Touch Screen Midi Controllers Revisited

In my quest assemble the ultimate midi controller setup, without a doubt the question of touch screen controllers comes up. And why wouldn't it? The perks of touch screen lye in the flexibility, versatility etc. You simply cant beat a device which is completely customizable from the ground up- no more toying with having to upgrade a midi controller because it lacks what you need. Rather it requires a knowledge of programming and then you can rework your device to suit your needs. This is definitely the future of music production, although i still wouldn't trade everything in just yet.



These devices come with a few flaws that put me off a little, well enough to want to wait a bit. The first issue i have is cost, these devices are so bloody expensive ( see jazz mutant lemur) some running as high as (albeit the price has come down) $2000. Now of course there are other alternatives to this problem of cost, which is where monotouch live comes in. I had previously mentioned in an earlier post about monotouch live, mostly because it is really the only alternative to the lemur. and wow what a cost....free all you need is a monitor with touch screen capabilities and you are ready to go. well sort of. You still would need a copy of Cycling 74's Max Msp. And then theres more,

you need windows,
your computer must be able to support multiple monitors,
what if i want more than one...
then i would need a more powerful graphics card/cards......



The list goes on of problems that i find with this solution of using a touchscreen monitor as a midi controller, rather than a dedicated device. Which is where this comes in. This is called the Nanovision MiMo USB Monitor, thats right folks USB. The monitor is quite small too, boasting 7" and 10" models- a little smaller to the size of a lemur (which is at 12"). And runs at the price of about $220. Now of course this is just the start of the touch screen phenomena which seemed to burst when Daft Punk used a set of lemurs for their Grammy Awards Performance with Mr.West, but i can already see where this is going...and it will change how people produce and Dj again.

Cheers,

Azzo

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OTTO- The Electronic Musical Instrument

OTTO is an electronic musical instrument which brings samples into your hands- literally. As the developer Luca De Rosso describes:

OTTO provides a tangible user interface designed with the aim of giving the user the feel of having the sample in his hands. The musician can manipulate an audio sample in real time through the use of a restricted number of simple physical buttons and switches.

Luca De Rosso .

To me this is definitely a giant leap forward for sample based music. This is an entirely new way of looking at the relationship between the physicality of digital music- where this goes not sure, but there is a huge potential for this device.

OTTO ~ Getting Started from Luca De Rosso on Vimeo.

OTTO ~ demo.01 from Luca De Rosso on Vimeo.

Enjoy

Azzo

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Noir & Sivesgaard

A series of collaborations has produced what i see as something with alot of potential. Now keep in mind these tracks might sound a little conventional, possibly even a little overdone. As dance tracks they are killer, the do everything that a dance track should do, build, remove, rebuild. Vitek as an example, might be seen as just another techno inspired track, of which there are a million coming out everyday since the rise of personal computers, but i just love it. I have a soft spot for good techno. About 2 minutes in is where the song really hits home, with removing most information and then setting it back in- such an important step missing from most songs, it is like surgery, carefully removing and rebuilding. That low subtle kick which doesn't drive but guides, as a throbbing drone side chains the melody to follow. Quite impressive. On the other hand i find there other track Fomalhaut b as the secondary track, not as strong of a composition, lacking the mystique and clarity of Vitek, but nonetheless a good comparison between a fantastic track and a mediocre one.

Vitek:

noir and sivesgaard - vitek by noir

fomalhaut b:

noir & sivesgaard - fomalhaut b by noir

Noir's Myspace

Sivesgaard's Myspace

Cheers,

Azzo

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Bas Bron or Bastian Again

So Continuing with my investigation into the multi-persona Bas Bron (Bastain, Seymour Bits, Comtron etc) i came across another track which has a lot of interesting points within it. That song is Flight of the Starglider



To be honest when i first heard the track i turned it off. i was put off from the aggressively sharp cuts within the bass riff. But going back was i ever wrong. When that melody and the beat drops, wow....i was floored, and even a little nostalgic- reminded me of those days when the "exaggerated futuristic circa 1980's" sound was in. Those days have long since dissolved ending in my mind in the culmination of Kavinsky (who took the futurist sound a little too literally) but it is still nice to go back and observe.

Enjoy

AZZO

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Bastain "You've Got My Love"

So this little number is something i ran into the other day and was wowed, i had never heard this song before...i fell in love instantly- only to discover i was too late in the race to find whats hot. The Track is what propelled Bas Bron aka Bastian into the spotlight in the Netherlands in 2001.


Azzo

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La Roux vs. The Twelves

So For a while now I have been following the remix's that the Twelves have been putting out- All started with the Black Kids 'Boyfriend' Remix. But with this latest edition to the remixing duo's portfolio [In for the kill-La Roux (Twelves Remix)] is...well not to the same caliber. I had such high expectations, which is quite normal when you put out a series of stellar tracks, that i was left unsatisfied. The vocal treatment feels like an after thought, almost as if they forgot there were vocals and in a hurry made them fit. So much of 'In for the kill' is about Elly Jackson's sexy and catchy vocals, without them we are left with a roland 80's synth and a simple drum machine- not to say that there is anything wrong with that but they are complimentary, its a chicken and egg scenario.Don't get me wrong i think the Twelves remix is still good but as a standalone reference-less to the original.

Of course i will let you guys decide on the final verdict, as it is definitely possible that i am biased based on my expectations on the Twelves. You can catch them here:

La Roux - In for the Kill

La Roux - In for the Kill (Twelves Remix)
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Digital Jock Tip #1

To start i really love Native Instruments "Traktor", and i know alot of people will contest this, stating Ableton Live is far superior in regards to DJing, but i dont care. I also love Ableton- personally the program is superior, the ability to properly splice, looping and whatnot. Anyways back to Traktor. I am continuously drawn to the software because of the traditional DJing approach to the program- there is a mystique to the traditional DJ using vinyl to throb a crowd, and because of that the draw to Trackor, as a digital dj, is of the same. 4 decks, effects and the ability to throw in a loop, thats all folks- of course you can get creative how you use these combinations, which is what I am interested in.

Tip #1- Controllers


Get a UC-33e, trust me you will use it, the whole thing- And chances are you will use it will use it will ableton and whatever DAW you are using currently. You can replace this device with much as it is a sea of knobs and sliders, if you need buttons it has a few, but you best picking up something cheap like the new korg nanopads which are cheap and will expand you control surface without adding anything to big that will take up alot of space.

Combined this is an interesting setup, and cheaper too compared to those larger mixer setups, while they are definitely very powerful and open the game to a scratch setup (see Korg Zero series). If you can master and find your own sound and way of mixing with the simplest of tools, nothing can stop you- remember everything compounds.


Cheers,

Azzo

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