TOOL: Alternative Performance Tech, Live in NYC on 4/29

NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program is a hotbed of exploring digital media, partly because — well — they actually focus on it in their degree, and make performance central. Nothing tests technology quite like taking your work live and making it convincing to an audience. And that’s exactly what those crazy ITP grad students are doing […]

MOTU Drivers Get 64-Bit Windows Support

While M-Audio is unveiling their new Intel Mac drivers, MOTU has a treat for Windows x64 users: fully 64-bit drivers for all USB2 and FireWire audio interfaces, from the original 828 to the newest UltraLite (which is so new I can’t even get my hands on one). This is no beta; MOTU has released final […]

M-Audio Drivers Now Mactel Universal; Music and Audio Users On Course in Intel Mac Transition

Logic Pro? Check. Ableton Live? Check. But don’t think about running a new Intel-based Mac unless your drivers work, too. M-Audio has finished their new Intel drivers, covering a huge selection of devices. (Odds are, you have something from M-Audio sitting in your studio, I’ll bet.) And M-Audio isn’t alone: the Intel transition is going […]

Tube Mic on a Budget: M-Audio’s New Sputnik

Say M-Audio and you probably think of plastic keyboards or USB audio interfaces, but M-Audio’s latest creation is a multi-pattern, large diaphragm studio condenser microphone, with a retro design and a military-grade vacuum tube. The Sputnik is not M-Audio’s first microphone — they make a line of budget-minded condensers — but M-Audio is crowing about […]

On-the-fly Patching with Max/MSP Toolbox

One of the things that makes Max/MSP special is that a wide variety of tools, from simple MIDI utilities to complex interactive art, can be represented by a graphical interface of interconnected visual objects instead of lines of code. But actually building those patchers can involve some repetitive tasks, if you need to connect a […]

Circuit Bending and Music Hardware Hacking in NYC; Getting Started with Bending

This week is just a powerhouse of music hardware hacking: while California gets ready for the Maker Faire, New York has the latest installment of the legendary BENT circuit-bending festival, BENT 2006. The entire week will feature performances, workshops (including the especially fun open play lab where you can try this yourself), and installations. Saturday […]

Maker Faire Preview: DIY Instruments, Workshops, Performances, and Oddities

Over its first five issues, Make Magazine has established itself as a must-read resource for DIYers and digital homebrewers; aside from regularly writing for the thing, its back issues have a special place on my shelf. Now, Make is hosting a kind of cross between Burning Man and a digital State Fair, the Maker Faire. […]

An Audio Interface with Built-in Effects; Other Effects and Guitar Goodies from TC Electronic

TC Electronic is rapidly becoming a household name for audio gear and not just a high-end plug-in maker. The lead item in their newest lineup is a drool-worthy new audio interface loaded with some of their best built-in effects, plus PowerCore for PCI express and some treats for guitarists and hardware effects lovers. Here’s a […]

Mac + BootCamp: Windows XP OEM, Intel Linux, and All Your Questions Answered

Windows on Mac? OEM Windows on Mac to save cash? Triple-booting Intel Linux along with Windows and Mac OS? These are strange days, indeed, so since I’m as confused about the exact details of Apple’s BootCamp, here’s a round-up of the most important details you need to know if you’re taking a shiny silver or […]