Waldorf Rocket: Sub-€250 German Desktop Synth Does 8-Oscillator Unison [High-Res Images]

Germany may have a reputation, deserved or not, for staid, conservative engineering. Waldorf’s Rocket isn’t that. Yes, this new desktop synth has a multi-mode analog filter and the usual complement of MIDI, envelope, and modulation controls. But with a “Booster” circuit to make the sound more aggressive and a full eight oscillators in unison/chord mode […]

Spray Cans and Beamers: Urban Projection Mixes Pixels, Live Mural Painting

Stylus – Episode #1: Projection Mural from Urban Projections on Vimeo. The movement forward in projection isn’t so much about projection mapping in the geometric sense as it is a chance to find a new materiality for digital imagery. In this work, the artists blend pixels and paint so that the different media can coexist. […]

With Advanced MIDI Controls, Radial Loopseque App on iPad Gets More Interesting

In a world of $5 apps and no upgrade fees, the fear of abandonware casts its shadow on the otherwise lush gardens of the App Store. (The spectre was raised just yesterday by iMaschine lovers eager for new functionality.) Here’s a terrific counter-example. Loopseque was a compelling app when released; we covered its launch and […]

The VJ Rigs That Power Momo (for deadmau5), Eclectic Method, Live [VDMX]

What’s making performance video shows tick for the like of live visuals for deadmau5 and Eclectic Method? And once those tools are in order, how do the artists express their ideas live? Vidvox, makers of Mac live visual tool VDMX, have kicked off their own blog offering some insights into how people are actually making […]

A Full Traktor DJ App on iPad, Syncs – or Replaces – Desktop App; First Impressions, Tour

It’s not a controller app. It’s not a “my first DJ app.” Native Instruments has released a full, two-deck version of Traktor, built from the ground up for the iPad, that nonetheless does essentially what the desktop app can. The same team behind the desktop Traktor has reconceived the library, effects, looping, sample navigation, and […]

Sibelius Core Team Now at Steinberg, Building New Notation Tool

Avid’s Sibelius score writer, seen here, no longer has the team that once led its development. But those veterans are now planning something new – and are now working for Steinberg. In the production of printed scores and traditional notation, two tools have loomed large for over a decade: Sibelius and Finale. So, for publishers, […]

On Fashion Runways and Live Shows, Dynamic Visuals from Chile [Featured Work]

Fashion venues in general offer a new opportunity for live visual performance to thrive – even when its growth has sometimes been stunted by over-reliance on clients in clubland and the corporate world. So, it’s fitting that the favorite portfolio example from this week’s featured work comes to us by way of the runway. There, […]

Tested: MS-20 Mini versus Original MS-20, in the Studio [Discussion, Audio, Photos]

MS-20 mini, on the left, next to the original, on the right. Photos: Peter Kirn and Benjamin Weiss for CDM and DE:BUG. It’s the news collectors of vintage synths on eBay probably didn’t want to hear. For $599, Korg has made a new MS-20 that the company says has “perfectly reproduced its circuitry” for an […]

Hands-on with Korg MS-20 Mini: Exclusive Review, Q&A, Images, Video

Even as technology rolls forward, sometimes the old is more cherished than the new. Perhaps this should come as no surprise in music. Musical relationships span many years – the records you love, the hours you spend practicing and producing. And so it is that we’ve heard a common refrain from electronic musicians: with many […]

Guitar Innovation, Then And Now: Paul Vo Reinvents Fretless, Acoustic Guitars [Videos]

Imagine any acoustic instrument able to act as a synth, and you begin to appreciate the potential instrumental pioneer Paul Vo may be about to unlock. As we reported last month, music-technological innovation can absolutely involve guitars, not just synths with keyboards. So, it’s fitting that we tun now to a lover of keyboards and […]