iZotope Inc. and Beatport Play, the leading remix contest platform, have partnered with BT to launch the BT Producer Challenge. Through May 5th, create an original piece of music using BreakTweaker, the future beat machine designed by BT and developed by iZotope, for a chance to release your track with Armada Music.
Korg have announced that their ‘Taktile’ controllers are available now. The KORG taktile/TRITON taktile are USB/MIDI controllers equipped with the same great-feeling, semi-weighted keyboard found on Korg’s KingKorg and Krome. Taktiles are loaded with functions that make them fun to use.
Arturia’s BeatStep offers a new degree of functionality and performance for a portable pad controller. BeatStep is highly versatile, capable of triggering clips in such applications as Ableton Live, it also allows you to play drums in conjunction with such applications as BFD or EZDrummer.
Hornberg Research is a small and young company in the south of Germany founded by Martin Raschke and Mick Baumeister. Mick is a professional film composer. He is working for more than 30 years for the German Film- and TV-Providers. When the BC3 disappeared from the market he begged Martin to develop a new breath controller because he needs a replacement to continue his work. The goal was to develop a stable, durable and high flexible tool that gives your work more expression and makes your daily work more easy and intuitive. This is why the hb1 MIDI Breath Station has been developed.
Around the end of last year Elektron announced the Analog Keys which they describe as their flagship analog synthesizer. For many it is the same as the Analog Four but with keys. Before we begin with this review I wanted to tell you that I already own an Elektron Analog Four and know it like the back of my hand. So in that regard I may skip over parts that I’m overly familiar with and will make a comparison between the two models.
Below are some of the new releases we have encountered this week on the Loops and Samples front. Just like the quality of the audio software we use these days the quality of the content we use (loops and samples) equally matches the high standards of this software. Below is this weeks selection.
Audiowerkstatt are pleased to announce their first product: the audiowerkstatt midi-clock-divider – a clock divider for the MIDI clock.
When Grammy-nominated composer BT was just a kid, his music teacher told him that nothing new would ever happen in the industry again – that becoming a master involved artfully rehashing the past.
Future Music Magazine went to The Hague (The Netherlands) and made a studio tour in the studios of Legowelt, famous for his use and love of vintage synthesizers and gear. Legowelt (real name Danny Wolfers) is a Dutch electronic musician who describes his musical style as “a hybrid form of slam jack combined with deep Chicago house, romantic ghetto technofunk and EuroHorror Soundtrack.”
Reveal Sound is a relatively new company and their first product is a synth called SPIRE. It’s a 4 oscillator synth with the options: classic, noise, fm and amsync. According to the developers it is a polyphonic synthesizer that combines powerful sound engine modulation and flexible architecture, a graphical interface provides unparalleled usability. Spire is the embodiment of the best opportunities, both software and hardware synthesizers. Let’s dive in and see what this synth is all about.
Positive Grid announces the first amp creation competition as a celebration of their over 1 million ToneCloud views for its BIAS amp designer app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Simply by submitting a short video demoing your custom BIAS amp, till April 18 you can win an iPad Air + $25 iTunes Cards!
Loopmasters have teamed up with top Techno duo Spektre and have released a free Ableton Live project. This was done to further the knowledge of the producer community and share this knowledge of the world class producers they work with and share some of the wealth.
The next generation Bass Whammy uses the most advanced pitch detection and polyphonic note tracking technology to create the world’s best pitch shifting effect pedal optimized for bass. The Bass Whammy maintains the classic settings from the original with many modern upgrades.
Native Instruments launched “It’s all about the drop” – a limited-time special offer on the industry-standard TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 and TRAKTOR KONTROL S2 all-in-one DJ controllers. TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 will be reduced by 100€ / $, while the S2 will be available for 50 € / $ off standard retail price. The price drop will run until April 30, 2014, both at resellers and in the NI Online Shop.
You could say that Nuevo Flamenco artist Russ Hewitt has one of those storied successful arranged marriages… to his career that is. As a student of classical guitar at UNT, the Texas born Hewitt shifted focus and committed to a new style of music that would allow him to keep his schedule full and his bills paid. His commitment to Nuevo Flamenco has certainly paid off, not only because of his success but he also found a passion for a style of music of which he is now considered a modern virtuoso.