In Bflat – a rather wonderul YouTube collaboration. Múm are fucked.
Great documentary about the history of EMS, one of the pioneers of synth design.
Today I was determined to learn some piano. I’ve been playing piano for years and I make all my songs on a MIDI keyboard and I can sit at a piano and just play for hours (that’s right, hours, but as soon as someone tries to teach me something, I can never do it.
In an attempt to overcome it, I spent some time on this rather dorky girl’s YouTube channel learning Daft Punk songs and forcing myself to play the rhythm and everything the way it’s supposed to be done. I was this far away (-) from sticking my tongue out I was concentrating so hard. Eventually I got it, but damn, my mind was like a dog telling a cat why chasing sticks is so good and the cat just staring at, totally uninterested but humouring it all the same.
Cats are such dicks.
Just kidding about the dorkiness (kind of), y’all should learn Something About Us. It’s a good video and one of my favourite songs. Now I’m tired from focusing so much.
Oh I should point out the brilliant Pianoteq 3 which I just got a few days ago and is definitely the best piano plug-in I’ve ever heard. Not only is it synthesized rather than sampled (so you can move ‘mics’ around in the ‘room’ and have LOADS of control over everything) but it’s like 35mb as apposed to a 40GB one I have of a sampled grand piano – and even that doesn’t sound as good as Pianoteq. Check out the demo on the link – ist rad.
Looks like my kinda movie
o/
Well, second impressions are here – Maschine is so good, that I forgot to eat (and now it’s too late).
Wow, though, if it’s not the step sequencing I love, it’s the selection of sounds and if it’s not the selection of sounds, it’s the groove this thing creates, and if it’s not the groove, it’s getting hands-on with drums again. I think I created in about 7-8mins, what I have been trying to create in Impulse in Live for the past 6 months.
As much as I love programming beats with the pencil in Ableton, the step sequencing approach (you don’t have to take this route, but it’s something I’ve longed for for ages) lets you get WAY more creative – and it feels much deeper.
A few things: while the effects are great, I want them on sends, not as inserts! I think you can do that but I’m still learning. Plus, not all of it is intuitive. Despite it’s sexy German minimal appearance being appealing most of the time, the lack of labeling means reaching for the manual a bit too often. Probably a good thing in the long run, esp for someone who doesn’t ever read manuals unless absolutely necessary (me).
This is only the second time I’ve missed a meal for hardware (the first being the elektron machinedrum), and that’s the best review I can give it.
p.s. the youtube above isn’t anything to do with NI Maschine other than it’s German and awesome
Sophie was featured on a blog I read ALMOST on a daily basis cause they got the hots for the uke.
It’s a pretty famous blog too so well done Soph – awesome