Sampled notes from C3 to C4 ideal for use in the sampler or DAW of your choice.
Samples are in high quality .WAV format.
Download here (.Rar)
All samples are royalty free.
Friday, 5 August 2011
Korg AG-10 Pizz string multi samples
Multi sampled pizz string sound taken from the Korg AG-10 Sound module.
Sampled notes from C3 to C4 ideal for use in the sampler or DAW of your choice.
Samples are in high quality .WAV format.
Download here (.Rar)
All samples are royalty free.
Sampled notes from C3 to C4 ideal for use in the sampler or DAW of your choice.
Samples are in high quality .WAV format.
Download here (.Rar)
All samples are royalty free.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Propellerheads Reason 6 announced
Earlier today, Propellerheads software announced the release of Reason 6 and Reason essentials.
This new update will combine their popular music production platforms Reason and record.
In my opinion I feel that it would have made a lot more sense for Propellerhead to have combined these two pieces of software from the start.
For many Reason users the ability to now record audio within their favourite music production environment is a big deal and something that many reason users have wanted for a long time (without having to purchase Reason/Record Duo package).
Personally I’m looking forward to the new creative effects that are included in Reason 6 and the ability to finally get my hands on Neptune without buying record.
One thing that I’m not looking forward to is sacrificing one of my USB ports for the annoying security dongle. I use Reason on my laptop and I take my laptop everywhere, I will probably lose/damage this dongle.
The update is scheduled for release on 30th September.
This new update will combine their popular music production platforms Reason and record.
In my opinion I feel that it would have made a lot more sense for Propellerhead to have combined these two pieces of software from the start.
For many Reason users the ability to now record audio within their favourite music production environment is a big deal and something that many reason users have wanted for a long time (without having to purchase Reason/Record Duo package).
Personally I’m looking forward to the new creative effects that are included in Reason 6 and the ability to finally get my hands on Neptune without buying record.
One thing that I’m not looking forward to is sacrificing one of my USB ports for the annoying security dongle. I use Reason on my laptop and I take my laptop everywhere, I will probably lose/damage this dongle.
The update is scheduled for release on 30th September.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Analog acid/minimal bass stabs (multisample)
These multi samples were taken from my FreeBass FB383 bassline synth. It’s a rackmount analog bass synthesizer (clone of the Roland TB303).
The samples were recorded directly into Ableton live, I then added some EQ and compression to give the samples a bit more bite.
As always the samples are completely royalty free and available to download at no charge.
There are 13 individual bass hits in .wav format (notes C1-C2) ideal for loading up in any software or hardware sampler.
Download here (.RAR)
Hope you find them useful.
-Dan.
The samples were recorded directly into Ableton live, I then added some EQ and compression to give the samples a bit more bite.
As always the samples are completely royalty free and available to download at no charge.
There are 13 individual bass hits in .wav format (notes C1-C2) ideal for loading up in any software or hardware sampler.
Download here (.RAR)
Hope you find them useful.
-Dan.
Monday, 4 July 2011
Tenori-On iPad app review
The instrument experienced instant success with big name artists such as Bjork, Little Boots and even British comedian Bill Bailey, who used it on his 2009-2010 world tour.
Although the original Tenori on experienced instant success it had quite a high price tag which ment that it's unique charm could only be enjoyed by a cirtain few.
Over the following years we've seen numerous software reincarnations of the tone matrix style of sequencing (especially on the iPhone/iPad) and it was only a matter of time before we saw an official software version of the Yamaha Tenori-On.
The official Tenori on iOS app entered the app store the other week but at £12 I was a little hesitant to buy it. After a little thought and a bit of googling I decided it was indeed worth the price.
The cheapest hardware Tenori-On (the TNR-O) is roughly £500 where as the current price of the iPad 2 is £499 (cheapest wifi only model) so considering that both the devices are pretty much exactly the same price (and I already own an iPad) it makes sence to get the iOS version.
Fair enough, you don't get the same feel as the hardware version and it's nice to have a dedicated instrument for live use but if your just looking to experience the Tenori-On style of sequencing or you're just looking to use some of the sounds included then the iPad version is definitely the way to go.
The iPad is the perfect platform for the TNR-i software. The 9.7 inch touchscreen display really is the perfect way to experience the hands on approach to sequencing that the original Tenori-On offers.
The software version also includes all of the original sounds that are found in the original Tenori-On. Which gives you a wide choice of cool sounds to choose from (127 in total), so you're not stuck with those boring sine wave or basic piano sounds that are overused in most of the other tone matrix sequencers that are floating around the app store.
What's more, the TNR-i features midi in/out via the iPad camera connection kit. This means that if you get a bit tired of using the built in sounds then you can connect it to an external synthesizer or DAW using a midi/USB cable. It also means that you can play the sounds in a more traditional way the sounds using and external midi keyboard.
Another cool feature is that when you connect TNR-i to an external sequencer or a midi keyboard can can edit some of the perameters with CC messages. These include control of the filter cutoff and resonance as well as the attack and release of the amp envolope. You can also control the vibrato depth with the mod wheel and pitch bend with the pitch wheel. These are some pretty basic controls but if you can access them then it turns the app into a really expressive sound modual.
In fact the iPad version of the Tenori-On is pretty much exactly the same as the hardware version. All the sequencing modes are there and the usability is pretty much straight forward (when you get used to the L&R buttons).
At £12 the Yamaha TNR-i app is a really useful (and fun) piece of software, it comes with 127 high quality sounds and some really inspiring ways of sequencing. Couple it with an external midi device and you can get some really creative sounds out of it.
The app is also universal, so I can also have it on my iPhone (at no extra cost) and use it on the go. But for a £10 app I would expect it to be universally compatible anyway (I'm looking at you Korg). The iPhone version is a little small but the zoom feature helps a lot with the tiny size of the LED grid. Even with the small screen on the iPhone it's still very playable and easy to use. But to be honest, the bigger screen on the iPad is better and makes a lot more sence.
The ability to join live collaborations using Apple Game Centre seemed a bit strange to me at first but after thinking about it it does seem like a pretty cool idea. The TNR-i is the ultimate collaberation instrument mostly because if you stick to the in-built scales then you can't really go wrong. Collaborations can often be frustrating if you're working with someone that has absolutely no experience or knolage of music theory. Stick with the scales and they can be as creative as they want without having to worry about staying in the same key as each other.
Look at the original Tenori-On, your getting all of that sequencing power and innovation for a fraction of the price, £12 (rather than £500). It's a steal but you have to wonder how this is going to effect the market for the original Tenori-On.
Pros:
Way cheaper than the real thing
Quality sounds
Fun sequencing
Core midi
Apple Game Centre collaboration
Cons:
The lights don't seem to be bright enough (background should be darker)
L&R buttons can be awquard at first
A bit small on the iPhone
Below is a YouTube video of me showing off some of the performance setting in the Tenori- On app.
Update: just to clarify, the TNR-i app does support both midi in and out. it can send and receive midi messages on 16 midi channels (1 for each of it's layers). This means that it can be a very powerful sequencer for your hardware gear.
Monday, 27 June 2011
SK0.0 VST Synthesizer
A few years back I tried my hand at making my own custom VST instrument using Synthmaker. The result was this this noisy little synth 'SK0.0'.
I used the SK0.0 in a few SKatterBrain tracks (which is what it was originally made for) but that's about it.
I recently found the .dll file on my old hardrive but I'm not sure that I still have the actual Synthmaker project file. I posted a picture of it on Twitter and a few people asked my why I never got around to putting it online. I also recently got an email asking if it was possible to be shared so I thought I may as well put it on the website as a free download.
I'll be honest with you, there are quite a few bugs in it but I know that it works in Ableton, so I can't really see anyone having any problems with it in any other DAW or VST host.
Now, this was never a serious project and I never really planned on actually releasing it over the Internet but here it is.
This little synth is perfect for creating noisy lead patches. Let me know what you think. =]
I'm giving it away for free but if you want to donate then you can hit the donate button over there. -->
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Sunrizer synth (Previously called Horizon synth) for iPad review
NOTE: the name of the app has now changed to 'Sunrizer Synth' due to the original name conflicting with an existing VST plugin.
Throughout this article I refer to the app with it's original name.
Just by looking at the GUI of this app you can tell that it's designed to be used as a no-nonsense tool for music production and sound design. There's no unessicerry gimics that are often found in most iOS music apps. It's a synthesizer designed to be used like a synthesizer.
If you're new to synthesizers then this is definitely a good place to start. The app is mostly based around the single interface and all the knobs and buttons are all layed out in a sensible manner. You'll be making high quality usable sounds in no time.
If you're like me and already know quite a lot about synthesizers then you will quicky see that this synth is a brilliant piece of software capable of a wide range of sounds. It's simple interface doesn't get in the way of your creativity and that hiding underneath that flashy interface there is a really powerful synth engine.
My favourite feature of Horizon has to be the onboard arpeggiator. It's more or less basically a sequencer capable of creating some really nice patterns. It's perfect for making melodic parts or even just for a basic up/down arpeggio. Tapping on the hold button with the arpeggiator on gives you the freedom of tweaking the perameters of the synth with out having to hold down any keys.
The sounds that this app can produce are phenomenal; there are some high class VST instruments that don't sound any where near as good as this. Most of the presets provided are suited more to electronic dance music and trance but it's pretty easy to create a vide verity of sounds to suit near enough any genre of music that you can imagine.
Horizon is a perfect example of what can be done with the iPad and it definitely shows that the iOS music apps are progressing in both quality and usability. A few years ago I would never have thought that I'd be using such high quality instruments on a multiple touch device. I really think this is a huge step forward both in technology and music creation.
the app itself is currenty on sale for an introductory price of £2.99 which is a steal considering that you get a high quality synthesizer capable of such amazing sounds. If your an iPad owner and share an intrest in synthesisers and music creation then I highly recommend buying a copy of this app. You can't really go wrong, it sounds amazing, it looks amazing and it's just a truly awesome piece of software to add to your line up.
Below is an audio demo from Horizon, tweaking the perameters in real time.
Horizon synth test by Dan303-iPad
Throughout this article I refer to the app with it's original name.
Just by looking at the GUI of this app you can tell that it's designed to be used as a no-nonsense tool for music production and sound design. There's no unessicerry gimics that are often found in most iOS music apps. It's a synthesizer designed to be used like a synthesizer.
If you're new to synthesizers then this is definitely a good place to start. The app is mostly based around the single interface and all the knobs and buttons are all layed out in a sensible manner. You'll be making high quality usable sounds in no time.
If you're like me and already know quite a lot about synthesizers then you will quicky see that this synth is a brilliant piece of software capable of a wide range of sounds. It's simple interface doesn't get in the way of your creativity and that hiding underneath that flashy interface there is a really powerful synth engine.
My favourite feature of Horizon has to be the onboard arpeggiator. It's more or less basically a sequencer capable of creating some really nice patterns. It's perfect for making melodic parts or even just for a basic up/down arpeggio. Tapping on the hold button with the arpeggiator on gives you the freedom of tweaking the perameters of the synth with out having to hold down any keys.
The sounds that this app can produce are phenomenal; there are some high class VST instruments that don't sound any where near as good as this. Most of the presets provided are suited more to electronic dance music and trance but it's pretty easy to create a vide verity of sounds to suit near enough any genre of music that you can imagine.
Horizon is a perfect example of what can be done with the iPad and it definitely shows that the iOS music apps are progressing in both quality and usability. A few years ago I would never have thought that I'd be using such high quality instruments on a multiple touch device. I really think this is a huge step forward both in technology and music creation.
the app itself is currenty on sale for an introductory price of £2.99 which is a steal considering that you get a high quality synthesizer capable of such amazing sounds. If your an iPad owner and share an intrest in synthesisers and music creation then I highly recommend buying a copy of this app. You can't really go wrong, it sounds amazing, it looks amazing and it's just a truly awesome piece of software to add to your line up.
Below is an audio demo from Horizon, tweaking the perameters in real time.
Horizon synth test by Dan303-iPad
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