Frontier Tranzport: A Remote Control for your DAW

Pro audio has been slow to go wireless, which is why the Tranzport, the first-ever wireless remote for DAWs, is very good news. The device from Frontier Electronics is due early in 2005 and will work out-of-the-box with your DAW software of choice, including SONAR, DP, Cubase, Logic, and Pro Tools. (I'm holding out for […]

TimeToy (OS X): Free/Cheap Real-Time Time Stretching

Typical time stretching: Expensive software, rigid controls, wait for calculations. TimeToy: Free or US$17 'Pro' version, flexible controls, real-time, mic input. Now you're talking. TimeToy can be fun as an improvisatory sound-warping tool or used live in performance; use rubber band-style controls to plot time manipulations, or (with the Pro version) even scrub and warp […]

[Updated] Vintage Rhythm Machines, Free in Flash Form

Having witnessed a Flash-based, circuit-bent Speak & Spell, what's next but a few dozen vintage drum machines recreated as downloadable Flash files? The Keyboard Museum has a healthy supply, from classic to obscure. Boss DR-55? Check. Wurlitzer Swing Rhythm 5020? Check. Oberheim DX? Check. Some other thingy you've never heard of? It's there. Have I […]

Sequencing with Architecture: Instant City

First colored blocks, now city blocks: Swiss-based collective Rosen & Spademan has constructed a "music building game table" for creating modular compositions with transparent blocks, converting improvised architecture into sound. (thanks, near near future) Their biggest goal, they say: getting people to grab the objects and play. You can explore this and other projects on […]

Control NES via MIDI

The Nintendo madness continues: MIDINES is a cartridge for the 8-bit NES system that allows you to control the NES' internal soundbank via a standard MIDI cable, so you can add your NES to the other gear in your studio. EM411 has a full review.

Filterscape (OS X) Sound-Bending Filter in Preview

Imagine if a parametric equalizer were sexy. Urs Heckmann's new Filterscape plugin sure ain't your father's parametric EQ. It's an EQ, plus analog filters, plus tempo-synced LFOs, step sequencers, and envelope followers, with extensive routing and effects. Even that sounds more traditional than this looks: think crazy routing and ring mod/FM stuff bent in a […]

Soviet Synth Archive

Sure you know the synths you can buy in the US — your Yamaha DX-7, your MiniMoog, your Buchla. But the one country in the world that kidnapped an audio pioneer (Leon Theremin) from his Manhattan apartment and hauled him around the world in order to learn his secrets for espionage also produced a rich […]

Featuring Women in Electronic Music: Estrogenesis

CDM is pleased to get a full report on Estrogenesis, an event in San Francisco highlighting women in electronic music, from its creators, Lynda Arnold and Rena Jones. -PK This year, we formed Digital Bliss Productions to showcase the newest and best in electronic music and multimedia performance. Our first annual event, Estrogenesis, gave female […]

Female Tech Power on the Rise, Says Intel

Women are closing the gender gap in tech savvy, according to Intel-funded research by Harris Interactive (of Harris Poll fame). Experts from Intel and Harris, including a cultural anthropologist, say women are just as enthusiastic about technology as men; young women are actually more likely than young men to buy a laptop and more likely […]

Styleaholics: Open Call for Female DJs

Okay, as we talk today about equal opportunities for female music makers today, I'm not sure how encouraging it is that the open call for female DJs is at a fashion event. But hey, there's menswear, too, and a DJed event with independent fashion designers is something I'd go to.  (Press pass, anyone?) $50/hr pay […]