Hello Again!

Things are moving here, and that is wonderful. I have had an idea in my head for a while for a new logo idea. Now I like the current iconography, but it does not translate well to all media. Media such as:

• Clothing
• Stickers
• Tattoos
• Water-marks
• Astral Projections

So here is my consideration for a new Ableton Logo for us:

I like it!  This represents Colorado well! This will also look good on T-Shirts and stickers (and they are coming!)

I am also interested in branding for the region. “Ableton Denver” was chosen not in the efforts of exclusivity or as a snub to Boulder, Colorado Springs, or Grand Junction.

Instead Ableton Denver was chosen to represent the largest population base for marketing.

The model I followed was that of Denver Post versus Rocky Mountain News.  Anyone who lives in this time zone should be aware that the RMN has gone the way of the dinosaurs (killed by cigarettes).  One contributing factor, in accordance with the teaching of a journalism teacher from days gone by, is the regional identification.

When advertisers look to our area to place ads, the Denver Post always got a larger share of this money.

This is simple – where the hell are the Rocky Mountains?

Well, we all know that, but from a non-Colorado point of view this could be Wyoming and further north.  But Denver is absolutely a known population center.

This same thinking goes for the internet, and any other promotional or marketing effort.  According to http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-Colorado.html Denver/Lakewood/Aurora is three times more population than any other area.

So decisions were made, deals were cut, Congressmen were paid off.

Well, not that drastic, but you get the gist.

With some inertia behind us we are now interested in paying formal respect to all cities in our grand state by offering our project with a Colorado feel.

Our goal is to build a community based on Ableton and electronic music for the Rocky Mountain region. Denver is the largest population center for quite a while. Please do not take this as any tipping of the high hat to other Colorado cities, we love you all.

So, there are shirts and stickers on the way. I am hoping we can have them available at the next Meet-Up. If anyone has some design ideas send them through!

Marketin info and data is located in our press area.

As we round out 2009 (a pretty good year) I want to know what is going on as well as some plans for the future of Ableton in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains.

News and Plans:

• Code clean up pending. The site is running well, but I am a programmer by day and I feel like I should tweak on this stuff.
• Soundcloud+ integration. I think Soundcloud is the winning music sharing app.  Many people out there agree. So, I am working on a t-i-g-h-t integration on sight. There are both free and pay versions.
• Sister sight of [redacted-site-name].com is coming where we will post Ableton-centric music – multiple formats. Suggestions welcome!
• PODCAST – I am seeing a “gap” on Ableton podacsting. Something informative, Ableton-centric but not exclusive. Topics such as new music, technique, tools, software, announcements, and lots of guests! We have a video studio available to produce additional material. Who out there is in love with their voice?
• Feburary Meet-Up  February 28, 2010 – we have at a Controller-ism special.  So far Mark from Modulate This! will be demonstrating Percussa Audio Cubes. Also, Darren Kramer will be sowing off his Lemur. David Henderson presenting  Monome and Lunchpad. I am waiting on a MIDI Fighter . Please contact me if you can fill in any parts or have unique controller-ism to show off!
• March Meet-Up is 14March2010-spring time seems right for “Ableton Out of the Box” – an external processing extravaganza! This is my main research focus using Ableton.  I am looking for more people who are freaks like me, so grab me anyway you can and start talking! This one is NOT set in stone! I am listening to ideas!
• Future Meet Up Idea : Video Integration – Call for ideas and speakers!
• Future Meet Up Idea : DJ Collaboration – Call for ideas and speakers!
• Future Meet Up Idea : Integration of Electronic Music into a Live Band Environment – Call for ideas and speakers!
• Open House at the home for Ableton Denver on 23Jan2009 (a Saturday Afternoon) More on that soon!
• Swallow Hill Class led by Chris Lawhead from Colorado Music Lab presenting “Ableton Live A-Z workshop” at Swallow Hill on Saturday 30January2009 at 1:30. This is an intro to Ableton, if you want to get a jump start sign up! (I will be there assisting Chris).
• Collaboration is starting! Don with NIIO Analog has some ideas. Spark Fun in Boulder does the whole Arduino thing. We have a circle of people communicating already. Contact us and let us know your mad skillz!  There are a few other projects heating up.  I hope we can bring more people together and make good stuff!
• Events Page! I am setting up a submission for events on the site. I r-e-a-l-l-y want to post all the shows in the Rocky Mountain area that feature Ableton.
• Speaking of events: Colorado Bass Music presents Siren at Beta(FB link) 15January2010 – Saturday  http://soundcloud.com/siren-music http://www.myspace.com/sirenheat

That is it for now!  Warp your  world!

–Marc

I found this, some how. Video game sounds: http://www.superflashbros.net/as3sfxr/?gaming. Such good stuff, someone needs to make a sample pack! Plus, the interface allows for great control! Good work, who ever you are!

Via Oliver:

Here’s a link to the Ableton Page. And a support forum.

Reminder – free live packs on the Ableton Site, go here!

Free loop and sample pack from KJ Sawka’s “Mad Beatz”.

Did you know there was a Steinberg Museum?  The site is pretty good, Flash, looks like Paper Vision.  Regardless of any behind the scenes geekery, the site is an interesting presentation.

So should we totally saturate this site with Ableton mixes?

I have already received one naked chick x-mas jpg.  I think most guys get them. I will not post it, but I will provide a link to Frosty the inappropriate Snowman“. (Yeah, that is Neil Patrick Harris samples).

Begin shameless meet-up promotion: Darwin from Cycling 74 will be dropping mad science via Max for Live.

No post should escape the reminder the Darwin Grosse from Cycling ‘74 (the company producing Max, Max for Live, etc) is speaking at our next meet up!

Now for some business!

Via Ableton Freaks Twitter posted this site- http://www.maxforlive.com/. Good stuff.

Also targeting Max for Live is Novation’s STEPSEQ (via Synthtopia).  The quote:

Conceived as a cool but powerful sequencer to enable Launchpad users to program melodies, leads and basslines quickly in Live, the buttons are configured diatonically (as opposed to chromatically, as with a traditional step sequencer). The degree of the scale and its tonal centre can be set by the user, meaning that, once set up, any note you trigger in your sequence will fit in harmonically with your track, making it really easy to keep within the context of the song.

This is a free download from Novation. The following video is ~9min

Here is something fun from Think Geek:

This is only one of many variants on the LED / programmable interface. There are also a grip of “Macro Controllers” (like the Nostromo Series that I re-program for editing). I would love to talk about the usefulness of something this type of programmable controller.

Here is one example, from my mixing. I have been mapping a standard USB num-pad to may basic transport functions in Cubase for about 5 years. The buttons are always the exact same. I even have a little cheat sheet on the whole thing. The time I save editing via this interface is amazing.

Now I certainly miss the days of a fine console and nice big fat buttons, but I am faster now. Plus, I enjoy distributing my money on smaller quality mixers and other items.

Now, I still very desperately want a Solid State Logic X-Desk very bad. But the nearly $3000US street price makes this a lower priority.

Also if interest – Ableton is spreading. So happy to see this happening.  TC Electronics is the latest to jump on the free distro with gear purchase. The brand new Impact Twin is a new break-out box. It looks like an extension on the Konnekt series (my current break-out box for Ableton). So far I am real happy with all my TC gear. The free Ableton version is “Ableton Live Lite 8 TC Electronic Edition”. I suspect it is like the Launchpad version.

Some free plugins anyone? There are a few listed on the Psychic Modulation Plugin Page. Let me know any about any success with these.

Next up – Monome + Max for Live, hell, why write when there is video?

maxforlive: monome integration from stretta on Vimeo.

How about a digital (ly modified) didgeridoo?

Cool, but I wonder if he is getting the same latency issues I had when using Blue-Tooth for audio applications?

Pure Magnetik announces Fuel for Max. The details are coming through slowly, keep your eye on this!

Finally – 10 cool audio gifts for under $100 at Synthtopia.

Here we go, the first announcement :

Ableton Denver is proud to announce and evening with Darwin Grosse from Cycling ‘74 discussing Max For Live.

The event, is FREE! (21+)

Prepare yourself for graphical blasts of information with color and crazy subliminal messages. For now, I provide an image form the interwebs.

This is pretty exciting!  I will post more information and pictures. As for graphics, well, I my current favorite quote is from Myth Busters:

“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth over doing.”

More on that real soon. Back to Darwin.

Darwin Grosse is an artist, producer, media software developer, and the Director of Engineering for Cycling ’74. He is also a prolific writer, having authored more than 120 articles for Recording magazine, several product manuals, and countless product tutorials. Formerly the editor of CreativeSynth.com, he now focuses on bringing his Beginner Mind to music and media production. [credit]

Darwin’s Play site : http://www.20objects.com

Darwin’s Blog :  http://www.darwingrosse.com/

Darwin’s Work: http://cycling74.com

When : January 24, 2010

Where :  The Walnut Room located at 3131 Walnut Street in Denver.

Max for Live is an important evolutionary step for both Cycling ‘74 and Ableton.  When you factor in Moore’s Law, my brain should finally melt and ooze out the nose sometime in 2015.  All a result of finally gaining total control on all audio to finally engineer the perfect song, not too dissimilar to the Funniest Joke in the World (YouTube version).

In preparation for “the Final Track”  bring a taiko drum, fourteen airplane vomit bags, and a goat on January 24, 2010 for an evening with Darwin Grosse  and Max for Live.

Final accommodations for goats has not been worked out. Stay tuned.

C.DB.SN will be providing the evenings sound track.  (SoundCloud) Imagery and telepathic suggestion to follow real soon!

RSVP here!

So it is really cold.  Denver and Colorado is just plain frid-jid!  That sort of cold where you work on the laptop on the couch and use it as a heat source. Today was in the negatives when I left the house.  Ouch.

Well, let’s talk about what is going on:

The next meet up is 24January2009.  It is a really really good guest.  I am still keeping the cards close to my chest.  Hopefully in the next day or two I will have the press release and media ready.  Trust me, we have great stuff lined up! So just keep 24Jan2009 open, okay?

February meet up is shaping into a “Controller-Fest”.  There are a lot of new controllers out there, we are going to drop some serious control on the system. If you have a cool controller for Ableton or your electronic music please contact us!

March may be the extravaganza of “Ableton Outside of the Box”, also on the docket it “Video integration with Ableton“. If you got something to offer, pony up! We are also looking to get more artists presenting at our Ableton Denver Meet-Ups.

Event: Chris Lawhead from Colorado Music Lab is leading “Ableton Live A-Z workshop” at Swallow Hill on Saturday 30January2009 at 1:30. This is an intro to Ableton, if you want to get a jump start sign up! (I will be there assisting Chris).

Max for Live on Monome (I think this came form Chase and a few others…) http://stretta.blogspot.com/2009/12/maxforlive-monome-suite-released.html

Ever heard of Mid-Side or M/S? Well this can be a little abstract for some, and even I was fuzzy on the idea when I first learned about it. Regardless, this article is one of the most clear on the subject (in this editors opinion). There are even a few downloads on the page.  This topic is important for a few reasons (and there are many more…)

1. Wow! You can work in M/S stereophony in Ableton – now that is hot!
2. This is a valuable technique for adding dimension to your recording / work.
3. This allows you to think outside of the box.

Here is an interesting (short) video from Mark Mosher. His words on the piece:

The video is intended to show what’s possible when you go constrain your tool set and inspire others to extend their craft by “going deep” and transcending technology. Visit http://www.modulatethis.com/1pa.html for behind-the-scenes notes on this performance.

If anyone has interesting stuff send it over!

Nostalgia anyone? Herbie on the Fairlight (via Modulate This)

That is it for now.  Keep warping!

Migrating from the weekly round up to a few smaller posts all the time.  Easier to make a few 15 minute stops than a 3 hour one every week.

Via Mark / Modulate This! Ableton 8.1 is available. Of note is the introduction of a new file format – the snippet:

Live 8.1 introduces a new file format – documents saved with Live 8.1 or newer will not be able to be opened in older versions of Live.

Ableton Download Page and the Forum Page.

That is major, so beware (and beware*)

On another note, Automap is up to version 3.4, go here for more.

And the teaser… We have a really good speaker lined up for Meet Up #3. Watch closely, the invites and such will hit in the next few business days. The date is 24Jan2010!

Cool new site (again, Mark coming through!) http://music-interface.com/ – all about interfaces (so many out there now!). Check out this video:

*yes, Waking Life Reference

Jan 28, 2010
DKO DJ
Live Looping via Ableton Live, Electric Trombone, Virtual Synths, Vocoder & Lemur
ELECTRONIC: Nu Jazz, Breakbeat, Downtempo, DnB
10:30pm-1:30am
Dazzle Lounge
Denver, CO

Jan 30, 2010
“Beyond The Boneyard” Music Software Clinic
(Creating Music Using Software and an Electric Trombone) 1:00pm – 2:00pm
CMEA Conference at Broadmoor Hotel
Colorado Springs, CO