Here’s the primer :

Open up any modern (hardware) keyboard and start Google-ing the bigger parts on the circuit board to begin understanding that not only are these (awesome) units built on 10-20 year old technology but the iPhone is considerably more powerful.

With that said we introduce products such as the Akai Synth Station

or the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer that I have posted several times on the MIDI Mobilizer, most currently here.

So what’s the problem now, right?

I just read a follow up article on CDM regarding this topic. This article ultimately falls in line with all the NDA protection and conjecture on the Apple policies.  Here’s a few quotes from CDM:

Here is a few lines from the referenced CDM article (this will cause brain pain):

The old agreement

3.3.24 Your Application may interface, communicate, or otherwise interoperate with or control an iPhone Accessory (as defined above) through Bluetooth or Apple’s 30-pin dock connector only if You have obtained a license for such iPhone Accessory under Apple’s MFi Program.

The new agreement

3.3.25 Your Application may interface, communicate, or otherwise interoperate with or control an iPhone Accessory (as defined above) through Bluetooth or Apple’s 30-pin dock connector only if (i) such iPhone Accessory is licensed under Apple’s MFi Program at the time that You initially submit Your Application, (ii) the MFi Licensee has added Your Application to a list of those approved for interoperability with their iPhone Accessory, and (iii) the MFi Licensee has received approval from the Apple MFi Program for such addition.

{via CDM} Apple is now allowing third-party apps to support those hardware accessories – provided Apple approves both the accessory itself, and via the accessory’s maker, the app.

I don’t want to discuss the inner workings of this statement, but it is clear that we there is some nasty stuff going on.

Let’s bring it around to the end users (you and me).

The iPhone (OS) and similar devices has the potential to revolutionize the synth, controller, and hardware industry 3 years ago. Unfortunately it looks like another 3 years is going to  pass before anything real happens.

Apple is not going to relinquish control for us greedy electronic musicians who are often much smarter than the other iPhone users and have a high density of hackers and programmers in the audience.  Roland and Korg are safe (for now) but the end may be near.  As soon as there is an established protocol and standardization for input/output on these devices the guitar pedal market is going to shrink considerably.  The number of effects on outboard pedals that can not be “virtualized” is pretty small.  Boss, as a pedal manufacturer, should be worried, very worried.

When some required changes finally take place here is my prediction:

• End users are going to grow the tool kit exponentially
• End users will need to sift through a market of mostly crap as weak programmers and (cr)app(y) development will dominate
• Large companies will be crushed as they lack the inherent required agility to shift with the market
• Large companies will further alienate users as they grasp to old ideas of revenue generation that do not work in the “app” market
• Boutique sales will slowly rise and dominate as the choice of professionals (tube, analog, and other similar choices)
• Smaller companies and blogs will become the resource of choice for those in the know
• Large “knock off companies” such as Akai, Alesis, Bheringer, and Novation will mass market popular choices that lack the quality professionals desire

I really don’t know what the future holds, but one thing is clear – the technology is moving faster than academic, corporate, and traditional media can keep up with.

It is up to us, the (Ableton and electronic music)  users, to make am impact and speak honestly and truthfully in all realms to keep music alive.

If we fail, the traditional stability of pedals, keyboards, and instruments in general will be suffocated by an influx of cheap China knockoffs, crappy apps, and bug laden software that crushes so many systems everyday already.

Well, 2 things I bumped into today from CDM (thx guys).  First is a release form Serato regarding the bridge. Some critical information is out!

Just hit this link: http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/08/18/the-bridge-for-serato-and-ableton-public-beta-manual-available and you begin your travels through the manual and other fun elements.

Next up is (my hero) DJ Shiftee talking about practice.  Pay attention!

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/08/17/dj-control-details-on-denon-ni-novation-and-oh-yeah-practicing

That is all!

DISCLAIMER : I am posting this information for peer review. There shall be no violation of any NDA, developer agreement, or otherwise. Commentary on this information is welcome and open to the public domain.

I just received a return email from Line 6 for an SDK for the MIDI Mobilizer.  If anyone would like to see the PDF application please contact me.  There are no limitation immediately visible on the PDF document preventing me from posting, but I suspect that posting this agreement will impact me negatively.

Here is original copy from the returned email response with a few items [redacted] out of courtesy.

Dear [name],

Thank you for your interest in our MIDI Mobilizer developer program.  We are very excited to see what creative uses developers may have for our new MIDI interface.

In order to become a MIDI Mobilizer developer and to receive the technical documents, we request that you fill out and return the attached agreement.  You can sign it electronically and email the completed form to [email address].  Or, you can fill it out manually and send a scan of the completed form to MMDeveloper@line6.com, or fax it to [phone number].  In addition, you will need to follow all of Apple’s requirements for being an iPhone developer.

Upon receipt of the signed developer agreement, we will send you back a fully executed version and our MIDI Mobilizer SDK.  The MIDI Mobilizer SDK is provided at no charge, and with no royalty or license fee for its use.  Due to Apple’s policies, it will be necessary for Line 6 to approve the application and provide its name and ID to Apple in order for it to function with the MIDI Mobilizer.  All other aspects of the submission of applications to Apple remain the same as with any other application, and are handled directly by the developer.

As outlined in the agreement, we request that an Application Plan be submitted to us for our approval.  This can be a simple description in an email, and enables us to provide advanced feedback and/or legal review if necessary prior to any significant development effort.  We do not anticipate this step being an impediment to your progress, but instead should reduce the time required for Line 6 to provide approval of the application’s use with MIDI Mobilizer to Apple when your development is complete.

As mentioned, the development files for MIDI Mobilizer are provided free of charge.  You can choose to charge any amount you like for the MIDI Mobilizer application you develop, or to make it free of charge, without any approval or cost incurred from Line 6.

We look forward to your partnership, and to seeing the many uses that MIDI Mobilizer might inspire.

Best regards,
-The MIDI Mobilizer team

There is some bold in there.  The cool part makes Line 6 look PIMP! In short, you can charge what ever you want for the application and Line 6 don’t care. Very interested in the license that the SDK has, if any.

The other bold elements make it pretty clear that Line 6 has it’s hands tied by the Apple agreement.  Here is an example of these limitations:

..no interpreted code may be downloaded or used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple’s Documented APIs and built-in interpreter(s). Notwithstanding the foregoing, with Apple’s prior written consent, an Application may use embedded interpreted code in a limited way if such use is solely for providing minor features or functionality that are consistent with the intended and advertised purpose of the Application.. [source CNET]

Your desirable application to control MIDI output via hardware is still pretty far off. The list is long and the real meat of the issue is rumored to be in the Apple developer agreement. I understand the developer agreement is itself under a NDA of it’s own (removing the developer agreement from the public domain for review). These limitations clearly state that you can not allow users to program an application.  Programming MIDI functionality that interacts in real time is an apparent violation of these rules.  (I wonder how the Line 6 SDK works if it is NOT one of the documented “built-in interpreter(s)”?)

It seems safe to say that we (the end user) are very much a victim of Apple’s feud  with Adobe and the Flash system (among many fights).  Depending on your view, understanding, and interpertation of the environment (covered by various NDA’s) there is no distinction between Flash and MIDI interfaces.

So how does Touch OSC, Griid, and others get around this? Easy – they are a dedicated application that is interfacing with an external API (such as an OSC protocol or the Ableton API via network communication and the use of additional software outside of iOS).

Although the iPad and similar Apple devices are very much the coolest electronic gadgets I have ever owned, Apple’s over authoritarian reach and restriction of the hardware and software is unjust to say the least.

Counterpoint: One may claim that the only way to have a hard/software application run stable,such as in the iOS and iPhone, iPad, etc environment, you need to rule your hard/software with an iron fist. This is why your alarm clock, microwave, and car run well – no SDK or tweaker (like me) messing around.

Update : Look here and red between the lines.

Ableton has released 8.1.5 for public download last night.

You can download it here.

A forum thread on the release.

View the Change Log.

Mark Mosher gets all the credit for posting this way way early in the cycle. Pay him as much browser love as possible because he is too cool!

My advocacy against wireless communication for Live should hardly go unnoticed.  Nor should it be difficult to find an honest sentence from me on the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer.

History and defense  of Line 6. This hardware and software application was created to back up patches and data (period).  SysEx data and similar.  Very good – Line 6 gets a Gold Star!

Head on over to this CDM article and learn more on this topic.

So what is the problem?

Well, the hardware is 100% capable of passing info form the iOs to a MIDI cable, but no methods other than record and play. No “button creation” and assignment to your desired CC number, Note, etc.

The CDM review is interesting and much of the hoop-la is centered around the L6 side.

I point to the highly ambiguous environment a result of the EFF win. The iOs is a  100% solid front from Apple (in a vague manner littered with the threats of losing a dev license) stating that there is no 3rd party programming (keeping that short, big topic). The L6MM with an SDK should violate this agreement.

Expanded: If you make a button, assign it to CC 44 and fire off that command in an iOs environment you are breaking the iOs rules (100% pre EFF win).  The developer who “allowed” this to happen will most likely have apps pulled from the iTunes store and lose the license. Them Apple people are real nice…

You get it, I don’t need to connect the dots any further than saying how Apple apparently knows something about MIDI and in conjunction with ATT’s paranoia (indeed industry wide) where we can “bring down the network [of cell towers] by trying to force MIDI out in real time”.

C’mon people!

Well there is an SDK available now.  I have an email in.

For now please let me know what you know! How has the iOs dev environment changed? How close are we to getting the MIDI control OFF WIRELESS?

This conversation is NOT over.  We have some progress!

Special thanks to EFF for fighting the good fight against the forces of EVIL!

CacheFlow has released his “Robot voice” source code (a ChucK based project) on GitHub.

“Can turn your voice into robot vocals using pitch shift, delay, reverb, and chorus.”

Do check it out and offer support for his project.

And of course – post back some of your results!

First on any agenda, we have a meet up happening. July 14, 2010 FREE – Lucid Gallery. Serato will be the topic – get ready for the Bridge!

If you figure out how to do that drum rack thing please contact me!

Some rapid tutorial on exporting VSTs outward in Ableton. Another interesting option is Sound Flower – I am still mastering this app in trying to get a “Virtual Audio Cable” instance going. I am close. For now I re-sample using some straight forward routing (for any laptopist) out my SPDIF digital outs back in, yes I have physical cable connecting the two. This is the only reliable fast  and easy method to permanently borrow sounds from the web or similar.

I know there are other solutions, but many of them require a total rewrite of audio settings, and this is sometimes an undesirable inconvenience. Debatable none the less.

Numark clones Vestax? I can’t say, I am not watching this closely.  From Gear Junkies or more to the point do we give Ean more credit for opening up these ideas? Or more to more to the point will there be little “single” deck versions for goof balls like me who seek scratch.

Text message style sums this up completly: SPL Blog FTW nuff said.

You did get your free download form Ableton for some new live Packs right? (direct link to *.zip) Info Page.

An answer to the drama that is “This is WTF was Hawtin using?”. Gear Junkies starts the journey. Okay, here’s the rest at http://griid.net/ and the same video as before with some text applied on YouTube with Hawtin.

Livid Instruments is talking about aluminium Block and OHM64. Hmm…

Pioneer’s DJ side announced a collaboration with Serato to ensure compatibility of the latest CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900 professional series digital media players with the Scratch Live software. I would call this a golden hint as to things on the way? (**cough bridge)**

How about a time line? “The free Scratch Live Version 2.1 software update compatible with the updated CDJ-2000/900 is scheduled to be released in the third quarter (Q3) of 2010 from Serato Audio Research.” source

A must read for Glitch Mob/Hop / controllerism on EMusician
Livid is 100% stepping up to the plate seeing Max4Live.info drop native Ableton control on to the OHM64. Now for the same treatment for the block. Now we get a SERIOUS UPGRADE for the APC / Launchpad series.

In short, you need to go here, spend your $25, and improve your output. http://www.nativekontrol.com/apC_Series.html. This is some serious controller action going on. The market is growing both in physical possibilities and thorough software advancements. Fantastic.

Closing out – Darren Kramer (Handler of the Lemur and clinician) is dropping a software clinic on July 10, 2010 – the details :

10-11:30am
Everyday Joe’s
144 S. Mason Street
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524

Darren Kramer – Ableton Specialist and Electric Trombone Performing Artist www.ElectricTrombone.com All musicians and educators, regardless of age or skill level can benefit immensely from this technology  Basic to advanced concepts will be demonstrated via Live Looping w/ Electric Trombone, Synths, Vocoder & Lemur!

First – Congratz to Ableton for, well, kicking ass : Ableton Voted Greatest Work Station and Science Fiction Novel of Decade!.

Okay, I was not telling the truth about Sci-fi novel…

In short, some 5000 votes on Synthopia.com said “You the one!”

I dropped this video in the Facebook stream.Get dialed in further on LPad using USER2 :

K4815 ready for action – if your into the whole euro rack thing…

Here is the opening paragraph:

As its premier offering in the modular synthesizer world, the K4815 Pattern Generator by Kilpatrick Audio packs incredible power into a small 20HP Eurorack module that offers virtually unlimited creative potential for modular players. The K4815 can produce notes and varying control voltages for a wide range of musical applications. Its unique approach to music creation is sure to have you finding new melodies and rhythms never heard before. Unlike a step sequencer, where the player picks each note in a sequence, the K4815 creates sequences by combining a scale, a visual pattern (as shown on the display) and a sequence playback motion to determine the rhythms and notes that are actually played. Other parameters can adjust the note and sequence length, as well as the transposition, direction of playback, and so on.

So there you go -  Thursday June 17th. I could not find a great link or copy. Contact me if you want me to forward the email over to you!

Personally I love 105 BPM.  I don’t know if that has any impact on the heat though.

Gonna hit on the “Game Changer” here for a sec.  In short “Meh”.

Ean Gold is someone to watch, and this is a great idea. When I put this item in perspective with my controllers (analog/digital/etc) this is no more than a novelty.

Again the Dicer certainly is cool, it fits a need, and I offer my props on that level.  The real question I ask is simple:

“Is the DJ crowd deprived of gadgets?”

Seriously, this is no more than a tightly packaged PIC micro-controller that is well thought out.  The polish that Novation added is the only real leap (packaging and marketing).  The “Game Changer” label certainly gets under my skin and contributes to (this editors) diminishing view of Novation.

Perspective : I first knew Novation in the late 1990’s when my friend Greg was repping and I managed an all synth/keyboard boutique.  But we are the jolliest buncha’ mean folks you may meet when we get on the “who sucks” discussion.

In short, the only gear I am not pissed off at is Nord and anything I have not owned.  (But there was a huge issues w/Nord about a year ago – but that was all US distribution channels).

Back to the Dicer, and in the scope of Ableton there is no “standard interface” like the turn table.  The APC is the only kinda’ almost, the Trigger Finger is also a good contestant.  So the universal “game changer” is probably not going to happen for the modern digital musician.

But this is not a sad note – “The Bridge” is coming. We are all hoping that this is a stable non-crashy release with some fun stuff.  This is going to close the gap on DJ-Ableton artists.  This is awesome!

On the note of “Ableton Artist” – is it DJ? I don’t like getting grouped with that crowd (I have never DJ’ed, so don’t box me in!). Electronic artist is not quite there, electronic musician is totally good but too long. What the hell are we?  There is a bunch of software nipping at the heels of Ableton and you certainly do not what to reference your trade by the name of the product (sorry Ableton). So what do we call our self?

The Ableton spectrum is HUGE – from folk to techno to dub-whatever to a bunch of categories I could not describe.

Electro-crunk-wobble-swing-remixed jazz changes? HUH?

So the point is clear – make your own game changer. I am working on my own game changer as I hook up with a crew who has a CNC machine (oh HELL yeah).  So if you ever wonder why I don’t do too many shows or gig like mad, I am usually soldering, programming, and plotting!

Other News

Fader Fox gets a rejuvenation. Check out this article form CDM, here’s a sexy image. The big change – USB!

File Under: I was wrong!

I was predicting apocalypse with “DJ Hero“. Well, we are still here! But now there is a new threat to society and our lives. It comes from the same concept.  As Mark Mosher reports – there is a real MIDI keyboard included in  the new Rock Band.

Is the the end?

Is doom near?

Mark has some great commentary as well, worth the stop.

Probably not. Here’s a video:

Follow up coolness – Mark is a synth guy (is it our age?). So much of his work touches me in that special place, you know, in the oscillator. Here’s something fresh on Modular Synthesis.

OMFG REMIX! Here’s a link for some Bass Nector Natives. Get them NOW! These don’t stay up long. Save time and go right for the stems HERE.

I gotta tell you – go out have fun! There is nothing really happening on my radar screen.  The iPad hype has faded, iPhone 4g is not really a gamer changer (LOL), and no new software releases are on the horizon.

Or is there…???

–Marc

PS new site on the way. New domain too.