Livid Releases MIDI Controller Block

lividblock main Livid Releases MIDI Controller Block

The Monome controller has garnered a lot of attention (used by Daedelus) as a key component in live electronic music performance but there are several new controllers coming out with cheaper price tags and more features than ever before. One example is the new Block by Livid. It’s made by the same company that brought you the Ohm 64 however this option is a lot more affordable and easier to transport. Block is a programmable MIDI control surface with 64 backlight LED buttons. You can use it on any music software program that supports MIDI such as Ableton and Max/MSP two of the more popular live performance software options being used on stages around the globe.

lividblock live Livid Releases MIDI Controller Block

Along with the buttons you can also use the included open source software to customize the use of eight knobs, two faders, and seven function buttons. The entire unit itself is lightweight (made from wood and aluminum) and highly portable. It’s also USB powered so there’s no need to stress about proper power supply. Future uses of this application are endless. The creation of these new tools and the software that runs it secures the growth and progression of new and cutting edge music.

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Akai Introduces The APC40 Ableton Controller

January 27, 2009

Posted by: Deftune

Category: Equipment

Tags: , ,

Akai Introduces The APC40 Ableton Controller

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Key Features

* Designed in partnership with Ableton
* Unique clip matrix with multicolor lighting displays current clip status
* No mapping required for use with Ableton Live
* Exclusive bidirectional communication between the APC40 and Ableton Live
* Professional feel with rugged, metal chassis and premium controls
* Comes with Ableton Live Akai Professional APC Edition, free upgrade patch for full versions of Live
* USB plug-and-play connection for Mac and PC
* Premium controller with rugged, metal chassis

Includes

* APC40 Ableton Live controller
* USB Cable
* Power Supply
* Software CD
* User Manual

More Info

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Gakken SX-150 Analog Synth Kit

Just Ordered From Ebay

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It’s an analog synth straight from Japan that you put together without having to solder anything. Get this…it’s only a whopping $60! I found it on Turntablelab.com but they’re out of stock. See if you can find it on Ebay. I recommend anyone making using pick one up.

Video

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December 24, 2008

Posted by: Deftune

Category: Equipment

Tags: , ,

Korg DS-10

How crazy is this setup?

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Project Studio

Building The Deftune Project Studio

Alright, so things have been a bit busy here the past week and for good reason. I’m working on building up a small project studio which is what I consider to be one of many corner stones for Deftune, LLC. You’ll be seeing a couple more changes here real soon and I’ll begin by sharing with you all my experiences in building the project studio which MAY give you some insight on what we’ll doing here in the near future. I might even slip and just tell you what’s up somewhere within this post so pay attention. I’m going to spread this project out into multiple posts so stay tuned.

All week I’ve been looking into getting my first studio control surface with an audio interface that would work with Pro Tools and offered multiple input and output options. What’s a control surface you ask? A control surface is basically a controller that you can use to control a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Think of it as a gigantic mouse. A DAW is used to record a number of digital audio tracks utilizing a computer and an audio interface. An example of a DAW would be Pro Tools. I looked at several options and I chose the best products that would give me the best balance of quality and affordability.

Check Out The List

Digidesign 003

The 003 comes in 3 flavors:

Digi 003 Factory Firewire Audio Interface (with Pro Tools LE) Project Studio

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Digidesign Digi 003 Rack Pro Tools LE System Project Studio

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Digidesign Digi 003 Rack Factory Pro Tools LE System Project Studio

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Differences

The are a couple major differences between the 3. The 003 Factory and the 003 RACK are essentially the same except for one major difference. The 003 Factory has surface controls with full motorized faders. The 003 Factory and the 003 RACK has 4 pre-amps while the 003 RACK Factory model has 8 pre-amps but 1 less MIDI out. Integrated surface controls and additional inputs were a big deciding factor for me. You CAN however purchase the Digidesign Control 24 Pro Tools Control Surface Project Studio or Digidesign Command 8 Control Surface Project Studio surface controllers to use with the 003 RACK models but you’ll end up spending A LOT more. The Factory model 003s also come with $3000 worth of professional grade software plug-ins.

Similarities

- 18/18 Simultaneous ins/outs
- No Phono Pre-Amps
- 48V Phantom Power
- 8 Channel ADAT and 2 Channel S/PDIF
- BNC Word Clock
- 2 Head Phone Outs
- Firewire
- Internal Power Source
- Kensington Security Lock

Digidesign Comparison Chart

Other Options

I also checked out the M-Audio Project Mix I/O

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M-Audio offers a product called the Project Mix I/o Project Studio which is comparable to the Digidesign 003 Factory. It supports Pro-Tools M-Powered which almost identical to Pro Tools LE. One upside of the Project Mix is that it offers 8 pre-amps versus the 003’s 4. One area where the 003s trump the Project mix however is the quality of its pre-amps. The 003s have a much higher dynamic range giving you more output as well as better frequency response. This made it a really tough decision but with the Project Mix priced at about $1000 less it made me lean more towards choosing the Project Mix, especially after checking out Black Lion Audio’s Mod option which gives you HD recording quality as well as higher quality pre amps that are much better than a standard 003’s for less than $500! Sure the 003 Factory models do come with the $3000 plug in package but I already have access to better quality plug ins so that wasn’t much of a deal breaker for me. Also, with the extra inputs of the Project Mix I have the option to record an entire drum kit all at once if I needed to. The extra pre-amps was just something I felt I would need in the long run. Another great feature about the Project Mix is that it supports other DAWS besides Pro Tools such as Apple Logic Studio Project Studio, which I use A LOT. Oh, and BTW, M-Audio AND Digidesign are owned by Avid.

Final Decision

With my mind set on the Project Mix and Black Lion Audio upgrade I shopped around on Ebay and I was able to find one for $880 with a $200 rebate. The Black Lion upgrade costs roughly $495. The only downside it’s a LONG process which can leave you waiting months for an appointment but from what I’ve heard it’s definitely worth it.

Total cost= $1,175

So, if you’re working on setting up your first studio and you want to keep your expenses low this is my recommendation. If you have questions about the Project Mix feel free to leave me a comment. Stay tuned for further updates on the Deftune Project Studio.

Up next on the horizon….DJ Mixers.

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Shure SM 57- A Highly Flexible Microphone For Your Recording Needs

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The Shure SM57LC Shure SM57 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone Shure SM 57  A Highly Flexible Microphone For Your Recording Needs is known as perhaps the best all around microphone you can buy. This thing was introduced in 1967 and it’s still alive and kicking to this day! With its rugged and superior design, it can be thrown around and handle physical and acoustic beatings. It’s used for recording a range of musical instruments- particularly ones with high SPLs (sound pressure levels) like drums and guitars. It’s also flexible enough to record vocals.

Frequency Curve

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As you can see you have a drop in the low end frequencies and a boost in the higher frequency range adding clarity to your recordings.

Cardioid Polar Pattern

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Microphones have different polar patterns. The pattern plots the best directional response of the mic you’re using. The 57 in particular has a cardioid pattern. Keep this in mind for proper mic placement.

Dynamic Microphone

The 57 is also a dynamic microphone, meaning you don’t need phantom power to power it up. You can just plug it in using an XLR male to XLR female Microphone Cable Shure SM 57  A Highly Flexible Microphone For Your Recording Needs and it’s ready to go. You may have also run into the Shure SM58LC Shure SM58 Vocal Microphone. Shure SM 57  A Highly Flexible Microphone For Your Recording NeedsIt’s basically the same exact mic but it has a different windscreen. If you’re starting off building a small recording studio this is definitely a mic you need to have in your arsenal.

Buy From Amazon.com Shure SM 57  A Highly Flexible Microphone For Your Recording Needs

Official Website

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Audiophiles Listen Up

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In The Age Of Digital Processing And Lower Bit Rate And High Compression, Can I-Pod Earbud Headphones Really Cut It?

I’m constantly having conversations about the best types of headphones or monitor speakers to use and I’m always torn between all the answers that I get. Right now I’d like to talk about headphones. Over the past couple months I’ve basically had to go through 2 different sets.

My first set was the Sennheiser HD-280 Professional Headphones Audiophiles Listen Up

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My second set was the ULTRASONE HFI 550 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones Audiophiles Listen Up

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I went through two high quality headphones so quickly NOT because of dissatisfaction or poor manufacturing quality, but because I have a Beagle pup named Kobe that chews anything and everything within reach. I’m not sure how many of us here are really into audio quality, or whether you care or not but I decided that it’s time that we make a discussion about it here….again (you may remember my rant a few months back about MP3 bitrate compression).

Steve Jobs over the past decade has single-handedly changed the direction of music forever with the rise of the almighty I-Pod

Surely one can argue against this claim but the facts speak for itself with the downfall of many of the music distribution retailers across the country (remember Tower Records?). Prior to the MP3 craze physical stores were actually making bank off the sales of millions of CDs world-wide. Nowadays I have to wonder who in their right mind would want to buy one today when you can instantly gratify yourself by listening to a song and purchasing it within seconds. Ok, so back to the I-Pod. If you own one you’re probably familiar with the set of headphones they come with, yes…the almighty white ear bud headphones that everyone loves and audiophiles love to hate on. Hell, I liked them for their convenience since they DID come with my I-Phone, but after Kobe the Beagle pup chewed them to oblivion did I miss them? Hell to the NO. Why not you ask? Well, for one listening to these was like taking two AM radios from the 80s and putting right next to your ears and playing them really loud for extended periods of time. I found myself having to take the volume down to a level where you’d probably wonder whether or not I was even listening to music at all. Well, I have to take care of my ears because in return my ears will take care of me so screw that. You should feel the same way, after all who wants loud pops, clicks, buzzing, and ringing in their ears? So if you have these puny little wastes of space and creativity I’d say toss them RIGHT NOW, no…better yet… BURN THEM and let’s start fresh.

Where Was I??? Oh yeah, so I went through those two headphones…

The HD280s were really great. When it came to audio I really didn’t care much before I realized that I wanted to be really serious about music. Prior to these I was used to sticking to cheap Sony headphones or Philips…DONE. What I didn’t realize was that you really get what you pay for! Upon listening with the Sennheisers for the first time, I was blown away from the sounds I was able to hear throughout my music collection that I never was really able to hear before. It was like hearing for the first time! I bought them so that I could use them to monitor my mixes when I was actively DJing but when I realized how great they were I began to use them for casual listening. It then progressed to using them for actual music production. The only problem with these was that after a while my ears were hurting because they were such a tight fit, and they weren’t as accurate as I liked them to be. The low frequencies were a bit low as far as dB (decibels) are concerned and the high frequencies were pushed up a bit but all in all it had a pretty flat frequency response. When you’re monitoring recordings or producing from home you have to work with speakers that have the flattest response possible. If you look at normal speakers that are mainly used for listening, like the ones you get with boom boxes, they’re usually equalized or pre-tuned so that you’re hearing more bass, or more treble so it sounds like you’re getting more output and better sound for the money. If you use these types for monitoring you’ll run into trouble because you’ll think you’re getting a lot of bass when you’re really not. The speakers are producing bass, and not your song. So with that in mind, these weren’t the perfect headphones to use, but they sounded GREAT! Another great feature about these was that all the parts are replaceable. If you break the cable, cool, you can order them, you lost a cap to the ear piece? Cool, order them. They’re also very durable if you tend to throw your stuff around.

Next up were the Ultrasones. These are excellent headphones for monitoring. Really flat response and they came with several key technologies that make them sound really good. One important factor was that they reduced SPL (sound pressure level) to your ear drums by 40% so you could safely listen with these for long periods at at time. Alas, these also ended up in the jaws of the little monster as the HD280s did.

So, after all that where do you go from here? Well I had recently gotten my hands on a pair of these:

The AKG K701 Studio Headphones Audiophiles Listen Up

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After dabbling in the $100-$200 price range I got the opportunity to test out this $400 pair of sonic bliss. Remember earlier how it was when I went from those cheap rag tag Sony/Philips headphones to the Sennheisers and I felt like I was hearing for the first time? Well, it happened again when I listened to my first song with these. The only thought that came across in my head was WOW!!!!……WHAT!?!? I was hearing certain sounds and finding little nuances in my current music selection that I wasn’t able to make out with the Sennheisers OR the Ultrasones. After long hours of using them, my ears weren’t fatigued at all! The stereo field it created was INCREDIBLE! I couldn’t believe….my ears. They are so good that it makes any MP3 of crappy bit rate quality sound good. It had shimmering high end thanks to it’s ridiculous frequency range of 10Hz–39.8kHz. If you’re reading this and you really want to experience true sound in all of its glory and listen to music how it should be heard, then please please please invest the money into some high-end listening products. Your ears will really thank you. You will enjoy life as it should be enjoyed especially when you combine that with the quality music choices from Deftune…hehe. Oh, also if you’re interested in investing in hi-fi products in this price range be sure to check out the beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Headphones Audiophiles Listen Up. I have yet to try these out but I hear they’re comparable if not better than the AKGs.

- Conrad

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June 10, 2008

Posted by: Deftune

Category: Equipment

Tags:

Vestax Controller 1

vestaxcontrollerone Vestax Controller 1

This my friends is the future of skratch music. The Vestax Controller 1 was developed by DJ D-Styles and Ricci Rucker- 2 of the best turntable musicians in the world. With skratch music evolving into a more sophisticated stance, this turntable would allow one to manipulate a sample on a record with eight pitch buttons taking you through a whole octave if needed. Here’s a video clip of the Ruckazoid on the Controller 1.


Below is an excerpt from a posting by Ricci Rucker (co-creator of the Controller 1 along with DJ D-Styles) on Listen Compute Rock

ruckblur Vestax Controller 1

Just wanted speak on my involvement with the Controller One.
This is an excerpt of an email I sent to one of the homies.

“For instance, a few people that bought the C1’s else where, have contacted ME for technical and creative assistance on it. This doesn’t make sense to me. You’d figure they’d be asking the place they got the turntable from, for assistance.

I’ve now positioned myself as a service, because my info is obviously worth something. Those who order from me, get that direct communication and relationship. For everyone else? Their emails are ignored.

Also, why would you want to pay the stores when you could pay the creator? That’s really what it’s about. I’m getting a small percentage royalty for this turntable, and who knows when I’ll see the royalty check from it. Selling the C1 is one way for me to get SOME monetary benefit now, which gets me more motivated to want to promote this turntable, and more resources to promote it.

I’m also using my own profits to create promotions (with PR companies) for this turntable. I’ve developed a site for it already which should be launching shortly. I’m getting no help with this, thus far. The more people who buy it from me, the more this turntable will become established properly. Don’t think buying it from a store is going to have them putting that money back into creating shows, media, and culture based around the turntable.

If enough people buy this turntable from me, I’ll throw a C1 show, with free invitations to everyone who has one (to perform if they wanted) along with media attention. The mega jam. I have these connections. Controllerone.com site will be all about that.
This is the turntable of the future.”

This is probably one of the few times that I’ve ever seen a truly groundbreaking product’s potential in the hands of the GRASSROOTS. It’s really up to us to create our own market.

Anyone interested in the C1, contact
controllerone@asisphonics.net

Please support the artists who created this instrument by purchasing direct.

- c

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March 31, 2008

Posted by: Deftune

Category: Equipment

Tags: , , ,

Akai MPK-49….it’s finally here…….

It’s been a month since I ordered this and I FINALLY got it. Yes, I had the biggest smile on my face as I was carrying the huge ass box to my car from Guitar Center. I had to basically kick asses, bribe, break legs, and journey thousands of miles before finally finding one at their Pasadena store, and damn it was worth it. I’m going to play around with this thing a little more and I’ll be posting a review and possibly some tutorials shortly. I have to say though, I wish Akai loaded it with way more presets than it initially came with. I’ll give you all the details on it soon. Here are some pics I took of my new toy. Enjoy!

l e9b9a21ddc4c7d213a19ea32cb9c298d Akai MPK 49....its finally here.......

l 9898e0b63b137ef57a5d43ccc92d77e6 Akai MPK 49....its finally here.......

l 1c76b72644604667bec3d777e360581b Akai MPK 49....its finally here.......

l 9aa1c452a85990490689807cab0e059a Akai MPK 49....its finally here.......

l 90fd50f07e0d0fe4a94a0e60ce386793 Akai MPK 49....its finally here.......

l 5fc2af964c317b5768786d757f58aa03 Akai MPK 49....its finally here.......

l 886116275cf78789e32a2a677e1b55ac Akai MPK 49....its finally here.......

Features

* 49-key, semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch and full-sized keys
* 8 full-sized, 360 degree rotation pots, each with 3 banks for 24 pots total
* 12 genuine MPC pads with velocity and pressure sensitivity
* 8 full-sized sliders with 3 controller banks for each for 24 sliders total
* MPC note repeat and all-new arpeggiator
* 8 assignable backlit switches with 3 controller banks each for 24 switches total
* MMC/MIDI Start Stop transport buttons
* Large, easy-to-read custom LCD display

Akai MPK 49 Controller Keyboard Akai MPK 49....its finally here.......

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Behringer FCB1010

This is my new toy. It came in last week but I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet. Someone at Guitar Center should’ve told me I’d need midi cables. What’s up with that? I’ll be posting up my adventures with this as I’ll be using it with Ableton Live to do some live looping. Stay posted.

l 6a63d2afe11bb96f56ec8f918101b7aa Behringer FCB1010 width="150">

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Axis 64 Midi Controller

What up everyone,

My friend Christian showed me this video of the Axis 64 and it blew my mind. I’m going to order one of these ASAP. If you could get a hold of one of these I suggest you do the same. It’ll definitely help you with your compositions like never before. Check out this video clip of it in action and I think you’ll feel the same way I do.

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