This should be seeing some updates, but I already have one important link for the Novation Launchpad – a PDF matrix of the launchpad to help when you are assigning MIDI. This is part of my presentation for the Launchpad.
http://abletondenver.com/press-kit/2009-11-meetup/LPMatrix_sheet.pdf
I put this together real fast because I was loosing track of what I was doing on the launch pad.
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):
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.
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/
Preamble: Thank you to everyone who came out for meeting number 1. Our second is coming up 15November2009. As soon I get the press release worked out I will post the invites and such.
This is a super collection of the past 2 weeks. Business has kept me form collecting and formatting a post. So here’s to catching up.
P(re)S: I have begun putting some Ableton videos out. My first one is on the bottom of the page. Let me know what you think.
Ableton Land
Novation Lanuchpad Coverage: First, let’s get a first class “word ‘em up” to Ableton for keeping a secret. This came out of left field for me. Is this true for everyone else?
I am very interested in the build quality of this unit. Novation has a checkered history on some units and decisions. A live performance controller demands quality, reliability, and no foolishness. The price point ($200 street) raises my eyebrow. Ye olde mantra of “you get what you pay for” is not to be ignored. I see this discussion unfolding on the net in the coming months.
The Launch pad at the Novation site. Also as seen on Matrix Synth, Gear Junkies, and some Q&A on CDM
Big news on coming big news – the long fabled Ableton + Serato project. Back in the days of old (7 months ago) there we rumors coming from the Forest of Doom telling the townsfolk that the elves were working on bringing peace between the digital Gods of Ableton and ato. Not into the myth and story, all you need to know is here at Gear Junkies. The short version – 14January2010 at NAMM there will be a delivery of information
With each passing year I regret missing the AES show. Max for Live had an event event at AES 127 NYC – thanks Gear Junkies.
Wacom Table Theremin using Max for Live:
Off topic
Something Cute, how a Neuman microphone is born on YouTube.
Show your age, an interview with Thomas Dolby
Gear Watch
This will blow your mind resistive touch. Think ” the foundation of an amazing controller”.
Slow load but a lot of fun stuff here. Synth type of stuff…
Mark Mosher reviews DCAM synth Squad.
Via Gear Junkies Lexicon releases the PCM Native Reverb Plug-in Bundle VST / Audio Unit / RTAS Software Reverb Plug-in. The “PCM” caught my eye (pulse-code modulation) but a scan of the information shows no interesting connection. Hmm. I think we are dealing wit another kick ass reverb. Lexicon is hardly a bottom feeder in this field – so check it out!
The Eigenharp is out, I will give the ping-back to Latest Analog Suicide. I have been watching this unit for a while and I still do not know what to think. I am both pleased and fearful. I fear the return of the “one man band in the shopping mall” while I also applaud the innovative use of technology and a feeling of quality craftsmanship. Eigen Labs is the producer of this equipment. When you buy it can I borrow the unit?
Audio Damage is getting ready to release its first instrument. Rumor has it as a Drum Synthesizer. More info here.
Studio Electronics (my Filter of choice) has some sexy stuff, the Omega Series (get to know it).
Tech
Puremagnetik introduces Waveframe for Live 7 & 8 via Synthopia. “Waveframe is a an advanced wavetable synthesizer designed exclusively for the features of Ableton Live.”
Dj Jazzy Jeff on Serato and Ableton:
Free random panner plugin for Mac.
Nanoloop 1.5, running on a GameBoy, synced to Ableton Live. Cute, kinda funny, and ultimately important highlighting how much we can do:
Free Windows Arp modeled synthesizer.
The Crossover continues – MakingDJ frindly edits on Live via Synthtopia.
Designing Glitchy Sounds in Ableton Live:
Check out the 7 videos on using Ableton Live With Open Labs’ DBeat Music Production Workstation – strart at Synthtopia.
Reverse Reverb in Ableton popped up a few times – let’s give the credit to Synthtopia.
Propellerheads (regarding the Record program) have a good reference on EQ usage.
Oreilly on Windows 7 and music production. I have been running Ultimate 7 for a few weeks now and I must say, it runs really well. I have not put Ableton on it yet, but Cubase is running as good, if not better, than on a Mac. I am seriously impressed while still poised to dump all my Windows machines (my laptop is running Linux via Ubuntu), but Windows 7 may not be the “doom and gloom” we expect after the years of Vista. (sorry for some bias there – I got ska-ha-rewed)
More on Windows 7 and music production.
Synthtopia reports on this sample pack based on glass instruments.
Did you know M-Audio has a YouTube channel?
Audio to MIDI anyone?
More Ardour coverage. (Linux and Mac digital recording – good stuff!)
Electronic / Programming Video from Ableton:
As promised – my video #1 – Highlighting out of Ableton processing. The effects on the end of the video are pretty complicated. That is all out of Ableton – the current routing causes massive abuse on my Rane mixer. I have to limit that sort of fun until I build a circuit to bypass the Rane and emulate the signal flow.
Week of Labor Day 2009
Update: Meet Up – I am trying very hard (too hard IMHO) to get my date solid. Emails and phone calls are not being returned by my venue of choice. I am open to suggestions and moving ahead with to talk to a new club opening up in central Denver where I also have friends. The last Thursday of Sept is my date. I am sure many many people out there have dealt with clubs and club owners – it is like the exact inverse of a used car sales person (or put into mathematical terms : 1/(used car sales person))
Enough math.
# Some shows:
# ABLETON
# Free Stuff
# Content
# Gear Watch
# Of note
As always, if you know or see something let me know. Local Ableton, electronic music, and shows welcome!
Post script – did you upgrade to Snow Leopard yet?
* I am NOT a DJ, but I do use DJ Mixers in my rig (some are circuit bent). The DJ Mixer can add amazing real time control to Ableton – when you hot rod a little harder you can explore entirely new ideas.
Welcome! To kick things off here is a little video showing you around!
Ableton Denver is proud to Launch! Here are some of the features we have to offer and other nuggets of goodness!
Create Digital Music News, technique, ideas, events, and more!
Gear Junkies Gear, News, updates form the conventions live from Europe!
Home Studio Connection Tips and professional thoughts form the studio.
More feeds coming! Let us know of any news feeds.
We are actively looking for a new FTP server.Right as we were kicking this live our server screwed us big time. I will not go into the details, but they lost all my business and caused many breaks in the site. Amazon / AWS is one consideration.
ZIP files also called “compressed files” or “compressed folder” is a method and technique for file handling. There are several types of file compression available. Ableton Denver uses *.zip (zip) format. For more information on zip files visit this link on wikipedia.
Normally zip formats are used for file size reduction. File size reduction is really not our goal here (although it does help a tiny bit).
ZIP files are important because it allows users to exchange full and complete projects and collections as a single file. Let’s talk about this idea more.
Most audio projects contain a wide assortment of different file types. These include MP3’s, wave files, setting files, Ableton specific files, and possibly even text or PDF documents explaining what the heck is going on. In these “project” instances a ZIP’ed file is the easiest way to handle all of the information as one solid unit. By zipping a project folder you create a single file that is easy to move.
Inside that file is ALL of your information including the file structure (file inside a folder inside a folder is all preserved). When a user un-ZIPs your file everything is in the right place. That is provided you did the zip correctly.
What you need to ZIP:
Windows: Zip capability is inherent to Windows operating system. Simply right click on the master (main) folder of your project and choose “send to” then “compressed (zipped) folder”.
Mac OS : IN Mac OS control click the zip file add select “compress”
When you ZIP or files, it may take some time. As the file size gets bigger or your processor speed gets slower this could be a while. Generally you should not see the process take more than a few minutes for large files.
Tips
Be absolutely sure that you have all the files contained inside a master folder. You should only zip ONE ITEM (the folder). Although it is possible to zip many files into one zip folder this is BAD practice. When the next user un-zips the files “puke everywhere” instead of being contained in a single folder. This can become a serious problem if you zip 100 samples that are not contained in a folder.
Externally linked files are a problem with zipping. If a project uses files outside of the zipped master folder other users will encounter errors. This is why there is the “collect and save” function for Ableton. Almost every audio program has some form of external file collection or warning system in the software. It is a good thing to know.
In case you did not get the point made in the above paragraph – always “collect and save” your project in Ableton before zipping.
If you have multiple *.als files in a project this can make your zip (file) larger than it needs to be. Each *.als file may reference files you are not using anymore. These references will interfere with actions to remove unused media from your project. An easy method to use operates like this:
Check your zip! Seriously – that the zip file and it and test it out. Hard drive space is so cheap now a days you should make sure everything is okay for the next user. (Everyone messes this up once in a while – ever send the email without attachment?)
Programs:
WinZIP works well:
WINRAR is also great:
Sample Collections should also be zipped. Unless you want to upload 200 individual files.
If you are presenting a sample collection please take the time to record a “final” MP3 that sows off your audio skills and highlight a few samples from the work.
If you have any questions or comments please use the comments section (you need to be a registered user).
To unzip in Mac OS – double click to preview.
To unzip in wonws you can right-click and “unzip” (dialog will vary slightly).
File Types :
The accepted file types are:
The file extension is important, please do not change the extension. This is normally not a concern but modifying the file extension will cause files to be deleted or go invisible and throw errors on user account.
Modern Windows and Mac operating systems make it difficult to change this aspect of your files. Although not impossible to change, these types are important for proper file handling on the Ableton Denver site and on your local environment.
If you have a fiel encoded in the wave vormat (file.wave for example) and you change the extension to file.mp3 the file is broken. The .**** that trails the file name helps the operating system determine what programs to use and how to handle the file. Other checks include encoding types (such as MIME), for information search Google.
Exact versus Broad search.
Exact will return instances with a true match while broad search will look for your search criteria anywhere.
For example, if you search for “good” this helps explain what types of results you can expect:
The difference is “good” is part of a larger phrase in number 2 and isolated in #2.
The search will return based on file format also. Just type in “wav” or “.wav”can search by type (file ext) using “wav” or “.wav” in the broad search.
The search function looks at track / file description and the name of the track.
This chart shows what types of files are accepted for the various Ableton Denver file types.
| Abletton Denver File Type Definitions | ||||
| Abelton Denver Type | MP3 | WAV | AIF(F) | ZIP |
| Final | YES | no | no | no |
| Loop | YES | TES | YES | no |
| Sample | YES | YES | YES | no |
| Project | no | no | no | YES |
Privacy Settings:
There are 2 types of privacy settings for files.
The “public” setting applies only to “final” file types. This flag will determine if the “final” audio (such as a set or song) will be available to the general public (non-registered members).
The “private“ setting will override the “public” setting. When a file is set to private it will not be available to the public or any other Ableton Denver user. If you have files or tracks that need help, analysis, or new talent this setting is your best choice. To share the track with someone you will want to send them the link (available when you browse your files).
If you have any ideas please post them in the comment and we will address them.
Thanks!
Here are some thoughts on what information is important and some other tips when handling files.
What is the original BPM of the file. Ableton certainly does make it easier to mix different BPM’s but it is always welcome.
What file format to use?
Wave (*.wav) files generally have the highest possible bit depth and sampling rate capabilities. For wave files the 2 most common (and there is some room for debate on this topic) are 44khz@16bit and 48khz@24bit. You recall that 44khz@16bit is “CD” quality. Generally this is a fine format.
MP3 format has variable bit rates. Generally anything under 192 kbps starts to get bad fast. 32p kbps is the highest quality available for this encoding. Generally anything at 320 kbps is very hard to distinguish from “CD” quality. The first element that drops off is low frequency, so drum tracks or anything bass-y is better to have at larger bit depth and sampling frequency.
AIFF is variable bit depth from 1-32 bit (floating bist possible). The sampling frequency is also variable. AIF(F) file types generally behave like waves. The file format document states that bits are available for loop points ans other signature needs (much like MP3’s). Link to the AIF(F) spec (pdf).
FTP info
FTP stands for “File Transfer Protocol”. This is generally the most simple method for connecting to external computers and uploading / downloading files. We do allow FTP access to your user folder. The max file upload for Ableton Denver is 24mb. So if you file exceeds 20 mb contact us and we will set you up with an FTP user name and password. Please give us a business day to get your use account made.
If you have never used FTP before let us know, we can get a portable app of FileZilla that will make your life easy.
FileZilla is the choice for FTP connections. There are many many different FTP programs. Feel free to test them out. Here is a link for information on FTP and the FileZilla Home page.
