Free Sample Friday: Physical

Physical Modeling is a type of synthesis based on the way a vibrating object (a plucked string, a struck mallet, a bowed instrument...) interacts with a resonant body (the hollow part of an acoustic guitar, the body of a hand drum).  As a result, Physical Modeling allows you to not only create sounds with "real world" qualities, but to combine elements into bizarre new instruments.  Bowed flutes... blown guitars... a violin played with a mallet?  All are possible in the realm of PM.

Today's free sample was created via Physical Modeling in Logic's built-in Scuplture synth.  It's a sort of plucked string instrument.  7 mutli-samples as 24-bit/44.1k WAV files weighing in around 6.3 MB.

GO GET THEM!

Moog 12-Stage Phaser on eBay

Info at the listing...

Vintage Starkey Hearing Science Laboratory Modular Synthesizer on eBay

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Helpful Ableton Push Tutorials

[via AbletonInc on YouTube]

Reproducing the Sound of "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This"

This is an oldie, but worth watching for people interested in replicating famous synth sounds.

[via FutureMusicMagazine on YouTube]

Sugar Bytes Announces Easter Sale

Plug-in developers Sugarbytes are running a sale for the next few days (until April 1st), with some products being discounted up to 50% off.  Check out their Shop page for details.

Alesis Andromeda A6 on eBay

Info at the listing...

Roland System 100 Model 101 on eBay

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Special Edition MicroKorg on eBay

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Yamaha CS-5 on eBay

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Sexy Men of the Synthesizer

For a long time, everyone's favorite synth blog Matrixsynth has had a dedicated blog category for Synth Babes in appreciation for some of the comely lasses in the electronic music world.  But where's the love for the studly male synth players?  My friend Barry, who I am sure was searching for something totally innocuous when he found it, showed me the Sexy Men of the Synthesizer, a Tumblr dedicated to just that

Interview with Depeche Mode Programmer Christoffer Berg

Ever wish you were so rich and successful you could hire your own private sound programmer to fill all your synths and samples with custom-made, unique sounds and beats?  That's exactly what bands like Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails do.  Teenage Engineering, creators of the oft-lusted-after, OP-1, interviewed programmer Christoff Berg, who worked on Depeche Mode's just-released "Delta Machine" album.  Check it out!

Piepline Audio Releases KMS Drums Free Drum Sample Instrument

KMS Drums is a free, multi-sampled drum set instrument for Windows and Mac from Pipeline Audio.  The acoustic kit samples were recorded at the Kailua Music School in Oahu, Hawaii.  The installation is slightly more complex than usual, requiring you to download the plug-in file for your preferred platform (Windows VST, Mac VST and AU), the sample library itself, and a "Universal MS2 file".

Arp Odyssey Mk III on eBay

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Moog Minimoog D on eBay

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Yamaha DX-1 on eBay

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Free Sample Friday: Ring Mod Bass

We have a guest Free Sample Friday today courtesy of reader Darren Halm.  Take it away, Darren!

"I recorded these abrasive samples playing my fretless Fender bass through a bevy of pedals including a Catalinbread Heliotrope "Analog Bit Crusher", an Electro-Harmonix Ring Thing and a Devi Ever Soda Might. Put into a cranked Ampeg bass amp and recorded with a Zoom H4 about 6 inches from the cone. The combination of Ring Mod and fretless slides produced a lot of useful(?) wobbling. These could easily be used to create basslines on their own, could supplement synth bass, or could be used for bass "fills". 20 samples at 24 bit 44.1 Wav.  [Approximately 22 MB]"

GO GET THEM!

Waldorf Micro Q on eBay

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Paia Fatman on eBay

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Open Thread: What Was the First Electronic Sound That Caught Your Ears?

Since you're reading this blog, it's safe to assume you're probably pretty into electronic music.  In talking to a lot of other electronic musicians over the years, I've discovered that for many of us, there was a specific sound on a song that lit that spark of interest in synths.  For me, it was the eerie Vox Humana preset from the Moog Polymoog on Gary Numan's famous "Cars".  Both that, and the white noise "claps" on that song blew my little 8-year-old mind the first time I heard that song on the radio and a lifelong obsession began.  Was there a similar sound in a song that did it for you?  Most of us have certain types of sounds you gravitate to... what are yours?

(By the way, if you want some free samples of the Polymoog Vox Humana preset as used by Gary Numan, Hollowsun has some great ones in their free sample selection.

Drumfire DF-500 on eBay

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Analogue Solutions TBX-303 on eBay

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Oberheim OB-xa on eBay

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Stream the New Depeche Mode Album for Free on iTunes

Depeche Mode's latest offering "Delta Machine" comes out next week, but if you want to listen to the entire thing for free in a manner that is all legit-like, you can do so on iTunes.  Listen to the album from start to finish for free.

Roland JX-3P on eBay

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EDP Wasp on eBay

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Cool Photo Blog Documents Band's Live Set-ups

My friend Steve showed me this site the other day.  Otherbandsstuff.com is a blog run by someone who works at a live music venue.  He takes pictures of the band's gear when they play there and posts them to the blog.  Kind of cool to see what other artists are carting around with them on the road!

Teisco S-100P on eBay

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Roland Jupiter-6 on eBay

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Kawai K5 on eBay

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Free Plug-in from SoundToys

No free samples today... it's been a week.

But, I couldn't send you into the weekend without pointing you in the direction of something free!  SoundToys have released Little Microshift,   Little Microshift utilizes separate delays and/or pitch shift amounts on the left and right, widening and thickening the signal whether it's a vocal, guitar, or synth.  Note that SoundToys plug-ins require an iLok (BOOOOOOOOO!).

GO GET IT!

Electrix FilterFactory on eBay

Info at the listing...