'Twas the nights before NAMM, and all through the house, not a press release was stirring . . . well, no, that's not true. In fact, I have a huge stack of new releases, but they're all embargoed (meaning I can't tell you about them) until Thursday or Monday. So get ready. Lee Sherman, our […]

Repeat after me: you'll be running Logic on a faster PowerBook G4, not G5, in 2005. But that may not a bad thing. There's just no convincing some people. It's not enough that top Apple brass told financial analysts as recently as Wednesday 1/12 not to expect a PowerBook G5 in the near future. The […]

Exclusive! Returning to our regular programming of geeky stories that appeal to a tiny fraction of the population (PowerBook G5 rumors? What was it, sweeps week?) and ill-conceived puns (see above), I bring you: MetaSynth 4. MetaSynth is a graphic sound design and music creation environment that lets you paint with sound, using color imagery […]

Legendary synthesis innovator Moog Music has launched a rack-mounted version of their Voyager synthesizer. There's no touch-pad or (naturally) keyboard, but the RME does feature all the sounds of the Voyager in a trim, 19" package. Perfect for augmenting your current rig or adding polyphony to your existing Voyager keyboard. (And if you do own […]

Cyndustries, known also for their tabla machine, has announced it will build Apple's new Mac Mini into a special, custom analog synthesis box and custom case, featuring: Custom, touch-sensitive LCD screen (optional) Built-in MIDI and MIDI-to-Control Voltage conversion (!) Fully-analog oscillators and filters, with digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital routing Multi-channel, multi-Mac Mini, multi-monitor options available Completely […]

At long last, Novation tells createdigitalmusic their new X-Station keyboards will be available. US Availability is now this week for the 25-key model and end of February for 49-key and 61-key models. To see what the fuss about, read my article from earlier this winter on the X-Stations' great control surface / integrated synth / […]

Following earlier news from Griffith, Lee Sherman tips us off to additional Bluetooth audio devices at Macworld, but don't get too excited: iPod-only, reduced audio quality versus wired systems (though much better than FM transmitters), and high prices (expect around $150-200+ based on what we've seen from previous products). Ratoc Systems iPod headphone / stereo […]

It's one of those electronic music DIY dreams: building drum pads from scratch. Sound on Sound had an article in 1995 that goes through, step by step, how to build a drum pad and trigger system. You'll want to check out the Physical Computing page, too. Anyone want to give this one a try? Hit […]

Griffin Technology has a bunch of new iPod/Mac audio stuff to show off at Macworld Expo: AirClick is a remote control for iPod, iPod mini, and the Mac; US$39 on preorder SmartDeck is a cassette adapter for iPod that lets you control iPod navigation via a car tape player (brilliant!); US$24.99 now BlueTrip is a […]

VJ Fader, creator of Max/MSP/Jitter-powered Neuromixer (an excellent video mixer with lots of support for controllers), now introduces a first: VDrum is a step sequencer not only for audio, but video, too. The first version was released today with the following features: Sequence AV clips using on/off switches, via numeric pad or MIDI input Record […]