Dolphin Music recently had the opportunity of hosting the Cubase 5 tour. This evening offered a one off workshop demonstrating the new advanced features of Cubase. Held in the sumptuous surroundings of the Leaf Cafe, Liverpool, we were one of the first to hear of all the exciting new additions to the worlds already most renowned sequencer.
Cubase 5 comes with fully integrated new tools for working with loops, beats and vocals, such as LoopMash and VariAudio, combining with new composition features and the first VST3 convolution reverb to take musical creativity to new heights. With stunning innovations and additional enhancements that boost productivity and performance, Cubase 5 represents the absolute cutting edge in digital audio workstations.
New Features in Cubase 5
Cubase 5 adds even more creative possibilities and new technologies to the world’s premier music production software developed by Steinberg — providing the finest tools to producers, composers and musicians in any musical genre. VariAudio and PitchCorrect provide integrated intonation editing for monophonic vocal recordings. Groove Agent ONE and Beat Designer change the game for beat creation, while the revolutionary LoopMash seamlessly blends loops, creating unimaginable variations. VST Expression tools for composers combine with the first VST3 convolution reverb and improved automation for more dynamic mixes. And an array of additional enhancements and 64-bit technologies boost performance — all designed to inspire further musical creativity and productivity.
Beat Creation and Loop Mangling
Cubase 5 features outstanding new tools for creating beats, generating exciting new rhythms and working with loops.
Vocal Editing and Pitch Correction
Cubase 5 comes with an amazing new toolset for perhaps the most important element in any song: the vocals.
New Dimensions for Your Mix
Cubase 5 has numerous new features that will help you bring new depth to your mix — in more ways than one.
Express Creative Visions
With Cubase 5, Steinberg has innovated even further to offer even more creative compositional tools.
Next-Generation Performance and Faster Workflow
Cubase 5 also includes an array of additional new ways of working faster, with added performance that takes advantage of new technologies.
Further Improvements and Added Value
Cubase 5 comes with redesigned and enhanced features plus many new handy tools and functions, making Cubase even more intuitive to use than ever before.
Delia Derbyshire was born in Coventry, England, in 1937. Educated at Coventry Grammar School and Girton College, Cambridge, where she was awarded a degree in mathematics and music.
In 1959, on approaching Decca records, Delia was told that the company DID NOT employ women in their recording studios, so she went to work for the UN in Geneva before returning to London to work for music publishers Boosey & Hawkes.
Derbyshire was born in Coventry, UK. Educated at Barr’s Hill School, Derbyshire then completed a degree in mathematics and music at Girton College, Cambridge.In 1959 she applied for a position at Decca Records only to be told that the company did not employ women in their recording studios.Instead she took a position at the UN in Geneva, soon returning to London to work for music publishers Boosey & Hawkes.
Some of her most acclaimed work was done in the 1960s in collaboration with the British artist and playwright Barry Bermange, for the Third Programme (the radio station which later evolved into BBC Radio 3). Besides the Doctor Who theme, Derbyshire also composed and produced scores, incidental pieces and themes for nearly 200 BBC Radio and BBC TV programmes. A selection of some of her best 1960s electronic music creations for the BBC can be found on the album BBC Radiophonic Music (BBC Records), which was re-released on CD in 2002. Several of the smaller pieces that Derbyshire created at the Radiophonic Workshop were used for many years as incidental music by the BBC and other broadcasters, including the ABC
Doctor Who
In 1963, Ron Grainer was asked to compose the theme tune to the Doctor Who series that began late in that year. As part of the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop, Derbyshire developed his written notes into the version that was then used on the original show.
Ron Grainer was so amazed by her rendition of his notes that he attempted to get her a co-composer credit, but this was prevented by BBC bureaucracy, who preferred to keep the members of the Workshop anonymous. Derbyshire’s interpretation of Grainer’s theme used electronic oscillators and magnetic audio tape editing (including tape loops and reverse tape effects) to create an eerie and unearthly sound that was quite unlike anything that had been heard before. Derbyshire’s original Doctor Who theme is one of the first television themes to be created and produced by entirely electronic means.
In 1960 Delia joined the BBC as a trainee studio manager. She excelled in this field, but when it became apparent that the fledgling Radiophonic Workshop was under the same operational umbrella, she asked for an attachment there – an unheard of request, but one which was, nonetheless,granted. Delia remained ‘temporarily attached’ for years, regularly deputising for the Head, and influencing many of her trainee colleagues.
This excerpt from an interview, originally conducted in December 1999, first appeared in Surface magazine in May 2000.
What was your route into music? Did you study music at school?
Delia Derbyshire: No, but I studied piano to performer level outside school. I went to Cambridge University to read mathematics, which was quite something for a working-class girl from Coventry, because Cambridge was at the time, and probably still is, the best place for mathematics in the country, if not the world. Tell that to the Americans! I managed to persuade the authorities to allow me to change to music, much against their judgement. After my degree I went to the careers office. I said I was interested in sound, music and acoustics, to which they recommended a career in either deaf aids or depth sounding. So I applied for a job at Decca Records. The boss was at Lords watching cricket the day I had my appointment, but his deputy told me they didn’t employ women in the recording studio.
This is the guy who turned down The Beatles, no doubt.
No doubt. I knew the BBC had a Research Department, and I knew that there was such a thing as the Radiophonic Workshop, that was credited with doing fantastic sounds for broadcast programs. People weren’t generally allowed to work at the Workshop for more than three months at a time. They thought it would send people crazy.
To begin with Delia thought she had found her own private paradise where she could combine her interests in the theory and perception of sound; modes and tunings, and the communication of moods using purely electronic sources. Within a matter of months she had created her recording of Ron Grainer’s Doctor Who theme, one of the most famous and instantly recognisable TV themes ever. On first hearing it Grainer was tickled pink: “Did I really write this?” he asked. “Most of it,” replied Derbyshire.
Talking about limited resources, I think one thing that appeals to us both about Peter Zinovieff‘s EMS VCS3 machine is that it’s really quite a limited selection of resources, but it’s got infinite possibilities of interconnection and patching.
Peter Zinovieff was doing the most interesting things. He didn’t claim to be a musician, he didn’t claim to be a composer. But imagine one of these beautiful London townhouses… the drawing room on the first floor was totally crammed with telephone relay equipment, where he was working on his random sequencers.
Probabilistic stuff.
And I thought, golly, this is the way things should go. And, I think, it was my belief in Peter that encouraged Victoria [Zinovieff] to really believe in him. Because he was Russian aristocracy, and the circle in which he mingled regarded him as a dilettante. That was a beautifully interesting time, everything was mechanical. This was before voltage control. So we worked together for a couple of years.
Yes, as Unit Delta Plus?
Yes.
You set up the organisation to bring electronic music more to the fore in advertising and TV and film music?
We wanted to bring it to the public, yes.
How about these ‘happenings’ you were involved with? I know there was an event in 1966 at the Chalk Farm Roundhouse called Rave or Rave On, and Paul McCartney was top of the bill…
Oh yes, there were two of the Beatles there, Paul and George. It was basically a concert of pre-recorded electronic music.
Thus began what is still referred to as the Golden Age of the Radiophonic Workshop. Initially set up as a service department for Radio Drama, it had always been run by someone with a drama background. Derbyshire was the first person there with any higher music qualifications, but as she wasn’t supposed to be doing music, much of her early work remained anonymous under the umbrella credit ‘special sound by BBC Radiophonic Workshop’.
Before long the Workshop’s TV output had overtaken work produced specifically for radio broadcast. Derbyshire was called upon to do music for drama and documentary programmes set in the distant past, the unseen future or deep in the human psyche – in fact any area where an orchestra would be out of place. Science, arts and educational programmes also benefited from her abstract style. Her work with Barry Bermange on the four Inventions for Radio is perhaps the best illustration of Delia’s intuitive way with soundscaping.
Derbyshire soon gained a reputation for successfully tackling the impossible. When asked to “make some TV title music using only animal sounds” – much thought and ingenuity resulted in Great Zoos of the World. Delia always managed to soften her purist mathematical approach with a sensitive interpretative touch – ‘very sexy’ said Michael Bakewell on first hearing her electronic music for Cyprian Queen.
Derbyshire also worked with the composers Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Roberto Gerhard (on his 1965 Prix Italia winning ‘Anger of Achilles’), and Ianni Christou, doing sound treatments of their orchestral music. She was also assistant to Luciano Berio at the 1962 Dartington summer school.
On being told at the Workshop that her music was ‘too lascivious for 11 year olds’ and ‘too sophisticated for the BBC2 audience’, Delia found other fields where the directors were less inhibited – film, theatre, ‘happenings’ and original electronic music events, as well as pop music and avant garde psychedelia. To do this she encouraged the establishment of Unit Delta Plus, Kaleidophon and Electrophon, private electronic music studios where she worked with Peter Zinovieff [composer and inventor], David Vorhaus and Brian Hodgson.
Delia’s works from the 60s and 70s continue to be used on radio and TV some 30 years later, and her music has given her legendary status with releases in Sweden and Japan. She is also constantly mentioned, credited and covered by bands from Add n to (x) and Sonic Boom to Aphex Twin and The Chemical Brothers.
A recent Guardian article called her ‘the unsung heroine of British electronic music’, probably because of the way her infectious enthusiasm subtly cross-pollinated the minds of many creative people. She had exploratory encounters with Paul McCartney, Karlheinz Stockhausen, George Martin, Pink Floyd, Brian Jones, Anthony Newley, Ringo Starr and Harry Nilsson.
A complete list of her works has yet to be compiled, but amongst other things she has mentioned doing: Special works and soundtracks for the Brighton Festival, the City of London Festival, Yoko Ono’s “Wrapping Event”, the award winning “Circle of Light”, music for Peter Hall’s “Work is a 4 Letter Word” starring Cilla Black, The White Noise LP “An Electric Storm”, special sound and music for plays at the RSC Stratford, Greenwich Theatre, Hampstead Theatre and the Chalk Farm Roundhouse.
White Noise - A must own
Derbyshire was also involved in several of the earliest electronic music events in England, including shows at the Watermill Theatre, Nr Newbury, the Chalk Farm Roundhouse [with Paul McCartney], The Royal Festival Hall and the first electronic music fashion show!
Work from Delia’s engagement at the BBC has also been published on numerous Radiophonic Workshop and Doctor Who LPs and CDs.
By the mid 1970s Derbyshire was disillusioned by the apparent future of electronic music and withdrew from the medium. In the musical dark ages to follow, she worked in a bookshop, an art gallery and a museum. In the mid 90s she noticed a change in the air and became aware of a return to the musical values she held so dear.
Delia passed away in Northampton, England, on July 3rd 2001.
Shortly before Delia died, she wrote the following: “Working with people like Sonic Boom on pure electronic music has re-invigorated me. He is from a later generation but has always had an affinity with the music of the 60s. One of our first points of contact – the visionary work of Peter Zinovieff, has touched us both, and has been an inspiration. Now without the constraints of doing ‘applied music’, my mind can fly free and pick-up where I left off.”
A portable keyboard amplifier featuring five channels of stereo input, 320 watts of power and Roland’s famous DSP effects — perfect for keyboards, vocals, and more. High-Powered Performance for the Entire Band! Features
The new flagship of the KC amp series is packed with high-performance features. With five channels of stereo input, 320 watts of power and Roland’s famous DSP effects built in, the KC-880 is a portable powerhouse for keyboards, vocals, and more.
* Flagship stereo keyboard amplifier with five channels of stereo input
* 320-watt stereo power amplifier, 12-inch woofers and two horn tweeters
* DSP effects (Reverb, Chorus, Tremolo, Rotary)
* Flexible I/O (XLR mic input, stereo XLR line outputs, headphone out), Stereo Link for chaining multiple KC-880s
KC-550
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This flagship keyboard amp boasts 180 watts of powerful sound via a 15-inch speaker and horn tweeter.
KC-350
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KC-150
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The KC-150 is a compact 65-watt amp with 4-channel capability including Auxiliary and Microphone inputs.
KC-60
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SA-300
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The versatile SA-300 is built to handle any type of audio source you plug into it: microphones, rhythm machines, keyboards, CD players, etc.
MOBILE CUBE
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Sure, the vocoder may now be something of an electronic music cliché now, but it got its beginnings as a mechanism of encoding speech. It was one of the first electronic instruments. It helped inspire the conceptual model for all digital communication. And, those lofty goals aside, it can still sound terrific when used creatively. (Hint: you don’t have to use your voice as a source.)
These are heady times for the vocoder. Hosts are getting better at accomplishing the routings necessary to produce vocoding effects. Software and hardware vocoders are appearing everywhere. And of course, the great moment has been Ableton releasing a Vocoder in its upcoming Live 8, not so much because of Live or that Vocoder, but because company co-founder Robert Henke was immortalized in a remix (video above) talking about how you wouldn’t need it. I expect one of the first unofficial Live 8 tutorials may use this clip. (Apologies to Robert – especially as that’s exactly the sort of thing I might say speaking to students, and I actually agree. You don’t need a vocoder. For one thing, if you know what you’re doing, you can patch your own. But I digress.)
History and Vocoding without Autopilot
For a different take on the vocoder, let’s first take a trip back in time.
The device in the video is the 1939 “Voder” (Voice Operating Demonstrator). To me, this really demonstrates how much potential is left in the process. The original Voder was played more as an instrument.
Via the always wonderful Digital Tools.
Wendy Carlos, whose use of the vocoder in Clockwork Orange may be as significant to the vocoder as Carlos’ “Switched on Bach” was to the Moog, explains how the Voder functioned:
Homer Dudley also invented the VODER (Voice Operating DEmonstratoR), an electronic speaking instrument, which was unveiled (and demonstrated hourly) at the New York World’s Fair 1939-40. Inside the tall rack of sturdy electronic gear was a pitch controlled reedy oscillator, a white-noise source, and ten bandpass resonant filters. For a Voder to “speak” a talented, diligently trained operator “performed” at a special console connected to the rack, using touch-sensitive keys and a foot-pedal. These controlled the electronic generating components. The results, while far from perfect (it was damn difficult to operate!), were still entertaining and instructive of the principles involved.
That whole article is a must-read, whether you’re a fan of Kubrick, Carlos, vocoders, or (most likely) all three:
“Vocoder Questions” by Kurt B. Reighley, Editor, CMJ New Music Monthly (interviewing Wendy Carlos) [wendycarlos.com]
People who love playable effects of any time ought to gain plenty of inspiration from that video. (And some of the basic ideas need not be limited to vocoders, either. By the way, anyone who doesn’t like keyboards — musical or qwerty — as input devices ought to have a good, long look at the dangly things attached to your palms. There are certain designs that make a lot of sense for biological reasons.)
2008: Depeche Mode in the Studio
I’m about to hear the new album shortly (and hopefully get to talk to the band), but it seems Depeche Mode are enjoying vocoders in the year 2008 — not bad for 1939 technology. Musical instruments may last that long, but electricity-powered inventions are often more short-lived. And it’s also comforting to know that playing with vocoders makes Depeche Mode get as goofy as the rest of us.
Via Depeche Mode News.
The release of the new album isn’t due until April 2009, but I should get to hear it this week (via legal means, don’t worry).
Vocoders in Your FL Studio
“A vocoder? Big news,” say the loyal fans of FL Studio (”fruity loops”) to these Ableton Live newcomers. FL Studio has a lovely vocoder integrated in the host. Musician and Webizen Mark Mosher is happy to get you up and running in this tutorial:
Using Sytrus as the synth carrier is fantastic, as that’s a really, really gorgeous synth (and one you Abletonites can use, too).
Found via Mark’s Twitter account, because the ongoing popularity of this tutorial means people are still watching and asking questions, even though this has been up for some time.
Of course, there are many, many other software solutions to vocoding, all a bit different — and it’s well worth exploring some of your options.
Vocoders at 2009 NAMM
Vocoders still make appearances in new product lines, making this arguably the most popular of the pre-synth vintage electronic instruments, beating out the Theremin.
GearWire got an up-close demo of the cute little Voice Box from Electro-Harmonic we saw last month. I still love this little box, and if this particular application doesn’t turn you on, it still seems like there’s interesting potential for synths and the like.
Also a big crowd-pleaser at NAMM is the Roland VP-770. Now, when Roland debuted their first “vocal ensemble synth,” it got a pretty resounding “meh” from everyone who saw it — pricey, limited, and even the Roland rep at the time had a tough time wrapping her head around it. But the new VP has a new engine, phantom power input, and a USB key, and in the hands of the right person doing the demo can be a big hit. It’s not all really vocoder stuff, but it does all fit into the voice-controller or “vocoderesque” category.
You’d need to be pretty committed to these effects to go buy a VP-770 — I’m sure Roland is expecting they can leverage their huge prowess in the “worship” market. But I bring up this video for another reason: whether you’re a VP fan or not, you can’t argue with the power that someone using their voice to control a synth can command. I think we may discover new ways of doing that with unique effects and synths that are only loosely related to the original vocoder. As real-time effects processing on computers gets better (thanks to lower latency and more processing power), I think we could see new, never-before-heard effects.
And speaking of new products, don’t forget that Korg’s revised microKORG, the XL has a new 16-band vocoder (Synthtopia write-up). Synthtopia notes that it’s a bit steep at US$750 — though, in fairness, that’s partly because of how cheap the original microKORG is. But for live performance, even as a huge computer advocate, I have to concede that you may prefer a hardware keyboard for vocoder effects, convenience, and reliability, and this is still cheaper than a lot of less-fun “workstations.” The only problem: you can get the similar Korg R3 with a full-sized keyboard and additional controls and features in the same price ballpark, or the simple-but-fun original microKORG for half the price. Updated: scratch that, because the XL has a $500 street, which is pretty damned good even in this economy. (Especially in this economy, I’d wager. That’s getting close to USB controller cheap.)
Synthtopia took this gorgeous shot that I have to reproduce here:
Korg has a strong pedigree in keyboards with built-in vocoders and talkbox settings. Dont mix the two up though.
And you…
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Dave Smith Instruments have a new addition to the family: a little analog mono synth called Mopho.
According to Dave Smith:
“The challenge with Mopho was to deliver the renowned sound quality of a single voice of the Prophet ’08 in a package that would be affordable for a much broader group of players and recording artists without sacrificing the performance features so important to making an analogue synth really sing.”
To achieve that end, the Mopho user interface was pared down to certain essential controls and four user-assignable controls per program. The assignable parameters can control any of Mopho’s parameters, so the synth is fully programmable from the front panel. Mopho also includes a basic software editor for Mac OS or Windows.
Never content simply to repeat himself, Dave Smith wanted Mopho to be more than just a monophonic Prophet: “I wanted to give it a character of its own, something to distinguish it from its big brother.”. Each of the oscillators has a suboctave generator; oscillator 1’s is one octave down and oscillator 2’s is two octaves down. Mopho also features an external audio input that allows processing of external audio sources as well as the ability to mix the output back in pre-filter for feedback effects. By varying the mix amount, feedback effects can range from a subtle distortion to completely trashed.
“The Dave Smith Mopho has taken on a life of its own,” enthused Dave. “It’s an inexpensive, feature-rich mono synth that really excels at basses and big, fat lead sounds.”
Affordable, fully programmable mono synth with a 100% analog signal path.
Classic, real analog sound—including legendary Curtis analog low-pass filter.
Process external audio through the filter and envelopes.
Sample-based software instrument specialists EastWest have announced their latest product, Silk. It’s a collection of string and woodwind instruments from countries along the Silk Road, the historic trading route that merchants travelled to bring their wares to Europe.
Included are over 25 instruments from China, India and Persia, plus a 30-piece middle-eastern string section. Each instrument has been played by ‘master’ players, and then meticulously multisampled by EastWest with extensive articulations, numerous alternate samples (to avoid repetition), and full phrases “to give the feeling of smooth effortless performance”.
Silk runs on EastWest’s Play engine as a DAW plug-in or in stand-alone mode. In-depth scripting in Play allows for automatic transposition on the fly, so if the user wants to play a riff on, for example, a Chinese Erhu, in an arabic scale, they can choose a scale from a list of ‘microtunings’, select their key, and only samples of notes in that key will be triggered. This, says Silk producer Nick Phoenix, makes the virtual instrument incredibly easy to play and very realistic-sounding.
In other EastWest news, the company have updated their Play engine to version two. The main new feature is the facility to edit Play patches, using the same software tools as the EastWest developers have at their disposal.
The Eastwest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra was recorded where orchestral instruments sound their most natural – in a ‘state of the art’ Concert Hall. Listen to the pure beauty of the “critically acclaimed” Symphonic Orchestra and “state of the art” 125 million dollar Concert Hall that were captured, using custom built recording equipment, by audio legend – Prof. Keith…
SD2 – The Next Generation is a stunning collection of exceptional acoustic percussion instruments. The exclusive selection of drums and percussions exceeds all other existing libraries out there. As a sequel to Stormdrum (which was the most successful acoustic percussion library ever released.) it sets new standards that will exceed the expectations of everyone who owns a Quantum Leap product.…
GOLIATH includes the entire 32 Gigabytes of content from Future Music magazine’s VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT OF THE YEAR – COLOSSUS, plus an additional 8 Gigabytes of new content from the latest EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP collections, including the Sound On Sound magazine 5 STAR awarded EASTWEST/PMI BOSENDORFER 290 PIANO var initialtab=[1, “Details”]; …
Fab Four is a virtual instrument inspired by the sounds of the Beatles, using the same kind of period instruments (much of it from collectors) and rare authentic EMI and other recording equipment the Beatles used to create their music, produced by Doug Rogers and engineered by Beatle’s engineer Ken Scott. Fab Four sound engineer Ken Scott worked…
Linkin Park’s singles can often inspire the question “haven’t they already written this song?” An mp3 that does the rounds from time to time mixes Numb (on the left) and Pushing Me Away (on the right) to illustrate this with almost comical effect: All Linken Park Songs Sound Exactly The Same.
As shown below, and forgive the hyperbole, much more than they sound the same all Linkin Park songs look the same. And while it’s easy to criticize the band for their overuse of a formula that’s by now cliche, the similarity between their tracks at least holds a lesson on the importance of song arrangement in pop music production.
The Linkin Park Formula
The standard Linkin Park structure looks like this:
Quiet intro: Each song has a relatively quiet two-measure intro.
The instrumental kicker: The full band come in together on the down-beat, and play two or four high energy measures, usually instrumental.
Quiet verse: The song eases off for a verse or two, heightening the dynamic contrast between the song’s sections.
Heavy chorus: Usually the same chords established in the kicker, with Chester screaming over top for added emotion.
Here’s how it “looks” in practice. Each image below shows the audio level in (roughly) the first 90 seconds of a Linkin Park song. Note that I adjusted the tempo of a few tracks for better visual alignment:
Linkin Park remixes with Korg TRITON, TRITON-Rack, MS2000 and Electribes
Propelled by a unique mixture of hip-hop with elements of alt metal, electronica and classic rock, the southern California quintet Linkin Park has gathered an enormous and diverse following. The band has remained in the Billboard Top 20 for more than 80 weeks, with more than 13 million albums sold worldwide and over 8 million copies of its debut CD, Hybrid Theory, sold in the U.S. alone. Hybrid Theory was nominated for three GRAMMY awards in 2002, winning the Best Hard Rock Performance GRAMMY for “Crawling.”
However, the members of Linkin Park are not content to rest on past successes. They have already embarked on a new project – a remix album of the songs featured on Hybrid Theory – to demonstrate the breadth of styles they can work in. Korg products rank prominently among the tools Linkin Park is utilizing for the remix album, including the ever-popular TRITON, TRITON-Rack, MS2000 and Electribes.
“We are experimenting with things that are not guitars, and that’s where the keyboard elements come in,” band MC Mike Shinoda commented. “It’s a very heavy sample and keyboard driven album. One piece of gear I’m using and like a lot is the TRITON-Rack – it’s really light and versatile. There are so many sounds and ways to manipulate those sounds to make them your own that you don’t just have to grab and use a stock sound. ” He continued, “I also used the Electribes a bit. I used the ESo1 in particular to manipulate vocals or beats. There are certain effects in there that you can’t get with other equipment.”
Hardware control over 3500 analogue sounds… Analog Factory Experience offers the immediacy of a hardware synthesizer combined with the flexibility of a software based solution. How is this possible? Analog Factory Experience is a unique combination of a software synthesizer that brings 3500 sounds, along with a high-quality dedicated hardware controller keyboard.
Arturia Analog Factory Experience
Once the software is launched, you can put your mouse away – all functions can be activated from within the keyboard controller: select a sound to play, modify this sound, recall snapshots… This is a true hands-on experience: simple, straightforward and fun!
Controller Keyboard by CME
The Analog Factory Experience velocity-sensitive keyboard is powered by renowned controller keyboard manufacturers CME, and places a wide dynamic range at the player’s fingertips, along with dedicated knobs and sliders to control the on-screen functions.
Smooth key action, keys shaped for comfortable glissando playing, silent operation come as a result of CME’s expertise in the production of controller keyboards. 32 keys and a sturdy aluminum case make the Analog Factory Experience controller keyboard the ideal solution for the contemporary musician who is always on the go.
Analog Factory 2.0 Software
The Arturia Analog Factory 2.0 software comes with 3500 preset synthesizer sounds. These sounds have been at the center of contemporary music production for the last 30 years. From the starship funky leads of the 70’s to the contemporary Hip-Hop basses, from the 80’s Pop Leads to modern Sound Track Special Effects, if you heard a synthesizer sound somewhere, there is a strong likelihood you will find it inside Analog Factory.
All presets in Analog Factory 2.0 have been carefully selected from the Arturia Classic Synthesizers: minimoog V, Moog Modular V, CS-80 V, ARP2600 V, Jupiter-8V, Prophet 5 and Prophet VS. These TAE® powered sounds offer unparalleled audio quality.
Software Specifications
3500 analog synthesizer sounds that have defined the sound of modern music.
All presets are carefully selected from Arturia Classic Synths (minimoog V, Moog Modular V, CS-80V, ARP2600 V, Prophet V, Prophet VS and Jupiter-8V). These TAE® powered sounds offer unparalleled audio quality.
Smart Preset Manager. Quickly filter the presets according to these choices: by instrument, by type (Bass, Pads, Leads…) and /or by
Characteristics (hard, soft, complex, simple, short, long…), and find preset according to these fltered choices.
Straight forward editing, with the most essential parameters for personalizing presets: (Filter and LFO sections, 4 Key Parameters differing for each preset, Chorus & Delay mix, ADSR envelope)
Integrated as a plug-in within your sequencer, on Mac and PC, or plays as a stand alone software synthesizer.
Introducing Auto-Tune EvoThe Next Generation of the Worldwide Standard in Professional Pitch Correction The Fastest, Easiest-To-Use, Highest-Quality Tool for Correcting Pitch
Hailed as a “holy grail of recording,” by Recording magazine (and adopted worldwide as the largest-selling audio plug-in of all time), Auto-Tune corrects intonation problems in vocals or solo instruments, in real time, without distortion or artifacts, while preserving all of the expressive nuance of the original performance – with audio quality so pristine that the only difference between what goes in and what comes out is the intonation. All with a user-interface that is a model of clarity, speed and ease-of-use.
For most common pitch problems, Auto-Tune Evo’s Automatic Mode instantaneously detects the pitch of the input, identifies the closest pitch in a user-specified scale (including minor, major, chromatic and 26 historical and microtonal scales), and corrects the input pitch to match the scale pitch. A Retune Speed control lets you match the retune rate to virtually any performance style.
For meticulous tweaking, the Graphical Mode displays the performance’s detected pitch envelope and allows you to specify the desired pitch using a variety of graphics tools. This mode gives complete control over the correction or modification of the most elaborate expressive gestures.
Auto-Tune is used daily by thousands of audio professionals around the world. Whether to save studio and editing time, ease the frustration of endless retakes, to save that otherwise once-in-a-lifetime performance, or to create striking special effects, Auto-Tune Evo is the tool of choice.
While Auto Tune’s patented technology has always provided unmatched speed, accuracy, and audio quality, for Auto-Tune Evo, Dr. Andy’s gone back to the proverbial drawing board to create a seriously evolved voice processing technology that takes advantage of the hugely more powerful computers that are now the norm for digital audio recording.
The result is Evo™ Voice Processing Technology, offering powerful new features and capabilities along with pitch detection and correction that is substantially more accurate and reliable over a much wider range of audio input quality.
General Features
Dramatically enhanced core technology: Evo™ Voice Processing Technology takes advantage of the power of today’s computers to provide powerful new features and enhanced tracking and correction capabilities.
Redesigned user interface: Continuing the process begun with Auto-Tune 5, we have again refined the Auto-Tune user interface to allow for smoother, more intuitive workflow.
Reorganized common controls: With the addition of the new pitch shifting, formant correction, and throat modeling capability
The original microKORG is loved and used daily by musicians around the world – from keyboardists to guitarists – enabling everyone to experience the enjoyment of a great synthesizer. Now the new big brother to this mega selling synth is available; a synthesizer that lets you generate your own personal sound, packing a cutting-edge sound engine and powerful effects into a compact, vintage-like body. Welcome the microKORG XL!
AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 2009! PRICE TBC
The original microKORG is loved and used daily by musicians around the world – from keyboardists to guitarists – enabling everyone to experience the enjoyment of a great synthesizer.
Now an advanced microKORG is available; a synthesizer that lets you generate your own personal sound, packing a cutting-edge sound engine and powerful effects into a compact, vintage-like body. Welcome the microKORG XL.
The Limited-Edition microKorg Reverse Keys was very popular, so it seems people are interested in new microKorgs – which the XL model certainly is, with its many new features!
This will certainly prove to be one of the best and most exciting releases next year. The new microKORG XL may quite easily be even better than the classic microKorg – will it become more popular? Let’s wait and see!