremented. This has been fixed.
• There was a minor problem in all AU hosts where the routing matrices didn’t update correctly on preset changes and in some other instances. This has been fixed.

Ronin is available for Windows and Mac (VST/AU) for $49 USD.

More information: Audio Damage