Steinberg Update: Studio Case II; HALion String Edition; The Grand 2

Okay, I’m behind on Steinberg. But the summer lineup from them is just making me yawn, I’m afraid: Steinberg Studio Case II: Status: just announced. US$299, Windows/Mac September, watered-down versions of everything Steinberg makes. For entry level users, this could be a decent deal: Reason, by comparison, costs $450 and has a lousy sequencer and […]

Weekly Link Love; Significant Others

The music blogosphere is starting to really pick up here, so I’m going to have to start to just link instead of ramble about every single item. (Anyone got a suggestion for a better name? Wait, maybe significant others?) Here’s what’s hot: Many cool and bizarre circuit-bent creations on eBay, including a whacked-out video synth […]

Digital Cowbell Resources; Wired on “More Cowbell” History

Ah, the cowbell skit / Behind the Music: Blue Oyster Cult parody from Saturday Night Live. (see also text transcript) Like other viral Internet phenomena (see also: All Your Base Are Belong to Us), it’s funny and it spread. If you’ve had your head in a hole since the year 2000 (that’s where I keep […]

Wanted: ReWire Troubleshooting + Tips [Updated]

One audio app at once? Never enough, right? I’m working on a new tutorial with tips for setting up some typical ReWire scenarios. (For the unitiated, ReWire is a technology developed by Propellerhead for connecting multiple audio apps. Run a master app first, then launch the slave app, and the master should control transports while […]

Bizarre, Pricey Resonator Neuronium; New Retro Blog

Got EUR2499 burning a whole in your pocket, eh? Maybe you’re an eccentric hardware synth lover, who made your unspendable fortune on . . . oh, I don’t know . . . genetic engineering or artificial intelligence. Maybe you can both appreciate and afford Jürgen Michaelis’ new synth, the Resonator Neuronium. There are certainly things […]

The Violin That Plays Itself

“The dream of a violin that can play itself has tantalized inventors for over a century.” Well . . . mad scientist inventors, maybe, along with dreams of self-cleaning carrots and ironing boards that can go into battle. Nonetheless, here it is: I give you the Gulbransen Virtuoso Violin, a QRS Pianomation Player Violin. Put […]

MIDI-Controlled Beer Bottle Organ

There are times when I can say something wittier than the manufacturer’s ad copy. This is NOT one of those times: The Bottle Organ is a real showstopper! It plays by blowing across the tops of real beer bottles, which are permanently tuned. And the music is so lovable! Driven by contemporary MIDI technology, the […]

Introducing Downsampled: Welcome, Computer Music Readers!

I’m pleased to announce a new feature here on CDM, linking the site to the UK-based print publication Computer Music. Create Digital Music Downsampled will be a new monthly feature in the print version of Computer Music, each month featuring a major theme I’ve covered here on createdigitalmusic.com. The topics come straight out of CDM, […]

Downsampled 1: Next-Generation Gaming and Music

Introducing Downsampled: in conjunction with Computer Music Magazine (UK), CDM will look monthly at an overview of a hot topic on the site. First up: next-generation gaming and music. Here’s a roundup of just some of the relevant stories on CDM. Nintendo markets music-making as game: Start your own Wi-Fi Nintendo Band with the Nintendo […]

Gaming + Music: More on Xbox 360’s Groundbreaking Visualizer

Legendary game developer Jeff Minter, the Llamasoft founder behind vintage classics like Tempest 2k, has had musical visualizers on the brain for some time. Now, he wants to take “retina-searing” visuals with music to the next left with Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 console. His latest light synth, Neon, will even be bundled with the machine. […]