Archive for the ‘Computerware’ Category

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Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes and New Products

08/18/2010

Ello, ello, ello! I’m back on the blog-prowl once again and on fire about the recent changes that have been going on around the office. We’re doing insanely large numbers of orders for new and exciting products. My live-sound company is getting busier and busier and I have completely tweaked that system to the max. Here is some detail!

I recently provided my sound services for an outdoor event in a small town here in Minnesota for an area cover band which seems to be quite popular. The night went very well. The band was great, the system sounded fantastic and I could not have been happier with my mix. The only thing I would have changed would be the effects returns. I would really have liked to bring the effects back on a couple stereo pairs of channels so I could get a wider stereo image on the vocals and drums. The only problem is that I only have the 16 analog inputs on my digital board until I get another 1 or 2 8 channel converters…maybe the PreSonus DigiMax D8 8 Channel Microphone Preamp with Digital Output.

In other news, we’ve had some wicked new additions to the AMS product lineup and one that I would like to cover. The Livid Instruments Ohm64 USB MIDI Control Surface is probably one of the coolest things since sliced bread! Ok, not literally since there are way cooler thing out there than sliced bread but it is pretty flippin’ cool! Here is some detail from the Livid Instruments team. The Livid Instruments Ohm64 is an adaptable, programmable, and interactive MIDI control surface designed to give you hands-on control over your performance.
High-quality sliders, knobs and buttons provide the interface for creative expression, whether you’re mixing samples and synths or DJ’ing a cutting-edge set. Constructed with an aluminum faceplate and a gorgeous body of hand-finished wood, the quality is felt down to your fingertips. All of Livid Instruments’ controllers are proudly hand crafted and assembled for artists by artists in their Austin, Texas shop.

I hope you ahve enjoyed my update and my blog. Please feel free to comment or contact me here!

-Ryan

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Making Beats Couldn’t get any Simpler

06/05/2009

If you’re a producer, then you know the trials of putting together beats that sound good and are easily usable. There are sonivoxplayamany pieces of equipment available to make beats with as well as numerous software choices, the only problem is that they have never been very simple to use. Now, I would like to show you a product that has just been added to the American Musical Supply website, it is the SoniVox Playa Hip Hop Virtual Instrument and it will forever change the way you produce beats to your music forever. This Plug-in based software brings to you over 400 world class SONiVOX instruments including Fat synths, basses, drums, leads, ethnic instruments, guitars, strings, brass and much more. It can be used with a midi keyboard, MPC pad controller, or just your computer by itself, Playa gives you serious control over your music. Now with help from SoniVox Playa, the next time you hear somebody ask if that makes beats you can answer with an enthusiastic yes!

-Ryan

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Set up your mixing room with ARC

04/24/2009

It is impossible to have a perfect room for mixing, no matter what types of acoustic treatments you use. Even some of the largest studios using the best in acoustic treatments have some problematic areas in their rooms which just cannot arcboxbe fixed. On the other hand, if you are like me and have a fairly tight budget, you can’t just go out and purchase a full room package of acoustic treatments, it is just too expensive. For that scenario I recommend checking out IK Multimedia ARC Room Correction System. It is basically a way to get your monitors back to being as accurate as they can be in your space. When monitors are placed in a room, the surrounding walls, ceiling, furniture and other objects reflect and absorb their sounds which creates complex distortions specific to the room- causing them to lose the arcscreenshotaccuracy they have been designed for, and you end up hearing more of the sound of the room than the music actually being produced. Ultimately what this plug-in does is it sonically measures your room then applies the necessary frequency curve to the output path leading to your monitors resulting in a more focused and accurate stereo image. Even if you are a DIY guy producing your own music, it pays to hear it as it was meant to be heard, correctly.

-Ryan

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Utilize SSL Plugins Without Slowing Down Your System

03/11/2009

duendepciThere is a simple, effective and relatively inexpensive way to get that sweet Solid State Logic sound in your DAW without running out and spending a fortune on a gigantic SSL mixing desk. Allow me to show you the Solid State Logic Duende PCIe Plugin Host with SSL Plugins. It is exactly as stated, a PCIe card which is easily installed into your computer to ultimately act as a separate processor for use exclusively by the awesome SSL plugins which come included.

How does it work? The processing blocks appear as VST/AU plug-ins (RTAS support via FXPansion wrapper) in most popular workstation environments. So, basically all you have to do to use it is simply activate the plugins the same way you would a software plugin and away you go…and with no more CPU drain since it has its own processor. It features 32 Channel plugin processing which includes SSL XL9000k channel strip and Buss Compressor. Now you too can have that iconic SSL sound heard on countless hit records from the last four decades at your fingertips.

-Ryan

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New Ableton Live 8 Packs Some Major Heat

02/05/2009

You may have read in previous posts that I totally dig Ableton Live 7. In a way it makes you re-think the way you produce and record music and gives you the ability to remix on the fly using software instruments and included samples. It’s amazing, and now with the recent release of Ableton Live 8 Music Production Software, I’m thinking I may need to upgrade and you should too. Some new additions include Looper which is a remotely controlled loop recording features which can be controlled via a single button footswitch to record, loop, overdub and multiply phrases to build a tune. Groove engine is another cool new addition which will help add swing and new live to groove you have already made as well as a new Warping Engine which allows you to adjust events on the timeline rather than adjusting the timeline around the event which can affect pitch. Those clever developers at Ableton have really dug quite deeply to cover all bases with Live 8.

-Ryan

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Midi Interface for the best price on the Web

01/13/2009

I just received word from one of our purchasers that we are currently selling the Tapco LinkMIDI 4 Channel USB MIDI Interface well below the competition. That’s amazing, a deal you won’t want to miss out on.

The LinkMIDI lets you connect up to four MIDI devices to your Mac or PC simultaneously. Not only that but it also feature a MIDI through functionality so you can use it as your central MIDI hub for your entire system. Besides its features, the price makes this unit a must-have item for any engineer or audio hobbyist. All that functionality comes neatly packed in a compact case less than 2-inches high and 8-inches long. LinkMIDI 4×4 tucks comfortably alongside your laptop when you’re on the go, and connects with a single USB cable when you’re ready to get to work. It’s bus powered, drawing its juice from your laptop for work far away from the power grid. And with its unique swivel foot design, you can stand the LinkMIDI 4×4 on its side in tighter work spaces, and stow it quickly when it’s time to split.
-Orion

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