This is really interesting whether you use Ableton or not....
Friday, December 18, 2009
Oberheim Strummer on Ebay
Don't see these too often. It was sort of like a MIDI arpeggiator designed to emulate guitar strums.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Cool Video
Analog Systems French Connection on Ebay
Analog Systems' recreation of the famous early French electronic instrument, the Ondes Martenot. 
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Free MPC60 Sample Pack from Goldbaby
Goldbaby, the sample developers known best for their libraries of drum sounds sampled from analog tape, vinyl, and now vintage hardware samplers, has released Volume 3 of their drum sounds sampled through the infamous Akai MPC60. To get you hooked, they have a selection of the samples available as a free download from their site.
Sample Fodder Wednesday!
Two cool finds for those of you looking for some interesting things to feed your sampler:1. NASA Space Recordings - This appears to be connected to some outdated New Age type website and features recordings NASA made of different celestial bodies. Not sure what the process used to record the sounds is, but they're pretty damn eerie. These would be amazing fed into Alchemy for soundscapes and creepy pads.
2. Old World Radio - Really cool archive of old time radio shows of every description. Also contains a 'Voices of History' section with recordings of some of history's most famous speeches collected in a single place.
Oberheim Matrix 12 on Ebay
In my post on expensive synths yesterday, reader Fractured suggested I add the mighty Oberheim Matrix-12 to the list. And wouldn't you know it, one just popped up on eBay!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Money to Burn....
A little while back, I wrote a post about vintage synths you could pick up for a song and a dance on eBay. A lot of you seemed to enjoy that one, so I thought it might be fun to look at the opposite end of the spectrum - those vintage synths that are positively stratospheric in price. Sure, these are well out of reach for most of us mere mortals, but it can be fun to dream, right? I generally avoided some of the big modulars and super-boutique-y stuff like Buchla's on purpose, but if you see something you feel I missed, by all means add it to the comments.PPG Wave 2.3 - Approximately $4,500
Undoubtedly one of the more unique-sounding synths on the list, the PPG Wave laid the foundation for what would eventually become Waldorf's Microwave and Blofeld series of synths. What made it unique among the other digital synths from the early to mid 80's was that it used modulatable wavetables instead of static oscillators which allowed for unique sounds that evolved in interesting ways. The PPG Wave was favored by many 80's artists such as the Fixx and Depeche Mode, but the units are notoriously unreliable, so if you are looking for one, it's probably best for you to try it out in person. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Waldorf's similarly named Wave, which often goes for some pretty top shelf prices itself.
Crumar Spirit - Approximately $2,000-$5,000
This 2 VCO monosynth is notable mainly because of the involvement of Bob Moog along with Tom Rhea and Jim Scott in the design. The quality of sounds it produces has been the topic of a lot of internet debate (though honestly, what HASN'T?), but it is remarkably well-equipped in terms of features including oscillator sync, ring mod, multi-mode filters with switchable slopes, an arpeggiator, and audio input for processing external sounds. Prices on this are a bit hard to nail down. There seems to be quite a bit of disconnect between asking prices and the prices they actually get, thus the big range of prices listed above.
Moog Memorymoog - $5,500
As the last synth Bob Moog designed for Moog in its original incarnation, the Memorymoog was a hell of a note to go out on! It shared much of the same architecture as the famous Minimoog, but used different chips, so sounded different, although still unmistakably "Moog". Additionally, it was 6 note polyphonic and, as the name suggests, you could actually store patches on it (a version called the Memorymoog+ could also be retrofitted for MIDI). Those 6 voices could also be stacked in a massive-sounding unison mode. Its sound wasn't the only thing massive about it, though. This thing is about the size and weight of a Sherman tank. I don't know if if there are reliability issues with this in general, but the only ones I've ever seen in person have been non-functional. This may have more to do with user modifications than the original build, but the usual caveat to check out any vintage synths before making the plunge applies. Probably most famously used by Larry Fast (Peter Gabriel's old keyboard player) and the Cars.
Synton Syrinx - $5,500
Synton was a relatively short-lived Dutch company that produced electronic instruments, the most famous of which was probably the Syrinx. Even so, only a couple hundred were ever made, so its price is largely due to its scarcity. With 2 VCO's, extremely flexible filters, oscillator sync, FM, PWM, and a very unique touchpad replacing the traditional mod wheel, the Syrinx has plenty to make it appealing regardless of how rare it is. (And if you are looking for something REALLY rare, a handful of red colored Syrinx's were made).
Yamaha DX-1 - Approximately $6,000
Have you ever said to yourself, "I like the DX-7, but I wish it weighed 200 pounds"? Okay, that's not really fair. The DX-1 was based around 2 6-operator FM synths that could be split and layered for much more complex sounds. The DX-1 also featured elegant wood paneling, weighted keys with polyphonic aftertouch, and actual buttons instead of the flakey membrane buttons favored by the later DX series, but perhaps the biggest advantage it afforded was in all the additional parameter displays it offered which can help make the sometimes vexing process of programming an FM synth a bit more enjoyable.
ARP 2600 - Approximately $6,000-$7,000
The ARP 2600 is one of those 'holy grail' synths that is often spoken of with the sort of hushed reverence normally reserved for royalty - and with good reason. The ARP 2600 took some of the mystery out of modular programming by having all the modules pre-wired and programmable right from the get-go. You'd be missing out on a lot of the machine's capabilities, though, as the patch panel allows you to re-wire connections between modules to open up mind-boggling new sonic possibilities. 3 VCO's, noise source, 24db lowpass filter, ring modulator, sample and hold, and even a built-in spring reverb give the 2600 a thick, complex tone a step above most other synths from the same time period. Depeche Mode's favorite synth... what more do you need to say?
Yamaha CS-80 - Approximately $8,000+
Looking more like an organ than an analog polysynth, the CS-80 is probably best known as one of Vangelis' weapons of choice during the height of his career. If you want to hear a good demo for the synth, check out his soundtrack for the sci-fi classic "Blade Runner" which is filled to the bursting point with CS-80. Its dual VCO architecture was 8 voice polyphonic and featured patch memories, which was quite a feat in 1976 when it first hit the market. It has wonderfully rich, detailed filters, but wasn't terribly snappy in the envelope department, so it mainly saw duty for pads, brass, and string which it was absolutely brilliant for. Nothing else sounds quite like it.
Gleeman Pentaphonic - Approximately $7,500
Another synth whose price is mainly a function of its rarity, this 5-voice polysynth featured 3 stable DCO's sent through an analog filter and an overall relatively simple architecture. The Pentaphonic came in both a black version and a rarer clear version, but over all, only about 50 are rumored to have ever been built which definitely makes it extremely appealing to collectors.
EMS VC3 - Approximately $8,000+
The VC3 is definitely one of those 'status symbol' synths. Sure, a lot of this has to do with the asking price, but with famous users including luminaries such as Pink Floyd and Jean Michel-Jarre, one has to assume it has much to recommend it. Introduced in the late 60's, the VC3 packed modular features in a relatively small space and utilized a unique pin matrix system for signal routing instead of the traditional patch cable jungle. What makes the VC3 so appealing is how unapologetically weird it is. In fact, many would argue that the VC3 really isn't that well-suited for what one might consider traditionally 'musical' purposes, Where it excels are in wild, otherworldly sci-fi sounds (it was used heavily on the television show Dr. Who back in the day) that would be difficult to achieve on machines lacking the VC3's programming depth. Not for everyone, to be sure, but if you want to impress the hell out of your geekier synth friends, very few machines will do it more than this.
ARP 2500 - Approximately $15,000+
If a "mere" 2600 doesn't get you all excited in the pants, then perhaps the 2500 is more your speed (although the 2600 is actually much better-equipped). This was ARP's first product, and boy, was it a doozy. The massive cabinet (or cabinets if you bought the expansion modules) housed all the modules in the middle with all routing done via EMS-like pin matrices. So if it has less features than a 2600 why is it so much more expensive? Once again, scarcity. Only about 100 are rumored to have been made. (And its appearance as the synth used to communicate with aliens in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" I suppose makes it a movie-star, too...)
Yamaha GX-1 - $50,000+
There's a lot of folklore about the GX-1 which makes it hard to know for sure approximately how many were made, but most sensible estimates seem to be in the neighborhood of 50 - 200. This surprises me because I've actually seen one of these beasts in person. When my band was on tour in Europe many years ago, we were walking around Hamburg and soaking in all the pre-Christmas ambience when we heard loud, electronic versions of Christmas carols echoing off the buildings. We tracked the source down to a sort of smarmy lounge lizard type surrounded by analog synths happily playing away. And there, at the center of everything was a GX-1. I thought for sure I had to be hallucinating - after all, who in their right mind brings something that expensive and rare OUTSIDE in the middle of winter? Apparently, this guy. A closer look confirmed that it was indeed a GX-1 and not a home organ (which, with its multiple keyboards and organ like design, the GX-1 could easily be confused for). Sonically, this machine is dwarfed by the significantly smaller CS-80 (note: that is probably the only time you will ever hear the words "CS-80" and "significantly smaller" next to one another in a sentence), but if you absolutely want to flaunt what a big, rich jerk you are, it's touch to top this one. : )
Merry Christmas from Uncle Al
Via Bucksanta666.
Honestly, this just makes me a bit sad. Al Jourgensen, formerly of Ministry and a million other bands, recorded a Christmas song. In all honesty, although I can't understand the lyrics, it's a pretty cool song (if a bit like A Flock of Seagull's "Space Age Love Song"), but boy does he seem like he's wrecked. And not in the cool, nihilistic chic/Jim Morrisson kind of way. More like in the way of the one guy at the party who looks a little too old to be there and who gets WAY more hammered than everyone else and proceeds to make everyone else really uncomfortable. (Yes, that's been me on an occasion or twelve...) I hope you're doing alright, Al. "Twitch" had a huge impact on me as did pretty much the entire Wax Trax scene. It'd be nice to keep you around for awhile. Especially if you're going to branch out and do some really different, unexpected stuff like this.
UPDATE: I'm told Al had foot surgery recently (which would explain the mystery cane), so maybe all the slurry business is due to pain medication. Here's wishing a speedy recovery.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Beat Comping in Logic
Tunnel vision can be a funny thing. Sometimes you get so focused on a tool's intended purpose, that you lose sight of other cool ways you could use it just because it might not be the 'traditional' use for it.Take Logic's 'quick swipe' comping feature. This lets you quickly and easily composite a 'perfect' take of a vocal or instrument track by swiping over the best portions from multiple takes. It's almost always used on tracks where there is some human imperfection that might need cleaning up - vocals and live instrument tracks, mostly. I was so used to thinking of using it that way, that it never occurred to me that it would be a dead easy way to create 'broken beat' type drum loops and beats. Here's how to do it:
1. Launch Logic (this technique will work with any DAW that has a similar 'quick comp' mode).
2. You can do this trick with literally any audio, but for the sake of simplicity here, we'll just use some of the Apple Loops included with Logic. If the media browser isn't open, click on the MEDIA button at the top right side of the arrange window. Click on the 'LOOPS' tab to bring up Logic's Apple Loop Browser. Go ahead and select the 'BEATS' category to bring up a selection of drum beats we can choose from. For best results, you want to make sure the beats are fairly consistent in sound/production. So for the time being, just grab 4 loops from the same genre. Hip-hop is a good choice. Be sure you're selecting only the loops that are colored blue, as these are straight audio, whereas the green ones consist of MIDI driving a software instrument. We need audio only for this. Drag your loops to the arrange window and Logic will create new audio tracks for them. If all the loops aren't the same length, loop the shorter ones so all four tracks have the same length of audio.
3. SHIFT-CLICK on each of the four tracks until they are all selected. Go the the REGION menu and select FOLDER ->PACK TAKE FOLDER. This command lets you take multiple tracks of audio and pack them in a single 'take' folder, allowing you to easily make a new composite.
4. When you first create your take folder, the addition tracks will disappear and everything will get sucked up into the take folder track which will now have a disclosure triangle at the beginning. Click that triangle and the take folder expands to show you all four beats contained within. Now all you have to do is click and drag to select the different parts of each loop you want to be included in your composite loop. This is tons of fun to experiment with. Remember that you can use the bar and beat markers at the top of the timeline to ensure that your edits are rhythmically coherent.
This obviously works well with any audio, so you can create mutant melodies from comping several different synth tracks (so long as they're in the same key) and all manner of complicated-sounding rapid edits. Here's an example of the effect in action:
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