Free samples from Voltage-Controlled

Hope everyone out there had a good Christmas and got all the music gear that you've been hoping for. I've put together an extra present for you, I've gone through my hard drive and collected all the samples that Haven't yet made it onto the site. There's lots of synth sounds in this one.

I've added tempo and key information to some of the files (where appropriate) so you should be able to easily fit them into your projects.

As always the samples are available free of charge but a quick donation to the site (see PayPal donate box in the right sidebar) wouldn't hurt. All sounds are royalty free so you don't have to worry about copyright.

Download the samples here (.RAR) - Rapidshare

Merry Christmas, 

Dan.

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Getting Started with the Pulsar Dual LFO - Propellerhead Software

Once again Propellerhead has provided us with another awesome tutorial video. It focuses of the new Pulsar LFO tool that's avalible in the new Propellerhead store. The video takes you through some of the basics of what pulsar can do, such as using it as a basic LFO to control other Reason instruments and even using it to build a basic modular synthesizer within the reason rack. As we've come to expect from the guys over at propellerhead software, the video is really easy to follow and actually quite humorous in some parts (That's if you enjoy cheesy synth jokes, which you should).



"NOTE: Reason 6.5 and Reason Essentials 1.5 users can and get Pulsar from the Rack Extension Shop for FREE until October 1st, 2012! Reason 6.5 and Reason Essentials 1.5 are free upgrades for Reason 6 and Reason Essentials 1 users and special upgrade pricing is available for users of earlier Reason versions.

Pulsar in the Rack Extension Shop:
http://shop.propellerheads.se/product/pulsar/

Also featured, the Synapse Audio AF-4 Filter:
http://shop.propellerheads.se/product/synapse-af-4-analog-filter/

The Pulsar Dual LFO, new as a Rack Extension in the Propellerhead Shop, is a flexible little powerhouse utility with tons of routing potential. Even though Pulsar is capable of some wild tricks, it also is one of the best places to start learning about modular synthesis and LFOs.

We put together this introductory look at how to use LFOs to spice up your existing sounds and how to get Pulsar making some sounds of its own."

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Audio Realism reveal ABL2 (TB-303 clone) Rack Extension

Finally, I've wanted a TB-303 module in my reason rack for years. Audio Reaslism have answered that prayer by transforming their popular ABL2 303 clone into a Rack Extension for the up and coming Reason 6.5 update.

That's all well and good, but I think that the classic TB303 style sequencer is what gives the VST version of ABL2 its charm. With that iconic sequencer missing from the Rack Extension version I'm still on the fence whether or not it's going to make its way into my reason rack. If the sequencer was included with CV note out and maybe a copy pattern to grid option (like the existing Matrix Pattern Sequencer has) then the ABL2 would make it into my rack without question.

Hopefully the pricing of this rack extension will reflect the missing features. The VST version is currently priced at €95 (Approx. £77) which to me is a hell of a lot of money for what essentially is a two oscillator (one voice) monosynth with extremely limited functionality. It's hard to estimate how much Audio Realism will charge for the Rack Extension version of ABL2 seeing as the iOS version (Technobox) is priced at just £2.99 and the full VST version is roughly around £77. I suppose a reasonable price for the Rack Extension would be about £15-20 but we'll have to wait to know the actual price of the thing for sure.

There's no word yet on what routing options that will be available around the back of the Rack. It would be interesting to find some of the more advanced modular possibilities that are present in Audio Realism's ABL pro synth but to be honest I'm not expecting anything major. Maybe a few ins for controlling the basics (like filter control). However, Audio Realism did mention on their Facebook page that they had been controlling it with the Matrix Pattern Sequencer so it's safe to say that it will have the basic Gate/CV sequencer inputs.

All in all it looks the part, and of course the synth engine will be the same as the VST version (Which to me is the best softwear 303 clone that I've come across). It all comes down to the price and what features live around the back of the rack.

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Creating a dub siren in Ableton Live - Point Blank

Everyone loves a dub siren. Here's a video from Point Blank that shows you how to create a siren of your own using Ableton. If you don't use Ableton, the basic principle will work for pretty much any DAW or synth that you have.

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Happy 10th Birthday MicroKorg

This year marks the ten year anniversary of Korg's iconic MicroKorg synthesiser. The MicroKorg is by far my favorite hardware synth in my collection and I've used it on tonnes of tracks and samples over the years.

Korg have uploaded a video of various artists and producers wishing the MicroKorg a happy birthday, Check it out.



& here's a video that I did a while back of me having a bit of a jam with the MicroKorg.

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The Fundamentals of Synthesiser Programming (Moog Music Inc.)

I’ve just stumbled across a this series of tutorials that was uploaded to YouTube by Moog Music inc. The tutorials are presented by Dr. Joseph Akin and they cover the basics of analog synthesis. I’m not saying these videos are terribly exiting but if you’re new to synthesis then it might help you get to grips with basic sound design.

Anyway, I’ve embedded all 6 YouTube videos in this post (cue cheesy synth tutorial music).

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Rhythm Studio updated with WIST & a brand new synth

Rhythm Studio has just been updated to version 1.06 which includes a few cool updates including a brand new synth for us to play around with. Rhythm Studio is a pretty cool little app, it's sort of like a toolbox of synths, drum machines and effects for the iPad.

The latest addition to the line up of synths is Phoenix. Phoenix replicates that classic supersaw sound from the legendary Roland JP-8000.

Rhythm Studio also included support for Korg's WIST technology in this update. This allows you to wirelessly sync Rhythm Studio with other iOS devices running compatible apps. WIST seems to be becoming the standard in wireless syncing on the iPad so there's no sjuppurise that this was included.

Background audio has been included in this update and also song sharing over Bluetooth.

Pulse Code have been quite regular with their updates to Rhythm Studio, to be honest it's good to see an app that gets updated this regularly with so many new features. Lets hope they continue to add more devices and keep making this better.

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