I’ve run my mouth about how great Maschine is for making loops for just about any style you can imagine so it comes as no surprise that I’m going to report on more stuff to make Maschine even better for dropping serious beats.
REDD (Maschine version) is an installable library designed for Maschine owners. It is a sound library resampled from the REDD (Kontakt version) and tuned in MASCHINE 1.6. In this library you will find some aggressive fat bass, aggressive lead and soft pad instruments. Some pads instruments are processed with Absynth FX, so you’ll need to have Absynth to use them. The audio demos are made with REDD (Maschine version) and Anamorphic without extra processing, mixing or mastering. This library contains:
30 instruments
over 700MB samples
This library can be used for a large range of music styles like Trance, Dance, R’n’B, Electro and much more. If you don’t know about MASCHINE and never have had the chance of playing it, you should consider testing it or watch the videos on NI web site .
Why couldn’t this place be closer to Houston, so I could quietly break waltz in and and get my hands dirty on this new CLASP system. This is a studio in Shreveport (ugh) called Blade Studios and these guys suck because they’re headed in the right direction. They’ve found a system that can give you all of the tone and overall greatness of using analog reel to reel without the expensive and hard to find tape that you have to use to get that classic sound. That’s not even counting the time it takes to rewind, cut in, and then the “Tape Scares” come where you do one small wrong thing and lose an entire session. Hey Blade Studios, Do you need a pasty up and coming engineer to come work with you? I won’t move there but I’ll definitely sleep on your console.
Shreveport, Louisiana’s new world-class sound recording studio complex Blade Studios, opened by leading Drummer/Producer Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews) and Executive Producer/Media Developer Scott Crompton, along with Chief Engineer/Producer/Mixer Chris Bell (Erykah Badu, Destiny’s Child, The Eagles), is the latest high-profile facility to employ Endless Analog’s CLASP® (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor) system, which uniquely integrates analog tape machines into the digital audio production workflow. The studio features a wide range of classic and modern recording gear, and CLASP has made it possible for the Blade team to operate an analog tape machine while still running it through a digital audio workstation, combining the warm, classic sound of analog compression with the convenience of the digital world.
Chris Bell was in the process of picking out equipment for the new facility, and he came across CLASP online. He states, “I read a couple of articles on it, and I thought it sounded very interesting. I grew up using analog tape, and in recent years it’s just been disappearing, which is a shame. Last year I think I only did one record on tape. But CLASP opens up that possibility again in a very real, modern way. So I contacted my sales rep to track down a CLASP, and got in touch with Chris Estes, who invented the CLASP box and runs Endless Analog, and he was immensely helpful, and he helped me get the unit up and running. That was just a few months ago, and we’ve already been using it on sessions here at the studio.”
Scott Crompton is likewise vocal in his appreciation for CLASP: “The most important thing we do for our clients is create an atmosphere where they are inspired, breathe easy and feel great about the room and the sessions that are taking place. We want them to perform confidently and enjoy the sound of their own voice and playing, and CLASP is an important piece of that puzzle – a tool to make that happen. A lot of people want to use vintage gear, but they don’t necessarily want the hassles associated with it – high costs for tape reels, time for rewinding or transferring things to Pro Tools, etc. CLASP solves those problems; you only need a small amount of tape, and no time is needed for transferring things. The artist can always be in the moment, and no inspiration gets lost. That is a tremendous gift. Artists are generally more at ease when they don’t sense the pressure and ticking clock of burning through expensive tape. Now, they can walk in and see CLASP and think, ‘I can do a thousand takes; I can do a million takes, and it’s all going to tape and it all sounds sweet.’ The CLASP separates itself from all other gear – it’s like riding around in a beautiful old Gullwing Mercedes and not having to worry about it breaking down or anybody backing into it.”
The studio is running a Studer A827 with the CLASP and an SSL Duality console, and recent sessions involved Rolling Stones touring bassist Daryl Jones, along with Brady Blade on drums. Bell states, “It’s so nice to see reels of tape rolling again – everybody is so curious about the tape machine. They say, ‘Man this is cool. We haven’t done this in a while.’ It really makes an enormous difference in sound, and since it’s not slowing down the session, you don’t really think about the fact that it’s there and working. You just know that feeling when everything sounds rich and nuanced, coming right from the moment of performance. The tape adds that smooth, full compression on the front end, so I don’t have to add as much compression later on – it’s changed the way I mix to more how I used to mix once upon a time, pre-digital. You can just let the tape machine do so much.”
Wondering why its been quiet around the site? Well this alone should be justification. You see that look. That’s the look of “Yes I had a great time but there’s pain behind those eyes because I know I should be entertaining you ingrates with fart jokes and new studio equipment.”
Well sorry to pee in your pre-amp but this pasty gear monger does like his sun and gettin his tube on. Not all of us live in dimly lit rooms with the warming glow of an Apple Display.
So I hope your Easter was filled with some form of fun and you found an Easter Egg full of whatever technical analog component your heart desires, but most likely if you are on this site, The Easter bunny probably crapped in your basket and you thought it was a malformed chocolate Peep and you ate it and puked on the girlfriend that everyone just met from a friend you barely know yourself. Speaking of which, maybe some day I’ll show you what happens when I eat a package of peeps and someone plays Lionel Ritchie.
I’ll be back sometime tomorrow once I’m recovered to give you some half hearted news post. Cuz you’re worth it.
Photo Credit: Lolly taking advantage of a weak moment.
And not a moment too soon. I was just complaining to my stuffed animals on my bed about some of these issues in my nightly vent / cry sessions. Don’t look at me like that… Apparently Colonel Bueford P Fitzrucker (the gossip of the group) went and told Celemony. The picture o the left shows you what to do to get the new version. Here’s a few fixes they addressed.
For Melodyne editor, assistant and essential, a service update to Version 1.2.1 is now available free of charge. The update fixes various bugs and contains a number of minor improvements that increase the stability and reliability of the software.
We recommend this update to all users. It can be loaded using the Check for Updates function on the Settings tab of Melodyne’s Preferences property sheet. Blobs turned silent after using the cmd-key
A bug got fixed, that would – depending on the order of your editing actions while using the Cmd-key – make a Blob turn silent. In such a situation you would still see this Blob and hear its monitoring sound when moving it with the Pitch tool. But when playing back the passage, this Blob remained silent, as if it was muted. Blobs turned silent randomly
A bug got fixed, that sometimes made Blobs turn silent upon playback. They still looked ok, but they didn’t sound any more – just as if they were muted. Edits got lost after dividing a Blob
Now all edits remain properly after cutting a Blob into two halves. Many Undo steps
A bug got fixed, that could lead to a crash after going back a long series of Undo steps. Undoing pitch- or amplitude-transitions
Changing the duration of note transitions with either the Pitch tool or the Amplitude tool can now be undone properly. Handling variable tempo in the DAW
A bug got fixed, that could lead to wrong results when learning a variable song tempo. Upon learning the tempo (via the chain symbol next to the tempo field) you still need to play back the complete passage from your DAW, but the sync is now working properly even when using a complex tempo map in your DAW.
I’m lazy and don’t feel like entertaining you. Make your own interesting commentary and make it funny. I don’t want you slacking on the job just because I am.
Either way, Softube makes incredible plug-ins and I’m sure this is no different
Softube is pleased to announce two new offerings that extend its partnership with audio hardware legend Tube-Tech. The ME 1B Midrange Equalizer plugin and the Classic Channel now join previous Softube Tube-Tech releases, allowing musicians, engineers and producers affordable access to more of this faithfully-modeled, vintage audio gear than ever before.
The new ME 1B midrange equalizer plugin, a clone of Tube-Tech’s classic mid-range EQ, joins the Softube/Tube-Tech CL 1B compressor and PE 1C “Pultec” equalizer to round out this collection of complementary sound sculpting tools. Each plugin has been painstakingly programmed to capture that true analog tube mojo and indefinable mystique that Tube-Tech commands. In fact, producer Tony Sheppard went as far as describing the Softube CL 1B plugin as, “the most accurate representation of hardware that I have ever seen.”
And now all three of these indispensable processing plugins are available as a specially priced bundle called the Tube-Tech Classic Channel. With an approximate street price of only $599.99, the collection offers a healthy 30% discount over purchasing each plugin separately, and contains all three Softube Tube-Tech products both as separate plug-ins and combined into a single powerful channel strip. The Classic Channel collection delivers $8,000 worth of hardware in a single plugin!
This had me all pumped for a whole different reason than the sound pack. I was thinking my Maschine pads would change colors to look like the ones on the boxes. I would just buy them for that, but with the growing development of LED technology, this might not be too far in the future. If I had that, I would make each pad a face from a different person from the latest reality TV lineup and pound away on the pads. Its therapeutic and constructive in that your making music and legally punching people who get on your nerves as well. Enough of my incoherent babbling, Maschine has some new expansion packs.
Native Instruments has just introduced its new series of MASCHINE Expansions, affordable high-quality download libraries for its acclaimed groove production system. All expansions provide new drum kits and instruments as well as pre-programmed patterns created by expert sound designers and producers, and feature a distinctive take on a contemporary sound aesthetic or musical style. The series debuts with VINTAGE HEAT and TRANSISTOR PUNCH, created by Goldbaby and Surround SFX.
VINTAGE HEAT was created by distinguished sampling artist Goldbaby, and specializes on warm, saturated sounds with typical vintage grit. The library includes 50 charismatic kits with analog, digital and acoustic origins, complemented through 50 matching synthesizer sounds ranging from bass and leads to brass, pads and strings. All sounds in VINTAGE HEAT have been sampled from vintage drum machines and sought-after analog synths, and have been extensively processed with Goldbaby‘s unique array of classic compressors, effect units and valve tape machines to achieve his special signature sound. Inventive sampling techniques, including the mapping of successive tape delay repeats to different velocity layers, further contribute to the original and distinctive character of the VINTAGE HEAT library.
TRANSISTOR PUNCH takes its inspiration from contemporary European club music, and provides extremely crisp and punchy sounds for a wide range of electronic styles. Created by renowned sound designer Denis Go?gdak of Surround SFX, the library contains 30 energetic drum kits as well as 50 new bass and lead sounds that integrate seamlessly with the factory library of MASCHINE. All sounds have been sampled from analog drum machines and synthesizers as well, to be meticulously processed with modern high-end outboard gear for an especially defined, forceful sound. TRANSISTOR PUNCH also adds 20 sophisticated multi-effect chains that provide instant sonic treatments for any groove, as well as a large collection of patterns by acclaimed producer Martin Buttrich.
VINTAGE HEAT and TRANSISTOR PUNCH are available for download purchase in the NI Online Shop for $59 / 49 EUR each.
To buy, click HERE
Earlier this year IK Multimedia announced that they were partnering with amp and effects manufacturing companies to expand the Amplitube line. Well today, look what I got in the ol site inbox besides those ads to make you “perform better.” On a side note I took perform better as make me a better musician and boy was I wrong. I had to lay on my stomach while my room mate stood on my butt.
IK Multimedia is proud to announce the release of AmpliTube 3 Custom Shop, the updated 3.5 version of IK’s leading amp and effects modeling software (not the mobile OS version). The Custom Shop is an entirely new tone shopping experience that is like visiting a real guitar store, but one that is open 24/7 right in the comfort of your own studio. The AmpliTube Custom Shop has the widest offering of legendary, officially certified brands and a price model affordable to anyone for building your truly custom tone.
Every new user can start by downloading a FREE, fully functional version of AmpliTube 3 – both a standalone application and plug-in – with a collection of 24 gear models (9 stomp boxes, 4 amplifiers, 5 cabinets, 3 microphones, 2 rack effects and a digital tuner) for recording and mixing in their favorite Mac/Win DAW, for playing on stage or practicing at home.
Then with the new Custom Shop feature – directly accessible within AmpliTube using an online connection – over 200 gear models of stomp boxes, amplifiers, cabinets, microphones and rack effects can be browsed, auditioned and purchased à la carte.
These include officially certified models from legendary guitar and bass brands such as Fender™, Ampeg®, Orange®, Soldano™, Groove Tubes®, Gallien-Krueger®, Jet City Amplification™, THD®, T-Rex® and many others, with more models and brands coming in the future. Each model can be tested for free (for a period of 2 days every 2 months) before purchase, just like trying out an amp in a physical guitar shop.
Gear models are sold in the Custom Shop using Gear Credits and are priced between 5 and 20 credits each. Gear Credits are sold in packs from a minimum of 20 credits to a maximum of 500 credits, with individual gear models starting as low as $3 each!
With the AmpliTube 3 Custom Shop, now everybody can build their own personal gear collection with a level of customization never seen before and at prices never so affordable.
You will have to upgrade to the Amplitube3 3.5 version, which is free for all Amplitube 3 users.
• The AmpliTube Custom Shop is available now in both free and full versions of AmpliTube 3.
• New IK users can download the Free version by registering here.
• The Free version is also now available in the IK user area for existing users of AmpliTube Fender™, Ampeg® SVX, AmpliTube Metal, AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix™ and AmpliTube 2 Live along with every other registered IK user.
• The full version of AmpliTube 3 with the new Custom Shop is a free update for all previous AmpliTube 3 users and can be immediately downloaded from their user area.
• Credit Packs for purchasing single à la carte models start as low as $19.99/€14.99 (for 20 credits) and go up to $299.99/€224.99 (for 500 credits) with these options:
The BBB in the name is for BBB BBB ch ch errra erraa BBB BB BBB BB schhhh ch ch wikka wikk Aww crap there’s spit all over the mic. You can have it now. Lemme see what you got. What? As long as your mom don’t have cooties, I don’t OOOOOO BURN!!!!
Beatboxing is actually a pretty tough thing to do and you don’t want your crappe Samson mic getting all boomy and distorted when you’re laying down fresh mouth beats so AKG has designed a mic to work in situations that require insane dynamics and lots of bad breath.
The BBB DFive is a dynamic vocal microphone for solo performing and lead vocals on stage and in the studio. This supercardioid dynamic microphone ensures high gain before feedback and delivers a powerful sound throughout the entire range of any multivocalist. The BBB DFive has been derived from the D 5/D 5 S microphone. Its most remarkable new feature is an optimized internal windscreen that prevents wind noise even in lip-contact use without altering the microphone’s finely accurate high-frequency response.
The patented Laminated Varimotion diaphragm deep-drawing process allows the diaphragm to be fine-tuned with no need for extra tuning resonators, leading to a quantum leap in audio performance. The dual shock mount eliminates any kind of mechanical noise for trouble-free live use. The audience will hear nothing but the pristine sound of your voice!
The user manual contains a section on basic beatboxing techniques, and the BBB DFive microphone has been appointed the official Beatbox Battle® microphone for the coming years.
The mic is available HERE for $172 or 119 Euros
For more info on the mic which is basically what I copy and pasted for you lazy people, Click HERE
Yep, that’s my very own Blue Spark (the orange one on the right) in my very own studio. Blue sent me one prior to release to test out and since this was a special occasion, we took it to a bigger studio, my friend John’s Audioworx Studio (pardon the horribly designed site, I built it a long time ago and never updated it).
Now onto the Spark.
Its pretty straight forward. We’ve got a classic looking powder coated orange body with Blue’s signature look. Classy right?And if that’s not enough for you, check out all of the goodies you get with the mic: A very nice wood box, redesigned pop filter, and shockmount. The packaging is incredible even down to the brochure which looks like a book of matches… clever.
I actually got one of the first shipments of the Spark and as you can see in the pic, the shockmount engulfs the mic, protecting it from just about anything life could throw at it. Since then, Blue has updated the package to have a “saucer style” shockmount that makes this mic less cumbersome to set up, especially when miking acoustic guitars.
On the right hand side of the page is a picture showing what the new updated shockmount for the Spark looks like. As you can see the mount is less in the way and allows you to get to that “focus switch” easier. Another great update to the Spark is the pop filter. The pop filter that comes with the baby bottle is a bit of a pain, but this one screws right into a hole in the back of the stem that connects the capsule to the body. The pop filter works great as well. It fits very sturdily and stays put.
So is all of this tinsel just overcompensating for a lackluster mic?
Absolutely not.
Honestly, I really don’t understand how and why Blue sells this mic as low as they do… I would’ve paid $200.00 just for the mic alone with no extras for that price. Seriously, HUGE props to Blue for this one. They’ve touted this mic as an entry level mic but I really think they’re being modest. So lets try to find something negative to say about this mic.
The frequency response on this mic is pretty flat, with some slight bumps in the high end, but without giving it that really abrasive, teeny, high end cut through you get from most of the starter mics that companies put out. This mic has a very smooth response, making it one of those great workhorses for any home, project, or even professional studio. Spark even has a small button on the back that Blue calls a “Focus Switch.” A lot of different people have quite a few explanations for what it does but simply put, it trims a little more than the normal mic does by shelving off 1ooHZ to give more attention to the mids and highs, thus “focusing” your signal to the upper end of the spectrum. Blue has even gone back to the drawing board with the capsule too, giving this mic an all new 23MM diaphragm and a 25MM capsule.
Technical jargon and fancy words aside, I threw the book at this mic. I tracked every instrument I could get my hands on and even did some A/B comparisons against some pretty big hitters, including a Neuman U67, but we’ll get to that part at the end. I couldn’t find an application that this mic wasn’t exceptional at. Room mics, guitar cabs, drums, guitar, vocals, this mic does it all with ease. The response on the mic is very smooth while adding punch when needed. After that initial session, I keep this mic within reach at all times especially for acoustic guitars. My J45 is a tough guitar to mic being as the guitar is very boomy. Most mics sound extremely muffled but Spark made nice with the guitar right off the bat. The focus switch really brought out the classic sound a J45 has and when I ran it through a middle-of-the road preamp, I needed very little EQ if any.
To sum it up, this mic could go head on with any $800 – $1000 mic easily and even can hang with some of the big players as well so don’t take the low price point as a sign of cutting corners or typical boring run-of-the-mill starter mics. This mic is a huge game changer for the entry-level field.
Now for the A/B test against the Neumann U67.
note: NO EQ WAS USED ON ANY OF THESE SAMPLES
Pre-amp used: Focusrite ISA One
DAW: Pro Tools
These samples might be a little quiet but like I said, I didn’t use any compressors or anything so you can get the raw sound of the mic ran directly into the pre. I kept the mics about a foot an a half away and had the gain coming in around -6db.
Here is an acoustic guitar ran through the U67.
AGT Neumann U67 Robbie by Everything Recorded
And here is the exact same acoustic guitar ran through the Spark
AGT Spark Robbie by Everything Recorded
See what I was saying… Sure the Neumann has more low end but the Spark hangs in there with it only having maybe a slight too much highs but nothing a slight roll off of highs wouldn’t tame. When I showed my friends who have nothing to do with recording, every time they all picked the Blue because of it’s more pronounced high end and clarity.
Now onto a vocal track. Here’s the Neumann U67 again
Vocals Neumann U67 by Everything Recorded
And with the Spark
Vocals Blue Spark by Everything Recorded
Now I’m not trying to insist that a $200 mic with all sorts of extras is just as good as a $2400 mic, but just let the audio be your guide on that one. I truly wish I had something bad to say about this mic to balance out the review but so far the only issue I’ve had was addressed and fixed by Blue… Why so much of a shockmount? So I basically have nothing remotely negative to say about the mic and if you think I’m being generous with my review, look up any other review. I’m not alone on this one.
Great job Blue. You’ve given all of the other entry level mics out there great cause for concern.
Two channels of transformer-less circuitry for $400.00?!!! AND its from Black Lion Audio. You can’t beat that with a stick with air conditioner wire attached to it. Me on the other hand you can based on one of my friends thinking it would be funny to actually do that WHILE I had wind pants on (it was the 90s people.)
Black Lion Audio is offering a limited time discount on their Auteur Pre-amp. This pre amp has actually been used in some pretty big albums so you know its got clout and with $100 off of normal pricing you really can’t lose
There are lots of mic preamps available these days. What makes ours so special??
For one, it’s a design that’s somewhat unique in its approach. Being admirers of the fully balanced transformer-less circuits found in highly acclaimed recording consoles, we chose to use a similar topology. We began with a high speed input stage that would pick up lots of detail and nuance, and then followed it with a high current output stage. Circuit headroom is plentiful, and the input stage is very difficult to clip. Because of its fully balanced design, it can handle input signals as large as +15dB with ease.
We also like classic transformer-based designs because of the characteristic they lend to the audio signal. Because of this, we added a 600 ohm M-6 silicon steel output transformer to give the audio a thick quality that’s reminiscent of a prized vintage preamp. It’s the best of both worlds in our opinion. The preamp is dual channel and features phase, +48vdc phantom power, and 10dB output signal pad.
Like all of the other models in our Micro Series, the elements of chassis and presentation are extremely simple, with a minimum of the fluff and promotion that tends to drive up the cost of equipment in our industry. If you’re looking for eye candy and name recognition to dominate your equipment list, this probably isn’t the preamp for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking for the sort of performance normally associated with high-end designs but need to acquire it at a modest price, our mic preamp will make a wise and affordable investment for your home or project studio.
