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FL Studio Mobile Available Today for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch

djnth — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:13:32 +0000

FL Studio Mobile for iPad iPhone and iPod Touch Available Today for iOS

I’ve been drooling more and more lately as I have been awaiting this day when FL Studio was available for mobile devices. It is finally here and I’m headed over to grab it, but I thought I’d pass the word on first. Now it’s not a full version of FL as there is no support for VST plugins and you can’t load your own samples yet but I imagine those very key features can’t be far around the corner. I remember running Fruity Loops on a crappy 133 MHz Pentium machine and using VSTs so the iPhone 5 and iPad should be able to as well.

FL STUDIO MOBILE KEY FEATURES
Load and extend projects in the FL Studio desktop version
Resizable, stackable piano keys & reconfigurable drum-pads
Stuffed with FL Studio quality instruments, drum kits & loop files
99-track sequencer, Piano roll editor & Step sequencer
WAV, MIDI & FLM (project) import/export
iPad HD version, iPhone 4 Retina Display support
Compatible with the Akai SynthStation 25

Just go to the App Store if you have an iPhone/iPod for Touch FL Studio Mobile OR if you have an iPad forFL Studio Mobile HD.

FL STUDIO MOBILE FAQ
What about Android OS? It’s on the roadmap, stop nagging! We have a development team working on a low-latency Android audio-engine and there are many screen resolutions and device specifications to consider, it’s not as simple as you may think :)

Does this mean FL Studio on Mac OSX soon? FL Studio Mobile is not a port of the Windows version of FL Studio. It is the product of a completely separate development team, and code, so FL Studio Mobile, while compatible with FL Studio has no impact on FL Studio development and vice versa.

Can I load my own samples? Not in version 1.0. We plan to enable user uploads in a future update.

Can I use VSTs? No, iOS does not support VSTs and frankly the devices it runs on don’t have the CPU power to perform the synthesis you are used to on a desktop. FL Studio Mobile uses high quality sample based instruments made from Image-Line plugins and sample packs.

Visit the FL Studio Mobile Website for more info.

via: ImageLine Press

Sugarbytes Guitarist VSTi Review

HQ — Mon, 23 May 2011 05:33:46 +0000

We recently tested out Sugarbytes’ Guitarist VST Instrument and this is what we found.

PROS:
Can sound very realistic
Great songwriting tool
Useful wah pedal
Nice GUI

CONS:
Not always realistic
Lack of solo mode to enable playing of individual notes

OVERVIEW:
Looking to create guitar tracks without spending the time and effort to learn guitar? SugarByte’s Guitarist might be worth a look. Available for Win/Mac as standalone, VST, AU, or PPC plugin, Guitarist is advertised as a total guitar solution.

What IS Guitarist exactly? It’s a rhythmic guitar track generator that combines guitar sounds, an amp module and three effects modules with a series of step sequencers and a special effects section. Patterns (and entire songs) can be recorded and played back. For live use, the built in keyboard can be made to trigger sequences or change the current chord a sequence is playing.
It’s worth noting here that the keyboard which allows access to chords and patterns doesn’t provide any easy way to play single notes. So if you just want to play a melody (and disengage the sequencer) you’re out of luck. But for quickly generating rhythmic grooves and progressions, fortunately there’s a lot Guitarist has to offer.

DETAILS:
Guitarist contains 4 guitar types, 2 amp models (+direct), and three effects modules run in a fixed configuration. Effects include modulation,dynamic effects,reverb, delay, reverse and a 3-mode wah pedal. To build progressions and grooves, a chord sequencer is run through a pattern step sequencer (and also an animation sequencer for extra variation). Entire songs can be constructed by chaining patterns together in the song sequencer.
The keyboard can be used to play 24 user defined chords, with some of the keys acting as triggers for the patterns. Pressing a chord key will override the chord sequencer, and play that chord instead through the selected pattern. Another handy feature for playing live is the Action Section, which allows you to alter the groove with real time effects such as looper, timestretch, force slow, dead or damped notes.

Although the GUI is very nice, the interface isn’t completely intuitive and reading the manual is a good idea. Once you’ve mastered the basic layout though, its easy to get grooves going quickly, even ones that you didn’t anticipate. There are many presets (of guitar sounds, patterns and chord progressions) included which serve as a great starting point. Because each global preset can be modified by individually selecting chord bank presets, pattern presets, and sound presets, it’s very easy to undertake an unanticipated musical journey and lose track of time in a good way.

The overall sound of Guitarist ranges from realistic to non realistic depending on the combination of pattern, sound and tempo. There are many situations where it does well, and some where it doesn’t. On the average, it can quickly generate guitar tracks that are more than passable (sometimes with some tweaking). A bit more selection would have been nice, but the 4 included guitar sounds are quite usable. And while the amps and effects can’t compete with dedicated guitar effect plugins, they’re certainly not bad as integrated effects go. In particular the wah pedal sounds very good, and when used in combination with the ability to damp or stop the strings from the modulation wheel, can really add some life to your riff.

CONCLUSION:
Guitarist is a worthy rhythmic guitar track generator/player that can at times sound very realistic. Its inspiring and fun to play- the kind of tool you can sit down with and quickly develop ideas you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. This makes it perfect for songwriting. Its a little disappointing that there isn’t a solo mode to enable users to play individual notes needed for lead guitar parts, because having both rhythm and lead guitar modes would have been very useful. Thankfully though, what it does do, Guitarist does quite well and if used properly can add a dimension to your music that might have been missing.

FL Studio 10 Just Released

djnth — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 06:24:22 +0000

Key new features include:

64 Bit plugin wrapper – FL Studio now hosts 64 Bit VST plugins for access to unlimited memory.
Autosave / Autobackup – Don’t lose a project or data again.
Revised Playlist – Individually resizable tracks. Lock tracks to Clips. Live performance time Marker options (Jump to, Loop, Pause & Skip)
Revised Mixer – Fully Automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (A-PDC). New waveform meter view.
Revised Piano roll – Export as sheet music option. Vertical zoom with not properties view. Magic lasso selection & note-handle stretch. Edit ghost notes by double Right-click. Waveform view.
Pattern Picker – opens from the Playlist, Piano roll or Stepsequencer. Select Patterns & Channels.
Patcher (free) – chain instruments & effects for easy saving of complete instrument & effect chains.
ZGameEditor Visualizer (free) – visualization effect with movie render capability.
Pitcher (demo) – real-time correction/harmonization plugin responds to Piano roll note control.
Newtone (demo) – pitch correction editor for precise control, pristine quality stretching, re-pitching and correction.
Keep on disk & 32 Bit Bridge – now give each Audio Clip / Sampler Channel / Plugin access to at least 2 GB memory and up to 4 for VST Plugins.
Fruity Edition – gains access to Pattern Clips.
Lifetime Free Updates – are extended to all FL Studio 10 box customers onward & as usual all download customers.
…learn more by visiting the ‘FL Studio 10 What’s New?‘ page.

Get it HERE.

Can the iPad Do This?

djnth — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:18:19 +0000

I’ve really grown tired of Apple telling me what I can and can’t do with my devices, what kind of software I’m allowed to run, what kind of hardware I’m allowed to use, and which computers I’m allowed to upload music to my phone from. The iPad is just more of the same crap in a pretty case. While I will admit the iPad has it’s uses and I love my I really do enjoy my [jailbroken] iPhone, I find it very hard to tolerate the hardcore limitations Apple places on the users of its mobile devices. I would love to see someone get OSX or even Linux running on the iPad and then we will truly see what something like the iPad could have been capable of.

Enter the HP Slate. This little baby not only looks to be packing some processing power but it is an “open” device. There are USB slots, video output, memory card slots, and it is running a proper full operating system so users can install whatever software they want. Which means we could see users running Ableton Live, FL Studio, Soundforge, ProTools, Serato, Traktor, and so much more. I can just imagine a DJ set using one of these or playing live with 2 of these machines and actually tweaking knobs on a virtual TB-303 with your fingers instead of a mouse. The possibilities are wide open and I can’t wait to see the Slate in action someday soon.

Harmless VSTi Starting at $9 Until Dec 31

djnth — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:54:09 +0000

Image Line’s newest VST instrument has just been released which is basically a subtractive synth powered by an addititive synth engine. I’m already intrigued. To make things even better they are offering a special deal until the end of the year…Pay only what you think it is worth plus a few bucks to cover the fees and stuff. So go get the demo and they pick up this unique synth for a great price.

From the Press Release:

Image Line Software, the developer of FL Studio (formerly FruityLoops) has released its newest VSTi named Harmless. With a unique twist, Harmless is a subtractive synthesizer powered by an additive synthesis engine. Harmless has no tabs or hidden controls, with all features clearly visible in helpful color-coded groups. Over 100 parameters, most automatable, are available on the clear one-page GUI making Harmless perfect for live performance and sound-design experimentation.

The subtractive-additive synthesis process allows the user to create sounds that are either too complicated or impossible to program using traditional subtractive synthesis techniques. In particular, filters and phasers can be assigned unusual shapes/slopes and can even be defined in Hz resolution.
“Harmless gains control of each partial’s frequency, opening a world of new possibilities for creating innovative sounds. It is a ground-breaking subtractive-additive synthesizer that sounds amazing, has a huge repertoire and invites experimentation, as you are about to discover”, says Didier Dambrin, Chief Software Architect at Image Line Software.

With the release of Harmless, Image Line Software also announces an unique pricing system for the synthesizer. Until the end of 2009 customers are asked to pay only what they think is a fair price for Harmless. The minimum, to cover the transaction fees and handling has been set at 9 USD, but after that, it’s entirely up to customers what they are ready to pay based on the demo and their willingness to support future development.

Harmless Key features:
Single page color-coded GUI for immediate gratification.
Efficient CPU usage & multithreading.
Harmonic mask function.
Specialized pluck filter.
Unique phaser & harmonizer

Main control categories:
Timbre – The oscillator or sound generation controls.
Unison – Voice thickening & stereoizing effect.
Phaser – Creates totally unique phasing and partial based effects, only possible with Harmless.
LFO – Modulation source for adding motion and evolution to sounds.
Effects – Chorus, Delay, Reverb & Compression.

System requirements:
2Ghz AMD or Intel Pentium 3 compatible CPU with full SSE1 support
512 Mb RAM
130 Mb disk space
Windows XP/Vista/7

A demo version of Harmless could be downloaded from Image Line Software Download Section.

M-Audio Torq Makes it to v1.5 Somehow

djnth — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:23:47 +0000

While software like Serato is very stripped down, it allows a DJ to quickly and easily perform his/her primary task – beatmatching and mixing music. The first time ever using Serato I quickly figured out how to use it with no instructions. The first time I looked at the user interface for Torq it made me want to cry. This interface is easily the most hideous looking thing I have seen in DJ Software market hands down! Even if M-Audio sent me a free copy I wouldn’t install this on my computer. I’m only reporting this new version of the software for those of you that do use it. I would love to hear some first hand comments about how great this software is so I can learn not to judge the software by the GUI, but I doubt I will hear any. Please let us know if you use this.

From the M-Audio Website

cue, beat-match and mix digital files > leave your cumbersome records and CDs safe at home
works instantly and seamlessly with compatible M-Audio hardware > no complex set-ups or conflicts
organizes digital audio files (including iTunes) into easily searchable database >instant access to your entire digital library
supports optional third-party VST effects > add your own signature sound
16-cell tempo-synced sampler > trigger loops and samples on the fly
ReWire support > take your performance to the studio
transmits and receives MIDI beat clock >flexible synchronization with external devices
compatible with control vinyl/CDs >easily integrates with traditional DJ hardware

The Flashy New Eks Otus Controls 2 Decks with 1 Controller

djnth — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:48:18 +0000

The Otus from Eks is another new DJ Controller to enter the game, but this one definitely has some features I’d like to try out in person if we can get a test unit in here. A few features that really stand out to me are the ability to control 2 decks with just the one controller and the touch sensitive pitch ribbon. This sleek new DJ controller can be had for 649.00 € via the Eks Website.

From the Eks website:

Functional Design
To meet the needs of professional artists, all the controls are of the absolute best quality. The placement of each control has been optimized for usability and for show factor. All of the key functions are placed closest to the DJ, while effect orientated controls are placed further away. Otus is also designed to fit on top of a standard vinyl turntable. This makes it easy to fit it in any DJ booth. Otus weights 2kg, so it’s firm and sturdy but still retains its portable nature.

Future Proof Control Layout
10 control knobs, 17 low travel buttons and 6 touch sensitive buttons – all controls freely assignable to suit the artists’ personal needs. No mouse or keyboard is needed to perform. The controls are specially designed to meet the needs of the present digital world as well as the challenges of the future.

7,5” Jog Wheel
The heart of Otus is its illuminated, high resolution 7.5” jog wheel with both physical and virtual sensitivity adjustments. The touch sensitive top part of the wheel functions like a vinyl turntable, allowing you to scratch or cue the track by rotating the wheel. The outer rim of the wheel functions as a pitch bender. The LED illumination around the wheel enables two way communication with MIDI software in a configurable manner.

Dual Layer Control Surface
Otus features two layers of controls, which can be easily swapped by pressing the switch button. This enables operating two virtual decks with just one controller. Layer changes are indicated by the change of the LED colour.

Touch Sensitive Pitch Ribbon
The 80mm touch sensitive relative pitch slider with LED visualization enables highly accurate pitch adjustments. The amount of pitch is altered by sliding a finger on the slider, and the accuracy of the slider can be chosen on the fly by pressing the scale button, for example 1x/5x/10x. The LED indicates the pitch value, which is recalled as the user swaps the virtual deck.

Integrated Soundcard with Dual Outputs and A Headphone Jack
Individual professional level analog and digital outputs for both virtual decks. The headphone output enables direct headphone preview.

Touchpad
A touchpad for mouse or user definable X/Y effect control. This makes touching computer while playing unnecessary.

Four Selector Jog Wheels
Each corner of Otus features an assignable jog wheel controller with an integrated select button in the middle – created for optimal file browsing or selecting effects and other features.

LED Illumination
All controls are backlit by colour changing LED’s for easy utilization in a club environment and other poorly illuminated situations.

Works with Your Favorite DJ/VJ/MIDI Software
The advanced MIDI mapper and ASIO drivers make creating configurations for your favourite DJ/VJ software easy and intuitive. The EKS support pages contain downloads and instructions for setting Otus up with different software.

via: Eks Website

Serato and Ableton Announce a Creative Partnership

djnth — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:11:01 +0000

This is an exciting announcement for users of Serato and Ableton software. It can only lead to more creative and interesting DJ sets in the future.

Here is the announcement from the Serato website:
Serato and Ableton are happy to announce a partnership, which will pave the way for the future of Digital DJing.

With shared artist rosters from hip-hop (DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Nu-Mark, A-Trak) to electronica
(Paul Van Dyk, DJ Sasha), both Ableton Live and Serato Scratch Live are renowned as the premier
performance platforms in clubs around the globe.

While Serato’s Scratch Live excels in vinyl emulation, music library control and lightning quick hands-on scratching, Ableton Live provides the tools for production, on-the-?y remixing and beat creation.

“Ableton and Serato take different approaches to modern musical performance,” says Ableton CEO
Gerhard Behles, “But both companies live by the philosophy that software should be straightforward,
easy to use, and most importantly, reliable and stable onstage and in the studio. Ableton has never had an answer for the DJ who wants vinyl control, and rather than try to emulate what Serato do so well, we simply make sure that our products work well together.”

Serato Audio Research CEO Steve West agrees. “After years of talking together, we’re thrilled to be
working with Ableton. It’s exciting to think about what we can offer to DJs and producers: the ability to go beyond just spinning records and add a personal stamp to the music they play.”

Just where this Serato and Ableton collaboration will take us has yet to be seen but one thing is clear: the worlds of DJing, remixing and production for artists worldwide have changes ahead.

Native Instruments Traktor Pro Unveiled

djnth — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:27:50 +0000

Native Instruments unveiled new versions of Traktor Pro and Traktor Scratch recently. Some of the notable features include: 4 decks, built-in effects, Ultra precise beat detection, sync lock, a redesigned browser, crate flick to browse through songs visually like coverflow, and customizable interface.

For more info check out the Traktor Pro Microsite