MusE: Free Linux Sequencer/DAW

Linux audio must be making some headway: they’ve even got sequencer/DAW rivals. MusE is a full-blown DAW / MIDI sequencer / audio multitrack application for Linux, based on ALSA (audio framework), JACK (for interconnecting audio between apps), and LADSPA (open source Linux audio plugin format). It’s got an impressive feature list, with extensive MIDI controller […]

Ecler NUO4 Details: DJ Mixer with MIDI Control

Okay, enough of using wooden blocks for music for a bit: let’s get back to the veritable DJ mixer. The Ecler NUO4 (that’s the letter “O”, 4, not “04”) DJ mixer claims to be the first DJ mixer to add full MIDI control. I’ve heard from the North American distributor for the NU04, Jon Ghoddoussi […]

Quad 2.5 G5 Box Coming — From Nintendo. Is Apple Next?

A brand that eschews market trends to focus on pleasing a devoted audience of die-hard loyalists. System hardware with smart industrial design that some have accused of being “underpowered” and “just for kids.” A proprietary PowerPC-based platform with CPU chips supplied by IBM. Rumors of muliple-G5 systems in the near future. Apple? No, Nintendo. Nintendo […]

Vintage Commodore 64 SID Synthesizers: Reborn on PCI (Mac/PC)

CDM Exclusive: Reflexaudio tells us that they’ll be manufacturing the HardSID Quattro PCI card, a PCI card featuring authentic vintage SID chips as used in the original Commodore 64. (European readers may be aware the HardSID product has been available over there for a while, but Reflex will bring manufacturing and broader North American distribution.) […]

Monster Vintage Sample Collection, CDM Reader Discount

Reflex Audio has just unveiled a collection of over 650 samples of vintage synths: The Analogue Collection. There are two dozen synths in there: ARP Odyssey, Chroma Polaris, Elka Synthex, EML ElectroComp 101, Kawai K3, Korg MS-20, MemoryMoog and Minimoog, Oberheim Matrix 12, OB-1, SEM, and Expander, Roland Juno 106, Roland Jupiter 8, Roland MC […]

Tiger + Music: Digidesign, Native Instruments, M-Audio Compatibility

We’ve got a slew of compatibility updates today for would-be Mac OS X 10.4 upgraders, including official upgrade advice from Native Instruments. As always, watch our Tiger Special Report for complete coverage (and a compatibility rundown based on all we know). Native Instruments: NI has a special page explaining 10.4 support and upgrading info. Updates […]

Building ‘The History of Sampling’: Free Processing Development Environment

If you haven’t seen it yet, The History of Sampling by Jesse Kriss lets you interactively navigate the links between sampled songs and samplers. Jesse’s site pulls data from the-breaks, a huge collection of sampling rap music. The real story, though, is how this site, and many other nifty new sites making rounds on the […]

Plug-in “Unsafe at Any Speed”?: NDC’s Spherical “Harmonical”

Spherical harmonic modulation of a globe with vertices that produces unusual additive synthesis? I’m already sold — and then I read the kicker: the experimental plug-in Harmonical can also blow your speakers. Now this is a must-have. Okay, before you get too excited: yes, you can blow your speakers with any loud signal. And while […]

Building 'The History of Sampling': Free Processing Development Environment

If you haven’t seen it yet, The History of Sampling by Jesse Kriss lets you interactively navigate the links between sampled songs and samplers. Jesse’s site pulls data from the-breaks, a huge collection of sampling rap music. The real story, though, is how this site, and many other nifty new sites making rounds on the […]

Record Any App on Windows or Mac

Radio streams are just the start: there are countless reasons why you might want to sample audio from an application that lacks recording capability, from Game Boy emulators to experimental soundware. Last month, CDM shared a few tools and asked you for tips for app-to-app recording. Here are the results (which I’ve tested further): Mac […]