Pro Audio

Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) in Canandaigua, New York has a very active music program with classes ranging from classic and modern, to jazz ensemble and chamber wind ensemble, topped off by audio recording and sound reinforcemen...
Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) in Canandaigua, New York has a very active music program with classes ranging from classic and modern, to jazz ensemble and chamber wind ensemble, topped off by audio recording and sound reinforcement and live recording programs.
about 2 hours ago
Water-resistant lavaliere mic used in production of new extreme sport demonstration video
Water-resistant lavaliere mic used in production of new extreme sport demonstration video
about 7 hours ago
The Crucial SSD drive fixed to the Akasa bracketAs part of me getting ready for Pro Tools 11, I needed to go up from Lion - 10.7.5 to Mountain Lion 10.8.3, as Lion isn’t supported on Lion, and so I have finally decided to go for a ...
The Crucial SSD drive fixed to the Akasa bracketAs part of me getting ready for Pro Tools 11, I needed to go up from Lion - 10.7.5 to Mountain Lion 10.8.3, as Lion isn’t supported on Lion, and so I have finally decided to go for a SSD drive for my boot drive for my 2010 Mac Pro. Following Russ’s experience of the support from Crucial and doing further research I decided to go for a Crucial M4 512GB SSD from Crucial on Amazon UK or Amazon US. When Russ installed his SSD he rested it in the second optical drive slot. As I do take my Mac Pro out on the road so I didn’t feel comfortable will it resting or even using double sided sticky tape. Pulling out the optical bay drawer Fixing screw with rubber washer I expected to have to use two brackets, mounting the SSD into a 2.5” to 3.5” drive and then mounted that into a 3.5” to 5.25” bracket but after some research I came across an Akasa SSD & HDD Adapter bracket. They are available from Amazon UK for around £6 but I couldn’t find them from on Amazon US, but they are out there on other sites. First I fitted the SSD drive to the bracket which comes with some rubber strips to reduce the vibration, not that there will be much of that on an SSD drive, and then there are also some rubber washers for the screws that hold the bracket into the Mac Pro Optical drawer. I was a like concerned at first as the drawer didn’t want to come out but there aren’t any screws that need undoing, it is a matter of puling carefully and not twisting the drawer in the chassis and then it comes out. SSD drive fitted on the Akasa bracket under the existing DVD drive Once I had fitted the SSD drive into the drawer it was simply a matter of plugging the second SATA 7 power connector into the SSD drive and put the drawer back into the machine. SSD drive plugged into the second sata socket When I booted the the Mac up the OS advised me that there was a drive that hadn’t been initialised and once I opened Disk Utility I selected Erase drive and ran into my first problem, Disk Utility wouldn’t Erase it, it came back with an error that said it couldn’t “open the drive” error. This took a little bit of research but I found a post that related to a Vertex drive where someone had had a similar problem and they had a solution. The solution was to boot the Mac Pro into Restore mode by holding down the Command & R buttons as the Mac Pro started up. In this ‘Restore’ mode apparently the Mac OS isn’t actually loaded which meant that whatever in the OS prevented Disk Utility from erasing the drive, wasn’t running. So I selected the Disk Utility from the Restore mode options and was able to format the SSD drive without problems. Then when I rebooted the Mac Pro there was the SSD drive on the Desktop. Now I was ready to install Mountain Lion, so I went onto the App Store and bought Mountain Lion and then found I couldn’t download it, or at least not all of it. It would start to download the 4.4GB file but it would stop when it got to 142MB. After some more internet research the solution appeared to be change my router. I am on BT Business Infinity for Business fibre to the cabinet internet and apparently there was a problem with the particular router causing this exact problem when trying to download Mountain Lion, so at 11pm on a Friday evening I called BT Business tech support and spoke to an engineer who instantly knew about the problem and arranged for a new hub to be sent out to me. It arrived on the Monday, and after installing it, I found they had re-installed all my settings and so it was very simple to change over and sure enough this time Mountain Lion downloaded without a hitch. I then used Apple’s Migration Assistant to transfer all my applications and settings across from my Lion boot drive and the only issues I had were that I needed a new version of Parallels, and new d
about 8 hours ago
Properly configured, a Linux system can breathe life into old hardware or finely-tune performance on new gear. The problem has often been not the OS, but having a comfortable tool for production when you load it. And so that means Linux ...
Properly configured, a Linux system can breathe life into old hardware or finely-tune performance on new gear. The problem has often been not the OS, but having a comfortable tool for production when you load it. And so that means Linux fans – or would-be fans – will likely be pleased to see the image above. It’s Tracktion, the lovely but oft-overlooked, bargain-priced DAW, running on Linux. (I highly recommend the just-released Ubuntu Studio. The update includes loads of fixes that solve the kinds of audio configuration problems that have kept many people from Linux, and the compatibility of that release is unparalleled. Ubuntu 12 is in fact directly supported here.) First off, Tracktion has escaped its past. As some readers note, while developed by Mackie, the software fell behind, causing compatibility woes. Since then, Tracktion has again become independent – and is moving faster than ever, with a major reboot that makes it compatible with the latest and greatest stuff. And Tracktion could have a future, too. Footholds in this business are largely to do with distribution, so a recent Behringer bundling deal, combined with a major upgrade earlier this year (and existing Mackie bundling), could give Tracktion a shot in a marketplace that remains pretty well dominated by a few players. You know, some trac– augh. Sorry. Never mind. Of course, Linux isn’t likely to cause any explosion in users, but it’s nice to see 64-bit Linux alongside 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and Mac releases – and for enthusiasts, it’s nice to see attention given to a dedicated community regardless of its relative size. There’s reason to root for Tracktion. It has a really nice, one-screen, drag-and-drop interface that eschews the mold other tools (even the mighty Ableton Live, in some regards) fit. Upgrades are $29.99; full licenses $59.99. The beta test is free, so Linux users, please do test this and let us know what you think: www.tracktion.com/linux Tested on, say the developers: • OSX 10.7.x & 10.8.x • Windows 7 & 8 (64 and 32-bit versions) • Linux (Ubuntu 12)
about 9 hours ago
Buzzing in Linz: Houztekk’s underground cred vibrates from Austria outward. Photo courtesy the label. Dense, dark, packed, young and fresh. No, not the club – this mix. We invite Electric Indigo (Vienna’s Susanne Kirchm...
Buzzing in Linz: Houztekk’s underground cred vibrates from Austria outward. Photo courtesy the label. Dense, dark, packed, young and fresh. No, not the club – this mix. We invite Electric Indigo (Vienna’s Susanne Kirchmayr) to tell us about her new, freely-downloadable podcast with Linz, Austria’s Houztekk Records. It’s a shadowy, labyrinthian journey through the newest and most adventurous sounds in techno. And by techno, she means a wide range of noisy, broken-beat, resonating — well, let’s let her explain. That is, along with listening, because Susanne has a unique talent for producing a simmering, tasty stew from all these component parts. Or, to the music, as Tim Exile says in his track title: “It’s Dark In Here But I Still Love You.” For this podcast, I wanted to do something special and turn the theoretical disadvantage of not having a full DJ setup at home into an asset of the mix. My intention was to create a very dense and intense layered structure of beat-driven and ambient / experimental tunes using my favorite new tracks. So the mix represents several key qualities of techno that always have been crucial for me: 1. The music is fresh, released recently or to be released in the near future. Background: I started off as a DJ playing hip-hop mixed with a lot of 70s funk and jazz from the 50s to 70s. That was in 1989, and after a while, I didn’t like the new hip-hop stuff so much anymore, and consequently ended up playing old tunes over and over again – until I came across Chicago and Detroit techno. It was a revelation, and finally, I could play new records again! I just love the permanent evolution and creation, this flow of musical information and young artists emerging, established artists developing. Of course, I have a lot of respect for historical achievements in music and I like old records, too, but I don’t want to play “classics” or give lessons in music history when I DJ. As a DJ, I am all about giving novelties my personal touch through mixing and combining. 2. “Techno” in my personal definition has a very wide range of sounds and rhythmical structures, and many of them are present in this mix. This podcast comprises noisy, brutal sounds, broken beats, industrial sounds, stomping rhythms, monotone sequencies, atmospheric ambient, dub-influenced tunes, funky grooves, electro beats, live jams, and experimental excursions with an electroacoustic touch. It’s all there. 3. The avoidance of song structures make layering possible. The single tracks become the basic material for a bigger structure, they can be considered as threads woven into a fabric that can fill the whole room. Tracklisting: 01. Thomas Köner -The Weary Seer [Krake 001] 02. Erika – Tunneling [Interdimensional Transmissions 30] 03. Zeitgeber – Body Out [Stroboscopic Artefacts 018] 04. Diamond Version – When Performance Matters [Mute Artists Limited 12DVMUTE4] 05. Cassegrain – Serpent [Krake 001] 06. Ynaktera – grid_01 [Stochastic Resonance 01] 07. Synus0006 – Galaktika [B4CK6ROUNDNO1SE XX9] 08. Luigi Acidmachine – Planned Obsolescence [Cannibald 030] 09. Stanislav Tolkachev – Depth Of Light [M_Rec Ltd Grey Series 04] 10. Ray Kajioka – Fly [Kanzleramt 158] 11. David Meiser – Pursuing My Way [Sonntag Morgen 025] 12. Ad.Lib – She Lost Control / Rebekah Remix [Berlin Consumer 002] 13. Dadub – Syncronic Pattern [Krake 001] 14. SNTS – S4 [SNTS 02] 15. Traversable Wormhole – Negative Energy Density [CLR CD012] 16. Tim Exile – It’s Dark In Here But I Still Love You [Krake 001] 17. Headless Horseman – Decapitation [Headless Horseman 002] 18. Monya – Panik [Berlin Consumer 001] 19. Tracy – Panorama [C.R.S. 025.5] 20. Psyk – Intern [Mote Evolver 035] 21. Diamond Version – Live Young [Mute Artists Limited 12DVMUTE4] 22. Erika
about 9 hours ago
To mark the company’s 15th anniversary, Royer Labs has announced its limited edition R-121 Ribbon Microphone.
To mark the company’s 15th anniversary, Royer Labs has announced its limited edition R-121 Ribbon Microphone.
about 10 hours ago
Out this week is a new full-length from The Black Dog. The Sheffield, England-based trio – Ken Downie, Martin Dust, Richard Dust – have been making smart, non-boring electronic music for ages. (Let’s not utter “I...
Out this week is a new full-length from The Black Dog. The Sheffield, England-based trio – Ken Downie, Martin Dust, Richard Dust – have been making smart, non-boring electronic music for ages. (Let’s not utter “IDM” – but “smart” fits.) From Warp to Ostgut Ton, they’ve been an indelible and irreplaceable part of the creative landscape. What strikes me about Tranklements is its effusive economy and clarity. In a time when music is regularly dripping with reverb or smothered in gauzy effects and nostalgia, this is a record that stands apart from any particular time, dry and direct and witty. Each track is a separate “object” according to the band, but what makes that work is a forward sense of personality in each. The highlights above are almost a work on their own; the full release is rather a must-have this year, I think. (Tomorrow, you can watch a live broadcast on Electronic Supper Club celebrating the release.) There’s also a spookily-beautiful video with collaborator Shaun Bloodworth: Shaun Bloodworth – Sonar 12 from Electronic Supper Club on Vimeo. The notion of “objects” comes from their own description of the record: The Black Dog have been gathering their thoughts, passions and anger, reflecting it into their music, sometimes as part of a larger picture or concept, sometimes just focusing on one subject. “Tranklements is such a great Sheffield word, it means a collection of objects, often precious to the owner. Everyone has a collection of Tranklements somewhere! These are ours. Tranklements is a body of work created as 16 unique and individual tracks. Each one is its own little object, something we’ve created to externalise, explain and express the world we find ourselves in. It encompasses many thoughts, emotions and desires from the last eighteen months. There is an individual story and internal message behind each. They’ve all been discussed and fought for. However, we really don’t want to explain them, we don’t expect those personal rationals to translate to others. We’d rather you gazed upon the objects yourself and come to your own conclusions. Nobody likes to be told what to think. In many ways our work with the eSC (www.electronicsupperclub.tv) project has helped us to reconnect with many things and each other. The creative talent and desires of the younger generation have never gone away. The real underground is still as vibrant as ever, not lost to false values, over-sized egos and ladder climbing brands. We’ve always respected that energy and individuality that exists beyond the bland compliant mainstream. The truth is we’ve always felt like the awkward outsiders.” Available to pre-order now at DustStore.com: * Limited edition, only 300 units * 3 x 12″ on heavy weight 180gsm vinyl * Free digital download of the album from DustStoreDigital.com * Two free bonus tracks as digital downloads exclusive to DustStore.com But if you want still more to hear after the release, their Dark Wave mixes are a must. The latest includes two artists we’ve admired here in Berlin – friend of the site Noah Pred and (on his way through town) Ital Tek – among many others. Full listing, nicely tracing some of the connections in the scene right now: The Black Dog – Dark Wave 10 00. Coil – Teenage Lightning (Surgeon remix) – CDR 01. Function – Voiceprint – Ostgut Ton 02. The Black Dog – Broken Mind – Dust Science 03. Benjamin Damage – Delirium Tremens (tBd Headkicker Remix) – 50 Weapons 04. Noah Pred – Loss For Words (Hrdvsion Boomboom Mix) – Thoughtless Music 05. Lucy – Finnegan (Pariah Remix) – Curle Recordings 06. The Black Dog – Cracked – Dust Science 07. Tripeo – Untitled #4 – Tripeo 08. Trade – Half Nelson – Works The Long Nights 09. Shape Worship- Quilt 2 – Exotic Plylon Records 10. Ital Tek- Hyper Real – Civil Music 11. Tripeo – Untitled #3 – Tripeo 12. Shifted – Troub
about 10 hours ago
Oculus Rift + Kinect – Audio visual instrument a001 from Ethno Tekh on Vimeo. That window between science fiction and actual interfaces continues to narrow. Here, virtual hands paw at geometric orbs to produce sound, with simultane...
Oculus Rift + Kinect – Audio visual instrument a001 from Ethno Tekh on Vimeo. That window between science fiction and actual interfaces continues to narrow. Here, virtual hands paw at geometric orbs to produce sound, with simultaneous 3D visuals as accompaniment, in the latest artist/hacker experiment. You can thank the popular and surprisingly-accessible game engine, Unity – which recently added free deployment to mobiles, by the way. Description: This is our first Kinect-controlled, virtual reality experiment, using the greatly anticipated Oculus Rift. It’s a simple virtual reality environment built in Unity 3D with our own interactive framework. It allows us to use the Kinect to trigger two audio loops and apply basic effects using Max/MSP. This is the start of a project that will evolve into installation artworks as well as become a part of our performances. For more information on our work: facebook.com/EthnoTekh ethnotekh.com/ And you can expect a lot more of this, because Microsoft has a new Kinect. Part of Xbox One, the upgraded 3D camera now features smarter camera detection to differentiate people from one another, from objects, and even individual fingers or facial gestures. The result is something that, as I write on Create Digital Motion, gets closer to intuitive physical movement: New Kinect Gets Closer to Your Body [Videos, Links] Wired takes a look: And here’s what that Kinect looks like, courtesy Microsoft. We’ll be eager to hear more about gestural tracking, latency, and hackability – and how this stacks up to Leap Motion for music apps.
about 11 hours ago
Plácido Domingo has released his first pop album in more than 20 years, Songs, and worked on the Sony Music release in studios around the world with 11-time Grammy-winning producer Rafa Sardina (Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Rodrigo y Gabri...
Plácido Domingo has released his first pop album in more than 20 years, Songs, and worked on the Sony Music release in studios around the world with 11-time Grammy-winning producer Rafa Sardina (Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Rodrigo y Gabriela).
about 11 hours ago
Tasked with the challenge of capturing the sound of a new water-powered jetpack, HartFX, LLC of Orlando, FL elected to use the water-resistant Countryman B6 lavaliere microphone.
Tasked with the challenge of capturing the sound of a new water-powered jetpack, HartFX, LLC of Orlando, FL elected to use the water-resistant Countryman B6 lavaliere microphone.
about 11 hours ago