This is by far the most exciting free-plug release so far this year. It’s comparable to Reason’s Maelstrom, but allows one to import any .wav files (mono only) into the plug for manipulation. Audio Demos: Grain_Demo_1.mp3 Grain_Demo_2.mp3 Grain_Demo_3.mp3 Grain_Demo_4.mp3 Grain_Demo_5.mp3 Grain_Demo_6.mp3 Grain_Demo_7.mp3 Grain_Demo_8.mp3 Direct Downloads of plug + support files: Grainz_0-1-0.zip Granular.zip SKGrains_manual_draft.pdf Developed by […]

I’m flattered to share that multitalented musician MikeB reviews my book, Real World Digital Audio, and interviews me about the book and this site on GarageSpin: Interview Peter Kirn of Create Digital Music New Book, Real World Digital Audio, Rocks (His headline, not mine, but thanks, Mike!) The book is now actually hitting shelves. (I […]

As great as the potential of advanced touchscreens may be, for music and other media applications, touchscreens aren’t much fun to touch. Close your eyes and remove visual feedback, and you’re basically running your finger along a piece of plastic. (You’d think we could figure out a way to at least texture it without losing […]

“MIDI is just for keyboardists.” Hearing generalizations like that must send shivers down the spines of the 1400+ members of the Yahoo Wind Controllers Group. They have enough to talk about to generate around 500 messages a month, chatting exclusively about MIDI and other digital wind instruments. If that kind of traffic sounds overwhelming, and […]

Looking for new wisdom and expertise on tools like the insanely deep Max/MSP/Jitter? (If you’re using Max, signs point to yes.) Cycling ’74 relaunched their site a couple of weeks ago, incorporating a variety of features that make this an indispensible resource for users of Max and other products. Since late last month, the new […]

Selling CDs? Not in 2006: now it’s about selling loops. AudioBase.com, just acquired and rebranded from the former identity appleLoops.com, already has 1,500 loops for cross-platform use. The whole library costs just US$99 (or $19.50 for a single 200-loop library), and you get instant online access rather than waiting for a shipment. Indie artists, take […]

As great as the potential of advanced touchscreens may be, for music and other media applications, touchscreens aren’t much fun to touch. Close your eyes and remove visual feedback, and you’re basically running your finger along a piece of plastic. (You’d think we could figure out a way to at least texture it without losing […]

As great as the potential of advanced touchscreens may be, for music and other media applications, touchscreens aren’t much fun to touch. Close your eyes and remove visual feedback, and you’re basically running your finger along a piece of plastic. (You’d think we could figure out a way to at least texture it without losing […]

The old standards: the Tin Pan Alley showtunes, reinterpreted by vocalists and bebop jazzers, followed more recently by reworkings of modern pop and rock tunes. The new standards: video game tunes, apparently. Especially if they’re from Nintendo games. The latest in the trend is MetroidMetal, with elaborate, sprawling metal covers of the moody themes from […]

There was a time when skeptics thought mice would never catch on. “People will never give up their QWERTY keyboards,” they said. They were half right: now we take both for granted. Now, more experiments in multi-touch interfaces are appearing by the day. Aside from mysterious Apple patents, we have, via We Make Money Not […]