Greg Kocis

Propellerhead Reason Rack Extensions and iOS Figure App Technology Preview [Video]

Posted on 21. Mar, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, iOS, Recording

In this presentation Propellerhead introduce you to Figure, the new mobile adaptation of actual Reason devices running on your phone and Rack Extensions, their new technology which will allow third party developers to create fully functional Reason rack devices complete with CV, cable routing, combinator patch creation, and everything else that makes Reason so versatile and creative.

To learn more and to find out about getting started with our SDK, visit: http://www.propellerheads.se

Toontrack EZKeys First Look [Video]

Posted on 13. Mar, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, Recording, Songwriting

EZkeys is a revolutionary plugin and stand alone instrument that combines a world-class piano player, songwriting partner, arranger and a meticulously sampled grand piano – all in one package. Developed with Toontrack Musics forward thinking approach to music composition, EZkeys will aside from deliver breathtakingly rich tonal qualities also allow the user unlimited creativity through its groundbreaking functionality.

Toontrack.com

lpTouch for Logic Pro iPad App

Posted on 08. Mar, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, iOS, Mac & Apple Stuff, Recording

lpTouch for Logic provides mobility and touch screen controls for Logic’s commonly used functions. With lpTouch & Wi-Fi, you can control record and playback from anywhere in your studio, edit your software instruments, or adjust effects settings. Tired of trying to manipulate tiny controls on the Logic screen with a mouse? lpTouch offers large, usable multi-touch faders and rotary controls to edit send effects, inserts, plug-in instrument parameters, and EQ settings so you can get just the right sound.

Mute or solo any track to evaluate your mix during playback. Arm one or more tracks for recording. Know where you’re at with the timecode and bar-beat display, and track name and number identification.

One great way to reap the benefits of lpTouch is to use Logic on your Mac to get some tracks down in your composition, then sit back with your iPad – or move around your studio – and use lpTouch’s track and transport functions to evaluate your mix. It makes recording a breeze.

lpTouch works with the built-in “TouchOSC” control surface driver that is provided by Apple as part of your Logic installation. It uses Logic’s new Open Sound Control (OSC) control surface support. NO NEED TO INSTALL ANY SPECIAL APPLICATIONS OR FILES TO USE LOGIC AND LPTOUCH. All you need is a working Wi-Fi connection between your Mac and your iPad.

REQUIREMENTS

* iPad running iOS 5
* Apple Logic Pro 9.1.6 or higher music application installed on your Mac
* Wi-Fi access to Mac running Logic
* iPad Bluetooth must be set to OFF to insure reliable communications

FEATURES

* Transport controls on all screens, including metronome, cycle and replace-record
* Track name and number shown
* Adjust each track’s volume with multi-touch faders; values displayed
* Edit pan and up to 5 send levels; value displayed
* Edit software instrument parameters; parameter values displayed
* Select, mute, solo and record enable any track
* Enable/bypass and edit parameter settings up to 12 insert effect plugins
* Adjust master volume & 3 Aux channels
* Dedicated EQ screen mimics Logic’s Channel EQ editing capability
* “LCD” displays timecode & bar-beat playhead location
* Move Loop Cycle location, or navigate by Markers
* Reset Solo to Off on all tracks
* Set automation mode per track
* Double tap most faders and rotaries to return to default position
* Preference settings: disable iPad sleep mode (Autolock); faders “jump on touch”; choose vertical rotary manipulation

Plugin Boutique – Top Soft Synths, Music Plugins, Studio Effects & More AU | VST | RTAS | TDM [Website]

Posted on 01. Mar, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, Recording

The Pluginboutique (www.pluginboutique.com) is a brand new venture from the team at Loopmasters (www.loopmasters.com) which is dedicated to selling Instruments, Effects and Studio Tools from leading music software companies worldwide.

The website was designed from the ground up to provide a custom solution to sell downloadable products such as Soft Synths, Music Plugins, Studio Effects and Synth Presets – and launches with some great names already involved including Fxpansion, Ohm Force, Flux, PSP, D16, Sinevibes, Waves, Sonic Charge and G-Sonique alongside many others.

The website features product ratings, instant download and authorisation, a service to ensure all your plugins are up to date, one login to see all your plugins from different manufacturers, free plugins, trial versions, and a virtual cash scheme which rewards you with each purchase.

Matt Pelling, Director comments “With such a fantastic amount of Digital Music Software currently available, we felt we could use our experience and knowledge in this sector to create a great looking website where all the best products could be easily compared, so producers can research, purchase and download the best audio plugins for their projects, and start using them immediately”.

As an introductory offer all first time purchasers at www.pluginboutique.com will get a Free Sample CD from Loopmasters sent to them. Plus until the end of March every additional £100 you spend entitles you to another free Sample CD. To claim your free samples simply leave a comment on the Pluginboutique facebook page with your order number and the type of music you produce – your mystery sample CD/s will arrive in the post!

45 Free iZotope Nectar Presets

Posted on 24. Feb, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, Recording

iZotope has made available two new preset packs for the Nectar vocal suite plugin. 45 persets in all.

Style Pack 1:

Includes new Style presets in every genre, as well as a new Utility category for correcting common vocal problems.

Mirrorball Pack:

Mirrorball Music is a recording studio and label co-founded by multi-GRAMMY-winning engineer Tony Maserati and producer/songwriter Stefan Skarbek. Focused on developing new vocal talents, the Mirrorball team uses Nectar every day to give each artist a distinct voice. To show their appreciation, the team has shared a dozen Mirrorball-crafted Style presets in a variety of Genres.

Please note: The Pack requires Nectar Version 1.10 or higher.

Download Style Pack 1 for Windows
Download Style Pack 1 for Mac OS X

Download the Mirrorball Pack for Windows
Download the Mirrorball Pack for Mac OS X

Mastering Your Music For iTunes With Apple Audio Mastering Tools [Free]

Posted on 24. Feb, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, Mac & Apple Stuff, Recording

Apple has released Apple Audio Mastering Tools To hear how music will sound after it’s encoded to make important creative choices during the mastering process.
The Mastered for iTunes droplet is a simple, standalone drag-and-drop tool that automates the creation of iTunes Plus format masters, allowing for a preview of songs using the same world-class technology used to encode the entire catalog for the iTunes Library.

AURoundTripAAC is an Audio Unit that allows you to compare audio encoded using iTunes Plus AAC against a source audio file. It also includes clip and peak detection, as well as a simple listening test environment. It can be used in any Audio Unit host application, such as Logic or AU Lab.

You can also use the command-line tool afclip to check any file for clipping. This tool works by examining an audio file and identifying areas where clipping has occurred. For more information about this tool, run afclip -h from the command line.
This tool is gets installed in: /usr/local/bin

Download For Free:

Apple Audio Mastering Tools Zip
Creating Masters for iTunes PDF

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Control Your DAW With V-Control Pro iPad App [Videos]

Posted on 23. Feb, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, iOS, Recording

V-Control Pro – Neyrinck provides a fully-featured, multi-touch control surface for Pro Tools, Logic 9, Cubase/Nuendo, and many more DAW’s. V-Control Pro uses WiFi to control transport, editing, and mixing functions. V-Control Pro provides advanced control of sends, automation, groups, auditioning, plug-ins, jog/scrub/shuttle, I/O assignment, and other controls within an easy-to-use interface. V-Control can be used simultaneous with ethernet controllers used by Pro Tools.

Features:

Large, touch-sensitive moving faders
Solo, mute, record, and pan controls
Flip mode send editing
Dual surround pan controllers
Metering
Jog / scrub / shuttle control
Automation mode controls and display
Automation and group suspend buttons
Automation and group status display
Automation write enable controls
Plug-in editing
Input monitoring switch
Big counter display
Save and Undo buttons
Pre-roll / Post-roll buttons
I/O assignment
Zoom presets
Window display controls
Keypad popover provides access to many Pro Tools features

Slate Digital RC-Tube Virtual Console Plugin Review

Posted on 23. Feb, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, Recording, Tutorials

Take a listen to how this little plugin can bring in some warmth, fatness, and vibe to your mixes with a flick of a switch.

This review is from Graham Cochrane at The Recording Revolution

MIDI Control From Tapping Your Desktop

Posted on 22. Feb, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, Recording

The Pulse Controller is a hardware / software solution that liberates computer-based musicians and performers from conventional input devices by allowing a surface – i.e. desk, laptop, objects and more – to become a playable MIDI controller. An included piezo microphone coupled with a simple yet powerful software interface converts acoustic impulses into MIDI Note messages for playing your software instruments in an intuitive, responsive and connected manner.

The idea behind Pulse Controller was born out of the belief that as computer-based musicians and performers we should not feel relegated to a grid of small 1×1″ pads or a keyboard to create our rhythms and provide pulse to our music. Controllers once intended to give us the immediacy of playing an instrument often end up feeling more disconnected and distracting. With the Pulse Surface Controller System, controlling percussive instruments has a more visceral, immediate quality, and via a powerful MIDI generator that generates notes in predefined musical scales the user can easily extend into the melodic domain to tap into an inspiring world of happy accidents. Power to the fingers!

System Features:

Piezo microphone and powerful software interface
Attaches to any surface via integrated suction cup (velcro strips also provided)
Connects to external audio device or built-in audio inputs (1/4″ and 1/8″)
Velocity-sensitive and highly responsive
Low-latency performance
Compatible with all software that accepts MIDI Note messages (Cubase, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, VST/AU plug-ins, etc)
Generate fixed note or random notes in a selected scale, with control of octave, octave width, root pitch and 21 Scales
Fixed note length and note choke modes
Store and recall presets
Keyboard shortcuts for quick access to presets and important controls
Mac OS 10.5, 10.6, 10.7 compatible (Windows / Ableton Live users, please contact us about M4L version)

More Info

50 Free Multi-Tracks to Improve Your Mixing Skills

Posted on 22. Feb, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, Recording, Remixes, Tutorials

Improve your mixing skills with these 50 free multi track sessions. Just download and import to your DAW. Styles include Acoustic, Jazz, Country , Orchestral , Electronica, Dance, Experimental, Pop, Singer-Songwriter,Alt Rock , Blues , Country Rock, Indie, Funk, Reggae, Rock, Punk, Metal, Hip-Hop & R&B.

These are from the folks at Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio

John Lennon & Yoko Ono Double Fantasy (Stripped Down) Album Full Stream [Audio]

Posted on 20. Feb, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, Musicians, Recording

John Lennon’s final album, 1980’s Double Fantasy, is a stirring mixture of songs about love and family as well as plenty of odes to unabashed rock ‘n’ roll. This new version, Double Fantasy Stripped Down, features the original album as well as Lennon’s original mix, which pares down the instrumentation and gives more focus to Lennon’s amazing vocals.

Using Sounds of Athletes To Make A Song For The 2012 Olympics [Video]

Posted on 20. Feb, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, Musicians, Recording

In the 27th episode of This Week in Music. Ian Rogers host’s the MIDEM conference Visionary Monday talk with Wendy Clark from The Coca-Cola Company as well as GRAMMY award-winning artist and producer Mark Ronson. The trio discuss Coca-Cola’s new music initiative and their partnering with Mark Ronson to create the sound of the 2012 Olympics.

The cool part starts at 4:28, showing samples of the video they made.

Meteor MultiTrack Recorder for iPad

Posted on 10. Feb, 2012 by Greg Kocis in Blog, iOS, Recording

Meteor Multitrack Recorder is a digital multi-track recorder designed specifically for the iPad. The program features up to 12 tracks of high quality Stereo, Mono and MIDI audio, a built in mixer and multi-effects processor. Meteor is ideally suited for creating musical compositions, and also a great tool for journalists and business people who need to splice and piece together voice notes, narration or dictation. Compositions once mixed can be exported to standard file formats for use on your desktop PC or MAC.

Meteor includes a fully featured sound editor allowing recordings and Stereo Sounds from other Apps to be trimmed or spliced together. You can apply various effects to your recordings either directly, as part of the recording process or in real time during playback. Editor features include cut, copy, paste, fade in/out. clear, reverse, gain, normalize, remove DC offset, time stretch and pitch shift. Effects include digital delay, chorus / flanger, reverb, graphic equalizer, noise gate, tremelo, tone boost, compressor (with side chaining) and distortion.

The Mixer and effect levels can be fully automated using definable controller tracks. An integrated metronome with count-in helps you record your masterpiece, and If 12 tracks isn’t enough there is a full stereo mixdown facility.

The MIDI Editor available through In-App purchase allows full editing of MIDI Note and Controllers as well as Scrubbing, Step Recordings and In-Place Editing of MIDI Parts.