Ed: Brent’s back, not only with a review of the massive EastWest Stormdrum sample library, but some ideas on how you might use it as a composer of game or film scores. Read on . . . -PK Where Art Thou, Boomy Percussion? If you’ve watched any of the more epic-styled Hollywood films lately, no […]

You think you know 80s flashbacks? Not unless you’ve met Jemgirl. This Australian-based DJ/digital musician is hardcore enough to be recreating tunes from the rock cartoon Jem. (Still not ringing any bells? You know, truly, truly outrageous? Yeah — that Jem, my fellow late-20-somethings.) Jemgirl isn’t alone, either: she’ll be spinning Jem tunes, 80s music, […]

Imagine Bush as Lennon . . . you’ve entered the world of the mash-up, a world where songs collide and U.S. Presidents’ words get mixed around into whatever you want. (Well, I hope — I wouldn’t entirely put it past our President to spontaneously break into Lennon lyrics way out of context.) Take a walk […]

I’m sad to have learned, as did the mailing list of SEAMUS (Society for Electro-Acoustic Music US), that the esteemed Dr. Robert Moog is ill. We heard this unfortunate news via an announcement at Moogfest here in New York last month; Dr. Moog sent his regrets as he was unable to travel and attending to […]

G’day, pleased to meet you – This is the first installation of ‘dithered is the new black’, a weekly column about all the great music one can find online – usually for free. I’m atariboy. (Cris Pearson in ‘real life’) I make music (see atariboy.com) and design software (see plasq.com). Lets get to it . […]

Okay, CDM readers. We’ve got a dual challenge this week: what headphones are perfect for gigging, perfect for DJing, and make a perfect birthday present? Reader-turned-CDM columnist atariboy writes: I am looking for some good headphones for my girlfriends (jemgirl) birthday later this week. Around the $100 mark. Will be used for DJing/gigging. The Sony […]

Back in April, we reported on an M-Audio Palm-Sized Recorder, which the company was showing at the German MusikMesse conference. Think CompactFlash-based device, 24-bit/96 KHz WAV/MP3, mic / line / digital ins, USB 2.0 connection. (Specs subject to clarification/change.) Now, M-Audio has shown the portable recorder again, at the Barcelona AES Conference (which CDM ranks […]

Here’s your typical PR hype: “because guitarists deserve, and WANT, some anus-stretching.” (We know computer musicians, remix artists, drummers, keyboardists, etc. do, too.) The Metasonix Butt Probe — sorry, the “TX-2” — is a $549, hand-made, hand-painted tube-based distortion effect, complete with fist, ream, and scre parameters. Tube-based so that it has a lovely, warm, […]

To make Friday truly a Day of Shame (hey, you have the holiday weekend to recover, at least if you’re in the US), I bring you: truly offensive, awful, and nausea-inducing album covers. No, not World’s Worst Album Covers (as pointed out in December by Music Thing.) The Museum of Bad Album Covers. (Hear that’s […]

Reader Dave Chalmers sends us a link to his blog; he writes: It is a collection of tips and tricks aimed at the practicalities of doing live video on no money, but it is very applicable to VJs too, as it discusses playback formats, projector setup, etc. etc. This is all based on my own […]