Here is a great video by I believe the group called ORQUESTRA MODULAR (the Youtube description is in Spanish) performing with a very nice mix of analog gear mixed with some laptops.
There is a very oldskool blips and bloops vibe going on here, and personally I love it. Wait.......Now I have to go watch Hackers again.
.:Tekkazulla - Live Jam Session:.
It has been a couple of weeks since the last liveset. Just laziness on my part.
So this week's liveset comes from Andy "Tekkaz" Carter and Mazzula from a weekly event that they are holding over in the UK called Load. Unfortunately I do not have any more information on this weekly event or on the artists, so if someone has more info, please pass it along my way.
via Bassblip Blog
.:Pro Tools Mbox 2 Micro:.
Ok, I suppose I should post this one simply because it is worthy news, but after you read the info on it you will probably roll your eyes wondering what the heck Digidesign is thinking on this one.
Digidesign has released a new USB dongle extension to its Mbox lineup called the Mbox 2 Micro. What I can only presume their aim here is, is to further allow laptop users more mobility from the traditional Mbox while on the road. Unfortunately this little USB plug comes up extremely short. It is nothing more then a glorified USB dongle with 1/8" headphone output and no audio inputs. Ohh and by the way, it costs $279!!!!!!
Wait, what? Are they serious? Digidesign, come on. It is 2007. I can understand how you want to have the hardware connection for security reasons, but really, this thing should be packed into the box of every Pro Tools purchase as a convenience to your customers.
.:VAX-77 Foldable Keyboard:.
Looking to make sure you get your midi keyboard on your next flight as carry-on luggage instead of checking it in? As you can expect this keyboard features 77 keys along with the standard gamut of midi features such as custom weighted keys, USB in/out, 4 input pedals, 2 128x64 displays, etc, etc.
It comes in four colors, aptly named "blood red," "screaming yellow," "emerald green," "basic black" and "ocean blue". No price or specifc release date yet, but the manufacturer states that this information should be out around this winter's NAMM.
via Gizmodo.com
.:Live Performance in the Age of Super Computing:.
Now here is an interesting read. Artist and producer Robert Henske Henke has written an interesting article. In this article he talks about the impact that computers, mainly the laptop have had on performance. It is an interesting comparison discussing the subtle and not so subtle issues that make computers debatable musical instruments.
Quote:
A classical non-electronic musical instrument relies on a constant user-interaction in order to produce a sound. The instrument has specific physical properties, defining its sound and the way it wants to be played. The music is a result of the properties of the instrument and the skills of the player...Now, explain to someone why pressing a space bar on a computer sounds like Bruce Springsteen one time and, the next time you try, it makes no sound at all. With ‘real' instruments, it is also obvious that precision, speed, volume, dynamics, richness, and variation in sound are the result of hard work, and that becoming a master demands training, education, and talent. Without the player doing something, there is nothing but silence.
.:Last MIT Flea Market of 2007 Tomorrow!!!!!!:.
For those of you circuit bending maniacs out there, tomorrow is your last chance to hit up the MIT Flea market for 2007 for your last bit of wires, transistors and all the other good stuff.
For more complete information on the MIT flea market, be sure to hit up my previous post on it .:here:.
I found this nice 31 minute liveset from Wire03 at Divx's upload media site Stage6. A little word of warning for those out there. You will need to download and install the Divx webplayer to probably play the video, but the quality is extremely good for a web stream.
.:Terpstra Generalized MIDI Keyboard:.
Now here is a crazy, crazy midi controller. The Terpstra is a microtonal keyboard with an interesting sextuple key interface. It really is too hard for me to describe so I am just going to leave it to the website to adequately explain.
The TERPSTRA generalized MIDI keyboard is a professional grade studio and live-performance MIDI controller. Its design is well suited for any MIDI-based application that requires a rich control surface.
Key parameters such as max/min position, velocity curves, key note, key channel, and button behaviour can be programmed via SYSEX for each key. A PC-based key-programming utility comes with the product. Any software that can send customizable SYSEX commands can be used, such as Apple's Logic Pro. A full microtonal Logic Pro environment using Logic grand-piano samples is available. Manuel Op De Coul's free SCALA program will play microtonal notes on inexpensive PC-based hardware.
.:Simian Mobile Disco Shows Us Their Live Gear:.
Simian Mobile Disco, best known for their studio work with bands like Justice, Klaxons The Go! Team and The Rapture. Give a nice video interview with XL8R magazine showcasing their gear that they are using on their first live solo tour.
The embed code does not appear to be working so your going to have to follow the link.
.:Modulate.org.uk:.
Modulate is a UK collective of artists exploring experimental sound and visuals. The group creates everything from music to visuals to multi-speaker installations. They will event setup and help with organizing events.
They also have a new 5.1 surround sound DVD featuring visuals and music for sale now on their website. They appear extremely open to communication and collaboration with other artists and event organizers of all sorts, so if you are interested give them a shout.
.:Drew Pitcher LivePA @ Bump303 July 4, 2007:.
This week's liveset comes from Drew Pitcher and is a nice underground techno set from Bump303 this past July. The music is not overly dancy, but does have that nice late night 3am sort of vibe to it that is nice to just throw on in the car stereo while driving.
For more information about Drew Pitcher head on over to his Myspace page at Myspace.com/drewpitchermusic
via Denvertronic.com
.:Radikal Technologies - Spectralis:.
The Radikal Technologies Spectralis. Perhaps one of the most talked about new pieces of hardware showcased at NAMM a few years ago, it quickly was gone and never seen in the press afterwards. It looks to be the killer all in one box that all livePA artists have looked for, but for some reason it just does not seem to be all that popular. I have no idea why. It could be the $2,500 price tag (although people drop $1500 on MachineDrum's and Jomox 09's all the time), it could be that the thing is buggy. Personally I have no idea, but I would bet that there are a good few number of people out there who have absolutely no idea what the thing is.
The specs are pretty full on this one, and you can find them in the company's PDF Brochure, but I will spell out a few here.
4 free running oscillators
2 Analog filters
8 bandpass, 1 hi-pass, and 1 digital low-pass filter
96 step, 16 song, 256 pattern sequencer.
48 voice polyphony with synthesis, and multi-sample capabilities
8 audio outs, USB 2.0, SmartCard support
So anyone have any experience with one of these. I have never seen on in the wild myself and I would love to hear from anyone out there who is an owner.
Ambrosia Software - WireTap Studio Preview
Well it has been a rather slow week with respects to LivePA. Just not much is coming out. That being said I did find this interesting new small recording software called WireTap Studio from indie mac developers Ambrosia Software.
WireTap is essentially a lightweight recording piece of software that allows you to "record anything". You can record any line in or internal software applications audio source. What is nice is that you can isolate internal software sounds for recording. It also features up to two simultaneous isolation slots for software.
The software is designed to be extremely lightweight and small and offers live preview of your recordings as well as a fully expanded audio editor or minimized record view. It might even be light enough to throw onto your laptop and record your internal session of of Ableton Live, well.......Live!!!!!
No news or pricing as of yet, but you can see some videos showcasing the software at the above link. Word is, it should be released sometime this coming week for a rather reasonable price.
via TUAW.com
Quote:
Korg has introduced a new multi-effect device belonging to the Pandora product line. The Korg Pandora PX5D is a multi-effect processor for guitar that includes the REMS modeling technology and can be used for playing or recording guitar tracks.
The Korg Pandora PX5D features 180 different effects (18 guitar and 10 bass amps, cabinets and effects), up to 7 simultaneously, 100 factory and 100 user programs, 128 drum and bass patterns, built-in tuner, phrase rhythm trainer utility, guitar and aux inputs, line output and USB port (to connect it to a computer and record guitar tracks). This multi-effect processor has 3-band EQ, gain and volume controls, 4-way navigation button and backlit LCD display.
This device can be powered with 2 AA batteries or by the USB port. The Korg Pandora PX5D’s price will be £189.
Now here is an interesting one. I popped onto a couple of my frequently visited online music stores and noticed that none of them seem to have the Korg Electribes for sale any longer. Now it does appear that the ESX-1 and the EMX-1 are still available, but the good ole' "classic" EA-1, ER-1 and ES-1 are no longer available.
It also appears that the EA-1 and the ER-1 have been removed from the Korg website as you can see in the image below. I mentioned that earlier in the year, but at the time all of the electribes were still available in stores. Now it appears they truly are gone. 
