August 30, 2012
The Usual...
by Chris Randall
Sorry for the tepid posting. Well, not really sorry as such. Okay, not sorry at all. I've been busy as busy can get. Just finished a pair of contract UIs, plus we wrapped up a 2-month R&D project and sent it off, in the hopes that it will bear (bare? I'm never sure about that) fruit at some point in the near future. So no complaints.
For some strange reason, there was a slew of product announcements in the last few days. Novation announced Yet Another Little Keyboard With A Microphone For Hipster Bands, Roland is about to announce Yet Another Combo Platter Of Blas? Versions Of Everything They've Ever Made, and NI just popped out a new iteration of Maschine.
Korg is apparently about to announce something along the lines of this. There's a lot of talk about that being a Photoshop or 3D rendered fake. I've had a good look at it, and in my considered professional opinion, the image is real. It is definitely not a Photoshop fake. There's just too many things in the image that are far too difficult to do in Photoshop. (Note the different reflections on each key.) It could be theoretically done in a 3D program, but in that event the person that made it is a grade A Illuminati-level 3D modeller. In short, while it is possible it is a fake, Occam's Razor applies. We'll know on the 4th, I guess.
EDIT: Definitely a fake. I stand corrected. (I didn't think of it from "putting it together from other sources" viewpoint. I don't design or think that way. My bad.)
In other news, Adam is working on a small update to Axon to fix some persistent bugs with the envelopes and preset saving/recalling. While he does that, I'm trying some envelope-pushing UI design stuff out. I hope to have something to show off here in a bit.
EDIT: Axon 1.2.1 for OS X is now in the AD store for immediate download.
So, this is an open thread. How's your day going? AMA.
For some strange reason, there was a slew of product announcements in the last few days. Novation announced Yet Another Little Keyboard With A Microphone For Hipster Bands, Roland is about to announce Yet Another Combo Platter Of Blas? Versions Of Everything They've Ever Made, and NI just popped out a new iteration of Maschine.
Korg is apparently about to announce something along the lines of this. There's a lot of talk about that being a Photoshop or 3D rendered fake. I've had a good look at it, and in my considered professional opinion, the image is real. It is definitely not a Photoshop fake. There's just too many things in the image that are far too difficult to do in Photoshop. (Note the different reflections on each key.) It could be theoretically done in a 3D program, but in that event the person that made it is a grade A Illuminati-level 3D modeller. In short, while it is possible it is a fake, Occam's Razor applies. We'll know on the 4th, I guess.
EDIT: Definitely a fake. I stand corrected. (I didn't think of it from "putting it together from other sources" viewpoint. I don't design or think that way. My bad.)
In other news, Adam is working on a small update to Axon to fix some persistent bugs with the envelopes and preset saving/recalling. While he does that, I'm trying some envelope-pushing UI design stuff out. I hope to have something to show off here in a bit.
EDIT: Axon 1.2.1 for OS X is now in the AD store for immediate download.
So, this is an open thread. How's your day going? AMA.
32 comments:
How did the standing desk experiment (link [www.analoginduses.co...]) fare? Any good for pixel mining or programming?
There was one other recent synth announcement that has piqued my interest more than the others you've listed...the PPG Wavegenerator app from Wolfgang Palm.
I wasn't sure if I'd go for it since I already have Animoog, but this clip put it in the "must get" category:
link [www.youtube.com]
I wasn't sure if I'd go for it since I already have Animoog, but this clip put it in the "must get" category:
link [www.youtube.com]
Standing desk is fine. I couldn't stand at it for very long after my Sickness last fall, but for generally feeling better, sleeping better, less back pain, I couldn't recommend it strongly enough. I have a pretty tall stool I use when the pain starts in my feet (and again, this is unrelated to using a standing desk; 100% a result of having a violently ruthless disease) and otherwise, it works like a champ.
I had to get a laptop stand to raise my laptop up to the same height as the PC monitors, was the only thing.
Don't really care about the PPG thing. iPad synths do nothing for me. As a music-making platform, the iPad fucking blows. As a money-making platform, it is great. But the opposite of pro for musicians.
-CR
I had to get a laptop stand to raise my laptop up to the same height as the PC monitors, was the only thing.
Don't really care about the PPG thing. iPad synths do nothing for me. As a music-making platform, the iPad fucking blows. As a money-making platform, it is great. But the opposite of pro for musicians.
-CR
Yeah, Maschine. I've considered Maschine ever since selling my Machinedrum last year. But I worry about the software/hardware integration where it has to be tied to the computer and is the potential victim of being left behind Kore-style, and I worry about getting tied up remembering what button does what as its tertiary function. Now there's this new pretty-colored one and the old ("old") ones are cheap. I've been enjoying my modular along with my OP-1 as a sampler and beat-generator, and playing with the Phonogene and Tyme Sefari is great. I explored the existing videos to see how it might work for me, but after seeing 450 versions of laying down various phat beatz, I ran out of energy. I know you use Maschine, Chris. Unless you've posted a thorough hashing of this in the past and I missed it, how's that working for you?
Sure iPad synths aren't the most exciting or professional things in the world, but they can be fun and useful. Aren't you using one in that last video you posted?
@silent5: it would have been 100 times easier to just use a plug-in, but in a video a plug-in doesn't have much visual interest.
@MrBiggs: The Maschine is an excellent piece of kit. Since it comprises a fairly large chunk of NI's income (unlike Kore) it is in no danger whatsoever of being deprecated. The nicest thing about it is you don't need to haul the hardware around; the software works fine without it. Unlike an MPC or normal drum machine where you have to have the hardware all the time, or record the audio.
And the software itself is fucking excellent; there's a couple little things I'd change if it were up to me, but on the whole, it is very usable and easy-to-navigate. I'll say this much, though: do not get the little one. The big one is well worth the price.
_CR
@MrBiggs: The Maschine is an excellent piece of kit. Since it comprises a fairly large chunk of NI's income (unlike Kore) it is in no danger whatsoever of being deprecated. The nicest thing about it is you don't need to haul the hardware around; the software works fine without it. Unlike an MPC or normal drum machine where you have to have the hardware all the time, or record the audio.
And the software itself is fucking excellent; there's a couple little things I'd change if it were up to me, but on the whole, it is very usable and easy-to-navigate. I'll say this much, though: do not get the little one. The big one is well worth the price.
_CR
Does Maschine have a sort of thing like Live where you can trigger clips ?
Waldorf Pulse II.... hurry the f**k up... and you better have a sine wave osc !
Waldorf Pulse II.... hurry the f**k up... and you better have a sine wave osc !
re: Maschine, What Chris said. After a month with it I'm reinventing my entire business. It's a game changer and should be around for years to come.
At least until we totally flip 1991 and start saying "wouldn't it be cool if you could use a computer to write and record music?"
At least until we totally flip 1991 and start saying "wouldn't it be cool if you could use a computer to write and record music?"
Eh, after all the fuss at IK Multimedia ("some hot shit will be revealed...") there's another iAMKIDDING keyboard for iPad on the market...
I like my iPad, just not for making music but it seems like everyone is jumping on the "this will be so pro in 20 years" bandwagon...
Tits...
I like my iPad, just not for making music but it seems like everyone is jumping on the "this will be so pro in 20 years" bandwagon...
Tits...
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