As promised! Cache Flowe will be joining us for an evening of Live visual processing. This is going to be an amazing evening for all!

Those of you interested in adding a visual element should check out Processing.org, the source for much of the scripting and framework Cache Flowe uses in his live sets.  Beyond visual Cache Flowe will be performing music and explaining his set up and approach to a full Live A/V set. A few key topics:

• Real time MIDI & audio
• Rendering music videos
• Use of the Eclipse IDE
• ChucK (audio programming language for real-time synthesis) and vocal processing

When : March 14, 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!!!

RSVP NOW!

Cache FLowe Bio : Mashing up idm, hip hop, funk, drum and bass, trip hop, experimental, jazz, techno, and dubstep, CacheFlowe creates genre-skewing electronic music that has received acclaim from local and international press. Producing with a computer since 1996, he’s honed an original style that’s defined by stuttery, complex breakbeats, deep analog basslines, techno-flavored synths, organic instrumentation and contorted samples. Working on the same Ableton Live set since early 2004, CacheFlowe’s live show is a fast-paced smorgasbord of chopped breakbeats and analog synths on 8 channels of audio. He bobs and weaves through an array of electronic genres and tempos, using nothing but sounds and loops from his own productions. Appearing on official record label releases alongside the likes of Twine, Ladytron, Daedelus, Ulrich Schnauss, Starkey, Machinedrum, ISAN, Submerged, Fog, and sharing the stage with Amon Tobin, edIT, Machinedrum, Dizzee Rascal, Mochipet, Jeff Parker (Tortoise), DJ Olive (MMW, Sonic Youth), Nels Cline (Wilco), and countless local talents, CacheFlowe continues to freak the beat in new and exciting ways.

You can find Cache Flowe at CD Baby, Discogs, MySpace, and via Plastic Sound Supply on YouTube and of course his main site.

Some video for your viewing pleasure!

Media and Press information is located here.

Just say no to forest fires.

A few Darren Kramer shows are on the horizon. Remember Darren will be joining us for the Petting Zoo!

He sound is a live DJ remix of originals & covers via Ableton Live Looping w/ Electric Trombone, Virtual Synths, Vocoder & Lemur!

Feb 28, Sun – Free Demonstration of the JazzMutant Lemur !!!

The Walnut Room 7-9pm – NoDo Denver Oh wait, that’s us!

March 1, Mon

Herb’s Bar 10:30pm – 1am (Only $5 Cover !) – Denver

March 4, Thurs

D Note 9-11pm (Only $5 Cover ! GREAT Pizza) – Arvada, CO

I highly recommend visiting Darren’s site to see what is going on!

The controllerism show is on the horizon! RSVP Now! FaceBook

I missed some emails this weekend as POP email crashed for my provider (I aggregate).  So if there was something crazy interesting/important/similar – resend! I will be going backwards through emails.

On other news – we are having fun!  I will be releasing a review** of the NIIO Analog Iotine Core in the next week.  We teamed up with Chase to get some instructional videos on the unit.  We are currently editing.

We got some good tape from Darwin on Max, I am open to ideas on how to get them online. YouTube limits are 10 minutes. The 10+ minute videos are a special feature I just don’t see how to get!  Vimeo?  Hosting on my server will probably get me some heat (because the bots will trigger mass bandwidth, plus there is not sharing/embed).

I have been spending time with Final Cut and Celemony DNA. Nothing too impressive to talk about in Final Cut, just another software package. But DNA is SICK!

Don’t forget Cache Flowe in March!

As for the summer – thoughts (feed back very welcome!). Our summers in Denver/Colorado/Boulder are some of the best anywhere in the world.  I am looking to scale back the meet-ups after April (through the summer) so we can enjoy our evenings. Hell, even I want to ride around town with my wife on our cruisers.  Instead of larger formal meet-ups I would like to invest in smaller gatherings all over and include our community in festivals (supporting) and do various levels of out-reach before shows and to similar groups.8

**On the topic of review – the term “review”  is not totally correct. As there are a few companies looking to work with Ableton Colorado already, another round of “cleaning the air” is called for…

Our goal is to extend the use, functionality, and overall exposure of gear that is not on the radar (cough***Guitar Center***).   There is a certain “departure” from journalistic integrity (if that is still a thing anymore). Our goal is to build community and knowledge in an academic manner with users (producers) and producers (of gear in this instance).  The policy is simple:

If it is crap, send it back

Don, in the context of this “review” has  a “filter” that is so freaking cool we need to help get the word out (I am using some bass sounds I generated in my standard set).  So great.

Helpers wanted!
That is it, more soon.

–M

RSVP Now! FaceBook

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 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

As I prophesied months and months ago, we are now gaining full crossover between Ableton and Serrato.

Here is info from Ableton Central.

The press release:

Ableton and Serato present The Bridge at Winter NAMM 2010

Berlin, Germany, (January 14, 2010) – Ableton and Serato are proud to announce The Bridge at NAMM 2010 in Anaheim, California. The Bridge spans the gap between music production and DJing, creating a natural link between Ableton Live and Serato Scratch Live/ITCH. The Bridge provides a powerful fusion of DJ and production tools, opening a world of opportunities for DJing, remixing and live performance.

The Bridge works in both directions:

Ableton to Serato

The Bridge provides Ableton Transport Control (ATC), giving DJs turntable-style control of their own multitrack productions. DJs can simply drag an Ableton Live Set onto one of the decks in Scratch Live or ITCH and use their turntables, CDJ or ITCH controller to control the transport.

Serato to Ableton

The Bridge provides the ultimate mixtape creation tool. DJs can perform mixes in Serato Scratch Live or ITCH and save them as an Ableton Live Set. This way, the DJ can still perform the mix—better than cut and pasting it together in a DAW—but also has detailed editing options.

Reactions to The Bridge
“For DJs who don’t make beats yet, that turns into ‘Hey, I can make beats in here, too.’ For the guys who are beatmakers already as well as DJs, it’s great because it’s almost like you’re DJing with multitracks. And the mixtape feature was probably the best thing I’ve ever seen. People are going to get really creative, I know my brain is working already, there’s stuff that I’m going to do that I choose not to disclose right now because it’s top secret.” – DJ Jazzy Jeff

“Seeing where Ableton is at this state of technology, and all the stuff that’s in there, and thinking about Ableton and Serato together is mind boggling. I know there’s a lot of stuff that can happen… we’re all producers, we’re all DJs, your mind starts to wonder what’s coming. Everybody’s gonna get excited.”
- Kenny Dope

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 Basslines sample pack

Free Dulcimer Emulator

New Pricing on Reason

Best ‘Net Releases of 2009

Free Percussion Samples

Free Patch Library For Harmless Synthesizer from Modulate This

Free Reason ReFill – Monologue

(via Synthopia) All Xoxos Plugins Now Freeware!

Free Music Sequencer For Linux, MusE

CDM Biggest Tech Stories of 2009

Abletoin Denver is proud to announce that c.db.sn will be providing the evening sound track for us.  You can preview his work at the Three Kings Tavern with Munimula, PH-10 and I-45 on Saturday 21November2009.

c.db.sn’s blog is located at http://cdbsn.wordpress.com/

Listen to a few tracks at http://soundcloud.com/c-db-sn/tracks or below…

data:transmit by c.db.sn

10.27.09 algorythmic composition fun by c.db.sn

mykomputor by c.db.sn

Ableton Denver invites you to join us on November 22, 2009 at the Walnut Room in NoDo (Denver) to go to a special place where Reason flows like wine from the Lake of Ableton.  We will make a quick stop in the land of Rewire and focus on cross program collaboration with a focus on Reason under the control of Ableton.

MEET UP RSVP NOW! Free to all and very helpful resource!!!

James Tobin puts Reason into Ableton.

The evening demonstration and discussion will highlight the power of the Ableton sequencer and the sound engine of Reason working in perfect harmony.

Who is James Tobin? Besides sharing his name with a great American economist he is a premier Ableton guru, Reason ninja, electronic musician, and audio artist.

With old school roots in warehouse parties in and around Chicago James is a consummate vinyl connoisseur (with time spent at Wax Trax here in Denver), established DJ, recording technician for film and audio, and currently enjoying work with Alien Logic providing sound design for game development.

James is weeks away from completion of a masters with Berkley Music after already gaining a specialist certificate in Composition and Production in New Media.

Musically James Tobin is 1/2 of Sound Logic Sound Logic, also known as DJ Radioactive, and the man steering Dorje Records since 2003.

Reason (wiki link) is a powerful product for music production produced by Propellerhead that accepts control from external devices as well as other DAW and similar programs.  Ableton, as many agree, has taken sequencing to a new level with one of the most amazing MIDI sequencers and editors on the market.  With these 2 programs combined you go somewhere special. (enter James)

We have included time for questions and answers from James and a demonstration of the new Novation Launchpad.

Novation formally launched the Launchpad November 4 2009.  That very morning, at  10:05am local time I put one on hold.  As of this writing I still need to pick it up and learn the sucker.  No complaints here! I will do my best to get a grip on the device and provide time for everyone to mess around on this great new device.

There should be quite a bit of shop time after our hour + of talk and demos, so we would love to get everyone trading tips and and cards.

Background information on Reason (wiki link):

Reason 1.0 was released in November 2000.

These modules can be controlled from Reason’s built-in MIDI sequencer or from other sequencing applications such as Ableton

Some Reason contents (wikipedia links):

• Subtractor: a subtractive synthesizer
• Malström: a graintable synthesizer
• Dr Rex: a loop playback device, which slices prerecorded samples into manageable, bitesize units (parallel variant for Ableton warp markers)
• NN-19: a simple sampler, which loads pre-recorded instrumental and vocal sounds
• NN-XT: an advanced sampler, which features the option of tweaking the various modulation, oscillation and filter parameters of a preloaded sample or patch

ReWire is a software protocol, jointly developed by Propellerhead and Steinberg, allowing remote control and data transfer among digital audio editing and related software.

Originally appearing in the ReBirth software synthesizer in 1998, the protocol has since evolved into an industry standard.

MEET UP RSVP NOW!

Media files and press information is located here: http://abletondenver.com/press-kit/2009-11-meetup/

Now with more c.db.sn click http://abletondenver.com/meet-up-this-sunday-now-with-soundtrack/

Well, I have returned form my wonderful international travel and other assorted excitement and I am proud to take credit for all 10 of the free Live packs available now at http://www.ableton.com/able10-artist-packs.  Like is hinted, I have had nothing to do with these free live packs, but I will take credit.

Regardless of my (temporarily displaced) ethos click on over and get your free packs.

As for meet up #2 – James Tobin will be presenting us with information on using Ableton as a sequencer / controller with reason (via rewire). Reason is NOT my forte, but I will be dropping a formal release on James (who has a great resume and experience and is super knowledgeable) and details.

Also – I will be presenting the Novation Launchpad for all to geek out on.  If there is anyone out there who has mastered this unit please contact me, I just got mine on hold yesterday (the day of release) and have a big hill to climb.

I have been in contact with various people who want to collaborate and fin help, so be sure to socialize!

We will also talk about Colorado Music Lab’s (pre) birth – where Ableton Denver will find an official home (OMFG we have an office with a studio, lab, and stage).

Get excited and stand by for more…

And, I am summing up all the week+ news (holy crap I got a lot of feeds to eat up).

Next Meet up 22nov2009 – Walnut Room – 6:30 social, 7p start. http://www.meetup.com/Ableton-Denver/calendar/11691445/ sign up now, great stuff!