In this iOS Music App Roundup, we investigate new iOS technology from Ableton and Korg along with some innovative new iPad music apps for music production, effects processing, and live recording.
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As part of Ableton’s 9.5 update the company has create a new technology called Link that works to keep software and devices in sync over a network. Link will soon be available to Live users as a free update, and to the wider music-making community as a built-in feature of a growing number of iOS apps.
Create Digital Music’s Peter Kirn explains,”here’s the surprise: you don’t need Ableton to use Link. It can soon be built into iOS apps, too (as well as Windows and OS X desktop, for starters). An SDK is coming soon, and already some apps have been announced as launch partners, including Akai, KORG (Gadget), Elastic Drums, and Loopy. Developers can add support for free.” Read more at Create Digital Music.
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In the above video, developer Oliver Greschke of Elastic Drums demonstrates Link in use with three instances of his Elastic Drums application.
Read more about Ableton Link at Ableton’s website.
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Korg has recently developed one of the most streamlined iOS MIDI control options we’ve seen with the new microKEY and microKEY AIR Series of keyboards. The microKEY can be powered by an iPad or iPhone and offers a pedal input for sustain (micoKEY25 offers a sustain button). There’s also a new 49-key version for the two-handed player. To accommodate simpler and quicker setups, or to simply unwire your rig, the microKEY Air series features Apple’s Wireless Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) standard, which provides long battery life and extremely low latency. The microKey Air can run wirelessly for about 30 hours on a pair of AA batteries and also offers standard USB connections.
Learn more about these two keyboards at the Korg website.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Originally launched in 2012, the hardware RMX-1000 is a popular effector that can be used in the studio and for DJ performances. The RMX-1000 app emulates the hardware to deliver touchscreen control of Scene FX, Isolate FX, X-PAD FX and Release FX.
Features:
RMX-1000 is available for $9.99 on the App Store.
Click here to view the embedded video.
FieldScraper is an “advanced field recorder, combined with sound warp engine” that seems to be a great way to grab found sounds from your environment. The main purpose of this app is to shorten the way from recording samples to create spectacular soundscapes and in addition to use this app as glitch loop based effect in the real-time.
The FieldScaper consists of two main parts. The first part is the field recorder with special options for different ways of record environmental sound from microphone or record other sound sources. The second part is the scaper sound engine that with using dynamic presets can easily transform the most ordinary samples into something absolutely different. These parts connect with each other into one whole but you can use recorder or scaper separately.
The scaper sound engine contains three sample-based oscillators each with filters, delay, distortion and spatial mixer. The most of parameters can be assigned on individual low-frequency oscillators. With using the “Main effect” fader you can control several these parameters in different ranges. These features give you the ability to create continuously changing, breaking and glitching sound forms and loop-based effects from ordinary samples of synths, guitars, voices or everyday sounds of the environment.
FieldScaper supports complete MIDI control for all faders, knobs and many buttons. You can change the parameters of oscillators, filters, delays and mixer by using any external MIDI controller or MIDI apps like sequencers. With the MIDI controllers this app becomes very comfortable to use at live performance.
FieldScaper is available for $8.99 on the App Store.
Click here to view the embedded video.
The touchAble team behind the popular iOS controller app is celebrating their 5th anniversary with the release of touchAble 3.1. The latest update offers a vast array of new and improved features.
What’s New:
touchAble 3.1 is available for $24.99 on the App Store.
Learn the well-kept industry secrets of EQ, compression, panning, level balancing, reverb and special effects and transform rough ideas and basic compositions into a commercial master. Investigate how to use key concepts and tools in your tracks, while paying special attention to techniques of metering and spectral analysis in order to apply science alongside the art.
Mixing & Mastering Level 1: Mix
Mixing & Mastering Level 2: Modify
Mixing & Mastering Level 3: Master
“The videos were helpful and the chats were great. I expected a lot out of this course and I got it!” – Jon Yu, California
This program gives you everything you need to refine tracks into a clear commercial quality release, including special mixing and mastering techniques for dubstep, techno, house, trance, downtempo, hip-hop, and the gamut of electronically-produced music.
You will learn to mix and master your tracks using the same plugins that top industry engineers use every day, including plugins by Sonnox, Metric Halo, Altiverb, Soundtoys, Izotope, Waves, URS, and Abbey Road. Register today!
Click here for detailed information on this program, including start dates and payment plans.
Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.
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The post iOS Music App Roundup: Music Production, MIDI Control, Ableton Link, Effects, and Recording appeared first on Dubspot Blog.
In this Ableton Live tutorial, Dubspot’s Rory PQ takes us through the steps for building transparent Multiband Phase Inversion Racks and shares his insight into multiband processing. Check out our Music Production course w/ Ableton Live to learn more. Classes start soon, See Dates and Register!
One of the most powerful features in Ableton Live that sets it apart from other DAW’s is its ability to create custom Racks for various purposes. A Rack is a flexible tool for working with effects, instruments, samples, and third-party plugins in a track’s device chain. They can be used to build complex signal processors, stack instruments and effects, create dynamic performance instruments, separate frequency bands, and so much more. Racks also streamline your device chain by bringing together your most essential controls using Macros. In short, Racks excel at handling multiple devices, signal paths, and control relationships between multiple parameters.
In this tutorial, we will look at using the power of Racks, clever Macro mapping, and phase inversion to build transparent Multiband Effect Racks that split the input signal into separate frequency bands for applying parallel processing. In addition, we have included a FREE download that includes four different Multiband Effect Racks.
What’s included:
2 Band Frequency Phase Inversion Rack
3 Band Frequency Phase Inversion Rack
4 Band Frequency Phase Inversion Rack
5 Band Frequency Phase Inversion Rack
Multiband processing is an essential technique used in sound design, mixing and mastering, and live performance. Many plugins and DAWs have multiband features that allow us to separate sounds into different frequency bands so that each band can be processed independently. Ableton Live’s Instrument and Audio Effect Racks have the unique ability to create multiple device chains that allow us to separate the input signal into different channels that operate in parallel. This marvelous feature gives us the power to create multiple frequency bands that can be loaded with their own custom device chains. Splitting the frequency spectrum into fully adjustable and independent bands gives us the ability to process different parts of the sound separately. This flexibility allows us to have more control over the sound. For example, you could split a bass sound into Low, Mid, and High frequency bands. On the Low band, you could mono the sound to keep your sub frequencies tight and clean. For the Mid band, you could add some saturation to bring out the body of the bass, while adding some stereo imaging and reverb to the High band to create a fat bass sound that is more powerful than a bass sound without multiband processing.
There are a few different approaches to building a Multiband Effect Racks in Ableton Live. The simplest way is to create an Audio Effect Rack that has three device chains each loaded with an EQ Eight or EQ Three. On the Low-frequency band set the EQ filter to lowpass, Mid-frequency band to a bandpass filter, and the High-frequency band to a highpass filter. The problem with this approach is that the frequency overlap at the crossover points could potentially cause some phasing issues. Also, there are small gaps where two bands meet causing a dip in frequency at the crossover points. In other words, this approach is the least transparent way of building a Multiband Effect Rack.
Another approach to building a Multiband Effect Rack in Live is to load a Multiband Dynamics device on three separate device chains in an Audio Effect Rack, and then enable the Solo button for each independent frequency band. This method sounds more transparent than using separate EQ filters and works well. However, the sound seems colored and is not 100% transparent. What is transparent you may ask? In this example, a transparent sounding Audio Effect Rack will sound the same when enabled or disabled. There is no audible change in the sound when toggling the rack on and off.
The best way to build a Multiband Effect Rack in Live that is the most transparent is to use a phase inversion technique I learned from Mr. Bill that requires a clever combination of EQ frequency Macro mappings and control over the phase of a channel using Live’s Utility device. This approach is a bit more complicated to set up, but the result is worth the hassle. Better yet, we did the work for you. Download the free racks above and you’re ready to go.
Let’s dive deeper into this approach and build a Multiband Phase Inversion Rack from scratch so you can get a better understanding how this concept works.
In this first step, we will create an Audio Effect Rack that will contain multiple devices and chains for our different frequency bands.
For this step, we will duplicate chains rather than creating new chains and loading the devices again. This approach will save time.
For this step, we will set up the EQ filters for the High and Low bands as well as assign Macro Controls for the filter crossover points.
In this final step, we will create another Audio Effect Rack on the Mid band with three additional chains. Two chains will use EQ Eight and Utility to phase invert low and high frequencies, which will cancel out those bands and leave us with only the mid frequencies for the Mid band. The third chain will allow only the mid frequencies to pass through.
Using the steps above, you can create Multiband Effect Racks with as many frequency bands as you like. Once you have your racks built, try loading different Audio Effects or your favorite third-party plugins on each band to create more interesting sounds. Think of these racks as the foundation for building more complex Audio Effect Racks. For example, you could load a Compressor or Saturator to each band and instantly have a powerful Multiband Compressor or Multiband Saturator. The possibilities are up to you, we encourage everyone to experiment and come up with truly unique Multiband Effect Racks for all types of musical purposes.
The flagship of our music training, with every Ableton Live course offered at the school. After completing this program, you will leave with a portfolio of original tracks, a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.
This program is about learning Ableton Live by going through the entire process of being an artist, by developing your own sound through a series of sketches and experimentation. You will also learn the ins and outs of this powerful software through a series of exercises designed to help you master the steps involved in producing your own music. After a level of getting familiar with the tools that Ableton has to offer, you will then develop your sonic ideas into full-length tracks. You will be exposed to a variety of approaches to arrangement and composition, storytelling techniques, ways of creating tension and drama in your music. At the end of the day, it is the sum total of your choices as an artist that define your sound, and Levels 2 – 6 will give you the experience of actually completing tracks to add to your portfolio.
Click here for detailed information on this program, including start dates and payment plans.
Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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The post Ableton Live Tutorial: Building Multiband Phase Inversion Racks w/ Rory PQ + FREE Download appeared first on Dubspot Blog.
Ableton’s announcement of the next generation of Push, Live 9.5 update, and introduction to the new Link technology has us excited. Dubspot’s SentZ takes us through some of the new features and improvements in Live 9.5, as well as introduces the new Push 2.
Today signaled a few significant changes to Ableton Live as the software updated to version 9.5. Although a lot of the news revolves around the announcement of Push 2, current Push owners, and Ableton users, in general, have a lot of benefits to look forward to in this new release. Let’s take a look at some of the big changes that don’t require a hardware upgrade.
As a former MPC user, the updates to Simpler and waveform based sampling are probably my favorite new additions to the software. Simpler’s interface has been fully updated, and now offers the option of a large detached screen similar to EQ Eight, perfect for trimming samples. Lot’s of flexibility has been added with regards to warping too. When working with samples one can choose to have them re-pitch, so the timing changes across the octaves of a keyboard, or you can take advantage of Live’s warping algorithms and adjust the pitch of the sample while retaining the time. You can also warp long samples to a specific amount of bars so that they sync properly with the timing of your music. This feature is great for breaks, percussion, and found-sounds.
Simpler now runs in three modes now as well: Classic, One Shot, and Slice. Classic mode has all of the features you’re used to, allowing you to play looped samples or simple playback with full control of volume envelopes. One Shot works in a similar fashion, but by default will play an entire sample from front to end regardless of how long you hit the key (assuming Trigger mode is enabled). The Envelope section is also replaced with simpler “Fade In” and “Fade Out” controls. This mode is great for drums and transient material.
Slice mode is the most expanded of the three, and will likely be well received by hip-hop and electronic producers who like to chop samples. If you’re familiar with the “Chop Shop” from the MPC, you’ll be pretty comfortable with Live’s new warping options that expand on the options quite a bit. When you enable Slice mode, Live will chop your sample up into multiple cells in a Drum Rack, placing automatic start markers on transients. The number of markers the Live chooses to create is based on the “Sensitivity” setting. Adjusting it will increase or decrease the number of slices, and you can then move the markers around to fine tune the start point each slice.
Click here to view the embedded video.
If you prefer to manually chop your slices, which is especially useful for long samples, you can also opt to clear all automatic slices, and double-click to add your own start points wherever you want. Every time you double-click on the sample, a new Drum Rack cell will be made containing that slice. In essence, you can drag an MP3 into simpler, double-click various “sample worthy” points on the mp3, and when your done, you’ll have a Drum Rack full of samples ready to chop. With 64 Drum Rack pads now available at a time on Push, you can have a lot of sample material at your fingertips. I should also mention that although it seems minor, being able drag the start time of a slice around while hitting a pad on your MIDI controller to audition the slice is a great workflow tweak. Anyone who has worked with a dedicated hardware sampler knows how much it clarifies the “feel” when picking perfect sample start points.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Neatly incorporated in Simpler, Sampler, Operator, and Auto-Filter are new Analog-modeled filter types based on vintage hardware. Harmonic and colorful, these filters, designed in conjunction with Cytomic, take advantage of the vintage tones achieved through feedback and self-resonation, as well as give’s you way more control over the sound of your audio. Below are five filter types:
Playing with the drive and resonance on some of these filters will get you some really interesting results. Take caution with raised resonance levels though, especially with the PRD filter. You don’t want to wreck your speakers or ears!
Peak vs. RMS: All VU’s now contain both Peak and RMS info. In extremely basic terms, Peak signals give you a good idea of the transient or peak levels of your audio, while RMS is a more accurate assessment of the overall volume. Being able to see both should prove extremely helpful when mixing, especially when compressing to try to get more overall power in a mix.
Color Coding: Every track in Live now gets assigned a color out of the gate. Clips will also, by default, retain their tracks color. This improvement should ensure that sessions stay organized without the required extra clicks you’d need to color code everything yourself.
Live 9.5 introduces three new Max 4 Live Synths: Poli, Bass, and Multi. Multi was designed with Push’s tweak-ability in mind while Poli is mainly designed for strings and pad sounds. Bass sounds should be pretty straightforward. Also included are new Drum Kits, samples, and presets for you to use.
Third party VST and AU plugins can be directly loaded from Push now. A folder called Plugins now appears in the Push browser, with full access to hot-swap capabilities. When working with AU plugins, hot swapping also allows you to browse the plugins presets.
Sounds can now be previewed directly from the Push Browser as well. For example, with a Drum Rack loaded, you can click an empty pad, browse your collection of samples, and preview the audio of the samples as you scroll through the Browser menu on Push. This limitation was one of the biggest workflow issues that still required your mouse up until now. It’s great to see the new features of Live further encourage getting away from the screen.
Scale Mode changed the game when it was first introduced on Push. In essence, when enabling “In Key” mode, Push only displays notes that are in Key of whatever scale you choose. One issue that bothers a lot of producers is that the Scale info does not store into a Live Set, so once you close a session, you have to manually setup the Scale settings again. This limitation presented problems if you forgot to write it down in the first place, especially when working with more exotic and unfamiliar scales. The new update now ensures that Scale settings are saved directly into the Live Set, so that as soon as you reopen a session, Push is in key and ready to play.
Link is a technology that keeps devices in time over a wireless network, so you can forget the hassle of setting up and focus on playing music. Link will soon be available to Live users as a free update, and to the wider music-making community as a built-in feature of a growing number of iOS apps.
Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we begin to roll out more in depth tutorials on Live’s new features as well as Push 2 and the upcoming Link feature.
The flagship of our music training, with every Ableton Live course offered at the school. After completing this program, you will leave with a portfolio of original tracks, a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.
This program is about learning Ableton Live by going through the entire process of being an artist, by developing your own sound through a series of sketches and experimentation. You will also learn the ins and outs of this powerful software through a series of exercises designed to help you master the steps involved in producing your own music. After a level of getting familiar with the tools that Ableton has to offer, you will then develop your sonic ideas into full-length tracks. You will be exposed to a variety of approaches to arrangement and composition, storytelling techniques, ways of creating tension and drama in your music. At the end of the day, it is the sum total of your choices as an artist that define your sound, and Levels 2 – 6 will give you the experience of actually completing tracks to add to your portfolio.
Click here for detailed information on this program, including start dates and payment plans.
Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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The post Ableton Reveals New Push 2, Live 9.5 Update and Link Technology appeared first on Dubspot Blog.
