March 4, 2010
Ableton Colorado Controlerism Petting Zoo
Comments Off
February 9, 2010
Controllerism Meet Up “The Petting Zoo”
This is the a Controllerism special we are calling “The Petting Zoo“. Here is what we got:
- Jazz Mutant Lemur presented by Darren Kramer
- Monome 128 and Launchpad by David Henderson
- DJ Tech Tools MIDI Fighter band Livid DIY by me.
- Snyderphonics Manta presented by Dawrin Grosse
- Arduinome presented by Mike / Circle Six(wiki link – this is a Aruino chip that works like a Monome)
Following the presentations stick around for some great hands on work with each unit and presenter. (okay, now you get the petting zoo reference?)
When : February 28, 2010 7pm
Where : The Walnut Room located at 3131 Walnut Street in Denver.
How Much? Not a single penny – FREE! Just the way we like it!!!
Our evenings sound track is provided by Circle Six via his Ardionome! Next Month Cache Flowe!
But Wait, there’s more…
Our (new) friends at Curious Inventor are so kind they are loaning Ableton Colorado Stribe Duo and Midiator.
- The Stribe Duo and the Midiator via Curious Inventor
The Stribe Duo needs little explanation. I would sum it up with”pretty lights, crazy control, and great feed back”. If Neanderthal don’t cut it go to the site.
Kicking it up a notch – the Midiator converts video game energy into MIDI. Yeah, that is a PS2 controller. (think of it as Doom to MIDI conversion)
If anyone wants to help present and learn these great pieces form Creative Inventor send me an email at inf [at] abletondenver.com. I would love to hear from you!
How about some photos?o
The Arduinome
The Lemur
The Manta
The MIDI Fighter
The Livid DIY / Brain
The Monome
The Launch Pad
Darwin Grosse
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/
Darren Kramer
Darren Kramer is an Edwards Trombone Performing Artist and Ableton Specialist and is in demand as a freelance trombonist, composer and educator throughout the United States. Kramer graduated from the University of Miami and moved to NYC where he toured with Matchbox Twenty, Tom Jones, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. He has also recorded with such artists as Michael Brecker, Eric Marienthal and Jerry Hey and his original composition “Not Far From Here” was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Kramer is now the President/CEO of his own music company, DKO The Darren Kramer Organization, whose inspiring concerts, educational clinics, five exceptional recordings, and over fifty challenging arrangements (Available Now for small group AND big band!) have helped modernize the trombone and expand its role in contemporary music. The 2010 DKO CD release is entitled “Beyond The Boneyard” and features an inspiring one man band performance utilizing electric trombone, keyboards and computer loops. This cutting-edge project is also being presented by Kramer throughout the country as a music software PowerPoint Presentation “Creating Music Using Software and an Electric Trombone!”.
Find Darren at ElectricTrombone.com
David Henderson
[bio pending]
Catch up with David at http://www.dhenderson.com
Mike / Circle Six
[pending]
Take a listen via MySpace.
Curious Inventor
Well, they are not coming here in person, but they will be with us in spirit. Digital spirit that is…
“We’re a few mechanical and electrical engineers from GaTech trying to make it easier to make and sell inventions. We write how-to guides, sell cherry-picked parts and tools, and also manufacture kits…”
Pay them some support here.
DJ Not So Much
Hey, that is me! If I launch my website I will put a bio up.
No forest fires! MEDIA AND PRESS
January 1, 2010
January 1 – Hangover Edition
I hope everyone had a good New Year. I am still battling a sinus infection (or alien experimentation gone wrong).
We are still excited to have Darwin speaking at the next meet up. This will be your #1 opportunity to get you Max for Live off to a sloid kick. The details for that evening start here.
Two days Extended to Jan 10 – get DEEP discounts from Nick’s tutorials. Go here to get the whole scoop: http://nickstutorials.com/archives/585
Our studio at Colorado Music Lab is moving along. Yesterday I invested a nearly complete 8 more hours doing wiring and minor details. We hung a ton of pictures as well. The place is looking good! Photos and video coming soon! Open house 23Jan2010!
The MIDI Fighter has arrived! I am working on a review right now. It is pretty awesome!
Mark over at Modulate This! has a great year in review, check it out! He is not only a great guy, but super knowledgeable. We are lucky to have people like him in our Colorado region!Mark has alos done a good job at wrapping up some recent debate on sound quality.
Ableton 8.1 was recently release (we tweeted). Here is a point of entry at Synthopia. Also, as fo 28Dev2009 Live 8 development Halted due to bugs, read more on the forum.
Event : Basslab presents Siren
Livid Block Ne – inrto:
livid block NE Intro from Livid Instruments on Vimeo.
Richard Devine’s GrainCube Reaktor Ensemble via Synthtopia: (when did music production turn into a video game screen from the 1980’s?)
Sharpen your Launchpad Skills:
Video Shuffler / Max for Live Device Demo:
Hell Yeah – Jeep Techo!:
Quick Demo of Video Shuffler – my MaxforLive Device from digital funfair on Vimeo.
Of Note:
Free Patch Library For Harmless Synthesizer from Modulate This
Free Reason ReFill – Monologue
(via Synthopia) All Xoxos Plugins Now Freeware!
December 22, 2009
Some Monday Nuggets
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.
December 17, 2009
Toys anyone? No, really, this is serious.
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.
Comments Off
December 15, 2009
Get your Max for Live on with Darwin Grosse
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!
