Thrift is Knowledge: A Radio from a Tube Map, Navigating Sound and Design with Yuri Suzuki

Designers in Residence 2012: Yuri Suzuki from Design Museum on Vimeo. Amidst an onslaught of disposable, impossible-to-repair electronics and waste, the best weapon to fight back can be know-how. That’s the message in a beautiful short film that paints a portrait of sound artist and designer Yuri Suzuki, a resident of London’s Design Museum. (Via […]

Modulation-o-rama: Rack Extension Tutorial with FXpansion Etch Might Make Knees Wobbly

Over the summer, a slew of new Rack Extensions has opened Reason’s modular, patchable rack to a variety of developers. I have to admit, I’ve been astounded by the quantity and variety, given this is just one host – it seems there was pent-up demand for Reason modules, and that Propellerhead made things developer-friendly. FXpansion […]

Magic Pockets: In Short Scenes, Live Music Construction With An Obscene Amount of Gear

Rusty’s Revenge from magicpockets on Vimeo. Music making, like a finely-tuned kitchen workstation arranged by a master chef, might come down to a few, carefully-selected tools, sharpened to make quick work in minimum… Oh, shove it. Let’s watch live music made with so much gear it looks like one act stole everyone else’s flight cases […]

NI Combines 2-Channel Mixer, Control Surface; Pondering a Category of Tools

Well, you have to give some credit to NI – they’re teasing a new product on a day when people’s attentions may be turned elsewhere, electronics gadget speaking. The “sneak preview,” in the fashion of some previous previews, actually reveals a whole lot about what they’re doing. It’s a 2-channel mixer that can evidently operate […]

iOS Streaming Tutorial: Wireless Video, Meet Google Hangouts [iOS, Mac, Windows]

Wirelessly streaming video has been a hot topic for readers here who own iOS gadgets, starting with connecting Apple computers and mobiles: AirBeam: Wireless Camera Streams from an iPhone, iPad to Mac, Syphon Now, here’s another fun streaming tricks from our friend Paolo Tosolini. Using either a Mac or a Windows-based PC, you can now connect […]

Fax, Circles Remixed EP, and the Post-Ambient, in Mexico And Beyond [Good Listening]

“Post-” is a prefix that comes up in an art world struggling with overlapping genres and non-linear history, one you’ll no doubt here today on an anniversary of a truly terrible day in Manhattan. But what does it mean to come after something, and where can it go? It’s sometimes best to simply listen to […]

On iPad and Desktop, Focusrite Aims for Simple, Premium Recording Interfaces [Gallery, Specs]

There’s no shortage of audio interfaces out there, but quality can be variable. Focusrite claims two new interfaces are focused squarely on “premium” quality. On paper, at least, they have some specs to back it up. And while fidelity is an emphasis, each interface is designed for simple recording scenarios – meaning, for those people […]

CDJ, The Next Generation: Pioneer Reimagines DJ CD Player in Networked, Mobile Age of Software

In DJing, it seems, everyone has a banner to fly. There are the turntablists, the vinyl die-hards, the scratch artists. There are the digital DJs, the laptop users. The controllerists. DJing seems to go hand-in-hand with advocacy, and it’s hard to find a middle path. Even the DJ press outlets online often tend to a […]

Investigating the Meaning of Mapping in Berlin Talk; Wood as Bones, Light as Flesh

Wood as Bones, Light as Flesh from ilan katin on Vimeo. There’s projection mapping, the trend, as in “hey, we need to get some projection mapping up in here.” Then, there’s mapping, the technique, the deeper sense of illusion and immersion in projection, in which current tools and output are just the first step toward […]

Video Find: Fixing MPC 500 Pads with Tape, Bike Rubber

A two-minute break for some MPC hacking – friend of the site Servando Barreiro hacks his MPC for better performance, and demonstrates the results in a video. It’s a reminder that a little mechanical thought can improve the life of your musical gear. “So, that’s all. Goodbye.” (Other drum pad hacking tips? We’d love to […]