On:
In: Ableton Live, Tutorials

For the past two years, every time I discovered something non-obvious about Ableton Live I jotted it down, and the result is this clip and the accompanying tips to be added in the November edition of my book – available on Patreon. Ableton Live is an extremely powerful DAW and electronic music performance platform, but there are a few aspects of it that are far from intuitive. Hopefully this clip will help you make more of it! Here’s a clip timeline: 0:00 Don’t panic! 0:55 Use two windows 2:20 Overview 5:00 Recording 7:50 From session to arrangment 10:20 Overdubbing 11:45 Clips & devices 13:10 EditingRead More →

On:
In: Live looping, Sequencer, Tutorials

This video is a comprehensive tutorial for Squarp’s Pyramid sequencer – one of the most feature packed sequencers out there. If you want a shorter review and comparison to Hermod, Squarp’s modular sequencer – here’s a link to it. This video is a deeper dive into Pyramid – getting into all the nitty gritty details, features and workflow.   Here’s the video, and there’s a timeline below.   MAIN CHAPTERS: 1:00 OVERVIEW 11:00 LIVE MODE 17:00 STEP MODE 31:40 TRACK MODE 41:25 SEQ MODE 46:35 MIDI EFFECTS 53:55 MISC   OVERVIEW 1:10 Connectivity 2:00 Panel overview 2:30 Basic terms 3:15 Modes 4:00 Project scope 5:30 NavigationRead More →

On:
In: Reviews

Arturia’s KeyLab Essential and the new KeyLab MK2 look quite similar but the premium MK2 version costs about two and a half times more than Keylab Essential. Let’s take a look at the real differences between them, the pros and cons of each, and review the competitive marketplace. Let’s start with what they are – both are designed to serve a few functions – a couple which I think may get overlooked. The first is to be a keyboard MIDI controller for software based instruments, with an emphasis on a tight integration with Arturia’s software instruments and in particular Analog Lab, which comes bundled withRead More →

On:
In: Tips and tricks, Tutorials

Have you ever hooked up a new piece of gear into your setup and suddenly heard a horrible noise you weren’t expecting? Or just had an unbearable noise find its way into your recording without you noticing in the heat of the moment? The cause may be a ground loop, some other interference, or even loud air-conditioning. Here are a few ways to solve this problem: Use one outlet If a ground loop is the problem – Plugging everything you’re using into the same outlet will probably solve it – most noise or hum issues coming from ground loops are a result of having yourRead More →

On:
In: DAW Controller, Reviews, Sequencer

Novation’s SL MkIII is a big departure from versions one and two that came before it, and most other MIDI keyboards on the market, because it’s not just a DAW and Hardware instrument controller, it’s also a standalone 8 track MIDI, USB and Control Voltage Sequencer. The idea behind the SL MkIII is that all three – the DAW controller, the Hardware controller and the sequencer – sit behind one interface and blend together into one control center. That kind of integration has the potential to change the game for what is expected of a DAW or MIDI controller. Does the SL MkIII deliver? Let’sRead More →

On:
In: Eurorack, Reviews, Sequencer

Make Noise have just released the new version of Rene – an update to the original Rene from 2009, which, according to Modular Grid, is the most popular Eurorack sequencer and one of the most popular eurorack modules overall. The original Rene introduced the concept of Cartesian, or X/Y, or GRID based sequencing, which is a method of sequencing, where rather than going through steps sequentially, as is done in traditional sequencers, you can go back and forth, up, down, left or right, or in any angle or number of steps, and in any direction on a grid of locations.   What’s new? The newRead More →

On:
In: Tips and tricks, Tutorials

Elektron describe the Digitakt as a “Drum Computer and Sampler”, but it can actually do much more. Not only is it a full blown subtractive synth, but due to its unique LFO destinations, it can be used for quite a few other forms of synthesis, including granular, wavetable and more. Furthermore, by routing its MIDI sequencer back into the machine itself (either with or without creative interference on the way), it can be taught quite a few new tricks, like quick polyphonic sequencing, new LFO destinations, additional LFOs per track or cross track LFOs, and much more. An update regarding tricks that use MIDI loopback:Read More →

On:
In: Reviews, Synthesizer

I’ve been traveling this week – to Knobcon in Chicago – and took two very odd travel companions on the road with me – Bastl’s SoftPop and Gecho’s Loopsynth. They’re very different, but the thing they have in common, other than being battery powered, is that they are entirely unlike any synth or instrument you may be used to, and that they can both make bubbly water sounds…. So, for those reasons I reviewed them together, but if you’re interested particularly in one and not the other, just skip ahead. Bastl SoftPop Let’s start with SoftPop. It’s described by the company as a psychedelic analogRead More →

On:
In: Reviews

Native Instruments just released MASCHINE MIKRO MK3 – the new entry level hardware controller for MASCHINE – its hardware-software beatmaking/groovebox platform, and two immediate questions come to mind – how is it different from the MK2 version of MIKRO, and how does it compare to MASCHINE MK3 – it’s bigger brother in the product line. What is MASCHINE A bit of an intro to MASCHINE as a platform: unlike standalone hardware, like the Elektron Digitakt, the Korg Electribes or the Novation Circuit, MIKRO and other MASCHINE controllers are just that – they need to be connected to a computer to work. That has advantages andRead More →

On:
In: Tips and tricks, Tutorials

If you create music, you’ve GOT to try doing it in quad. The experience of sitting in the middle of music you create while your sounds rotate around you is like none other. I’m hooked. In this video I walk through four potential setups for making quadraphonic music – with a DAW, using Eurorack modules, using VCV Rack, and I also propose a solution for DAWless set ups. The “secret” to creating quadraphonic music is really just about different ways of moving audio, controlling its level and timbre from one speaker to the next. The effect though is, in my opinion, magical. All these tipsRead More →